No Contest

Revelation 19:11–21 NIV

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. 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. 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. 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.

9 - Revelation 19:11-16 - Video

Introduction: Les’ Article

21 - We are in a War.

The Beast - the Roman Empire

The Prophet - Likely the local governments who enforce the Roman Empires program of Idol Worship, and Emperor Worship.

• Throughout the book of Revelation, it also, often seems like Evil has the upper-hand.

• List the times when the Beast wages war, and kills the maryters.

First mentioned Here - The Beast comes to make war with believers, to do so is to make war with Jesus.

Revelation 11:7 LEB

And when they have completed their testimony, the beast that comes up from the abyss will make war with them and will conquer them and will kill them.

This was the Beasts purpose was to make war with the saints.

Revelation 13:7 LEB

And it was given to him to make war with the saints and to conquer them. And authority was given to him over every tribe and people and language and nation.

It is a spiritual battle, not a physical battle, although the spiritual can often manifest itself in physical ways.

Jesus is seen in heaven, he never comes to earth in this scene.

The imagry of Jesus is highly symbolic - most pointedly the sword coming out of his mouth that he, “Kills” his enemies with.

Revelation 16:13–14 LEB

And I saw coming out of the mouth of the dragon and out of the mouth of the beast and out of the mouth of the false prophet three unclean spirits like frogs. For they are the spirits of demons performing signs that go out to the kings of the whole inhabited world, to gather them for the battle of the great day of God the All-Powerful.

Revelation 16:16 LEB

And he gathered them to the place called in Hebrew Armageddon.

This battle is foreshadowed in the description of the Beast in Chapter 17

Revelation 17:12–14 LEB

And the ten horns that you saw are ten kings, who have not yet received a kingdom, but they will receive authority as kings for one hour with the beast. These have one opinion, and they will give their power and authority to the beast. These will make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb will conquer them, because he is Lord of lords and King of kings, and those with him are called and chosen and faithful.”

• In our world today, it can often feel like evil is winning.

• School Shootings, Constant, Read the Front page of any newspaper

22 - Jesus Defeats All Who Come Against Him.

The primary focus of this passage is on Jesus and the imagery is not intended to show us what Jesus will look like when he comes back, but the imagery describes who he is and how he will judge and defeat evil.

23 - Who is Jesus? - Chart of Jesus’ Characteristics from O.T. and Revelation. - All the imagry comes together.

The King on the White Horse: This is clearly Jesus. He is Faithful and True, judges rightly, and makes war against his enemies (Depiction of Yahweh in Ps. 96). Being on a horse represents one who patrols the earth to monitor the justice on the earth (Zech. 1, 6). The fire eyes take us back to the messenger in Daniel 10 who gave a prophecy of what will happen to the Jews, and that he was fighting the prince of persia. The royal headband marks him as King - and a secretive name much like Yahweh in Exodus. The bloody garment may depict the one who comes to judge people in the winepress in Isaiah 63, but becomes Israel’s savior who also happens to be the one who poured out the Spirit on Moses. He is the Logos, which is definitely John’s depiction of Jesus. His mouth has a double-edged sword an echo to the suffering servant in Isaiah 49, but also comes with God’s wrath as in Psalm 2.9 with the iron rod that shatters people like potter’s vessels, and like in Lamentation 1:15, and Joel 3:13 where the imagry of trampling grapes for wine is used for God’s wrath and judgment. The Title of King of Kings and Lord of Lord’s is given to Yahweh in Deut. 10:17, and Daniel 2:47

24 - What does this birds gorging themselves on the slain enemies flesh image???

The Angel: Brings the same message of judgment to the nations as Ezekiel brings to Ezekiel 39:17-20 where God brings destruction of the nation of Gog and His Hordes so that all of the nations will know that Yahweh is the Holy One of Israel. So in other words those who follow the beast will have the same fate as the people of Gog.

- But Gog comes next week. This again is going to show us the same fate for all of the Nations. Rome was the beast of John’s Day, We will talk about Gog and Magog next week, which is the term given to the last and final Beastly Kings when Christ comes in the end.

Jesus Defeats The Beast and the Armies of the Beast in these ways.

Imprisoned and thrown into the Lake of fire that burns with sulfer.

Trash Heap imagry, Jesus is cleaning his world of the evil in it.

reminds us of the fate of Sodom and Gomorrah.

It appears that the Lake of Fire is an allusion to the Beast of Daniel 7:11 where the Beast is said to be given over to burning with Fire. It is a picture of destruction, but in Revelation 20 it is an eternal torment.

This is the fate of every beastly nation.

But the People - what is this imagry of Jesus killing them with the sword that comes out of His Mouth.

His Word will judge the living and the dead. This is why I don’t think this is a physical battle, but a Spiritual won. Jesus is winning by his commands, by His Gospel, by being the Word of Truth. It is the Truth that extracts what is untrue and destroys evil.

Jesus’ Gospel to Pilot - Anyone who knows the Truth is

John 18:36–37 LEB

Jesus replied, “My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would be fighting so that I would not be handed over to the Jews. But now my kingdom is not from here.” Then Pilate said to him, “So then you are a king!” Jesus replied, “You say that I am a king. For this reason I was born, and for this reason I have come into the world: in order that I can testify to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears my voice.”

Those who are not with Jesus and are not with the Truth, but the false allegience to Beastly Kingdoms, and their gods, and emperor worship are undone by the Truth.

This is why followers of Jesus are insist on following The Word, and we are students of the Word, because we want to live by the Truth.

So in the end Jesus Wins, the Truth of Jesus Wins. So Jesus wins by his Word of Truth and Justice.

25 - Application Point:

Stand on the Truth of God’s Word

26 - Join Jesus’ Army.

For some, this passage with all its apocalyptic imagery might bring fear. Yet, if we know Jesus in a personal relationship, this passage should bring comfort. Evil will be defeated for good, and that is good news for us! God desires that none would perish, but that all would come to him (2 Peter 3:9).

2 Peter 3:9 LEB

The Lord is not delaying the promise, as some consider slowness, but is being patient toward you, because he does not want any to perish, but all to come to repentance.

What is interesting about God’s Army - They do nothing. -

Who are these armies. We have heard about them all along in

The 144,000 in Revelation and the Great multitude who washed their robes in the blood of the lamb. in Chapters 7 and 14

Those who are alert to Christ’s coming 16:15

The Bride of Christ from 19:1-10 who is dressed in bright, clean fine linen.

In other words the Church from all times all places from the beginning of Scripture till the end.

The Church is simply victorious by -

Washing their robes in the blood of the lamb

Patient Endurance

Keeping their Allegience with Jesus

And submitting to the Lord’s vindication - through prayer.

Ivan Moiseyev was a teenager who entered into the USSR military in 1970 only to be severely persecuted for his Christian faith. He was forced by his officers to stand, barely clothed in the winter weather at night, for hours at a time: “For the next twelve nights, Ivan continued to stand in the street outside his barracks. Miraculously, he did not freeze, nor did he beg for mercy. Ivan continued to speak about his faith to his comrades and officers. He sang about the glory of Jesus Christ in his barracks, though this was strictly prohibited. To those who threatened him, he replied, ‘A lark threatened with death for singing would still continue to sing. She cannot renounce her nature. Neither can we Christians.’ Soldiers around him were converted, impressed by his ardent faith. His commanders continued to interrogate him, trying to get him to deny Jesus. They put him in refrigerated cells. They clothed him in a special rubber suit, into which they pumped air until his chest was so compressed he scarcely could breathe. At the age of 20, Ivan knew that the Communists would kill him. On July 11, 1972, he wrote to his parents, ‘You will not see me anymore.’ He then described a vision of angels and heaven which God had sent to strengthen him for the last trial. A few days later, his body was returned to his family” (DC Talk and Voice of the Martyrs, Jesus Freaks [Tulsa, OK: Albury Publishing, 1999], 34–35). Ivan is an example of precisely how this Army of God does battle.

So get this picture - the 7 churches see themselves in a spiritual battle with satan, and the Roman Empire. - When they are persecuted, and martyred for their believe in Jesus they see.

Jesus was killed though he was innocent.

Jesus was raised from the dead conquering his enemies with Truth and Justice.

The same thing is happening to us.

Rome thinks they are winning, but really they are losing. We are winning.

27 - Conclusion:

Join Jesus’ Army by receiving his death and Resurrection.

Stand on the Truth.

Trust that Jesus is Winning.