REVELATION 19,20:3 THE RETURN OF JESUS CHRIST AND THE END OF THE GREAT TRIBULATION

 "The LORD God said to the serpent... he (Jesus) shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel" (Gen. 3:15). "The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet" (Rom. 16:20). The event for which God& 39;s people have been praying for and looking forward to for thousands of years since the Fall and since God& 39;s first promise/prophecy of a Deliverer and Savior from sin, Satan and death, is finally coming - the glorious return of our Savior and King, Jesus Christ. "Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven." (Matt. 6:10; also see Rom. 8:18-25) He will destroy His enemies and set up His kingdom that begins with a renewed earth and resurrected saints for a thousand years (the millennial kingdom) and then continues when God prepares a new heaven and a new earth (the eternal state) in which all believers will live with our Lord and each other for ever and ever - Paradise Regained. Hallelujah! Yet, if we believe the Bible, things must get worse before they get better per the book of Revelation. Based on God& 39;s promise as seen in Revelation and especially chapters 19-22, we can say to people who ask us in these times of ever increasing evil (Matt. 24:12), "what is this world coming to"?; We can say with confidence, "absolute and eternal perfection and bliss for those who belong to the Lord Jesus Christ or eternal misery and torment for those who reject Him. There is no middle ground. Jesus said, "He who is not with me is against me" (Matt. 12:30).

Let& 39;s take a closer look at our King and what He is about to do: "I saw heaven standing open ("heaven opened" i.e., by the Father) and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice he judges and makes war. 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. He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is the Word of God. The armies of heaven were following him, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean. Out of his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations. He will rule them with an iron scepter. He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty. On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written, KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS."

Suddenly God the Father opens the gate of heaven and King Jesus bursts forth on a white stallion (not a donkey this time)  with the armies of heaven following Him (saints of all ages and probably angels too) and quickly destroys His enemies. (Although we His people are with Him, I really don& 39;t think He will need any help). Here we see Jesus make holy war (with justice he makes war) and the white horse pictures a triumphant general who has conquered his enemies.  The sharp sword is the powerful Word of God (the sword of the Spirit) and the One Who said, "let there be light" and spoke the vast universe into being (out of nothing - ex nihilo - Heb. 11:3), will now destroy His enemies with the same "Word of His power" (Heb. 1:3). "He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood." He executes God& 39;s furious wrath and the accumulated blood of His enemies flows as high as the horse& 39;s bridle (Rev. 14:20). He will then rule the world, all of His people, saved Jews and Gentiles from Jerusalem, for a thousand years as King of kings and Lord of lords meting out perfect and swift judgment (with an iron scepter or rod of iron).  As we will see later the millennial kingdom will begin with only those who believe in Christ but the ones who are saved during the Tribulation will enter the millennium in their natural bodies and bear children. Many of those born in the millennium will not receive Christ as Savior and in the final revolt (Rev. 20:7-10) He will destroy them. But during the millennium even those who secretly reject Jesus will be in total subjection to His rule. The comments here describe a pre-millennial view of end times. Post-millennialists believe that the church will grow in strength and will bring God& 39;s rule over all areas of society, political, economic, education, etc. and usher in the millennial kingdom before the second coming of Christ.  This view does not seem to line up with Scripture or history. "History does not quietly and gradually merge into the kingdom of Christ, it comes with a fury and a viciousness, in a cataclysmic divine intervention from heaven that is sudden. And furthermore, the end will not come because things get better. The end will come because things get worse. The church will never conquer the kingdoms of this world, the church will never take over the social institutions of this age. There are not going to be better and better days ahead because of Christian influence in the world. And it& 39;s clear in the book of Revelation that it& 39;s getting worse and worse until the King intervenes." John MacArthur

Jesus is described here with four names: "Faithful and True; a name written on him that no one knows; the Word of God; and, KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS."  We His people have known Him as Faithful and True and as the Word of God. The name that no one knows but Himself probably refers to His attributes as God the Son and the eternal mysteries of His deity that no created being will ever be able to comprehend even when we are with Him in heaven. But now at this time He will reveal Himself to a world that has rejected Him, as, "KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS (‘on his head are many crowns") speaking of His absolute sovereignty over all people, lost and saved; "At the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." (Phil. 2:10)

A poignant summation of God& 39;s final judgment is seen in the contrast of two suppers: the wedding supper of the Lamb -"Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb" (v. 9); or the  great supper of God:  "And I saw an angel standing in the sun, who cried in a loud voice to all the birds flying in midair, "Come, gather together for the great supper of God, so that you may eat the flesh of kings, generals, and mighty men, of horses and their riders, and the flesh of all people, free and slave, small and great" (vv. 17-18; also see v. 21). Then I saw the beast and the kings of the earth and their armies gathered together to make war against the rider on the horse and his army."  From v. 19 here and Rev.17:12-14 it seems that this refers to the time at which Antichrist and the armies of his ten kings attempt to prevent Christ from wresting control from him. Psalm 2 says so well what happens here:  "Why do the nations conspire and the peoples plot in vain? The kings of the earth take their stand and the rulers gather together against the LORD and against his Anointed One (Jesus Christ). "Let us break their chains," they say, "and throw off their fetters." The One enthroned in heaven laughs; the Lord scoffs at them. Then he rebukes them in his anger and terrifies them in his wrath, saying, "I have installed my King on Zion, my holy hill."  

"But the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet who had performed the miraculous signs on his behalf. With these signs he had deluded those who had received the mark of the beast and worshiped his image. The two of them were thrown alive into the fiery lake of burning sulfur. The rest of them were killed with the sword that came out of the mouth of the rider on the horse, and all the birds gorged themselves on their flesh." So ends the brief reign of terror of the Antichrist and false prophet. Note of interest: "At a certain period of the year, spring on into early summer, almost all migrating birds from western Europe to Siberia migrate south through Israel because it is the most obvious neck of land. The birds would rather migrate over land so that they can have access to food than fly across the Mediterranean.  They would rather migrate through Israel because it is fertile than fly in the barren deserts to the east.  And so millions and millions and millions of birds stretching from western Europe into Siberia, Asia, all funnel through Israel." John MacArthur

This brings us to the end of the Great Tribulation and the beginning of the millennial kingdom. But first Satan must be bound. "And I saw an angel coming down out of heaven, having the key to the Abyss and holding in his hand a great chain. He seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil, or Satan, and bound him for a thousand years. He threw him into the Abyss, and locked and sealed it over him, to keep him from deceiving the nations anymore until the thousand years were ended. After that, he must be set free for a short time."  This event follows the end of the Tribulation and begins the millennial kingdom. Though Satan has always been under God& 39;s control (Job:1-2) God will now restrict him from deceiving people during this time of great peace and prosperity on a renewed earth. Obviously Satan is deceiving many today so the view that he is currently bound certainly goes against what the world is experiencing. As Dr. Vernon McGee says, "If he is bound today, he has a very long chain." As Revelation gives us four names for Christ here it gives us four names for Satan: dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil, or Satan. The "dragon" emphasizes his fierceness and cruelty. The "serpent" speaks of his guile and deception. The "devil" means slanderer referring to how he is night and day before the throne of God accusing and condemning God& 39;s people.  "Satan" means adversary or enemy and he is opposed to God, to Christ, to the saints, all believers. The key to lock up and the chain to bind Satan pictures God& 39;s total control over him during the millennium even his power of deception which God allows him to do presently. The Abyss (or bottomless pit) is not hell (the lake of fire) but a place of imprisonment for certain demons (Luke 8:3) as we see the Lord later cast him into the lake of fire after He allows him to be released for his final revolt. (Rev. 20:7-10) In our next study we will look more in depth at the blessing and joy of the millennial kingdom.

QUESTIONS FOR APPLICATION AND DISCUSSION AND FROM STEVE GRIFFITH& 39;S COMMENTARY

1) Read Rev. 19:11-16; Acts 1:6-12; Matt. 24:29-30; I Thess. 3:13; II Thess. 1:7; Rev.14:1. From the verses listed above, answer the following questions: (a) to what spot on earth will Christ return? (b) who will see the return of Christ? (c) how is His coming described? (d) who will accompany Christ at His return? (e) who will greet Christ on earth upon His return to the earth?

 2) Read John 18:4-6; Zech.14:12; and Rev.14:17-20.  How are the armies gathered against Christ killed (Rev.19:21)?

3) In what way would you like to see Christ intervene and triumph in the world today and in your own life? How can we triumph over Satan now in the midst of evil and our own trials and struggles? (See Rev. 12:11)

4) What is your main take away from today& 39;s message and table discussion and how can you apply it to your life this week?