Revelation Explained

This site contains my personal views on Revelation. I will be teaching through the book verse by verse. My teachings will be from a conservative evangelical background.

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Location: Brampton, Ontario, Canada

Sunday, September 21, 2008

Rider on the White Horse

"Then I saw Heaven open wide—and oh! a white horse and its Rider. The Rider, named Faithful and True, judges and makes war in pure righteousness. His eyes are a blaze of fire, on his head many crowns. He has a Name inscribed that's known only to himself. He is dressed in a robe soaked with blood, and he is addressed as 'Word of God.' " (Revelation 19:11-13 - The Message)

The Great Tribulation is at its end with the last half of this chapter The rule of the Anti-Christ is finished. Satan's hold on this world will be broken. Evil will be put down. After this battle, there will be a long and prosperous peace. John describes the leader of heaven's army and then the results of the battle.

John sees a rider upon a white horse. The rider is Jesus Christ. He is the Lord of hosts, the leader of heaven's army.

He is faithful: trustworthy, loyal, incorruptible, steady. He is true; there is no falsehood in him. His actions are righteous; they are pleasing to God; they are right, just, proper, fitting. He is not acting according to wrong motives. He judges according to what is just. This battle is a just one.
His eyes are like fire. They are bright, penetrating, lively. They seem to look right into and through people and things.

On his head are many crowns. This is the King of kings and Lord of lords coming to claim his throne.

Jesus has a name that no one knows except himself. This would imply that there are aspects and depths of the nature and character of Christ of which we, and even the angels, are unaware. We will never fully understand God.

Jesus is wearing a garment dipped in blood. There is some debate over this verse as to whose blood this is. It is either his own blood that he shed on the cross for our sins, or the blood of his enemies. This second possibility is based upon Isaiah chapter sixty-three verse three, where the Messiah says, “I have trodden the winepress alone; and of the people there was none with me: for I will tread them in mine anger, and trample them in my fury; and their blood shall be sprinkled upon my garments, and I will stain all my raiment.” (King James Version)

Since John sees this vision before the battle is joined, it would seem most likely that is is his own blood that stains his clothes. So as Jesus rides into battle, his enemies will see the blood that was shed for their sins. They will the scars in his hands from when he was crucified for their sins. They will the one who died for them. The one they rejected.