April 24, 2007
The Second Coming of the Messiah
To receive the greatest possible blessing from this Bible study, please take a moment to read the passage.
Prayer:
Soon Coming King—Lord Jesus, I praise You for the assurance of victory over my sin, over death, and over the enemy. In grateful adoration, I long to be in Your presence. As did John the Revelator, I pray even so Lord Jesus come. Amen.
Introduction:
According to Scripture, the church is the Bride of Christ. Therefore, this life is comparable to an engagement as the couple prepares for marriage. It is a time to prove our devotion to our eternal partner. Here, we take our vows and make our commit to the King of kings; or we are unworthy to be called His Bride.
In examining traditional wedding vows, we gain insight into what God expects from us regarding our relationship with His Son.
For Better or For Worse: Whether God floods us with blessings or overwhelms us with calamities, He requires our allegiance, our praise, and our service.
For Richer or Poorer: Whether God grants us immeasurable wealth or strips us to the bare necessities of life, He expects us to glorify and honor Him, to trust His judgments, and to assist the needy according to our resources.
In sickness or in health: Whether God touches us with an immediate healing or permits us to suffer through to the end, He looks for gratitude, openness, and a willingness to share our testimony.
Until death: Our blessed assurance and Jesus’ solemn vow to us is that we will spend eternity with Him as His Bride. The second death—separation from God—will not affect those whose names are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life.
The Lesson:
After the Lamb’s wedding, He is immediately called to an expedition to make war against the Archenemy of creation. This is the true Second Coming of Jesus Christ. When He calls the church out of this world, we will meet Him in the sky and not everyone will see Him (I Thessalonians 5:16-18). However when He reappears on Mt. Zion, all eyes will behold Him (Revelation 1:7).
Verses 11-16: The rider on a white horse--
The white horse symbolizes victory and characterizes the importance of the rider’s mission. Zechariah 9:9b—See, your king comes to you, righteous and having salvation, gentle and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey. This prophecy was fulfilled by Jesus when He entered Jerusalem the week prior His crucifixion (Matthew 21:1-11). During His first advent, Jesus came as the sacrificial Lamb of God riding on a colt the symbol of surrender. His next appearance on earth He will be the conquering King riding on a white horse, which denotes His sovereignty.
˙ His name is not known—essentially is not given to anyone else. Jesus is a common Hebrew name as is John or Joshua. But our Savior’s heavenly name only refers to Him.
˙ He is called Faithful and True. Jesus is Faithful to His mission, to the Father, and to all believers. He is True or the essence of Truth. He is incapable of anything false.
˙ Jesus is also called the Word of God in verse 13, which coincides with John 1-1: In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
˙ Verse 16 reveals another facet of His character name—THE KING OF kings AND LORD OF lords. Jesus is sovereign over all creation.
His purpose for His return is to judge and to make war. These two aspects of Christ’s character puzzle people to the point of turning them away from Him. Remember that He is holy and His enemies must be placed under His feet and made subject to His authority. Few surrender without a fight least of all Satan and his cohorts.
His eyes are like blazing fire. At first, the thought of a campfire came to my mind. Who is not mesmerized by its glow? Then, I realized it for the consuming uncontrollable (by anyone other than God) forest fire that the Revelator intended.
On His head were many crowns. In Biblical days, it was customary for the conquering king to ride through his newly acquired territory wearing the enemy’s crown as a symbol of control.
He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood. Some experts presume that this is His own blood signifying the victory through the cross. Others believe that it is the blood of the enemy since Jesus’ mission is to carry out the will of the Father by treading the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty. Either way is denotes His triumph over Satan.
Out of His mouth comes a sharp sword. John has used this descriptive phrase several times. Paul envisioned the power of the Lord’s spoken word in like manner—And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will overthrow with the breath of his mouth and destroy by the splendor of his coming (2 Thessalonians 2:8). We, too, are equipped with the Word of God—the Bible—to use in the battle we face daily. Paul refers to it as the sword: Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God (Ephesians 6:17). In the fierce battle now upon us, we need to utilize our weaponry with as much vigor as we can muster.
The statement, He will rule the nations with an iron scepter, means that He will chastise the nations and bring justice to the world.
Clothed in fine, white, clean linen, Jesus’ army follows Him on white horses. The “suit of armor” of the army signifies that the Bride will accompany Christ in this war. They are equipped for battle through the righteousness of their LORD, not by their own might.
Verses 17-21: Armageddon . . . The God’s Great Supper
Chapter 19 opens with an invitation to the wedding feast of the Lamb and closes with an invitation to God’s great supper of. What a contrast!
An angel announces God’s great supper to the fowls of the air as described in Ezekiel 39: 17-20.
The menu consists of kings, captains, mighty men, horses and their riders, all those who made allegiance with the beast. As described in chapters 14-16, the beast (Anti-Christ) and all the nations will combine their armies to make war against God. The battle will be so great that the blood of the enemy will flow like a river 200 miles long and approximately six feet deep. Isaiah 34:1-8 says the land will be soaked in blood.
The Beast or Anti-Christ and the false prophet are captured and cast into the fiery lake of burning sulfur. The false prophet is the one who does miracles, signs, and wonders to deceive the people and to convince the kings to surrender their allegiance to the Beast.
The sword of the Lord massacres the mass army who followed the Beast. The fowl of the air consume their bodies and drink the blood. What a gruesome end for those who reject the Truth.
Conclusion and Challenge:
Every person has received an invitation to the Wedding Feast of the Lamb. Those who refuse to accept it will find themselves guests at the Great Supper of God. Just as the Groom had done, it is the church’s duty as part of its engagement to seek the lost and dying to prove her worthiness to become His Bride.
Regardless of our circumstances or our position in life, our testimony remains the same—God hates sin, loves the sinner, and resolved the problem of separation through the blood of the Lamb. This is the powerful testimony God has given everyone who believes regardless of our condition at the time of salvation. It is the invitation people need to hear.
Humanity’s greatest fear is that of being alone. Since God created us to have a personal relationship with Jesus, this fear of loneliness makes sense. Everyone (all inclusive) needs Him.
Jesus died to take away our sin, which separates people from the Creator. Many people think they don’t need God or salvation; but everyone suffers from the fear of loneliness in different degrees, of course. Nevertheless, the only One who is capable of totally removing that fear is God. And He chose to do so through the blood of His Son, Jesus Christ. God loves us so much that His greatest desire is to eliminate fear from His children.
In John’s first epistle, he states, “There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment “ (I John 4:18a NIV).
When we address their deepest need, people are approachable. By introducing fear of loneliness as the result of sin, which separated us from God, we may be able to stir in our listener the desire to know more about our Heavenly Father who promises never to leave us alone. Most people think they are good and refuse to recognize their sinful nature; but they will more readily admit to the fear of being alone. This can open the opportunity for us to speak to them about their sin according to the law, their need for forgiveness, and their hope through Jesus Christ.
Prayer Requests:
Florence, South Mountain Children’s Home, those grieving because of the VA Tech. School shooting, Gene, Chris, Nora, Rachel, Nancy, Gloria, Amber, Shirley & Ryan, Melinda & Barry and family, Phyllis and husband, Don & Pat, John, Elizabeth, Mary, Irene, salvation for unsaved, April, Thelma, Ann, Pauline, revival—In our hearts, in our churches, and in our communities, cancer victims, our Bible Study, special unspoken needs, and remember me, Brenda Hendricks.
Praise Report:
Veronica Kate arrived April 10 at 6:15 am to the delight of Wayne and April. Daughter and Mommy are doing wonderful.
Bruce received a favorable report and is doing much better.
Elizabeth is doing well and doesn’t have to see the doctor for four months.
WOO HOO! God is so good—always, all ways.
We are looking forward to your praise reports. Please keep us informed so we can share the wonderful grace of Jesus.
Next Weeks Study:
Our next Bible Study is May 1, 2007. Read Chapter 20, Jesus’ Millennial Reign on Earth.
Invitation:
Although we have not chosen to be, we are all born into sin because of the fall of man. It sounds hopeless and unfair. Nevertheless, in His infinite wisdom and abundant love, God has provided a choice for us. We can choose to repent of our sinful nature and believe in Jesus Christ. He is faithful and will cleanse us from sin and give us His Holy Spirit to equip us to live for Him. If you’ve made your choice to repent and believe in Jesus, we’d like to hear about it.
If you are free in Christ Jesus, pray for those who remain captive. Tell others, Christians as well as non-believers, what Jesus has done for you. Your testimony will benefit them and help you to strengthen your confidence in Christ’s work in your life and in the future.
If you’d like to participate in our Bible Study, please contact us with your comments, questions, and prayer requests at twosmallfish@verizon.net . Be sure to put today’s Bible study in the subject line or I may delete it unopened.
To view the previous chapters of our study on the book of Revelation, follow this link: http://www.twosmallfish.org/revelation_bible_study.htm
To view our previous Bible studies and devotions, follow this link: http://www.twosmallfish.org/Archives/index.html
May God grant you safety, reassurance of His love, and the revelation of Jesus Christ,
See you in a twinkling,
Brenda Hendricks
You turned my mourning into dancing
You stripped me of my sorrow and clothed me with your joy
I cannot be silent, I will sing Your praises forever. Psalms 30:11&12
(paraphrased by me)
