Lesson Eight: “After This – The Coming, part II”
Rev. 19:11-16
We’ve been talking since the beginning of August about Experiencing the Hope of Jesus, our “hope” being the 2nd Coming of Jesus Christ according to Titus 2:13. Next week we will wrap up this series with the message, “After This-Eternity.”
“After This…” from Revelation 19:1 – the events that begin eternity happen “after this” – after the judgment events of Revelation. Let’s read together again Revelation 19:11-16.
PRAY!
Last week we looked at the first two titles of Jesus at His coming, and we talked about what those two titles mean to us. The grand entrance that Jesus will make at the end of history in Revelation 19 will change the world, when all men will see Him. And when He comes back, it will not be as the suffering servant, but as the conquering King, coming in power and in glory.
The first two titles of Jesus Christ at His second coming are Faithful and True and the unknown name. We looked at these last week. We talked about the Faithful and True One who in His faithful love still calls us to Himself and yet in His truth sees right through to the heart. We also saw that the unknown name Jesus has at His coming that we have only begun to know who Jesus Christ really is.
This week, the last two titles give us more description into Who Jesus is, and what He means to us. I love these next two titles for so many reasons, so let’s get right into the thick of this morning.
Title #3 – The Word of God – Rev. 19:13 (read) – “…and His title was the Word of God.
The 2nd Coming will be a glorious time for some, and a terrible time for others. In Revelation 19, we read of the judgment that comes on the earth through Jesus Christ. The famous patriotic song, “The Battle Hymn of the Republic,” actually is a song about this coming of the Lord, and is specifically taken from this Rev. 19 passage – “He is trampling out the vintage where the grapes of wrath are stored” is almost directly quoted right from verse 15. The time when Christ comes will be a time of judgment, and He will reveal Himself as “The Word of God.” But before we talk about the Word of God bringing judgment, I want to focus our attention to a different part of the Bible where we see the Word of God and talk about what the Word of God currently means to us.
This title, the Word, is not a new title. John, in His book on the life of Christ, referred to Jesus Christ by this title, the Word. Lets go to John 1:1-5.and learn more about the Word (read – on screen).
The Word, in the beginning of John’s writings, is the eternal God, the Creator of all things, the Source of Life and of the spiritual light inside of us. If you did not know the identity of the Word, you could no doubt understand that John is clearly describing the Word as God. But John doesn’t stop with this description – read vs.6-11 (on screen).
Next the Word is described as being announced by John the Baptist, as the Light of mankind, and as being unrecognized and unaccepted.
I was a good kid when I was younger. Even as a teenager, I was pretty good. But growing up in a good Christian family, sometimes you get a little bit of a wild streak get to you. And when I was a teenager, I told a dirty joke to my brother, which he in turn repeated to my mother. My mother gave me that famous warning, “Wait until your father gets home!” Typically I wouldn’t notice when Dad would get home, but on this particularly day, I remember being ashamed and a little afraid when he got home.
We read in Revelation 19 and in Zechariah 12:10 (on the sheet) that all eyes will see Him, and they will look on the One whom they pierced. The Word went unnoticed the first time, but the next time He comes, the whole world will notice (and will be put on notice!).
But let’s read further – vs. 12-13 (read it-on screen). Now John has moved from describing the characteristics of the Word (He is God, the Light, the Life) to describing the benefits of believing in the Word. What happens to all who believe in the Word (vs.12-13)? They become God’s children, spiritually re-born and placed into the family of God. I love witnessing this – I’m like a spiritual midwife. This is the result, the benefit of believing in the Word.
Let’s read vs.14-18 (on screen).
So exactly Who is the Word? Jesus Christ. John reveals in these verses that the Word is Jesus Christ, the Son of the Father. In both the first and second coming, Jesus Christ is the Word of God. But why is He called “the Word,” and in Revelation, “the Word of God”?
Let me direct your attention to the screen and look at some OT verses that talk about the significance of the Word:
Gen 15:1,4,6 (on screen) “After this, the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision: "Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your very great reward… for you will have a son of your own to inherit everything I am giving you…and Abram believed the LORD, and the LORD declared him righteous because of his faith. "
Here the word of the Lord brings the promise of an eternal family to Abram, and through believing the Word of the Lord, Abram is declared righteous. The Word of the Lord is God’s promise revealed and His salvation brought to mankind.
Psalm 33:4, 6 (on screen) NIV “For the word of the LORD is right and true; He is faithful in all he does. By the word of the LORD were the heavens made, their starry host by the breath of his mouth.”
In this Psalm, the word of the Lord is equivalent to truth and faithfulness and is the reason for creation.
The Word of the Lord, the Word of God was not an uncommon concept to the Jews to whom John was speaking here in John 1:1. They had heard and read the Word of the Lord, for it was through the Word of the Lord that they learned about God. Psalm 119 is the longest Psalm in the Bible, and it deals with the Word of God, for it is through the Word of God that we get to know God.
But did the Jews equate the Word of God to a person? Yes and No. They equated the Word of God with Jehovah God – Jehovah God revealing Himself. But then John comes on the scene, and He says that Jesus is the Word of God, GOD REVEALED IN HIS ENTIRETY. The Word of God went from the significance of being spoken in the OT to being seen in the NT – “the Word became flesh and dwelt among us.” He is the revealed Word of God, God Himself that came to earth to die for mankind.
Every single promise of God, every single covenant, every single judgment of God would be revealed and completed in Jesus Christ. 2 Cor. 1:19-20 speak of this very thing (read on screen): “…because Jesus Christ, the Son of God, never wavers between yes and no. He is the one whom Timothy, Silas, and I preached to you, and he is the divine Yes--God’s affirmation. For all of God’s promises have been fulfilled in him. That is why we say "Amen" when we give glory to God through Christ.”
People often want to know what God looks like? You can know without a doubt that God looks exactly like Jesus, because Jesus was God revealed in the flesh. If you want to know what God looks like, read Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John – get to know Jesus. Jesus Christ is God revealed in the flesh, the very Word of God who came the first time to reveal to mankind the grace and truth, the love and faithfulness of God.
So why is it a big deal that Jesus is the Word of God, and what does that mean to us? John 1:14 (read) – “So the Word became human and lived here on earth among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness.” The first time Jesus came to earth was to reveal Himself as the Word of God, demonstrating God’s love and faithfulness as the Creator of the universe to all mankind.
And that love continues to extend to you and me. Why do we need God’s unfailing love? Because we fail. And because we fail, we need something that doesn’t fail – and that is the love of God demonstrated through the Word, Jesus Christ. Have you failed before – do you fail now?
Do you need forgiveness over something you’ve done? The Word of God, Jesus Christ, demonstrated an unfailing love by dying on the cross so that you could be forgiven of that sin that you even right now is on your heart. Seek His forgiveness today.
Do you need help this morning with a situation or circumstance in which you’ve failed, or in which someone has failed you? Maybe it’s your family, marriage, job, or church? The Word of God is revealed through Jesus Christ, and He came in His unfailing love to answer even the smallest, seemingly most unimportant prayers. What do you need help with this morning? There is not one thing, not ONE THING that you cannot pray to and ask God for help with. That doesn’t mean you will always get the answer you were looking for, but when you reach out to Him with your situations and your circumstances, you can confidently know that God hears you, and He loves you. Seek His answers today.
When Jesus came the first time as the Word of God, John 1:12 tells us that He came to make us His children, calling us to believe in Him as the Light and Life. Because of the first coming, the Word resulted in many children of God, including you and I if we believe in and accept Him, and that continues to this day.
But forwarding ahead to the second coming of the Lord in Rev. 19 (turn back there), at that future time, the time for new children is over, and at that point in the future of the world, there is judgment. The Word of God appears in the clouds on a white horse and He is coming to administer judgment and justice to the World. The first time Jesus came as the Word, it was to purchase our freedom and to pay for our sins – He was full of unfailing love and truth. The next time He comes back, it will be to complete our salvation and bring judgment for sin, when His robe will be dipped in blood (Rev. 19:13 read it).
Some people think that His robe dipped in blood is a reference to the blood that He shed on the cross, but that’s not the case at all. Turn to Isaiah 63:1-6 (read it). Isaiah is describing a future scene when the Lord, whom we know as the Word of God in Revelation, ends human history with judgment on mankind. If you read the rest of Revelation 19, you will understand that this judgment extends to all the nations of the earth, the beast and the false prophet, and anyone who did not embrace Jesus Christ as the Messiah. The Word of God came the first time to show His unfailing love, but He comes the last time to execute judgment.
But even in that judgment, He demonstrates His love – read Isaiah 63:7 (on sheets). Even if you stand before Him in judgment, He still is the God of unfailing love. When Seth was growing up, I would have to spank him, and on occasion, whatever the discipline was would grieve me as well, and I would say those famous words, “This will hurt me more than it hurts you.” I meant it. And if you stand before God without having received forgiveness of your sins that He paid for on the cross, understand that it will hurt Him as well.
Title – King of kings and Lord of lords – Rev. 19:16 – “On his robe and thigh was written this title: King of kings and Lord of lords.”
It on this Day of Judgment when right will win, justice will reign, and the fourth and final title holds true – when He will be King of kings and Lord of lords. It is on this day when every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that He who comes in the clouds as the Faithful and True One, and the Word of God, and as King of kings will be Lord to the glory of God the Father! And you don’t have to wait until the 2nd Coming to make Him your King and Lord.
My question to you this morning is, will you allow Jesus Christ to be the Word of God with unfailing love, the One who when He comes will be your joy? Or will you not receive that unfailing love, so that when He comes, He is your Judge and not your Lord? Today is the day that you can experience for the first time the unfailing love of Jesus Christ, who died on the cross to show you His love. Will you accept Him and become His child?
Christian, I don’t know what your life is like right now – if you feel defeated, depressed, cast down, or sorrowful. Maybe you have experienced a loss recently. Maybe you have been troubled or worried about life and circumstances. If you are a child of God (as many as received Him) today, than you have victory in Jesus Christ because His victory is our victory.
Romans 8:35-39 needs to be your cry of victory this morning. The Word of God was full of unfailing love and truth, and listen to the extent of that unfailing love from the apostle Paul:
Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or are hungry or cold or in danger or threatened with death? No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us. And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from his love. Death can’t, and life can’t. The angels can’t, and the demons can’t. Our fears for today, our worries about tomorrow, and even the powers of hell can’t keep God’s love away. Whether we are high above the sky or in the deepest ocean, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.
