## Faith for the Future: The King is Coming … Again

## Revelation 19:11-21

Over the last several weeks we have been using the topic "Faith for the Future" for our consideration of prophecy. To help us understand the time frame of these events we have divided time into seven periods or dispensations. The next event on the calendar will be the Rapture of all believers. After the Rapture there will be a time when all believers will stand before the Judgment Seat of Christ in heaven. On earth there will be a horrible time of tribulation where the antichrist will rise to power. At the close of this 7-year tribulation the Lord will literally return to this earth.

Read: Revelation 19:11-16.

Remember that this event will be seven years after the rapture of believers. At that time He came for the believers, when He returns in glory we, as believers, will return with Him! This is return of the King, Jesus Christ!

I. The Description of the One Who Comes.

A. His Physical Description.

1. Riding upon a white horse.

a. He comes in contrast to the antichrist in Re. 6:2.

b. He comes riding on a white horse to indicate triumph and victory.

c. The first time He came in humility and quietness, but now Heaven is opened and He bursts onto the scene in power!

2. His eyes were as a flame of fire.

a. While on earth His eyes were flooded with tears of sorrow and heartache.

b. When He looked upon the unbelieving world He was moved with compassion.

c. Now His eyes indicate the severity of the coming judgment.

3. On His head were many crowns.

a. At Calvary He was crowned in mockery with a crown of thorns.

b. Now He is crowned with honor and glory.

c. His many crowns is symbolic of His sovereignty, King of kings and Lord of lords.

4. Clothed in a vesture dipped in blood.

a. A 'vesture' is simply a garment or a covering.

b. The blood is not His blood.

c. It is representative of the results of the tribulation judgments.

Re 14:19-20, "And the angel thrust in his sickle into the earth, and gathered the vine of the earth, and cast it into the great winepress of the wrath of God. 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."

5. With a sharp sword coming out of His mouth.

a. Heb. 4:12 tells us that the Word of God is quick and powerful, sharper than any two- edged sword.

b. Paul wrote that the sword of the Spirit was the Word of God. cf Ep. 6:17

c. John's earlier description of Christ said that He had a sharp two-edged sword that proceeded from His mouth. cf Re. 1:16

d. The same power that spoke the world into existence will bring forth judgment when Jesus returns in glory!

B. His Various Names

1. Faithful and True. v11

a. Men are not faithful and do not tell the truth.

b. But here is One who is always faithful and always truthful.

c. He is will keep every promise and be true to every warning that He has ever given.

2. The Word of God. v13

a. This name identifies Him as the incarnate Christ.

b. The Word was with God and the Word was God and the Word became flesh.

c. He, who is the Creator, will also be the judge of mankind.

3. King of kings and Lord of lords. v16

a. This is His victorious name.

b. He has already won the victory.

c. Even today, it matters little who sits upon the throne or in the seat of authority...for Jesus is still King of kings and Lord of lords!

II. His Purpose in Coming.

A. He comes to fulfill Scripture.

1. God always keeps His word.

2. Throughout the Bible there are hundreds of promises of the Second Advent of Christ.

3. If Christ did not return, God would be a liar.

B. He Comes to "Judge".

1. He was judged in unrighteousness.

a. While on earth He stood before Caiaphas, Herod, and Pilate.

b. All convicted Him, the innocent Son of God, and condemned Him to death.

2. He will judge in righteousness.

Ac 17:31 Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead. Jude 1:14-15, "… Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints, To execute judgment upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed, and of all their hard speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken against him."

3. There will be three major judgments.

a. The Judgment Seat of Christ: believers will be rewarded for their faithfulness.

b. The Judgment of Nations: this will be the living Gentiles at the close of the tribulation. (also called the sheep/goat judgment)

c. The Great White Throne judgment: where all of the wicked dead will be judged for eternity at the close of the millennial reign of Christ.

C. He Comes to "Make War". v14

"The armies which were in heaven followed Him upon white horses"

1. Note that there is more than one army.

a. There will be an army of angels with the Lord.

2Th 1:7-9, "And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power;"

b. There will also be an army of believers.

1Th 3:13 To the end he may stablish your hearts unblameable in holiness before God, even our Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all his saints.

2. But the armies will not join in the battle.

3. As a matter of fact, there really will not be much of a battle!

a. In v19, we see the preparation that antichrist and his armies make to go to war against God.

b. But in the very next verse we read that "the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet".

c. In v21, we see that the rest of the armies of antichrist were slain by the Word of God!

4. The enemy is imprisoned for a 1000 years.

- Exciting events are in the future!
- Jesus is coming soon!
- This is not some fairy tale; this is the truth of the Word of Almighty God!
- Are we ready to meet God?
- The rapture may come at any moment.
- Then comes the terrible tribulation period of judgment upon this earth.
- Jesus will return and put down the antichrist and his followers, bind Satan for a 1000 years, and establish His kingdom on this earth.
- Are we ready for His coming?