“After this I heard what seemed to be the loud voice of a great multitude in heaven, crying out, ‘Hallelujah! Salvation and glory and power belong to our God, for his judgments are true and just; for he has judged the great prostitute who corrupted the earth with her immorality, and has avenged on her the blood of his servants.’ Once more they cried out, ‘Hallelujah! The smoke from her goes up forever and ever.’ And the twenty-four elders and the four living creatures fell down and worshiped God who was seated on the throne, saying, ‘Amen. Hallelujah!’ And from the throne came a voice saying, ‘Praise our God, all you his servants, you who fear him, small and great.’ Then I heard what seemed to be the voice of a great multitude, like the roar of many waters and like the sound of mighty peals of thunder, crying out, ‘Hallelujah! For the Lord our God the Almighty reigns. Let us rejoice and exult and give him the glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and his Bride has made herself ready; it was granted her to clothe herself with fine linen, bright and pure’— for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints. And the angel said to me, ‘Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.’ And he said to me, ‘These are the true words of God.’ Then I fell down at his feet to worship him, but he said to me, ‘You must not do that! I am a fellow servant with you and your brothers who hold to the testimony of Jesus. Worship God.’ For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy. 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. 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. He is clothed in a robe dipped in blood, and the name by which he is called is The Word of God. And the armies of heaven, arrayed in fine linen, white and pure, were following him on white horses. 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. On his robe and on his thigh he has a name written, King of kings and Lord of lords. 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, 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, both small and great.’ 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. 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. 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.”

This has been a measured and patient walk through the book of Revelation – a walk that hasn’t quite ended yet, but is entering its final stage. We saw and have stood upon the opening declaration of this book, that it is the revelation, the revealing of Jesus Christ. We’ve maintained as our touchstone throughout, that what we’ve read has never been about conspiracy or sensation – the end times debates that spring up so heavily around this book, the questions concerning the relevance of a symbolic versus literal understanding of certain passages, many things that have their place and time as valid conversations all stand far behind the central figure of Jesus. In many passages He is at the very forefront, while in others we had to stop and remind ourselves amidst the chaos on the earth that He was, and is, and shall remain the primary figure, over and above anything else in this text. As John is still writing his introduction we read in Revelation 1:5–7,

“… To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood and made us a kingdom, priests to his God and Father, to him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. Behold, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him, and all tribes of the earth will wail on account of him. Even so. Amen.”

There was a clearly established direction for this book from the beginning – before we see Jesus comfort His beloved Apostle, before His messages to the seven churches, the opening of the seven seals, the sounding of the seven trumpets, or the outpouring of the seven bowls of the wrath of God. Before we read anything of the dragon, the beast, or the false prophet, before the armies of the world assemble, or the harlot that is Babylon is revealed, we know where all this is going. Before we’re given a description of the heavenly throne room, before the two witnesses take up their testimony on the earth, and before we see the Lamb and His 144,000, we are given a promise of how everything will end. Through our time in Revelation I have urged again and again that people see the goodness, the sweetness, and rightness of what is unfolding. This book is held in an incorrect light by many people – whether that be something that is picked apart to support their eschatological stance, or something that is avoided outright because its seen as mysterious and terrible. But these stances of either missing the forest for the trees, or ignoring the forest altogether out of fear and uncertainty both fail in aiming at the true nature of this book. There are parts that are literal, there are parts that are symbolic, there are many that are both. There are parts that are terrible and terrifying when considered from the mortal perspective of the flesh, and yet spiritually, eternally, they are exceedingly wonderful and sweet. There is nothing that we see, either of the withdrawal of common grace as the world is handed over to itself, or the introduction of the wrath of God that is not warranted. God is not rash or arbitrary in His actions, but is gracious beyond our comprehension, and just beyond our reckoning. Over the last few weeks we took a long look at the true, exposed condition of the world. Revelation 17 and 18 paint a vivid picture of the spirit of the world, this global empire seen symbolically manifest in the great prostitute of Babylon, the blasphemous woman who’s perversions hold sway over all the earth as she deifies herself and delights in the murder of God’s children. We see that she and the beast, Satan who props her up, who supports and also hates her, are both going to destruction, and then we watched as Babylon fell. Last week we saw the lamentations of the earth, the inconsolable grief of those who mourned – not the loss of life, not the wickedness of the sin that brought this upon them, but rather their material wealth and prosperity. As we read last week, Jesus teaches in Matthew 6:21,

“For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

The grief of the kings and merchants over their fallen mistress further proves their condemnation, as their hearts were fully poured into the wicked and depraved treasure of the world. And then, after seeing the depth of the worlds sorrow and the extent of their lamentation, there’s a shift in Revelation 18:20,

“Rejoice over her, O heaven, and you saints and apostles and prophets, for God has given judgment for you against her!”

As the merchants end their cry, tears in their eyes and dust on their heads, there’s this incredible moment of clarity. Despite the fact that they weep for the ruin of the wicked city and the collapse of the kingdom of man, they bizarrely acknowledge that this is a cause for the celebration of the righteous, that God’s judgment has come against that which they prized above all else. Validating this, we see the mighty angel cast the millstone into the sea, with the promise that like this stone Babylon will be thrown down and appear no more, and then there’s this layered description of the complete silence that exists in the wicked city’s absence. But despite the utter destruction of the pillar of all humanity, the silence is only for the fallen, only for the grave. Because as we begin today’s passage we see the cry that is taken up in heaven, the joyous celebration of the saints that attests to the sweetness of the judgment that has been brought to bear. The Son of Man, the Lamb of God is coming on the clouds, and while the tribes of the world wallow in their despair, the cry of the children of God is one of great gladness and affirmation, joy that our Redeemer and our King has come forth to claim His bride and grandly declare His ultimate victory over a fallen world.

The Blessed Marriage Supper of the Lamb

1. The Blessing of the Celebrating Saints

“After this I heard what seemed to be the loud voice of a great multitude in heaven, crying out, ‘Hallelujah! Salvation and glory and power belong to our God, for his judgments are true and just; for he has judged the great prostitute who corrupted the earth with her immorality, and has avenged on her the blood of his servants.’ Once more they cried out, ‘Hallelujah! The smoke from her goes up forever and ever.’”

If the reading of Revelation ever brings us any sense of anxiety or apprehension, we can look to the joyous response and praise of the multitude of heaven and gain clarity and comfort. Psalm 46:1–7 tells us,

“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear though the earth give way, though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble at its swelling. There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy habitation of the Most High. God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved; God will help her when morning dawns. The nations rage, the kingdoms totter; he utters his voice, the earth melts. The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.”

We as human beings live and operate in the physical world. People have jobs and relationships that are based in or influenced by the culture, they have favorite restaurants and vacation destinations, possessions and luxuries that they develop attachments to. It’s not that the Christian can’t relate to these things, and it’s not that we can’t hold any degree of fondness or appreciation for the things that God has created – but this is all far down the list, as God, His commandments, and the spiritual wellbeing of our fellow man take precedence far and above anything that might exist in the physical world. Our attachment is not to this fallen, sin-stained universe, our citizenship lies not here but in heaven, and so when the world burns, when wicked Babylon who has blasphemed God and slaughtered the saints falls, there is no sense of loss on the part of the believer, only joy and celebration that the justice of God, that which He is so rightly due, has been brought to bear. The destruction we’ve read of previously, and this culminating event of the fall of Babylon are all good and righteous things. It is good that God take up His vengeance, it is right that His justice prevail, these acts are blessings upon those who follow Christ, in that as our Father is vindicated so too are we who are called His children. James 1:17 tells us,

“Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.”

All blessings come from God – while this may be simple enough to understand in regard to the blessings we receive, we have to remember that it also applies to the blessings that are offered back to God. We don’t conduct ourselves in a way that is pleasing to the Lord through the aim or intent of our own devised virtue, but through the work of His Spirit in us. And so as we see this powerful response to the fall of Babylon, to the triumph of the judgment of God, we see in the celebration and the praise of the testimony of the saints in heaven, a blessing offered back up to God for the glory He has displayed in striking down the blasphemous and wicked spirit of the world.

“And the twenty-four elders and the four living creatures fell down and worshiped God who was seated on the throne, saying, ‘Amen. Hallelujah!’”

In Revelation 4 we are given a description of the throne room of heaven, that which Ezekiel was blessed to see from below at a distance, John is shown from inside the room itself. After addressing the radiance of the throne and the One seated on it John writes of the twenty-four elders and the four living creatures. These figures are a benchmark for heavenly worship, their praise given to the righteous and holy One who is seated on the throne gives us a standard for the honor that God is continuously, joyously due. The testimony of the living creatures, the elders abandoning their thrones and casting their crowns to bow down and honor God is a beautiful picture of eternal praise – and what we see from today’s passage is that they are in full agreement with the praises of the multitude, so much so that there is nothing to add, “Let it be. Praise the Lord!” is their only reply.

“And from the throne came a voice saying, ‘Praise our God, all you his servants, you who fear him, small and great.’ Then I heard what seemed to be the voice of a great multitude, like the roar of many waters and like the sound of mighty peals of thunder, crying out, ‘Hallelujah!’”

The call is to all believers, all servants of God, “small and great.” But the sound of this multitude is something beyond any individual saint, as it collectively takes on characteristics of the voice of the glorified Christ as well as the throne of God, as John says in Revelation 1:15,

“… his voice was like the roar of many waters.”

And we also read in Revelation 4:5,

“From the throne came flashes of lightning, and rumblings and peals of thunder…”

This doesn’t reflect the power of the multitude itself, but rather the power of their testimony, the blessing that God has bestowed upon them echoed back in celebration, glorifying the mighty One who sits on the throne.

“For the Lord our God the Almighty reigns. Let us rejoice and exult and give him the glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and his Bride has made herself ready; it was granted her to clothe herself with fine linen, bright and pure’— for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints.”

God promises in Ezekiel 34:22–24,

“I will rescue my flock; they shall no longer be a prey. And I will judge between sheep and sheep. And I will set up over them one shepherd, my servant David, and he shall feed them: he shall feed them and be their shepherd. And I, the LORD, will be their God, and my servant David shall be prince among them. I am the LORD; I have spoken.”

We live under the hope of the ultimate future, called to an eternity in the presence of God – not based on our own merit, but because of the work that God has done, for His name’s sake. But our relationship with God is not one dimensional, we are not far off worshipers of a nameless, faceless deity, but are the children of the God of our fathers. Again another facet of this relationship, we see the sacrificial and redeeming nature between Christ as the Bridegroom and the church, set apart and sanctified as His bride. Ephesians 5:25–27 tells us,

“Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish.”

And Jesus says to the church at Sardis in Revelation 3:5,

“The one who conquers will be clothed thus in white garments, and I will never blot his name out of the book of life. I will confess his name before my Father and before his angels.”

We are clothed in white because of His work in us, we are made ready for His arrival not by our own might or merit, lest we think to boast of our worthiness, but because of the work that He has done in us to prepare us for Himself. We are a blessing to our Father in our righteousness, but only because we have been blessed that we might be found righteous.

2. The Blessing of the Bridegroom’s Arrival

“And the angel said to me, ‘Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.’ And he said to me, ‘These are the true words of God.’ Then I fell down at his feet to worship him, but he said to me, ‘You must not do that!”

Something that I’ve always appreciated, that really aids in validating the authenticity of Scripture, is how the servants of God are plagued with flaws. God is perfect, and through His abounding grace and mercy, He works through us, sanctifying imperfect vessels. From Moses to David, from John the Baptist to Paul, we see great and wonderful work in the name of the Lord and then we also see how in moments of fleshly weakness, these figures stumble. It gives hope to us as we see God use our fellow sinners for such amazing things, and it also highlights the perfection of Christ, His flawless obedience in embodying the will of the Father in which He shares. It’s interesting that in today’s passage we see John, church elder, the last Apostle, and witness to all we’ve seen in Revelation up to now, make such a strange and obvious blunder. But rather than take this opportunity to point and sneer at John, which would be tragically ungracious and hypocritical of us, it raises the question of why exactly this is his response, a question we’ll visit again when John does the exact same thing in Revelation 22. John has been in a state of spiritual revelation for all of this book, he’s witnessed and received messages from angels before this, so why now does it pull this powerful, and extremely wrong response from this admirable figurehead of the church? It only makes sense that it’s because of the intensity, because of the greatness of what the angel has told him, and that tells us that we need to circle back and revisit what God’s messenger has relayed.

“‘Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.’ And he said to me, ‘These are the true words of God.’”

This is a simple enough statement compared to the grand declarations that have come before, so why does it evoke such a response from John? What does this truly mean? Martin Luther famously stated that John 3:16 was the gospel in miniature,

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”

I would agree with Luther’s assessment of the verse, but if this is the core, the trunk, the vine that is the essence of the gospel, then we could see what the angel says to John as its glorious and breathtaking fruit. “Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.” This isn’t just the promise of a blessing for John, but for every brother and sister he has ever had, and will ever have. And along with the message of the angel that John is commissioned to write, that the hope of it might be shared with all believers, there is the assurance added, “These are the true words of God.” This is a blessing beyond space and time, beyond any single event, it is the promise, not of barely skating by, entering heaven as lesser and marked by past transgressions, but truly washed clean, fully redeemed, and invited as someone who has been made to truly belong to the glorious celebration of Christ’s eternal union with His bride. This gives us some perspective as to why John reacts the way he does, but it also reminds us of the great need for caution. The weight of the blessing, the sweetness of the good news is so profound that John impulsively tries to honor the messenger, forgetting that the angel is not the one responsible for the message. When Paul and Barnabas share the gospel, and Paul heals a man in Lystra the people think that Zeus and Hermes are among them and try to worship the two men. They respond in Acts 14:15, saying,

“Men, why are you doing these things? We also are men, of like nature with you, and we bring you good news, that you should turn from these vain things to a living God, who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and all that is in them.”

This is a lesson reemphasized by John’s reaction to the angel, and something that we must always remember as we graciously receive the blessings of God – that we worship the Creator and not the creation, the One from whom blessings flow, and not the blessings themselves.

“I am a fellow servant with you and your brothers who hold to the testimony of Jesus. Worship God.’ For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.”

It’s not a challenge to know that what John does in falling down to worship the angel is wrong before the angel ever gives correction. The first of the ten commandments, stated in Deuteronomy 5:7 is,

“You shall have no other gods before me.”

There is One and only One worthy of our worship, worthy to be bowed down before. But it’s interesting in that in his correction, we get a very clear dynamic of our relationship with the angels. We’ve talked about angels previously, that despite their seemingly grand and mysterious nature, they’re just messengers of God – the glory they display is simply a reflection of the One they serve. Angels appear intermittently throughout Scripture, but despite their appearances, we’re never given a great deal of detail about them. I’ve always suspected, and John’s reaction helps affirm this, that part of the reason for this is simply that if we were given too much information about angels it would be only too easy for us to slip into a pattern of venerating and worshiping them. Angels are featured in the Bible, but the Bible is in no way about the angels. Despite the lack of information and the fact that they’re clearly not the focus, there are many who hold an obsession with the spiritual realm, with the activities of angels and demons, to the point that this becomes their focal point rather than the guiding principle of the gospel that sits at the heart of Scripture. What the angel’s response to John clearly shows us is that, despite their sometimes grand and mysterious descriptions, we human beings made in the image of God, and these angelic servants carrying out His message and will are operating within the same framework to the same goal. They seem above us at times because they serve in a spiritual realm while we operate largely in a physical one, but in actuality we’re much the same in our aim and mission – the ultimate goal that God be glorified as He is rightly due. Despite our differences, we are all servants of the testimony of Jesus, and this testimony is the spirit of prophecy itself. There is nothing hidden that will not be made known, nothing in the dark obscurity that will not be brought to the Light. Though there are things we struggle to understand or find impossible to comprehend through the veil of our flesh, all prophecy points to and finds fulfillment in Christ – we cannot say that we are blind when we’ve been given sight by the Light of the world, nor can we think ourselves lesser to our angelic coworkers when it is the blood of the Lamb that has redeemed us and elevated us that we might sit at the table, a welcome guest at His marriage supper.

“Then I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse!”

The debate around the timing of the return of Christ is possibly the most hotly contested matter in Revelation. Yes, things like the start of the tribulation, or the rise and identity of the antichrist are also contenders, but it’s hard to find cases of either of these being brought up where the second coming of Jesus isn’t an integral part of the person’s theory on the other matters. Pre-trib, mid-trib, pre-wrath, post-trib, we’ve walked through these before, and to repeat the case I made then, I’m not overly concerned with trying to pin this down. As I’ve said before, it seems to me that a straight reading of the text would support a post-tribulation return – that what we’re reading of today is the second coming. That being said, there are reasonable and well thought out cases for most views, and so this isn’t a hill I’m trying to die on, post-trib is just what I find most compelling as Scripture lays out the case. But I’m not overly concerned with pinning it down for one central reason – I know that He’s coming back. We who are His children, the Church who is His bride have not been abandoned or forgotten in this world – He said He’s coming back, and so I know He’s coming back. If someone wants to make a case for some secretive prior return where the saints are called up to meet Him I’m willing to have that conversation, but here in Revelation 19 there is no question, no decoding needed – the Son of Man is coming on the clouds, bold and powerful, there for every eye to see like a bolt of lightning across the sky. I need not worry that the day has somehow come and gone and I’ve missed it when the King’s return is described in such a grand and glorious way. I need not doubt that the day will come when it is so boldly and explicitly promised. Regardless of your views around the tribulation and the “rapture,” there is no doubt that Jesus is returning to the world in this moment, radiant in His power and glory. We’ve seen another white horse in Revelation, at the opening of the first of the seven seals. There are those who confuse this first horseman with Jesus, but this is an error in the extreme. The first horseman comes peddling a false and flimsy peace to the world, wielding an empty bow, primed for self-destruction. There are those who think he represents the antichrist, and while I’ve heard some good arguments against this interpretation it’s still a conversation I’m willing to have. The idea that the first horseman could be Christ however, not even considering the fact that it would completely upset the timeline of Revelation, is a completely baseless theory that misconstrues the text. This is not however the first time we’ve seen Jesus in the position of a triumphant entry – though the two scenes show us the opposite ends of the spectrum that is displayed in Christ – one as the sacrificial Lamb of God, the other as Righteous Judge and King. Matthew 21:1–5, 9-11 says,

“Now when they drew near to Jerusalem and came to Bethphage, to the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them, ‘Go into the village in front of you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her. Untie them and bring them to me. If anyone says anything to you, you shall say, “The Lord needs them,” and he will send them at once.’ This took place to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet, saying, ‘Say to the daughter of Zion, “Behold, your king is coming to you, humble, and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a beast of burden.”’” … “And the crowds that went before him and that followed him were shouting, ‘Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!’ And when he entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred up, saying, ‘Who is this?’ And the crowds said, ‘This is the prophet Jesus, from Nazareth of Galilee.’”

The people wanted a warrior, they longed for an earthly king to cast off Rome and establish the Jewish people as the global superpower – but this isn’t what Jesus came to do. He was born in the humblest of conditions, lived a life of obedience to the will of God and of service to a lost and dying people, and willingly gave up His life in the most tragic, humiliating death possible. He entered Jerusalem on the week of His crucifixion, not mounted for battle, but riding a donkey, coming as a messenger of peace. As Jesus said to Nicodemus in John 3:17,

“For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.”

This is not however the image that we see of Christ as he returns in Revelation 19, mounted for battle, glorious in His power. Jesus went on to tell Nicodemus in John 3:18–21,

“Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed. But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God.”

The second triumphal entry as Christ is seen coming on the clouds shows the unfailing judgment of the Light coming against the darkness, the condemnation of those who have loved the darkness and cherished their wicked deeds crashing down upon their heads. The people who witnessed the triumphal entry didn’t fully grasp the One who had come for them, but the multitude dressed in white who come following Christ certainly do. And those that He has come against will have no doubt or misgivings as to the identity of the One who destroys them with the sword of His mouth.

“The one sitting on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he judges and makes war. 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. He is clothed in a robe dipped in blood, and the name by which he is called is The Word of God.”

The visual description of the victorious Christ coming forth from heaven on the clouds is a vast and mesmerizing thing. The first part of this is fairly easy to track – the fact that Jesus is called “Faithful and True,” makes complete sense – He is the very manifestation of Truth itself. His authority to righteously judge and make war, again tracks with everything we’ve ever read concerning Him. The pure and burning eyes like fire we read of when John first encountered the glorified Jesus at the start of Revelation, and the countless crowns that rest upon His head signify His limitless power and authority. But in the name that no one knows but Himself, the robe dipped in blood, and His name that is The Word of God there is a beautiful and complete picture of Jesus’ role and identity displayed. Isaiah 55:8–9 tells us,

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.”

God is, despite the elements of Himself that He reveals to us, ultimately unknowable, impossible to fully define or comprehend by any mind but His own. In His unity with the Father, we can see this nature manifest in Christ by His name and identity that remains entirely hidden to all but himself. Exodus 12:21–22 tells us,

“Then Moses called all the elders of Israel and said to them, ‘Go and select lambs for yourselves according to your clans, and kill the Passover lamb. Take a bunch of hyssop and dip it in the blood that is in the basin, and touch the lintel and the two doorposts with the blood that is in the basin. None of you shall go out of the door of his house until the morning.”

No hyssop was dipped to paint the blood upon Jesus’ robes, the blood that marks Him is His own, because He is the Passover Lamb, the Lamb of God, the atoning sacrifice consumed all at once to atone for the sins of the world. John 1:1 says,

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”

And Colossians 1:15–20 tells us,

“He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.”

Jesus is fully God – grand, vast, and unknowable. He is also fully Man, something that was visibly illustrated in the spilling of His blood and His death on the cross as the Lamb of God. By these two things joined into One we may know Him as the manifested Word, the Image of the invisible God, the One who holds all the authority and mystery of the Ancient of Days, and yet through the revelation of the Holy Spirit, He is knowable to us in His Humanity, all of which is on display as He rides forth, the Bridegroom come to claim His bride.

“And the armies of heaven, arrayed in fine linen, white and pure, were following him on white horses. 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. On his robe and on his thigh he has a name written, King of kings and Lord of lords.”

I’m willing to bet that you’ve heard the Biblical teaching to, “take every thought captive to obey Christ.” It’s a commonly quoted line, and it’s often used in reference to maintaining an internal spiritual discipline, and not allowing yourself to become a slave to your own flesh. I’m not saying that this is wrong, as it certainly has relevance in this application, but there’s more to it than just waging internal battles. For broader context, the passage in 2 Corinthians 10:3–6 reads,

“For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ, being ready to punish every disobedience, when your obedience is complete.”

This isn’t just about winning the battles that take place within your own consciousness, though that’s certainly part of it. The knowledge of God destroys everything that comes against it, and in this we see the power of the sword of the mouth of Christ, that which is described in Hebrews 4:12 as,

“… living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.”

It is as the source of this mighty power that Christ comes, and with this authority that He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God. We read of this winepress after the harvest of the earth in Revelation 14:19–20,

“So the angel swung his sickle across the earth and gathered the grape harvest of the earth and threw it into the great winepress of the wrath of God. And the winepress was trodden outside the city, and blood flowed from the winepress, as high as a horse’s bridle, for 1,600 stadia.”

If you remember, this is an unfathomable amount of blood, more than all the people who have ever lived on the earth could produce, and it all points us, not to a specific number of lives lost, but to the volume of wrath that humanity has stored up for itself in our many, many transgressions against our Creator. And it is Jesus who treads upon this winepress, who brings the wrath of God to bear against the world who has hated all that He is and killed His children – and Jesus, the Son of Man who holds all the authority of the Ancient of Days is marked with the title of His station.

“On his robe and on his thigh he has a name written, King of kings and Lord of lords.”

The robe seems more or less self-explanatory, it’s not difficult for us to imagine someone’s name, title, or rank displayed on their outer garment – but what is the name being written on His thigh all about? There are some who will stretch the text here and claim that Jesus comes bearing a tattoo. There’s no real textual support for this, either through the context of the passage, or the original Greek that this was written in. More often than not it seems to be something that people will use as justification for their own tattoos, rather than anything that’s actually being taught by the passage. There are others who will point to the first century description of swords being worn “across the thigh” or the custom of kings to wear banners across their shoulders that would drape down across their thighs. The simplest explanation offered on the opposite side of the spectrum from the tattoo crowd is just that this is written on His robes over where they rest across His thigh, and that this would be the most visible place from His position on horseback. There’s a vein of logic to these that the tattoo argument lacks, but the passage certainly reads like the name is written both on His robes and on His thigh, and even if it’s just the robes, it still begs the question as to why the thigh, beyond the practicality of mere visibility? I believe the key to understanding the relevance here lies far back in the Old Testament in the story of Jacob. Genesis 32 finds Jacob in a curious situation, as he returns to the land where he will meet with his brother Esau, and he is deeply afraid that Esau will seek his life. On the night before their meeting Jacob sends his wives, his concubines, his children, and all of his possessions across the stream of Jabbok, and he himself remains alone on the other side. Encountering a man while in his isolation, the two wrestle throughout the night. Genesis 32:25 tells us,

“When the man saw that he did not prevail against Jacob, he touched his hip socket, and Jacob’s hip was put out of joint as he wrestled with him.”

With the day breaking and Jacob injured the man insists that Jacob release him, but he refuses to do so until the man blesses him. Genesis 32:27–28 says,

“And he said to him, ‘What is your name?’ And he said, ‘Jacob.’ Then he said, ‘Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel, for you have striven with God and with men, and have prevailed.’”

This unexpected and seemingly random contest marks the moment when Jacob, father of the twelve tribes, is renamed as “Israel.” Closing this account Genesis 32:31–32 states,

“The sun rose upon him as he passed Penuel, limping because of his hip. Therefore to this day the people of Israel do not eat the sinew of the thigh that is on the hip socket, because he touched the socket of Jacob’s hip on the sinew of the thigh.”

The thigh carries the significance of being the place touched by God, a place of injury, a place of anointing. Jesus comes bearing His own name, by His own power, the Son who is One with the Father, commissioned by His own hand, servant to Himself, shown in ceremony by the writing upon His robes and in substance by the writing upon His thigh. And this is the One, the Bridegroom for which we wait, the One whose arrival marks our ultimate deliverance, the One who advances with an army at His back, yet holds all the power unto Himself. He is the first and the last, the One who died and now lives forevermore, who holds the seven stars and stands giving His radiant Light to His seven lampstands. In Him is our salvation, in Him is our greatest blessings, and in Him is our invitation to an eternity of peace and righteousness in the presence of the Living God.

3. The Blessing of the Righteous Judgment

“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, 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, both small and great.’”

Transitioning from the shouts and celebration of the saints, we return to the battle that is preparing to take place on the earth, and we’re given a message from an angel who is standing in the sun. This is a messenger from God who is blessed to stand in a position of great height and great light, one of observation over all that is unfolding, and relay the condition of things – and what is building is a coming slaughter. Christ is riding forth, glorious and triumphant to destroy the enemy and claim His kingdom, and there is not a single person who opposes Him who will survive. We saw repeatedly as we dealt with Babylon how her evil operated on a spectrum, and that from the lowest point to the highest point she was entirely corrupt. Now we see this same spectrum illustrated in the enemies of Christ. Jesus teaches in Matthew 13:47–50,

“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was thrown into the sea and gathered fish of every kind. When it was full, men drew it ashore and sat down and sorted the good into containers but threw away the bad. So it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come out and separate the evil from the righteous and throw them into the fiery furnace. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

As the birds of the air are invited to feast on the flesh of the fallen enemies, there is no discrepancy between the great and the small – evil is evil, and all will be slain before Christ. There is no provision made for kings or commanders that is withheld from the lowest slave, all who have stood in opposition to God will meet their end.

“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. 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. 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.”

David and Goliath is a story that has been so heavily co-opted by the popular culture and watered down by so many underdog comparisons that despite so many people knowing it by name, it’s meaning is largely lost. David and Goliath was not just an underdog verses a champion, is was the victory of God through His servant by impossible means. David didn’t beat the odds, by any mortal reckoning there were no odds. The match up was a young, handsome shepherd boy going up against a nine foot nine Philistine giant with a shield that covered him head to foot, wearing 125 pounds of armor. His spearhead alone was fifteen pounds – and if you’re thinking, “Fifteen pounds doesn’t sound like that much,” please do me a favor – next time you’re in a hardware store go pick up one of the sledgehammers and see how heavy that feels. Most of these are going to be around eight pounds, but make sure you check the label so you’ve got the right frame of reference. Now imagine slightly less than double that weight on the end of a long shaft that’s compared to a “weaver’s beam.” And it’s not a sledgehammer, it’s a spear that you’re extending, thrusting, and possibly throwing in combat, and you have some inkling as to how freakishly strong the giant Goliath was. But David’s confidence in facing the Philistine champion had nothing to do with their comparable physical statures – rather David took two things into consideration. One, that Goliath was openly blaspheming God before the Israelites, and everyone, including king Saul was too afraid to do anything about it, and two, God had already delivered David from situations that were completely impossible. When David volunteers to go and kill Goliath he’s told that he can’t, that he’s too young and inexperienced. He replies to Saul, saying in 1 Samuel 17:34–36,

“… Your servant used to keep sheep for his father. And when there came a lion, or a bear, and took a lamb from the flock, I went after him and struck him and delivered it out of his mouth. And if he arose against me, I caught him by his beard and struck him and killed him. Your servant has struck down both lions and bears, and this uncircumcised Philistine shall be like one of them, for he has defied the armies of the living God.”

The idea that a shepherd might have some method for scaring off predators, or discouraging them from attacking their flock is entirely plausible. The idea that any single person is going to pursue a lion or a bear, rescue the sheep it took, and kill it if it wants to fight about it is absolutely insane. But David isn’t relying on his own strength, either with the lion, the bear, or the Philistine, his eye is on the Lord alone. So, what happens in the fight between David and Goliath? Well, there isn’t actually a fight. David declares to the giant in 1 Samuel 17:45–47,

“You come to me with a sword and with a spear and with a javelin, but I come to you in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. This day the LORD will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you down and cut off your head. And I will give the dead bodies of the host of the Philistines this day to the birds of the air and to the wild beasts of the earth, that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel, and that all this assembly may know that the LORD saves not with sword and spear. For the battle is the LORD’s, and he will give you into our hand.”

Again, there is no “fight” between the two. One stone from the sling of David straight to Goliath’s forehead and the mighty giant, the defiant champion of the Philistines, who challenged the army of the living God is dead. And then, the part that wasn’t in my children’s Bible when I read this story as a kid, David, not having a sword on him, takes Goliath’s and decapitates the Philistine’s champion right in front of them, causing their army to flee. It wasn’t a battle between a mighty warrior and the unlikely shepherd, it was the execution of a blasphemous pagan at the hands of a servant of God. As we look back at today’s passage we see the armies of the world, carefully assembled by the beast to stand against God. Their path to assemble was cleared as the Euphrates was dried up under the sixth bowl of wrath, and they have bolstered all their might to stand against the Lord and His servants. And then Jesus shows up. He’s riding a white horse, His eyes are fire, His head is crowned, His robes are stained with His own righteous blood, and the sword of Truth come from His mouth – and there isn’t even a battle. All the might of the world postured up in defiance against God and there’s not even a fight. The enemy is utterly destroyed, this isn’t a war, it’s a slaughter. The beast and the false prophet, those who served the spirit of Satan, who deceived and led the world astray are seized – no epic fight to the death or heroic struggle for capture. They’re taken and cast alive into the ever-burning lake of fire, the beginning of their eternal fate. The rest – all the vast armies that the world could muster, from the kings and generals, to the lowest slave – any and all who adopted the mark of the beast, who stood against the Lamb are killed, and the birds descend upon the bodies of the kings and slaves alike, all slain for their transgression against the Living God. Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn is quoted as saying,

“The line separating good and evil passes not through states, nor between classes, nor between political parties either — but right through every human heart — and through all human hearts.”

And I would have to say that there is a measure of truth to this. The degree to which each person will indulge in evil will vary widely between individuals, and the degree to which each believer, made new in Christ will contend with temptation and the war against their flesh will again vary in each person’s walk. But regardless of the individual experience, there is a war, a constant battle on this side of eternity between good and evil within the heart of every person. But in the grand scheme, on an eternal scale, there is no battle, no fight to be had. Wickedness has an expiration date, while righteousness is eternal, and we’re given a clear picture of the finality of this as the “battle” of Armageddon is revealed to be a one sided slaughter – to the glory of God, and the blessing of all those who serve Him.

Pastor Chris’ sermon: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XXiQp7_8XaE