CHRIST THE MAN OF WARLesson #37
Revelation 19:11-16
When Moses saw Pharoah and his armies drowned in the Red Sea and the people of God standing safely upon the shores of deliverance, he sang, "The LORD is a man of war" (Ex. 15:3). How often our Savior proves himself to be just that! In the garden of Eden our Lord foiled the schemes of the old serpent, and out of the fall accomplished his own purpose, promising redemption to the fallen pair (Gen. 3:15; Isa. 14:24, 26, 27). Throughout the history of the Old Testament we see our great God illustrating his redemptive purpose in the deliverances of the chosen nation from the hands of their enemies. Then, at last, Christ came to deliver and save his people from sin, satan, and the curse of the law (Matt. 1:21). In the wilderness of temptation Christ Jesus overcame the temptations of the devil (Matt. 4:1-11). He met the accuser in Gethsemane again and overcame his power (Matt. 26:38-46). Then, at the appointed hour, the Son of God thoroughly routed his enemy and ours, spoiled him, and accomplished redemption for God’s elect by his death upon the cross as their Substitute (John 12:31-33; Rev. 20:1-6). Having accomplished eternal redemption for us, the Lord Jesus Christ took away our sins and carried the prince of darkness into everlasting captivity. He rose on high, was enthroned as the King of glory, and reigns forever to save his redeemed ones (Psa. 68:18-20). Yet, even now, "the LORD is a man of war." He rides forth in majesty, power, and great glory, "conquering and still to conquer" (Rev. 6:2). The Son of God has a controversy with his fallen creatures. The controversy is over his Lordship. But the end of that controversy is not in doubt. It is written, "His foes shall become his footstool." Either by the irresistible power of his grace, or by the irresistible power of his wrath, King Jesus will defeat all his enemies and cause them to bow before his throne, acknowledging that it is right for him to be Lord (Psa. 89:21-25; Isa. 45:20-25; Phil. 2:9-11). In Revelation 19:11-16 John sees "heaven opened." Not a window, or a door, but heaven itself is opened, and the Lord Jesus Christ comes forth riding upon a white charger, like a mighty man of war. Four things are clearly revealed in this symbolic picture.
CHRIST IS A MIGHTY CONQUEROR (vv. 11-13). John had seen the Lord Jesus in his humiliation and even leaned upon his breast. Now he sees Christ in his glory as the Captain of our salvation, the King of kings and Lord of lords. But he sees a warfare on the earth. The Seed of the woman and the serpent are in conflict. Truth and error are engaged against one another. The kingdom of light and the kingdom of darkness are involved in a war. Sometimes, when we see this warfare, we tremble. But John sees it and describes it from heaven’s vantage point. He wrote down what he saw that we might take courage. If we are soldiers enlisted under the banner of Christ, pledged to the advancement of truth, sworn to the precious blood of atonement, the glorious doctrines of the gospel, and the honor of Christ, it will do us good to rise with John above the mists of the earth and see this warfare from heaven’s viewpoint. Though the battle must rage until Armageddon is over, there is no cause for fear. The ark of God is safe. The cause of Christ is secure. The church of the living God will overcome her enemies. The truth of God shall prevail.
Our mighty Savior comes forth riding upon a white horse. Of course, the picture is purely symbolical. The Son of God does not ride through the air upon a white horse! This picture of Christ charging his foes upon a white horse suggests four things: (1.) Christ Jesus rides forth upon a white horse as the leader of a great army because he is highly honored in heaven. God the Father has given him the place of highest honor (Phil. 2:9-10; Col. 1:18). The holy angels extol him above all others (Rev. 5:11). All the saints in heaven and earth honor Christ as precious above all (I Pet. 2:7). (2.) This white horse represents our Savior’s power and dominion as our great Captain (John 17:2). The horse is a symbol of power (Job 39:19-25). (3.) The horse also symbolizes speed (Zech. 10:3). The Word of God runs swiftly through the earth according to his sovereign will. He only wills it, and his gospel is spread to the uttermost parts of the earth. The church of God is made a swift running horse for the spread of the gospel. And (4.) This white horse represents the certain victory of our Savior (Rev. 6:2). The Lion of the tribe of Judah shall prevail!
John also saw that our mighty Savior is good, as good as he is great. Here is a conquering man of war who is altogether good. He who is vested with total power is perfectly good. He is called, "Faithful and True." He is faithful and true to his Father, to fulfill all his covenant engagements; to his people, to fulfill every word of promise; and to his enemies, to fulfill every threat of wrath against them. His warfare is carried on in righteousness. "In righteousness he doth judge and make war." "Christ’s kingdom needs no deception: The plainest speech and clearest truth - these are the weapons of our warfare" (C. H. Spurgeon). The Son of God defeated satan by bringing in everlasting righteousness. He conquers the hearts of chosen sinners by the proclamation of righteousness in the gospel. And in the last day, he will judge everyone in perfect righteousness. "His eyes were as a flame of fire" to discover the hearts of men, to understand the plots of satan and all his enemies, to consume those who oppose him, and to melt the hearts of his people (Lk. 22:61). Those flaming eyes represent the purity of our Lord in all his Being and in all his works. "And on his head were many crowns." Our mighty defender is the crowned King of the universe. He wears the crown of creation (Col. 1:16-19), the crown of providence (Rom. 14:9), and the crown of grace (John 5:21). Christ rules everywhere. He rules everyone. He rules everything. And he rules always!
His vesture is glorious. "He was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood." Whenever we think about our great God and Savior, believers rejoice to see his whole Being dipped in blood. We must never think about him or anything he does without seeing him dipped in blood. Our Shepherd is a blood red Shepherd. Our great Prophet is one whose words are written in his own blood. Our King wears a crown won by his own blood. Our heavenly Advocate pleads his blood for us at the throne of God. The Lord Jesus Christ is seen best, and seen in his truest glory, when he is seen as the sin-atoning sacrifice for God’s elect. It is impossible to understand anything about him or about his works until he is seen as one whose vesture is dipped in blood. The greatest thing he ever did, his greatest glory, and the key to understanding both who he is and what he does is revealed in these words - "He laid down his life for us" (I John 3:16). We cannot think, talk, sing, or preach too much about his blood. His blood is our life. His blood is our gospel. His blood is that which attracts sinners to him (John 12:32). His blood is our motive and example (I Pet. 2:21-24).
This mighty Warrior’s name sets him apart from all others. "He had a name written that no man knew, but himself" (v. 12). "And his name is called The Word of God" (v. 13). Those two statements do not contradict one another. Our Savior himself declared, "No man knoweth the Son, but the Father" (Matt. 11:26). Christ is called "The Word of God," because he is the embodiment and revelation of the glorious, triune God (John 1:1-3; 14-18; Col. 2:9-10). He sets before us, in human form, the mind, will, heart, nature, and glory of God. We know these things. Yet, we recognize such mysterious majesty and such majestic mystery in him that we readily acknowledge our ignorance concerning him. Our great Savior is unspeakably, unknowably glorious. Who can understand and know the mystery of his Person, the depth of his love, the wonder of his redemption, the treasure of his grace, or the blessedness of his peace?
THE ARMIES THAT FOLLOW HIM ARE THE SAINTS OF GOD, SINNERS SAVED BY THE GREAT MAN OF WAR (v. 14). "These are they which follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth" (Rev. 14:4). The church of God is a mighty army, steadily advancing through this world under the direction of Christ himself.
The church of God marches as many armies under one great Captain. Though we are one in Christ, God’s church scattered throughout the earth, through all the ages of time, is made up of many armies. At any one time, in any given place, it seems to be a small army of rag-tag nobodies. But God’s church is many. And this army is strong beyond imagination. All the battalions of Christ’s kingdom are engaged under one banner (the cross), fight under the direction of one King (Christ), and fight for one cause (the glory of God).
All who follow Christ are mounted, like him, upon white horses. As he fares, they fare, for they are all one with him. These white horses mean the same thing here as when we see Christ himself upon a white horse. They represent high honor, great power, wonderful speed, and certain victory.
All who follow Christ in this mighty army are well armed. They have neither sword, nor spear, nor bow, nor gun. They do not even have a little derringer hidden away in case of an emergency. There are no emergencies for Christ and his people! Their only armor is the bright white righteousness of Christ. They are "clothed with fine linen, white and clean." Christ is our Strength, our Defense, our Refuge, and our Shield. We march with him through this world, in hostile enemy territory. But we are never the ones who do battle. We are engaged in the warfare, yes; but "the battle is the Lord’s" (II Chron. 20:15-17). Therefore, we are assured and confident of victory (Rom. 8:36-39). Until our Captain is taken, not one of his recruits can fall (Matt. 1618).
"Rejoice, believer, in the Lord, Who makes your cause His own;
The hope that’s built upon His Word cannot be overthrown!
As surely as He overcame and triumphed once for you,
So surely you that love His name shall triumph in Him too!"THE WARFARE HE WAGES IS ALTOGETHER SPIRITUAL (v. 15). As you look through the ranks of these great armies, there is not one weapon among them. But there is a sword, not in the hand, but in the mouth of our great Man of War, the Lord Jesus Christ. The sword by which our Savior conquers the hearts of men is the gospel of his grace (Heb. 4:12). Our warfare is not carnal, but spiritual. Our only weapons are the Word of God and prayer (II Cor. 10:4). We are not sent into the world to reform men’s lives, or even to reform society. We are sent to preach the gospel for the conversion of sinners, for the saving of God’s elect. Our only mission is the preaching of the gospel. Those who are not subdued by the gospel, our Lord will subdue by the iron rod of his inflexible justice. And in the end he will tread his enemies beneath his feet in the winepress of the fierceness of the wrath of God.
THE CAUSE OF THIS WARFARE IS REBELLION AGAINST CHRIST THE KING (v. 16). The Lord God is determined to make all creatures in heaven, earth, and hell bow to his Son. All Christ’s enemies shall be made his footstool (Psa. 110:1; Heb. 10:13). Every creature will be compelled, either by the gospel of the grace of God or by the iron rod of his justice, to bow before the Lord Jesus Christ and confess that he is and rightfully deserves to be "KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS." Christ the mighty Man of War shall win the day (Isa. 45:22-25).