The King is Coming, Part 1

What kind of king do you want ruling over you? One who's a liar or one who is faithful and true? If God is for one moment and with one person unfaithful and untruthful, he has lost everything no matter what name you give him. And so the Bible opens this vision and John is effectively saying, I saw heaven opening and the sovereign Lord descending just as he promised. He has kept his word.

He is faithful and true. As believers, we live with the knowledge that heaven is our home. We know that one day Jesus will return to gather the church to himself. Will that really happen?

The answer is yes, it will. The reason we can rest firmly on that promise is because Jesus is faithful and true. Therefore, we can confidently believe him and trust him.

This is wisdom for the heart. Today, Stephen Davey continues his series from Revelation called Thy Kingdom Come. With this message, here comes the king. On August 21st, 2009, the supreme leader of Iran, the Ayatollah Khomeini, called on all Muslims in his country and in neighboring countries to intensify their preparations for the coming of their Messiah, the Islamic Messiah known as the Mahdi or the hidden imam. This is their version of Messiah who will come.

They believe and bring peace to the world. I found it interesting in my research to discover that many Islamic scholars are not sure how long it will rain. Many of them believe this hidden imam, that is, he's hidden until he'll make his appearance in the Middle East, believes that when he steps forward to reign, he will rule the world for seven years. We Christians also believe in the coming of a world leader who will offer peace in the Middle East and attempt to rule the world for seven years, right? We've learned that you really wouldn't want to follow him.

He will be the final ultimate deceiver. But these are fascinating days to be a Christian, aren't they? All you have to do is go online or read the newspaper or watch a little television news and you pick up rapidly on this growing fever over apocalyptic events, this fervor over the future coming disasters. Whether it is Nostradamus and one more revelation of his that continues to sell magazines at Harris Teeter, from what I can tell, as he predicts terrible things, or maybe it's the Mayan calendar which has garnered a lot of attention with its ending of its cycle at the year 2012, or a Chinese oracle telling of apocalyptic events to hit the planet in the future.

This fever is definitely growing. If there was ever a time in human history when people around the world are hoping for and anticipating somebody who will come on the scene and make a global difference, it is today like none other. In fact, the election of our own president and probably the setting of the stage for every president who will be elected in the future will have to somehow convince the public that they can offer not just leadership, but that key word, hope.

And not just hope for America, but a leader who can step up on the stage and offer hope to the entire world because everybody now is thinking globally. We are all more aware of our responsibility globally, whether that's second graders who are now being taught to go green and save the planet, to leaders who are as concerned about CO2 emissions as they are stock prices, to religious leaders who are discarding key doctrines to somehow bring the world to resolution in the religious environment and bring some kind of peace. What a great time to be a Christian. What a critical time to have the answer. And what security to have objective, inspired revelation of exactly what will indeed happen on earth during these apocalyptic times that will in fact come and who will be affected and how you can escape being affected by it and more importantly, the sovereign king in whose hand it all moves forward. The predicted truths of Christ's second coming happened to form the greatest anticipation of all of human history.

And that is not exaggeration. From the fall of Adam to the second coming of the second Adam, when Christ sets up his kingdom, that fulfillment has been since the beginning of time been the long awaited event of human history, redemptive history. When the true king will receive the ruling scepter, Genesis 49. When God will establish the throne of David's greater son, 2 Samuel 7. When that son will rule the earth with a rod of iron, Psalm chapter 2. When the nations will be judged, Joel chapter 3. When the returning king will defeat his enemies and Jerusalem will become the center of Messiah's kingdom, Zachariah chapter 12. When the angels will gather the living unbelievers for judgment, Matthew 25.

When Jesus Christ will visibly, physically descend in holy majesty to judge and to rule the world, Revelation 19. No wonder the second coming of Christ is considered the culmination of redemptive history. Now even though the average Christian knows more about the first coming of Christ, his first advent, the second coming of Christ is actually the focus of much more scripture.

The Bible isn't silent on the subject. In fact, Christ's second coming to rule and reign on planet earth is emphasized in at least 17 Old Testament books. Jesus Christ referred to his second coming 21 times. In fact, seven out of every 10 chapters of the New Testament mentions his second coming. Even more than that, for every one verse that refers to Christ's first coming, there are eight verses that refer to his second coming. This is, as it were, the focus, this fulfillment of much of scripture. And the details of his second coming are astounding. We have arrived at that point in our study of John's Revelation where we are given a seven-fold description of this climactic event as Jesus Christ returns to planet earth. Revelation chapter 19, let's look at the description of that event, picking it up where we left off in our last study at verse 11.

You'll notice right away in this description that there is first an introduction. Look at verse 11. And I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse and he who sat on it is called Faithful and True. Now, when I read that, the first thing I wanted to know was why those names?

Why those? Of all the ones that you could choose, why not other names given to him over the ages of revealed scripture? How about the Lord Jesus? Acts chapter 7, verse 59. Or Jesus Christ, Mark chapter 1, verse 1. Or Christ, the Son of God, John 11, 27. How about the Lamb of God, John 1, 29.

Or the King of Glory, it's a good one, Psalm 24, isn't it? Why not the Alpha and Omega, Revelation chapter 1, verse 8. Or the Lion of Judah, Revelation 5, verse 5. Or the Hope of Glory, Colossians 1, 27. Why not the Bread of Life, John 6, 35. Or the Everlasting God, Isaiah 40, verse 28. What about the Word of Life, 1 John 1, 1. Or the High Priest, Hebrews 6, 29. What about the Good Shepherd, John 10, 11. Or the Mighty God, Isaiah 9, verse 6. Or how about this one, the Savior of the World, 1 John 4.

That just sort of says it all, and on and on and on. Why not one of them? It occurred to me that perhaps it's because none of them can operate unless he keeps his word, and if his word is indeed the truth. What kind of Lord would he be if he didn't tell the truth? What kind of prince would he be if he cannot defeat his foes? Or what kind of high priest could he be if he could not sanctify forever his beloved?

Or what kind of king would he be if he can't return to assume ownership of the throne? So John is saying, listen, as he comes, you need to understand, this is faithful and true. He keeps his promise, and his promises are all the truth. Donald Gray Barnhouse, a former pastor who wrote prolifically, illustrated this point in his commentary on Revelation as he recounted a woman, a believer, who was on her deathbed talking to her family and friends of her assurance of salvation. This came home to me as I studied it this week. Many of you know my mother-in-law passed away, and one of the things that I remember her saying in the hospital bed the day she died was, I just want to go home and be with Jesus. That kind of assurance for those who genuinely believe in Christ is a wonderful thing to observe. Well, this woman was in the hospital, and a young minister happened to visit her on one occasion, and he was unconverted.

There are many of them in the ministry who are unconverted. He had never seen anybody quite so sure of her future, Barnhouse wrote with the Lord, and thought he should warn the dear soul against such dogmatism. Well, she answered him well as she said, Son, if I should awake in eternity to find myself among the lost, the Lord would lose more than I would. He asked, well, how's that? And she responded, well, I might lose my soul, but he would lose his good name.

Isn't that good? So true. If God is for one moment, and with one person, unfaithful and untruthful, he has lost everything, no matter what name you give him. And so the Bible opens this vision, and John is effectively saying, I saw heaven opening and the sovereign Lord descending just as he promised.

He has kept his word, he is faithful and true. Secondly, I want you to notice immediately in verse 11, not only Christ's introduction, but his transportation. John writes, and behold, a white horse, and he who sat on it. And behold, I love that. It's as if John is saying, would you look at that? Look at that, a white horse and the Lord riding on it.

Now to John, this was significant, much more so than to us. The white horse was clearly symbolic of a victorious general or emperor, the Roman Senate. In fact, granted Julius Caesar the right, and in his request upon his victory in North Africa, to ride in a chariot through the streets of Rome, pulled by white horses. During victory celebrations like these, Rome would decorate everything they could in the city with all white. White fabric, white flowers, white banners, white clothing. Juvenal of the Roman poet living in the times of John, the apostle wrote that during these times, Rome would become literally translated a city in white. The citizens would pour out of their homes and their businesses to throng behind their victorious Caesar as they celebrated his victory.

You can see the obvious picture, can't you? A white horse is symbolic of a victorious emperor. I also believe he will literally ride a white horse through the skies and reign in on the Mount of Olives and dismount.

More on that in a moment. The third description of this climactic event could be summed up in the word vindication. Look at the latter part of verse 11. In righteousness, he judges and wages war.

Let that settle in. He is waging war. This is the actual battle of Armageddon.

We'll take one more look at it in our next study together. So Jesus Christ is not just bringing a choir. He's bringing an army. The armies mentioned a little later in this paragraph are an awesome sight to see as Christ and his church will come in glory to judge the world. The New Testament book of Jude, in fact, verse 14, repeats an old ancient prophecy. You have to go all the way back to the book of Genesis, but then you won't find it in there because it doesn't record it. Enoch living during the days of Adam. He was the great, great, great, great, great, great, great grandson of Adam. And Enoch prophesied.

We didn't read it there, but we read it later in the book of Jude, that little one-chapter letter, just before you get to Revelation. And Enoch is making this prophecy. He says the Lord will come with thousands, many thousands of his saints to execute judgment upon all. Imagine only seven generations removed. I have a picture of four generations, all living.

Imagine seven generations. Enoch is prophesying not of the first coming, but of the second coming. Zechariah prophesied that Jehovah would one day come and stand on the Mount of Olives as he defeats all the unbelieving nations. And Zechariah prophesies, and the Lord my God shall come and all the saints with him. Zechariah chapter 14. By the way, this is a wonderful verse to show your Jehovah's Witnesses contacts, neighbors, co-workers, comparing Zechariah's prophecy of chapter 14 of God standing on the Mount of Olives with Christ.

Matthew 24 and 25, who fulfills the prophecy, literally standing on the Mount of Olives. Paul wrote of this same event when he sent to the Corinthian church the news that they would one day judge the world. That's a fulfillment of Enoch's old prophecy recorded in Jude 14. The Lord will come with many thousands to execute judgment upon all. This is a reference to Christ and his beloved who are coming in the second coming to reign. The judge, the Apostle Paul, also wrote of this coming glorious day of Christ's revelation of the world as sovereign Lord and ruler when he wrote this to the Colossian church, when Christ who is our life is revealed and you also will be revealed with him in glory.

He's referring to the second coming. Colossians 3, 4. Jesus Christ and his beloved will be forever without question vindicated.

John records another description of the scene. We'll just call it perfect vision, perfect vision of Christ. Verse 12, and his eyes are a flame of fire. That is his holy piercing vision into the heart of mankind, his part and parcel of his holy judgment. Nothing will escape his notice. These eyes that once reflected tenderness and joy as he cradled a little child in his arms, these eyes that reflected compassion when he met the distressed, these eyes that communicated sadness toward that denying disciple across the courtyard as their eyes met, these same eyes that communicated forgiveness to that same disciple that he met after his resurrection, these eyes that wept over the city of Jerusalem that rejected him, these eyes that wept at the grave of his friend Lazarus, these eyes will now flash with the fire of holy judgment.

Now the world might try to say, how can you judge us? You weren't there. You didn't see me. You don't know what's in my heart.

You didn't see me do anything wrong. Oh, the truth is implied here, certainly in other scriptures, he comes with omniscient, penetrating vision. He is an eyewitness of every sinner and every sin. He knows the heart of every man and woman, boy and girl.

He has all of the information necessary to render a just verdict, and the just verdict will be guilty. The next word then that sums up John's description of Christ's second coming is the word domination. Notice further in verse 12, and on his head are many diadems. It's plural. It might confuse you as to how you can wear more than one crown. I mean, wouldn't that be a little awkward?

How do you balance them all? Well, the diadem was a crown of royalty. In fact, Esther received one when she became queen of Persia.

Esther chapter two, verse 17. But a diadem was really nothing more than an elaborately designed headband, typically about two inches wide, made of beautifully embroidered cloth. Jewels could be attached to it, or other insignia. In fact, excavations have given us ample pictures and reliefs to sort of clear up the confusion.

We have excavated carvings of one Assyrian king. He's wearing his elaborate diadem. It's embroidered probably with gold thread and cascading down and off his shoulder is a beautiful red ribbon with gold embroidery.

Must have been a beautiful, a magnificent sight. This is the typical picture in the mind of John's readers of a Roman emperor. This is the diadem. It's simply embroidered cloth, and he would wear it. In fact, we have historical accounts, for instance, of Ptolemy VI in the year 164 BC when he defeated Antioch. He took the king's diadem and he put it on his head with his. He was the king of Pharaoh.

And so now he had two. It was his way of saying he was sovereign over Egypt and over Asia. We know that King David, when he defeated one Gentile king, he took his diadem and put it on his head along with his. So when John says that Jesus Christ is wearing many diadems, what he's basically saying is he's conquered every kingdom. He rules over them all, and many of them probably had insignia of the nation they led, and so it's as if it's saying to the world, I rule over every kingdom.

Magnificent sight it will be as we see him. Further evidence of Christ's total domination is the next phrase in verse 13. He is clothed with a robe dipped in blood. Some would suggest that this blood is a memorial of his own blood.

I don't believe that simply because this is a picture of judgment, not a redemption. And I really believe it even more than that because Isaiah removes all doubt in chapter 63 as God is quoted saying, speaking of this coming event, listen, he's asked the question, why is your apparel red like the one who treads in the winepress? God answers, and I quote, because I have trodden them in my anger and trampled them in my wrath, and their lifeblood is sprinkled on my garments. I stained all my raiment for the day of vengeance was in my heart. Imagine that terrifying. See, in other words, the scene portrays the awful day of judgment, specifically the battle of Armageddon where Christ is seen victorious and with the blood of his enemies literally splattered on his garments. Now, the average person on the street, talk of God like this, would shock them.

In fact, it would anger them. Who does he think he is? You see, they don't understand that the unbelieving world, according to the apostles and scripture, is, as Paul wrote it, the enemy of God.

Enemy, it's not in neutral. The world is in trouble. Can you imagine God as your enemy? The world would say, no problem, they've been deceived by the God of this world, that they are okay.

You know, I know God. He wouldn't hurt a fly because they refused to wear the blood of Christ, as it were, on their heart. Christ will wear their blood on his garments. And the world will be utterly horrified at the unrelenting, unmerciful vengeance of God unleashed at last. This is what Paul warned the Athenians 1900 years ago in Acts chapter 17 where he said, listen, everybody needs to repent.

Why? Because God has fixed a day in which he will judge the world. And that day has come. Paul will go on to say that it is specifically the God-man, Jesus Christ, who acts out the judgment of triune God and this scene we're studying is that moment. The truth of scripture is that he is storing up his wrath until these days when he uniquely pours it out like some unstoppable tsunami. The blood will flow like a river at his word. Just like the salvation of God's children is certain, so is the judgment for God's enemies.

Enemy of God is the status of anyone who doesn't place their faith in the gospel of Jesus Christ. If you're among those of us whom God has saved, rejoice and be thankful. But if you've never responded to the message of the gospel in faith, today can be that day. You're listening to Stephen Davey and Wisdom for the Heart. Today's message is part one of a message called Here Comes the King. It comes from Revelation 19 in a series called Thy Kingdom Come. This message isn't complete. On our next broadcast, we'll review a little bit and then conclude this message.

Please join us for that. Wisdom for the Heart is the Bible teaching ministry of Stephen Davey. Stephen pastors the Shepherd's Church in Cary, North Carolina.

You can learn more about him and this ministry by visiting wisdomonline.org. There are resources on that site that are designed to equip and encourage you in your walk with God. You'll find the complete library of all Stephen's teaching there. Those lessons are posted as both audio files and written transcripts.

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