The Conquering King

 

Then I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse! The one sitting on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he judges and makes war. His eyes are like a flame of fire, and on his head are many diadems, and he has a name written that no one knows but himself. He is clothed in a robe dipped in blood, and the name by which he is called is The Word of God. And the armies of heaven, arrayed in fine linen, white and pure, were following him on white horses. From his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations, and he will rule them with a rod of iron. He will tread the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty. On his robe and on his thigh he has a name written, King of kings and Lord of lords. (Revelation 19:11-16 ESV).

 

Overwhelmed by the vision of the marriage supper of the Lamb, John fell to worship the angel who told him to write a blessing for those who will attend that banquet. However, the angel rebuked John for worshiping him, a mere creature (vv. 9–10). It is easy for us to criticize John at this point, but we should be careful. The glories he saw would certainly overwhelm us as well. In our fallenness, we are not any less susceptible to worshiping a creature as glorious as an angel. Immediately after receiving the angel’s rebuke, John saw a new vision of the One whom he is to worship, the Lord Jesus Christ. Today’s reading describes John’s vision of the return of Jesus as conquering King at the end of history. Heaven opens, and the Word of God—the incarnate Logos and Son of God (John 1:1–14)—appears on a white horse, leading the armies of heaven dressed in fine linen (vv. 11–14).

 

That we are seeing the final battle at the return of Christ is evident in the destruction of the beast and the false prophet—that is, the beast from the sea who makes war on the saints and the beast from the land who deceives the nations (v. 20). We last saw this beast from the sea earlier where he is depicted as the eighth persecuting king to come and the mount of the prostitute Babylon, who turns on Babylon when she falls. As we have seen, this beast may be consummated in the appearance of one final Antichrist, but in general it represents the evil world system that is opposed to God and His people, which finds one final expression at the end of all things. This beast epitomizes rebellion against the Lord, and the ungodly nations of the world join him to fight the Messiah. Yet to call the conflict between this evil alliance of world powers and Jesus a battle is to give too much credit to the strength of our Lord’s foes. No real struggle is recorded in this chapter; the beast and his followers meet their doom as soon as the Lord appears from heaven. Jesus wears the blood-stained robes that God wears in executing His final judgment (v. 13), confirming the surety of His quick victory. Without a doubt, Jesus will perfectly judge and defeat all His and our enemies (v. 21).

 

This is the final victory becoming a past event. It will usher in eternal life and a world filled with the perfection God intended from the beginning. It will be the greatest of all that has been imagined or hoped for!