REVELATION 19 THE RETURN OF JESUS2011 Teaching by Jerry B Simmons

Teaching Transcript: Revelation 19 The Return Of Jesus

But as we look at Revelation chapter 19 this morning...

Once again, looking briefly at the outline of the book of Revelation, we are looking at the things that are yet to come. We talked about the past things, that was in chapter 1. We talked about the present time, that was in chapters 2 and 3. And now we're looking at those future events that have yet to happen. And here in chapter 19, we're looking at a specific future event, which we refer to as the return of Jesus Christ.

It's one of those events that is going to take place. This is one of those things which must shortly happen. We are looking forward to the rapture of the church. You and I as believers, we're excited about the time that we will be caught up to meet the Lord in the air. And then you know how it goes. We've been studying for many weeks now. The earth is going to go through seven years of tribulation. But the tribulation comes to an end when Jesus Christ comes back.

He comes back and He sets foot upon the earth and that is known as the second coming of Jesus Christ or the return of Jesus Christ. Here in chapter 19 we're really getting into the climax of the book of Revelation.

Remember back in chapter 1, it talks about this is the revelation of Jesus Christ. And all the things that we've studied up thus far are all leading to and preparing the way for Jesus to be revealed. And here in chapter 19, we have Him revealed. And as He returns, what we're seeing here in chapter 19, is He comes back with this loud and awesome and impressive worship.

In verse 1 it says, After these things I heard a loud voice of a great multitude in heaven saying, Alleluia! Salvation and glory and honor and power belong to the Lord our God.

As Jesus returns, there's this chorus of Alleluia, Hallelujah, crying out from the multitude that's in heaven. It's perhaps the angels, as well as the church, as well as the Old Testament saints and the martyred saints that we've seen throughout the book of Revelation. All of them are joining together to cry out, Hallelujah! This is going to be an incredible time and all of God's children will rejoice.

I like what David Guzik says. He says, you know, there's something precious and irreplaceable about quiet times with the Lord. And I'm sure you're familiar with that. But there's something absolutely thrilling about a large number of Christians worshiping God loudly with enthusiasm. And that's what's going to happen. The choirs of heaven, you and I, will be there and we will be crying out, Hallelujah! Hallelujah!

That word hallelujah or hallelujah, it means to praise the Lord. And it's in the imperative tense, which means that it's commanded. That you and I are to praise the Lord. And we'll be calling out to one another, praise the Lord. He is worthy to be praised.

salvation and glory and honor and power belong to Him. Not to us. We cannot earn our salvation. It doesn't belong to us. It is given to us by God. He has all glory and all honor and all power. It all belongs to Him. And so as He returns, we are going to worship because it will be the fulfillment of His plan. And

We will be recognizing His work and worshiping Him together. Another reason that we will worship in verses 2 and 3 is that His judgments are righteous. It says, For true and righteous are His judgments, because He has judged the great harlot who corrupted the earth with her fornication, and He has avenged on her the blood of His servants shed by her. Again they said, Alleluia! Her smoke rises up forever and ever.

And so we'll worship Him because salvation belongs to Him, glory, honor, and power belongs to Him, but also because He is bringing in righteousness, and He has brought forth judgments. All of those tribulation things that we've been studying, you and I as believers in heaven, even though it's hard for us to understand them now, we will look back at those things and say, yes, God, it's right. What you did, those judgments are right, and they're just, and they're true.

That is appropriate and it was what was necessary. And so we will cry out and say, Alleluia. Yes, praise the Lord for His judgments. Then in verse 4 it says, And the 24 elders and the 4 living creatures fell down and worshipped God who sat on the throne saying, Amen, Alleluia.

The 24 elders here we dealt with back in Revelation chapter 4 and 5. These are representing the church. It's either the church collectively or representatives of the church that are there. But it is the church. And so the 24 elders, the church, we bow down there as Jesus returns. And we worship Him saying, Amen. Yes, so be it. Hallelujah. Praise the Lord.

The four living creatures as well we dealt with in Revelation 4 and 5 and you can check those out later. But I would like you to consider something as we look at these first four verses. Consider, remember the point, the fact that we will be there.

You and I as believers in Jesus Christ, we will be in heaven celebrating with the angels, with the multitude, with this great and loud worship. The multitude in heaven will worship and we'll be there. We'll be part of it. We'll get to see Jesus as He descends from heaven for His second coming, for His return.

And we're going to be involved in that worship that goes on. Calling out to one another, praise the Lord. He's worthy. It all belongs to Him. His judgments are right and true. Hallelujah. Praise the Lord. And so we are going to spend some time this morning praising the Lord. Worshiping Him. And as we spend this time praising the Lord together, I'd like you to consider something that

The great preacher Charles Spurgeon wrote, he says,

And we would get it through as quickly as we could and have done with it. The sooner the better. No, no. All that is within me, bless His holy name. Come my heart, wake up and summon all the powers which wait upon thee. Mechanical worship is easy but worthless.

Come, rouse yourself, my brother. Rouse thyself, O my soul. And so let's stand together and rouse up our hearts and prepare and practice. Because one day we're going to be there and we're going to worship Him with all that we are as we watch Him return. Let's praise the Lord together. Because I will worship You for who You are. I will worship You for who You are.

I will worship you for who you are, Jesus.

Standing here in your presence. Standing here in your presence. Thinking of the good things you have done. Waiting here patiently.

just to hear your still small voice again holy righteous faithful till the end

Healer, Redeemer, and Friend, I will worship you for who you are.

Jesus I will worship I will worship you for who you are I will worship you for who you are I will worship you for who you are Jesus Standing here in your presence

Standing here in your presence Thinking of the good things you have done Waiting here patiently Just to hear your still small voice again Holy, righteous, faithful till the end Savior

Be their receiver and friend. I worship you for who you are. I worship you for who you are. I worship you for who you are.

Jesus, we will worship, I will worship you for who you are. I will worship you for who you are. I will worship you for who you are.

Jesus My soul secure My soul secure Your promise sure Your love endures Always My soul secure My soul secure

Your promise sure, Your love endures always. I will worship You for who You are. I will worship You for who You are. I will worship You for who You are. Jesus.

I will worship you for who you are. I will worship you for who you are. I will worship you for who you are. Jesus. We will worship you for who you are. We will worship you for who you are. We will worship you for who you are.

We will worship you for who you are. Jesus. Yes, Lord. It's our heart's desire this morning, God, that you would be glorified, Lord, through our lives and the way we live for you, Lord. And we pray as we continue to worship God that may you be glorified, Lord. And may you receive the praises of your people, Lord, this morning. In Jesus' name.

A strange and lovely sound I hear it in the thunder and rain It's ringing in the sky Cannons in the night As the music of the universe plays It's falling from the clouds It's falling from the clouds A strange and lovely sound I hear it in the thunder and rain

It's ringing in the sky, cannons in the night. It's the music of the universe where we're singing. You are holy, great and mighty. The moon and the stars declare who you are. So unworthy, but still you love me.

Forever my heart will sing of how great you are. Great you are. Beautiful and free. Beautiful and free. Song of galaxies. It's reaching far beyond the Milky Way. It's joining with the sound. Come on, let's sing it loud.

As the music of the universe plays. We're singing, we're singing, you're holy. We're singing, you are holy. Great and mighty. The moon and the stars. Defend who you are. I'm so unworthy. But still you love me.

Forever my heart will sing of how great you are. How great you are. We're singing you are holy. We're singing you are holy. Great and mighty.

I'll draw you on.

Oh glory all the power is yours Amen Oh glory all the power is yours Amen Oh glory all the power is yours Forever I'm new I'm old I'm blue in the sky I declare who you are I'm so unworthy

But still you love me forever, my heart will sing of how great we're singing. You are holy, great in mighty, the moon and the stars.

Amen. You can be seated.

We're continuing on now in Revelation chapter 19 and picking it up in verse 5 it says, Then a voice came from the throne saying, Praise our God, all you His servants, and those who fear Him, both small and great. And so as this heavenly scene develops, as Jesus is returning, there's this great multitude that's worshipping and then a voice comes from the throne.

encouraging us to continue in worship, saying, Praise our God, notice who it's addressed to, all you His servants, and those who fear Him, both small and great.

And again, I would ask you to consider the fact that we will be there. You know, whatever is happening in your life at this moment, whatever you've brought with you in here this morning, we will one day, we know the future, we will one day, we know how it ends. One day, you and I will be there rejoicing and celebrating with all of heaven as Jesus returns.

And a voice from the throne will come forth and say to you and say to me, Praise our God. All of His servants, both small and great, were all included, young and old, beautiful and ugly. Praise the Lord. We're all beautiful, right? Praise the Lord. We'll be commanded and called and we'll be participating in this incredible worship. And again, there's a chorus that says, Alleluia, praise the Lord.

For the Lord God omnipotent reigns. That word omnipotent means all-powerful. We will be praising Him because the Lord God all-powerful, almighty, King of kings and Lord of lords reigns. He is on the throne. He will accomplish His will. He is good and everything that He does is good and right and worthy of praise. Praise Him.

Verse 7 says, "...Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready. And to her it was granted to be arrayed in fine linen, clean and bright, for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints."

Here in verse 7 and 8 we see the marriage of the Lamb. That is the marriage of Jesus to His bride. That is the church. And at the rapture of the church we're caught up to be with the Lord. And that seven year period where the earth is going through tribulation. We're in heaven celebrating the marriage feast. As we are united together with our Savior and Lord Jesus Christ. And at the end of that seven year feast...

This is what occurs. Jesus returns to the earth to establish His kingdom. And so we're worshiping, we're praising. It's the celebration that happens at the end of that seven year celebration with Jesus in heaven that you and I will participate in. The marriage of the Lamb has come. It's been accomplished. We've been united together with Jesus. We've been in heaven with Him. His wife, the bride, the church, we've made ourselves ready and we're

clothed in fine linen clean and bright imagine that for just a moment arrayed in white linen we will be there in heaven with Jesus the marriage of the Lamb has come you and I at that point will have been brought to completion

According to the promise given to us in Philippians 1.6. We will have been presented to Jesus as the pure and spotless bride. Again, no matter what you're going through this morning and what things you've been practicing and what filthiness exists in your life today, as a believer in Jesus Christ, there will be that day as we are in heaven with Jesus that we will be arrayed in pure, clean and bright fine linen.

In Ephesians chapter 5, Paul talks about this relationship of Christ and the church as husband and wife, as we are the bride of Christ.

And he tells us to follow the example of Jesus as husbands. Because what does Jesus do? Well, he loved the church. He gave himself for her. That he might sanctify and cleanse the church with the washing of water by the word. And that he might present her, that is the church, to himself a glorious church. Not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing. But that she should be holy and without blemish.

As we continue to worship the Lord together, let us worship Him because of the work that He is going to do. He is going to bring you to completion. No matter what it looks like now, and now there's some things that you face, and perhaps there's sins that you're struggling with and wrestling with, and it feels like, I will never overcome these.

Remember, we will be there that day. As Jesus returns, we're coming back with Him. We'll have been with Him there at the marriage supper of the Lamb. We will be clothed in clean and bright, pure linen, the righteous acts of the saints, which is really the righteousness of Jesus Christ that's given to us by faith in Him.

And He is going to present us as a glorious church. Whatever assessment you may think of yourself this morning, whatever assessment, and you might look at your life and think, "Man, it's just, it's filthy and I'm wrestling and I want to get rid of these things." We're looking at, we're looking ahead into our future and understanding that God's Word will be fulfilled. We will have been brought to completion at this point.

And He will present us to Himself as a glorious church without spot, without blemish, without wrinkle. And so let's continue to praise the Lord and worship Him together. And let's try, let's see if we can practice and prepare for this loud voice of a great multitude that will be happening then. Like many waters and mighty thunderings. Let's let it out. Let's worship Him because one day...

We're going to be clothed in clean and bright pure linen because Jesus will have finished the work in us. Let's worship Him for what He's going to do in our lives.

is

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He reigns through all the universe. His glory covers all the earth. His God is made in mighty words. And we proclaim Him as our Lord and King.

Worthy, worthy, worthy, worthy, worthy is the Lamb of God.

is is

♪ Ways in power and glory, He bears the name above all names ♪ ♪ He reigns, He reigns through all the universe ♪ ♪ His glory covers all the earth, His star is made in mighty words ♪

And we proclaim Him as our Lord, He reigns to all the universe. His love He covers all the earth, His God is great in mighty words. And we proclaim Him as our Lord and King. And we proclaim Him as our Lord and King.

And we proclaim Him as our Lord and King.

As we continue on in verse 9, it says, Then He said to me, Write, Blessed are those who are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb. And He said to me, These are the true sayings of God. And I fell at His feet to worship Him. But He said to me, See that you do not do that. I am your fellow servant and of your brethren who have the testimony of Jesus. Worship God for the testimony of Jesus.

is the spirit of prophecy. As John is overtaken and overcome at this incredible scene, he bows down to worship this angel that's delivering to him these words. He's seeing the vision, this angel's explaining things to him, and he bows down to worship this angel because he's so overcome by the things that are going on.

And the angel corrects him and he says, no, look, I'm just a fellow servant. Who are you to be worshipping? Who is it that is to be the object of your affection? Who is it that's to be your passion? Who is it that you and I are to worship? Well, we are to worship Jesus. Now he says, write down. Here's something to take note of. Blessed are those who are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb.

Who is it that's called to the marriage supper of the Lamb? It's the church, the bride of Christ. Listen, this morning I would ask you to consider, do you have your wedding invitation? Have you RSVP'd? Have you made plans, made preparations to be with Jesus for that marriage feast? Are you right with God? Are you walking in a relationship with Jesus Christ? Have you received marriage?

The forgiveness that He offers. Have you received the offer of salvation? Have you been born again? He says, these are the things that are going to happen. And He says, these are the true sayings of God. Listen guys, this is for real. These things are really going to take place. This is really what will happen. It will be the heavenly scene as the church is celebrating with Jesus.

At the completion of the work that He has done in us. Then as He returns, we'll be worshipping. It will be this great and loud celebration that is going on. And so the angel tells John to worship God. That is what you and I are called and commanded to do. To worship God. He says, because the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.

These things that we are reading through, the prophecies that we're studying on Sunday mornings, on Wednesday evenings, these are the testimony of Jesus. And these prophecies, the prophecies of the Scriptures, should bring us not to worship anything else, but it should bring us to worship God.

A true moving of God's Spirit, Pastor Chuck says, moves the hearts and the lives of people to draw near to Jesus Christ. A true moving of God, a true work of God, the prophecies contained in the Scriptures bring us to the point of worship.

As we see this marriage supper of the Lamb, we see blessed are those who are called to this marriage supper. We get a glimpse into our future where we will be as these things are taking place. It's a motivation, it's inspiration for us to worship God.

And so once again, we want to continue to worship the Lord. Listen, this is for real. These are true sayings. This is certain. It will take place. You are invited to the marriage supper. Jesus is going to finish the work that He began in you. He's drawing us close this morning. And these words of prophecy that we're studying lead us to worship Him and to praise Him.

So let's continue to worship Him together as we prepare our hearts for that day when we will be with Him. We fall down.

We fall down, we lay our crowns at the feet of Jesus, the greatness of Jesus.

His mercy and love at the feet of Jesus. And we cry, Holy, Holy, Holy. And we cry, Holy, Holy, Holy. And we cry, Holy, Holy,

Holy is the Lamb. We fall down. We fall down. We lay our crowns at the feet of Jesus. The greatness of His mercy and love.

At the feet of Jesus If we cry holy, holy, holy If we cry holy, holy, holy If we cry holy, holy, holy

We fall down. We lay our grounds at the feet of Jesus. The greatness of His mercy and love.

At the feet of Jesus And we cry holy, holy, holy

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And we cry, Holy, Holy, and we cry, Holy, Holy is the Lord.

Set apart, Lord, from this world. And so, Father God, we pray that you would soften our hearts this morning. Lord Jesus, let me pray. Amen.

Amen. Well, as we continue here in chapter 19, we'll be now looking at the rest of the portion, verses 11 through 21, and following a more traditional type of studying the Word together. But as I was preparing for this morning, and reading verses 1 through 10, you know, the Lord really told me, listen, this is not something that you really need to spend a great time, you know, explaining or talking about. It's something we just need to look forward to and start

practicing right now, praising God and worshiping Him as we get a glimpse of where we will be in these things that will be taking place. And so there's four things here in chapter 19 that I'll be sharing with you this morning. The first thing is that we've been already looking at in verses 1 through 10 is that Jesus returns with great worship. There's going to be this loud, this awesome, great, you know, worldwide, multi-language, multi-national worship.

Choir, as Jesus returns, of those that God has redeemed, of those that He has delivered, and we will be there in heaven with Him, worshiping and praising Him as He returns to the earth.

Well, the next thing that we see going on in verses 11 through 13 is that Jesus returns in glory. Look at verse 11. It says, Then I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse. And he who sat on him was called Faithful and True. And in righteousness he judges and makes war.

When Jesus returns at the end of that seven year tribulation period, He is going to come in glory. And I don't mean just like a little bit of glory. I don't mean, you know, like there's a little bit of yellow crayon around Him when He comes. The glory is going to be, well, it's going to be brilliant beyond what we could imagine. He will return in His full glory.

John says, I saw heaven open. And he got a glimpse of this. And behold, there's a white horse. And the one who sat on this horse is called faithful and true. This is Jesus as He returns. He is faithful and He is true. You know, Jesus is one that you can count on. He is faithful to His Word. He is faithful to who He is. He does not change. He's immovable. He's immovable.

And He will come again in the fullness of His glory. Jesus, in talking about the last days in Matthew chapter 24, told us in verse 30 that the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven. And then all the tribes of the earth will mourn and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.

Jesus talking about this said, look, this is going to happen. Heaven is going to be opened. The Son of Man will appear. That is, Jesus will appear. And notice, all the tribes of the earth will mourn. The picture here in Revelation chapter 19 is the heavenly scene. And that's where you and I will be as believers in Jesus Christ. That's where all the believers who have gone before us in history will be. We'll be united together with them.

That's where those who are raptured will be, celebrating Jesus there in that heavenly scene. But those who are left on earth, those who have survived this far into the tribulation period, when they see Jesus, it will cause a different effect. It will not be worship, but it will bring mourning. Because they will see the Son of Man coming with power and great glory.

I have to be careful to pronounce that correctly because otherwise it sounds like He comes with power and great glory. But it's great glory. Great glory. He comes with His glory. He comes back in the fullness of who He is. The brightness of His shining.

You know, when Jesus came the first time, He came as a humble servant. He emptied Himself of His glory and humbled Himself, became a man. He put on humanity and He became obedient to the point of death, even the death on the cross. That was His first coming. He came to serve, to die, to pay the price for sin. But this second coming of Jesus...

is the opposite of that. He comes to reign as king. He comes forth as conqueror. In righteousness, He judges and makes war. If you remember back to Revelation chapter 16, as we studied those seven bowls, and they're poured out upon the earth and the judgments that happen. Well, the sixth bowl that is poured out upon the earth there in Revelation 16...

causes the armies of the earth to unite, to gather together to meet at Armageddon or the Valley of Megiddo. These unclean spirits go forth from the dragon and the false prophet and the Antichrist and they lead the world's armies to Armageddon. And so all of the world's armies are amassed together there. The Antichrist is there. There's a major battle about to take place.

Now there is a question about whether these armies gather together to fight against each other. And that's a possibility. And then when Jesus returns, then they turn their weapons against Him to try to destroy the plan of God. But it also could be that these are actually gathered together because their intentions are not to fight against one another, but to fight against Jesus when He returns. That's what it declares a little bit later on. We'll see. And so...

These armies are gathered together. There's this great battle and Jesus will come back. He will judge in righteousness and make war with these armies that are gathered together at Armageddon. He will wage war against unrighteousness as He establishes His kingdom. There verse 12 says, "...His eyes were like a flame of fire, and on His head were many crowns. He had a name written that no one knew except Himself."

John gives us a little description here of Jesus as He comes in His glory. You remember back in John chapter 17, the prayer that Jesus prayed to the Father as He was preparing to go to the cross? It was kind of like Him checking in and giving His report of what He did and He's sharing with the Father Jesus.

I've been faithful to what you've called me to do. I've not lost any of them except for the one that was given over to perdition. I've been faithful to give them the word. They've received your word and they're going to go into the world. They're going to make disciples. He's sharing all these things with the Father. And in John chapter 17 verse 5, as part of his prayer, he says, And now, O Father, glorify me together with yourself with the glory I had before the world was.

Jesus had laid aside His glory for the first coming. And He came in the form of a man. But now His prayer to the Father, His time is done. He's going to the cross. And now He says, now it's time Lord, glorify me together with Yourself with the glory that I had before the world began. This will be that time when the world will see Him in His glory. Now we will get to see Him in His glory tomorrow.

When we go to meet Him. Whether it be by rapture or by our lives coming to an end. As believers in Jesus Christ, we will stand before the Lord. We'll be in His presence. But the world will see His glory. As the heavens are opened. As the armies are gathered together there at Armageddon. And He returns His eyes like a flame of fire. With His glory, He comes. On His head are many crowns. Speaks of His authority.

It's interesting as you look at chapter 19, I would encourage you to maybe spend some time in this later on and compare and contrast the first coming of Jesus and the second coming of Jesus. In the first coming of Jesus, He received a crown of thorns.

As he was put to death upon the cross. But at his return, at his second coming, he is wearing many crowns. Because all authority in heaven and on earth has been given to him, Jesus said in Matthew chapter 28. And as he comes, he has a name written that no one knows except himself. That's an interesting phrase because it causes me to think, you know, what good is a name that nobody knows?

How do you know to call them if you don't know their name, right? What good is it to have a name that nobody knows? But name, biblically speaking, speaks of more than just something that we call someone. But a name speaks of the character and the nature of a person. And so it's interesting as we see this revelation of Jesus Christ that we've been talking about all the way throughout.

This book. The revelation of Jesus as He returns. And as we get a glimpse of some of the things that are still going to happen in the next few chapters, there's still much that we don't know about Jesus. There's still elements of His character and His nature that we're going to be discovering and learning as we spend eternity with Him. As awesome as the things that have been accomplished for us by Jesus, there's still more.

He went to the cross and He accomplished salvation for us. As we worshipped earlier, salvation belongs to the Lord. And that is glorious. That is amazing. But there is still more to this person, Jesus Christ. This God who loved us so much that He died upon the cross for our sin.

As awesome and incredible as the rapture is, and boy do we look forward to that day, there's still more to Jesus than that moment when we're caught up to be with Him. As awesome as the return of Jesus here is recorded in chapter 19, that's incredible, that's amazing, but there's still more to come. He has a name that's written which no one knows except Himself. His character, His nature, His purpose.

will still be revealed to us. It will be the process of being revealed as we enter into eternity with Him. Verse 13 says, He was clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called the Word of God. And so as He comes back, and John's describing this scene, He comes back and His robe is dipped in blood.

Now it's either His own blood or the blood of His enemies. And there's some discussion that you could have about that. It seems to me personally that this is His own blood because this description is happening before the army is killed. And that happens at the end of chapter 19. And so it seems it's a reminder of the blood of Jesus Christ. How powerful it is. It's a central part of who He is and the work that He has done.

There is also an interesting account though in Isaiah chapter 63. Something you can spend some time in on your own later. Where it refers to this one who's coming back from trampling the wine press. Talking about fury and judgment. Talking about...

The winepress of judgment. And his garments are dyed red from the blood of the winepress. Of the judgment of God. The enemies of God. And so Isaiah chapter 63 deals with that. And that also could be what's talked about here. His robe that's dipped in blood. Because he is bringing forth the judgment of God upon this world that has rejected him.

We also see here that His name is called the Word of God. And so some aspects of who Jesus is, His character, His nature, His purpose are still going to be revealed. But other aspects of who He is, we know. His name is called the Word of God. You remember back in John chapter 1, in the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God.

Then in verse 14, And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory. The glory is of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. Jesus is linked to the Word of God. He is the Word. He is the eternal Word. And these words that we hold in our scriptures speak of Jesus. This is all about Him.

And so as we look here at chapter 19, first of all, we see that Jesus returns with great worship, but here we also see that he returns in glory. We get to see, and the world will see, the fullness of his glory, understanding who he is, and that he is King of kings and Lord of lords.

Well, number three this morning, continue on in chapter 19, we find that Jesus returns with an army. There in verse 14 it says, And the armies in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, followed him on white horses. Here we see that when Jesus returns, there's an army that comes with him. The armies in heaven. Who are the armies in heaven?

Who is this group of people that makes up this army? Well, I'm excited to be able to tell you. This is us. This is the church. This is those who have believed in Jesus Christ. When Jesus returns, we will come riding with Him.

We will return with Him to the earth. We'll have been with Jesus during that seven year tribulation period. Maybe longer if you go to be with the Lord before the rapture of the church. We'll be with Him for some time and then we will return with Him.

Jude makes reference to this. Actually, he makes reference to a prophecy of Enoch. In Jude chapter 1 verse 14 it says, Now Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied about these men also, saying, Behold, the Lord comes with ten thousands of His saints. The Lord is coming with His saints. He will be bringing His saints along with Him. And it goes on to say, To execute judgment on all, to convict all who are ungodly,

For their ungodly deeds. When He comes to deal with unrighteousness upon the earth, He's bringing His saints with Him. And so it says that the armies in heaven are with Him and they're clothed in fine linen. Now this is an interesting picture. What army do you know that wears fine linen? What army is there that wears fine linen into battle?

I don't think the United States armies wear fine linen into battle. I'm pretty sure none of the other world empires wear fine linen. Even in the olden days, they didn't wear fine linen into battle. Fine linen is not battle attire. It's not what an army would wear because there's no protection there. Fine linen is just, well, it's fine linen. It's just soft cloth. But this is what this army is wearing. Why? Why?

Because we've got Jesus. We don't need armor. What do we need armor for? Jesus is with us. And He's King of kings and Lord of lords returning in His glory. We don't need armor. We're His armies. We're with Him. But He's our defense. He's our defender. He's the one who will fight the battle. You know, for us today, Paul tells us in Ephesians 6, Hey, make sure you put on your spiritual warfare. Put on the breastplate of righteousness. Righteousness.

Put on the helmet of salvation. Take up the shield of faith. You need armor today. Because while the enemy, he is roaming around like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. There's a need for us to be prepared, to be on guard, to be in the word, to be in prayer. To be shielded and protected. To armor up. But when we go to be with Jesus, it's done. The battle's over. We come back victorious.

As an army in fine linen. We will not need armor any longer. Jesus fights the battle for us. And our fine linen is white and clean. Oh man, this is so amazing. So incredible. White and clean. You know, it used to really mean...

a lot, it was significant, on a wedding day when a bride would come down the aisle in her white dress, it was something that was significant, it was something that was prominent. It meant she was a virgin. It meant that she was pure. She was preserved and kept for the husband that she would be married to. Now these days, nobody really cares about that. Maybe some of us do, but just because a bride wears white...

It doesn't mean that she has saved herself for marriage. But as it talks about here, us returning with Jesus white and clean, it has that same symbolism as the wedding dress once had. It speaks of purity, of cleanness. Now, not that we are perfect. Of course not. Not right now. Not that we are sinless. No, not right now. But in that day, when we return with Jesus, listen, listen.

The work was completed for us at the cross. By faith in Jesus Christ, His righteousness is accredited to us. And when God looks at us, even though we still fall short, we still sin, God sees the righteousness of Christ in us. We're covered in His righteousness, clothed in His righteousness, clothed in this white and clean linen. And so that's how God sees us. That's the reality of who we will be.

as we work out the process of sanctification, as God is working in our hearts and lives and bringing us to completion, in that day we will be completed. In Philippians chapter 1 verse 6, Paul says that we are confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ. This will be a day of completion when we stand before Jesus.

will be complete. The work will be finished. You know, sometimes you face those projects in life that they just seem endless. And it's never going to be completed. It's never going to be finished. And as we look at the work that really needs to take place in our hearts and our lives, we probably feel that same way. That, man, it's never going to be... How could God ever finish this? Look at... There's so much to do in my heart.

There's so much that I still wrestle with and struggle with. There's so many ways that I still fall short. Man, Lord, this is never going to be done. But Paul says, look, you can be confident of this, that He who began a good work in you, has God begun a good work in you? Absolutely. Man, by faith in Jesus Christ, He's made you born again. He's started a new life. He's done a great work.

But He's not done with you. He doesn't just give you, you know, like a booster shot, you know, alright, you're a Christian, great, give you a little help there and then see ya. No, but He's continuing that work and He will continue that work until the day of Jesus Christ. And so what we see here is the armies of God return. This is us in the future and we come back with Him. We're completed at that time.

Wearing fine linen, white and clean, in purity and holiness. Oh man, it's going to be a glorious day. It's going to be awesome. I can't wait. Verse 15. Now out of his mouth goes a sharp sword, that with it he should strike the nations, and he himself will rule them with a rod of iron. He himself treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.

And so here is Jesus returns in His glory. John is describing Him. He is on a horse. He is called faithful and true. His eyes are like blazing fire. He has got many crowns. There is an army with Him. And out of His mouth goes a sharp sword. His word is powerful. His word is powerful. Out of His mouth goes a sharp sword. Even as Jesus returns to bring righteousness,

To wage war on these armies that are gathered. He doesn't come with physical weapons. He comes with His Word. That's all He needs. His Word is a sharp sword. Living and active. It's sharper than any double-edged sword. It's powerful. With His Word, He will be victorious. Not only will He be victorious, but He will rule them with a rod of iron. He's going to strike the nations. And we'll see that at the end of this chapter.

As he deals with those that are gathered together at the battle of Armageddon. He's going to strike the nations, but then he himself...

He Himself will rule with the rod of iron. He is going to set up His kingdom and He is going to rule and reign upon this earth. And there will be righteousness and peace upon this earth. Because He will rule with the rod of iron. You will not be able to rebel against God. Humanity will not be able to rebel against God in those days. He will make sure of it. He will rule and He will reign. And we will talk more about that next week.

It says, He Himself treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. So He Himself will reign and He Himself treads the winepress. It's very specific here, very clear. It's Jesus who is bringing forth the wrath of Almighty God. Jesus told us in John chapter 5 verse 22 and 23, that the Father judges no one but has committed all judgment to the Son.

That is to Jesus. He goes on to explain that the reason is that all should honor the Son as they honor the Father. And he who does not honor Jesus does not honor the Father who sent him. Jesus is the one who brings forth justice and righteousness. And he will tread the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. Jesus is gracious and loving. And that's why...

He humbled Himself, became obedient to the point of death, there upon the cross, for your sin, for my sin. That's why He offers to us the opportunity of salvation. That's why He offers to us forgiveness. And He says, look, let me begin a good work in you, and I will continue to work it until completion, the day that you stand before me. He's gracious and He's loving. But don't let that make you think that He's not also holy and righteous.

He is holy and righteous. He's gracious and loving and He must deal with sin, but He gave Himself so that He could offer salvation to us. But He did not cease to be holy and righteous. And so as we look at John here describing that He will tread the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. Don't let that confuse you. Don't let that be concerning to you. Yes, He is gracious and loving.

But He's gracious and loving to offer us salvation by faith in Him. Because He is holy and righteous. And He will bring judgment upon sin. And He will bring the wrath of God upon mankind. Again, in Isaiah chapter 63, it talks about trampling that winepress and the blood of the enemies of God. The enemies of God will be punished. And we'll see that even more next week.

In Revelation chapter 14, we also see the same terminology, the same picture of trampling down the wine press in reference to the wrath of God. There's going to be great wrath that's poured out upon the earth as Jesus returns. For you and I as believers, this is exciting because we're coming back with Him. We're not the subjects of His wrath. We've not been appointed to wrath because we've received His grace. But those who reject the grace of God receive the wrath of God because that's what's deserved.

That's what's earned. Verse 16. And he has on his robe and on his thigh a name written, King of Kings and Lord of Lords. There as he returns, again John's describing him in this heavenly scene as he descends upon the earth and he sees him with a robe and on the robe is written, King of Kings and Lord of Lords. And also upon his thigh is written, King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

I always think about one time I heard Pastor Pancho Juarez sharing, and he talks about, you know, the first coming of Jesus. And we just celebrated that a little bit ago, right? And the Christmas songs that go along with it, you know, and there's silent night, you know, it's all soft and melodic. But the second coming of Jesus, he says, P.O.D. is going to be playing in the background. It's going to be some hard metal, whatever it sounds like. You can ask Javier later, he'll tell you.

He's going to come with a tattoo on his thigh. King of kings and Lord of lords. P.O.D. in the background. He's coming to make war. He's going to rock this world as he returns to establish his kingdom. He's king of kings and Lord of lords. Remember he has many crowns there in verse 12? To be king of kings means that he has all authority. He is the highest authority. There is no authority greater than him. He's Lord of lords. There's no Lord that's greater than him. He is the one authority.

That has all authority. He is the one to be worshipped. He is the one to whom all power and honor and glory belongs. He is King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Paul tells us in Philippians chapter 2 that every knee will bow at the name of Jesus. Why will every knee bow at the name of Jesus? Because He is King of Kings and Lord of Lords. He has all authority, all power. That's why we must submit ourselves to Him.

We just sang just a few moments ago, He reigns through all the earth. He reigns because He's King of kings and Lord of lords. But He gives you and I the opportunity to choose for ourselves to allow Him to reign. Those who choose to allow Him to reign experience His grace and His love and His salvation. But those who refuse to allow Him to reign, listen, He's King of kings and Lord of lords. He is the rightful Lord.

in every life and in every heart. Those who refuse that authority, those are the ones who will experience the wrath of God. Because they refuse, although He is King of kings and Lord of lords, they refuse to let Him reign in their hearts and in their lives.

And so as He comes back, He has the name written, King of Kings and Lord of Lords. And so Jesus returns, we saw, with great worship. He returns in glory. He returns with an army. And then finally, number four, as we finish off the chapter, He returns in victory.

Jesus returns in victory. Look at verse 17. It says, Then I saw an angel standing in the sun, and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the birds that fly in the midst of heaven,

Come and gather together for the supper of the great God, that you may eat the flesh of kings, the flesh of captains, the flesh of mighty men, the flesh of horses, and of those who sit on them, and the flesh of all people, free and slave, both small and great. And so now as Jesus is returning, as the armies are coming with him, the king is coming back to reign. There's an angel over here on the side, standing in the sun.

And he makes an announcement. He makes a proclamation. He sends out a dinner invitation. I imagine him having one of those triangles, right? He's like, ding-a-ling-a-ling-a-ling-a-ling-a-ling. Calling all birds. A feast is prepared. A feast is ready for you. Because all of these armies are gathered together in the valley of Megiddo there in Israel. Armageddon. They're gathered together. Jesus is returning. He's going to defeat them. They will be killed.

And so all of those who are gathered there will be the feast that is prepared for the birds of the air. The flesh, it says, of all people, free, slaves, small, great, no exceptions will be destroyed. Verse 19, I saw the beast, the kings of the earth and their armies gathered together to make war against him who sat on the horse and against his army.

And so who's all gathered together at this time? Well, it's the beast, that is the Antichrist, all of the kings of the earth and their armies, and they're gathered together, notice what it says, to make war against him who sat on the horse and against his army. As we come back with Jesus, this army that's on earth is going to be gathered together to make war against Jesus and against us. But we're wearing fine linen. You know why?

Because Jesus fights the battle. It doesn't matter if they turn against us. It doesn't matter if they intend, hey, we're going to kill those guys when they come back. So what? Let them make their threats. They'll be powerless before the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Now whether or not they were fighting each other before the return of Jesus and then they see Him come and they point their armies or their weapons at Him, that's not clear. But whatever the case may be, they join together now

To fight against Jesus. To try to stop Him from returning. And it reminds me of Psalm chapter 2 where the psalmist says, Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot a vain thing against the Lord's anointed? Man, people fight against Jesus all the time. Today it happens. We fight against the Lord. We try to stop His will. We try to stop His plan. We try to insist and force our way

It's useless. It's hopeless. You cannot win a battle against God. But these armies will be deceived. They'll be blinded by their sin. Their hearts will be hardened by their continual rebellion against God. And so as Jesus returns, they will turn against Him and try to prevent Him from returning. Verse 22.

Then the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet, who worked signs in his presence, by which he deceived those who received the mark of the beast, and those who worship his image. These two were cast alive into the lake of fire, burning with brimstone. So as Jesus returns, and those armies are gathered together, and they point their weapons at Jesus to try to make war against him, he captures the beast and the false prophet, the antichrist and the false prophet.

We dealt with these guys back in chapter 13 and 14, chapter 16. These coming world leaders. They'll be captured first. And it tells us there that these two, the beast, that is the antichrist and the false prophet, will be cast into the lake of fire burning with brimstone. The lake of fire is what we usually refer to when we use the word hell. It's the permanent, the eternal place of judgment.

Now when the Bible uses the word hell, it actually refers to the temporary place of judgment. We'll deal with that next week in chapter 20. But this lake of fire, it's the permanent, it's the final place of judgment. It's the lake burning with brimstone. They're cast alive into this lake. Now this place of final judgment...

was not created for humans. It was not created for mankind. It was created for the devil and his angels. Jesus tells us that in Matthew chapter 25 verse 41. He says that the place of everlasting fire was prepared for the devil and his angels. God never intended. He never wanted. He never desired for any person to enter into eternal judgment. That was a place that was prepared for

For Satan and his demons when they rebelled against God. But the Antichrist and the false prophet who lead this final world rebellion against God. They will be captured as Jesus returns. And they will be the first to be thrown into the lake of fire. They will be the first inhabitants or occupants of the lake of fire. Satan will be cast in later. His demons will be cast in later. The Antichrist and the false prophet will be first. The rest of those who experience this final judgment first.

will be thrown in at the great white throne judgment. And again, that's something we'll get into next week in chapter 20. As we consider this though, it is important to understand what we're talking about is eternal judgment. That is what awaits those who reject God. That is what awaits those who refuse to receive the grace and the love of God. That is what awaits those who refuse to let Him reign in their hearts. He is King of kings and Lord of lords.

And He will reign. And those who refuse will experience everlasting judgment. Understand. Take note. It's not oblivion. It's not that they just cease to exist. The beast and the false prophet are cast, it says, alive into the lake of fire. It's not lifeless bodies. It's not, you know, something where they're alive and they're cast into the lake of fire. And then, 1,000 years later,

When the devil is cast into the lake of fire, in Revelation 20.10 it tells us that the devil is cast into the lake of fire where the beast and the Antichrist are. That they still exist. They haven't ceased to exist. They still exist. They're still continuing on in this place of everlasting judgment. This is not oblivion. It's not ceasing to exist. It's everlasting judgment. That's what's at stake here.

That's why the gospel message is, well, it's so incredible. Because that is what we deserve, that permanent place of judgment. But Jesus Christ humbled Himself and came and died upon the cross so that we don't have to go there. He never intended, that wasn't created for us. It's not His will that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. Verse 21 says,

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 rest were killed with the sword which proceeded from His mouth. Pastor Chuck says, Jesus says, drop dead. They're all gone. They're all dead. His word is powerful. There's no real battle. They want to fight against God, but there's no fight. He wipes them out with one word.

the sword out of his mouth. Jesus Christ reigns. As we look at chapter 19, there's some incredible things here, exciting things that we return with Him. And there's some sobering things too here as we see this eternal judgment and this wrath that's being brought forth as Jesus comes in righteousness. The return of Jesus is going to be awesome. I'm really looking forward to it. Are you looking forward to it? I'm looking forward. This is going to be incredible.

I'm ready for this day, man. Come quickly, Lord Jesus. I can't wait because I've received His grace and I'm ready for His return and I want Him to reign. I'm not fighting against that. I'm still weak and I still fall short. Yeah, there's still issues that God's dealing with but I'm not completed yet. He's still working in me and I can't wait for that day when His work will be complete and I stand with Him at the marriage supper of the Lamb.

And so for me, personally, I'm ready. What about you? Are you ready? This eternal judgment is what awaits those who reject Jesus Christ. And you can see, you can understand why there's a great need then for people to receive the grace of God. To have their sin forgiven by faith in what Jesus accomplished for us upon the cross. Sin cannot be forgiven by good works or by trying really hard. It can only be forgiven by

By receiving the forgiveness that Jesus offers by faith in His work. And so this morning, the worship team is going to come up and lead us in some final worship. And as they do,

Let's worship the Lord together. Let's prepare our hearts to be ready for His return. Let's invite Him to rule and reign in us. And listen, if you're not ready for His return, if you've not received Jesus Christ as your Savior and Lord, if you've not been born again, or perhaps you've gone astray and you've been fighting against God, you've been fighting against Him reigning in your hearts,

Take this time to get right with God. And you can do it there where you are, as you worship the Lord with us, asking Him to forgive you, turning to Him, repenting from sin, and inviting Him to rule and to reign in your life. You can turn to Jesus. You can receive His grace right now, or you can receive the wrath of God later.

I say let's turn to Him and receive His grace, His love, His goodness, and receive all of the incredible things for the rest of eternity that He has in store for us. Jesus is coming again soon. Let's get ready and be prepared for that day that we will meet Him. Let's worship the Lord together.

We pray you have been blessed by this Bible teaching. The power of God to change a life is found in the daily reading of His Word. Visit ferventword.com to find more teachings and Bible study resources.