Dec. 04, 2024

“REVELATION”

REVELATION 19:1-21

*The Coming King- Revelation 19:1-21

Jesus Christ is returning to earth one day to reward the righteous and to punish the unrighteous. And this is the only hope we have.

*Why Is The Second Coming Of Christ Necessary?

Since there are many Christians who don’t believe in a bodily return of Jesus Christ to earth, I want to look at four reasons that a literal second coming of Christ is important:

1. Christ’s second coming is necessary to fulfill promises made in the Bible. 
2. The second coming of Christ is necessary to judge unbelievers for sin. If Christ’s doesn’t return, then sin and wickedness will increase and intensify.
3. Christ’s second coming is necessary to depose Satan from his earthly dominion. 
4. Christ must come again to establish His kingdom on earth. If Christ doesn’t return, then the earth will never know justice, righteousness, and peace. 

This is why Jesus Christ must return, which is described in Revelation 19.

*The Saints Rejoice In Heaven:

*A Harmony Of Hallelujahs

The saints praise comes in the form of four hallelujahs. “Hallelujah” is the Hebrew word that means “Praise be to God.” It occurs four time in the opening verses of this chapter.

1. Hallelujah! The great harlot is fallen.

Revelation 19:1-2 “After these things I heard a loud voice of a great multitude in heaven, saying, “Alleluia! Salvation and glory and honor and power belong to the Lord our God! 2For true and righteous are His judgments, because He has judged the great harlot who corrupted the earth with her fornication; and He has avenged on her the blood of His servants shed by her.”

2.  Hallelujah! The great city is consumed.

Revelation 19:3 “Again they said, “Alleluia! Her smoke rises up forever and ever!”

3.  Hallelujah! God has vanquished evil. 

Revelation 19:4 “And the twenty-four elders and the four living creatures fell down and worshiped God who sat on the throne, saying, “Amen! Alleluia!”

4.   Hallelujah! The Lord Almighty Reigns.

Revelation 19:5-6 “Then a voice came from the throne, saying, “Praise our God, all you His servants and those who fear Him, both small and great!” 6 And I heard, as it were, the voice of a great multitude, as the sound of many waters and as the sound of mighty thunderings, saying, “Alleluia! For the Lord God Omnipotent reigns!

Regardless of the chaos in this world in general or in your world right now, don’t forget the Lord God Almighty reigns.

*The Song For The Lamb and His Bride.

The last hymn in the book of Revelation is a song for the Lamb and His bride.

Revelation 19:7-8 “Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready.” 8 And to her it was granted to be arrayed in fine linen, clean and bright, for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints.”

The phrase “has come” vs.7-denotes an action that has already been completed. It’s the marriage of the Lamb, Jesus Christ:

Ephesians 5:25-27 “Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her, 26 that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word, 27 that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish.”

When and how will this wedding take place?

1. A Marriage Contract Was Drawn Up and a Dowry Paid. 
2. The Marriage Ceremony Took Place In The Groom’s Home. This is the background to the parable of the virgins in Matthew 25:1-13.
3. The Wedding Feast Was Celebrated. This was the kind of wedding feast Christ attended in Cana where He turned water into wine (John 2:1-11).

How does this relate to the wedding of the Lamb and His bride, the church? First, the wedding contract was drawn up and the dowry paid when Christ shed His blood on the cross, giving His life for His bride. Second, Christ will arrive in the clouds, unannounced, to rapture His church, His bride (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17), fulfilling the second phase of the wedding. Finally, at the end of the tribulation, Christ will return with His bride, the church, who will be dressed in “ fine linen, clean and bright..” vs.8, to celebrate the great marriage feast at the beginning of the millennial kingdom.

*Blessing For The Wedding Guests:

Revelation 19:9-10 “Then he said to me, “Write: ‘Blessed are those who are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb!’ ” And he said to me, “These are the true sayings of God.” 10 And I fell at his feet to worship him. But he said to me, “See that you do not do that! I am your fellow servant, and of your brethren who have the testimony of Jesus. Worship God! For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.”

The word “blessed” means happy.

So who are the honored guests?

*The Triumphal Entry Of The King:

*The Description Of The Coming King:

The world’s forces are fighting to overthrow the Antichrist when they look up into the sky and see the warrior King, Jesus Christ. Suddenly, that divided human army unites to fight against Christ:

Revelation 19:11-16 “Now I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse. And He who sat on him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war. 12 His eyes were like a flame of fire, and on His head were many crowns. He had a name written that no one knew except Himself. 13 He was clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God. 14 And the armies in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, followed Him on white horses. Now out of His mouth goes a sharp sword, that with it He should strike the nations. And He Himself will rule them with a rod of iron. He Himself treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. 16 And He has on His robe and on His thigh a name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.”

The Kings eyes are blazing fire, symbolizing His piercing judgment. The “many crowns” symbolizing His right to rule.

His coming was anticipated in Zechariah 14:3-4, which describes Jesus returning to earth at the Mount of Olives, causing such a reaction that the Mount of Olives splits in two. This is the second coming of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Zechariah 14:3-4 “Then the Lord will go forth And fight against those nations, As He fights in the day of battle. 4 And in that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, Which faces Jerusalem on the east. And the Mount of Olives shall be split in two, From east to west, Making a very large valley; Half of the mountain shall move toward the north And half of it toward the south.”

*The Description of the King’s Army:

Revelation 19:14 “And the armies in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, followed Him on white horses.”

This army from heaven that follows Him is the church. It is you and me. How do I know this?

*A Description of the Warrior King:

Revelation 19:15-16 “Now out of His mouth goes a sharp sword, that with it He should strike the nations. And He Himself will rule them with a rod of iron. He Himself treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. 16 And He has on His robe and on His thigh a name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.”

This “sharp sword” is the Word of God, which is “living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword” (Hebrews 4:12). The Word of God brings life to those who believe it, and it brings eternal death to those who reject it.

God’s Word is also like “a rod of iron” vs.15.

Psalm 119:89 “Forever, O Lord, Your word is settled in heaven.”

The Word of God is completely inflexible, and Jesus is going to rule according to that rod of iron.

Jude 1:14-15 “Now Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied about these men also, saying, “Behold, the Lord comes with ten thousands of His saints, 15to execute judgment on all, to convict all who are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have committed in an ungodly way, and of all the harsh things which ungodly sinners have spoken against Him.”

*The Victory of the King:

Revelation 19 closes with a powerful description of Jesus’ victory over His enemies.

Revelation 19:19-20 “And I saw the beast, the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against Him who sat on the horse and against His army. 20 Then the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet who worked signs in his presence, by which he deceived those who received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image. These two were cast alive into the lake of fire burning with brimstone.”

This is the scene Jesus talked about:

Matthew 24:30 “Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.”

Three Aspects of Jesus’ Victory:

1. The Supper of God- This chapter describes two feast. The first is the marriage supper of the Lamb, which we have already seen, it is a time of rejoicing (vs.9). The second feast is the “great supper of God (vs.17), which is a time of devastating judgment. 
2. The Judgement of the Beast and False Prophet- In Revelation 19 we see the first mention of the lake of fire in Revelation.

The lake of fire was originally prepared for Satan and his demons:

Matthew 25:41 “Then He will also say to those on the left hand, ‘Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels:”

*The Sword of Christ:

This chapter closes with this word about the sword of Christ.

Revelation 19:21 “And the rest were killed with the sword which proceeded from the mouth of Him who sat on the horse. And all the birds were filled with their flesh.”

This is the future that awaits all unbelievers, who die apart from Jesus Christ.