81. Revelation 19-20 - Christ's Return In Majesty Series

IN GOD'S IMAGE 81 - REVELATION 19-20 - CHRIST'S RETURN IN MAJESTY

This message is part of a series of 90 sermons based on the title, “In God’s Image – God’s Purpose for humanity.” This series of free sermons or the equivalent free book format is designed to take the reader through an amazing process beginning with God in prehistory and finishing with humanity joining God in eternity as His loving sons and daughters. It is at times, a painful yet fascinating story, not only for humanity, but also for God. As the sermons follow a chronological view of the story of salvation, it is highly recommend they be presented in numerical order rather than jumping to the more “interesting” or “controversial” subjects as the material builds on what is presented earlier. We also recommend reading the introduction prior to using the material. The free book version along with any graphics or figures mentioned in this series can be downloaded at www.ingodsimage.site - Gary Regazzoli

Last time we finished with the destruction of the great harlot (Babylon) riding on the back of the beast.

• So far we have seen how the devil has infiltrated and infected the political, economic, and social systems with his evil ways.

• God is not going to allow these destructive evil forces to have their way forever and He is going to step in and bring this cycle of destruction to an end.

• After the obituary of the harlot, we are back to real time and we pick up the story in Revelation 19.

• The scene switches again to the heavenly throne room and we are introduced to a great multitude crying three hallelujahs over Babylon’s fall.

• The last hallelujah signals God’s long awaited intervention in worldly affairs.

• Revelation 19:6-7 Then I heard what sounded like a great multitude, like the roar of rushing waters and like loud peals of thunder, shouting: “Hallelujah! For our Lord God Almighty reigns. 7 Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory! For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready.

• At long last, the cry of the martyrs, “How long O Lord?” is answered?

• The heavenly army sallies forth with all the power of Almighty God to put an end to evil once and for all.

• Revelation 19:11-15 I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice he judges and wages war. 12 His eyes are like blazing fire, and on his head are many crowns. He has a name written on him that no one knows but he himself. 13 He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is the Word of God. 14 The armies of heaven were following him, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean.15 Coming out of his mouth is a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations. “He will rule them with an iron sceptre.” He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty. 16 On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written: king of kings and lord of lords.

• This is none other than Jesus Christ leading the heavenly army against the forces of evil, who under the influence of the great red dragon mount one final desperate battle.

• Revelation 19:19 Then I saw the beast and the kings of the earth and their armies gathered together to wage war against the rider on the horse and his army.

• The kingdoms of this age rise up in defiance to battle the righteous kingdom of God, one representing the brutal and bestial images of this age against the perfect kingdom of love and grace representing the Lamb.

• We were first introduced to this battle in Revelation 16 when the seventh angel released the seventh plague.

• Revelation 16:16-17 Then they gathered the kings together to the place that in Hebrew is called Armageddon. 17 The seventh angel poured out his bowl into the air, and out of the temple came a loud voice from the throne, saying, “It is done!”

• Armageddon is another one of those terms that has come in for a lot of speculation over the centuries and is usually associated with the geographical location of the final battle between good and evil.

• But is John referring to it as a literal geographical location or is it being used in much the same way as Rome is represented by the symbol, Babylon?

• The literal interpretation of Armageddon is “Hill of Megiddo.”

• Rather than a literal location, the original readers would have regarded this in the same way we regard the terms, Waterloo, Pearl Harbour, or Ground Zero (2 Kings 23:29-30).