By Wayne Johnson
One of the more awesome scenes in the final book of the Bible reads as follows:
“And I saw the heaven opened; and behold, a white horse, and he that sat thereon called Faithful and True; and in righteousness he doth judge and make war. And his eyes are a flame of fire, and upon his head are many diadems; and he hath a name written which no one knoweth but he himself. And he is arrayed in a garment sprinkled with blood: and his name is called The Word of God. And the armies which are in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and pure. And out of his mouth proceedeth 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 of the wrath of God, the Almighty. And he hath on his garment and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS (Rev. 19:11-16 – ASV).
Introductory Matters
The scene begins with John using that expression which asserts that his message is of divine origin. He saw “heaven opened” (see 4:1; cf. Ezek. 1:1). Moreover, the events of earth are under the sovereign control of him who orchestrates his will from heaven, and the apostle was given a preview of the final conflict.John uses his characteristic “behold” (idou – 26 times in Revelation) to enliven the narrative, to awaken attention to what he is about to describe.
The Holy Warrior
The primary subject of the vision was on a “white horse.” “White” in Revelation can suggest either purity (3:18) or victory (6:2); here the latter sense seems implied – particularly in view of the astounding conquest that is described subsequently (see Jackson, p. 13-14).The rider undeniably is Jesus Christ. He is designated as the “Word” of God, whom the apostle elsewhere identifies as the Lord Jesus (cf. Jn. 1:1,14; 1 Jn. 1:1). Christ is the divine Word (logos) because he is the thought and voice of Heaven to humanity (cf. Jn. 1:18; 14:8f). The will of God for mankind cannot be ascertained apart from the revelatory mission of Jesus of Nazareth.
The Lord is further characterized as “faithful” because he ever was loyal to the will of his Father (Jn. 8:29; 2 Cor. 5:21; Heb. 3:2; 4:15; 1 Pet. 2:22). It was Jesus’ perfect life that qualified him to be the atoning sacrifice for sin (1 Pet. 1:18-19). Moreover, he is “true” as to his witness of the will of God to our blighted race (cf. Rev. 1:5; 3:7,14).
The Purpose of His Mission
The apostle sets forth the mission of the heavenly warrior. In righteousness he judges and makes war!When Jesus came to earth the first time, his purpose was to inaugurate a system of redemption for Adam’s fallen family. As he himself said: “For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved” (Jn. 3:17). Once that mission of mercy was implemented, no further plan was to be offered. Aside from Jesus, there is no other sacrifice for sins (cf. Heb. 10:26).
In this latter instance, however, the Lord has not come on a mission of mercy; rather, he has arrived for judgment and the destruction of the ungodly. It is important to note the connection between “judge” and “make war.” The two occur simultaneously. The war is the day of judgment! See 2 Corinthians 5:10 and 2 Thessalonians 1:7ff.
One can hardly consider this context without referring back to the scene in chapter 16, when, in the graphic symbolism of the narrative, wrath from heaven is poured out as a prelude to a holy war. The major enemies of truth (the dragon, the beast, and the false prophet) were gathered “unto the war of the great day of God” (16:14). Figuratively, it was designated as “Har-Magedon” (i.e., the hill of Megiddo). Megiddo, the most famous battlefield in history, thus becomes a symbol for the conflict that is to take place on the final day of this globe’s existence. Observe that this is “the great day of God,” which corresponds to “the day of God” described by Peter in the third chapter of his second epistle (v. 12). It also is referred to as “the day of the Lord” (v. 10), or the time of “his coming” (v. 4).
According to the vision in 16:13ff, the forces of Satan are gathered for a mighty confrontation with the Sovereign of the universe. The actual conflict is viewed in chapter 19 – together with the predictable result.
Significantly, it is affirmed that the Lord will act (judge and make war) in “righteousness” (v. 11), i.e., consistent with the ultimate standard of a just Deity. Abraham once expressed confidence in the fact that God would treat humanity fairly, distinguishing between the righteous and the wicked. He asked: “Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?” (Gen. 18:25). The theme of divine justice is common to this book (cf. 16:5,7; 19:2). The final judgment will be fair in that it will:
- take into consideration one’s level of personal knowledge (Lk. 12:47-48);
- be consistent with one’s individual abilities (Lk. 19:13ff);
- be rendered in light of one’s unique opportunities (Mt. 11:20ff);
- be cognizant of the law-system to which one was amenable (Heb. 10:28-29).
The Warrior Described
John said of the Conqueror: “His eyes are a flame of fire” (Rev. 19:12). This descriptive has occurred twice previously in this book (1:14; 2:18). The symbolism likely highlights the deep, penetrating insight of the Son of God, suggesting that he is perfectly qualified to judge. All things are naked and laid open before the eyes of him with whom we have to do (Heb. 4:13).Upon the Lord’s head were many “crowns” (KJV), or “diadems” (ASV). There are two words for “crown” in the New Testament. There is the stephanos, the wreath of victory (cf. 1 Cor. 9:25), with which Christ is adorned in the scene of 14:14, and which faithful saints are promised (Rev. 2:10). Yet, in this case, the term is diadem, the crown of royalty. The picture is that of the regal authority of the Son of God. He has the divine right of judgment and conquest.
The apostle says the warrior “had a name written which no one knows but himself.” This phrase is obscure. It is generally taken to mean that there are mysteries associated with Jesus which the human mind can never fathom (cf. Barclay, p. 232).
The Lord is here arrayed with a garment dipped in blood. “Dipped” (from bapto) is supported by the better manuscript evidence than is “sprinkled” (rhantizo – ASV). But whose blood is it that so saturates this garment, that it almost looks dyed (Arndt, p. 132)? While some would argue that the imagery points to the shed blood of the Lamb (Johnson, pp. 574-5), it is more likely that the graphic is borrowed from the Old Testament – specifically Isaiah 63:1-6. In this sacred narrative, the prophet sees a strong and majestic being, who is returning from a devastating slaughter of the Edomites (enemies of the Lord’s people). His garment is soaked in blood – stained like one who has trod the winepress. The blood is that of those rebels who flaunted his will. God has had his “day of vengeance” upon them. No one was able to deliver these rogues from his mighty hand.
So similarly, the Son of God shall destroy those who have resisted his grace (Mt. 10:28; 2 Thes. 1:7ff). Unatoned wrongs will be addressed on the final day of history (cf. Lk. 18:7-8; Rom. 12:19; Rev. 6:9-11).
It is intriguing to note that later in chapter 19, the beast and the kings of the earth are represented as being gathered together to make war against the Lord and his armies (v. 19). Some suggest this indicates that the blood cannot be the enemies’; they are alive still. But, as Mounce notes, such an argument “misunderstands the nature of apocalyptic writing” (p. 345). The picture emphasizes that the battle is over before it is ever engaged! Such is the Lord’s power!
A Shared Victory
The conquering Christ is followed by heavenly armies who also are mounted on white steeds. Moreover, they are clothed in fine linen, pure and white. This celestial army consists of the redeemed, who, by their obedience, have washed their robes in the Lamb’s blood, making them white (Rev. 7:14). They share in the Lamb’s victory because they were willing to commit their very lives to the Master’s cause (cf. 12:10ff).The Destruction of the Enemy
The weapon employed by the Faithful and True One is that of a sword, a sharp sword, that kept on proceeding from his mouth (v. 15). This is an obvious allusion to his powerful word (cf. Heb. 4:12).Scripture is replete with references to the incomprehensible power of the spoken word of God. No less than ten times in Genesis 1 Moses employed the verb “said” in describing the creative acts by which the universe was fashioned. Later, the Psalmist expressed it like this: “By the word of Jehovah were the heavens made, and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth. . . for he spake and it was done” (Psa. 33:6,9). In maintaining the world, the writer of Hebrews observes that the Lord Jesus upholds all things “by the word of his power” (Heb. 1:3).
And so, at the time of judgment, the Savior will wage no carnal conflict with his enemies; he will merely speak the word, and they will be banished to eternal punishment (cf. Isa. 11:4; 2 Thes. 2:8).
When John describes Christ as ruling his enemies “with a rod of iron” (v. 15), the picture is one of crushing judgment. The Psalmist speaks of the conquering role of the Messiah when he says that he shall “break [his foes] with a rod of iron” and “dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel” (Psa. 2:9; cf. Rev. 2:27). It is interesting that the original term for “rule” hints of a shepherd’s club, by which he not only destroys the predator, but also saves the flock.
The Messianic-warrior will tread the winepress of “the fierceness of the wrath of God, the Almighty” (cf. 16:19). The “wrath” of God should not be interpreted in terms of an emotional outburst, as with frail humans; rather, it is a measured response of divine justice to human arrogance and rebellion. Too, it must be viewed against the backdrop of the Creator’s amazing love – so hatefully rejected by the masses. In 14:10, the apostle speaks of the “wine of the wrath of God, unmixed [i.e., undiluted, full strength] in the cup of his wrath.” This judgment will forever demonstrate that he is KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.
Conclusion
The most common impression of Jesus, entertained by devout Bible students, is that of a loving, tender, compassionate Savior. These qualities must never be minimized. But there is another side to that “coin” – the one portrayed in Revelation 19:11ff; that of the righteous warrior. Don’t trifle with the Son of God!
PART II
The Soldiers Of Christ Will Destroy Islam In The End, Jesus Christ Is The Captain Of His Armies, And He Will Lead Christendom Into The Final Crusade That Will Destroy All Evil
By Theodore Shoebat
“And seeing the multitudes, he went up into a mountain” (Matthew 5:1). Christ — the Truth
— ascended the pinnacle to convey to the world the transcending
precepts of holy war and the spiritual struggle of humanity. Christ went
up to the mountain, and said,
“Blessed are they that hunger and thirst after justice: for they shall have their fill.” (Matthew 5:6)
Christ went up to the mountain, as the
rugged monastic, Elijah, ascended the holy mountain of Horeb. “And he
arose, and ate, and drank, and walked in the strength of that food forty
days and forty nights, unto the mount of God, Horeb.” (1
Kings 19:8) He ate so little, but was able to journey forty days
through the wilderness without eating or drinking, a humanly impossible
feat. How is this so? Because he was sustained by a thirst for justice,
which goes beyond the physical
and thus overtakes temporal attachments, even things as fundamental as
food. For when the Lord asked him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”
the holy monk of Israel said:
“I have been very zealous for the Lord God of hosts; for the children of Israel have forsaken Your covenant, torn down Your altars, and killed Your prophets with the sword. I alone am left; and they seek to take my life.” (1 Kings 19:10)
In his zeal he forsook eating and
drinking; in his zeal he traversed the deserts, totally forgetful of
self, with flesh and spirit in pure harmony; in his zeal he ascended the
holy mountain, in war against the tyranny of delusion, for he was one
with Truth; in his zeal he was not needful of nourishment, for his
thirst for righteousness was all that burdened him. Christ travelled
through the desert, without victuals or water, for His thirst for
justice was His aspiration, and in war against the abysmal despotisms,
He compelled the devil to flee, for the love of humanity He drove out
the enemy of justice — for He is Justice Himself — and soon after, He
ascended a holy mountain, and Justice cried out: “Blessed are they that
hunger and thirst after justice: for they shall have their fill.”
In the wilderness man struggles against
evil, and ascending the mountain, he continues to strive against both
the evils of self and the world, and on the mountain, he finds justice.
Elijah killed the prophets of Baal, he fled the tyranny of Jezebel, but
the war continued regardless. He journeyed across the desert, in despair
and bitter anguish, and when he reached the mountain, there he met God,
there he met Justice. The war went on, even in the desert. For when
Christ was in the desert, there took place a war between the Incarnation
of Justice, and the one who strives to make humanity absent of justice.
In the entire Life of Christ on earth was
the unification of the cosmic struggle against evil. Because Christ is
God unified with Man, then the whole spiritual war that He led and won
is the war of and for humanity, it is our war as it is God’s war. The
unity of man and God is theosis, and one cannot speak of theosis
without speaking of the prophets, such as Elijah and Moses. Elijah
ascended the mountain, and in hearing the voice of God, he became one
with Him; Moses ascended Mount Sinai, and in being in the divine
presence, he entered the fold of harmony with the Divine. Christ is
the oneness of Humanity and Divinity, and in Him we are one with God.
Thus, the Life of Christ is the story of our war against evil. What
Christ underwent, we are to undergo. What Christ fights, we are to
fight, for we are one. “Christ is all and in all.” (Colossians 3:11)
The Scripture says: “And Jesus increased
in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men.” (Luke 2:52) By
this, when it says that Christ grew in wisdom, it means that humanity
grew in wisdom. As St. John of Damascus says:
“He is said to have progressed in wisdom and age and grace, because He did increase in age and by this increase in age brought more into evidence the wisdom inherent in Him; further, because by making what is ours altogether His own He made His own the progress of men in wisdom and grace, as well as the fulfillment of the Father’s will, which is to say, men’s knowledge of God and their salvation.” (St. John of Damascus, Orthodox Faith, 3.22)
The war of Christ is thus the war of
humanity. Under Christ, all the world is intertwined with the spiritual.
This is why I reject any secular approach to fighting evil. Secular
approaches are temporary fixes to eternal problems. One can express
secular positions all he wants, in the end the manifestation of the
cosmic war between good and evil will appear before our eyes, and there
it will be absent of the secular.
There are many people, many of whom are
elitists in the conservative industry, who fund and push an agenda that
teaches that the solution to Islamism or leftism, is a secular
conservatism. In other words, it is a hijacking of Christian values,
taught without Christ. Secular conservatism is really just as evil as
leftism, if not more so since it is more deceptive. This is why the
conservative movement of modern times is filled with perverts and
heretics. Secularism is bent on purging away zeal. If anyone desires to
see the laws of God enforced in the society — for example, against
homosexuality —, these secularists will immediately strike at him. They
want to preserve some values, but they want the state to remain secular.
To this I will quote the words of Don Juan Donoso Cortes:
“Governments seem to be endowed with an unerring instinct which teaches them that they can only be just or strong in the name of God. Thus it happens that whenever they commence to secularize, that is to say, to separate themselves from God, they always begin to relax the severity of penalties, as if they were conscious that their right was weakened.” (Cortes, An Essay On Catholicism, Authority and Order, book 3, ch. 6, pp. 302-303)
To fight evil is to look beyond the
physical, beyond the sciences and materialism. After the Americans
defeated the Japanese, they let go and protected the Japanese scientists
who were a part of Unit 731, a team of darwinists who conducted the
most horrific and sadistic human experiments. Why would America do such
an evil thing? Because they wanted to read the results of their
“experiments,” so in return, they spared the “scientists” and even gave
them American protection. Do not forget, this was all done in the name
of science, not in the name of transcending the physical world, not in
the name of looking beyond transience. No. It was all done in the name
of materialism. One who sees the world strictly through the lens of
science, will be as cold as the fluids he observes under the microscope,
for his focus dictates his perception, and to him humanity is just one
whole bundle of fluids, to observe and to manipulate. If one can learn
about the responses the immune systems and bodies have towards bubonic
plagues, then in the name of science there is nothing ill that these
devils did. But once one looks beyond the temporal, then in the name of
God are these scientists worthy of death.
Secularism leads only to secular
conclusions, and such cannot and will not inspire a nation to fight
evil. As G.K. Chesterton wrote: “Men are moved in these things by
something far higher and holier than policy; by hatred. …I am quite
content to call it hatred; the hatred of hell and all its works”
(Chesterton, The Everlasting Man, ch. 8, p. 141). Surrounded by evil,
there is something within man that observes, as though the soul has
eyes, and through the voice of the conscience, says that this is wrong,
that it must be destroyed, as Rahab, living in the midst of Canaanites
who cannibalized and spilt blood, saw the evil around her and knew that
it needed to be obliterated. To the Canaanites it was customary to eat
human flesh, to commit sodomy and conduct human sacrifice, but Rahab,
she looked beyond, and through the eyes of the soul, saw Heaven. The
evils of the pagans will of course appear wrong to people today — thanks
to Christianity — but what separates the heathens of old to the
eugenists of today, is the use of “science,” “reason,” and secularism as
an attempt to rationalize their cruelties. This is why one must look
beyond reason to fully apprehend the war against evil. To idolize reason
only leads to an absence of reason. As Pascal wrote:
“Reason’s last step is the recognition that there are an infinite number of things which are beyond it. It is merely feeble if it does not go as far back as to realize that.”
Many of these “conservative” secularists
will make fun of Christians and say that we are without reason. At the
same time they will entitle themselves as being “against Islam.” Let me
remind such fools that it was the Catholic Church — the institution
which they so hate — that began fighting jihad before “counter-jihad”
became trend. Let the masters of reason laugh at Pope Sylvester II, when
he was the first pope to exhort for a holy war against Islam,
declaring: “Shine forth, therefore, soldier of
Christ, be His standard-bearer and cofighter; and because you are not
powerful in arms, assist with counsel and the aid of riches.” Notice his
beautiful words, that the warrior is a cofighter with Christ; by
taking up the sword he as well participates in the combat of Christ
against evil, as Simon of Cyrene, carrying the Cross with Christ in the
great cosmic war.
Let the masters of reason laugh at this
man, and let us see them laughing in the end, when the final crusade
commences and the nations of Christendom have arisen and are partaking
in the war against the empire of the Antichrist. Let these masters of
reason mock at the high mountain of innumerable corpses of martyrs,
those Greek Christians who stood as the bulwark against Islam, when
countless men sacrificed themselves for centuries fighting the Arabian
and Turkish hordes. I am speaking of the holy Roman Empire of the East,
the warriors of which spilt their own blood in so many battles to fight
the acolytes of the Antichrist. Let the masters of reason read of how
those without reason fought and died with the utmost valor against the
Seljuk Turks in the Battle of Manzikert, in order to keep them from
overrunning Constantinople. Let them read of how the Christian soldiers
bowed before God in the midst of holy icons and the Cross, the image of
selfless sacrifice; let them read of how they emulated Christ by
fighting and dying for humanity in the cause of justice. Let the masters
of reason read about Romanus Diogenes, of how he with his own hand,
slew numerous Turks after all of his men were either killed, captured or
had fled; let them read of such courage, such zeal and spirit, and then
let them speak of their secular views.
Read of how the Muslims crucified,
butchered and ravished the Christians of the East, and how that in 1074,
it was Pope Gregory VII — not a secularist — who declared a holy war
against Islam; let them read his own words when he wrote:
“Further, I call to your attention that the Christians beyond the sea, a great part of whom are being destroyed by the heathen with unheard-of slaughter and are daily being slain like so many sheep, have humbly sent to beg me to succor these our brethren in whatever ways I can, that the religion of Christ may not utterly perish in our time”
Let the masters of reason know that
before any secular movement ‘against Islam’ ever existed, Pope Urban II
declared a crusade against Islam. ”Hastening to the way,” he said, “you
must help your brothers living in the Orient, who need your aid for
which they have already cried out many times.” The Christians fought,
they fought with so much tenacity and valor that they vanquished the
Muslims in Syria, in Turkey, and ultimately in the Holy Land where they
would rule for close to a century.
Let the masters of reason scoff at Robert
the Bruce, when his thirst for justice was so great that before he died
he told his beloved friend, Douglas the Black, to carry his heart into
the holy war against the Muslims. Douglas, being true to his word, put
Robert’s heart into a little silver case, he travelled through rugged
terrain, as Christ traversed through the desert to fight the devil. He
reached Spain, where the most glorious Reconquista was
occurring. He slew the enemy one after the other, in the ranks of
Spaniards. Let the masters of reason scoff at how Douglas ended up being
the only one left in the battlefield, and how he, gazing upon his
enemy, did not see death, but rather, looked beyond death, looked beyond
the physical realm, beyond materialism and selfishness, carried his
cross and followed Justice Himself, charged toward the enemies while
holding the heart of his friend, crying out, “A Douglas! A Douglas! I
follow or die!” before becoming a martyr for the cause of Christianity.
Let them make their complaints about “religious fanaticism” to this man
of valor, and then lets hear of how “courageous” they are for “speaking
out” about Islam in a secular platform.
Let the masters of reason hear the song
of Malta, and how it resounds throughout the Mediterranean hills with
the cries of warriors still being heard in the ears of the soul; let
them read of how the Ottomans — the most powerful forces of Islam’s
history — tried to invade Malta to use it as a foothold into Europe, and
how only five hundred warrior monks, and several thousand Christian
fighters, slaughtered over thirty thousand Muslims, and prevented the
Muslims from conquering the island for a century. Let them hear this
story and laugh before giving some secular talk in which they spout
things that we have all heard, about terrorism, about the hijab, about
sharia, about ISIS, — things we have all heard about, as we have heard
about the Nazis — without ever looking beyond the violence and entering
into the state of selfless aspiration to destroy all evil.
Read, of how Christians set the formation
of their naval ships to look like a cross when they fought the Muslims
who had their vessels form a crescent, and then lets hear the rubbish of
these secularists. Let them read of how, before the battle, the
Christians set the image of the Virgin of Guadalupe to be hoisted on
their ship, let them read of how the commander of the battle, Don Juan
of Austria, declared before the battle commenced:
“I take it for certain that the Turks, swollen by their victories, will wish to take on our fleet, and God–have the pious presentiment–will give us victory”.
Let them read these things, and then lets
hear of secular garbage. Islam was founded, not to destroy secularism,
but to destroy Christianity. Over
a millennia and many centuries before this dry and materialistic
secular movement against Islam, the ancient Christian John the Deacon
wrote that the Muslims “are intent and zealous to deny the divinity of
the Word of God.” In the eighth century, before this useless secularist
movement came to “fight” Islam, there was the most discerning St. John
of Damascus, describing the Muslims as “a forerunner of the Antichrist.”
What put Islam, after so many centuries
of holy wars and crusades, finally to rest was the British in the First
World War. After 673 years of Islamic rule, Jerusalem was finally
liberated by a Christian general. Allenby, before the battle, permitted
a Catholic procession, filled with prayers, chants and penitent
marching. This procession, was described by the English monk, Dom Bede Camm, who was present in this procession:
“Down the steep hill from the gate into the Valley of Hinnom, and thence up the Mount of Evil Counsel on the other side, on the road to Bethlehem, as far as the eye could see, stretched the long ranks of soldier pilgrims, two deep – English, Scots, Irish, Australians, New Zealanders, Canadians, South Africans, British West Indians, and even some Catholics from the Indian Army. … It was an inspiring sight that met one’s eyes. The big church was packed. The general [Weston] and the officers had seats in the nave, but the choir, sanctuary, nave, aisles, were thronged with men, some sitting on the ground, others standing pressed together so closely that the priests had the greatest difficulty in getting to the altar. I shall never forget facing that great throng of bronzed men who had been through so many dangers, endured so many hardships in order to deliver Jerusalem. …It was wonderful to hear them sing the familiar hymns during the Mass that followed. I have never heard anything like that Faith of Our Fathers shouted from fifteen hundred lusty throats, and it was even more wonderful to kneel in the hush and the stillness that fell on that great crowd when the bell rang out and the Host was raised. I don’t wonder that the celebrant burst into tears and could hardly go on with the Mass. He told us afterwards that he had never been so moved in his life”
Let these secularists read of these
zealous soldiers, and of these holy generals, and let them dare say that
they would challenge these warriors and demand that they make
everything secular. Do you believe that when these soldiers were praying
and chanting, that they did not believe that their war was spiritual?
The procession was led by a sergeant-major who carried a large silver
cross. Do these reprobates dare say that he should have never carried
the cross? Would they dare say that the war against the Turk should have
been completely secular?
I tell you now, that when the final war
comes, it will not be secular, but rather, it will be led by men who
have travelled the deserts of the abysmal forces, and seen the tyranny
of the diabolical, the despotism of delusion; who have ascended upon the
mountain of truth, and thirsted for justice. And in that day shall
their thirst for justice be quenched, for leading them will be Justice
Himself.
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