The Return of the King

Introduction

We have a problem in talking about evil in our day.

Our problem with talking about evil is that we’ve becoming intellectually lazy and sedated by the relative affluence and peace we have in our nice comfortable suburban culture.

We want to believe that it’s intolerant or lacking mercy and kindness if anyone is punished or faces eternal judgement for their evil and sin.

The way this is brought up as a critique against Christianity today is through the statement “If God is a loving God, how could he send people to hell?”

But what would you say to:

A refugee from Afghanistan who had lost everything, seen their entire family assaulted and murdered, their mothers and sisters raped, and all of their earthy possessions burned by a tyrannical regime bent on destroying them?

A survivor of concentration camps during the Holocaust who saw their entire family gassed to death because of their ethnic heritage?

What about one of the more than 250 young women in the US Olympic Gymnastic organization that were sexually assaulted by Larry Nasser?

What do you say to one of the parents at Oxford High School or Covenant School in Nashville who have lost child in a senseless mass shooting?

These examples, by right, are crying out for justice because the heinous nature of the evil committed against them.

Would you tell them their oppressors are going to get away with it because “God love and forgives everybody?”

That’s why I say we have a problem with talking about evil in our comfortable, no big issues, culture. Nothing seems to really demand justice, and yet we all know that without it things aren’t right.

Furthermore, when we are wronged, we want justice. We want the person who sins against us to have to face justice.

We want them to suffer in the way they’ve made us suffer, if not worse.

The Christians of the first centuries were asking the troubling question of their time as they interacted with the Roman empire as well.

The Roman Emperors had become cruel and violently oppressive against Christians.

Domitian, the likely Roman Emperor during when Revelation was written had proclaimed himself “Lord and God” and demanded worship of him as a deity.

Anyone who would not was in trouble with the government authorities and faced persecution and death.

So when a Christian community has experienced members of their family being martyred and killed for their faith, how will view that evil against them?

They desired justice, they needed hope!

Orient to Series/Text

That is one of the great purposes for the book of Revelation.

This letter of visions given from Christ to the Apostle John served the purpose of waking the church up from her complacency in the Roman Empire and to encourage hope and confidence in the ultimate triumph and reign of Jesus Christ as King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

As much as it is a book that propels us into the future as we await the Second Coming of Christ, it was a book that deals with the present moment instructing us about how we should live here and now.

We began a new teaching series last Sunday called All Things New as look forward to the Second Coming of Christ when he will make all things new so that we know how to live today!

We’ll be studying Revelation 19-22 over the next six weeks.

This morning our text is Revelation 19:11-21.

It answers this question about God’s goodness and his justice by giving us an amazing and powerful vision of Jesus at his Return.

The truth put before us to consider in this passage is this:

Big Idea: Jesus will defeat God’s enemies.

This might be a hard vision for us to take in about Jesus, because we want the gentle, soft, comfortable Jesus who doesn’t take issue with anyone or say anything hard.

But we can’t have a God who is truly just if we don’t have a God who deals with sin.

This passage doesn’t tell us to do anything, but it does tell us to look.

As we look and see what John saw, we are able to grow in our faith that God is both good and just.

So let’s look at two things:

See the victorious king (Rev 19:11-16)

John says “I saw heaven opened”

This new section of Revelation is marked by seven “I saw” statements that bring to a pinnacle the promise return of Christ.

One helpful commentary, by Ian Paul, describes these last visions this way,

These seven visions offer:

Revelation: An Introduction and Commentary (Paul) 13. Seven Unnumbered Visions of the End (19:11–20:15)

seven perspectives on what the future of God’s relationship with the world, as expressed in the return of Jesus, means for humanity and the people of God. Here, at last, is revealed in these different visions what it means for God to be the one ‘who is, and who was, and who is to come’ (1:4).

So what does John see in this vision?

A white horse!

The imagery of the white horse here is not so much of purity, but of power and dominion.

A white horse was considered the best and used specifically for rulers and kings.

But more important than the horse, is the one sitting on that horse.

This is the one who is called “Faithful and True” - the very description of his character is of integrity, truth, loyalty, and honor.

Flowing from his title of faithful and true runs the manner in which he rules.

“in righteousness he judges and makes war.”

As the glorious and sovereign king, his enactment of that office is righteous, he determine sand decides out of his holiness.

His judgements are just!

His actions of making war - opposing the wrong-doer and bringing his enemies under his heel are also in righteousness.

This is not a short-fused, easily offended, selfish and petty ruler.

Here is a king who is perfect and holy in every decision, and in every work to bring justice and conquer those who oppose him and do evil.

As we see his return, he is coming with power.

Verse 12 speaks of his pure and penetrating vision - he sees things rightly.

He is crowned with authority and power - many diadems.

In Roman culture the wreath was the symbol of victory, the crown was the symbol of power/authority.

When he is describes as having a name that no one knows but himself, we could suggest that this this is the infinite majesty and unfathomable depths of glory in Christ which will never fully be exhausted.

However, it may reflect on the way the ancient world viewed the spiritual authorities and powers. If one knew their names they had power over them.

Jesus asked the hoard of demons in Mark 5 what their name was and then cast them out.

Here, although Jesus is named as Faithful and True, The Word of God, King of Kings and Lord of Lords, he is still mastered by none.

His clothing is a reference to Isaiah 63:1-3

Isaiah 63:1–3 (ESV)

1 Who is this who comes from Edom, in crimsoned garments from Bozrah, he who is splendid in his apparel, marching in the greatness of his strength? “It is I, speaking in righteousness, mighty to save.” 2 Why is your apparel red, and your garments like his who treads in the winepress? 3 “I have trodden the winepress alone, and from the peoples no one was with me; I trod them in my anger and trampled them in my wrath

We’re meant to see God here coming to make war, coming in justice and avenge the wrong done against him and his people.

His name The Word of God - the revelation of God almighty.

He’s not alone either.

Verse 14 speaks of the “armies of heaven” coming with him.

They are clothed in pure white, also on white horses.

These are the saints - the great multitude from every nation - coming with Christ.

But the focus does not stay there - it returns to Christ - verse 15

From his mouth comes the sharp sword - his word, his authority. Truth!

With his authority he “strikes down the nations and rules over them with a rod of iron.”

This is an allusion to Psalm 2 where the nations and rulers have plotted to over throw God and his King (the Anointed One).

The nations rage and rebel and God laughs. He hands them over to his son, the King who “rules them with a rod of iron.”

Christ will not be defeated, he will not be thwarted. No nation, ruler, scheme, plan, power structure, system or conspiracy will conquer him.

Referring back to Isaiah 63, he will tread the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God.

Because Jesus is God, he exercises the justice of God since he shares the attributes of God’s justice.

Out of all of this he is seen and titled as “King of kings and Lord of lords.”

He alone possess that name, and that right.

Others have tried to take it for themselves, but they have and will all fail!

Only Jesus is King over all kings and Lord over all lords.

Only he is worthy of the worship and glory of God and our homage.

He is given the name that is above all names

Philippians 2:10–11 ESV

10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Now why is this vision here? Against all the powers and authorities and kings that rage and rebel against Christ, he is the coming king!

He will come to rule and reign and make all things right.

He will come to bring justice and subject all his enemies under his authority.

Righteousness and justice will proceed from him.

One is coming who will deal with every traitor, every usurper, every tyrant, every oppressor, every violent and ravaging abuser.

He is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords!

But then see what happens:

See the victorious battle (Rev 19:17-21)

vv. 17-18 are an invitation from heaven.

John sees an angel “standing in the sun” - that is with radiant light and glory - impressive giving an invitation to all the birds of the air.

The invitation is to a feast

“Come, gather for the great supper of God...”

Revelation 19:18 ESV

18 to eat the flesh of kings, the flesh of captains, the flesh of mighty men, the flesh of horses and their riders, and the flesh of all men, both free and slave, both small and great.”

That’s a gruesome invitation.

It’s an invitation that finds itself in the OT Scriptures of Ezekiel 39

It should stagger us because it’s expressing that a great battle will take place, and a great slaughter will occur as God displays his glory and redeems his people.

So in view here is this coming justice from God.

The invitation gives way to a vision of an amassing army.

John’s third vision in this section in vv. 19-21 is that of Rev 19:19

Revelation 19:19 ESV

19 And I saw the beast and the kings of the earth with their armies gathered to make war against him who was sitting on the horse and against his army.

Since we haven’t walked through the entire book I have to supply some answers for some of these pictures.

Revelation is full of metaphor and imagery. We have the beast, the false prophet, and the mark of the beast (the image)

The language of the “Beast” here goes back to chapter 13 in which, I believe, John is describing the imperial power of Rome (and the imperial power of “any human empire that claims what only God can claim”)

So you have these imperial power-centers, much like the emperor of Rome claiming deity and power, and the kings of the earth latching on to this power ready to make war against Christ!

Then you have the false prophet: this is the religious cult that fused emperor worship with power and politics.

Found in Roman cities where they would try and earn the right to build a religious temple to the Emperor and worship him as if a god.

These cities wanted to be known as “temple wardens” so their social and economic prestige could be heightened.

If the beast represents political power, the false prophet represents religious power.

What about the mark of the beast?

This is not a computer chip in your head or on your hand.

It’s not a bar code, a tattoo, a vaccine, or credit card, it’s not AI.

Again, metaphor is what John is using in Revelation.

Within Revelation everyone - EVERYONE has a mark, or seal. It’s a depiction of who you follow.

Either you follow Jesus Christ and are sealed by him,

Or you follow the Devil and the systems and powers of this world and are marked for him.

Who has your loyalty?

So back to Rev 19:20

Revelation 19:20 ESV

20 And the beast was captured, and with it the false prophet who in its presence had done the signs by which he deceived those who had received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped its image. These two were thrown alive into the lake of fire that burns with sulfur.

The beast, the false prophet, are captured and thrown alive into the lake of fire - that is hell.

Revelation 19:21 ESV

21 And the rest were slain by the sword that came from the mouth of him who was sitting on the horse, and all the birds were gorged with their flesh.

Don’t get lost in all the particulars of the vision here, except to see that there is a great battle, except it’s no battle at all because Christ comes and has his decisive victory!

He wins!

Justice is served.

Jesus will defeat God’s enemies.

Conclusion

Now here’s why this has to do with justice.

Think about all the people that have been victimized by the power structures of religious and political entities of our time.

Will justice come for them?

Are they just fodder under the feet of another tyrant trying to take supreme power, whether through government or religious zealotry?

Is God good and just?

The answer is yes! Fully merciful and loving and fully righteous and just.

And he is never divided in his mercy and justice.

In each coming of Christ his love and justice are perfectly displayed.

At his first coming God displayed his love for us in this, while we were still sinners Christ died for us. The wrath of God against sin was pointed at the Son of God who died as a substitute in our place!

Justice was served on the cross as Jesus paid for the sins of his people and died on our behalf.

Love for us, justice on Christ.

At his second coming God will again display his love and justice.

This time it will be justice on all those who are enemies of Christ. All those who follow the kingdoms, powers, things of this world.

Christ will come and conquer his enemies and exact full justice on those who have done evil against him and his people.

Love will be displayed in redeeming and justifying his people.

All the wrongs will be made right.

God will judge!

That reality begs the question then, where will God’s justice that your sin demands be resolved?

You might not think of yourself as a wicked person on the level of a Hitler.

You might not believe that your white-collar, white-lie, “I’m not harming anyone” sin isn’t worth eternal judgement in hell.

You might think it’s unfair that God would forever punish people just because they don’t believe in him.

But if you do, you’re missing out how radically hostile your sin is.

You’re failing to see how utterly violent your rebellion to God’s ways are.

You may think, it’s only a small thing. But an offense against an infinite being is an infinite offense that demands an infinite punishment.

If you believe that your “sin” is just a mistake, nothing too bad, you will find that God will bring down his justice on you through Christ’s return on that future day.

Jesus will have his victory.

But if you see your sin and rebellion as awful and needing resolution today, then look at Jesus and repent—offer your heart to him and seek him for forgiveness and healing.

Look at Jesus and trust him that his work for you on the cross was where God’s justice was placed.

Repent, believe, and be loyal to Jesus. Forgiveness and mercy will be yours in full!

Today is the day to come to Jesus and bow your knee as he patiently extends his grace and forgiveness.

Don’t wait until the day when he comes and brings justice on all those who will not bow the knee, because every knee will bow, and every tongue confess that he is Lord to the glory of the Father.

Amen.