A Daily Walk

Guest (Male): Welcome back to another week of A Daily Walk. We're going through the Bible and in Revelation right now. Today, Pastor John Randall will bring us a message about the return of Christ. Yes, Jesus is coming again, and it will look much different than his first coming. At his return, he won't be a suffering Messiah, but rather the King of Glory. The question is: will you be a part of the King's return? You can be. Pastor John will explain how in the minute ahead.

John Randall: Revelation chapter 19. And this morning, we're going to pick up in verse 11, where we left off last week. Revelation chapter 19, verse 11. "Now 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. 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. He was clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and his name is called The Word of God. And the armies in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, followed him on white horses. 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 of the wrath of Almighty God. And he has on his robe and on his thigh a name written: King of Kings and Lord of Lords."

Do you remember a time in your life when you were looking forward to a particular day with great anticipation and excitement? Perhaps as a child, you couldn't wait for your birthday to arrive. As you get older, maybe not so much. Or maybe it was Christmas day. I remember every year at school, we made a paper chain of red and green construction paper that we took home, and each day we would cut one of the chains, and we were one day closer to Christmas. Maybe for others of you, it was your graduation day. You've been laboring in school, it seemed like an eternity, and now the day has finally arrived when you graduated. Still for others, your wedding day. The engagement period of time seemed like forever, but then the day came.

But I want to talk to you this morning about a day that has been the expectation of the Church of Jesus Christ for centuries. It's the day of the second coming of Jesus. There are at least eight major events that mark the life of Christ as you read through the Bible: the Incarnation, where the Word became flesh, that is where Jesus came to this earth and his deity was clothed in humanity; and then secondly, there was his baptism, where he was immersed in water by John the Baptist there in the Jordan in the midst of the Judean wilderness, and as he came up out of the water, the Spirit of God came upon him and the Father spoke, saying, "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased."

And then there was his temptation, where he went into the wilderness for 40 days and the devil came and tempted him, and yet Jesus accepted his destiny and suffering as the servant Messiah. And then fourthly, there was the Garden of Gethsemane, where Jesus went into the garden and he prayed three times, if there was any other way that salvation could be secured, let this cup pass from him. Nevertheless, he said, "Not my will, but yours be done."

And then there was his crucifixion, where Jesus was taken outside of the city of Jerusalem, placed upon a cross, and there he bore the wrath of God and paid the full penalty of sin, providing salvation for all who would trust in him. And then sixthly, there was his bodily resurrection, whereby God declared his acceptance of Christ's sacrifice and victory over death, hell, Satan, and sin. And then there was his ascension, where he went back to heaven and there he intercedes at the right hand of the Father and reigns as Lord and King.

But folks, there is one event as it relates to him coming back to the earth. It is his second coming, where Jesus will come and establish his universal reign as King of Kings and Lord of Lords. And as you look around the world today, you come to realize that there is only one answer for the growing problems on this planet. There is only one ultimate solution that will completely end the evil and the madness, and that is when Jesus establishes his kingdom upon the earth.

But before the second coming of Christ, the Bible speaks of the Rapture of the Church, where believers will be instantly and suddenly caught up to heaven. And during that time as the Church is safely tucked away, here on the earth, there will be seven years of tribulation. And during that time, as we have read throughout our study, there will be unprecedented wickedness that is followed by God's divine judgment on a Christ-rejecting world. And even though mankind knows where the judgment is coming from, they refuse to repent. But at the conclusion of those seven years, there will be one final battle in the Valley of Jezreel: the Battle of Armageddon.

Throughout the Bible, both Old and New Testament point to this day of Christ's second coming. In fact, there are more references to the second coming of Christ than even to his first coming. One out of every 30 verses, seven out of ten chapters in the New Testament. The second coming is mentioned eight times to every mention of his first coming. Jesus himself spoke of his second coming 21 times within his ministry. Countless exhortations are given to watch, to pray, and prepare for that day.

Daniel the Prophet was interpreting a vivid dream by the King of Babylon, and he described this day that would come when God's kingdom would be established upon the earth. There in Daniel chapter 2, Daniel says, "And in the days of the kings, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed. And the kingdom shall not be left to other people; it will break in pieces and consume all of these kingdoms, and that kingdom will stand forever." Again Daniel said this time in Daniel chapter 7, "Then to him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples and nations and languages should serve him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion, which will not pass away, and his kingdom is the one kingdom which shall not be destroyed." The Bible tells us prophetically in the Old Testament, there is a day coming when Christ will establish his kingdom upon the earth.

Jesus also pointed out that his kingdom was coming. In Matthew chapter 24, Jesus said it: "After the tribulation, the sun will be darkened, the moon won't give its light, the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of heaven will be shaken. Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and 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 glory." Jesus said to them, "It is as you say. Nevertheless, I say to you, the Son of Man will be sitting at the right hand of power and coming on the clouds of heaven." 21 times Jesus refers to his second coming when he would establish his kingdom upon the earth.

The Old and New Testament of the Bible anticipates and points to this day. And throughout the ages, this is the day that the Church has been praying for, anticipating, and longing for: the day when God's will would be done on earth as it is in heaven. That prayer is going to be answered when Christ comes again in his second coming. Here beginning in verse 11, the Apostle John gives us a preview and an unveiling of when Jesus comes again. And he provides us with a description. And the description is different than that of Jesus' first coming.

In Jesus' first coming, he rode on a donkey. In his second coming, he's going to ride on a white horse. In his first coming, he came as a suffering servant, but in his second coming, he comes as King and Lord. In his first coming, he came in humility and meekness, but when he comes again, he comes in majesty and power. In his first coming, he came to suffer the wrath of God for sinners, but in his second coming, he will establish the kingdom of God for his saints. In his first coming, he was rejected as Messiah, but in his second coming, he will be recognized as the Lord. In his first coming, he came to seek and save the lost, but in his second coming, he will come to judge and rule as King.

There's a great difference between the first and second coming. And so John opens up in verse 11 and he shares with us, gives us a description of the appearance of this coming King of Kings and Lord of Lords when he said, "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."

The Apostle John watches as the heavens are opened, not so that he could go in, but in order that he could see Jesus coming out. And when Jesus comes out from that heavenly scene, he steps off of his throne, mounts his white horse, and he comes riding back to the earth. In ancient times, a white horse was an animal of warfare. When kings came in peace, they rode on donkeys, but when they came for war, they rode on horses. Jesus is prepared here for battle.

You remember it was back in Revelation chapter 6 where we read of a counterfeit king: the Antichrist. He also came riding on a white horse, attempting to conquer. He had a crown, but it wasn't the crown of a sovereign ruler; it was a counterfeit crown, a deception, a false messiah with the answers for the world's problems that he cannot ultimately solve. But when Jesus comes, he's the real thing. He's the genuine article. He is authentic. He is the King and Lord of all.

But John also speaks of his name. He tells us here that he who sat on him was called, notice his name, Faithful and True. There are at least four titles given for Jesus in this particular chapter in just a few verses. The first is here: he is Faithful and he is True. Who else could be called Faithful and True besides Jesus? He alone is perfectly and completely faithful.

Folks, did you know this morning that the Bible says that even when we are faithless, God remains faithful, for he cannot deny himself. Even when you fail, even when I fail, God never fails. God remains faithful. You may have failed God; in fact, I guarantee you have. We all have. But God has never failed you because he is faithful, even when we are faithless. In fact, he is so faithful that he keeps all of his promises.

The Bible tells us in 2 Corinthians chapter 1, verse 20, "For all the promises of God are in him yes, and in him Amen, to the glory of God through us." He is faithful, he keeps his word. And if you were to look back over your life, even if you've distanced yourself from God or run from God, listen, he has remained faithful to you, even when you haven't been faithful to him. And the fact that you're here today, he may be calling you back to himself to restore that relationship that you squandered, that you've run from, that you know about, but you don't live according to it because he's faithful.

But not only is Jesus faithful, but he's true. In fact, he is the embodiment of absolute truth. Jesus referred to himself as the Way, the Truth, and the Life. What he said is true about heaven. What he said is true about hell. What he said is true about eternal life and salvation. And if today you can believe that truth, you can be saved. And I'm going to give you that opportunity before our time is done here.

But the Apostle John goes on to now describe his activity. What is the King doing when he returns? Look at verse 11: "And in righteousness he judges and makes war." This description of the Lord Jesus, in that he comes to judge and to make war, again, it's much different than the description of his first coming. He will be waging war, striking, treading down his enemies, and conquering his opponents.

You may recall that when Jesus came the first time, wicked men judged him. But when he comes the second time, he will judge wicked men. When Jesus came the first time, Pilate, that Governor, procurator there in the Roman province, questioned Jesus and said, "Are you a king?" And this was Jesus' response. He said, "My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would fight, so that I should not be delivered to the Jews. But now my kingdom is not from here." The Bible tells us that Jesus is going to rule and reign with a rod of iron, which means it is an absolute rule, an unyielding government.

John mentions now the countenance of the King. He begins to describe what he looked like. And he tells us in verse 12, "His eyes were like a flame of fire." The gaze of the Lord, the countenance of the King in his return, is penetrating. It's powerful, seeing clearly into the souls of men and of women. And speaking of the fire in his eyes, it's a fire of judgment at this point. There's fire in his eyes.

Why are his eyes like flames of fire? I like what Charles Spurgeon said. He said, "First to discern the secrets of all hearts. There are no secrets that Christ does not see. There is no lewd thought, there is no unbelieving skepticism that Christ doesn't read. There's no hypocrisy, no formalism, no deceit that he does not scan as easily as a man reads a page in a book." His eyes are like a flame of fire to read us through and through, to know us, to know our inmost soul.

Friend, listen, the Bible says that the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show himself strong on behalf of those whose hearts are loyal to him. The Bible says in Hebrews chapter 4 concerning the gaze of God, that all things are open and laid bare to the eyes of him to whom we must give an account.

Listen, today the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout this parking lot. He sees you. He knows your heart. There's nothing hidden from him. You might be able to hide it from your parents, or from your wife, or from your husband, or from your coworkers, or from people who love you. But God sees when no one else sees. He sees into the deepest part of who we are. He knows everything about you, everything that you're involved with, everything that you're pursuing at this moment.

And I want to tell you that even though he knows all of those things, he loves you perfectly, completely. And he wants to forgive you, and to restore you, if you'll turn to him. But friends, there will come a point when the Spirit of God will not always strive with man. And although his eyes are full of compassion and mercy and grace, when he comes a second time, they'll be full of judgment to mankind who refuses to believe.

But then John also describes that he had several crowns on his head. It says on his head, verse 12, were many crowns. We'll get to his names in a moment. But on his head were many crowns. The last time that the earth saw Jesus, he wore a crown of thorns. But the crown referred to here is a ruler's crown. And the fact that it says that there are many indicates the collecting of all the other rulers' crowns. There are no more crowns when he comes back; he is the sovereign ruler, the undeniable King, signifying with all of the crowns that he rules.

But then John also describes his clothing. And his crown, his eyes, but then he describes his robe. Looking down at verse 13, it says, "He was clothed with a robe that was dipped in blood." You may recall when Jesus came the first time, that his robe was drenched in his own blood. From the scourging of the cat-o'-nine-tails across his back, from the beatings that he endured. And they took that robe and they divided his garments, casting lots, gambling for the robe of the Savior, of the Redeemer.

But when he comes a second time, folks, the robe that he wears that is dipped in blood, it's not his, it's his enemies'. Again, maybe a startling picture to grasp this morning, but it's not his blood. The Bible predicted this in Isaiah chapter 63 prophetically and it says this: "Who is this who comes from Edom, with dyed garments from Bozrah? This one who is glorious in his apparel, traveling in the greatness of his strength? I who speak in righteousness, mighty to save. Why is your apparel red and your garments like the one who treads the winepress?" The reason, the answer to that is because he treads on his enemies and his robe is dipped in blood.

But then John describes for us as we look back at his name. We already mentioned one: Faithful and True. But now in verse 13, it says that his name is called The Word of God. In verse 12, it says he has a name written that no one knows except himself. And then in verse 13, it says he has a name which is the Word of God. Verse 14, "The armies of heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, followed him on horses."

Again, there are many titles given to Jesus throughout the Bible. And again, there are four listed here: Faithful and True; a name, verse 12, that only he knows. That's an interesting phrase, isn't it? A name that only he knows, and then it tells us the names. What's that supposed to mean? You know what I think it implies? I think there are certain things about Jesus that only heaven will reveal; we couldn't grasp it here and now. There are certain things that we will still be learning when we get there about Jesus, how magnificent he is, how powerful he is. In his glory we're going to see it and we're going to understand.

There's something about him that you don't even know yet. And what I already know is enough to bless me, to cause me to worship him, to desire to be with him forever. But there's certain things about his character and his nature that only heaven will reveal. He has a name that nobody knows except himself.

But here's some names that you can know: Faithful and True. He's also called The Word of God. We see this name given to him in John's Gospel in the first chapter when it says, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." He's the Word. He's the thinker behind the thought. Logos is the word. It means he's the creator behind the creation, the first cause. It's Jesus. He's the Word of God.

But also if you look at verse 16, here's one other title given to him: He is the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords. This title of sovereignty in victory, this is who we worship. He is Faithful and True. He is the Word of God. He is the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords. He's the Almighty God. I wonder if you know him. I wonder if you know him by name. It's one thing to know somebody's name; it's another thing to know somebody. You might know about Jesus, but you might not know him. Oh, I'd love to introduce him to you today. He is wonderful. He is merciful. He is loving. He is gracious. He is kind. The Bible says, "Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good." That's what we're asking today, for you to taste and see this one who is coming again. And you'll find that he is good.

Guest (Male): Hey stick around, Pastor John Randall will be right back. He'll talk for a bit about who will accompany Jesus when he returns. I think you'll be encouraged. This is A Daily Walk. We've been covering the latter half of Revelation chapter 19 as part of our through the Bible study. You can hear it again at adailywalk.org or wherever you get your podcasts, or download our church app so you can listen through your mobile device; just search for Calvary South OC.

When a listener takes the time to write or call, it really blesses us more than words can tell. And yes, Pastor John reads your emails and letters. The Lord deserves all the credit for anything good that comes from and through this ministry, and it's an opportunity to praise and thank him for what he's doing. Share a praise report or a prayer request at adailywalk@gmail.com. That's adailywalk@gmail.com.

Our featured resource right now is a book from Jack Marino Chen, Ensnared. This encouraging book will help you recognize spiritual deceptions, respond with biblical clarity to those who are ensnared, and point people to the freedom only Christ can give. Discover how to overcome the darkness of the New Age and occult with the light of God's truth. The cost is just $12. You can order it right now at 877-242-0828. That's 877-242-0828. You can also get it online at adailywalk.org.

And if you believe in what we're doing here at A Daily Walk and would like to get behind us, we'd very much appreciate your prayers and financial support. While there are substantial costs of being on the radio and internet, God has proven to be faithful to provide where he's guided us. So we continue to rely upon him and look to our listeners for help. To make a donation today, drop by adailywalk.org or again call 877-242-0828. Now let's get back to our message on the return of Jesus.

John Randall: John also tells us here something powerful. If you look at verse 14, he tells us who is going to accompany him when he comes back. It says, "And the armies in heaven were clothed in fine linen, white and clean, and they followed him on white horses." When our Lord comes again to establish his kingdom and reign upon the earth, there will be an army accompanying him. And they are called the armies in heaven, and they also are clothed with white linen, and they are riding on horses. Who is this group? Who is this army that returns with the Lord, riding alongside of him, mounting up and coming back with him? Friends, it's the Church. The Church comes back with him. Some of you might be nervous already; "I'm fearful of horses." These are well-trained.

Guest (Male): We'll share the rest of this message on the second coming next time on A Daily Walk with Pastor John, where you never have to walk alone. This program is made possible through your generosity and brought to you by Calvary South OC.