Jesus is Coming Back

INTRODUCTION

As we prepare to celebrate our Savior’s birth tomorrow, I want to give you a perspective of the Christmas story that is much different than what many are preaching today

Instead of focusing on His first coming, I want to focus on His second

God became man in His first coming

In His second coming, He comes as Judge and Executioner

This is our 3rd Christmas reminder

The first two was “God Became Man” and “Jesus is God”

The third is “Jesus is coming back”

Steve Lawson has rightfully stated, “At Jesus’ first coming, He stood trial before the world. At His second coming, the world will stand trial before Him.”

But while the unbelieving world will panic when He comes, the saints will worship Jesus

2 Thessalonians 1:10 says He will “be glorified in His saints on that day, and to be marveled at among all who have believed”

This is the anticipation of every believer

It is also one of the dominate teachings in the Old and New Testament

The Great Doctrines of the Bible A. The Second Coming of Christ

It is claimed that one out of every thirty verses in the Bible mentions this doctrine; to every one mention of the first coming the second coming is mentioned eight times; 318 references to it are made in 216 chapters; whole books (1 and 2 Thess., e. g.) and chapters (Matt. 24; Mark 13; Luke 21, e. g.) are devoted to it.

Jesus is coming back

You can be sure of that because it comes from a God who cannot lie (Titus 1:2)

And His Word is truth (John 17:17)

Daniel said in Daniel 7:13–14, “13 “I kept looking in the night visions, And behold, with the clouds of heaven One like a Son of Man was coming, And He came up to the Ancient of Days And was presented before Him. 14 “And to Him was given dominion, Glory and a kingdom, That all the peoples, nations and men of every language Might serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion Which will not pass away; And His kingdom is one Which will not be destroyed.”

In John 14:3 Jesus said “I will come again.”

In Revelation 22:12, He said, “I am coming quickly.”

Even at His ascension in Acts 1:11, two angels appeared to the disciples and said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into the sky? This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in just the same way as you have watched Him go into heaven.”

You may ask, “What will it be like when He comes?”

The answer is found in Matthew 24:29–31, “29 “But immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. 30 “And then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky with power and great glory. 31 “And He will send forth His angels with a great trumpet and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other.”

We need to understand that the second coming of Christ is a big event just like His first coming and it includes many things:

Jesus’ first coming included His birth in Bethlehem, His early life, His ministry teachings, His miracles, His selection of His disciples, His conflicts with religious leaders, His triumphal entry into Jerusalem, His Last Supper, His betrayal, His arrest, His crucifixion, His resurrection, His post-resurrection appearances, and His ascension into heaven

His second coming includes events like the rapture of His church, His final judgment on the nations, His defeating of evil, the resurrection of the dead, and His establishment of God's millennial Kingdom

So as we think about His second coming this morning, I want to focus on the event in Revelation 19 that occurs right before the war the world makes with Jesus

Please take your Bible and turn with me to Revelation chapter 19 as we look at verses 11-21

In the previous section in chapter 19 we hear the hallelujahs in heaven

The “hallelujahs” that are heard in verses 1, 3, and 6 are coming from “a great multitude in heaven”

This same “multitude” is mentioned in Revelation 7:9.

They are rejoicing according to Revelation 19:2, “because His judgments are true and righteous; for He has judged the great harlot who was corrupting the earth with her immorality, and He has avenged the blood of His bond-servants on her.””

After the second “hallelujah,” Revelation 19:4, “And the twenty-four elders and the four living creatures fell down and worshiped God who sits on the throne saying, “Amen. Hallelujah!””

Then in verses 5 and 6, “a voice came from the throne, saying, “Give praise to our God, all you His bond-servants, you who fear Him, the small and the great.” 6 Then I heard something like the voice of a great multitude and like the sound of many waters and like the sound of mighty peals of thunder, saying, “Hallelujah! For the Lord our God, the Almighty, reigns.”

This is a day of rejoicing as also seen in verses 7-10 because “the marriage of the Lamb has come and His bride has made herself ready” (v.9)

Then we hear in Revelation 19:11–21…

Revelation 19:11–21 NASB95

11 And I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse, and He who sat on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and wages war. 12 His eyes are a flame of fire, and on His head are many diadems; and He has a name written on Him which no one knows except Himself. 13 He is clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God. 14 And the armies which are in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, were following Him on white horses. 15 From His mouth comes a sharp sword, so that with it He may strike down the nations, and He will rule them with a rod of iron; and He treads the wine press of the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty. 16 And on His robe and on His thigh He has a name written, “KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.” 17 Then I saw an angel standing in the sun, and he cried out with a loud voice, saying to all the birds which fly in midheaven, “Come, assemble for the great supper of God, 18 so that you may eat the flesh of kings and the flesh of commanders and the flesh of mighty men and the flesh of horses and of those who sit on them and the flesh of all men, both free men and slaves, and small and great.” 19 And I saw the beast and the kings of the earth and their armies assembled to make war against Him who sat on the horse and against His army. 20 And the beast was seized, and with him the false prophet who performed the signs in his presence, by which he deceived those who had received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image; these two were thrown alive into the lake of fire which burns with brimstone. 21 And the rest were killed with the sword which came from the mouth of Him who sat on the horse, and all the birds were filled with their flesh.

An amazing and dreadful Day is coming!

A day where Christ and His church will finally be together and a day where Christ will take vengeance on all His enemies

The second coming of Jesus Christ is the culmination of redemptive history

This is a day when our salvation is made complete

Peter describes it as a day when “the heavens will be dissolved being on fire, and the elements will melt with fervent heat” and where we “look for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells” (2 Pet.3:12-13)

In anticipation of this long-awaited event, Peter says, “since these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness” (2 Pet.3:11)

In spite of the church today becoming like the world, there will be a remnant that will keep herself pure and ready for Christ’s return

They are those that John describes in 1 John 3:3, “And everyone who has this hope fixed on Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.”

So by the time Revelation 19:11 occurs, the church is already in heaven

All the seals of Revelation 6 and 8 have been opened and acted out

All the trumpet and bowl judgments have been poured out on all humanity

And now Jesus comes back with the armies of heaven and He strikes the nations with destruction

Look at chapter 19, verse 11

Here…

I. John Saw Heaven Opened (vv.11-16)

This Scene is Very Similar to His Vision in 4:1

“After these things I looked, and behold, a door standing open in heaven. And the first voice which I heard was like a trumpet speaking with me, saying, “Come up here, and I will show you things which must take place after this.”

Instead of Seeing a Door Opened in Heaven, He Sees “a White Horse” Coming Out of Heaven (vv.11-16)

This is also a similar scene

But in the first scene the rider on the white horse was the Antichrist (6:1). Here the rider is Jesus Christ

He is described in verses 11-13 in 9 ways:

This is how the world will see Him when He returns

Not a baby but a Judge and Executioner

Notice John’s description:

First…

He is on a “white horse” with the armies of heaven following on “white horses” (v.14)

“It was customary for a triumphant Roman general to parade on the Via Sacra, a main thoroughfare of Rome, followed by evidences of His victory in the form of booty and captives (cf. 2 Cor. 2:14). The white horse is thus a symbol of Christ's triumph over the forces of wickedness in the world” (The Bible Knowledge Commentary).

Second…

He is called “Faithful and True”

In 1:5, He is called “Faithful”

In 3:7, He is called “True”

In 3:14, He is called both “Faithful and True”

Each time this is a reference to Jesus

There is no more appropriate name for the Lord Jesus Christ. He is faithful to His promises and what He speaks is always true. Though some would like to pick and choose which teachings of Jesus they wish to accept, He is just as faithful to His promises of wrath and judgment as He is to His promises of grace and salvation.Because Jesus is faithful to His word and righteous character, it follows that “in righteousness He judges.”

Third…

“In righteousness He judges and makes war” (v.11b)

His holy nature demands a holy, righteous reaction to sin. And because He does what He says, He must judge the wicked

2 Thessalonians 1:7-9 says “when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with His mighty angels,” His coming will be “in flaming fire taking vengeance on those who do not know God, and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. These shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power.”

Jesus came the first time as Savior; He will return as Judge and executioner

When He came the first time, wicked people judged Him; when He returns He will judge all wicked people

Acts 17:31, “……He has fixed a day in which He will judge the world in righteousness through a Man whom He has appointed, having furnished proof to all men by raising Him from the dead.””

According to verses 15 and 21, He will not only be their Judge but also their executioner. Angels may gather the wicked for judgment, but the Lord Jesus will pass the sentence on them

Jesus is no longer seen as the Suffering Servant of His incarnation; in this vision He is seen as the warrior King who wages war against His enemies

John Phillips says, “The Lord is a man of war! It is an amazing title for the Son of God. Says Alexander White, commenting on Bunyan's Holy War, Holy Scripture is full of wars and rumors of wars; the wars of the Lord; the wars of Joshua and the Judges; the wars of David, with his and many other magnificent battle-songs; till the best known name of the God of Israel in the Old Testament is the Lord of Hosts; and then in the New Testament we have Jesus Christ described as the Captain of our salvation.… And then the whole Bible is crowned with a book all sounding with battle-cries.… till it ends with that city of peace where they hang the trumpet in the hall and study war no more. The Lord is a man of war! In righteousness He judges and makes war. The judging has been going on throughout the breaking of the seals, the blowing of the trumpets, and the pouring out of the bowls. Now He makes war. He, who for long centuries has endured patiently the scoffings, the insults, the bad manners of men; who for ages has contemplated Calvary and all that it displayed of human hatred and contempt; and who, through the millennia has made peace through the blood of that cross, now makes war over that blood. (Exploring Revelation, rev. ed. [Chicago: Moody, 1987; reprint, Neptune, N.J.: Loizeaux, 1991], 232).

Fourth…

“His eyes were like a flame of fire” (v.12a)

This is consistent with John’s earlier vision of Him in chapter 1. John also saw “His eyes like a flame of fire” (1:14)

Nothing escapes the notice of His penetrating, piercing vision

He can see into the deepest recesses of the human heart, because “all things are open and laid bare to the eyes of Him with whom we have to do” (Hebrews 4:13)

To the worldly church, Thyatira, He presented Himself as “the Son of God, who has eyes like a flame of fire” (2:18)

To each of the seven churches, He said to them “I know your works” (“know” eido, “see”)

“The eyes that wept over the fate of unrepentant Jerusalem and over the sorrow, suffering, and death in this sin-cursed world, John sees flashing with the fire of judgment” (John MacArthur, Revelation 12-22, p.217).

Fifth…

“And on His head were many crowns” (v.12b)

“Many crowns” is the Greek word diadema, which refers to a ruler’s crown (cf.12:3; 13:1)

Here they are worn by Jesus to signify His royal rank and regal authority

“Many” indicates His collecting of all the rulers’ crowns, signifying that He alone is the sovereign ruler of the earth

Collecting the crown of a vanquished king was customary in the ancient world. After defeating the Ammonites, David “took the crown of their king from his head...and it was placed on David’s head” (2 Samuel 12:30)

Sixth…

“He had a name written that no one knew except Himself” (v.12c)

All speculation as to the meaning of that “name” is obviously pointless, since the text plainly states that “no one knew except Himself”

Seventh…

“He was clothed with a robe dipped in blood” (v.13a)

The “blood” is not representative of that which He shed on the cross; this is a picture of judgment, not redemption

The “blood” is the blood of His slaughtered enemies

The imagery is similar to Isaiah 63:1–6, “1 Who is this who comes from Edom, With garments of glowing colors from Bozrah, This One who is majestic in His apparel, Marching in the greatness of His strength? “It is I who speak in righteousness, mighty to save.” 2 Why is Your apparel red, And Your garments like the one who treads in the wine press? 3 “I have trodden the wine trough alone, And from the peoples there was no man with Me. I also trod them in My anger And trampled them in My wrath; And their lifeblood is sprinkled on My garments, And I stained all My raiment. 4 “For the day of vengeance was in My heart, And My year of redemption has come. 5 “I looked, and there was no one to help, And I was astonished and there was no one to uphold; So My own arm brought salvation to Me, And My wrath upheld Me. 6 “I trod down the peoples in My anger And made them drunk in My wrath, And I poured out their lifeblood on the earth.””

The question arises as to why His garments are blood spattered before the battle has begun?

The answer is that this is not His first battle; it’s His last battle

He has fought for His people throughout redemptive history, and His war clothes bear the stains of many previous slaughters

At that day, they will be stained as never before when He “treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God” (v.15)

Eighth…

“And His name is called The Word of God” (v.13b)

That the riders names is called “The Word of God” identifies Him unmistakably as the Lord Jesus Christ (John 1:1, 14)

He is called “The Word of God” because He is the revelation of God. He is the full expression of the mind, will, and purpose of God, “the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature” (Hebrews 1:3)

Verse 14 tells us that He will not return alone, but will be accompanied by “the armies in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean,...on white horses” (v.14)

Verse 7 described the “wife” of the Lamb being “granted to be arrayed in fine linen, clean and bright, for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints”

“Fine linen” was expensive and beautiful cloth (18:12, 16)

“Clean” (katharos) is translated “pure” in 21:18, 21

“Bright” (lampros) means “glistening, shining or radiant”

“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” (v.15)

John had already seen a “sword” in 1:16 where it was used by Jesus to defend the church against Satan

John sees it again in verse 15 but this time it is used as a “sword” of judgment

That the “sword” comes out of “His mouth” symbolizes the deadly power of Christ’s words

Once He spoke words of comfort, but now He speaks words of death

The stern, swift judgment that marks the onset of Christ’s kingdom will be the pattern of His rule throughout the Millennium

During His thousand-year reign, “He Himself will rule them with a rod of iron” (cf. 12:5; Psalm 2:8-9)

He will swiftly judge all sin and instantly put down any rebellion

All people will be required to conform to His law or face immediate judgment

In Revelation 2:26-27, Jesus promised the believers in Thyatira that “he who overcomes, and keeps My works until the end, to him I will give power over the nations—‘He shall rule them with a rod of iron; They shall be dashed to pieces like the potter’s vessels’—as I also have received from My Father”

The phrase that ends the verse: “He Himself treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God” was seen chapter 14 as a vivid symbol of God’s wrath stomping out judgment

This pictures the ancient practice of stomping on grapes as part of the winemaking process. The splattering of the grape juice pictures the pouring out of the blood of Christ’s enemies

Nineth…

“And He has on His robe and on His thigh a name written: King of Kings and Lord of Lords” (v.16)

This is the third name given to the Lord Jesus Christ in this passage

Verse 12 gave the name “no one knew except Himself”

Verse 13 said “His name is called The Word of God”

Now He is called “King of kings and Lord of lords” (v.16)

The name “King of kings and Lord of lords” expresses His sovereign triumph over all foes and His absolute rule in His soon to be established kingdom

Paul referred to Him with this title in 1 Timothy 6:15-16 by saying “He who is blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone has immortality, dwelling in unapproachable light, whom no man has seen or can see, to whom be honor and everlasting power. Amen.”

II. John Saw An Angel Calling All Birds to the Supper of God and the Final Great Battle (vv.17-21)

The Angel was Standing in the Sun (vv.17-18)

Once again an angel plays a key role in one of the end-time scenarios described in the Apocalypse

The angel was standing in the proximity of the sun, possibly in front of it, partially eclipsing it

He stands in a conspicuous, prominent place to make his important announcement

Evidently the worldwide darkness associate with the fifth bowl (16:10) has been lifted, since the “sun” is again visible

The lifting of that earlier darkness would also explain how the smoke from Babylon’s destruction was visible at a distance (18:9-19)

The angel “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” (vv.17-18).

The angel declares Christ’s victory before the battle is ever fought

His invitation to the “birds” is reminiscent of Jesus’ words in Matthew 24:27-28: “For as the lightning comes from the east and flashes to the west, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. For wherever the carcass is, there the eagles will be gathered together.”

This will not be the first time birds have feasted on human carrion in Scripture

Isaiah 18:6, describes the results of judgment on Cush (modern Ethiopia): “They will be left together for mountain birds of prey, and for the beasts of the earth; and the birds of prey will spend the summer feeding on them”

Jeremiah relates that, after the Babylonian destruction of Jerusalem, “the dead bodies of this people will be food for the birds of the sky and for the beasts of the earth; and no one will frighten them away” (Jeremiah 7:33)

In a striking parallel to the present passage Ezekiel wrote: “And as for you, son of man, thus says the Lord God, ‘Speak to every sort of bird and to every beast of the field: “Assemble yourselves and come; Gather together from all sides to My sacrificial meal Which I am sacrificing for you, A great sacrificial meal on the mountains of Israel, That you may eat flesh and drink blood. You shall eat the flesh of the mighty, drink the blood of the princes of the earth, of rams and lambs, of goats and bulls, All of them fatlings of Bashan. You shall eat fat till you are full, And drink blood till you are drunk, At My sacrificial meal Which I am sacrificing for you. You shall be filled at My table With horses and riders, With mighty men And with all the men of war,” says the Lord God.”

Joseph Seiss writes about this awful scene in Revelation 19:17-18. He says: “This tells already an awful story. It tells of the greatest of men made food for the vultures;-of kings and leaders, strong and confident, devoured on the field, with no one to bury them;-of those who thought to conquer Heaven's anointed King rendered helpless even against the timid birds;-of vaunting gods of nature turned into its cast off and most dishonoured dregs. And what is thus for intimidation soon becomes reality. The Great Conqueror bows the heavens and comes down. He rides upon the cherub horse and flies upon the wings of the wind. Smoke goes up from his nostrils, and devouring fire out of his mouth. He moves amid storms and darkness, from which the lightnings hurl their bolts, and hailstones mingle with the fire. He roars out of Zion, and utters his voice from Jerusalem, till the heavens and the earth shake. He dashes forth in the fury of his incensed greatness amid clouds, and fire, and pillars of smoke. The sun frowns. The day is neither light nor dark. The mountains melt and cleave asunder at his presence. The hills bound from their seats and skip like lambs. The waters are dislodged from their channels. The sea rolls back with howling trepidation. The sky is rent and folds upon itself like a collapsed tent. It is the day for executing an armed world,-a world in covenant with Hell to overthrow the authority and throne of God,-and everything in terrified Nature joins to signalize the deserved vengeance.” (The Apocalypse [reprint; Grand Rapids: Kregel, 1987], 441).

As the next stage in his incredible vision unfolded, John saw…

The Beast, the Kings and Their Armies Gathered to Make War Against Jesus (vv.19-21)

The beast is Antichrist (11:7; 13:1-8), leader of the last and greatest empire in human history

The kings of the earth are the ten kings who rule the ten sectors into which Antichrist's worldwide empire is divided (17:12-14)

Their armies have assembled to make war against Him who sat on the horse (v. 11) and against His army (v. 14; Zechariah 14:5)

The formidable and seemingly invincible armed might of the beast, with all its firepower, awaits the arrival of the Rider but before there is any battle, it is all over

Jesus Destroys His Enemies

In an instant, the beast was seized, and with him the false prophet who performed the signs in his presence, by which he deceived those who had received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image (13:11-17)

These two demonically empowered political and religious leaders of the world are dealt a horrible blow; these two were thrown alive into the lake of fire

This is the first mention in Scripture of the lake of fire, the final hell, the ultimate destination of Satan, his angels, and the unredeemed (Matt.25:41)

Isaiah described it as the place where “their worm shall not die and their fire shall not be quenched" (Isaiah 66:24), a description echoed by the Lord Jesus Christ in Mark 9:48.

In Matthew 13:42 Jesus added that it will be a place where "there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth."

Revelation 14:11 says of those who suffer there, "The smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever; they have no rest day and night."

Apparently, these two don't die, but are transformed miraculously into eternal form to burn in hell. They are the first of millions of men (20:15) and angels (Matthew 25:41) to arrive in the lake of fire

Hell has always existed, but this is its final form

Unlike Hades, the lake of fire is not a temporary holding place (cf. Luke 16:23) but a permanent place of incarceration and punishment

Brimstone is frequently associated with the fire of judgment (cf. 9:17; 14:10; 20:10; Luke 17:29)

That the beast and the false prophet are still in the lake of fire a thousand years later when Satan is cast there (20:10) is a convincing refutation of the false doctrine of annihilationism

As the two most evil, vile, blasphemous people who have ever lived, it is only fitting that these two be the first to arrive in that awful place. The New Testament is clear on the eternality of punishment (cf. 14:10-11; Matthew 13:40-42; 25:41; Mark 9:43-48; Luke 3:17; 12:47-48)

And the rest were killed with the sword which came from the mouth of Him who sat on the horse, and all the birds were filled with their flesh. Bereft of their commanders, Antichrist's leaderless forces will then be destroyed, as the rest of those gathered to fight against Christ were killed with the sword which came from the mouth of Him who sat on the horse. Then suddenly it will all be over.

In fact, there will be no war at all, in the sense that we think of war. There will be just a word spoken from Him who sits astride the great white horse.

Once He spoke a word to a fig tree, and it withered away. Once He spoke a word to howling winds and heaving waves, and the storm clouds vanished and the waves fell still. Once He spoke to a legion of demons bursting at the seams of a poor man's soul, and instantly they fled. Now He speaks a word, and the war is over.

John Phillips says, “The blasphemous, loud-mouthed Beast is stricken where he stands. The false prophet, the miracle-working windbag from the pit is punctured and still. The pair of them are bundled up and hurled headlong into the everlasting flames. Another word, and the panic-stricken armies reel and stagger and fall down dead. Field marshals and generals, admirals and air commanders, soldiers and sailors, rank and file, one and all-they fall. And the vultures descend and cover the scene. (Exploring Revelation, 236)

CONCLUSION

These sobering truths present to us one thing: God is serious about sin, therefore, you’d better repent and humble yourself before Him

I cannot think of any other reason that this is here in the Bible

It’s a warning

As I said, you’d better repent and humble yourself before Him and call on Him to save you from His coming wrath

There is no better reason to come to Him

No this is not your typical Christmas message

But I’m not your typical preacher either

3 Promises for Christmas:

“God Became Man”

“Jesus is God”

Jesus is coming back

Are you ready?

If you have never confessed Him as Lord, I strongly urge you to do that today

If you have never repented of your sin and put your faith in Him, I strongly urge you to do that too

None of us are promised a tomorrow or a full day today

You’d better use it wisely

Jesus said in Matthew 11:28–30, “28 “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. 29 “Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 “For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.””

That’s how you want Him to appear to you, not as Judge but as Savior

Let’s pray