Sunday
Morning Bible Study
June
10, 2012
Introduction
Do people see Jesus? Is the gospel preached? Does it speak to the
broken hearted? Does it build up the church? Milk – Meat – Manna Preach for a
decision Is the church loved?
Do you remember
as a kid what it was like to wait all year long for Christmas to come? Do you remember asking your mom and dad every
day for two months, “How
long until Christmas?” (that’s a picture of me on Christmas day, 1962, the year
I got “the bike”)
We’ve taken a year
to look at the events in our near future, the events of the coming seven year
Tribulation.
It’s been a long grueling journey, seeing how evil the world will become
and what it will be like as God’s wrath is poured out on an unbelieving world.
But the event we’ve been looking for is finally here. It’s even better than Christmas.
In the main
reading room of the Library of Congress, there are statues around the room up near the domed
ceiling with famous quotes above each statue.
One statue is
called “History”, a woman holding a mirror that faces backwards, reflecting
what’s behind her. Above her head is a quote by Alfred Tennyson (1809-1892)
"ONE GOD,
ONE LAW, ONE ELEMENT, AND ONE FAR-OFF DIVINE EVENT, TO WHICH THE WHOLE CREATION
MOVES."
What is that event? The Second Coming of
Christ.
Isaiah wrote,
(Is 25:9 NKJV) And it
will be said in that day: “Behold, this is our God; We have waited for
Him, and He will save us. This is the Lord;
We have waited for Him; We will be glad and rejoice in His salvation.”
This is that moment
(stand and follow in your Bibles as I read…)
(Re 19:11–16 NKJV) —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. 12 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. 13 He was clothed with a robe
dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God. 14 And the
armies in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, followed Him on white
horses. 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. 16 And He has on His robe and
on His thigh a name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.
19:11-16 Jesus
Returns
: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.
:11 opened – anoigo –
to open
:11 I saw heaven opened
The sky pealed back, almost like somebody “unzips” the sky.
:11 a white horse
Some have seen this white horse as evidence that there are indeed
animals in heaven. Jesus comes back
riding on a white horse.
:11 faithful – pistos
– trusty, faithful; of persons who show themselves faithful in the
transaction of business, the execution of commands, or the discharge of
official duties; that can be relied on
:11 true – alethinos
– that which has not only the name and resemblance, but the real nature
corresponding to the name, in every respect corresponding to the idea signified
by the name, real, true genuine; opposite to what is fictitious, counterfeit,
imaginary, simulated or pretended; true, veracious, sincere
:11 in
righteousness He judges and makes war
Whether it’s a decision about war, or a decision about judgment, all of
Jesus’ decisions are right ones – they are all made in “righteousness”.
Illustration
A woman who was
called to jury duty told the presiding judge that she was not qualified to
serve because she did not believe in capital punishment. The judge said, “You don’t understand,
madam. This is a civil case involving a man who spent five thousand dollars of his wife’s
money on gambling and other women.” To which the woman replied eagerly, “I’ll be happy
to serve, your honor, and I’ve changed my mind about capital punishment.”
--James S. Hewett, Illustrations
Unlimited (Wheaton: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc, 1988), p. 414.
Jesus doesn’t “change His mind” about things on some sort of “whim”. What’s right has always been right, what’s
wrong has always been wrong. He always does what is right.
:11 called Faithful
and True
Lesson
Count on Him
There are times when people will let you down. Solomon wrote,
(Pr 25:19
NKJV) Confidence
in an unfaithful man in time of trouble Is like a bad tooth and a
foot out of joint.
Illustration
There
were six Navy pilots who left their aircraft carrier on a scouting
mission during World War II, searching
the seas for enemy submarines believed operating in the area. When they tried to return, they could not
find their ship. It seems that while
they were gone, the captain had ordered a war-imposed blackout of all lights on the ship. Over and over the frantic pilots radioed,
asking for just one light so they could see to land. The pilots were then told of the blackout and
that it could not be lifted even for them. After several appeals and denials of
their requests, the ship’s radio operator finally turned the switch to break
radio contact. The pilots were forced to
ditch in the cold Atlantic and from there into eternity. The pilots left the ship thinking they would
be able to return, but couldn’t count on the ship when they needed it.
The problem is
that sometimes we apply these same ideas to the Lord.
We are in trouble and call out to Him and all we seem to get is “radio
silence”.
It doesn’t seem like He’s going to fix our problem. In fact, things seem to get worse.
Our problem is that we form our ideas about God’s faithfulness by what is
happening over today, this week, or this year’s events.
God’s faithfulness is proven over our entire lives. When we get to heaven, we will see that God
has been faithful.
Illustration
When Joseph was
a young man, it seemed like his life would be a great
one. He even had dreams about his
brothers all bowing before him.
But what
happened was that his brothers betrayed him, kidnapped him, and sold him to be
a slave in Egypt.
What is so “great” about that? And yet even as a slave …
(Ge 39:2 NKJV) The Lord was with
Joseph…
As Joseph prospered even as a slave, he found himself in a difficult
predicament, where
his master’s wife began to flirt with him.
When Joseph took his stand and would not commit adultery with his
master’s wife, he found
himself thrown into prison, falsely accused by the scorned woman.
What is so “great” about that? And yet even as a prisoner …
(Ge 39:21 NKJV) But the Lord was with
Joseph and showed him mercy…
After having spent years as a slave and a prisoner, the day came when Joseph found himself
before Pharaoh, interpreting Pharaoh’s dream.
Though Joseph would become the #2 man in Egypt, for years
his life consisted of betrayal, slavery, and unfairness.
Was God faithful to Joseph?
Yes. But you have to wait to the end of the
story to see how God worked it all out.
The way God worked it out was to use all these difficult
times in Joseph’s life to save his own family, and even “save the world”.
Jesus is faithful and true.
Things may be difficult now, but you can count on Him. Wait until the end of the story … your story.
:12 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.
:12 eyes – ophthalmos
– the eye
:12 flame – phlox –
a flame
:12 crowns – diadema –
a diadem; a blue band marked with white which Persian kings used to bind on the
turban or tiara; the kingly ornament for the head, the crown
:12 His eyes were like a flame of fire
It speaks of Him coming in judgment.
:12 on His head were many crowns
These are not “victor’s crowns”, like the ones that were given out in
the Olympic games.
These are crowns of royalty.
:12 a name written
that no one knew except Himself
This reminds me of the person
in the Old Testament known as the “angel of the LORD”, who we have come to find
out is Jesus.
When the angel of the LORD met Samson’s parents:
(Jdg
13:17–18 NKJV) —17
Then Manoah said to the Angel of the Lord, “What is Your name, that when Your words come to
pass we may honor You?” 18 And the Angel of the Lord
said to him, “Why do you ask My name, seeing it is wonderful?”
:18 wonderful
– pil’iy – wonderful,
incomprehensible, extraordinary
(Jdg 13:18 AV) —18 And the angel of the LORD said unto
him, Why askest thou thus after my name, seeing it is secret?
(Jdg 13:18 The Message) —18 The angel of God said, “What’s this? You ask for my name? You wouldn’t
understand—it’s sheer wonder.”
(Jdg
13:18 NLT) “Why do you ask my name?” the angel of the Lord replied. “It is too wonderful for you to understand.”
:13 He was
clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of
God.
:13 clothed – periballo
– to throw around, to put around; of garments, to clothe one
The language speaks of an outer garment like a robe having been thrown
around his shoulders.
:13 robe – himation –
a garment (of any sort); the upper garment, the cloak or mantle
:13 dipped – bapto –
to dip, dip in, immerse; to dip into dye, to dye, color
Perfect tense – it’s been dipped in the past and still is dipped.
:13 the Word – logos
– a word, uttered by a living voice, embodies a conception or idea; what is
declared
:13 a robe dipped
in blood
Why is Jesus’ robe dipped in blood?
Don’t think that it’s His blood here.
It’s not. It’s the blood of God’s enemies.
It’s because He’s been treading the winepress of the wrath of God (Rev. 19:15)
(Is 63:1–3 NKJV) —1 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.” 2 Why is Your
apparel red, And Your garments like one who treads in the winepress? 3 “I have trodden
the winepress alone, And from the peoples no one was with Me. For I have
trodden them in My anger, And trampled them in My fury; Their blood is
sprinkled upon My garments, And I have stained all My robes.
Play Jerusalem
Bozrah map video
During the Tribulation, the Jews will flee from Jerusalem as they are persecuted
by the antichrist. We believe that when
Jesus first returns to the earth, He will return to rescue the Jews in the
wilderness, the current nation of Jordan, where Bozrah is located. (Rev. 12:6; Mat. 24:16).
As He rescues the Jews, His robe is stained by the blood of the enemies He
has slain in battle.
And now in our passage, He has gone back to heaven to get His armies as He
comes to take the rest of the earth in battle.
:13 His name is
called The Word of God
We’ve seen this title for Jesus back in the Gospel of John:
(Jn 1:1
NKJV) In the
beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
Jesus is the “expression” of God.
He’s the One who tells us and shows us just who God is, because He is
God.
This is a title for Jesus that is unique to John’s writings.
Whether you were Jew or Greek, you knew this term. You knew it as the expression of God. You knew it as the thing that brings design
and purpose to the world. You knew it as
the thing that holds the world together.
:14 And the armies
in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, followed Him on white
horses.
:14 armies – strateuma
– an army; a band of soldiers
:14 followed – akoloutheo
– to follow one who precedes, join him as his attendant, accompany him
:14 clothed – enduo
– to sink into (clothing), put on, clothe one’s self
A different word than the one used to describe how Jesus is “clothed”.
This isn’t the open robe tossed around your shoulders, but the tunic that has
been put on over your head.
:14 fine linen – bussinos
– a costly fine white linen cloth made from a species of Egyptian flax
:14 white – leukos –
light, bright, brilliant
:14 clean – katharos –
clean, pure
:14 the armies in
heaven
You will find a phrase in the Bible, “the Lord of Sabaoth” or “Lord of hosts”
“Sabaoth” is not the same as “Sabbath”.
“Sabaoth” (sometimes translated as “hosts”) means “armies”. He is the head of the armies of heaven.
In some places
in the Bible, the armies of heaven consist of the angels.
But here, we
believe that the “armies” refer to us.
One of the earliest prophecies of the
Bible, referred to by Jude, refers to this event:
(Jud 1:14
NKJV) Now Enoch,
the seventh from Adam, prophesied about these men also, saying, “Behold, the
Lord comes with ten thousands of His saints,
In other words, WE’RE with Jesus on white horses.
:14 clothed in fine
linen, white and clean
This sounds very similar to what the Bride of Christ is wearing:
(Re 19:8
NKJV) 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:
ενδεδυμενοι
βυσσινον
λευκον και
καθαρον
In 19:8
περιβαληται
βυσσινον
καθαρον και
λαμπρον
Two different but
similar words used for “white” or “bright”
After all we are the Bride of Christ.
Lesson
Let Him do the fighting
Jesus is the One who is wearing the blood of battle while we, the saints,
are dressed in spotless white garments.
The implication is that He’s been fighting, and we are just following.
He’s much better in battle than we are.
There are times in life when we would be much better off leaving the
fighting to God. Paul wrote,
(Ro 12:19 NKJV) Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to
wrath; for it is written, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says
the Lord.
We get ourselves into trouble when we get angry and try to take things into
our own hands and get revenge on those who have hurt us.
: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.
:15 goes – ekporeuomai
– to go forth, go out, depart; to come forth, to issue, to proceed
:15 sword – rhomphaia
– a large sword; properly a long Thracian javelin, also a kind of long
sword wont to be worn on the right shoulder
:15 sharp – oxus –
sharp; swift, quick
:15 strike – patasso –
to strike gently: as a part or a member of the body; to stroke, smite: with the
sword, to afflict, to visit with evils, etc. as with a deadly disease; to smite
down, cut down, to kill, slay
(Mt 26:51 NKJV) And suddenly, one of
those who were with Jesus stretched out his hand and drew his
sword, struck the servant of the
high priest, and cut off his ear.
(Ac 12:7 NKJV) —7 Now behold, an angel of the Lord stood
by him, and a light shone in the prison; and he struck Peter on the side and raised him up, saying, “Arise
quickly!” And his chains fell off his hands.
:15 rule – poimaino –
to feed, to tend a flock, keep sheep; to rule, govern
:15 rod – rhabdos –
a staff, a walking stick, a twig, rod, branch; the staff used by shepherds, the
scepter used by kings
:15 treads – pateo –
to tread; to trample, crush with the feet
:15 winepress – two words
lenos – a
tub or trough shaped receptacle, vat, in which grapes are trodden
oinos – wine
:15 fierceness – thumos
– passion, angry, heat, anger forthwith boiling up and soon subsiding
again; glow, ardour, the wine of passion, inflaming wine (which either drives
the drinker mad or kills him with its strength)
:15 wrath – orge –
anger, the natural disposition, temper, character; anger, wrath, indignation
John uses here both words that seem to be used interchangeably
throughout Revelation for “wrath” – both thumos
and orge.
:15 out of His
mouth goes a sharp sword
He is called “the Word of God”
Out of a person’s mouth come “words”
Out of His mouth comes a sharp sword.
This is what He will use to “strike” the nations.
Lesson
Equipped
Though we don’t wrestle with flesh and blood, there are spiritual battles
that we need to be fighting.
We happen to have the same weapon as Jesus at our disposal.
(Heb 4:12 NKJV) For the
word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged
sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and
marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.
To be honest, our “sword” is a bit smaller than His sword.
The
word for “sword” in Hebrews is a small sword. The one coming out of Jesus’ mouth is a HUGE sword.
Our sword is one of the most important weapons or tools we
have at our disposal in learning to live the Christian life.
As Paul was describing the things
we have available to fight the fight before us, he wrote,
(Eph 6:17 NKJV)
And take the helmet of salvation, and the
sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God;
Having trouble trusting God? There’s
a sure fire way to build your faith:
(Ro 10:17
NKJV) So then
faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
Looking for comfort in your difficult time?
(Ps
119:50 NKJV) This is my comfort in my affliction, For Your word has given me
life.
Looking for direction in life?
Looking for help deciding which path to take?
(Ps
119:105 NKJV) Your word is
a lamp to my feet And a light to my path.
:16 And He has
on His robe and on His thigh a name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF
LORDS.
:16 robe – himation –
the upper garment, the cloak or mantle
:16 thigh – meros –
thigh
:16 KING – basileus –
leader of the people, prince, commander, lord of the land, king
:16 LORD – kurios –
he to whom a person or thing belongs, about which he has power of deciding; master,
lord; the owner; one who has control of the person, the master
:16 on His
robe and on His thigh a name written
Why is it written on both His thigh and robe?
Is it so we know who it belongs to
if He leaves it somewhere and forgets it?
Have you ever written your kids’
names on their jackets for when they lose them at school?
Is it so we know that the royal robe belongs to the One with the same name?
He’s not wearing
anyone else’s robe. The antichrist will
come wearing the robe of the Messiah, but Jesus not only has the robe, He has the name
tattooed on His thigh to prove it’s Him.
:16 KING OF KINGS
AND LORD OF LORDS
There are many “kings”, but He is the king of all those kings.
There are many “lords”, but He is the Lord of all lords.
Illustration
Shadrach
Meshach Lockridge (March 7, 1913 – April 4, 2000) was the Pastor of Calvary
Baptist Church in San Diego from 1953 to 1993.
One of the things he’s most famous for was this excerpt from a sermon he
gave in 1976: