The King Returns, Part 2b

Let's move from his designations to his demeanor. His demeanor. The text says he has eyes like a flame of fire. John saw his eyes. Like they were on fire. That penetrating gaze that pierce through and see everything, as you recall back in Revelation chapter one. Verse number 14, John says this, and his head and his hair were white like wool, like snow, and his eyes were like a flame. Of f. Man. A flame of fire. And there it was used as the Son of Man would walk around the Within the midst of the seven golden lampstand, which were representative of the seven churches, which are representative of all the churches, and that the The Son of Man would walk in and through each and every church with eyes like a flame of fire, being able to penetrate every heart of every man, being able to see all things that we have hidden and being able to bring them out.

And have them exposed because his eyes penetrate all things. It's a purifying gaze. His vision penetrates everything. You remember the first time he came?

His eyes glowed with compassion. His eyes filled with tears as he wept over the city of Jerusalem, as he wept over the grave of Lazarus, and now no more weeping. Now they are like a flame of fire, they are filled with wrath. He has come to search. He has come to destroy. They flash with fire to purge and purify with righteous judgment. He sees behind every mask. He sees into every heart. He sees to the depth of every man's soul. His eyes are like a flame of fire. Second, it says, in his head are many diadems.

Many diadems. It speaks of his regal authority. There are many diadems because he has collected them all. He is returning as the conquering king. So he has all of those crowns upon his head. It speaks of absolute sovereignty. Nobody else rules. Everybody else thinks they rule. The president of our country thinks he rules. The prime minister of Canada thinks he rules. They don't rule anything. The king rules. God Himself is the ruler. He is the one who wears all the diadems. He has absolute authority.

Go back to Revelation chapter 13, verse number 1. And what does it say of the Antichrist? It says, And I saw a beast coming up out of the sea and having ten horns and seven heads, and on his horns were ten diadems. And on his heads were blasphemous names. Over in Revelation tw, verse number three, it says this And another sign appeared in heaven, and behold, a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and on his heads were seven Diadems, seven diadems.

But now the rulers of the world will yield all their crowns. To the one and only true sovereign King of the universe, for he rules over all. The dragon has seven diadems, the beast has ten diadems, but Christ Now has them all, for he is the king. Revelation 11, verse number 15, sums it up. At the blowing of the seventh trumpet, it says this: The seventh angel sounded, and there arose loud voices in heaven, saying, The kingdom of the world. Has become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ, and He will reign forever and ever.

That sums it up. It's a fair exchange. For the crown of thorns. For now he wears all the crowns, for he is the king. And the next thing I want you to notice about his demeanor.

The text says in verse number 13, and he is clothed with a robe dipped in blood. This is a picture of judgment. It's not a picture of redemption. Jesus is coming with blood-spotted g. But you got to ask a question. Well, wait a minute. John sees him coming. He has a robe that's dipped in blood, but he hasn't fought yet. So how does he have a robe dipped in blood coming out of heaven when he hasn't fought the battle yet? May I remind you that this is not his first battle.

This is his last battle. That's important to understand. He fought for Israel in the days of Joshua. He fought the kings of Canaan and Tanakh by the waters of Megid. He vanquished six worlds in the past. He has battled the Pharaoh. He has done many battles. It's the Almighty Conqueror who battled sin at the cross and mingled his own blood with the blood of his enemies on his battle clothes. And now he'll be stained once again. For the last time, he'll be stained with the blood of his enemies. In Isaiah 63, when Isaiah sees him coming from Bozra, he sees them stained in blood because the battle has already begun.

But when John sees him, he's coming out of heaven. Heaven is opened. He has not yet fought the last battle. When Isaiah sees him in Isaiah 63, he's in the midst of vanquishing the enemy with blood-stained garments. He treads the winepress of the wrath of God, and blood will splatter everywhere. Everywhere. And thus, his last battle will end with complete victory, final victory, for he is the conquering king. The last thing I want you to see are his deeds. When he comes, what does he do? He comes.

To judge and to wage war. He comes to fight. Doesn come to give away his life. He comes to take the life of those who have not given their life to him. He comes to judge every man. Who has not looked at him as the supreme judge of all man? He comes to judge and wage war. As you recall back in chapter 2 of Revelation, the 16 verse, it says this. And the angel of the church in Pergram, right? The one who has a sharp two-ed sword says this: I know where you dwell. Where Satan's throne is, and you hold fast my name.

And then in verse 16, he says, Repent, therefore. or else I am coming to you quickly, and I will make war again them with the sword of my mouth. Our God is a warrior God. He wages war against ungodliness. He wages war against wickedness. He wages war against unbelief. He wages war against sin. But he is a Of war. In fact, Exodus 15, verse number 3 says, The Lord is a man of war. He is a man of war. It says over in Acts 17, verse number 31. God has fixed a day in which he will judge the world in righteousness through a man whom he has appointed, having furnished proof to all men by raising him from the dead.

A man has been appointed to judge the earth. Who is that? It's the man Christ Jesus, the one in whom God raised. From the dead. It's important for us to note that when Christ came the first time, wicked men judged him.

It was in the judgment hall called Gabbatha. For those of you who have been there, you're able to see what that judgment hall is like. You're able actually to go to the place in which they played the king's game, the judgment hall, Gabbatha, it's called. And there the wicked men would beat upon him and spit upon him and beat him and judge him, mock him, ridicule him. And thus they crucified him. The second time he comes, he's going to judge them.

And he treads the winepress alone. He comes to be the executioner. He alone has the power to bring about the final fury. When he came the first time, he was judged unrighteously.

As he stood before Pilate, Herod, Caiaphas, Annas, the crowd who cried for his blood, he was judged un. Unrighteously, un. But this time, he comes to judge. For he comes to wage war. He's unlike other kings who have conquered. They've conquered for selfish ambition. They've conquered for covetousness. They've conquered because of pride. But this king comes to conquer because he's righteous. For in righteousness he judges and wages war. This king comes to conquer in holiness, in purity and spotlessness, because he's clean and holy and pure and true.

But he comes because the Lord our God is a warrior. Those who have defied his judgments Scorn the gospel message during the tribulation, they will be judged. They will be literally slaughtered by the sword of his mouth. They've had the chance to repent. Over in Revelation chapter 9, just let me remind you of what it says in verses 20 and 21.

The rest of mankind, who were not killed by these plagues, did not repent of the works of their hands, so as not to worship demons, and the idols of gold, and of silver, and of brass, and of stone, and of wood. Which could neither see, nor hear, nor walk. And they did not repent of their murders, nor their sorceries, nor their immorality, nor of their thefts. They are in an unrepentant state. They've hardened their hearts. And yet, as you go through the book of Revelation, in Revelation 14, you still have the call.

From the angel in mid-heaven, rep, belie the gospel, fear God. And they still will not turn to him. And so, when you come to Revelation chapter 16, it says in verse number 9. And men were scorched with fierce heat, and they blasphemed the name of God, who has the power over these plagues, and they did not rep, so as to give him glory. Verse 11, and they blasphemed the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores, and they did not repent of their deeds. So, what you have at the very end of the tribulation is a world full of unrepentant people.

And then you have The coming of the sixth angel who pours out his bowl, and the great river the Euphrates dries up in order to gather all those people who have not repented into that valley called Megiddo. That they might wage war against God. The text says in verse number 14: For they are spirits of demons performing signs which go out to the kings of the whole world. To gather them together for the war of the great day of God the Almighty. That's the war. The Lord is a man of war. And he gathers them together in order to wage war against them.

He uses Satan to bring them all together. He is the Antichrist, the false prophet, to gather the world together for his purposes, that he might bring them like sheep before slaughter and destroy them all. He comes righteously to judge and to w war. The text says in verse number 14 of Revelation 19. And the armies which are in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, were following him on white horses. Who is that? Look at verse 8 of Revelation 19.

And it was given to her that is the bride to clothe herself in what? Fine linen, bright And clean. Who are the armies that come with him, clothed in fine linen, bright and clean? That's the bride. The church. It's us. We've already been raptured. We've already been in heaven for seven years. And now we're coming back with the King. He's coming back to present us to the world as His bride. We are part of the army, clothed in fine linen, bright and clean. But it also includes the tribulational saints.

How do we know that? Well, it says over in Revelation chapter 7. These words, verse number 9, Revelation 7, verse number 9. And after these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could count from every nation and all tribes and peoples and tongues. Sending before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes. Who's that? It's the tribulational martyrs. Verse number 13. And one of the elders answered, saying to me, These who are clothed in white robes, who are they? And from where have they come?

And he said to him, My Lord, you know. And he said to me, These are the ones who come out of the great tribulation, and they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood. Of the Lamb. So you have the church, the bride of Christ. You have the tribulational martyrs. They are clothed in fine linen, bright and clean. They're coming back as part of the army. There is another group that's over in Jude chapter 14. Excuse me, Jude, verse number 14. And about these also, Enoch in the seventh generation from Adam.

Prophesied saying, Behold, the Lord came with many thousands of his holy ones. Huh. Who's that? Many thousands of us holy ones. It could be angels. Most people would translate them as angels. holy ten thousand ones. It also could be the Old Testament saints, maybe, but it would seem likely that they are resurrected when he returns back to the earth, as Daniel writes in Daniel chapter twelve, verse number one.

Matthew 25:3 says that the angels are going to come with him. The bottom line is that you got thousands of people coming with him in fine linen, bright and clean, holy ones, pure ones, true ones. And he is leading the processional. What an event! What a day! The white horses are symbolic of the great warrior and the triumphant moment. Of the return of the king. Say, well, when we come back, what are we going to do? Well, we come to reign, according to 1 Corinthians 6, verse number 2. In Revelation 20, we'll read more about what we do here.

But we sit on thrones in the kingdom. We will have plenty to do in that millennial reign. We'll talk about that in Revelation chapter 20, our next chapter. And the text says that out of his mouth comes a sharp sword. What is that? It's a symbol of a slain power. John talks about that sword over in Revelation chapter 1, verse number 16, but there it was used to defend the church and to protect the church from Satan. Here, it's a sword of judgment. Here it's the sword of de. Why does it come out of his mouth?

It comes out of his mouth because when the Lord speaks. It's over. It's done. Once he spoke comfort. Once he spoke words of compassion. Once he spoke words of kindness. But not this time. He speaks words that destroy. Vengeance is mine. I will rep. Nobody else has any weapons. The armies on the white horses, clothed in fine linen, have no weapons with them. John sees them. They don't need them. Why? Because the sword that proceeds from the mouth of our Lord is all they need. All they need is what?

His word. It's a good reminder for us today, isn't it? All you need is God's word. That's all you need. You got to defeat the enemy? What do you need? His word. You got to get through it the next day. What do you need? All you need is his word. Men should not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds. Out of the mouth of God. Isaiah 11:4 says, By the breath of his lips, he will slay the wicked. He speaks the word. Remember in John 18 when the soldiers came to get him, the cohort, 600 men?

The 200 typical police came with them, a few others, 800 altogether, a little bit more than that. Whom do you seek? Jesus the Nazarene, I am He. And they all fell over backwards. All He said was, I am He. They all fell over. Could it be when the Lord comes back, all he's going to say is his name, and they will all be slaughtered. Just by saying his name. When he comes, he comes with a sharp sword. Why? Because he comes to smite the nations. He comes to destroy them. He's a god of war. He will rule with a rod of iron.

His rulership will be instantaneous. His rulership will be swift. His judgment will be sure. Justice will be immediate. And with great severity, and extremely accurate. The word for rule is translated shepherd. The shepherd's rod was used for correction. Christ is called the great shepherd in Hebrews 13, verse number 20, the good shepherd in John 10, 11, and the chief shepherd in 1 Peter 5, verse 2. Number four. The last thing he does, very clearly, it says, he treads the winepress of the fierce wrath of God.

The Almighty, a vivid symbol of judgments. He comes in fury. He comes in wrath. He comes in vengeance. He comes in judgment when he comes again. The prophet Joel recorded it this way: Proclaim this among the nations, prepare war, rouse the mighty men. Let all the soldiers draw near. Let them come up. Beat your plowshares into swords, and your pruning hooks into spears. Let the weak say, I am a mighty man. Hasten and come, all you surrounding nations, and gather yourselves there. Bring down, O Lord, thy might ones.

Let the nations be ar and come up to the valley of Jehoshaph. The word Jehoshaphat means the Lord judges. For there I will sit to judge all the surrounding nations. Put in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe. Come tread for the winepress is full. The vats overflow for their wickedness is great. Multitudes, multitudes, in the valley of dec. The valley of Jehoshaphat is the valley of decision. It's the place where the Lord judges. For the day of the Lord is near in the valley of decision. The sun and the moon grow dark, and the stars lose.

Their brightness. And the Lord roars from Zion and utters his voice from Jerusalem, and the heavens and the earth tremble. But the Lord is a refuge for his people and a stronghold to the sons of Israel. Then you will know that I am the Lord your God, dwelling in Zion my holy mountain, so Jerusalem will be holy, and strangers will pass through it. No more. What did Joel see? He saw people coming together to wage war. People gathering their weapons, coming together, where? To a place called the Valley of Decision.

I guess of all the places that I love to be in Israel is when you're able to stand in the Garden of Gethsemane and look up at the Eastern Gate, at the walls surrounding Jerusalem. And see just the short distance between Gethsemane and the city of Jerusalem. And realize that you had to walk down. Into the Kid Valley. The Kid Valley is the valley of Jehos. It's the valley of decision, the place where the Lord judges. That on the eve of the crucifixion, the Lord would pray in that garden, knowing that one day he would return right back to the Mount of Olives.

He would split that mountain, and there the Lord would judge. He knew that the next day. From that evening in the garden, he was going to be judged unrighteously. But that when he returned, he would be back in that very same sp. And he would judge righteously. So, what does the psalmist say? Psalmist says this: Kings of the earth show discernment. Take warning, O judges of the earth. Worship the Lord with reverence and rejoice with trembling. Do homage to the Son, lest he become angry and you perish in the way, for his wrath may soon be kindled.

How blessed are those who take refuge in him. His wrath one day will soon be kindled. But if you have taken refuge in him, you're a blessed man. You're a happy man. You're a secure man. For there is no condemnation. For those who are in Christ Jesus, where are you this evening? Are you in Christ or are you outside of Christ? Do you anticipate the day of his arrival? Do you anticipate the day when you, as one of his children, will come back with him? And watch him do what he does best. Speak a word.

And everything happens just as he says, because he is faithful and true.