The Return of the King

Jesus is coming again. But this time when He comes it won’t be anything near like His first coming. He will not arrive in an obscure neighborhood in Bethlehem. He will not appear to us lying in a manger. We won’t see the image of Jesus wrapped in swaddling clothes, signifying that He was born as a sacrificial lamb. After all, in His first appearance Jesus arrived as the Lamb of God – born to take away the sins of the world. We love this image of Jesus. We celebrate this arrival every year. For in His first advent, Jesus came to reveal God’s grace to us born in a manger.

But there is another day coming when Jesus will return, not as a humble Lamb, but as a conquering King. A king who will come to not just to wage war against all who rejected His grace; but a King who will come to execute God’s righteous judgment and pour out God’s wrath once and for all on all the enemies of God.

This coming will be so unlike His first coming. For it will reveal Jesus to us in ways we’ve never seen Him before. But it will also reveal Jesus in such a way that will give us a certain and secure hope as we live today in this uncertain and evil world. So, if you brought your Bible with you today, I want to encourage you to open it to Revelation 19:11-21 where God’s Word reveals the second coming of Jesus, and all I can say is this. This is the Jesus worth waiting for.

In fact, all through Revelation John has been given visions that have prepared us for the return of the King. The seven seals, trumpets and bowls each provided a perspective on Christ’s second coming. Each of these vision cycles concluded at the very brink of Christ’s return. In Revelation 6:12-17, the sky was rolled up like a scroll and the wicked vainly hid from the wrath of the Lamb. When the seventh trumpet blew, angels sang, “the kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ” (Revelation 11:15). Later, a white cloud appeared with “one like a Son of man” who harvested the earth with a sharp sickle (Revelation 14:14-16). Each of these allusions to the second coming of Christ who will overthrow and judge evil have set the stage for what we will learn today about the return of the King – about the Jesus who is coming back to rule and to reign. So, if you’ve found Revelation 19, let’s begin with one of the most powerful images of Jesus ever given us in the Scriptures, where…

The King Reveals His Glory: 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. Revelation 19:11-13

What an introduction to our coming King. Heaven opens and we see a rider on a white horse. The good guys always ride in on a white horse. A white horse symbolizes victory in battle. So here we see Jesus returning to earth as the Warrior Messiah, coming in righteousness to judge and wage war. This is not the humble and gentle servant of the Gospels. This is the Conquering King who will put an end to evil once and for all.

But we are not simply given an image of a Conquering King, but a Righteous Judge. We see this in all the names of Jesus revealed for us here. Look at what He is called. He is Faithful: In other words, this Conquering King is completely reliable and absolutely trustworthy. He is True: He is authentic, genuine, the real thing. What He says He will do, He will do. And He will do what no other King or Warrior has ever done. Our faithful and true king is coming to judge and make war in righteousness. And He will do it. You can count on it. There is coming a day, when all the evil this world will be done away with by Jesus our coming King.

But next we see something mysterious about His righteousness. He bears a name no one knows: Only Jesus knows this name. It will be revealed ONLY upon His return, and since His return involves His righteous judgment upon evil, this mysterious name of Jesus will bring His enemies to their knees in fear as they look upon the One, they have rejected.

Then we see He is called, The Word of God: Jesus is God’s perfect communication. When you look at Jesus, you are looking at God. When you listen to Jesus you are hearing the voice of God. At His appearing there will be no question to the identity of the rider on the white horse. The whole world will see the glorious appearance of Jesus as the righteous judge who comes to execute God’s will. They will see Jesus in all His glory. But that’s not all they will see.

For in the Appearance of Jesus, they will see not just a Conquering King, not just a Righteous Judge, but the Almighty God. We are given three visually powerful images that reveal Jesus’ divine power and authority. First, His eyes are like a flame of fire: This image speaks clearly of Jesus’ divine nature, but it also reveals His penetrating sight that allows Him to judge all mankind. Hebrews 4:13 speaks this way about God: “No creature is hidden from His sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account.” In other words, nothing escapes the vision of Jesus. He sees every act, every thought, every emotion. He knows you as no one else knows you. He knows you better than you know yourself. He knows all your sin, all your rebellion and idolatry. Jesus sees and knows everything about you and about everyone who draws breath on this planet. But let me remind you here about the good news found in Jesus. Although He sees all your sins, He willingly died for your sins. He died for you when He saw you at your worst. He loves you that much. But for those who chose to reject His grace, His sacrifice for sin on the cross, this image of Jesus means that when He comes, He will indeed judge all whose sins are not forgiven.

Another formidable image here is that Jesus is crowned with many diadems: This image emphasizes Jesus’ authority in coming to judge. His authority is displayed in the crown of “many diadems” on his head. Two words for crown are used in Revelation. One is stephanos, the laurel crown of victory. The other is diadema, which signifies ruling authority. This shows us that Jesus possesses the ultimate authority to judge rebellious sinners. When He returns, He will judge all who reject the grace He offers.

Now, there is one more image John sees: The King is clothed in a robe dipped in blood: This is an allusion to the description of God judging the nations in Isaiah: “With garments of crimson colors… garments like the one who treads in the wine press… their lifeblood is sprinkled on My garments.” Isaiah 63:1-3 Christ is identified here as that divine warrior. In Isaiah 63:4, the warrior seeks “vengeance” and “redemption” on behalf of His people, and the same goal is implied here. His robe is dipped in blood as He comes to judge the nations.

This is the glory of the coming King. When Jesus comes, we will see Him like we’ve never seen Him before. He will return as the Conquering King. He will come as the True and Righteous Judge. And He will return as Almighty God having all authority in heaven and earth to wage war and execute judgment on all those who rejected Him as Savior and Lord. But He will not return alone. For that’s what see next…

The King Leads His Armies: And the armies of heaven, arrayed in fine linen, white and pure, were following Him on white horses. Revelation 19:14 When Jesus returns as the Conquering King, He will be accompanied by His armies. Notice the plural. There will be armies of angels and armies of believers who will follow Him to battle. Jesus himself said that He would be accompanied by angels: “The Son of Man will send out his angels, and they will weed out of his kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil. They will throw them into the blazing furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” Matthew 13:41-42 Angels will be part of His armies.

But the emphasis in this vision is on believers. Those who are with Jesus at this final battle are His faithful followers. For the image of his army tells us that those who are arrayed in fine linen, white and pure, are those who have been redeemed by the blood of the Lamb. Those following Jesus into battle are those who followed Jesus in this life. We, who follow Jesus today will be His soldiers. We will return with our Conquering King. And when we do, Jesus will be out front. He will lead the way. But we will not be participants in the battle, only spectators. For His victory will be swift, powerful and final. That’s the second image of Christ’s return. The king will lead His armies. Now the third image of Christ’s coming:

The King Wields His Authority: 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. Revelation 19:15-16

This time John’s vision reveals four startling images: a sharp sword, a rod of iron, the winepress of God’s wrath, and the name on His thigh. These images built one on top of the other emphasize one thing: the power of Jesus as the King of kings and Lord of lords, reveals His ultimate authority to wage war and judge evil.

First, Jesus wields a sharp sword: “From His mouth comes a sharp sword“ This image is drawn from Isaiah 11:4 and tells us that it will be by His powerful Word that King Jesus will strike down the nations. Jesus will wipe out the enemy opposition by the mere word of His authoritative will. Jesus will speak the Word and His Word brings swift and total destruction of all who oppose Him.

Second, Jesus wields a rod of iron: At His return, the king “will rule them with a rod of iron.” John Phillips describes his rule: This weapon is the rod of the shepherd by which he protects his sheep from predatory animals. Jesus wields this rod to shatter all opposition, fulfilling the promise of Psalm 2:9: “You shall break them with a rod of iron and dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel.” As a rod of iron, Christ’s vengeance on the oppressors of His people is powerful and unyielding. Evil must in the end be crushed and destroyed if Christ’s flock is to lie down in the green pastures beside the still waters of eternal glory.

Thirdly, Jesus wields the full fury of God’s wrath on the wicked rebel powers of earth: “He will tread the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty.” Like a man trampling grapes in a winepress, our Warrior-King will trample the wicked in His divine strength, with their blood pouring out in floods of just vengeance for evil and sin.

This image harkens back to Isaiah 63:1-6. Jesus can judge the world in such vivid wrath because He is the Almighty, Sovereign God. He can do all of this because on His robe along his thigh is written the name: King of kings and Lord of lords” This is who Jesus is. He is not just our Savior. He is our King. He is our Lord. He is our God. He has no equal and no competition. Our Coming King possesses full divine authority and absolute power over all things. And He is coming back to defeat the armies of the wicked and give them the justice they deserve.
That’s what we see next:

The King Judges All Who Reject Him: 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.” Revelation 19:17-18

Once again, we see an angel assisting in the judgment of evil. Here, this angel gives an invitation to the birds to assemble for the great supper of God. He announces the coming defeat of the beast and his allies with the same language used by Ezekiel to refer to the end-time destruction of Gog and Magog, “Speak to every kind of bird… Assemble and come… to my sacrifice… that you may eat flesh and drink blood. You shall eat the flesh of mighty men and drink the blood of the princes of the earth… and you will be glutted at My table with horses and charioteers, with mighty men and all the men of war” Ezekiel 39:17-20.

There will be no discrimination in this judgment. Kings, captains and mighty men will be judged. Free and slave will be judged. Just as our God is indiscriminate in His offer of salvation, He will be without discrimination in His judgement. A day of universal, righteous reckoning is coming. All will be held accountable for their rejection of Jesus. All who rejected Jesus, great and small, will be judged. And simultaneously with this judgment comes the long-awaited battle of Armageddon, where John describes for us how…

The King Defeats His Enemies: 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. Revelation 19:19-20

The beast of Revelation 13, (the antichrist) gathers with his armies to wage war against Christ. However, this battle is so swift and complete that our text doesn’t even describe it. It simply reports the results. As a result, both the beast and the false prophet are captured. And the King gives them swift justice. These two were thrown alive into the lake of fire that burns with sulfur.

These two become the first inhabitants of eternal hell, “the lake of fire” This is the first of four references to “the lake of fire” at the end of Revelation. The idea of God’s judgment arriving with fire reflects Daniel’s teaching that in the final judgment a “stream of fire issued and came out from before God” (Dan. 7:10). The lake of fire, therefore, manifests the wrath of God, inflicting the burning punishment of hell.

One note here: the beast and the false prophet “were thrown alive” into the lake of fire. This tells us that their punishment will consist not of annihilation but of conscious torment and eternal separation from God.

Here is the second teaching on hell from the book of Revelation. It is a horrific penalty for rejecting God’s grace offered to rebellious sinners. It is difficult for any of us to comprehend the eternal torment of hell. For the Bible describes hell in terms of both negative and positive punishment. Negatively, every pleasure that sinners enjoy today will be stripped away. There will be no parties in hell. There will be no laughter in hell. There will be no buddies with you in hell. There will be nothing good, comforting or peaceful in hell.

Positively, the Bible speaks of a dreadful existence as the just punishment for a life of sinful rebellion. The most common NT image of God’s just punishment is the torment of fire; an expression used twelve times by Jesus to describe hell. Moreover, there is no exit from hell for those who go into it. There is no escape, no second chance for salvation. So, whether or not we like the idea of hell, or agree with the idea of such torment, the fact is that God’s revealed Word teaches the horrific reality of hell. A reality all mankind must face, whether we believe it exists or not. So, with the casting of the Beast and the False Prophet into the lake of Fire, the King defeats His enemies.
And then we are given one last image of the final battle: 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. Revelation 19:21

And with that, the last battle ends, our Warrior King thoroughly defeats His enemies, and the wrath of God is completed! Jesus wins! That is the message of this profound vision of war and judgment when our King returns. Jesus, the gentle Lamb who came to save us from our sin, will return to judge the world for its sin. Jesus, the humble servant who laid down His life for us, will return to end the lives of those who stand against Him. Jesus, the gracious Savior who forgives our sin, will return to judge those who reject His forgiveness.

This is not the Jesus we’re used to seeing. But the faithful and true Jesus who is the King of kings and Lord of lords, who is coming to wage war and judge the world. And when He returns His judgment will be swift. His judgement will be just. And His judgment will be final… So, what is God’s Spirit saying to you about the return of the King? What might God have you to do about His revelation of Jesus’ return?

First, Understand that Jesus is coming back. Believe He will do what He says He will do. That He will defeat evil and judge the wicked once and for all. What that means for you is that you need to know where you stand with Jesus. Have you trusted in Him for salvation? If you have, then you have nothing to fear. For Jesus is not just your Savior, but your conquering King. But if you have not trusted in Him, the Bible says, you are still in your sin, and a day of reckoning is coming. That means you have a choice before you. You can either, choose to turn from your sins and turn to Jesus and trust in Him. Or you can choose to reject Jesus’s offer of grace, go it alone, and hope that Jesus isn’t really coming back to judge sinners. But you have a choice. What will you choose?

Second, it’s quite apparent that Jesus’ return to defeat and judge evil is meant to give us hope. So, Hold onto the Hope of Christ’s return. Hold onto the hope that Jesus will end evil and judge all sin. Hold onto the hope that Jesus wins.

And finally, live in light of eternity! Remember that this world is temporary. We are just passing through. Remember that while we’re in the world we will have trouble. And remember, there is coming a day when evil will end and Jesus wins.