The Triumph of the Word

Series on Revelation

II The Viewpoint

F Cycle Six, The Final Battle

Text: 19:11-21

Introduction

And now we come to the final battle. It is usually referred to as Armageddon, but that location is not mentioned in this portion. That is fitting because we have seen that Armageddon is not a geographical pin point on a map, but a symbolic reference to the place where Israel first conquered the enemies of God in advancing into the Promised Land. This is a battle which has been mentioned many times before in the book of Revelation: in 6:12 and 13 with the sixth seal, in 11:15-19 with the blowing of the seventh trumpet, in 16:12-21 with the pouring out of the sixth and seventh bowls of wrath where Armageddon is mentioned, and here in our text. Each time we gain more information and see the increasing intensity. Thus, these are progressively parallel passages bringing us to the final battle. This battle began long, long ago in Paradise. There in Eden God pronounced a curse upon the serpent who had deceived Adam and Eve and we read in Genesis 3:14 and 15, So the LORD God said to the serpent, Because you have done this, Cursed are you above all livestock and all wild animals! You will crawl on your belly and you will eat dust all the days of your life. And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel. Here is prophesied and announced the combatants in the battle. They are Jesus and Satan, and Jesus’ followers versus Satan’s devotees. These are the same personages that we see in our text as we look at the final battle. We see here two important things, the horseman and the havoc.

I The Horseman

It is undoubtedly evident to all of us that the horseman is the victorious Son of God, Jesus the Christ. We shall observe 4 things about this symbolic representation of the conqueror: His appellations, His appearance, His army and His armor as found in verses 11-16, 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 makes 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. Out of his mouth comes 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.

A His Appellations

You may be familiar with the gospel song that recites the names of Jesus, “Jesus, name above all names, Beautiful Savior, Glorious Lord Emmanuel, God is with us Blessed Redeemer, living Word.” There are surely a multitude of names that can be given to our savior and this text has several. Here is called, “Faithful and True, Word of God, and King of kings and Lord of lords.” Besides these names given to Jesus in the book of Revelation are Lamb, Root of David, Offspring of David, Morning Star and others. We know that Paul wrote in Philippians 2:8-10, He humbled himself by becoming obedient to death—even death on a cross! Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth. Our text envisions the hour when every knee will bow indeed. But there is another name mentioned here in this passage, He has a name written on him that no one knows but he himself. This is strange because over the past 2000 years, more people on planet earth have known the name of Jesus than any other name. Since 33 AD, billions of people have claimed to be followers of this Jesus—or whatever the Christ is called in their language. Billions more have heard of his name. Presently, the name of Jesus can be found in over 6000 languages and more are being added every year. We know His name, but He has a name that nobody knows except our Lord, himself. This has led to a lot of speculation which is foolish because the text says you cannot know now what the name is. We know that the appellation Jesus is his earthly name and Christ his official designation, but he still has another name that remains hidden from us. This mysterious name will be revealed to his people when his redemptive work has been brought to completion. I am going to tell you what I think is the best explanation. This statement is in deference to the cultural reverence for the power in names in the ancient world. People superstitiously believed that to know the name of gods was to have power over them. This, then, is an allusion to the fact that he indeed has a name above every other name. He is the absolute Lord and all power and authority belongs to Him. No one can control Him and he controls everything. He alone knows His name.

B His Appearance

Three things are notable about the Lord Christ riding on the white horse; His eyes, His diadems and His robe. The eyes are like blazing fire, or flames of fire which signifies Christ’s holy anger toward his enemies and his wrath against sin that is piled up to heaven. in Daniel 10 the prophet is visited by a heavenly personage that appears to be the Lord because Daniel is overcome. His companions flee and hide, and he falls unconscious to the ground until he is touched and raised up. All of these things resemble circumstances of being visited by the Lord. Much of the rest of Daniel’s vision resembles John’s description of Jesus in Revelation 1:14 and 15, The hair on his head was white like wool, as white as snow, and his eyes were like blazing fire. His feet were like bronze glowing in a furnace, and his voice was like the sound of rushing waters. When Daniel hears the heavenly messenger speak, the voice is like the sound of a multitude which is similar to the sound of rushing waters. This suggests to us that the eyes of Jesus are always reflecting his holiness and anger against sin, the punishment of His enemies, and the determination to deliver His people from all their foes. The next thing we see in Christ’s appearance is His diadems. This is not a crown as we know it but a highly adorned and richly gemmed head-dress, worn by kings. In the east the diadem was a symbol of absolute power. The diadem was usually a headband about two inches wide, tied in the back and made of silk, and inlaid with gold and the most precious gems. In 12:3 Satan is seen with 7 diadems as he imitates Jesus. In 13:1 the beast, also imitating Jesus has 10 diadems. Here the Greek word “many” in many diadems is a word that can be translated as numerous, most or very great. In other words, symbolically of course, a huge number of diadems indicating His complete sovereignty. Finally, and perhaps most interesting, we see His robe dipped in blood. This is not blood spattered from the present battle which has yet to begin. It is an attire that Jesus wears throughout Scripture. In Isaiah 63 which is about God saving His people we read in verses 2 and 3, Why are your garments red, like those of one treading the winepress? “I have trodden the winepress alone; from the nations no one was with me. I trampled them in my anger and trod them down in my wrath; their blood spattered my garments, and I stained all my clothing. This is the same deliverer described in Isaiah 62:2 and 3 as Called by a new name that the mouth of the Lord will bestow, and as a a crown of splendor in the Lord’s hand, a royal diadem in the hand of your God. There is no doubt as to who is wearing the robe dipped in blood. The red spots on his robe are not of his own blood but that of his enemies. However we cannot help but contrast, the white horse and the white robes of the army. The robes of the army have been washed or dipped in blood but it is the blood of Christ which makes everything new. Forget your latest detergent for there is only one thing that removes the stain of sin and it is blood, the blood of Christ. His robe is stained in judgment but ours are whiter than snow.

C His Army

In commenting on the armies of the Lord we need only observe that they are “following him, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean.” Following Jesus means battling for the truth and that is what we see here. Dressed in the righteousness of Christ they fight the good fight of faith as bidden by Paul in I Timothy 6. They do this by truly following Jesus through all the vicissitudes of life, and now they follow him in victory. Being a disciple of Jesus, that is, being a Christian, is more than learning about him; it includes following him where he goes as He says in Luke 14:27, Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple. In the final analysis, only those who follow Jesus here will be found in that army, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean.

D His Armor

The armor of Christ described here consists of two important things, a sharp sword and an iron scepter or rod of iron. We observe briefly that the sword is not worn in the traditional scabbard on the thigh. It proceeds unconventionally from His mouth. This means simply that this first weapon is the Word. Jesus speaks and it is done. John tells us in the his gospel that “all things were made by Him.”As He created the world simply speaking it into existence, as he commanded the boisterous waves to be still, as he commanded the demons to come out, as he commanded the lame to get up and walk, so the only weapon he needs is the Word. The second item, the rod of iron is interesting because the text tells us that he will “rule” with it, but in the original Greek the word translated rule is tend or shepherd. You will remember the words of the Shepherd song, Psalm 23, “Your rod and your staff comfort me.” This is the shepherd’s rod which was used to protect the sheep from predators. The staff corralled the sheep, but the rod protected them. It is often made of oak wood and has a knob on the end of it. Into this knob nails are sometimes driven so as to make a better weapon. It is very useful for protection, and no shepherd would be without it. This rod is of iron which suggests that is it a superior weapon to inflict judgment. Thus the one and only true Shepherd is armed.

II The Havoc

Now the actual battle is described with all its havoc in verses 17-21, 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 mighty men, of horses and their riders, and the flesh of all people, free and slave, small and great.” Then I saw the beast and the kings of the earth and their armies gathered together to make war against the rider on the horse and his army. But the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet who had performed the miraculous signs on his behalf. With these signs he had deluded those who had received the mark of the beast and worshiped his image. The two of them were thrown alive into the fiery lake of burning sulfur. The rest of them were killed with the sword that came out of the mouth of the rider on the horse, and all the birds gorged themselves on their flesh. In chapter 17 we read the prediction that the forces of the beast, namely, the Antichrist, would fight the Lamb and his followers and that the Lamb as Lord of lords and King of kings would conquer them. We may observe three elements of importance here, the feast and the fraud and the followers.

A The Feast

We may observe, first of all, about the feast that it is a deliberate contrast to the marriage supper of the Lamb. The magnitude of this second feast is revealed in its description as the great banquet of God. It pictures all God’s opponents slain on the battlefield of life; they are lying lifeless everywhere on the surface of this earth. No mention is made of the battle itself; only its outcome is important. It turns out that it is a feast for the scavengers, all the birds of prey who do their task of removing the repulsive remains of the slain kings, generals, mighty men, horses and horsemen, and all the followers of Satan, free and slave, small and great. The description is intense for the scavengers are “gorged.” This is not a banquet you want to be invited to, but you are, if you do not savingly trust in Jesus Christ through repentance and faith.

B The Fraud

Fraud is a big problem in our society. Illicit gain by fraudulent methods is rampant among the rich and the poor. There is corporate fraud, Internet fraud, telemarketing fraud, mortgage fraud, identity fraud, tax fraud, insurance fraud, health and medicare fraud, credit card fraud, and various other consumer frauds. We have many agencies and organizations at both state and national levels that are working to combat this pervasive problem. However there has never been a fraud of such vital and far-reaching consequences as the fraud that is destroyed here. Every portrayal of Satan, the beast, the false prophet, and even the Harlot Babylon in the book of Revelation is telling us that they are endeavoring to deceive mankind into believing that they are the real saviors. But there is only one who said, “I am the way, the truth and the life, no man comes to the Father except through me.” Just as multitudes are taken in by all sorts of frauds threatening their well being in our society, so the agents of Satan deceive multitudes regarding their spiritual well being. Here, Jesus deals with their deceit by exposing it for what it is, the ultimate deception that is drawing men towards eternal perdition. This brings us to the final consideration.

C The Followers

Just as Christ is accompanied by the armies of angels and men clad in white and mounted on white horses so Satan and the beast and the false prophet and the harlot have followers. Concerning these followers we simply note that they are many, and they are from every class of society. Their illusory faith in the permanence of this present evil age and its delights is quickly destroyed. With the destruction of Satan’s agents, all his hosts are Killed with the sword that came out of the mouth of the rider on the horse, and all the birds gorged themselves on their flesh. As we have seen the sword is the Word of God. It is described as a sharp sword with the same language as is used in Hebrews 4:12 and 13, For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account. The great irony is that the very Word that creates life and salvation now brings death and destruction. The Delusion is dead.