Revelation 19:11

Revelation 19:11

In Revelation 19:11-13 the Bible says, "And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness does he judge and make war. His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself. And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called the Word of God." Jesus will return to the earth one day, and this is a description of His return. When He returns to the earth He will be coming from heaven. Some people ask, "Where is heaven?" It is up there. You cannot see it now because when you look up to the skies, you are looking with physical eyes, and heaven is a spiritual place. It cannot be seen with physical eyes. But one day heaven will be opened, not for us to look in, but for Jesus to step out and return to the earth. He was in heaven from the beginning of time, and He came to the earth once before, but He was unjustly judged and He was killed by those whom He came to save. The next time Jesus comes to the earth He will come as a mighty warrior, as a judge, and as the King of kings.

John saw Jesus and he saw Him on a white horse. The horse is white in order to be symbolic of truth and goodness. John said that Jesus was called Faithful and True. In this world it is difficult to find someone who even comes close to being faithful or true. If someone is faithful, then they can be counted on and depended on. Jesus is faithful to His promises. That is why one day He will mount upon a great white horse and He will ride into this world to conquer the enemies of truth and justice. If someone is true, then they are genuine. They are not phony. They are what they are with no pretense or deception. One of the problems with this world is the amount of people who so willingly lie. People will lie in order to gain money from you or to get an advantage over you. People will lie when they think it is in their best interest to do so. It is possible in this world that you might go your entire life and never meet an honest person. The good news is that if you know Jesus, then you know the One who is called Faithful and True.

Jesus will mount upon a white horse. So we know that there are horses in heaven. This is good news to horse lovers, and if there are horses maybe there are other animals also. After all, God created the animals. It should not be surprising that there would be some in heaven. Maybe animals do go to heaven when they die. They certainly are more fit for it than some humans. Animals know their master. Here in Revelation Chapter 19 when Jesus is shown returning to the earth, He is shown riding upon a white horse. This is the second white horse spoken of in the Book of Revelation. We remember the white horse that was described in Revelation 6:2, and we remember that the best explanation for the one riding on a white horse in Revelation Chapter 6 was that it was the antichrist, attempting to be a substitute for the Messiah.

The last part of Revelation 19:11 says that when Jesus returns to the earth He will "judge and make war." There have been many wars in the history of the human race, too many wars. We live in a dangerous world. War is a fact of life. One reason that there are wars is because there is a constant competition between good and evil. If a country is to remain free, it must also remain vigilant and willing to wage war if necessary. There are wicked rulers in the world, just as there have always been, who will gladly kill and destroy and conquer the innocent. Some wars are necessary in order to resist and oppose the aggressors. The last war will be fought when Jesus returns to the earth with His army, and He will destroy all the enemies of God and the enemies of goodness.

Jesus will make war, and He will also judge. It is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment. No one will escape the judgment of Christ. Everyone will give an answer to Him, and His judgment will be righteous judgment because He knows all things and His eyes pierce to the very soul. Revelation 19:12 says that, "His eyes were as a flame of fire." When Jesus returns to the earth, He will be a leader at the head of a great army, He will be a judge, and He will also take the government upon His shoulder. Jesus will rule the world from the throne of David, and it will be the greatest kingdom the world has ever known. That is why Revelation 19:12 says that, "on His head were many crowns."

In the Bible many, many names have been given to Jesus. Several of those names are found in this very passage of scripture. The names of Jesus are often descriptive of who He is and what He has done and what He will do for us. Jesus is called Messiah, Lord, Savior, Master, Teacher, and Rabbi. He is called the Good Shepherd, the Son of man, and the Son of God. Jesus is called the Word, the bread of life, the water of life, and the door to the sheepfold, the Lamb who was slain, the seed of the woman, the last Adam, the last high priest after the order of Melchizedek, and the great I AM. The prophet Isaiah prophesied about the Christ in Isaiah 9:6 and said that He would be called, "Wonderful Counselor, the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, and the Prince of Peace." These are just a few of the names that are given to Him. You can study the names of Christ for a long, long time and thereby learn many wonderful things about Him. There are probably many other names that we will learn about Jesus in the eternity to come. One such name is implied in Revelation 19:12 where it says that, "He had a name written that no man knew, but He himself."

Revelation 19:13 says about Jesus in regards to His return to the earth, "And He was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and His name is called the Word of God." Blood is mentioned in connection with Jesus Christ. John saw Jesus come from heaven, and he saw the blood. Throughout eternity whenever we see Jesus, we will remember His blood that was shed for the sins of the world. When Jesus came the first time His blood was shed at the hands of the cruel Roman soldiers, but when He comes the second time He will cause the shedding of blood, because He will trample the grapes of wrath alone and the blood will flow to the horses’ bridles in the valley of Armageddon, and the armies of the antichrist will be destroyed.

Revelation 19:13 also tells us that the name of Jesus is "the Word of God." It is important to remind the world that Jesus is the Word of God. In the first chapter of the Gospel of John we were also told that Jesus is the Word of God. John 1:1 says about Jesus, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." The Bible is the Written Word. Jesus is the Living Word. The Bible declares the divinity of Christ, and His work as Savior, and His eventual return to set up His kingdom. Stay in the Bible, read it, and study it; and if your understanding is enlightened by the Spirit of God, you will draw closer to Christ. Ignore the Bible, or give it a small place in your life and you will drift away from Christ.

Jesus is called The Word of God. He is called the Word of God because He is the communication of the truth about the Father. If you know Christ, you know God. If you learn of Jesus, you have learned of the Father. The greatest revelation of the truth about God comes from the teachings of Jesus. There is nothing higher nor more noble nor more spiritual than the things that Jesus taught. If you have met the resurrected Jesus in a spiritual way, then you know God in the greatest way that He can be known in this life. You must come to know Jesus as Savior now, or you will know Him later as Judge.

When Jesus returns to judge the earth and to take control of it, He will not return alone. He will bring His believers with Him as a great and mighty army to share in His conquest. Revelation 19:14 says, "And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean." This is just another of the many evidences of His marvelous grace to sinners such as you and I who are saved by grace, that He should allow us to participate in His return and to enjoy with Him the victory over the enemy. We were sinners, but He clothed us "in fine linen, white and clean." Jesus has given us the victory over sin and the devil by the shedding of His own precious blood. He has given faith in this life as the means to victory over the world. "This is the victory that overcomes the world, even our faith." Finally, Jesus will allow us to be present with Him at His return to enjoy the final victory over the forces of evil. There was a day 2,000 years ago when Jesus stood and looked over a crowd of people and proclaimed to them, "Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth." Revelation 19:14 is the fulfillment of this promise. Remember Jesus is called Faithful and True. He will fulfill His promises.

Revelation 19:15 tells how and why Jesus accomplishes His great victory when He returns to the earth. It says, "And out of His mouth goes a sharp sword, that with it He should smite the nations: and He shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God." Evidently this means that Jesus will win the victory over the army of evil forces by speaking the Word of God. After all, God spoke and the worlds were created. He said, "Let there be light," and there was light. He spoke and said, "Lazarus, come forth," and Lazarus rose from the dead to the dismay of the Pharisees. When Jesus was nailed to the cross, He spoke and said, "It is finished," and thereby He finished the work of dying for the sins of the world. When He returns to the earth, he will speak again and the armies of the antichrist will be destroyed. What will Christ say in that day? One day we will hear those words, but we can only imagine now what Christ might say. Perhaps He will quote the Ten Commandments to remind the wicked of the reason for their curse. The law will be a terrible thing for those who end up under the curse of the law. Just as lightning bolts and an earthquake came when the law was first given to Moses on Mount Sinai, a much worse manifestation must be realized upon those who receive the curse of the law. If you do not find the mercy of God that is based upon the cross of Christ, then you will bear the judgment that is based upon the righteous demands of the law.

When Jesus returns to the earth, "out of His mouth goeth a sharp sword." God is angry with the wicked. He has proved His love and His existence to them. Why do they continue to resist? Jesus is a merciful God who offers salvation through faith in His mercy, but the righteous judgment of God upon sinful man must be carried out. God sees the lying and deception. He sees the adultery and fornication. Every day God sees and knows the rebellion in the heart of man. Eventually the wickedness and the rebellion against God will become so great that God will decide the end must come. That is what happened in the days of Noah, and Jesus said, "As it was in the days of Noah, so shall it also be in the days of the Son of Man." Genesis 6:5-7 records the reaction that God had during the time of Noah when God saw how great the wickedness had become upon the earth. It says, "And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And it repented the Lord that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart. And the Lord said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth…"

Humans were given a great opportunity to tend the garden of the earth. Every generation must give an answer to what they done with their charge. Unfortunately the day will come when man will fail. When that day comes, the Lord will take charge over the earth in a way that He has never done before. That is why Revelation 19:16 says about Jesus, "And he had on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING of KINGS, and LORD of LORDS." As we have already been told several times before in the Book of Revelation, before Jesus takes over as the King of Kings, He will face the armies of the antichrist in the Battle of Armageddon. One of the reasons that we are told about this event several times is to give a warning to those who are on the wrong side so that they may repent before it is too late. Revelation 19:17-19 says, "And I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the fowls that fly in the midst of heaven, Come and gather yourselves together unto the supper of the great God; that you may eat the flesh of kings, and the flesh of captains, and the flesh of mighty men, and the flesh of horses, and of them that sit on them, and the flesh of all men, both free and bond, both small and great. And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse, and against his army."

The beast that is spoken of here is the antichrist. The last time that the antichrist will be seen will be at the head of this huge army that comes so foolishly to fight against God. It is hard to believe that the antichrist will become so open in his opposition against God, but that is exactly what will happen. It is even more amazing that someone would think that they could oppose God and have any chance of winning. Yet, that also has happened over and over again in the hearts and minds of men and women since the beginning of the human race. Rebellion against God was the sin of Lucifer. Rebellion against God is the sin that will send the antichrist to his doom, and rebellion against God is the sin that will send so many people to hell. If only they had surrendered their hearts to the Savior while there was time! Jesus said, "Except you repent, you shall all likewise perish." "The fool has said in his heart, There is no God." Likewise, the foolish person has said, "No" to God. If you are wise you will turn to Jesus and say to Him while there is time, "Not my will, but thine be done."

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