Thank you for joining us as we have worked our way through the book of Revelation. As Pastor David continues to help us unpack the rest of the book, we are going to turn our attention in our daily devotions to the different themes found in John’s writing. For the next few weeks, we’ll dive into themes in the book of Revelation and explore how they align with the rest of Scripture.
Day 7: The Rider on the White Horse
Read Revelation 19:11–16
The Heavenly Warrior Defeats the Beast
I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice he judges and wages 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. 13 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. Coming out of his mouth is 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
The wrath of God personally scares me. Judgment Day makes me tremble. I know I have not lived a perfect life. I have disobeyed God on too many occasions. Some of my sins I have sincerely repented, but others I have shrugged off. I am also concerned for the times I have committed sins that I have been completely oblivious to. I do not like the thought of punishment. I personally do not like to entertain the above message, but in order to have a personal relationship with Jesus, I must. Real relationships consist of the good, the bad, and the ugly. I must face the facts that God gets angry, BUT I am still loved! I can rest in knowing that His love makes all the difference for me – in my place, He bore the punishment and wrath my sin deserves.
Reflection: Christ returns as a judge to wage a righteous war. How does this counter soft, culturally compromised views of Jesus?
