THE LAMB IS COMING AS KING
Notes
Transcript
THE LAMB IS COMING AS KING
THE LAMB IS COMING AS KING
Revelation 19:1–21
Revelation 19:1–21
Big Idea
Big Idea
The Lamb who came to save sinners is coming again as the King who will judge rebellion.
Bottom Line
Bottom Line
Be ready for the returning King by taking refuge in the Lamb and remaining faithful to Him.
Anchor Phrase
Anchor Phrase
The Lamb is coming as King.
INTRODUCTION
INTRODUCTION
When Heaven Opens
When Heaven Opens
Revelation 18 ended with the destruction of Babylon.
The kings mourned.
The merchants mourned.
The sailors mourned.
But Revelation 19 opens with heaven looking at the same event and crying:
“Hallelujah!”
Earth mourns because the world it loved has fallen.
Heaven worships because the God who reigns has judged evil.
Then the scene changes.
The bride prepares for her wedding.
Heaven opens.
Jesus appears.
Revelation 19 shows us Jesus as both:
The Lamb who receives His people
The King who defeats rebellion
We often prefer the Lamb who forgives, welcomes, and restores.
We are less comfortable with the King who commands, judges, and reigns.
But Revelation 19 will not allow us to divide Jesus according to our preferences.
The Lamb is the King.
The Savior is the Judge.
The One who offered Himself for sinners will return to rule the nations.
The question is not merely:
Do you believe Jesus is coming?
The question is:
Are you ready to meet the King who is coming?
Because:
The Lamb is coming as King.
1. WORSHIP THE GOD WHOSE JUSTICE IS PERFECT Revelation 19:1–5
1. WORSHIP THE GOD WHOSE JUSTICE IS PERFECT Revelation 19:1–5
John hears what sounds like the roar of a great multitude:
After this I heard what sounded like the roar of a great multitude in heaven shouting:
“Hallelujah!
Salvation and glory and power belong to our God,
for true and just are his judgments.
“Hallelujah” means:
Praise the Lord.
It appears repeatedly throughout the Psalms, but Revelation 19 contains its only occurrences in the New Testament.
Four times heaven cries:
“Hallelujah!”
Why?
Because Babylon has fallen.
That may initially make us uncomfortable. Heaven is celebrating judgment.
But heaven is not celebrating suffering for its own sake.
Heaven is celebrating the holiness and justice of God.
Salvation belongs to God v. 1
Salvation belongs to God v. 1
The multitude declares:
After this I heard what sounded like the roar of a great multitude in heaven shouting:
“Hallelujah!
Salvation and glory and power belong to our God,
As it does throughout Revelation (cf. 4:1; 7:9; 15:5; 18:1), the phrase after these things marks the beginning of a new vision.
This new vision takes place after the destruction of Babylon (chaps. 17–18) and before the triumphant return of Jesus Christ (19:11–21) to establish the Millennial Kingdom (20:1–10).
In his vision, John heard something like a loud voice of a great multitude in heaven.
The text does not identify those whose composite voices make up the loud voice John heard, but they are likely angels. This great multitude does not appear to include the redeemed saints, since they are encouraged to join in the praise later (vv. 5–8). The uncounted millions of holy angels make up a majestic, awe-inspiring choir.
The angelic chorus opens with the important word Hallelujah, an exclamation of praise to God. The Greek word Allēlouia is a transliteration of a Hebrew phrase comprised of the verb halal (“to praise”) and the noun Yah (“God”).
It appears only in this chapter in the New Testament (cf. vv. 3–4, 6). The Hebrew phrase first appears in Psalm 104:35,
“Let sinners be consumed from the earth and let the wicked be no more. Bless the Lord, O my soul. Praise the Lord!”
In its first Old Testament appearance, as in its first New Testament appearance, Hallelujah expresses praise for God’s judgment on the wicked oppressors of His people.
The Hebrew phrase is associated with God’s deliverance of His people from Egypt in Psalms 113–18, which are known collectively as the Egyptian Hallel.
It is a word often associated with both the judgment of the ungodly and the salvation of God’s people.
Hallelujah is used four times in this passage alone
Babylon offered salvation through:
wealth,
pleasure,
power,
influence,
and human achievement.
But Babylon could not save itself.
Everything the world promises will eventually collapse.
Success cannot remove your guilt.
Pleasure cannot heal your heart.
Popularity cannot give you eternal value.
Only God can save.
Anything you trust to do what only God can do has begun to function as a false god.
The word salvation does not focus on justification or sanctification, but celebrates the final aspect of salvation history, the glorification of the saints in the kingdom of Christ.
The imminent coming of Jesus Christ prompts this praise as the angels anticipate the glory of His kingdom
What are you expecting to save you?
God’s judgments are true and just v. 2a
God’s judgments are true and just v. 2a
Heaven declares:
for true and just are his judgments.
God never misreads the evidence, overlooks a detail, condemns the innocent, or excuses the guilty.
MacArthur explains that heaven praises God’s judgment because those in heaven understand His holiness without the moral distortion produced by sin.1
Sometimes our discomfort with judgment does not reveal a defect in God. It reveals how accustomed we have become to evil.
A judge who refuses to judge proven evil is not loving. He is unjust.
God will not allow violence, exploitation, persecution, corruption, and rebellion to continue forever.
God remembers every injustice vv. 2-5
God remembers every injustice vv. 2-5
Heaven says:
He has avenged on her the blood of his servants.”
In Revelation 6, the martyrs asked:
They called out in a loud voice, “How long, Sovereign Lord, holy and true, until you judge the inhabitants of the earth and avenge our blood?”
Revelation 19 is part of God’s answer.
for true and just are his judgments.
He has condemned the great prostitute
who corrupted the earth by her adulteries.
He has avenged on her the blood of his servants.”
And again they shouted:
“Hallelujah!
The smoke from her goes up for ever and ever.”
The twenty-four elders and the four living creatures fell down and worshiped God, who was seated on the throne. And they cried:
“Amen, Hallelujah!”
Then a voice came from the throne, saying:
“Praise our God,
all you his servants,
you who fear him,
both great and small!”
God saw every martyr.
He heard every prayer.
He remembered every act of faithfulness.
God may delay judgment, but He never forgets injustice.
That means we can release personal vengeance without pretending that evil is acceptable. We can trust the Judge of all the earth to do what is right.
The elders and living creatures fall before God’s throne and cry:
“Amen, Hallelujah!”
Babylon has fallen, but God remains seated upon His throne.
History has never escaped His control.
Heaven does not apologize for God’s justice. Heaven praises Him because His judgments are true and just.
Heaven does not apologize for God’s justice. Heaven praises Him because His judgments are true and just.
Transition
Transition
Babylon has fallen, and heaven worships.
But now judgment gives way to celebration.
The prostitute is gone.
The bride is ready.
2. PREPARE FOR THE LAMB WHO IS FAITHFUL Revelation 19:6–10
2. PREPARE FOR THE LAMB WHO IS FAITHFUL Revelation 19:6–10
John hears a sound like a great multitude, rushing waters, and thunder:
Then I heard what sounded like a great multitude, like the roar of rushing waters and like loud peals of thunder, shouting:
“Hallelujah!
For our Lord God Almighty reigns.
“Hallelujah! For our Lord God Almighty reigns.”
God has always reigned, but now His reign is openly and decisively displayed.
God is not trying to gain control. He is revealing the control He has always possessed.
The Lamb has come for His bride v. 7
The Lamb has come for His bride v. 7
The heavenly praise continues with a call for gladness, rejoicing, and giving God glory for yet a fifth reason, the marriage of the Lamb. Heaven declares:
Let us rejoice and be glad
and give him glory!
For the wedding of the Lamb has come,
and his bride has made herself ready.
The imagery of marriage is used frequently in Scripture.
A marriage was the single greatest celebration and social event of the biblical world. Wedding preparations and celebrations in ancient times were even more elaborate and involved than those of today and also lasted longer. They consisted of three distinct stages.
First was the betrothal, or engagement.
This was an arrangement by both sets of parents contracting the marriage of their children. It was legally binding and could only be broken by a divorce (cf. Matt. 1:18–19). A betrothal contract was often signed long before the children reached the marriageable age of thirteen or fourteen. Since a marriage represented the union of two families, it was natural for the parents to be involved. And there were years of preparation for the time of marriage, as the boy prepared for his bride.
2 Corinthians 11:2 mentions the betrothal of the church to Christ. Paul wrote,
I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy. I promised you to one husband, to Christ, so that I might present you as a pure virgin to him.
The church’s betrothal contract was signed in eternity past when the Father promised the Son a redeemed people and wrote their names in the Book of Life.
The second stage of a wedding was the presentation, a time of festivities just before the actual ceremony.
Those festivities could last up to a week or more, depending on the economic and social status of the bride and groom.
The third and most significant stage of a wedding was the actual ceremony, during which the vows were exchanged.
At the end of the presentation festivities, the groom and his attendants would go to the bride’s house and take her and her bridesmaids to the ceremony. After the ceremony would come a final meal, followed by the consummation of the marriage.
The Bridegroom is called the Lamb because He receives His bride only after giving Himself for her.
Ephesians 5:25 says:
Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word,
Jesus loved His people.
He shed His blood for His people.
He rose for His people.
He sanctifies His people.
He will return for His people.
Jesus did not merely save us from judgment. He saved us for Himself.
Christianity is not merely receiving benefits from Jesus. Christianity is belonging to Jesus.
Grace gives the garment and changes the bride vv. 7-8
Grace gives the garment and changes the bride vv. 7-8
The passage makes two statements:
First, Rev 19:7 says:
and his bride has made herself ready.
Then Rev 19:8 says:
Fine linen, bright and clean,
was given her to wear.”
(Fine linen stands for the righteous acts of God’s holy people.)
The bride made herself ready. But the linen was given to her.
Those statements do not contradict each other. Together, they show us how God’s grace works in the lives of His people.
Fine linen was expensive and beautiful cloth.
It was worn by important figures such as Joseph, David, and Mordecai (MAWR-deh-kai) (Genesis 41:42; 1 Chronicles 15:27; Esther 8:15).
The word translated “bright” means glistening, shining, or radiant.
The word translated “clean” communicates purity.
Similar garments are worn elsewhere in Revelation by angels and by the armies of heaven who accompany Christ when He returns (Revelation 15:6; 19:14).
But John tells us exactly what this linen represents:
“The righteous acts of God’s holy people.”
That does not mean believers earn their place at the wedding through their works.
At salvation, believers are justified by faith. Christ’s righteousness is credited to them, not earned by them (Romans 3:21–24; 4:5; 5:19; 1 Corinthians 1:30; 2 Corinthians 5:21; Philippians 3:8–9).
You cannot produce the perfect righteousness necessary to stand before Christ.
You cannot erase your guilt through good works or religious activity.
You must receive the righteousness of Christ.
Salvation is by grace.
But the grace that justifies the bride does not leave the bride unchanged.
John says:
“His bride has made herself ready.”
The bride’s righteous actions are real. Believers genuinely obey, serve, sacrifice, and pursue holiness.
But John also says:
“Fine linen, bright and clean, was given her to wear.”
Even the bride’s righteous acts are ultimately the fruit of God’s grace working within her.
God’s people work, but they work because God is working in them.
The bride prepares herself, but she does so with what God has graciously provided.
At Christ’s return, God’s transforming work will be completed.
The church will not only possess the righteousness of Christ credited to her; she will also be made perfectly holy.
This is not a righteousness independently produced by the church. It is a holiness produced and perfected by God.
The promise of 1 John 3:2 will then be fulfilled:
“When Christ appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is.”
Works do not purchase salvation.
They demonstrate salvation’s transforming effect.
Good works are not the root of salvation.
They are its fruit.
The BF&M 2000 distinguishes between three parts of God’s saving work:
In justification, God graciously acquits the believing sinner.
In sanctification, God progressively transforms the believer.
In glorification, God completes that transformation and makes the believer perfectly holy.
Put simply:
Grace gives the garment, and grace changes the bride.
A bride does not prepare for her wedding to convince the groom to love her.
She prepares because she is loved, and because the wedding is coming.
We do not pursue holiness to earn the love of Jesus.
We pursue holiness because we belong to Jesus.
So ask yourself:
Are you fighting your sin, or making peace with it?
Are you preparing to meet Christ, or merely trying to predict His return?
Worship God and let prophecy lead you to Jesus vv. 9-10
Worship God and let prophecy lead you to Jesus vv. 9-10
Then the angel said to me, “Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb!” And he added, “These are the true words of God.”
At this I fell at his feet to worship him. But he said to me, “Don’t do that! I am a fellow servant with you and with your brothers and sisters who hold to the testimony of Jesus. Worship God! For it is the Spirit of prophecy who bears testimony to Jesus.”
Overwhelmed by what he sees, John falls at the angel’s feet.
The angel immediately says:
“Don’t do that! I am a fellow servant with you. Worship God!”
A faithful messenger redirects attention away from himself and toward God.
The messenger did not die for you.
The messenger did not rise for you.
The messenger cannot forgive or save you.
Worship God.
The angel continues:
“For it is the Spirit of prophecy who bears testimony to Jesus.”
Prophecy should lead us to Jesus.
It should produce worship, hope, holiness, endurance, and faithfulness—not merely speculation, fear, arguments, or obsession with current events.
Prophecy is not given merely so we can recognize the times. It is given so we will remain faithful to Jesus in every time.
Grace gives the garment, and grace changes the bride.
Grace gives the garment, and grace changes the bride.
Transition
Transition
John has heard heaven celebrate.
He has seen the bride prepared.
Now heaven itself opens.
The Lamb appears as King.
3. BEHOLD THE KING WHOSE AUTHORITY IS ABSOLUTE Revelation 19:11–16
3. BEHOLD THE KING WHOSE AUTHORITY IS ABSOLUTE Revelation 19:11–16
John says:
“I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse.”
This is the center of the chapter.
The time has come at last for the full, glorious revelation of the sovereign Lord. This is the time to which all of Revelation (as well as all of redemptive history) has been pointing, the time of which Jesus Himself spoke in Matthew 24:27–31:
For as lightning that comes from the east is visible even in the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. Wherever there is a carcass, there the vultures will gather.
“Immediately after the distress of those days
“ ‘the sun will be darkened,
and the moon will not give its light;
the stars will fall from the sky,
and the heavenly bodies will be shaken.’
“Then will appear the sign of the Son of Man in heaven. And then all the peoples of the earth will mourn when they see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven, with power and great glory. And he will send his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other.
Revelation 19 is not merely telling us that Jesus returns.
It is showing us who Jesus is.
He judges with perfect righteousness vv. 11-12
He judges with perfect righteousness vv. 11-12
I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice he judges and wages war. His eyes are like blazing fire, and on his head are many crowns. He has a name written on him that no one knows but he himself.
The rider is called:
“Faithful and True.”
He rides the traditional white horse ridden by victorious Roman generals in their triumphal processions through the streets of Rome.
White also symbolizes the spotless, unblemished, absolutely holy character of the Rider. The horse, like the crowns (v. 12), the sharp sword (v. 15), the rod of iron (v. 15), and the wine press (v. 15) is symbolic; Christ’s coming is reality.
The symbolic language represents various aspects of that reality—Christ’s victory over His enemies, His sovereign rule, and His judgment of sinners.
Jesus has never broken a promise.
His promise of forgiveness is true.
His promise of eternal life is true.
His promise to return is true.
His warning of judgment is also true.
Christ is as faithful in fulfilling His warnings of judgment as He is in fulfilling His promises of salvation.
John continues:
“With justice he judges and wages war.”
Human warfare is corrupted by pride, greed, misinformation, revenge, and the desire for power.
Christ’s warfare contains none of those corruptions.
This is not an angry ruler losing control. It is the righteous King ending rebellion.
His eyes are like blazing fire because nothing is hidden from Him.
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” (Heb. 4:13).
For rebels, those eyes mean perfect exposure.
For suffering believers, they mean perfect awareness.
You may feel invisible to the world.
You are not invisible to Jesus.
He possesses absolute authority vv. 12-13
He possesses absolute authority vv. 12-13
His eyes are like blazing fire, and on his head are many crowns. He has a name written on him that no one knows but he himself. He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is the Word of God.
John sees many crowns upon His head.
The dragon wore seven diadems.
The beast wore ten.
Jesus wears many.
The point is not arithmetic. The point is universal authority.
As MacArthur puts it:
“All the crowns are on one head.”
Every earthly ruler possesses limited authority for a limited time.
Every throne is temporary.
Every ruler is accountable.
Every crown finally belongs to Christ.
Jesus does not return to compete for authority. He returns to reveal the authority that has always belonged to Him.
John sees Christ dressed in a robe dipped in blood.
This is not primarily a picture of Christ’s own blood shed at Calvary. In light of Isaiah 63 and the surrounding judgment imagery, it pictures the blood of His defeated enemies.
The King who judges rebellion is the same Lamb who first shed His own blood to offer sinners mercy.
He conquers by His irresistible word vv. 13–16
He conquers by His irresistible word vv. 13–16
He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is the Word of God. The armies of heaven were following him, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean. Coming out of his mouth is a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations. “He will rule them with an iron scepter.” He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty. On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written:
king of kings and lord of lords.
John says:
“His name is the Word of God.”
The Word who created the world, became flesh, died, and rose now returns.
A sharp sword comes from His mouth to strike the nations.
His weapon is His word.
Jesus does not need superior numbers, advanced technology, or a complicated strategy.
He speaks.
Rebellion ends.
No argument can overturn His verdict.
No army can resist His command.
No lie can survive His truth.
The final word belongs to the Word of God.
Written upon His robe and thigh is the name:
“KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.”
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.
Jesus does not return to become King.
He returns because He is King.
Our culture may accept a Jesus who comforts, welcomes, and inspires. It rejects a Jesus who commands, judges, defines truth, and demands allegiance.
But Revelation 19 will not let us separate Jesus according to our preferences.
The question is not merely:
Do you like Jesus?
The question is:
Have you surrendered to Jesus as King?
Jesus does not return to compete for authority. He returns to reveal the authority that has always belonged to Him.
Jesus does not return to compete for authority. He returns to reveal the authority that has always belonged to Him.
Transition
Transition
The King appears.
The nations assemble.
Everything seems prepared for the greatest battle in history.
But:
The battle is real, but it is not competitive.
4. TAKE REFUGE BEFORE HIS VICTORY IS FINAL Revelation 19:17–21
4. TAKE REFUGE BEFORE HIS VICTORY IS FINAL Revelation 19:17–21
An angel calls the birds together for:
“The great supper of God.”
The birds are summoned before the battle is even described.
Heaven prepares for the aftermath before the confrontation begins.
The nations believe they have arrived to fight.
Heaven knows they have arrived to fall.
Revelation 19 therefore presents two suppers.
At the wedding supper, the redeemed are welcomed to fellowship with the Lamb.
At the great supper of God, rebels are defeated by the King.
One is a picture of blessing.
The other is a picture of judgment.
There is no neutral relationship with Jesus.
You belong to the Lamb, or you remain in rebellion against the King.
Human power cannot resist Christ vv. 17–20
Human power cannot resist Christ vv. 17–20
And I saw an angel standing in the sun, who cried in a loud voice to all the birds flying in midair, “Come, gather together for the great supper of God, so that you may eat the flesh of kings, generals, and the mighty, of horses and their riders, and the flesh of all people, free and slave, great and small.”
Then I saw the beast and the kings of the earth and their armies gathered together to wage war against the rider on the horse and his army. But the beast was captured, and with it the false prophet who had performed the signs on its behalf. With these signs he had deluded those who had received the mark of the beast and worshiped its image. The two of them were thrown alive into the fiery lake of burning sulfur.
That all-inclusive statement reveals the worldwide extent of the slaughter.
To have one’s unburied body left as food for birds is the ultimate indignity, especially for proud kings and mighty military commanders. That same ignominious fate awaits all the proud, God-hating rebels everywhere in the world, both free men and slaves, and small and great (cf. 11:18; 13:16).
Zeph. 1:14–18 prophesied of this terrifying scene
Zephaniah warned that the day of the Lord would be a day of wrath against humanity’s rebellion. Revelation 19 shows that warning reaching its terrible fulfillment.
John sees:
“The beast and the kings of the earth and their armies gathered together to wage war against the rider on the horse.”
This rebellion reveals the true nature of sin.
Sin is not merely weakness, brokenness, confusion, or a mistake.
At its center, sin is rebellion against God’s rightful rule.
Sin says:
“I will determine good and evil for myself.”
“God has no right to rule me.”
The armies outwardly reveal what sin has always been inwardly.
The beast and false prophet appeared invincible. Together they controlled political, military, economic, and religious power.
But John simply says:
“The beast was captured, and with it the false prophet.”
That is the battle.
There is no prolonged struggle.
Their invincibility was always an illusion.
The battle is real, but it is not competitive.
The final word belongs to Christ vv. 21
The final word belongs to Christ vv. 21
The rest were killed with the sword coming out of the mouth of the rider on the horse, and all the birds gorged themselves on their flesh.
John writes:
“The rest were killed with the sword coming out of the mouth of the rider on the horse.”
Christ speaks.
The armies fall.
The rebellion ends.
No competing kingdom survives.
The final word belongs to the Word of God.
We should neither apologize for this passage nor enjoy its violence.
Apart from grace, we stood under the same judgment.
The proper response is reverence, sobriety, gratitude for mercy, and urgency for the lost.
The battle is real, but it is not competitive.
The battle is real, but it is not competitive.
GOSPEL CONCLUSION: Take Refuge in the Lamb
GOSPEL CONCLUSION: Take Refuge in the Lamb
Revelation 19 does not leave us wondering:
Will Jesus win?
That question is settled.
The unanswered question is:
What is your relationship with the King who is coming?
Do you want His forgiveness while resisting His authority?
Do you study His return without preparing to meet Him?
Do you claim the Lamb while continuing to make Babylon your home?
Psalm 2 warns that God’s Son will rule the nations with an iron scepter.
But the psalm ends with an invitation:
“Blessed are all who take refuge in him.”
The King who will judge rebels presently offers refuge to rebels.
That is the gospel.
Before Jesus came on a white horse, He came as a baby.
Before He wore many crowns, He wore a crown of thorns.
Before He returned to strike the nations, He was struck for our transgressions.
Before He came to defeat His enemies, He died to make His enemies His people.
Jesus lived without sin and willingly went to the cross. There He bore the judgment sinners deserve.
He died.
He was buried.
On the third day, He rose from the dead.
The Lamb who was slain is alive.
The Savior is King.
You cannot cleanse yourself.
You cannot save yourself.
The righteousness you need must be given.
You must repent of your rebellion and trust in Jesus Christ.
But the grace that saves the bride also changes the bride.
You turn away from ruling yourself.
You stop treating Babylon as home.
You confess Jesus as Lord.
You belong to the Lamb.
And because you belong to Him, you begin preparing to meet Him—not to earn His love, but because His grace is changing you.So:
Worship the God whose justice is perfect.
Prepare for the Lamb who is faithful.
Behold the King whose authority is absolute.
Take refuge before His victory is final.
Do not wait until heaven opens to acknowledge that Jesus is King.
Bow gladly now.
Receive His mercy now.
Trust Him now.
Because:
The Lamb is coming as King.
And the only way to be ready for the returning King is to belong to the Lamb.
