It Is He | Revelation 19:11-21 | Confidence in the Coming King

On Reformation Sunday, we turned again to the book of Revelation and came to one of its most vivid and hope-filled passages. In Revelation 19:11–21, heaven opens and Christ appears—not as a distant observer but as the Faithful and True Judge who rides forth in righteousness. His robe is dipped in His own blood, reminding us that the one who comes to judge is also the one who was judged in our place. For those who belong to Him, His coming is not cause for fear but for confidence.

Pastor Mark Groen connects this image of Christ’s triumph to the promise of Psalm 46 and the words of Luther’s great hymn, “A Mighty Fortress Is Our God.” The Lord of Hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. In the end, the Judge is also our Savior—and that truth gives us peace.

Standing before a human judge can make us nervous—but standing before the Judge who is also our Savior gives us peace. The robe dipped in blood reminds us that our judgment has already fallen on Him. When Christ returns, His people have nothing to fear.

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Thank you for joining us for this week's sermon from First Reformed Church in Edgerton, Minnesota. Each week, we dig into God's word, trusting that the Holy spirit will continue the good work of sanctification in us. Back when I was in my early 20s, so a long time ago, I got a speeding ticket just outside the town where I went to grade school. So this was a road I had driven on or ridden on thousands of times. I had rode my bike there many, many times. In my defense, the speed limit sign was new, and It was hidden until, I guess in my opinion, the last second by a big railroad crossing ahead sign. Now, I did see the sign. I was slowing down, but I was not hasty enough for the police officer who is sitting in this new speed trap to catch me. He was just waiting right there. And I made my case. I'm like, I've driven on this road. How many times? Well, it is new, but ignorance isn't an excuse to not break the law. But I couldn't see it. Well, it didn't matter. I had a piece of paper that said I owed $50, whatever it was.

Wasn't a huge fine. But I decided to go to court and explain what had happened. And I could still remember how nervous I was standing in that courtroom before that judge. Now, the worst thing that could happen to me standing there that day was they would say, you have to pay the full $50. That was literally the worst thing that could happen. But I was terrified because I was standing before a judge. The worst possible outcome was really nothing. But there was Something so intimidating about being in that courtroom, standing there in that courthouse in Kent, in South Dakota, knowing that this person was ultimately going to make a decision on my behalf or against me that they were going to decide this case. For the record, I only need to pay half. But there's something in all of us that feels uneasy when judgment is coming, even if we know it's something we deserved. Now, as we turn to Revelation 19 this morning, we're confronted with this image of Jesus as the true true and final judge. He comes to not only judge, but to make war in righteousness. For those who reject him, that day is terrifying.

But for those who belong to him, it's not a day of fear, it's a day of confidence, it's a day of peace. Because the judge who comes is also the one who was judged in our place. Now, we just have a few weeks left to finish up Revelation here, but we're arriving at some very familiar parts of the book. As we have journeyed through the Book of Revelation, it has been my goal to Try and simplify it as much as possible. There's a lot of complicated stuff. There's a lot of concepts and images in Revelation that can be difficult to understand. But my ultimate goal has been to remind us of the purpose of the book. In my experience, people come to Revelation with fear and with hesitance. But the book originally was written to bring comfort to the churches in Asia that were experiencing terrible circumstances, terrible tribulation and persecution. Those first century churches were experiencing this persecution at a point like maybe nothing that had ever been experienced. As we've looked at this book, my big point has been that we shouldn't have fear of a book when the purpose of it is to bring comfort.

That doesn't make sense. Why are we approaching it with fear when its purpose is to give us peace? Also throughout our time in Revelation, I've been deliberate to point out that the text is pointing to events that were coming in the first century. The temple was going to be destroyed. There was going to be an end that was coming to the old covenant religious system of sacrifices because the Lord Jesus had come. He had fulfilled all those rituals and all those feats. And so judgment was coming upon Jerusalem for the rejection of him. And the idea that we saw in the last couple of chapters is that there's this divorce between God and unfaithful Israel. And when we left off in the beginning of chapter 19 in May, we had seen that judgment had come, and there was this amazing image of the marriage supper of the Lamb. The new bride had been presented, and now he was united, or she, the church, was united to her groom. And so now, as we move to verse 11, there's this dramatic shift in vision. Before this, we had images of heaven. There was rejoicing. There was this marriage, Supper of the Lamb, and they celebrated the joy of redemption.

They were celebrating the fulfillment of the covenant promises of God. This had all come. But now as the chapter continues. Heaven opens, but we don't see descriptions from John about celebrations. Instead, there's a confrontation. Jesus appears, and this time, he's a warrior king. The savior who shed his own blood for his people, now comes to judge those who've rejected him and are in rebellion against him. And so this is not some new Jesus. It's the same faithful and true Lord we've seen all throughout the Book. But now his righteousness is being displayed in the justice he's bringing against those who've rejected him. Now, we have to be sure as we read this, that we see that heaven is opening. So much of what we've seen in Revelation has been visions that are in heaven with God, the Father, and Jesus. And we've observed these things that are taking place. But now we see heaven opening. And Jesus comes in judgment to make war on his enemies, and heaven is opening. So all of creation is seeing this. So Jesus is on a white horse, and he's described as having eyes like a flame of fire.

He's wearing many crowns. Now, previously in Revelation, the first beast in the dragon had false crowns. They had all these crowns, and we learned that they were false kings. But in contrast, we see Jesus now as a true king, and it's a glorious image, and it's amplified by his having a name written on him that no one knows but himself. He is so mighty. He is so powerful. He is so holy that he can't be fully known. He is called faithful and true. He's called the word of God. But the name that no one knows here is to express to us that there's also this sense of power and divine mystery that surrounds him. He can't be fully known. And John also informs us that this one on the white horse is wearing a robe dipped in blood. If we weren't confident that Jesus is the rider on the horse at this point, we should be after this because Jesus is the one who shed his blood to redeem sinners, and now we see that he has come to judge. Now, as I said, when I reset our approach to revelation, as I started out, we often come to Revelation with fear.

As we read these verses of judgment, we might naturally and understandably feel that sense of dread build up in us. Because the imagery of judgment, the imagery of war is harsh and it is frightening. But this image here, the way it is given to us, should instead give those who are in Christ confidence. Because while his coming should put terror in those who are receiving judgment, for those who are in Christ, we see that his coming is one of triumph. So the robe that Jesus is wearing isn't dipped in the blood of his enemies. If we were reading this as humans who want vengeance, we would like to think that the robe is red with blood because those who wronged us have been slaughtered. We want justice. But that's not the idea here. This isn't the blood of his enemies. That's the reason it is red. It's his own blood. The one coming in judgment is the one who was judged in our place. His judgment is terrible for those who remain in their rebellion. But for those who receive his mercy by grace through faith, it is now our peace. Because his robe has been dipped in his blood, we should be filled with confidence instead Out of fear.

And so with that peace in us, we see that in this judgment, Jesus is accompanied by the armies of heaven. They are following on horses with being clothed in pure linen. And so this description helps us to understand who this army is. This fine linen lets us know that this is the bride of the Lamb. The idea isn't that Jesus needs a big army to overcome. Like Jesus looked and before he opened heaven, he goes, Boy, there's a lot of enemies down there. I'm going to need you guys to have my back. That's not what this is about. The idea is that Jesus is coming and those behind him are sharing in the victory. These are the ones who have been persecuted. They have been oppressed, but now they share in the victory over those who bring harm to the people of God. We see that from the mouth of Jesus comes a sharp sword to strike down the nations. This is the one who is the word of God. And he also treads the wine press of the fury of God's wrath. And he does this as king of kings and lord of lords.

Those who opposed Jesus were the kings of the Earth. They were the lords of the land. But he is king over them. He is Lord over them. And this is strong and vivid imagery, but it's helping us to understand something really important here. The purpose of this imagery is to remind us that Jesus doesn't need armies and powerful weaponry to secure victory. The power of his word that comes from his mouth is enough. The same word that was spoken at creation, the same word that brings dead sinners to life, also brings judgment on his enemies. The word coming from his mouth not only defeats his enemies, but it subdues them. The reign of Christ is one of perfect justice and complete victory. And as we move into the next few verses, we see the full painting of God's all-consuming victory over the enemies of Christ. And it's unsettling. John tells us of an angel standing in the sun, and he calls to birds to gather for the great supper of God. And what follows is a very gruesome scene. These birds are clearly scavengers, and they are eating those who are laid waste by judgment.

And through this description, we find that none of the enemies of God are exempt. Kings, captains, mighty men, horses and their riders, all men, both free and slave, those great and small. No one's exempt. And it isn't just men. The beast is captured as well as the false prophet. And their judgment is not limited to being destroyed and having the birds feast on their flesh. No, they are thrown into the Lake of Fire that burns with sulfur. It's an absolute judgment. And being thrown into the Lake of Fire lets us know that the judgment is not short term. It continues with a burning that doesn't end. And then our passage for today closes up telling us that the rest of the enemies were slain and these scavengers were gorged on, or the scavengers gorged on their flesh. Now, I hope you aren't going to spend too much time imagining that image because it would be devastating to our pancake fan raiser. Everybody would lose their appetite if you thought about this too much. This is a gruesome image. It's a stomach-turning idea. And it's supposed to be. It is supposed to upset us. We're not only shown the power of Christ to defeat his enemies, but we're also meant to see the terrible fate of those who oppose him.

It's more than defeat. It is more than death. It's a complete reversal of the situation that we've seen in Revelation at so many points, because the world stands in oppression over the people of God. The beast and the dragon are powerful, and it seems as though nothing can overcome them and their minions. But now the King of Kings and the Lord of lords has come and laid waste to the tormentors of the people of God. I want you to Imagine the comfort that this would have brought to those experiencing the tribulations of the first century. The state and the religious authorities of that time were prostituting them for their faith in Christ. All seemed hopeless. But the promise brought to them in this book is that Christ, the word of God, the King of Kings, the Lord of Lords, he is coming in judgment, and it will be absolute. Their plight, their persecution, their suffering is not ignored by God. And this is where this book Book, written in the first century, hits home for us. For those early believers, and for us today, this vision isn't meant to fill us with dread. It's meant to give us assurance.

The enemies of Jesus do not have the last word. When we sojourn in this life, it feels like the enemies of God get the last word, doesn't it? But they don't. Here we see the faithful and true judge making all things right. He will make things right when he returns to judge the living in the dead at the end of history, when he delivers his kingdom to his Father. And just like it's described here in Revelation 19, his people share in the victory. And as I was thinking about this text and what to focus on, I was reminded that this is Reformation Sunday. And the words of a Mighty Fortress and the words of Psalm 46 came to mind for me. This morning, we've not only read and sang Psalm 46, but we also wrote Luther's rendition or sang Luther's rendition that he put in that great hymn. There was a promise there of God being our refuge and our strength, and it is a great comfort. But Psalm 46 does more than tell us that God is a place to hide and to wait the storms, wait out the storms of life. It tells us more than that.

We sang these words in a mighty fortress. Did we, in our own strength, confide? Our striving would be losing. We're not the right man on our side. The man of God's own choosing. You ask who that may be? Christ Jesus. It is he. In the trials of life, if we were to rest on our own strength, it would be fruitless. But the image given to us by Revelation 19 is that Jesus is the one who overcomes. It is he. We do not rely on our own strength, but instead on the one who is over all things. At the end of Psalm 46, there's this well-known sequence of verses that speaks of this victory that God has over his enemies. And it calls to mind those verses that we saw in Revelation. We see that God brings this judgment on his enemies. He's brought desolations on the earth. He makes war cease. He finishes it. He's in control. He is the victor. So he brings judgment, and he tells them to be still. Quit your warring with me. I am God. Be still and know it. I am the victor. The powers of the Earth and the enemies of God do not get the last word.

Instead, God tells them to be quiet and to realize that they are under his authority. He is exalted among the nations. He is exalted in the earth. And this is a great reason for confidence. As those who have been saved by grace alone, through faith alone, on account of the work of Christ alone. We have peace, regardless of what we face in our lives, regardless of what we experience in the world, what we see in our own lives here, or as we look out to everything that's happening in the greater world. We know the one who is exalted. We know the one who is above all things. We know the one who the whole earth will exalt. And we, as the people of God, are victorious with him. Standing before a judge in this life, similar to I described with my speeding ticket, standing before a judge is enough to make us nervous. But standing before the judge, who is also our savior, should give us peace. The robe dipped in blood that we saw in Revelation 19 reminds us that our judgment has already fallen on Christ. And so when he returns, when he comes again, as his people, We have nothing to fear.

The Lord of hosts is with us. The God of Jacob is our fortress. Amen. Let us pray. Great and merciful God, we praise you for the gift of your word. We thank you that it is what gives us confidence in our salvation. This word that came to us in your Holy spirit used to give us life now works in us to give us peace and confidence. May we live boldly as your people, confident that the judgment we deserve for our sin has been poured out in Christ. And may this good news cause us to live holy lives in gratitude for what you have done to save us. Help us to be confident that no matter what comes at us in this life, we will reign with you because you are our savior. You are exalted. You are king of Kings and Lord of Lords. You are exalted among the nations. You are exalted in all the earth. It is in the name of Jesus that we pray. Thank you for joining us for this week's sermon. For more information about First Reformed Church, head to our Facebook page or website, edgertonfrc.org.

Looking to catch up or revisit earlier sermons in our Revelation series? You can find the full archive here: edgertonfrc.org/revelation-sermon-archive.