The Final Battle

If you’ve been with us over the past many weeks, as we’ve walked through this series in Revelation…we’re finally getting to some good news! I mean, we’ve seen all kinds of destruction and judgement and wrath being poured out with the seals and the trumpets and the visions and the bowls…we’ve seen this dragon and these beasts rising up, terrorizing the people of God…we’ve seen this woman, this prostitute. And finally, as we come to chapter 19, we’re gonna see Jesus arrive on the scene, riding a white horse with eyes like fire and crowns on His head…He’s gonna have a sword in His mouth…and just like that, this battle we’ve been talking about over and over again, it’s gonna be finished…the beast, its gone…the woman, she’s gone…and we’re gonna see this cascade of praise erupt as a chorus of hallelujahs shout all across the heavens…This picture, we’re reading about today, this is where all of eternity is headed.

And so listen, before we jump into the text…we’re only looking at one chapter this morning, so let’s read it together as God’s people and then we’ll spend some time digging into it. Would you stand with me as we do that?

John writes:

Revelation 19 (ESV)

After this I heard what seemed to be the loud voice of a great multitude in heaven, crying out,

“Hallelujah!

Salvation and glory and power belong to our God,

for his judgments are true and just;

for he has judged the great prostitute

who corrupted the earth with her immorality,

and has avenged on her the blood of his servants.”

Once more they cried out,

“Hallelujah!

The smoke from her goes up forever and ever.”

And the twenty-four elders and the four living creatures fell down and worshiped God who was seated on the throne, saying, “Amen. Hallelujah!” And from the throne came a voice saying,

“Praise our God,

all you his servants,

you who fear him,

small and great.”

Then I heard what seemed to be the voice of a great multitude, like the roar of many waters and like the sound of mighty peals of thunder, crying out,

“Hallelujah!

For the Lord our God

the Almighty reigns.

Let us rejoice and exult

and give him the glory,

for the marriage of the Lamb has come,

and his Bride has made herself ready;

it was granted her to clothe herself

with fine linen, bright and pure”—

for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints.

And the angel said to me, “Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.” And he said to me, “These are the true words of God.” Then I fell down at his feet to worship him, but he said to me, “You must not do that! I am a fellow servant with you and your brothers who hold to the testimony of Jesus. Worship God.” For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.

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.

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, 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.” 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. 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. 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.

Thank you, you can be seated.

And so, if you remember, last week…I said the rest of this book, its really a tale of two cities, right? In chapters 17 and 18, we talked about Babylon…which focuses on all the worldly, evil things that remove us from the presence of God…it’s this system that teaches us to focus more and more on ourselves. I mentioned that the woman…who represents this city of Babylon, she symbolizes sin, right?

When we get to chapters 21 and 22, we’re gonna see the contrast to that city and really dive into this New Jerusalem…a city made up of those who follow Jesus, those who’ve been redeemed and restored. It’s a city that focuses on eternal values…a people that elevates the person and work of Christ.

But listen, Revelation, these last several chapters…it could also be called “a tale of two women.” Last week, we saw the prostitute of Babylon…but this week, we get to see the bride of the Lamb. The two, they come together in this chapter…but guys, their destinies couldn’t be more radically different. Choosing which one you love and which one you belong to, its crucial.

The good news of Revelation 19, its showing us that man-centered worldliness, it’ll ultimately be overcome by God-centered worship. That’s the theme of Revelation 19. Right here in the middle of the chapter (verse 10), the angel tells John, “Worship God!” Worship God. Overcome man-centered worldliness with God-centered worship.

And so listen, to help us dig into the text, I have two points for us…number one, this picture (here in Revelation 19), it reveals that Jesus alone is worthy of all praise…and then number 2, this picture proves that Jesus alone will set all things right.

And so, with that, let’s jump into this first point together.

I. This Picture Reveals that Jesus Alone is Worthy of All Praise (vv. 1-10)

This picture, it reveals that Jesus alone is worthy of all praise.

And remember, I do believe this is a picture…these aren’t literal things…there’s not literally a woman…we’re not literally a bride…Jesus, I don’t believe, will literally be riding on a white horse…now His return, it’ll be glorious, miraculous…but I believe John’s seeing a picture here just like everything else he’s seen.

But listen, if you don’t see anything else, see this…God orchestrates all of history to display His glory. God orchestrates everything in all of history to put His glory on display.

There’s one word that drives Revelation 19, and it’s mentioned four times. You might circle them.

Revelation 19:1, “After this I heard what seemed to be the loud voice of a great multitude in heaven, crying out, ‘Hallelujah!’” Verse 3, “Once more they cried out, ‘Hallelujah! The smoke from her goes up forever and ever.’” Revelation 19:4, “And the twenty-four elders and the four living creatures fell down and worshiped God who was seated on the throne, saying, ‘Amen. Hallelujah!’” Revelation 19:6, “Then I heard what seemed to be the voice of a great multitude, like the roar of many waters and like the sound of mighty peals of thunder, crying out, ‘Hallelujah!’”

The last time a voice was described like the roar many waters and like mighty peals of thunder, it was to describe Jesus…but did you know that this is the only place in the entire New Testament that the word “Hallelujah’s” actually used? It’s almost as if, the entire New Testament…the 26 books and 18 chapters before this, its almost as if Jesus’s coming to earth, dying on the cross, rising from the grave, ascending to heaven, sending His Spirit, establishing His church, the gospel advancing…its almost as if, everything throughout history is pointing to this moment where there’s nothing left to shout but “Hallelujah! Praise Yahweh!

Mark this down…the goal to which all of history is headed is the glory of God. Everything in all history—everything!—is aiming toward the day when “Hallelujahs” will ring from the heavens and the earth to the glory of our God. God writes this Book, God writes this script, He determines how it ends…and it ends with Him being praised across the universe.

And I get it, to some of you…it seems selfish for God to bring everything in history to culminate in His praise. But I would ask you, “Who else do you think should be praised in the end?” You? Me? Us?…No…God is the only one who deserves praise and glory.

And listen, the reason for that, just read the passage here…look at who God is,what He’s done…not only is He glorious and omnipotent…not only is He just and eternal…I mean we certainly see that in these verses…its certainly reason to praise. But look at the first thing they shout. They’re praising Him for salvation.

In the end, one of the things we’ll have a perfect understanding of, its that salvation belongs to the Lord…and we’ll praise Him for that.

Listen, one of my favorite verses…its 2 Corinthians 5:21, “21 For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”

Let me just explain what Paul’s saying here in 2 Corinthians and why this idea of salvation will cause us to praise God for all eternity. The Bible, it’s saying, “He [God]…made Jesus sin.” God treated Jesus as if He had committed every sin by every person who would ever believe, but in fact He had committed none of them. Guys, on the cross, even as the Father turned His back on Jesus…He was whole, harmless, undefiled…He was a spotless lamb…not even for a millisecond was Jesus a sinner…He is holy God on the cross. But guys, you have to see this because if you don’t, you’ll miss it…God’s treating Him as if He lived our life…God punished Jesus for our sin and turns right around and treats us as if we lived His life…that’s why we praise God for His salvation…when He looks at Jesus He sees the cross…when He looks at us, He sees Jesus…that’s the doctrine of substitutionary atonement.

And if you were with us last week, seeing this picture of the woman, what she represents…how even believers are entangled in her seduction…when you look back and see what you deserve because of giving into the woman…when you see what God does instead…guys it causes you to praise Him.

I don’t care who you are this morning…you’re unworthy…you’re broken…you’re sinful…you’re just as worldly as many of our non-Christian friends…you deserve the exact same thing as them…But for whatever reason…because of God’s great love for you, because of His grace on your life…He chose you…and He alone called you out of the woman (Revelation 18:4). And so, what’s our natural response here? To praise Him.

And notice, this salvation, its not just a salvation from death and separation…its a salvation from the grips of sin. That’s why we see a second hallelujah in verse 3 when the woman’s destroyed. We no longer have to deal with the pain, the constant agony…the constant temptation…God saves us from the woman, from sin, by justly dealing with her.

Which leads us into the marriage supper of the Lamb. We’ll glorify God for His bride. You see, He doesn’t just take away or destroy what we thought was pleasing…He replaces it with something that is actually pleasing. Remember what I said last week…its not that we’re seeking too much pleasure when we get wrapped up in the world…its that we’re seeking too little pleasure.

Listen, we have a hard time really grasping this section here because its really impossible for us to understand what feasting’s all about. We live in a fast-pasted culture…we’re constantly on the move…moving on to the next thing. Feasting is nothing like that…It’s all about stopping…reflecting…enjoying. God chooses to comfort His people around a table. We see it over and over again throughout Scripture. I mean just think about the idea of the Passover…the whole idea was built around a meal…and it was celebrated every year so that the Israelites would stop…and reflect…and remember…and enjoy.

This isn’t a potluck we might have here at FBC…you don’t have to worry about what you’re gonna wear…Jesus, He gives you linens to wear…you don’t have to worry about what to bring or slave over some dish…Jesus has prepared it…you’re just invited…you’re called to come to the table and just sit…and reflect…and enjoy the glory of God.

What an amazing feast!

And listen, as we do that…as we enjoy this feast that’s been prepared for us…we get to enjoy the family of God we’ve been called to.

And guys, I wanna say this really quick…this isn’t just a future oriented thing…you get to enjoy the family of God now. This is your family if you belong to Christ…this is who you’ll spend eternity with. If you don’t like being with us now, you’re not gonna like this meal. If you refuse to commit to us now…you’re missing the point. Do everything you possibly can with the people of God…be in community with them…serve with them…join a local church in membership…learn to enjoy…learn to appreciate the bride of Christ.

And then real quickly, before we move to our last point…we see that we’ll worship God for the witness of Jesus. Look at verse 9, the angel gives John a command, “Write.” And he’s commanded to write the fourth of seven “blessings.” Those who participate in the marriage supper of the Lamb, those people, they’re fortunate or blessed. It’s a huge contrast to those who are judged at the “the great supper of God” in the coming verses.

The angel adds his own words of affirmation and confirmation: “These words of God are true.” There’s no deceit, or deception, or falsehood, there’s no lying in these words. As is always true of God’s words, these words are true.

And John becomes overwhelmed by all of this. He falls at the feet of the angel to worship him…which is sin…its idolatry. You see, even John’s not perfect…we saw glimpses of that last week. And so, the angel rebukes him again here, “You mustn’t do that! I’m a fellow servant with you and your brothers who hold the testimony of Jesus.” He says, “You must worship God.” And he concludes by saying, “For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.” Which means, if you belong to Christ…everything about you…every action…every word…every deed, it’s all gonna point to the person and work of Christ.

John MacArthur said this, “The central theme of Old Testament prophecy and New Testament preaching is the Lord Jesus Christ. Until the coming of His kingdom, all who proclaim the gospel must be faithful to the testimony of Jesus, the saving gospel message, which was His message.”

And listen, we worship God for the witness of Jesus because in proclaiming that message, we realize how unworthy we are and just how worthy He is.

And so, that’s the first point…this picture, it reveals that Jesus alone is worthy of all praise.

II. This Picture Proves that Jesus Alone Will Set All Things Right

The second and final point, its that this picture proves that Jesus alone will set all things right.

And so, after this glimpse into eternity…verse 11, it says John “saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse!” And listen, the images that follow, they paint one the most powerful pictures of Christ ever recorded. The suffering servant, who came into Jerusalem, riding on the back of a humble donkey, He’s now coming out of heaven riding on a warhorse. This horse, its white…it represents purity and victory.

Now again, you’ll remember I see much of the things in Revelation symbolically…and so, for that reason, I don’t think these things are chronological in nature. In fact, I think that would really create confusion for this chapter and the next because we just saw this marriage scene where believers praised God for the judgement of the woman who rode on the back of the beast (so the two were attached)…we praised Him, almost as if judgement was complete. And now, we see this scene all over again…but with more graphic detail here. Personally, I believe it’s giving you the contrast to the woman and her people, enslaved to her, and then to God’s people at the beginning of the chapter…and now, its looking backwards to explain, in detail, how we all got to this table. And if you’re paying attention…its emphasizing the one behind the judgment…the one who has all power…King Jesus, right?

And so again, because of the genre of Revelation, I don’t see these events as chronological. I don’t think any of these events have been. Even next week, when we look at the millennium kingdom, I believe we’re going backwards so that the Spirit can bring clarity to what He’s showing us.

Someone asked me the other day…how can you take Revelation symbolically but not books like Genesis…Hermeneutics! It’s understanding that every book of the Bible is written to a different audience for a different purpose, and that before you can understand it, you have to understand its genre…its literary context…its immediate, biblical context. You can’t just read this book like any other book. Revelation, as I mentioned in our first sermon, it tells us how it’s meant to be read in its opening verses by pointing us to other places in the Bible. And so, I just wanna say that because if we see all these things we’re reading as chronological…its gonna cause confusion…and it’s gonna cause a faulty interpretation.

And so, what do these final verses in chapter 19 show us about Jesus. Well, as we’ve seen throughout the book, we see He’s faithful and true…He’s the righteous Judge. Revelation 19:11 says, “The one sitting on it [the horse] is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he judges and makes war.” What John’s saying here…its that Jesus is coming to make all wrongs right, to dispense the justice of God rightly, fairly, justly.

Notice, it says He comes to make war. He’s much like what the Jews initially thought He’d be when He came before, right? He’s the Messianic warrior. He comes on the assault against evil and injustice and unrighteousness.

And listen, in that war, He sees all, He knows all, He judges all. Revelation 19:12, “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.” It’s the same imagery we saw back in chapters 1 and 2 depicting the omniscient eyes of Christ. He sees everything…everything in our lives, everything in the world. Nothing’s hidden from His knowledge. You and I, we can’t hide anything from the coming King.

We see He also comes with crowns on His head…You know what’s interesting here? It’s that there’s only two other times we see diadems like this mentioned. It’s in chapters 12 and 13.

The first time, it was on the head of the dragon in 12:3…which if you remember, the dragon, that was a symbol of satan. The second time, it was in Revelation 13:1 where it mentioned the beast having diadems. And so, up until this point, you’ve basically had false claims to kingship in the book of Revelation. The dragon and the beast looking like they were kings, claiming to have sovereign authority. But now, when you get to Chapter 19, you see Jesus not with seven or with ten, but with many diadems crowning His head as the true King. The 7 and 10, they were meant to imitate completion.

There are many crowns on His head, and there’s much mystery to His name. Revelation 19:12 says, “He has a name that no one knows but himself.” There’s a lot of discussion about what this name might possibly be, but personally, I think its just showing you His character as the one true God. He’s the great “I AM,” Yahweh! It’s pointing you to His fullness. Unlike the dragon and the beast and the woman, Jesus is full and complete in every single way. He is God!

And then listen, we see Jesus clothed here in a robe dipped in blood…which could be a reference to the blood He shed on the cross…but in light of the context here, it’s more likely a reference to the blood of those whom He comes to judge. It’s graphic. Isaiah 63 prophesied of one coming “in crimson garments…splendid in his apparel, marching in the greatness of strength…speaking in righteousness, mighty to save…with red apparel because he treads the winepress of God’s wrath.” That’s exactly what we’re seeing here. Jesus is coming as the clear conqueror of God’s enemies.

It says here that He reveals God’s Word. Revelation 19:13 says that “the name by which He’s called is the Word of God.” Jesus is the authoritative Word (and notice its with a capital “W”). He brings judgement and salvation through the power of a Word, by His Word, through His Word…with His Word He ends the history of the the world. And notice…John, the author here…how’d he start the beginning of His gospel account? “In the beginning was the Word,” right?

And listen, its kind of interesting…we see this scene set for a major battle…but we don’t really see a battle take place. Instead, all we see is Jesus striking down the nations with a sharp sword, and just like that it’s over. The beast and the armies of the earth, the people who followed the beast, they’re immediately gone. With a sword from His mouth, He ends the history of the world. And not only that, but He rules the nations of the world. “With a rod of iron,” verse 15 says, which builds on the prophecy from Psalm 2 where it says, ““Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain? The kings of the earth set themselves and the rulers take counsel together against the LORD and against his Anointed… He who sits in heaven laughs; the Lord [ridicules them.] Then he will speak to them in his wrath, and terrify them in his fury, saying, ‘As for me, I have set my king on Zion, my holy hill’ … The Lord said to me, ‘You are my Son; today I have begotten you. Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage, and the ends of the earth your possession. You shall break them with a rod of iron and dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel’” (1-2, 4-9)

All who have taken their stand against Jesus, they will be ruled by Jesus. He rules the nations and He brings God’s wrath!

And listen, as Jesus brings the judgement of God, we see He ushers it in in two different ways. First, we see the angel call birds to swoop down and feast on the flesh of kings and captains, on mighty men, horses and riders, the flesh of all men, both free and slave, small and great who have turned from God and trusted in themselves and lived in their sin. Its a graphic depiction of the just judgement of God and the final end of sinful man who refused to trust in Jesus for salvation.

And then second, we see God’s wrath poured out upon satanic agents and ambassadors. We’ve been introduced to a dragon and a beast and a false prophet and Babylon—all who oppose God and His people. And now, systematically, one by one in reverse order, we’re seeing them judged and overthrown. First, we saw it happen with Babylon. And now, we see it with the beast and the false prophet. The dragon still remains, we’ll see what happens to him next week (and again, it’s not necessarily chronological), but the picture, it’s clear. These satanic ambassadors or agents…the beast, and the false prophet, and all those whom they’ve controlled are captured and thrown into the lake of fire that burns with sulfur. This picture, its a picture of eternal torment that’ll become even clearer next week at the end of Chapter 20.

And then, based on Revelation 19:16, it’s abundantly evident here that He alone, Jesus, He’s King of kings and Lord of lords.

When Jesus returns, He’ll come to consummate salvation for all who’ve trusted in Him, but also to usher in wrath for all who’ve turned against Him.

And so listen, in light of all that…here’s what you need to know…three things…Jesus’s return, its certain…and guys, Jesus return…it will establish His reign over all creation…and listen, Jesus’s return, it will judge all things enslaved to sin.

As believers, we can have the upmost confidence in the power of Christ…He will set all things right. He sees what’s going on…He knows our struggles…and guys, He hears our cries…just like He did with the Israelites in Exodus. He will come back…and He will set all things right.

But guys, as unbelievers, please know this…when Jesus returns, to set all things right…to rightly and justly deal with sin…it ensures your own destruction. It’s certain, and it’s final. That’s what’s depicted here.

Closing

And so, in light of that, this picture, it should encourage two different motivations. For believers, its to repent, as we did last week, and its to live out your life on mission for Christ…reaching those around you with the gospel of Jesus.

And for unbelievers it’s to repent, to turn to Jesus…to believe in Him.

And so listen, as you reflect on this passage, would you bow your head and close your eyes with me?

If you were with us last week, the message, it was that you can’t love this world and God at the same time. And guys, I believe, its the same this week. John’s giving us a stark contrast here between the people of Babylon…and the people of the New Jerusalem. One group, they’re gonna enjoy the glory of Jesus as they gather at the table in restoration. But guys, the other group, the people that have rejected Christ, the people that have lived for the things of this world…the people that gave into the woman, they’re gonna be tossed into the lake of fire…and they’re gonna experience the wrath of God for all eternity.

And so, in light of last week’s message, are we, as believers, living a gospel focused life? Are we devoting our time and energy and finances and resources into reaching those around us? Guys, there’s never been a more important time than now to begin caring and sharing about the gospel of Jesus Christ. And so, I just wanna urge you again…ask God for the strength to obey…ask God for the confidence to stand against the world…ask God to give you His heart for the lost.

And listen, as you go out and do that…reflect on the cross, be reminded of this picture…not only has Jesus already won the war…but He prepares a table even now where we will gather. Let this picture encourage you…knowing that there’s nothing this world can do to take that hope away…and let this picture motivate you, reminding you of those you hope to see at that table.

But listen, if you’re here and you don’t know Jesus as Lord and Savior…let this picture convict you. Recognize that the Word of God, its true and reliable. Understand that it shows us where we fall short of the glory of God…where we’ve rebelled against a good and gracious God…understand that’s all of us…we’ve all sinned and we all deserve the outcome of those thrown in the lake of fire. We all deserve this death and destruction because we’ve all turned from the one who created us.

But praise God, just as John shows us here at the beginning of chapter 19…through Jesus, He offers salvation to all. Through Jesus, God became man…He lived a perfect life…and He died our death on the cross, experiencing the wrath of God for our sins. Remember 2 Corinthians 5:21:

2 Corinthians 5:21 (ESV)

For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

Jesus was punished for the life we lived…and in turn, we’re lifted up and made righteous by the life He lived. It’s a substitution. And the Bible tells us that all we have to do, its to repent…turn from ourselves…and confess in the name of Jesus. Confess that He’s Lord and that He raised from the dead…we do that, and the Bible says we will be saved. I know there’s a lot of religions out there that say you have to do all these things to obtain eternal life…but guys, the gospel, it’s not about anything you have to do…it’s all about what Jesus has already done. Turn to Him and live in that truth.

And so listen, the praise team’s gonna lead us in worship. You can pray…you can sing…you can come to the front…but would you stand with us this morning? You take this time, respond to the Spirit…and I’ll close us in just a moment. Let’s worship!