We
continue with John’s record of the victorious return of King Jesus to establish
His earthly kingdom in fulfillment of His covenant promises to Abraham and
David.
Revelation 19:15-16 “And out of his
mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he
shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the
fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.
And he hath on his
vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.”
What is the Lord’s weapon of choice? His
word. The only weapon necessary to achieve victory in this battle is the
spoken word of the Son of God.
Isaiah 11:3–4 “…and he shall not
judge after the sight of his eyes, neither reprove after the hearing of his
ears: But with righteousness shall he judge the poor, and reprove with equity
for the meek of the earth: and he shall smite the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with
the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked.”
2 Thessalonians 2:8 “And then shall
that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth….”
It is more powerful than any force that could ever
be developed by man. It is God’s word
that upholds and sustains all of creation.
Hebrews 1:1–3 “God, who at sundry
times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the
prophets, Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom
also he made the worlds; Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his
power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand
of the Majesty on high….”
Who is He going to smite with His sword? The
heathen nations that have allied themselves with the Antichrist.
The next phrase says He will “rule them with a rod
of iron.” The Greek for the word rule means “tend as a shepherd.”
The shepherd’s rod was used to control the entry to the sheepfold for process
of counting, examining, and protecting. Only those that belong to Him will be
allowed to enter His kingdom. This means that there will be those who
belong to Him caught up in this battle.
I think this is what Jesus is referencing as
recorded by Matthew.
Matthew
25:31–34 When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels
with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory: And before him shall
be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a
shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats: And he shall set the sheep on his
right hand, but the goats on the left. Then shall the King say unto them on his
right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you
from the foundation of the world….”
“Treading the winepress” pictures complete judgment
against His enemies. The winepress was used to complete pulverize the grapes in
order to collect the juice from which wine was made. This is a picture of a righteous judgment of
intense and fierce passion, punishment and vengeance on the part of Almighty
God—the absolute and universal sovereign, the Omnipotent.
John completes his description of the returning
King by telling us that the garment Jesus is wearing is engraved or emblazoned
with His name—KING of kings and LORD of lords. This title emphasizes
that there is only one King and one Lord of heaven and earth—Jesus, our Savior,
the precious Son of God.
Side note:
My husband and I went to see “God is Not Dead” on the opening
weekend. In our opinion, it was very well
done, and has already served as a good tool for establishing a healthy dialogue
with some friends of his in the martial arts world. No matter what the culture tries to dictate
concerning the existence of God, the truth remains—He is the one and only Eternal
God, Creator and Supreme authority over that creation, and will return in the
person of His Son Jesus to rule the world and judge those who reject Him.
(to be continued…)
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