For our meditation this evening, you can turn to the book of Revelation, chapter 19, Revelation 19. We'll read all of the chapter, our text under consideration will be verses 11 to 16, the messianic reign of the warrior king, Jesus Christ. But we'll read from Revelation 19, verse one to the end of the chapter. After these things, I heard a loud voice of a great multitude in heaven saying, Alleluia, salvation and glory and honor and power belong to the Lord, our God, for true and righteous are his judgments, because he has judged the great harlot who corrupted the earth with her fornication, and he has avenged on her the blood of his servants shed by her.
Again, they said, Alleluia, her smoke rises up forever and ever. And the twenty four elders and the four living creatures fell down and worshipped God who sat on the throne saying, Amen, Alleluia. Then a voice came from the throne saying, Praise our God, all you his servants and those who fear him, both small and great. And I heard, as it were, the voice of a great multitude, as the sound of many waters and as the sound of mighty thunderings saying, Alleluia, for the Lord God omnipotent reigns.
Let us be glad and rejoice and give him glory for the marriage of the lamb has come and his wife has made herself ready. And to her it was granted to be arrayed in fine linen, clean and bright for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints. Then he said to me, right, blessed are those who are called to the marriage supper of the lamb. And he said to me, these are the true sayings of God.
And I fell at his feet to worship him. But he said to me, see that you do not do that. I am your fellow servant and of your brethren who have the testimony of Jesus. Worship God, for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.
The Vision and Its Champion
Now I saw heaven opened and behold, a white horse and he who sat on him was called faithful and true. And in righteousness, he judges and makes war. His eyes were like a flame of fire. and on his head were many crowns. He had a name written that no one knew except himself.
He was clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and his name is called the Word of God. And the armies in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, followed him on white horses. Now out of his mouth goes a sharp sword that with it he should strike the nations. And he himself will rule them with a rod of iron.
He himself treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. And he has on his robe and on his thigh a name written, King of kings and Lord of lords. Then I saw an angel standing in the sun and he cried with a loud voice saying to all the birds that fly in the midst of heaven, come and gather together for the supper of the great God. that you may eat the flesh of kings, the flesh of captains, the flesh of mighty men, the flesh of horses and of those who sit on them, and the flesh of all people, free and slave, both small and great. And I saw the beasts, the kings of the earth and their armies gather together to make war against him who sat on the horse and against his army.
Then the beast was captured and with him the false prophet who works signs in his presence by which he deceived those who received the mark of the beast and those who worshipped his image. These two were cast alive into the lake of fire burning with brimstone and the rest were killed with the sword which proceeded from the mouth of him who sat on the horse and all the birds were filled with their flesh. Amen. Let us pray.
God, we thank you again for the scriptures. We thank you for this portion of it. We thank you, Lord God, for what it discloses concerning Jesus Christ as our victorious, redeeming warrior king. And we pray that as we consider the central portion of this passage, that you'd help us to glory in Jesus Christ as our king.
We pray, Lord God, that those who do not glory in him who sit here in this congregation tonight, that you would, by your spirit and by the word, cause them to bend the knee to this King of Kings and to this Lord of Lords. And it's in his name that we pray. Amen.
Introduction
Well, just very briefly, we're going to consider four things tonight, but just briefly, by way of introduction, A brief introduction or a word on Revelation as a whole. What's going on largely here is or Revelation is concerned largely with what the subject matter of the parable of the wicked vinedressers that Jesus brings out in Matthew 21. Jesus comes in judgment upon a nation that rejected the prophets, that rejected the servants and finally rejected himself, finally rejected the son, and he comes and he and he takes the kingdom from that ungodly apostate nation and gives it to a nation bearing the fruits of it. We see something of that in the context that we read in chapter 18.
The great harlot is judged. The great harlot is divorced and destroyed. And the new bride, the Church of Jesus Christ, is married to Jesus Christ, the bridegroom. And following that covenantal transaction where the apostate harlot is divorced and the new bride is married, we have Jesus Christ riding victorious in conquest as the reigning Messiah.
Verses 11 to 16 are or this section of Revelation is a disclosure of Jesus Christ in his messianic reign, riding victorious on the white horse for the cause of his name and his truth. We're going to look at this vision, excuse me, under four considerations. First off, the introduction to the vision and its champion. Second, the disclosure of the champion's attributes.
Thirdly, the champion's battle company. And fourthly, the greatness of the champion. But first off, let's have a look at the introduction to the vision and its champion. Notice we read here.
Now I saw heaven opened and behold, a white horse and he who sat on him was called faithful and true and in righteousness he judges and makes war. First off, in introducing this vision, we ought to note the grace of the vision. We ought not to skip past. Now I saw heaven open.
You see, the very fact of revelation is a grace, the very fact that John here is able to see by the disclosing grace of Christ, heaven open. That is a grace in and of itself. That is condescending mercy visited upon John. And by virtue of John passing this on to us, to us, it is a mercy of it is a condescending mercy that God reveals his will to anyone, that God reveals his character and his perfections to anyone.
If we if we are to read the book of Hebrews and read the very first verse, we ought to glory in what it says, God, who at various times and in various ways spoke. You see, it is a mercy it is. First off, it is not the case that we deserve that we merit somehow God disclosing himself to us. Again, that's what a condescending mercy means.
We did not deserve it. Rather, we most certainly deserve his nondisclosure for him to keep us in our wrath and in the condemnation that rested upon us. But rather, God has chosen in that condescension to reveal himself to us. Now I saw heaven open.
The grace of the vision is also seen in the contents of the revelation. The content of the revelation is the glory of Jesus Christ. That first off, God reveals. But secondly, that God reveals the glory of his son is the grace of this vision.
Secondly, the general theme of the vision. The general theme of this vision is conquest. It is a military battle, conquest, a victory, a triumph. We understand this by the fact that we see heaven open and behold, a white horse.
This white horse has been used before in the book of Revelation. It's symbolic of, yes, purity. Yes, the purity of truth and those sorts of things. But it is indicative of the conquest of the one who rides upon it.
It's indicative of triumph, of conquest, of victory. You can turn back to Revelation six for a moment just to see this. Revelation 6, if you have your Bibles open and at the ready. Revelation 6, beginning at verse 1.
Now I saw when the Lamb opened the seals, one of the seals, and I heard one of the four living creatures saying with a voice like thunder, Come and see. And I looked, and behold, a white horse. He who sat on it had a bow, and a crown was given to him. And he went out conquering, and to conquer.
You see, this fact that we have a white horse given at the introduction of this vision discloses the fact that it will be a vision concerned with conquest, with victory and with triumph. The specific theme of the conquest is, of course, or of the vision, rather, is, of course, conquest by Jesus Christ. We see this vision continuing. And he who sat on him was called faithful and true.
And in righteousness, he judges and makes war. Of course, this can only be in as the vision fleshes fleshes itself out. We see this, but this can only be the Lord Jesus Christ, because there is only one who is who was and who always will be faithful and true. Jesus Christ, what does this mean, this faithful and true?
Well, first off, We see a contrast here between the champion of this vision and the beast that was judged, actually the harlot and the beast that were judged prior to Revelation 19. The harlot or the woman, the mystery Babylon, the mother of harlots and of the abominations of the earth, was seen as a harlot riding upon a beast. And both that harlot and that beast are judged. They do not are not marked by conquest.
They do not have triumph. They do not have victory. And we have this Jesus Christ, though, contrasted with that one who was destroyed, divorced and condemned. This Jesus Christ rides upon a white horse and he is triumphant.
Unlike the falsity and the lies and the blasphemies, this one, Jesus Christ, is faithful and true. And what we see in that disclosure of Christ as being faithful and true. Well, first off, we see that in the perfection of his life, don't we? We see that Jesus Christ was faithful to every jot and tittle of his father's law and of his father's calling upon him.
The task given to Jesus Christ by the father. He was faithful and he was true. He was faithful and true as he marched and as he completed the work upon Golgotha's cross. He was perfectly faithful and true in his ascended work of intercession.
Jesus Christ is faithful and true, isn't he? He always lives to make intercession for us before the throne. Our surety stands. He is faithful and true to that task is our ascended intercessor.
But I think more to the point in this context. He is in carrying out his judgment in battling his enemies and in visiting vengeance upon his enemies for the case of his name and his saints. He is faithful and true. Jesus will ride this white horse upon the faithful and true course in visiting vengeance upon those who rejected him and who do not obey his precepts, who do not bend and eat in saving faith, believing in this King of King and Lord of Lords.
The activity of the writing of Jesus Christ is judicial and militaristic. Notice the language here. And he who sat on him was called faithful and true. And in righteousness, he judges and makes war.
The writing of Jesus Christ, first off, is judicial. That is, Jesus Christ executes the law as the law giver. He comes riding victorious and exercising, executing the law. He visits or he imposes upon his enemies the sanctions for breaking the law of Christ.
And he also, of course, in his writing, condemns those and slays those who do not bend a knee to him. We see that his riding is militaristic in that he carries out an armed campaign against his enemies. We'll see what that means in a few minutes. But Jesus Christ rides in righteousness and he judges and makes war.
And then lastly, under the introduction to the vision and the champion, we see the tenor of his riding. It is in righteousness. the tenor or the current or the drift of Christ's writing, it is in righteousness. In righteousness, he judges and makes war. He's not like the kings and the judges of old who exercise their offices according to bribery, according to the acquisition of ill-gotten gain.
He is not a judge who acquits the righteous and sorry, who acquits the wicked and who condemns the righteous or the just, but rather he is faithful and true and in righteousness he judges and makes war. He's also or his righteousness is also seen in the fact that he carries out his judging and he carries out his war according to objective precepts revealed with clarity in the word of God, a body of laws, a body of truth. Jesus Christ is righteous.
The Champion's Attributes
Secondly, notice the disclosure of the champion's attributes. And just to note here, this is another one of those biblical crescendos. We've talked about that before, various places in scripture where you see something starting off sort of small and then building to a grand end and a large point at the end of it. Well, here we have that.
This just starts. Now I saw heaven opened and behold, a white horse. We see it build and build in intensity and force, climaxing in this wonderful declaration, the glorious title and name of Jesus Christ. But moving on, the disclosure of the champion's attributes, verses 12 and 13.
And we'll try and move through these quickly. We have five of them. First off, notice his divine omniscience, his divine omniscience.
Divine Omniscience
His eyes were like a flame of fire. This language is used in chapter one and in chapter two concerning Jesus. Now, of course, Jesus is or has divine omniscience. Generally speaking, Jesus knows all things and Jesus sees all things.
But what's going on here or specifically and more to the point here is Christ's piercing vision as it pertains to judgment. No one escapes the piercing, precise vision of this warrior king. You see that the enemies of Christ, those who who fly the banner of those kings and rulers who reject Christ and want to cast away his cords from them, they think that they can get away with things. But what this text is saying is that, no, the rider on the white horse has eyes that are like flames of fire.
He has a vision that pierces. He sees everything. And you cannot get away with the persecution, your ungodly persecution, your execution, your Martyrdom of Christ's people, you cannot get away with rejecting this warrior king because he sees all and he will judge according to that piercing vision. Jesus Christ has divine omniscience and specifically as it pertains to judgment.
And we need to note here that he sees contrary to the sometimes faithless assessment of his people. You see, very often we can be such that are marked by unbelief. We're believers, we are safely in the grip of Jesus, but sometimes we really don't take the fact that Jesus Christ is victorious and will be victorious seriously. We really don't believe it.
But this is to kill that and to bring to life the apprehension that Jesus Christ does have piercing vision, that he does see when we're wronged, that he does see when his people are wrong, that he does see wickedness and will most certainly deal with that. We also need to understand that he sees contrary to his enemy's ignorance and disregard. You see, Christ's enemies, again, they think that they can get away with it, or in the very least, they make it look that way, suppressing the truth in unrighteousness. But even they know full well that Jesus Christ will judge the wicked.
They know that there is one that has been appointed judge of the living and of the dead. But they need to understand with certainty that Jesus Christ has this piercing vision and they need to bend the knee to the king of kings lest he dash them to pieces as a potter's vessel. Secondly, we notice his conquering prowess.
Conquering Prowess
his conquering prowess. Notice the language continues. And on his head were many crowns on his head were many crowns. Now, Jesus Christ is crowned by virtue of the fact that he is Lord of Creation, Lord of Providence and Lord of Redemption.
Jesus Christ is crowned by virtue of the fact that he is the only sinless one, that he is the only one who perfectly championed the law of his father. to every jot and tittle. Jesus Christ is crowned, again, as the only law keeper. But what's in view here is a multiplicity of diadems by virtue of Christ's conquering prowess over his enemies. Jesus Christ, first and foremost, we see his conquering over his enemies by bearing Golgotha's cross.
Upon the cross, we read in the scriptures that Jesus Christ was perfectly victorious over death. over Hades, over the devil, and over all principalities in the heavenly places. Jesus Christ gains that crown by virtue of his victory at the cross. And then, of course, subsequent to his resurrection and ascension, Jesus Christ rides victorious on the white horse, conquering and to conquer. And so he is seen as the one bearing many crowns.
We see, thirdly, under the disclosure of the champion's attributes,
Exclusive Ownership
his exclusive ownership His exclusive ownership. Notice the second part of verse 12. He had a name written that no one knew except himself. What John is saying here is not that Jesus Christ is the only one who knew that name, who had a knowledge of the name.
He's not saying that it was a secret and that no one could know what to call Jesus, but rather the meaning here means that there is a uniqueness and a singularity to Christ's ordained office. It is only Christ who knows or it is only Christ who owns this particular messianic reign and conquest. Jesus Christ is the only ordained King of Kings and Lord of Lords. He is the only Word of God who goes conquering and to conquer.
We see something of this back in Revelation 5. Revelation chapter five, we see something of this. We see beginning in verse one. And I saw in the right hand of him who sat on the throne, a scroll written inside and on the back, sealed with seven seals.
Then I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice who is worthy to open the scroll and loose it seals and no one in heaven or on the earth or under the earth, was able to open the scroll or to look at it. So I wept much, because no one was found worthy to open and read the scroll or to look at it. But one of the elders said to me, Do not weep. Behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has prevailed to open the scroll and to loose its seven seals." Jesus Christ is the only one who has ownership of this messianic task to reign as the warrior king, the king of kings. and the Lord of Lords.
Fourthly, notice his wholesome severity.
Wholesome Severity
His wholesome severity. After we read that no one knew that name that was written except himself, verse 13 we read, he was clothed with a robe dipped in blood. He was clothed with a robe dipped in blood. Now, is this a reference to?
Jesus Christ, or is this a reference to the blood of the saints that Jesus Christ comes to vindicate, to visit vengeance upon those who spilled their blood? Most likely it's not, though Jesus Christ does come in vengeance for his name and on behalf of his saints. Is this robe dipped in blood a reference to the blood that he spilled upon Calvary's tree? Well, most certainly it is the case that Jesus has taken up this messianic task by virtue of the fact that he shed his blood on Calvary's tree.
But that is probably not the blood that we see here that his robe is dipped in. What we see here is that Jesus Christ's robe or his vestment, his vesture, is dipped in the blood of his enemies. It is sprinkled in the blood of his enemies. It is dyed in the blood of those that he conquers and goes out to conquer.
We can see this sort of building as we look at the book of Revelation. First off, if you look back at Revelation 6, 9. Revelation 6, 9. Just to see that this blood that is on his garments. is the stain of his enemy's blood.
Revelation chapter 6 at verse 9. When he opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the testimony which they held. And they cried out with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, until you judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth? When we get back to the book of our story, when we get back to chapter 19, we see that this is exactly the case, that the blood upon his garments is the blood of his enemies.
Verse two, for true and righteous are his judgments because he has judged the great harlot who corrupted the earth with her fornication and he has avenged on her the blood of his servants shed by her. Now, turn to the book of Isaiah with me to see this even more clearly by virtue of a prophecy given by that prophet Isaiah 63. Isaiah 63, as many have noted, or many have noted that Revelation 19, 11 to 16, and specifically this verse, he was clothed with a robe dipped in blood, is the fulfillment of the prophecy in Isaiah 63, beginning at verse one. And I'll read and you can follow.
Who is this who comes from Edom with dyed garments from Basra? This one who is glorious in his apparel, traveling in the greatness of his strength. I who speak in righteousness, mighty to save. Why is your apparel red and your garments like one who treads in the winepress?
I have trodden the winepress alone and from the peoples no one was with me, for I have trodden them in my anger and trampled them in my fury. Their blood is sprinkled upon my garments, and I have stained all my robes. For the day of vengeance is in my heart, and the year of my redeemed has come. I looked, but there was no one to help, and I wondered that there was no one to uphold.
Therefore, my own arm brought salvation for me, and my own fury, it sustained me. I have trodden down the peoples in my anger, made them drunk in my fury, and brought down their strength to the earth. You see that here. Jesus Christ takes truth, takes sin and takes opposition seriously.
Jesus Christ comes in vengeance upon his enemies. Those who ultimately, not ultimately, but those who first off killed the prophets and the servants of old. Those who ultimately put him to death upon Calvary's tree. He being the promised one who would come and bear the sins of his people.
And Jesus Christ, once that one who rode into Jerusalem on a donkey, now rides on a white horse, bringing vengeance and visiting judgment upon his enemies. His wholesome severity is seen in the fact that he is stained by the blood of his enemies. And lastly, under the disclosure of the champion's attributes, we see his impeccable execution.
Impeccable Execution
His impeccable execution. Notice, as the vision continues, we read this. He was clothed with a robe, dipped in blood, and his name is called the word of God. Jesus Christ is the word of God.
We see this in the fact of his pre-incarnate state in the beginning was the word and the word was with God and the word was God. We see this is still, of course, true in his incarnation. And the word became flesh and dwelt among us. And we beheld his glory as of the only begotten of the father, full of grace and truth.
But we also are and most certainly we see this in the fact that Jesus Christ is the word of God in fulfilling everything concerning God's law and the promise of salvation upon Calvary Street and the subsequent resurrection. Jesus Christ proclaims he is the word he proclaims the word he fulfills the word and he brings the word to bear as the sovereign Christ. We see as we get more pointedly to its application in this context. If you turn back to Luke 21 with me, we see the fact that Jesus Christ is the word of God and fulfills that role in bringing to bear the curses of the covenant.
Luke 21. Luke 21 and verse 22. Actually, beginning at verse 20, but when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then know that its desolation is near. Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains, let those who are in the midst of her depart and let not those who are in the country enter her.
For these are the days of vengeance that all things which are written may be fulfilled. You can make a note if you are making notes of Deuteronomy 28, 15 to 65. We see Jesus Christ in promising this in Luke 21, 22. And then as we get to the book of Revelation, bringing this to bear Deuteronomy 28 and the curses of the covenant.
If you do not follow in my way and if you reject my covenant, I will do X, Y and Z. And we see Jesus Christ alluding to that in verse 22 of Luke 21. and bringing it to bear within the pages of John's apocalypse. Jesus Christ is the is the word of God, indicative of his impeccable execution of that word. And then lastly, under his impeccable execution, he is the word of God is the one reigning omnipotent who rides conquering and to conquer.
He brings to bear the truth of Psalm 110. He brings to bear the truth of another example, Daniel 7, 13 and 14, where the ascended Christ is given glory and dominion and a kingdom, and he rules over them with might and with the rod of his justice. So that is the disclosure of the champion's attributes. As we move closer to the close, we see next the champion's battle company.
You're back at Revelation 19.
The Champion's Battle Company
This is our third point, the champion's battle company. Notice the language here, verse 14, and the armies in heaven clothed in fine linen, white and clean, followed him on white horses. This is Christ or the champion's battle company. Some see in this a reference to angels, to those that population of spirit beings created by God to minister to those who will inherit salvation.
But I think we are to see here this as a reference to the saints of Christ, believers in the Lord Jesus Christ, who, according to Revelation 2, 26 and 27, reign with him. We also see the weight of this being the saints of Christ back in Revelation 17 at verse 14. Speaking of those who are with Christ, These will make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb will overcome them. For He is the Lord of Lords and the King of Kings, and those who are with Him are called chosen and faithful.
Those who are in the Lord's commissioned army are the saints. Yes, the angels are seen in the scripture as coming with the Lord in judgment. But specifically here, this is a reference to the saints. And I think this is certainly clear from verse eight.
Well, from verses six to eight of Revelation 19. And I heard, as it were, the voice of a great multitude, as the sound of many waters and as the sound of many thundering, saying, Alleluia, for the Lord God omnipotent reigns. Let us be glad and rejoice and give him glory for the marriage of the lamb has come and his wife has made herself ready. And to her, it was granted to be arrayed note in fine linen, clean and bright for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints.
So this is this verse 14 is a reference to the the saints, the armies who follow after Jesus Christ are the saints of Jesus Christ. And we ought to see in this, brethren, a great privilege and a great honor. See, Jesus Christ is seen as here as the champion of champions riding on a white horse. His people, by virtue of his perfect work, are also on white horses.
And we are wearing those garments, those robes that are white and clean. We are clothed in fine linen. Ultimately and finally, that is a reference to the fact that Jesus Christ has washed us in his own blood. You see, we once had garments or we our garments were once filthy, soiled, dirty, rotten.
But Jesus Christ, by virtue of his perfect crosswork, has plunged those has plunged us and our garments into the blood, into his perfect blood and washed them sparklingly white, clean, glorious honor to be those who are the armies or who are in the number of the army of heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean. And notice that we follow him. on white horses. We are not to be a bunch of individualistic brothers and sisters in Jesus Christ. We are to follow the Lord Jesus Christ wherever he goes.
We are an army. We are united in the things of Jesus, and we march after him in battle, towards victory, in victory, and we are to be united. We're a band of soldiers not a motley crew of individuals seeking our own lusts and our own gains, but rather we are about the champion's cause. Whatever Jesus is about, we're about.
Whatever Jesus Christ is zealous for, we are zealous for. Whatever Jesus Christ champions, that is the word of God and the truth of the gospel, we are to champion and we are to defend with great apologetic vigor. Our energies are to be thrust into being this army that follows Christ. We are to focus our energies upon following the victorious rider of the white horse wherever he goes.
Lastly then, that was the champion's battle company.
The Greatness of the Champion
Fourthly, we have the greatness of the champion. The greatness of the champion. Notice first off the excellence of his warfare.
Excellence of His Warfare
the excellence of his warfare. Verse 15, now out of his mouth goes a sharp sword that with it he should strike the nations. Christ's warfare is excellent because the tool or the weapon of his warfare is not carnal, but rather spiritual. The sword that comes out and protrudes from the mouth of this rider upon the white horse is the word of God.
You can turn to Ephesians 6.16 to see this. Ephesians 6.16. So we can see some of these things that we're not making it up. Jesus Christ doesn't have a literal and physical sword coming out of his mouth that he might strike the nations physically with this sword that protrudes from his mouth.
But rather, this is symbolic, indicative of something that is literal and that is real. Ephesians six and verse. Verse 17, and take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the spirit, which is the word of God. Also in the book of Hebrews, the author there says that the word of God is sharper than any two-edged sword, specifically and precisely purposed to do various things, death unto death, life unto life, to paraphrase.
But Jesus Christ wields a sword. It protrudes out of his mouth. And that sword is the word of God. And with it, he strikes the nations.
This is seen, first off, Yes, in the fact that he subdues his elect unto himself. In I believe it's question 28 of the Westminster Shorter Catechism, we get a view of what Christ's office as king is, what it means, what it looks like. Christ executes the office of a king in subduing us to himself, in ruling and defending us, and in restraining and conquering all his and our enemies. Jesus Christ, first off, wields the sword from his mouth so that he might subdue the nations in calling his elect scattered abroad unto belief in his glorious name.
You see, this is an image. This is a picture. This is a vision of Christ marching victoriously throughout history. The gospel starts as a small as a proclamation to a small group in Jerusalem.
Now, 2000 years later, we have people in Chilliwack believing on this white rider. You see, it was just a small light in Jerusalem, but 2000 years later, we have believers in Europe, believers in Asia, believers in Australia, believers in North America, believers in South America. Jesus Christ, that great white rider, strikes the nations with the sword of the spirit, subduing his people unto himself, calling them to follow him in white, fine and clean linen. the victory of his gospel. But secondly, we have primarily, it's seen here in the slaying of the reprobate.
The hardened unto death disobedient and the unrepentant. Jesus Christ comes with sharp sword, the word of God, and he strikes the nations. Gill says regarding this language, John Gill, our old Baptist brother, says this, speaking from a different passage, Hosea 6.5, Jesus Christ does this striking the nation by the word of truth, by preaching the terrors of the law, which is a killing letter, and by delivering out the threatenings of the Lord and denouncing his judgments upon them for their sin, cut them to the heart and killed them for their foretelling and prophesying of their being slain, ruined and destroyed was a slaying of them. Jesus Christ brings to bear the weight and the glory of the word of God.
And upon the reprobate is it is a death dealing victory. Jesus Christ gains the victory by punishing those who are disobedient, who rebel against him, who will not bend a knee to his glory, to his majesty, to his faithfulness and to his truthfulness. We see secondly, under the greatness of the champion,
Strictness of His Justice
the strictness of his justice, the strictness of his justice. Notice after we read in verse 15 regarding the sharp sword striking of the nations, we read and he himself will rule them with a rod of iron. Some interpreters see here a rule such as the good shepherd, the great shepherd in Psalm 23, that this is a rod wielded for the leading and for the feeding and for the guarding of the sheep. Well, certainly Jesus Christ does that.
But what's in view here is the fulfillment of Psalm 2 that we sang this evening. Jesus Christ takes the rod that is given to him, this rod of iron, and he dashes those wicked kings and rulers like a potter's vessel. The psalmist writes, Be wise, O kings. Be instructed, you judges of the earth.
Kiss the son, lest he be angry, and you perish in the way. When his wrath is kindled, but a little. You see, not to exhaustion. When the wrath of this white rider is kindled, but a little, it is as if when he brings to bear his judgment, he takes an iron rod and he smashes a potter's vessel.
He grinds it to powder, as the Bible says elsewhere. You see, a potter's vessel is just pottery, but this is an iron rod that our great champion wields. And if you bend not a knee to this saving Christ, if you oppose him, if you blaspheme him, and if you kill and persecute his saints, he will most certainly visit the judgment upon you. The strictness of his justice.
Christ, as the righteous judge, dashes to pieces those who will not be ruled by him. You can read in your own reading later, Matthew 22, another prophecy concerning the destruction of Jerusalem. But in that parable, there are men who they say we will not have this king, this gracious king to rule over us. And the consequence of that rebellion and disobedience is that the king calls upon his servants to slay those men before him.
The strictness of his justice, the fury of his trampling, we see thirdly under the greatness of the champion.
Fury of His Trampling
Notice the fury of his trampling. He himself treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. Jesus Christ treads the winepress of the fierceness and the wrath of Almighty God. In chapter 14 of Revelation, we see an angel calling upon a sickle wielding angel to chop down the vintage, to chop down the grapes and to cast them into the great winepress of the Lord.
I think that's where we also see some of this language here with regards to Christ's robe being dipped in blood. Why? Because he treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. The sickle of the angel figuratively casts all the wicked into the winepress of the Lord and the true surety of the covenant.
The white rider comes in vindication of his name and his saints and tramples that winepress. The fury of his trampling. Of course, this is not a mindless, out of control rampage, as sometimes we associate to the word fury. This is a calculated, wholesome, juridical severity and anger that comes by the zeal of this white rider executing according to truth, according to righteousness and according to justice.
And then lastly, the glory of his name,
Glory of His Name
the glory of his name. We see this vision closing, this crescendo, climaxing with verse 16. And he has on his robe and on his thigh a name written, King of Kings and Lord of Lords. It's a glorious declaration concerning Jesus.
We noted on Wednesday night that this language was actually rendered to earthly kings. Xerxes in the book of Esther. Nebuchadnezzar in the book of Daniel to name two. In extra biblical literature, the kings of Persia, the kings of Greece, the kings of Rome, this sort of language was used regarding them.
But you see, with the Lord Jesus Christ, it is actually and ultimately true. You see, Nebuchadnezzar might have been called king of kings and lord of lords. But we saw what happened when he boasted that his prominence, his pomp and his kingdom were all because of his doing. The Lord God casts him seven times into the wilderness to eat the grass like the beasts, makes him low, makes him humble and causes him to see who truly is the king of the nations, who truly is the king of kings and the Lord of Lords.
And Jesus Christ has this title not by virtue of his conquest. He is he is a conquistador. He is a victor. He is triumphant.
But this is what cared says regarding this title. This title is the ground, not the result of the coming victory. He will conquer the monster and the kings because he is already king of kings and lord of lords. This Jesus is king of kings and lord of lords.
And by virtue of the very fact, the brilliance and the perfection of his being, his character. and his work.
Application
Well, brethren, to close before we pray, just two brief applications here. First, who is the Christ presented in our profession and in our evangelism? Most certainly preaching to the choir here, but the church at large needs to reacquire the Christ that is presented in the scriptures. We need a holistic view of the Lord Jesus Christ to be sure we have Jesus Christ meek and mild in his earthly ministry, riding into Jerusalem on a donkey, a colt, the foal of a donkey.
But Jesus Christ is also this victorious champion, warrior, king, white horse rider who comes to tread the winepress of the fierceness and the wrath of Almighty God. You see, the church has most certainly lost her way and her proper trajectory when she does not worship this Christ, but worships the Christ of the bad five dollar slogan, the cheap T-shirt and the bad jacket decal. When Jesus Christ is just a friend and just a buddy, when Jesus Christ is chanted as in to call upon his name in a stadium chant, or when Jesus is the cheesy repeated verse of a contemporary song. Jesus Christ is King of Kings and Lord of Lords.
He treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. We don't depict him in a bad Japanese style comic scampering through the tulips of Jerusalem, the lilies of Jerusalem. We depict him in the word, or we read about him in the word, as that one who's victorious at Calvary, victorious in the resurrection, victorious in the ascension, and who rides victorious upon this white horse, conquering and to conquer. We hold forth the Jesus of love.
We hold forth the Jesus of wrath. You will seek to hide yourself, cover yourself in the rocks and in the trees, calling upon them to hide you from the wrath of this land if you do not bend a knee in saving faith. You bend a knee to this King Jesus and you will not have to worry about being the recipient of this sharp sword as it comes in striking judgment upon the trampling of the white horse that Jesus Christ rides as he comes in the fury of his trampling. And that's the second point before we close in prayer.
Whose side will you be on? Whose side will you be on? You see, this vision is terror to those who are Christ's enemies. This vision is terror to those who are Christ's enemies.
It certainly ought to be. They might be those who are ignorant. They might be those who do not catch the tenor and the current of this because they are unbelieving and suppress the truth. But nevertheless, this ought to be terror.
The Bible tells us that this is terror to those who finally come under the judging act and the condemning act of Christ. Because they do call, not upon God in repentance, not upon God to have mercy upon them, but rather than calling upon this reigning Christ, they call upon the rocks and the trees to cover them from the wrath of this white rider. Whose side will you be on? It is comfort.
This vision is comfort to those who are his people, though. Comfort to his people. You see, the recipients of this letter had it a little harder off than we do in our current era. Especially in Western and Western civilization, I'm referring to.
You see, these Christians like Christians in other nations, but these Christians were under hot persecution. They were being martyred. They were having their heads chopped off for faith in the Lord Jesus Christ by an unbelieving Jewish nation. At the time of this writing, the time of Nero's reign, Nero would take Christians and impale them upon wooden sticks for his garden parties and light them aflame.
OK, these Christians needed something of comfort. And throughout the book of Revelation, it isn't John bringing falsity, saying, OK, I'm going to try and gird them up with lies. It is John bringing to bear the truth of a reigning Christ, of a victorious white rider who rides valiantly for the vindication of his name and for those who are persecuted for his people. Time and again, the book of Revelation, we have we have an image of earth with the wretchedness of the whore of Babylon and the beast upon which she rides.
The evil blasphemies, the murders, the adulteries, the spiritual adultery of the nations. And then the scene shifts to heaven where we see the glory of Christ. And as one man is called the calm dignity of the throne room, there is no scampering. There is no running around, pulling out hair, wondering what to do.
Jesus Christ rise victorious by his word for truth and victory. Jesus Christ is glorious, and we need to we need to know that comfort we need to have. I think one of the things that shows a deficient or a weaker Christianity is when we on one side focus upon what Christ has accomplished. We remember him rightly as the one who died, rose again and ascended.
And we can also, on the other side, look forward to his second coming. Even so, Lord Jesus come. But it is a deficient Christianity if we don't also see his current session. The fact that he reigns as the Lord God omnipotent, that he is this white rider, that he current reigns, though earth may rage, though the kings may rebel, though the rulers of the earth may gather together to seek to cast away his cords from them, he still rides victorious.
And justice denied isn't justice, or justice delayed isn't justice denied. Jesus Christ is, has been, and will be victorious. And this is the Lord Jesus Christ that we present to people. The Christ who came into this world to live perfectly, who died perfectly, who rose again the third day and ascended to heaven for the sins of his people.
And this Jesus Christ who currently rise and who currently reigns, vindicating his name in the earth and spreading his gospel upon every ten square mile spot upon this planet. Might Jesus Christ ride victorious forever and ever, and might we see in this lower world the effects of that conquering gospel, sinners singing the praises of our blessed Redeemer. Well, let us pray.
Closing Prayer
God, we thank you so much for the fact of Revelation 19, 11 to 16. We thank you for what it discloses concerning our glorious Jesus. We do thank you, Lord God, that we can be called those who are of that army in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean. that we can follow on white horses that valiant warrior king. And we do know, Lord God, that it's not by virtue of anything good in us, done by us or wrought by us, but rather it is solely and alone by virtue of the perfect work of that king, the Lord Jesus Christ.
And we pray that you'd help us to Have a renewed, a refreshed vision of this Lord Jesus Christ as we read the scriptures and as we carry out our Christian lives in this lower world. Help us to live in light of the reigning Jesus. And might we seek in this lower world to glorify you in all that we do and all that we say. We just pray that you'd help us as a church to be united in the things of this Jesus and in the things of his truth.
We pray that you'd help us to be gathered around the high and heavy things of the gospel and that we would set aside the trivialities and the rabbit trails of the folly of our own opinions. Help us to be unified and help us to strive for the sake of the gospel and for the glory of your name. And it's in Christ's name that we pray. Amen.