Untitled Sermon (7)

English Standard Version Revelation 19:11

THE WARRIOR MESSIAH

Revelation presents a series of visions depicting the church age, and final judgment. The seals, the trumpets, and the bowls give us a perspective on Christ's reign throughout the age to restrain, warn, and finally punish evil.

The book of Revelation gives us a number of veiled delusions, and outright promises of Christ's second coming.

Revelation 6:-17 12 — the sky is rolled up like a scroll, and the wicked vainly attempt to hide from the wrath of the Lamb.

Revelation 11:15 — at the sounding of the seventh trumpet the angels sing, "the kingdom of this world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ."

Revelation 14:14-16 — John tells us that "one like the Son of man" appears on the clouds of heaven with a sharp sickle in his hand, and he harvests the earth.

Here in Revelation 19 the veil is lifted, and we see God's holy Anointed One coming in power and glory, with the armies of heaven following behind him.

The Christ who comes forth from heaven is the Warrior–Messiah prophesied in the Old Testament, (Exodus 15:3). This is the battle Capt. who appeared to Joshua, (Joshua 5:13), who says, "I am the commander of the Army of the Lord."

Jesus comes like the knight in shining armor to slay the enemies of his church. In his first Advent he came as the Righteous One to make righteous all who come to him in repentance and faith. In his second Advent he comes in glory, "and in righteousness he judges and makes war."

Revelation 19:11-16 is the fulfillment of the promise the angel spoke to the disciple immediately after Jesus ascended into heaven,   “11 and said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.”” (Acts 1:11, ESV) . He went away literally, actually, bodily, visibly. Friend, He is coming back literally, actually, bodily, visibly. See also Rev. 1:7. This is also that precious moment when, according to the apostle Paul, the perishable inherits the imperishable,   “50 I tell you this, brothers: flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. 51 Behold! I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, 52 in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed. 53 For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality. 54 When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written: “Death is swallowed up in victory.” 55 “O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?” 56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. 58 Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.” (1 Corinthians 15:50–58, ESV)  

The second coming of Jesus Christ is described any number of ways in the New Testament.

Jesus is coming suddenly like lightning, Matthew 24:27.

Jesus is coming secretly like a thief, 1 Thessalonians 5:2.

Jesus is coming sweetly like a bridegroom, Matthew 27:6.

Jesus is coming sovereignly like a king, 2 Thessalonians 1:7-8.

Outline

Introduction

  I.   Jesus Is Coming Visibly

   A.   Jesus Is Coming Suddenly Like Lightning

   B.   Jesus Is Coming Secretly Like a Thief

   C.   Jesus Is Coming Sweetly Like a Bridegroom

   D.   Jesus Is Coming Sovereignly as a King

  II.   Jesus Is Coming Victoriously

   A.   The Mastery of His Conquest

   B.   The Mystery of His Character

   C.   The Majesty of His Coronation

   D.   The Ministry of His Crucifixion

  III.   Jesus is Coming Vengefully

Conclusion

   A.   We Are to Learn of His Coming

   B.   We Are to Look for His Coming

   C.   We Are to Long for His Coming

   D.   We Are to Live for His Coming

Adrian Rogers, “Our King Is Coming,” in Adrian Rogers Sermon Archive (Signal Hill, CA: Rogers Family Trust, 2017), Re 19:11–16.

English Standard Version Revelation 19:11

IN RIGHTEOUSNESS TO JUDGE

The Chinese military strategist Sun Tsu famously wrote that a wise in general does not enter battles seeking victory, but only enters battle having already achieved it. Jesus enters this battle having already achieved victory. John tells us that Jesus "is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he judges and makes war." This is certainly an unsettling thought. Even as Christians we tend to gravitate toward those verses that give us comfort, or encouragement, or are uplifting in some way. These verses are unsettling to us because they paint a picture of Jesus coming in judgment, and exercising the wrath of the father against sin and evil.

Throughout history many men have waged war for unjust reasons, and in unrighteous ways. They have perverted justice, and wielded the sword for personal gain. Jesus wields God's sword of justice in perfect righteousness. No innocent person will accidentally be cut down, and no guilty person will secretly slip away.

Jesus' eyes are like "flames of fire" depicting his penetrating site that discovers all sin, (Hebrews 4:13). If you are familiar with the Lord of the Ring trilogy, you know about the "all seeing eye" of Sauron. Sauron is an evil sorcerer who eventually regained enough power to manifest himself as the huge flaming eye on top of Barad-Dur, his tower. Tolkien, the author of the trilogy, writes that "few could endure the eyes terrible gaze." The Bible reminds us that, similar to the eye of Sauron, nothing is hidden from the site of our Lord Jesus Christ.

John also reminds us that there are depths to Christ deity that are beyond our understanding. He writes that Jesus has "a name written that no one knows but himself," (Revelation 19:12). In the ancient world, to know someone's full name was to, in some sense, have power over that person. Jesus remains beyond the grasp of his foes — they will never fully understand him.

In Revelation 19:12 Christ wears "many diadem's." Diadem's are crowns. There are two words for "crown" in Revelation. One refers to the "laurel crown" which is a crown of victory, and was given to winning athletes in the Olympic Games. The other type of crown signifies "ruling authority." Illustration: during the height of the British Empire's world dominance, England's Queen Victoria had an extensive title indicating the vastness of Great Britain's Empire. She was called, her Imperial Majesty Queen Victoria by the grace of God's sovereign of the United Kingdom of Great Britain, Scotland, and northern Ireland, Empress of India, and the colonies. Added to this title she was also known as the Princess of Hanover, Saxe Coburg, and Gotha, Duchess of Saxony, Brunswick, and Lunenburg.

From a human perspective, that's a pretty impressive set of titles, but they do not come near the title that Jesus bears — King of kings, and Lord of lords, (Revelation 19:16). When Jesus ascended into heaven after his resurrection, the Father “seated him … far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church” (Eph. 1:20–22). Jesus thus appears in judgment not to become Ruler over all, but already possessing ultimate lordship, wearing many diadems of rule and dominion on his sovereign head. What he is by right he now enforces by actual rule, taking the ends of the earth as his possession (Ps. 2:8). Jesus’ authority is further seen in his command of the mounted hosts of heaven: “And the armies of heaven, arrayed in fine linen, white and pure, were following him on white horses” (Rev. 19:14). Included are the legions of angels, since Paul wrote that Jesus will be “revealed from heaven with his mighty angels” (2 Thess. 1:7). According to Revelation 17:14, however, they are joined by those who “are called and chosen and faithful,” that is, the glorified church. The spiritual power of this army is seen in the fine white linen of their holiness before God and their righteousness in Christ, the saints wearing the uniform of their priestly status in Christ’s kingdom.

Not only is Jesus qualified to judge by his person and his authority, but he also appears with overwhelming power to destroy his enemies completely and immediately. John says, “From his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations” (Rev. 19:15). We know from 1:16 that the “sharp two-edged sword” of his Word comes from Jesus’ mouth. Wielding this weapon, Jesus does not trade blows with the powers of evil but immediately slays them. In Paul’s teaching on the end-times Antichrist, he states that “the Lord Jesus will kill [him] with the breath of his mouth and bring [him] to nothing by the appearance of his coming” (2 Thess. 2:8). Jesus wipes out the enemy opposition by the mere word of his authoritative will and sovereign, righteous condemnation of sin. Martin Luther expressed this memorably in his most famous hymn, “A Mighty Fortress Is Our God”:

 The prince of darkness grim, we tremble not for him;

  His rage we can endure, for lo! his doom is sure;

  One little word shall fell him.