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
