# The Lion Who Will Return in Judgment
## Review:
# Three Revelations of Who God Is
TEXT: Revelation 19
## Introduction - You can Know Who God Is and What He is Like (Phil. 3:10)
## The Lord Our God Omnipotent who Reigns (Rev. 19:1-6)
## The Bridegroom Who Will be Wed (Rev. 19:7-10)
## The Lion Who will Return in Judgment (vs. 11-21)
## Theme: Revelation 19:11-21
Revelation 19:11-21 is about the battle of the Great Day of the Lord. (Zephaniah 1:14; Revelation 16:14) This battle will be of great and yet righteous violence and vengeance.
### Violence
**Words of Battle**: … white horse … judge and make war … vesture dipped in blood… armies … sharp sword, …smite … rule … rod of iron … treadeth … fierceness and wrath .. eat the flesh … make war…beast was taken, and with him the false prophet…These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone…slain with the sword
### Vengeance
A search for "vengeance" in the Bible will result in at least 40 verses. And the context is almost always in reference to God taking vengeance on His enemies.
Read: Deut. 32:35; Psalm 94:1; Romans 12:19; Romans 3:5
> Deuteronomy 32:35 To me belongeth vengeance, and recompence; their foot shall slide in due time: for the day of their calamity is at hand, and the things that shall come upon them make haste.
> Psalms 94:1 O LORD God, to whom vengeance belongeth; O God, to whom vengeance belongeth, shew thyself.
> Romans 12:19 Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord. (Leviticus 19:18)
The best revenge is to be unlike him who performed the injury. —Marcus Aurelius, Meditations
God alone is God. We are never to usurp the AUTHORITY of God -- vengeance for spiritual wrong belongs exclusively to God.
On 17 June, Michel Servetus was convicted of heresy, "thanks to the 17 letters sent by John Calvin (Calvin agreed that those whom the ruling religious authorities determined to be heretics should be punished:), and sentenced to be burned with his books. Historians record his last words as: "**Jesus, Son of the Eternal God, have mercy on me**."
Is God unrighteous in His vengeance? {"Do as I say and not as I do"?}
> Romans 3:5 But if our unrighteousness commend the righteousness of God, what shall we say? Is God unrighteous who taketh vengeance? (I speak as a man)
Dictionary definition of Avenge: inflict hurt or harm on someone for an injury or wrong suffered at their hands. (to carry out a grudge)
Even deeper than the sense of carrying out a "grudge" is the sense that Scripture gives to revenge. In the scripture, in reference to God, revenge/avenge/vengeance has at its root meaning **PUNISHMENT**. God is not petty, he is righteous. We see God in our text not passionately out of control because of a vandetta, but we see **Christ in His Divine glory***.
## The Lion is a Mighty Conqueror (vs 11-16)
### Verse 11 He is Righteous and Glorious
> Revelation 19:11—And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war.
- Heaven Opened
- All the Judgments of God are righteous
### Verse 12 His Eyes, Crowns and Name
>12 His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself.
#### His Eyes were a Flame of Fire
Two things to consider: His omniscent perception and his omnipotent wrath.
#### On His Head Many Crowns
He is not just Judge and General, but He is also King. In 2 Samuel 12:30 when David defeated the Ammonites he put the crown of the vanquished king on his head. The Dragon has seven diadems as "possesor of the seven great world powers". (Rev. 12:3) The beast has ten crowns combining 10 soveriegn powers. (Rev. 13:1) The accumulation of crowns relates to the accumulation of victories and dominion.
#### He has an Unknowable Name
John saw that the name was written, but did not and could not record it as he was awed with its splendor making it too much for him to understand or know. (Matthew 11:27 the depth of God)
### Verse 13 Reputation, Purpose and Position of Christ
#### His Reputation
> …And he was clothed with a vesture.
His moral character or reputation is seen. He is not naked. He and all those in Heavenly places are clothed. Those who serve the devil are naked. (Mark 5:15 "legion"; Acts 19:16 "Sons of Sceva")
He is clothed with a long inner garment (Rev. 1:13) and an outer garment ("vesture").
#### His Purpose
> … dipped in blood:…
The blood in this context is not His own, but are the bloodstains of His enemies. We see here the marks of a veteran mighty in battle. This is He who fought for Israel as He fought from Heaven against Egyptians, Canaanites, Philistines and many others. Remember what happened to Dagon? (1 Samuel 5:1-7)
> Isaiah 63:1-4—Who is this that cometh from Edom, with dyed garments from Bozrah? this that is glorious in his apparel, travelling in the greatness of his strength? I that speak in righteousness, mighty to save. 2 Wherefore art thou red in thine apparel, and thy garments like him that treadeth in the winefat? 3 I have trodden the winepress alone; and of the people there was none with me: for I will tread them in mine anger, and trample them in my fury; and their blood shall be sprinkled upon my garments, and I will stain all my raiment. 4 For the day of vengeance is in mine heart, and the year of my redeemed is come.
He is in our text wearing the "same garments" as then! He is coming in the same capacity for the same purpose and with the same invincible power.
#### His Position
> …and his name is called The Word of God. (John 1:1)
In our text, He is not coming at this time as a lamb to save, but as "the Word of God" / Judge. He will judge the world by His Word. Three names are given here indicating his position:
1. An Unknowable Name vs. 12
2. The Word of God vs. 13, 15
> Revelation 19:15—And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.
3. King of Kings and Lord of Lords vs. 16
> Revelation 19:16—And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.
### vs. 14 The Armies of Heaven
#### The Lion of Judah is Not Alone
When the Lord Jesus is revealed from Heaven in flaming fire taking vengeance upon them that know not God and that obey not the Gospel, He does not come alone.
> Revelation 19:14—And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean.
- His Army Will Include His Mighty Angels
> 2 Thessalonians 1:7,8—And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, 8 In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ:
Compare with 2 Kings 6:17 and Psalm 68:17;
- His Army will Include 10,000's of His Saints
Jude 1:14,15—And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints, 15 To execute judgment upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed, and of all their hard speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken against him.
Saints from all ages of time, make up the armies of the sky. Notice that the Bride goes to Heaven in a Battle (Revelation 12:7) and then comes again in a battle (Revelation 19:14).
#### They Followed Him
He is the commander who gives the orders. They do His bidding. In Matthew 26:53 He could have called 12 legions of angels, but He died alone. (A Roman legion consisted of about six thousand soldiers, or upwards.)
#### Upon White Horses
#### Clothed in Fine Linen, white and clean
#### They Wear no Armor
## The Lion's Last Battle (vs. 17-21)
### Some Background on this Battle
#### The Demise of Satan throughout Scripture
Christ is always the victor. Lucifer rebelled and fell to the condemnation of the devil. Satan deceived Eve, but out of a woman came the seed of the Redeemer! Jesus Christ was betrayed or forsaken by those closest to Him through the wiles of the devil, but three days later Up from the Grave Christ Arose! In the last days, the devil will deceive many, but God will still have his faithful and holy remnant.
We are in a time, when evil appears to advance his cause without much opposition. No matter the appearances, satan is a defeated foe. We are commanded to resist, defend against and oppose the devil in daily battles. But Christ will have the final say-so and a final "battle" will END the Wicked One and his servants.
> 2 Thessalonians 2:8—And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming:
#### The Gathering and Wine Press in Revelation 14:14-20
Revelation 14 describes Christ coming as one like unto the Son of man sitting on a white cloud. Having in His hand a sharp sickle, the following judgment is described as both a "gathering of harvest" and a "wine press of wrath".
> Revelation 14:19-20— And the angel thrust in his sickle into the earth, and gathered the vine of the earth, and cast it into the great winepress of the wrath of God. 20 And the winepress was trodden without the city, and blood came out of the winepress, even unto the horse bridles, by the space of a thousand and six hundred furlongs.
>Revelation 19:15—…he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.
#### The 6th vial in Revelation 16:12-16
Revelation 16 told us that the location of this great battle would be in Armageddon. On the human side, the kings of the earth are inspired to gather together against God by evil spirits.
> Revelation 16:14 For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty.
> Revelation 16:16 And he gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon.
#### Making War with the Lamb in Revelation 17:14
Revelation 17:14 describes the kings of the earth as making war with the lamb, but the Lamb and those that are with Him overcome them.
> Revelation 17:14 These [the ten kings of the earth] shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them: for he is Lord of lords, and King of kings: and they that are with him are called, and chosen, and faithful.
### An Invitation to this Battle
An Invitation to another 'supper' is given:
17 And I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the fowls that fly in the midst of heaven, Come and gather yourselves together unto the supper of the great God;
18 That ye may eat the flesh of kings, and the flesh of captains, and the flesh of mighty men, and the flesh of horses, and of them that sit on them, and the flesh of all men, both free and bond, both small and great.
19 And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse, and against his army.
20 And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone.
21 And the remnant were slain with the sword of him that sat upon the horse, which sword proceeded out of his mouth: and all the fowls were filled with their flesh.
## Conclusion