GETTING THE MESSAGE/The folly of opposing God

In Revelation 19:11-21, John sees visions of the spiritual realities regarding the coming of Christ in glory and judgment. In verse 11, Christ appears coming out of heaven and sitting on a white horse. He comes in majesty and with purpose, to make righteous judgments on earth.

In verse 13, his robe is dipped in blood, and the name by which he is called is The Word of God. This points to the veracity of God’s word- -It cannot be broken. The blood indicates death; the word of God says that the soul that sins shall die. Christ comes with the avenging justice of God.

Divine wrath was nowhere more clearly exhibited than when it was poured out on the Lord Jesus on the cross. Martin Luther called Jesus the “greatest sinner in the world,” not because he had any sin in himself, but because the Lord laid on him the iniquity of us all. The man who feels like he is going to perish before a righteous God and that he cannot save himself is grateful to hear the other non-breakable word of God: “He who believes in me will not perish but have everlasting life.”

So then, the blood on Christ’s robe signifies good news to the one who believes in him. Christ is his surety and advocate before God. But what a sharp contrast the blood on Christ’s robe reveals between believers and unbelievers; for one, it signifies life, for the other, death.

In verses 17-18, the message of doom continues for those without salvation. Instead of being invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb (verse 9), a feast of blessedness, their deaths will provide food for the birds of the air, a scene of utter defeat and destruction.

Notice that there is no partiality; all perish from kings to slaves, both small and great. In chapter 11, those who fear the Lord, both small and great, will be rewarded when Christ comes in judgment. It is a reminder that the fear of the Lord is the foundation of all true faith. Happy is the soul who has an awe and reverence for the Lord, who strives to maintain a holy fear in his ways. John Bunyan wrote, “The love of God and the fear of God; what a blessed confusion!”

In verse 14, the military imagery continues. With the armies of heaven are riding behind the Lord on white horses. In other passages, angels attend Christ’s coming, but here it is the redeemed who follow Christ. Their attire, which is fine linen, bright and pure, reflects their perseverance in the faith, those who held on to truth, faith, and hope. They followed the Lamb while in the world; now they follow him in his triumphal return.

In verse 19, the beast and the kings of the earth with their armies gather to make war against Christ and his armies. The futility of this scene reflects the tragedy of man’s sinfulness. Would men make war with God? It should be an easy conclusion to reach that making war against the Almighty is not sensible.

But we have in us the disease the devil has spread throughout the world, which is pride. In some sins we hide from God-- in pride we come against him. God so hated pride that Christ humbled himself to death on the cross to take it away. It is only when we come to Christ that we agree to lay down our arms and listen to the Lord. Even then, we are prone to resist our Lord.

In verses 20-21, we see that the battle wasn’t a battle at all. It was Christ, the universal Sovereign, rendering judgment as the King of Kings and Lord of Lords (verse 16). The beast and the false prophet are thrown into the lake of fire. It is a sobering reminder of the folly of opposing God.

Whatever one thinks about the literal manifestation of the beast and the false prophet, the reality is that they promise to fulfill the desires of sinful man. Men think they have need of many things; but without forgiveness of sin, they will perish. If you have Christ, be thankful the plague of darkness has been replaced with the light of life and rejoice in the Lord.

The sword that slays men in verse 21 is the word of Christ. In John 12, Jesus says that “the one who rejects me and doesn’t keep my words has a judge; the word I have spoken will judge him on the last day.” No one will be able to blame anybody but themselves if they perish.

The Rev. Chris Shelton is pastor of Union’s First Presbyterian Church.