Earth's Best Days Series

Return of the King: Week 5

Earth’s Best Days

May 23, 2021

Scripture: Revelation 19:1-20:10

In our last message, we talked about “the best years of our lives” and how Jesus’ return will dwarf those memories.

God’s word says that the best of your best days are in your future. They’re recorded in the last chapters of the book of Revelation, and that’s what I want to walk you through today.

FORECAST

Two weeks ago, we looked at what the Bible has to say about some of the worst days for the people of planet Earth. The last 3 ½ years of the Tribulation period will be days of “great distress, unequaled from the beginning of the world, until now.”

But after those days are through, comes the return of our King, and a 1,000-year period of His reign on the earth. Those are going to be really good days.

The Bible goes into great detail about them in Revelation 19 and 20.

As you do all of that, please join me in this simple prayer-

Lord Jesus, speak to my heart, and let your WORD change my life.

Amen!

A friend of mine is a huge Disney fan, and he told me

That when his kids were little, he would take them to see Disney movies whenever a new one was released. He and his wife knew that there would be a scary part, where the bad character would do something bad, and make their children frightened and want to leave before the movie was over.

Whenever they headed toward the theater, he and his wife would explain to the kids that the bad part wouldn’t last forever, and that if they waited it out, the good part would come, and they would be really glad they stayed until the end.

In some ways that little kid is still inside of each of us, and God knew that we would need some reassurance to get us through to the end of the real-life cosmic drama that’s coming soon.

So, God was careful to tell us that our world would have a bad part, but that good would triumph in the end.

That triumphant part is what we will be talking about today in Rev 19-20.

Last week we learned that for 3 ½ years, the Unholy Trinity of the Dragon, the Antichrist, and the False Prophet will have significant influence on the events of our world.

This diabolical trio will deceive as many as they can, and persecute Christians and Jews, and control the world’s banking system. This terrible time will culminate in the ultimate battle scene at the end of time, when the Euphrates River will dry up and an army of 200 million will march across the River and take up battle positions in the Valley of Armageddon, in northern Israel.

Literally, all hell is about to break loose when suddenly, a trumpet sounds, and the war ends before it begins as Messiah returns and slays His enemies with the word of His mouth.

Revelation 19:11 says…

And there was a white horse. Its rider is called Faithful and True, and he judges and makes war with justice. His eyes were like a fiery flame, and many crowns were on his head. He had a name written that no one knows except himself. He wore a robe dipped in blood, and his name is called the Word of God.

The armies that were in heaven followed him on white horses, wearing pure white linen.

A sharp sword came from his mouth, so that he might strike the nations with it.

He will rule the nations with an iron rod. He will also trample the winepress of the fierce anger of God, the Almighty. And he has a name written on his robe and on his thigh: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS. Revelation 19:11-16

I like to visualize things as I read them. In my mind there is a picture of a CNN reporter, standing on one of the hillsides that surround the valley, whispering into his microphone about which armies are staging where, when suddenly, a trumpet blast drowns out his voice, and Jesus descends to end this battle in a way no reporter ever imagined.

Verse 19 says,

Then I saw the beast, the kings of the earth, and their armies gathered together to wage war against the rider on the horse and against his army.

20 But the beast was taken prisoner, and along with it the false prophet, who had performed the signs in its presence….

Both of them were thrown alive into the lake of fire that burns with sulfur. 21 The rest were killed with the sword that came from the mouth of the rider on the horse, and all the birds ate their fill of their flesh. Revelation 19:19-21