One of the greatest works of cinematic history is a movie by the name of Nacho Libre. Nacho is a luchador, a wrestler.
In the climax of the movie, Nacho is wrestling the fierce opponent, Ramses. Well, Nacho is struggling for a while, then he finally conquers Ramses, and the entire wrestling arena goes wild in celebration.
The story of Nacho Libre is a story of struggle and victory.
In the Book of Revelation, you may recall God’s people struggling. At times, they are struggling and asking the Lord to intervene.
In Revelation 6:10 . . .
“They cried out with a loud voice, ‘Lord, the one who is holy and true, how long until you judge those who live on the earth and avenge our blood?’”
The Christians in heaven were struggling, and they were longing for victory from the Lord.
Well, in Revelation 19, that moment of victory has come.
Look at verses 1 and 2:
1 After this I heard something like the loud voice of a vast multitude in heaven, saying,
Hallelujah!
Salvation, glory, and power belong to our God,
2 because his judgments are true and righteous,
because he has judged the notorious prostitute
who corrupted the earth with her sexual immorality;
and he has avenged the blood of his servants
that was on her hands.
In the Book of Revelation, we see struggle and victory.
In our passage today, we see one horse, two feasts, and much more.
Join me now in prayer as we prepare to hear from God’s Holy Spirit.
(prayer)
Ok, let’s discover four elements of this passage today.
First, we see . . .
I. Praise for God’s judgment.
You may recall that in verse 20 of Chapter 18, an angel says:
“Rejoice over her, heaven, and you saints, apostles, and prophets, because God has pronounced on her the judgment she passed on you!”
In Chapter 19, our passage for today, we see this continued theme of praising God for His judgment.
(return to Point #1 slide)
Look at verses 1-6:
1 After this I heard something like the loud voice of a vast multitude in heaven, saying,
Hallelujah!
Salvation, glory, and power belong to our God,
2 because his judgments are true and righteous,
because he has judged the notorious prostitute
who corrupted the earth with her sexual immorality;
and he has avenged the blood of his servants
that was on her hands.
3 A second time they said,
Hallelujah!
Her smoke ascends forever and ever!
4 Then the twenty-four elders and the four living creatures fell down and worshiped God, who is seated on the throne, saying,
Amen! Hallelujah!
5 A voice came from the throne, saying,
Praise our God,
all his servants, and the ones who fear him,
both small and great!
6 Then I heard something like the voice of a vast multitude, like the sound of cascading waters, and like the rumbling of loud thunder, saying,
Hallelujah, because our Lord God, the Almighty,
reigns!
We hear a beautiful word mentioned four times in these verses. That word is hallelujah.
Hallelujah means “Praise the Lord.”
Four times these voices from a mass multitude in heaven are saying, “Hallelujah! Praise the Lord!”
Why are they saying to praise the Lord? That’s a great question. Let’s see what the Bible says:
Verse 2 says, “ . . . because his judgments are true and righteous . . . ”
Verse 2 also says, “ . . . because he has judged the notorious prostitute who corrupted the earth . . . ”
Verse 3 says, “ . . . Her smoke ascends forever and ever!”
Verse 6 says, “ . . . because our Lord God, the Almighty, reigns!”
God’s people are told clearly and repeatedly to praise Him because He has brought great judgment on the empire of sin among humanity.
God’s judgments are true and righteous, God reigns, and God is worthy of worship and praise.
I won’t camp on this point too long because we talked about it last week. However, know that God is worthy of praise for all of who He is, including His justice and wrath.
Church, let us join the heavenly hosts by praising God for His judgments.
Second, we encounter the . . .
II. Preparation of God’s people.
The Bible gives many descriptors for the church, one of which is the bride of Christ. Just as a bride prepares to enter into her union with her groom, so also, God’s people are prepared to meet Him.
Look at verses 7-10:
7 Let us be glad, rejoice, and give him glory,
because the marriage of the Lamb has come,
and his bride has prepared herself.
8 She was given fine linen to wear, bright and pure.
For the fine linen represents the righteous acts of the saints.
9 Then he said to me, “Write: Blessed are those invited to the marriage feast of the Lamb!” He also said to me, “These words of God are true.” 10 Then I fell at his feet to worship him, but he said to me, “Don’t do that! I am a fellow servant with you and your brothers and sisters who hold firmly to the testimony of Jesus. Worship God, because the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.”
We see here that God is also to be praised because the marriage of the Lamb has come.
Of course, the Lamb is Jesus.
In ancient times, people celebrated weddings with meals or feasts. I don’t really like going to weddings, but I know that there will usually be some good food, so sometimes I’ll go.
In this passage, we hear about the marriage feast of the Lamb.
This moment is to be celebrated because Jesus will be joined with His bride, the Church.
We’re told that one of the ways that the bride will prepare herself for the groom is by adorning herself in fine linen.
This linen is said to be bright and pure.
We’re also pointed to a reminder that, as with many parts of Revelation, this is symbolic.
The linen is not literal; it represents something.
We’re told in verse 8, “ . . . the fine linen represents the righteous acts of the saints.”
The righteous acts of God’s people are preparation for a joy-filled union when we finally get to be face to face with Jesus.
The marriage is not literal; rather, it represents something. It represents the moment when we will finally be with Jesus.
All of the suffering; all of the faithfulness; all of the endurance; all of the waiting; all of the prayers; all of the fighting off of temptations; all the good works are preparing us for when we get to be with Jesus, the Lamb of God.
I can’t wait to see Jesus, and through our faithfulness on this earth, we are being prepared for that moment when we can be with Jesus forever.
Brothers and sisters, be faithful. Persevere in good works. Withstand temptation. In just a little while, we’ll be with Jesus forever.
Third, we see the . . .
III. Presence of God’s rider.
Here is the rider on the white horse that I’ve been waiting to mention for so long.
Let’s look at God’s Word; look at verses 11-16:
11 Then I saw heaven opened, and there was a white horse. Its rider is called Faithful and True, and with justice he judges and makes war. 12 His eyes were like a fiery flame, and many crowns were on his head. He had a name written that no one knows except himself. 13 He wore a robe dipped in blood, and his name is called the Word of God. 14 The armies that were in heaven followed him on white horses, wearing pure white linen. 15 A sharp sword came from his mouth, so that he might strike the nations with it. He will rule them with an iron rod. He will also trample the winepress of the fierce anger of God, the Almighty. 16 And he has a name written on his robe and on his thigh: King of Kings and Lord of Lords.
Wow, what a description of this rider, who is, of course, the Lord Jesus Christ.
The rider is on a white horse.
He is called Faithful and True.
The rider is not coming in peace. Rather, He judges and makes war.
His eyes were fierce like a flame.
He had many crowns on His head, representing the reality that He has ultimate authority over everyone.
He had a robe, not pure white, but dipped in blood. This blood is not His blood, by the way. Rather, it is the blood of those He has judged.
His name is the Word of God.
Notice also that He is joined by the armies of heaven, which are probably human armies, indicated by the fact that they are dressed in linen.
Also, a sword comes from the mouth of the rider, likely representing that He can simply speak and bring destruction and judgment.
He will rule with an iron rod, indicating He has supreme authority.
He will trample the winepress of the fierce anger of God, meaning that much blood will be spilled as people are judged for their sins.
In case there’s any doubt as to who this is, His robe and thigh are covered with His name: King of Kings and Lord of Lords.
This rider is Jesus. He will not come as He did the first time to shed His own blood. Instead, He will come to shed the blood of those who are under the judgment of God because of their rejection of God, His love, and His ways.
The rider will bring victory.
Finally, we encounter . . .
IV. Proof of God’s victory.
How do we know that God’s judgment will come upon sinners? How do we know that the rider will spill blood? How do we know that God’s army will be victorious?
Verses 17-21 tell us of the proof:
17 Then I saw an angel standing in the sun, and he called out in a loud voice, saying to all the birds flying high overhead, “Come, gather together for the great supper of God, 18 so that you may eat the flesh of kings, the flesh of military commanders, the flesh of the mighty, the flesh of horses and of their riders, and the flesh of everyone, both free and slave, small and great.”
19 Then I saw the beast, the kings of the earth, and their armies gathered together to wage war against the rider on the horse and against his army. 20 But the beast was taken prisoner, and along with it the false prophet, who had performed the signs in its presence. He deceived those who accepted the mark of the beast and those who worshiped its image with these signs. Both of them were thrown alive into the lake of fire that burns with sulfur. 21 The rest were killed with the sword that came from the mouth of the rider on the horse, and all the birds ate their fill of their flesh.
Here is the proof that God is victorious: The bodies of God’s enemies lie dead on the field of battle. Also, the leader of the armies of evil, the beast, also known as the antichrist, and his false prophet are thrown into the lake of fire.
We heard of one feast already, but we hear of a second feast here. The birds of the air will feast on the bodies of the dead enemies of God.
The gruesome images described in this passage let us know that there will be no doubt who wins this war. God’s victory will be full, and it will be obvious.
The armies will be killed, and the leaders of the armies will be cast into the lake of fire forever.
That takes us to our bottom line for today:
Bottom Line: The Lamb will have victory over the beast.
The beast (the antichrist) is a terrible copycat of the Lamb. He’s an imposter; he’s a chump.
The beast will be defeated when Jesus comes as the rider on a white horse, with power and victory.
Church, Jesus will win and we will be welcomed into His kingdom, to our heavenly home, to reign with Him forever.
Friends, don’t be discouraged, don’t live in fear, don’t live in doubt. If you belong to Jesus, victory awaits you.
Challenge yourself this week in this one way:
Weekly Challenge: Reject all that results from the beast.
I want to tell you about a boiled green banana. When I was in Jamaica, they offered boiled green bananas as part of the meal. It wasn’t a plantain, it was a green banana. It tasted like sidewalk chalk. I never ever want anything to do with another boiled green banana. I don’t want to see it, I don’t want to smell it, and I definitely don’t want to taste it; and neither should you. Everything about a boiled green banana is bad.
Now, that’s a silly illustration. However, what I’m going to say next is serious: Everything about the beast is bad.
I don’t want anything to do with the beast, and neither should you.
He will go to destruction, and if you allow him to, He will bring you to destruction as well.
Reject all that results from the beast.
Turn away from the beast and turn to the Lamb.
Turn away from sin and turn to Jesus.
(Gospel presentation)
(closing prayer)
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