Revelation 19:11-21
Notes
Transcript
Translation
Translation
Then I saw Heaven had been opened. Look! A white horse and a rider who is called Faithful and True. With justice he judges and makes war. His eyes are like fiery flames, and on his head are many diadems that have a name written that no one knows except him. He is clothed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is The Word of God. The army in heaven follows him on white horses and dressed in white pure linen. From his mouth comes a sharp sword, in order that he might strike down the nations with it, and he will shepherd them with an iron staff, and he treads the winepress of the furious wrath of God Almighty. He has on his robe and on his thigh a name written: King of Kings and Lord of Lords.
Then I saw an angel standing in the sun, and he cried out with a loud voice saying to every bird flying in midheaven, “Come! Gather to the feast of the Great God so that you may eat the flesh of kings, the flesh of commanders, the flesh of the powerful, the flesh of horses and their riders, the flesh of all both free and slave, small and great.” Then I saw the Beast and the Kings of the Earth and their armies gathered to make war against the one seated on the horse and against his army.
The beast was arrested and with him the false prophet who performed signs before him, by which he lead astray those who received the mark of the beast and worshipped his image. The two of them were thrown alive into the lake of fire burning with brimstone. The rest were killed by the sword coming from the mouth of the rider on the horse, and all the birds were gorged on their flesh.
The Catastrophe
The Catastrophe
Seriousness of the world’s broken state
The satanic and demonic hold on creation
War against God
Vision of Hope
Vision of Hope
Optimism?
Moral optimism (good will will solve problem)
Technological optimist (human ingenuity will solve problem)
No room for optimism, only hope.
Problem really is as bad as it sounds
Only God can save
In the face of such evil, John turns our eyes to the Rider on the white horse
exegesis on description of rider
How He Wins
How He Wins
Victory not in the same way as the kings of the earth
Comparison to the Great Whore of Rev. 17
White Horse vs. Scarlet Beast
His Name vs. Hers
Robe dipped in blood vs. drunk on blood
Victory not by violence, but by truth and justice, by the power of the Word
Eph 6:11-12
The New Revised Standard Version The Whole Armor of God
11 Put on the whole armor of God, so that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 12 For our struggle is not against enemies of blood and flesh, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers of this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.
Heb 4.12-13
The New Revised Standard Version The Rest That God Promised
12 Indeed, the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing until it divides soul from spirit, joints from marrow; it is able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart. 13 And before him no creature is hidden, but all are naked and laid bare to the eyes of the one to whom we must render an account.
No account of battle, only of Christ’s Victory and the Beast’s defeat
There is no battle, because there is no doubt of God’s power
Not a fig shall I care then for all the devils in hell: it is they who will fear me. I do not understand these fears. "Oh, the devil, the devil!" we say, when we might be saying "God! God!" and making the devil tremble. Of course we might, for we know he cannot move a finger unless the Lord permits it. Whatever are we thinking of? I am quite sure I am more afraid of people who are themselves terrified of the devil than I am of the devil himself. -St. Teresa of Avila
Two Meals that are One
Two Meals that are One
In 19 as a whole, two meals are given
Wedding Feast
Victory Feast
Through Eucharist, we are invited to the Lord’s table for both Communion and Victory
Communion
With one another
With all the saints
Most of all, with God
Victory
Over sin, death, and all powers in heaven and on earth.