Our Prayer

Our Prayer

Heavenly Father, I know that I have sinned against You and that my sins separate me from You. I am truly sorry. I now want to turn away from my sinful past and turn to You for forgiveness. Please forgive me, and help me avoid sinning again. I believe that Your Son, Jesus Christ, died for my sins, that He was raised from the dead, is alive, and hears my prayer. I invite Jesus to become my Savior and the Lord of my life, to rule and reign in my heart from this day forward. Please send Your Holy Spirit to help me obey You and to convict me when I sin. I pledge to grow in grace and knowledge of You. My greatest purpose in life is to follow Your example and do Your will for the rest of my life. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen.

Wednesday, March 27, 2024

Class Lesson March 31, 2024

 Week 12 Revelation 19:11 - 20:15




As we enter into what is famously known as “Holy Week,” it begins with remembering Jesus’ triumphant entry into Jerusalem, mounted on a donkey. Do not miss the significance of this cosmic and redemptive moment: by coming into Jerusalem this way, Jesus was not only fulfilling Old Testament prophecy, but He was identifying Himself as the Savior to come. Yet, the people present drastically missed what Jesus was coming for. The people expected Jesus to come and overthrow the oppressive Roman empire, but Jesus came to die for the sins of the people and overthrow the kingdom of Satan.

While we remember Jesus’ triumphant entry, we know what was to follow. Greater still, we know Sunday is coming. And while Jesus came into Jerusalem as the suffering servant, humbly mounted on the donkey, He is coming again. When Jesus returns, He will come in power and heavenly glory, mounted not on a donkey, but a white horse — a signal of strength and power. In your group this week, celebrate “Holy Week” together, but also pay close attention to how this week is fulfilled in chapters 19-20 in the book of Revelation. Jesus is coming again in glorious splendor, Satan will be defeated, and judgment is coming for all.

 

What does the return of Christ make you feel? (Excited, scared, nervous, expectant, etc.)

 

THE POINT

The humble Savior is coming again as the conquering King.

 

Revelation 19:11-21

The Rider on a White Horse

11 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. 12 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. 13 He is clothed in a robe dipped in blood, and the name by which he is called is The Word of God. 14 And the armies of heaven, arrayed in fine linen, white and pure, were following him on white horses. 15 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. 16 On his robe and on his thigh he has a name written, King of kings and Lord of lords.

17 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, 18 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,[d] both small and great.”

19 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. 20 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. 21 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 20

The Thousand Years

Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, holding in his hand the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain. 2 And he seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years, 3 and threw him into the pit, and shut it and sealed it over him, so that he might not deceive the nations any longer, until the thousand years were ended. After that he must be released for a little while. 4 Then I saw thrones, and seated on them were those to whom the authority to judge was committed. Also, I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for the testimony of Jesus and for the word of God, and those who had not worshiped the beast or its image and had not received its mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. 5 The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended. This is the first resurrection. 6 Blessed and holy is the one who shares in the first resurrection! Over such the second death has no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ, and they will reign with him for a thousand years.

The Defeat of Satan

7 And when the thousand years are ended, Satan will be released from his prison 8 and will come out to deceive the nations that are at the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them for battle; their number is like the sand of the sea. 9 And they marched up over the broad plain of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city, but fire came down from heaven[b] and consumed them, 10 and the devil who had deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur where the beast and the false prophet were, and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.

The Defeat of Satan

11 Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. From his presence earth and sky fled away, and no place was found for them. 12 And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Then another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged by what was written in the books, according to what they had done. 13 And the sea gave up the dead who were in it, Death and Hades gave up the dead who were in them, and they were judged, each one of them, according to what they had done. 14 Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. 15 And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.

The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), Revelation 19:10-20:1-15.

 

 

 

 

The King is coming! 

The action in Revelation has been rising for quite some time. We’ve read much about conquered beasts and God’s judgment. Up until this point, God has poured out His wrath through angels and intermediaries. But then John sees an event that can only be described as the climax of God’s judgment. Jesus rides into battle and He has come to win final victory over sin and death once and for all!

The symbolism is rich with deep meaning in reference to our victorious Savior. When Jesus comes again, He’s coming to make war. He is depicted as a King riding into battle. Jesus first came to earth as a humble and helpless baby. He will come again as a righteous and victorious King. His enemies are no match for Him. They are struck down simply by the Word of His mouth. He will rule and reign forever, His enemies will be defeated forever, and He will send all men to their eternal destination forever.

One image in this passage deserves special emphasis. Chapter 19:13 says that Jesus is wearing a robe dipped in blood. This graphic picture might seem off-putting at first. One should note, however, that in this vision Jesus has just ridden through the windows of heaven and has not yet spilt the blood of His enemies. Jesus rides into battle with blood already on His robe. How can this be? Jesus begins this battle with the victory already won. The blood necessary for triumph has already been spilled. The Lamb of God can enter into this final battle with a certain and decided outcome because these enemies have already been defeated. When the victorious King gave up His life on the Cross. He gave all the blood that would ever be needed. In this final victory over sin and death, John reminds us that the work necessary for victory has already been done at Calvary. Praise the Lord!

 

STUDY NOTES

The beast, the woman, and the armies of Satan have been released on the earth. Sin runs rampant, but the Resurrected King comes victoriously to take His Kingdom, His Throne, and to take names from upon the earth.


There are a couple of key things to see from these passages:


1) Jesus comes in glorious splendor.

When Jesus comes again, He will do so in the power and wonder of all of heaven. Jesus will come in the full display of the glory of the Ancient of Days. Also notice how the armies of Satan come to make war on King Jesus, but there is no fight. The armies are destroyed and the beast captured. The war has already been fought on the cross of calvary. Instead, Jesus comes not to fight the battle, but to claim the victory He has already won.

2) Satan will be defeated.

While we have been shown terrifying pictures in the book of Revelation of the war Satan wages against Christ and His Kingdom, his ultimate end, along all those parts of his kingdom, is death in the lake of fire. Not even all the armies of the world can stand against King Jesus.

3) Judgment is coming for all.

Revelation 20:11-15 makes it clear that all humanity must stand before the throne for the final judgment. For those apart from Christ, the final judgment should be the most terrifying picture in all the world, as it will result in eternal separation from God in the lake of fire, along with Satan and his kingdom. Yet, the Christian will stand before the throne in victory because of Christ, and will inherit eternal life, revealed in the following chapter.

While it would be easy to get lost in the hows and whens of the coming of Christ and the final judgment, what is clear is that Jesus is indeed coming soon. The application is simple: are you on the side of Satan and his kingdom or Christ and His kingdom? For the believer, the application is once again simple: the victory is coming. The war is already won. Our victorious, glorious, and reigning Christ is coming for his Church. The author of Revelation seems to be screaming at the top of his lungs, “Take heart, O Christian. Remain steadfast. Our salvation is near.” Our response to this passage should, therefore, be not one of fear, worry, or despair, but hope, joy, and a longing expectation for Christ to return.

 

QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION

How does the description of Jesus in Revelation 19:11-21 differ from the description of Jesus riding into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday?

 

Revelation 19:13 says, “He is clothed in a rope dipped in blood…”. What do you think this means?

 

What is the ultimate end of the beast, the false prophets, Satan, and all his armies?

 

What should the return of Christ and the final judgment presented in these two chapters provoke in the heart of the believer? Fear? Worry?

 

We are living today in what theologians call the “Already but Not Yet.” Christ defeated death by his own death and resurrection, but that is not the fulfillment of all things. How do we see this played out in the passage?

 

What about this week’s passage gives you the most hope?



Quotes:

“In Revelation, we don’t know everything, and we argue about somethings, but we know for certain that Jesus is coming again as King of kings and Lord of lords.” – Stephen Williams

 

“As King of kings, sitting on His eternal throne of Hi eternal kingdom, Jesus will execute eternal judgment and grant eternal life.” – Wayne Bray

 

“Does my life reflect the certainty of Christ’s return?” – Corey Watson

 

“To make light of hell is to not take the cross seriously. We can have confidence in our position with Christ because of what He has done, not because of our own efforts.” – Pat Gillian

 

“Satan cannot take your eternal life away from you, so instead he will try to trick you into believing that you can’t have an abundant life here and now.” – Will Bray

 










 

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