Revelation 19:11-21 (Rider on a White Horse)

Introduction

English Standard Version Chapter 19

The Rider on a White Horse

11 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. 12 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. 13 He is clothed in a robe dipped in blood, and the name by which he is called is The Word of God. 14 And the armies of heaven, arrayed in fine linen, white and pure, were following him on white horses. 15 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. 16 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 with a loud voice he called to all the birds that fly directly overhead, “Come, gather for the great supper of God, 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.” 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. 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. 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.

This week our aim is to finish looking at Revelation chapter 19, but before we do it’s been a few weeks since we were in John’s Apocalypse, so I want to take few minutes to survey where we’ve been before be we pickup here in chapter 19, verse 11. The overarching storyline of the Apocalypse has been the effects of Christ’s first advent, the effects of his first coming. That after Christ was crucified, buried, and resurrected, that he defeated the Dragon (who is the devil), and ascended to the right hand of his Father in heaven to reign on his throne, inaugurating the kingdom of heaven on earth, marking the beginning of the messianic age. Much of which is depicted in Revelation chapter 12 using apocalyptic imagery.

Furthermore, the effects of Christ’s enthronement had massive consequences. The coming of the new covenant meant that the old covenant had become, as Hebrews puts it, “obsolete” and was “fading away”. That something greater than the temple had come, namely Christ himself, therefore the types and shadows of the old covenant were no longer necessary. Moreover, covenant Israel, in large measure, had rejected Christ, and had prostituted herself to the Roman Empire, leaving herself exposed to the covenant curses threatened in Deuteronomy chapter 28.

This is why Jesus, during his earthly ministry, spoke so harshly of the religious leaders in Israel, and therefore told his disciples that not one stone of the Temple would be left upon another that would not be thrown down before their generation passed away. That Jesus had left to the unbelieving Jews their house, desolate. Therefore, John’s Apocalypse chronicles, in apocalyptic imagery, the predicted destruction that came against Jerusalem, events that would soon take place in John’s day, repeatedly portraying the covenant curses of Deuteronomy 28 as coming down upon unbelieving Israel.

However, the focus of John’s Apocalypse doesn’t end there, it describes the onset of the kingdom of heaven, the messianic age, and the new Jerusalem coming down out of heaven as a result of Christ’s enthronement in the first century. And it chronicles the fundamental spiritual conflict behind the events on earth, and the great tribulation of the first century. Not only is Jerusalem and her Temple destroyed, but even the Roman Empire is fundamentally affected by Christ’s enthronement and the inauguration of his kingdom. Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection fundamentally undermine Satan’s stranglehold on the world, and John’s Apocalypse depicts this first century conflict by employing apocalyptic imagery.

For instance, the Roman Empire is described as a beast that rises out of the sea, and its emperor Nero by the cryptogram 666. Jerusalem is also described as a beast, but also as a false prophet and a great prostitute due to her allegiance to Rome, and their mutual interest to destroy Christ and his church. These two beasts are fundamentally animated by the dragon (who is the devil) who is seeking to extinguish Christ and his church.

So, by the time we reach chapter 19 the great prostitute has been thrown down, stoned and burned for her sexual immorality. The beast out of the sea had turned on Jerusalem and ironically become an agent of God’s judgment against the prostitute, and devoured her, but Rome would not be left untouched. The end of chapter 19 also describes the final demise of the beast, that both the beast and the false prophet are ultimately thrown, together, into the lake of fire, signalling Christ’s final victory over the dragon. Not as though all earthly opposition had ceased, but that the kingdom of darkness had been dealt a decisive blow in its attempt to stop the advance of the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, Christ is pictured here as a rider on a white horse striking down the nations with a sword coming out of his mouth.

Suppers contrasted

And so, in light of that overarching picture, let’s consider together the last half of chapter 19 in greater detail. In our last time I pointed out that chapter 19 is divided by two suppers, or two feasts. The first half of chapter 19 describes the marriage supper of the Lamb, while the second half describes the great supper of God. The marriage supper draws on all of marriage allusions and parables employed by Jesus during his earthly ministry when he described himself as a bridegroom and the church as his bride.

Therefore, the marriage supper of the Lamb purposely follows his judgment against the great prostitute in chapter 18, who are the covenant breakers of apostate Israel. After the old covenant was terminated at the destruction of Jerusalem and her temple, the Lamb is described as taking for himself a new bride. That marriage is celebrated with a wedding feast, or a marriage supper here in chapter 19.

Then the latter half of chapter 19 contrasts the marriage supper with what John calls the great supper of God. While the marriage supper marks the beginning of the Lamb’s relationship with the church, the great supper of God marks the conclusion of his judgement against the prostitute and the beast.

Not the second coming

I also want to point out that chapter 19 is not a description of the second coming. Don’t forget what John said at the outset of his Apocalypse in Revelation 1:1, “The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show to his servants the things that must soon take place.” In other words, the things described in this book are primarily connected with first century events. And don’t forget, the scope of Revelation is to depict, with apocalyptic imagery, the onset of the messianic age, inaugurated at the first coming of Christ. With the passing of the old covenant came the arrival of the new covenant and the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, the point is not, primarily, to describe his second coming, but the effects of the first. However, I do think Christ’s second coming is described briefly at the end of chapter 20 which we’ll look at in the coming weeks.

Therefore, if chapter 19 is not describing the second coming then a majority of chapter 20 isn’t referring to a millennial kingdom (or a 1,000 year reign) after Jesus’ second coming, but instead a millennial kingdom immediately following his first coming, the messianic age. The battle of the first century (depicted by John’s Apocalypse) results in the messianic age as it’s described, symbolically, in chapter 20 as a 1,000 year reign of Christ, an age when the Gospel spreads to every nation under heaven, when Christ (as Paul puts it) brings “about the obedience of faith for the sake of his name among all the nations” (Romans 1:6)

Gospel progress

Now, we’ll look at the millennial kingdom in greater detail later, but this is what marks our age, the spread of the Gospel, the obedience of faith for the sake of his name among all the nations. Which, of course, is why Jesus told his disciples after his resurrection that, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age. So, this messianic age is marked by the progress of the Gospel.

This is not only a story of Jerusalem’s destruction, but of Christ’s enthronement as king, that he is the king of kings and lord of lords, that he has been given all authority in heaven and on earth. And his lordship is evidenced by the progress of the gospel throughout the world, that the nations are no longer under the authority of the dragon, but Christ! In other words, Christ has bound the strong man, and Christ is plundering the house of the strongman, and this plundering began in the first century, which is what’s being portrayed in the latter half of chapter 19 when John sees a white horse with one seated on it who is called the Word of God, and from his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike the nations, and rule them with a rod of iron.

Ruling in the midst of his enemies

This not only represents Christ’s victory over the beast and the false prophet during the first century, but the ongoing present reality of the messianic age. That Christ is currently reigning from his throne in heaven. Now, this doesn’t mean that every enemy is vanquished in this messianic age, they won’t be until Christ’s second coming when God makes his enemies a footstool for his feet, however, we’re told in 1 Corinthians 15:27 that “God has put all things in subjection under his feet” and in Hebrews 2:8, “now in putting everything in subjection to him, he left nothing outside his control,” but “at present, we do not yet see everything in subjection to him.” In other words, sometimes to the naked eye it doesn’t seem like everything is in subjection to him when so many still oppose Christ. However, when Psalm 110:2 describes the nature of the Messiah’s rule he writes, “The LORD sends forth from Zion your mighty scepter. Rule in the midst of your enemies!” So, while it may not always look like it to our naked eye, Christ is presently reigning and ruling in the midst of his enemies, and one day when he comes again God will make his enemies a footstool for his feet.

Rider on a white horse

So, with that in mind, let’s begin reading there in verse 11,

English Standard Version Chapter 19

11 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. 12 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. 13 He is clothed in a robe dipped in blood, and the name by which he is called is The Word of God.

Now, this is one of those few texts in John’s Apocalypse where there is nearly unanimous agreement among commentators of all eschatological persuasions, that John is here describing Jesus. While much of John’s imagery is strange to the modern reader, I think most of us don’t have a problem recognizing Jesus here riding on a white horse.

And a white horse, of course, is symbolic of victory, power, dominion, and righteousness. You might recall, back in chapter 6, when one of the four horsemen was riding a white horse, and John wrote that “he came out conquering, and to conquer.” John also says here that “in righteousness he judges and makes war.” Which is why John says here that the rider is clothed in a robe dipped in blood. So, this war horse and its rider are intended to symbolize victory and conquering and righteousness.

Faithful and True

It’s rider is called Faithful and True, which is significant, because if you read the Book of Revelation in one sitting you’ll likely notice that John described Jesus as the faithful witness back in chapter 1, verse 5. Then shortly thereafter in chapter 3, verse 14, in his letter to the church in Laodicea he addressed them by writing, “And to the angel of the church in Laodicea write: ‘The words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness…”

Word of God

And then John also says that the rider is called The Word of God, which is especially fitting since it was the Apostle John who called Jesus the Word of God in his Gospel, when he wrote, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. … And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth…” (John 1:1-18)

Eyes a flame of fire

John also says here that “his eyes are like a flame of fire” which, again, is how John described him back in chapter 1, verse 14, when he wrote, “The hairs of his head were white, like white wool, like snow. His eyes were like a flame of fire.” Then, again, shortly thereafter in chapter 2, verse 18, in his letter to the church in Thyatira he addressed them by writing, “And to the angel of the church in Thyatira write: ‘The words of the Son of God, who has eyes like a flame of fire…” Implying that with his eyes he can see right through you, able to judge both the thoughts and intentions of the heart. (Heb. 4:12)

Many diadems

And finally, John says that on his head are many diadems. Now, a diadem was a crown or a turban arrayed with jewels signifying power and authority. And many churches, including our own, still sing a song from the 18th century called All Hail the Power of Jesus’ Name which says in its first verse, “All hail the power of Jesus' name! Let angels prostrate fall. Bring forth the royal diadem, and crown him Lord of all. Bring forth the royal diadem, and crown him Lord of all!”

Furthermore, you may recall, back in chapter 12 when the great red dragon was described as having seven heads and ten horns, and on his heads seven diadems, and then again in chapter 13, the beast out of the sea similarly had seven heads and ten horns, with ten diadems on its horns, connecting the beast with the dragon. And we’re meant to contrast the authority of the dragon and beast with Christ who is riding on a white horse wearing many diadems. And that this is a conflict of which Christ is victorious, where the beast and false prophet are ultimately thrown into the lake of fire.

Coming with the clouds

And I think this imagery of Jesus riding on a white horse out of heaven is arguably the climax of the Book of Revelation. It’s what John was referring to back in chapter 1, verse 7, when he wrote, “Behold, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him, and all tribes of the land will wail on account of him. Even so. Amen.” The second half of chapter 19 is the culmination of Christ’s coming with the clouds in judgement against the beast and the false prophet.

Armies of heaven

Furthermore, he’s not alone, John writes there in verse 14, “And the armies of heaven, arrayed in fine linen, white and pure, were following him on white horses.” He could be referring to a heavenly host of angels, but I suspect he’s referring to the church, that we’re also engaged in this conflict. You might recall Revelation 14:1 when Jesus was pictured as standing on Mount Zion, standing in opposition to the two beasts of chapter 13, when John wrote, “Then I looked, and behold, on Mount Zion stood the Lamb, and with him 144,000 who had his name and his Father’s name written on their foreheads. … [and] it is these who follow the Lamb wherever he goes.” Then again, later, in chapter 17 when the beast out of sea is described as making war on the Lamb, John wrote, “They will make war on the Lamb, and the Lamb will conquer them, for he is Lord of lords and King of kings, and those with him are called chosen and faithful.”

Application: So, at every point of the conflict the church is pictured alongside Christ. In other words, we have a vital role to play in this story of redemption. Whenever we proclaim, “Christ is Lord, turn from your sin and flee to Christ for the forgiveness of your sins” we participate in the conquest and expansion of the messianic kingdom. Whenever, we remain faithful to the word of our testimony in the face of persecution and pressure we participate in the conquest and expansion of the kingdom of heaven here on earth. And we do so knowing that Christ is our victor, that all authority in heaven and on earth have been given to him.

Sword out of his mouth

This is how the kingdom of heaven advances, and this is why Jesus is depicted there in verse 15 with a sword coming out of his mouth with which to strike down the nations. Look there, picking up in verse 15,

English Standard Version Chapter 19

15 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. 16 On his robe and on his thigh he has a name written, King of kings and Lord of lords.

Now, this point is important. The battle depicted here is fundamentally spiritual, not carnal. In other words, Jesus isn’t described as picking up a sword made of steel, instead this sword comes out of his mouth. While the great tribulation of the first century certainly had terrible earthly affects, whether it was Rome’s civil wars, earthquakes, or the siege of Jerusalem, the weapons of Christ and his church were always fundamentally spiritual. The disciples never took up arms to pick a fight with Rome or Jerusalem. No, they took up “the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.” (Ephesian 6:17)

And this metaphor is all over the old and new testaments. For instance, the prophet Isaiah described himself like this in Isaiah 49:2, “He made my mouth like a sharp sword; in the shadow of his hand he hid me; he made me a polished arrow; in his quiver he hid me away.” The prophets in the Bible were like lawyers or prosecutors, who brought the word of God to bear upon the consciences of the people, therefore their mouths were described as weapons, like a sharp sword or a polished arrow. Even when John says here that Jesus “will rule them with a rod of iron” he’s likely referring to the “rod of his mouth” like Isaiah put it when he was was describing the Messiah in Isaiah 11:4, writing, “but with righteousness he shall judge the poor, and decide with equity for the meek of the earth; and he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips he shall kill the wicked.” Or listen to how the Lord put in Hosea 6:5, “Therefore I have cut them in pieces by the prophets; I have slain them by the words of my mouth.

Cut to the heart

And this metaphor continued into the NT. Most of us are familiar with Hebrews 4:12-13, “For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account.” Here we see the real world impacts of the word of God. It should be abundantly clear that the word of God makes sinful man uncomfortable.

There’s a reason atheists get angry at the God they’re convinced doesn’t exist. There’s a reason why most of the people in our town aren’t filling the church, the word of God makes them uncomfortable, even angry. There’s a reason why Christianity is a particularly offensive religion, because the word of God cuts to the heart, exposing our thoughts and our motives, and the natural man hates this. Jesus said in John 3:20, “For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed.” When the Apostle Peter preached his first sermon in Acts chapter 2 we’re told in verse 37 that when the people heard him they were cut to the heart.

Application: Even professing Christians quit attending worship and regular fellowship with believers, because of the risk it poses to their most cherished sins. This is why we take participation on the Lord’s Day and church membership so seriously, because often whenever a professing Christian resists committing to a local church or forsakes the weekly gathering of the church it’s frequently because they’re harboring sin.

Conflict

Therefore, when the likes of the Apostle Paul began to proclaim in Acts 17:30-31 that, “The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent, because he has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed; and of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead," you can imagine how this aroused the consciences of sinful men over time.

You see, the conflict began when Christianity spread throughout the Empire and the Christians proclaimed that “Jesus is Lord.” Had their message possessed no inherent authority it would have been ignored, but because it did the Gospel challenged the authority of Caesar and the religious leaders of Israel. This is why we dare not stop proclaiming the word of God even when our unbelieving neighbor claims he don’t believe it, the sword of the Spirit possess fundamental authority and is sharper than any two-edged sword regardless of another man’s belief in it.

Jesus taught his disciples in Matthew 10:34-39,

Matthew 10:34–39 ESV

“Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. And a person’s enemies will be those of his own household. Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. And whoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.

However, despite the conflict that the Gospel caused (and causes) it is the means by which Christ subdue his enemies. Whether it cuts them to pieces or subdues their hearts, “the kingdom of the world had become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ,” (Rev. 11:15) and the “kingdoms under the whole heaven [have been] given to the people of the saints of the Most High”. (Daniel 7:24-26) And it’s on those grounds that we go and make disciples of all the nations, knowing that Jesus is indeed King of kings, and Lord of lords.

Now, let’s close by looking at these last few verses of chapter 19, picking up in verse 17,

English Standard Version Chapter 19

17 Then I saw an angel standing in the sun, and with a loud voice he called to all the birds that fly directly overhead, “Come, gather for the great supper of God, 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.” 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. 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. 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.

This is the final outcome of Christ’s victory over the beast and the false prophet, and fundamentally his victory over the dragon who had been thrown down to the earth and who had made war on the saints. The result was a feast for carrion birds, scavenger birds like eagles and vultures feasting on the flesh of the dead, both small and great.

And as it relates particularly to the false prophet this was the consequence threatened in Deuteronomy 28:25-26 if the Israelites failed to obey the commandments and statutes of the Lord, Moses wrote, “The LORD will cause you to be defeated before your enemies. You shall go out one way against them and flee seven ways before them. And you shall be a horror to all the kingdoms of the earth. And your dead body shall be food for all birds of the air and for the beasts of the earth, and there shall be no one to frighten them away.”

Conclusion

Now, the fundamental point of the beast and false prophet being thrown into the lake of fire is that their attempts to oppose the kingdom of heaven is stopped, that instead they’re destroyed, and that their attempts to destroy the kingdom of heaven, to destroy Christ and his church are ruined, and as we’ll see in chapter 20 the devil will be bound from deceiving the nations, bound that the Gospel might spread.

We should also remember that this rider on a white horse who is the Lord Jesus still reigns today, therefore just as he conquered the beast and the false prophet in the first century so will he will conquer every enemy, “the rider on the white horse is still riding on. Let the church follow, clothed in linen, white and clean.” (David S. Clark) When we proclaim that Christ is Lord, to repent and turn to Christ, we wield the sword of the Spirit by which Christ conquers his enemies, by which he “brings about the obedience of faith for the sake of his name among all the nations” (Romans 1:5) This is how we wage war in this age, this is how we conquer, and this is how Christ subdues the nations.

All seven letters at the beginning of John’s Apocalypse end with an admonition to conquer, to conquer the dragon by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony. Regardless of any fierce opposition by the world we too will be victorious over our enemies by the blood of the Lamb and the word of our testimony.

Prayer