The King Is Coming - 7
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The Man on the White Horse - Part II
The Man on the White Horse - Part II
Introduction - We are looking at the second part of this lesson. This first part was dealt with the Satan , the Antichrist, and the False Prophet.
During this time Satan will appear to be successful for a time.
But his time of reigning will be limited to one span of seven years.
In the later half of those seven years terrible things are going to take place on this earth.
It will be a time of darkness and a time of judgment by God.
For the Christian we are looking for the Lord’s return.
The Bible says in Titus 2:13 that we should live in light of Christ’s imminent return, “13 Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;”
In the first stage of the Lord’s return, He will catch away His church.
During the time of the tribulation, there are two events that will take place for the Christian. They are:
The Judgment Seat of Christ for the Christian. John 5:22, Romans 14:10-12, I Corinthians 3:10-15, II Corinthians 5:10
The Marriage Supper of the Lamb. Matthew 25:1-13, Ephesians 5, Revelation 19:7-9
Revelation 19:7–9 (KJV 1900)
7 Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready. 8 And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints. 9 And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he saith unto me, These are the true sayings of God.
“Following this happy scene in heaven, we come to the study of the Man on the white horse…He comes from heaven and He rides upon a white horse, which symbolizes victory, peace, and purity.” - Dr. Lee Robertson
At then end of the tribulation period, the Lord Jesus Christ will return.
The Bible speaks about this return in several passages.
Here are just a few:
Matthew 24:27 describes it, “27 For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.”
Luke 17:24 basically says the same thing, “24 For as the lightning, that lighteneth out of the one part under heaven, shineth unto the other part under heaven; so shall also the Son of man be in his day.”
Matthew 24:29–30 “29 Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken: 30 And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.”
Revelation 1:7 “7 Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen.”
Revelation 19:11 “11 And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war.”
In this lesson we want make note of things concerning the Lord Jesus Christ and His return.
The Lord’s return is as one writer stated an answer to Isaiah’s prayer.
Isaiah 64:1–2 “1 Oh that thou wouldest rend the heavens, that thou wouldest come down, That the mountains might flow down at thy presence, 2 As when the melting fire burneth, the fire causeth the waters to boil, To make thy name known to thine adversaries, That the nations may tremble at thy presence!”
“As is made clear in these prophecies, the second coming of Christ will be a glorious event which all the world will behold, both believers and unbelievers. It is compared to lightning that shines from the east to the west, in other words, illuminating the whole heaven.” - Walvoord
What does the Bible tell us about the glorious return of the Lord Jesus Christ?
One of the main passages that deal with this subject is found in Revelation 19 beginning in verse 11.
Revelation 19:11 “11 And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war.”
This is the return of our glorified Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. He is the One on the white horse.
In a future lesson we will look at this final battle, but for this lesson I would like for us to place our attention on Him. We have talked about the beasts and the dragon of chapter 13. In contrast to their wickedness is the Holy One of Israel,.
First of all, please notice
His Description
His Description
We noticed in the last lesson, the description of Satan as a dragon, and the Antichrist and the False prophets as beasts, this is contrasted with the awesome picture of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!
There are two similar passages in the book of Revelation that give us an awesome description of the Lord Jesus Christ.
One passage is found here in Revelation 19. There other is found in Revelation 1.
Turn with me to Revelation chapter 1.
In Revelation chapter 1, we have a stirring picture of the Lord.
Revelation 1:12–18 “12 And I turned to see the voice that spake with me. And being turned, I saw seven golden candlesticks; 13 And in the midst of the seven candlesticks one like unto the Son of man, clothed with a garment down to the foot, and girt about the paps with a golden girdle. 14 His head and his hairs were white like wool, as white as snow; and his eyes were as a flame of fire; 15 And his feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace; and his voice as the sound of many waters. 16 And he had in his right hand seven stars: and out of his mouth went a sharp twoedged sword: and his countenance was as the sun shineth in his strength. 17 And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead. And he laid his right hand upon me, saying unto me, Fear not; I am the first and the last: 18 I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death.”
How is the Lord described?
His Eyes - No one can escape the eyes of Christ. These flaming eyes speak to His piercing view of all things. They speak to His judgment.
His feet - His feet are described as fine brass. The brass is described as brilliant brass. It has a brilliant luster to it. This brass speaks to judgment and purification, strength and stability.
We see this exemplified in the Tabernacle.
The brass altar had horns where the blood of the sin offering was smeared. Exodus 27:1-8
The pillars and sockets of the tabernacle were made of brass. Exodus 27:10 The laver/molten sea was made out of brass. Exodus 30:18, II Chronicles 4.
His Head/Hair - This white hair speaks to His eternality. There is an allusion to Daniel 7:9 where we see the Ancient of Days described.
“9 I beheld till the thrones were cast down, and the Ancient of days did sit, whose garment was white as snow, and the hair of his head like the pure wool: his throne was like the fiery flame, and his wheels as burning fire.”
His Voice - Is said to be like sound of many waters.
One commentator stated, “John had before him as a reminder the endless pounding of the shores of Patmos by waves of the Aegean Sea. Biblically, wording of this sort suggests a powerful force.”
Robert L. Thomas, Revelation 1-7: An Exegetical Commentary (Chicago: Moody Publishers, 1992), 102.
Ezekiel 43:2 similarly states, “2 And, behold, the glory of the God of Israel came from the way of the east: and his voice was like a noise of many waters: and the earth shined with his glory.”
In the Old Testament this allusion is described to Jehovah God- Psalm 29:3 Jeremiah 10:13, 51:16, Ezekiel 1:24.
This is fitting as we think about the Lord not just as a man, but the God-man.
His Word and Mouth - He but speaks and it is done. His Word is powerful. There are just too many references to God’s Almighty power displayed by nothing but His speech.
His Countenance - Is exceedingly bright—as the Sun shining to its utmost degree. Its blinding. We think immediately Saul on the road to Damascus.
His Garments - Are pictured here as that of high rank and authority to judge.
The description gets even more awesome.
Turn back to Revelation 19.
Notice with me verse 12.
Revelation 19:12 “12 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.”
On the head of our Savior are the crowns of rulership.
The term that is used here is the word ‘diadem’ (διάδημα - diadēma)
In the book of Revelation there are two types of crowns spoken about. One is stephanos- which is the victors crown. It signifies a conquering victory or overcoming. The rider of the white horse in Revelation 6 is wearing one of these crowns. (Revelation 6:2) By the way, just as a side note in Revelation 12 we have an allusion to Israel wearing a crown of victory....
“The evidence for limiting the symbolic meaning of the woman to national Israel is strong.”
Robert L. Thomas, Revelation 8-22: An Exegetical Commentary (Chicago: Moody Publishers, 1995), 120.
These crowns explicitly show that our Savior is the rightful and powerful ruler of all.
His head is adorned with many crowns and is the supreme King.
In addition, we are given four descriptive names in this passage.
Notice with me we have the name:
Faithful and True
This is found in verses 11.
Attached to this name is the fact that in righteousness He doth judge and make war.
His actions are above any reproach. He is faithful. He has, does and will do everything in perfection according to His will.
All the promises of God will come to pass.
All the misjudgment of man will dissipate over His supreme rightful perfect rule.
Not only is His name Faithful but His name is True.
You are hard pressed to find anything that is true these days.
There is only 1 absolute Truth and His name is Jesus. (John 14:6)
Secondly we discover that He has an unknown name. This is found in verse 12.
The Unknown Name
Revelation 19:12 “12 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.”
As Dr. Robertson stated in his book, “There is nothing more to say about this.”
The third name given to us is found in verse 13.
Revelation 19:13 “13 And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God.”
The Word of God
He is express image of the invisible God. When they see Jesus, they see God. “The word of God finds its full expression in His person, and appropriately He bears the name “The Word of God” (Johnson). The same word that brought the creation into existence (John 1:3; cf. Ps. 33:6) [the same Word that holds all things together] is powerful enough to subdue satanic powers whom the warrior-Messiah is about to confront.
Robert L. Thomas, Revelation 8-22: An Exegetical Commentary (Chicago: Moody Publishers, 1995), 387.
Fourthly notice the last title listed here:
It is found in verse 16.
Revelation 19:16 “16 And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.”
KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS
When the Lord Jesus Christ came the first time they platted a crown of thorns on His head. “They gave Him a cross instead of a throne.” They spat upon Him and cursed at Him. They shamefully despised and rejected Him. They scourged Him and made a mockery of Him. But when Jesus comes the second time, He is the supreme King. He is the Lion of the tribe of Judah. He is the Just Judge. He is the one to whom every knee shall bow and every tongue shall confess to the glory of the Father in Heaven
He is the King of kings. No other earthly ruler, no other principality power or authority can touch Him. He is Majesty of all majesties. He is Almighty God, the Sovereign over all creation!
Lastly in His description, let us note:
His Vesture
The Bible tells us His vesture is dipped in blood. There are two prevailing opinions in regard to this vesture worn by the Lord of which both may be true.
One is that this “that the blood in which His garment is dipped is His own blood shed at Calvary, because elsewhere in Revelation the blood mentioned in connection with Him is His own lifeblood (1:5; 5:9; 7:14; 12:11)”
A second view which strongly correlates with His second coming is that this represents the shedding of the blood of His enemies. (Revelation 14:14-20)
Revelation 14:20 “20 And the winepress was trodden without the city, and blood came out of the winepress, even unto the horse bridles, by the space of a thousand and six hundred furlongs.”
1600 furlongs is approx. 200 miles. A horses bridle is between 4 to 6 feet deep.
Isaiah 63:1–3 “1 Who is this that cometh from Edom, With dyed garments from Bozrah? This that is glorious in his apparel, Travelling in the greatness of his strength? I that speak in righteousness, mighty to save. 2 Wherefore art thou red in thine apparel, And thy garments like him that treadeth in the winefat? 3 I have trodden the winepress alone; And of the people there was none with me: For I will tread them in mine anger, And trample them in my fury; And their blood shall be sprinkled upon my garments, And I will stain all my raiment.”
Isaiah 63:4 “4 For the day of vengeance is in mine heart, And the year of my redeemed is come.”
Robert L. Thomas, Revelation 8-22: An Exegetical Commentary (Chicago: Moody Publishers, 1995), 386.