We're doing the final portion of Revelation 19 and obviously the
title tonight is the second coming of Jesus Christ.
We're going to do 11 verses 11 to 21.
John sees heaven open again in chapter 19.
We covered that on Sunday. And now in this passage he says
in verse 11, Now I saw heaven opened, and behold, a White
Horse. He who sat on him was called
faithful and true, and in righteousness he judges and
makes war. John sees heaven open again.
He sees the Lord now who is returning to earth.
Now you and I walk this earth. We live in this world.
Some of you, many of you have been to Israel.
Well, we've walked in his footsteps.
Well, he's going to make brand new footsteps at the end of the
tribulation period. His feet will again walk this
earth that we live in. The real Jesus, Jesus, Son of
God, will walk the earth, breathe the air that we have.
Remember back in chapter 4 after chapter 2 and three, obviously
the period of the churches in chapter 4, heaven open and John
saw the throne of God, which was symbolic of the rapture of the
church because from that time on, the church is not mentioned
now until we're going to see it appear again, the bride of
Christ, Chapter 19 in chapter 19 tonight, heaven opens and Jesus
comes out. He is returning and he's
returning. Remember, just as he promised.
This is a thing that you and I got to realise.
Jesus said to his disciples, and we often look at the sobs go,
you know, why didn't you guys believe that Jesus was going to
come from the dead? You and I look back and we go,
they're pretty thick, aren't they?
They were dumb. I mean he how many times did he
say, well maybe you and I tonight.
How many times has God in His Word told you and I that He is
coming back again? Do we go I don't know what
happens when Jesus returns the second time?
Firstly, Bible prophecies fulfilled the greater part of
all Bible prophecy and remember we read back in verse 10 worship
God for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.
The greater part of Bible prophecy has been preparing us,
pointing us to the second coming of Christ at the end of the age.
When did it all start? Well, biblically we would say
Genesis chapter 3, we were told there's one coming.
He's going to fix everything. The second coming of Christ is
coming at the end of the age. The second coming of Christ is
mentioned 1800 times in the Old Testament.
It's mentioned 300 times in the New Testament.
It's referred to in 27 of the 66 books, 27 of the Old Testament
books. It is referred to in 23 of the
New Testament books. In the New Testament alone, one
out of every 25 verses refers to the second coming of Jesus.
And you got to ask yourself, why don't churches speak about the
coming of the Lord? Must be they're not going
through the Bible. Must be they're not teaching the
Bible because you can't go through the Bible and not and,
and, and miss how many times it's been said.
I got to tell you, I grew up in a traditional church, went there
as a kid, never heard about it. It was the very fact that I
heard how long I'd been married, a year.
And we heard of the second coming of Christ and something
the Holy Spirit grabbed our hearts.
We didn't know then. And we went, so he's coming
back. How do I know when he's coming
back? What would he look like?
What will happen when he comes back?
What do I need to know? And the Holy Spirit drove us to
the word of God. We got saved and that's not
changed since 1977, and since 1977, Helen and I have lived
each day expecting the Lord to come.
For every prophecy on Christ's first coming, there are 8
prophecies on his second coming. When Jesus Jesus returns at this
time, 4 things will happen. I'll give them to you if you're
taking notes. 1 The Saints will be glorified 2 creation Romans
chapter 8 remember has been groaning, groaning.
It's out of whack. Our world is out of whack.
The animals, you know, we you want to get you see the the
birds. You want to get close to a bird
and they're frightened of you. You just want to pet them.
You see a lion, you don't want to get anywhere near a lion.
The world is out of whack. Well, creation which has been
groaning will be liberated, things will change, the devil
will be defeated. And fourthly, Jesus will
personally rule and reign here on earth.
And where will he rule and reign?
Jerusalem, the existing Jerusalem.
Revelation 19 verse 11. Now I John saw heaven opened and
behold a White Horse, and he capital H who sat on him was
called faithful and true and in righteousness he judges and
makes war. Now so that's a a different
picture of General Jesus meek and mile patting all the little
kids on the head. It says he judges and makes war.
As heaven opens, the first thing John sees is a White Horse with
a rider called faithful and true.
So yes, talking to one of our grandkids this week, she asked,
will there be animals in heaven? I've got to go and tell her to
read this passage. Yes, and I don't like horses
myself. Grew up on a stable.
I think horses are the dumbest animal in the world.
I'm not a horse lover. I think I go, I won't go any
further about horses, just a lot of loving horses, people around.
But horses, there will be horses in heaven.
How can we say that? Because it says it.
It says it here. The first thing John sees is a
White Horse with a rider called faithful and true.
So yes, there'll be horses in heaven.
We remember Elijah the prophet was taken to heaven.
How? In a chariot and with horses. 2
Kings 211. Then it happened, as they
continued on and talked, that suddenly a chariot of fire
appeared, with horses of fire separated of the two of them,
and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven.
Jesus came the first time, remember, as a suffering
servant. We remember that Palm Sunday as
he rode into Jerusalem on the fall, the cult of a donkey never
been ridden and he fulfilled the Bible prophecy, Zechariah 9/9.
It was the fulfilment of Bible prophecy, Jesus coming in on
Palm Sunday on that day. And Jesus said to the crowd to
Jerusalem on this thy day. And Daniel, which is the next
book we're going to go into after Revelation, Daniel had
said this is when the Messiah will come in and he gives even
the the the mathematical dates to the day that Christ will come
right again. And he did on palm someday.
Secondly, the second time Jesus comes, he's not coming in as the
suffering St Remember, he came into Jerusalem.
Why was he going there? He's going to die.
He wept over Jerusalem. Oh, if you only knew, if only
you. I've wanted to gather you under
my wings. But if you only knew the crowd
that sang Hosanna, Hosanna, son of David would on Thursday go
crucify him, crucify him, Give us Barabbas instead of him.
But this time, the second coming, Jesus comes as the
conquering king. He's coming to judge and make
war. The White Horse symbolises this.
It's the picture of the the Roman generals.
They would come in on their their stallion and they would
lead the parade after the great victorious battle.
You remember back in chapter 6-4, Horsemen of the Apocalypse,
what was the first horse White, who was riding it?
The Antichrist. He appears on the world
political scene riding on a White Horse.
He has 1 crown and he's carrying a bow, but he has no arrows,
symbolising how he will subdue this anti he's he's coming as a
pretend Messiah. Trouble is, the world's going to
accept him, and trouble is so is Israel initially.
And he comes with a White Horse because he's coming to make
peace, but his peace is only temporary because of the other
horses of war, famine, death, pestilence.
Jesus has this title. John sees Jesus with this title
on this horse, faithful and true, in contrast with Satan who
is the father of all lies. His lying.
Satan's lying. He did it back in Genesis 3 and
he's deceiving. You won't die if you eat him the
fruit. No, God just doesn't want you to
be like him. It's his ammo.
John chapter 844, Jesus said to the religious leaders, you are
of your father the devil. Jesus believes in the devil.
You know there are cults that don't believe in the devil.
Jesus did and the desires of your Father you want to do that
is the devil. He was a murderer from the
beginning. Cain killing Abel does not stand
in the truth. He lies because there is no
truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks
from his own resources. That is, that's his character,
that's who he is for. He is, Jesus says, a liar and
he's the father of it. Jesus is faithful and true also
in regard to faithful and true, keeping his promise.
He says, hey, I'm coming back, I'm coming back.
I'll rise from the dead 3 days, I'll be there.
I'm coming back, I'm coming back that he would indeed return and
He would establish his Kingdom here on earth.
Therefore it says he judges and makes war, verse one.
War with who? With the unsaved.
The church is not here. And He does this now in
righteousness, but He does this how?
When does Jesus come back and judge and make war?
You need to note this. He comes and does this after the
world has been flooded with the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Everyone has had a chance. This is not like, oh, I didn't
know I fired. And no, no, I would, you know, I
would, I would have believed. No, no these are people that are
left are the unsaved who rebelled and blasphemy Jesus.
No matter what happens 144,000 Jewish missionaries go
throughout the world sealed by God unable to be touched by the
the Antichrist or the false prophet and they proclaim the
gospel of Jesus Christ. Secondly, Revelation 11 remember
2 guys, 2 witnesses who will and the world will watch on.
You know how we we all watch the pretend landing on the moon.
I don't know if it was real or not.
Now, I don't know, in July we've taken a day off school watching
the scratchy black and white thing I've got is this, is this
the best it can be? One step for man and one step
for mankind, or whatever it is and joint step.
But anyway, because the we know that the world will watch and
listen to the two witnesses, because when they die, it says
the whole world erupts in a celebration.
Everyone's been watching them, listening to them proclaim the
gospel of Jesus Christ. Then thirdly, here's the other
one and an Angel has encircled the entire earth proclaiming the
everlasting gospel. How often have you said, why
doesn't God just send an Angel to tell everybody?
Well, he did in the end. We have a job to do. 144,000 did
the two witnesses did. But in Revelation chapter 14,
verse 6, then I saw another Angel flying in the midst of
heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach to those who
dwell upon the earth. So the church has been raptured,
the Saints have been killed, they've gone.
And then who did the gospel? Who did the Angel proclaim to
every nation, every tribe, every tongue and people.
There's not going to be anyone to go.
I am. No one told me.
No excuses. No excuses.
Revelation 1912. John sees Jesus, he sees Jesus
eyes and he's on this horse and he sees his eyes were like a
flame of fire. And on his head were many
crowns, not one crown diadems. He had a name written that no
one knew except himself. Now what is that name?
I don't care. I don't know.
I'm never going to tell you and you don't know.
And if anyone says I know the name, no they don't because
Jesus the only one I get caught up in.
Let's have a Bible study and look at Revelation 1912.
What do you think that name? I think it might sorry don't
bother, don't waste your time. His eyes like a flame of fire.
Judgement is always fire. But also Jesus sees everything
and it is now judgement time. He has many crowns.
Why He is the King of Kings. He is also all knowing,
omniscient. He is all powerful, omnipotent.
He's the king of all that He who once wore a crown of thorns that
was forcibly embedded upon his brow.
He now wears many royal diadems. He's the king of Kings.
Jesus will have a new name. No one knows but himself.
Revelation 13. He was clothed with a robe
dipped in blood, and his name is called the word of God.
And many people. Oh, he's dipped in blood.
Yeah, because the memory died on the cross.
And he died on the cross. Hey, read the context.
He's called the Word of God. Interesting it was the apostle
John who wrote at length in the beginning was the Word, the word
was with God and the word was God and the word became flesh.
John 11 John 114. The Jehovah Witnesses had to
rewrite their Bible to change that passage also. 1 John verse
one and 2:00. We, we felt him, we touched him,
we heard him. The word, the word, Christ's
robe, that he's wearing this garment at this time, that he's
on this horse John sees is dipped in blood.
That's a lot of blood. It's not just sprinkled, not a
little bit here and a bit there. It's dipped.
Isaiah 63. Let's turn there so you can read
it and I'll read it to you as well because it's a passage that
you need to know that fits in so beautifully.
Isaiah 63, that fits in so beautifully with explaining how
Jesus looks and why he looks this way.
Isaiah 63 verse one, the prophet says, who is this?
Who comes from Edom? Edom is read from the city of
Basra with his clothing stained red.
Who is this? Who is this in royal robes?
This is the king of kings, marching in his great strength.
It is I, the Lord announcing your salvation.
It is I, the Lord who has the power to save.
Why are your clothes so red, as if you've been treading out
grapes? So the question comes.
I have been treading the wine press alone, God alone, judging.
No one was there to help me. In my anger I have trampled my
enemies as if they were grapes. In my fury, I have trampled my
foes. Their blood.
Their blood has stained my clothes for the time has come
for me to avenge my people, to ransom them from the oppressors.
A great passage that fits in with Revelation 19.
So the blood back to chapter 19 of Revelation.
So the blood on Jesus robe here as he's on the horse represents
the blood from the judgement of his enemies.
Verse 14 and the armies in heaven clothed in fine linen,
white and clean, followed him on white horses.
Now I don't know if you've ever been a horse rider, if ever, if
you've ever done it, but guess what you're going to that's
Hebrew for you're going to but Jesus is not returning alone.
This is the amazing thing as we read this, you and I, we're in
this this is this is outstanding.
He comes with the armies of heaven.
Who were they? Clothed in fine linen, white and
clean, followed him on white horses.
Now back in verse 8 we read, And to her the bride of Christ the
Church, it was granted to be arrayed in fine linen, clean and
bright. For the fine linen is the
righteous acts of the Saints. So the bride, the New Testament
Church, you and I, the Saints who were raptured, chapter 4 up
to heaven by the Lord. And it also includes in these
armies, plural, the tribulation Saints.
Every believer who has denied the Antichrist didn't get the
mark, was killed for their faith, died for their faith is
in this the Old Testament Saints and the holy angels.
Now, I don't know how many angels there are.
There's lots of them, isn't there?
Well, you know, it's and we can't back in 4-5 and six.
We can't number the number of angels because there's so many
of them. How big's this army?
And how do we know there's angels with them as well?
Because Jesus says back in 25 Matthew, Matthew 25, verse 31.
When the Son of Man comes in his glory and all the holy angels
with him, what an army. This is superb.
Then He will sit on the throne of his glory.
Verse 15 Now out of his mouth that's Jesus goes a sharp sword
and it's not a literal sword. What is it?
God speaks that with it he should strike the nation's that
is the nations who have gathered at Megiddo and he himself will
rule them with a rod of iron. And that's that's the kind of
like, not Mammy Pamby, is it? He himself treads the winepress
of the fierceness and wrath of the Almighty God.
This is Jesus coming back. This is dinkum.
This is on. He's coming back.
And this is big day judgement. We the church, however, are not
coming to fight. We're not yet.
Yeah, we're behind you with Jesus with little swords or bows
and arrows or whatever. We don't do any of that because
the Lord fights our battles, doesn't he?
The Lord? We come to simply follow him.
We're an army, but we have no weapons.
We're an army and an army doesn't normally dress in fine
white linen. We don't go to military parades
and get and all the blokes March down the street and they're in
fine white linen, are they? Our King speaks and goes to
battle as you and I. You want to know about the
battle of Armageddon? You'll see it, you witness it.
We've been to Mount Carmel, we've looked out over that.
We're going to visit that place again.
The sharp sword comes out of Jesus mouth.
What is the sharp sword? He speaks Hebrews 412 For the
word of God is living and powerful, sharper than any 2
edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit,
of joints and marrow, and it's a discerner of the thoughts and
intents of the heart. So Jesus establishes his
Kingdom, of which He will rule in Jerusalem thousand years with
a rod of iron. What does that actually mean?
Rule with a rod of iron? Well, God is sovereign today,
isn't he? He's still sovereign, but He has
allowed people to exercise their free will.
People can shake their fists at him.
During the tribulation period, people blasphemed him.
But at this time when Jesus returns and his second coming
and he sets up his rule and reign in Jerusalem for that
thousand year reign, things are going to change dramatically.
For then it will be a theocratic dictatorship, and every person
will be in submission to the Lord whether they want to or
not. There's no, no.
Maybe at this time you think, well, yeah, but who would in
their right mind stand up against God as Jesus is ruling
and reigning in Jerusalem? Well, hang on a little bit and
we'll find out the judgement on Christ's return will resemble
the Bible tells us, a wine press, and we saw many wine
presses. There's one in particular.
Remember, we go to Gethsemane and then we go to the the term
which we believe is where Jesus was laid.
And it's an area of a wealthy man.
And there's a winepress there. And even in Nazareth we saw it
where they dig out of the limestone a large hole.
Then they have teared. Then there's a smaller one and a
small one. There's this, this, this
treading out of the wine. As the wine goes, it goes down.
The next one then goes into the next one, but the treading goes
into the big one. With that in mind, this is the
picture that John sees at Megiddo.
All Israel will be like a giant winepress, with the valley of
Megiddo becoming the main up of that.
The place where the grapes go in and the stomping occurs, and
then the battles that soldiers killed by the sword.
The word of God flowing down through and along all over the
land of Israel at this time. And Jesus himself will tread the
winepress. He is the 1 causing the
bloodshed here. Revelation 19 verse 16.
And he has on his robe and on his thigh and name written King
of Kings, Lord of Lords. The time for man's futility and
rebellion is over. This is the third time this
title is given in this chapter. King of Kings, Lord of Lords.
Jesus is vindicated. Everyone will bow down to him.
Verse 17 Then I saw an Angel standing in the sun, and he
cried with a loud voice again. Hey, it's loud.
It's all loud saying to all the birds that fly in the midst of
heaven. So that's every bird come and
gather together for the supper of the great God.
Verse 18 That you may eat the flesh of kings, the flesh of
captains, the flesh of mighty men, the flesh of horses and
those who sit on them, and the flesh of all people, free and
slave, those small and great. In other words, no one's left
out. An Angel summons all the carrion
birds. Now remember, all of the animals
came to the ark, didn't they? No one went.
Well, no, I didn't go out and have to grab them.
And then Shammy got this. I've got these two rhinoceroses.
I've got these two hippos and trying to round up the
elephants, but they can't get them.
The animals came. Well, all the birds are going to
be summoned to Megiddo, because the dead will be scattered far
and wide and piled. So the Angel summons the birds
of the world to this one great battlefield where there are
innumerable dead soldiers, bodies to this massive feast of
the fallen, and the birds will gorge themselves.
Now, these gathered armies, what are they?
Remember, we know that it's the Antichrist and his massive
military might, mainly from Europe.
But also we know that the kings of the East have come too.
They've come to do conflict with the Antichrist and his armies.
But the Antichrist has come with his massive military might for
one purpose, to annihilate Israel, to wipe them off the
face of the earth. And as they arrive, remember
they travelled up the kings of the East.
The review Fridays has been dried up.
The Antichrist has arrived with all his military might, and they
arrived there to wipe out Israel and to fight with one another.
But then Jesus appears suddenly and with his armies now let's us
all the Saints, all the angels, and under the command of Jesus
he speaks, He utters a word, and his death, they're all dead.
The Antichrist will have turned his attention away from fighting
Israel, and he will turn to fight Jesus.
So will the kings of the East, and all the armies will unite to
fight against Christ returning Bible tells us.
But it's over in an instant. There's a lot written about the
Book of Revelation in the battle of Armageddon, the Antichrist
that says a seized the false prophet are judged after they
are captured. It says the beast verse 20 was
captured, and with him the false prophet who worked signed and
his presence, by which he deceived those who received the
mark of the beast and those who worshipped his image.
These two false prophet and the Antichrist were cast alive into
the lake of fire burning with brimstone was 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. The Antichrist and the false
prophet are captured. Judged, cast on the Lake of Fire
immediately, they are both sent directly to the Lake of Fire.
The Lake of Fire is an eternal place of suffering for all
unsaved people and the demons too.
Right now, if you die and you don't know Christ, you go to
Hades and there you are awaiting the second resurrection, where
you'll go to the Great White Throne Judgement, which we'll
get to in the next couple of weeks and stand before Christ.
But now at this time, the Antichrist and the false prophet
are judged immediately, and there they will be, just the two
of them for the next 1000 years, and then others will join them
at the end of that judgement. The great battle of Armageddon,
which so much is written about, famously referred to for so many
years as we read the Bible, it tells us we'll be all over
before it even begins because Jesus will speak and they'll be
dead. All the birds will feast on the
flesh of the bodies of all the unsaved killed in this mass of
slaughter. We read these things and we
think, wow. But the big deal of this for me,
I believe and for you and I is that we're actually there.
Some of you said, well, I wish I would get to Israel.
Well, you, you will. I would like to see the value of
value of Jezreel. I get it.
You will and you will witness this as we ride return.
You see we've been there beginning before the tribulation
started, the rapture of the church, 7 year tribulation
occurs and at the end, because the bride has been married, the
wedding has occurred and then the bride returns, Jesus comes.
Remember we looked on Sunday and the great supper is going to be
held upon the earth. This is staggering.
This is This is why I became a Christian.
I read this and I thought this is all going to happen.
How come people aren't excited about this?
I think people aren't excited about it because they simply two
things. One, they don't know about it
and two, thank you. You know about it.
I'll tell you what, I am excited.
I don't normally say that, but I'm really excited.
I live knowing This is why I turned to Christ, because Jesus
died. He rose again.
That's fact. But all the information, all the
prophecy on the second coming and all these events, more
prophecy than the first time. Are you ready?