Session 12 Victory and the Restoration of All Things (Rev )

Transcription

1 INTERNATIONAL HOUSE OF PRAYER UNIVERSITY MIKE BICKLE STUDIES IN THE BOOK OF REVELATION (SPRING SEMESTER 2014) Session 12 Victory and the Restoration of All Things (Rev ) I. JESUS TRIUMPHAL ENTRY INTO JERUSALEM (REV. 19:11-21:8) A. The fifth chronological section in Revelation describes Jesus triumphal entry into Jerusalem to kill the Antichrist and all the kings of the earth (Rev. 19:11-21) and establish His throne in Jerusalem. Next, Satan will be cast into prison (Rev. 20:1-3). Then Jesus will put the saints on thrones for 1,000 years (Rev. 20:4-6). After 1,000 years, Satan will be released from prison to test the nations, and then the rebels will be judged with Satan (Rev. 20:7-10). Next, the great white throne judgment of unbelievers will occur (Rev. 20:11-15). After that the Lord will establish the new heaven and earth (Rev 21:1-8), and the Father s throne will come to earth (Rev 21:3). We are now to the fifth and final chronological section. Remember a chronological section there are five of them is where the storyline unfolds, one event after another, in a sequential, orderly way with a timeframe of one following after the other. In this fifth chronological section it describes Jesus triumphal entry into Jerusalem. That is what is happening as the great warrior King is entering into Jerusalem. You do not know that by reading Revelation 19. You know that by reading Zechariah and Isaiah. It tells us where He is entering into battle. It is really clear in many other passages. The book of Revelation was never meant to be read separately from the rest of the Word of God. There is no place in the Bible that has the whole storyline. We need the whole picture to get the storyline. In this case you do not know it is Jerusalem, but it says this really, really clearly in many other places. He is going to make a triumphal entry to kill the Antichrist. Not only is He going to kill the Antichrist, the part that is really dramatic is that He is going to kill all the kings of the earth in one setting. It is the only time in history all the kings of the earth are in one city. It has never happened before. Jesus is going to execute every one of them because He is going to replace all the governments of the earth in one day. What a dramatic plan! Who would have thought of such a plan? Who has the power actually to execute such a plan with perfect love and righteousness? After He kills the kings, He throws Satan into prison. Satan will be cast into prison. That is important to know because what is really big on Satan s mind even more than disturbing your life and my life. He hates us, but there is something bigger on his mind than disturbing us he is trying to avoid that prison sentence. He knows there is a prison sentence that has been declared against him. He wants to do whatever possible to stop that, delay that, or undermine that. After Satan is thrown into prison, Jesus puts saints on the thrones for 1000 years. Then after 1000 years Satan is released out of prison, because God is going to test the nations of the earth. He tests all the nations of the earth when he lets Satan out of prison. Then the great white throne judgment occurs. That is the final judgment of all unbelievers. That is when all sin is done away with. There will never again be sin that is going to touch the earth. After that the Father s throne comes down to the earth. That is the most dramatic concept and reality I can imagine. Jesus throne, we are more accustomed to that. Jesus is preparing the nations for 1000 years for the Father s throne to come down on the earth, so that God would dwell with men. We all know the passage that God will tabernacle with men and they will be His people. That is talking about God tabernacling with people on the earth. He is already with them in heaven. There is not a big statement about God being with people in heaven. The point is He is going to be with them on earth. His throne is coming down to the earth. The natural and the spiritual realm will be completely joined together, permanently, forever on the earth. So the earth will have the natural order and the supernatural dimension combined together forever, never, ever to be disturbed. That is your story. That is where you are going. That is what you are headed for. That is exciting!

2 Session 12 Victory and the Restoration of All Things (Rev ) Page 2 B. John described seven scenes in Revelation 19:11-21: Scene 1: Twelve aspects of Jesus triumphal entry into Jerusalem are highlighted (19:11-16). Scene 2: Jesus will defeat the Antichrist at the Battle of Jerusalem (19:17-21). Scene 3: Satan will be cast into prison for 1,000 years (20:1-3). Scene 4: Saints will be given the governmental leadership over the earth (20:4-6). Scene 5: Satan is released after 1,000 years, giving all a choice to obey or not (20:7-10). Scene 6: God s great white throne judgment of all His enemies (20:11-15). Scene 7: The Father will establish His throne with His people on the new earth (21:1-8). John describes seven scenes from Revelation 19:11 on to Revelation 21:8. He describes seven different scenes. The scenes I just went through now. Scene one, Jesus entry into Jerusalem. Scene two, the Antichrist defeated. Scene three, Satan is in prison. Scene four, the saints are given the governmental roles over the earth. Scene five, Satan is out of prison. Scene six, the great white throne judgment, the final judgment. Scene seven, the Father and His throne. When He comes, His throne comes to the earth. He is with people on the earth in the natural realm forever. C. Revelation 19 gives us more detail about the beauty of Jesus as a Bridegroom, King, and Judge than any other passage. Each phrase is significant they are hints that we are to search out by using the Bible to get a greater picture of what the Spirit is saying here about Jesus beauty. Revelation 19 gives us more detail about the beauty of Jesus as Bridegroom, King, and Judge than any other portion of Scripture. We see the details of the beauty of the Lord. That is the theme actually: the beauty of the Lord. Again, if you only read the book of Revelation you might not catch that is the theme. I will show you some other passages where it is very clear that is the main theme that is unfolding. God is displaying the beauty of the Lamb across the earth. He is showing Him as Bridegroom, King, and Judge. He is a King with power, and He is a Bridegroom with desire. He is a Judge with zeal to intervene to remove everything that hinders love. He has power as a King, desire as a Bridegroom, and zeal to intervene. The nations are so accustomed to doing evil the leaders of the earth and there not being any dramatic immediate consequences. They think, Hey, we are going to get away with this forever. There is a moment in time, an hour when God intervenes with zeal in the most dramatic, global way. He confronts everything that hinders. That is Jesus the Judge. Each of the phrases in Revelation 19, I consider them like hints. I like to say they are like titles of books. There are going to be twelve aspects here in the first scene we are looking at. Each aspect has many implications. Do not read it quickly and think, I got that one. Each one of them would be like a title of a whole book in heaven s library. II. THE BATTLE FOR JERUSALEM A. The battle of Jerusalem: All the nations will gather against Jerusalem (Joel 3:2, 12; Zech. 12:3; 14:2; Zeph. 3:8; cf. Ezek. 38:4; 39:2; Rev. 16:14). God s end-time plan is Jerusalem-centric. 3 In that day that I will make Jerusalem a very heavy stone all who would heave it away will surely be cut in pieces, though all nations of the earth are gathered against it. (Zech. 12:3) The context of what is going on here is the battle of Jerusalem. There is a grand battle. We think popularly of Armageddon, which is in the northern part of Israel. Armageddon is the staging area where the armies of the earth gather and get organized. It is not really the battle at Armageddon. That is the military staging area, and the battle itself is around the city of Jerusalem. It is more accurate, in my opinion, to talk about the

3 Session 12 Victory and the Restoration of All Things (Rev ) Page 3 Armageddon Campaign. There will be many battles in a three-and-a half-year period following the military gathering that is in Armageddon. There will be many battles. The final battle, the great battle is not the battle of Armageddon. It is the battle for the city of Jerusalem, the battle of Jerusalem. Zechariah 12, I will make Jerusalem a heavy stone, and all the nations of the earth will gather against the city of Jerusalem. That is the ultimate battle. B. The battle for Jerusalem is the spiritual, political, and military struggle for the control of Jerusalem. This is one of the most significant battlefronts in the spirit today and will be won only by Jesus second coming to end the Armageddon Campaign. The valley of Megiddo, in the northern part of Israel, will function as the military staging area where the kings of the earth and their armies gather. The battle for Jerusalem is a spiritual battle, it is a political battle, and it is a military battle or struggle for the control of Jerusalem. The devil wants the control of Jerusalem. One of the primary reasons in my opinion that he wants the control of Jerusalem is because until the leaders of Jerusalem invite Jesus as their Messiah over that city, Satan is not going to prison. Jesus told the leaders of Israel before He went to the cross, You are not going to see Me again until you say with your mouth the leaders of this city that I am Messiah and I am blessed of God. They thought, We will never say, You are blessed of God. You are from God. He said, Yes, you will. When you say that, I will enter the city. I will enter as the Messianic King. When I enter the city, then Satan goes to prison. Satan thinks, I am going to control Jerusalem. I am going to make sure the Jewish people are annihilated, that none are there to receive Him. Jesus will never enter that city because Jesus will never be received by His people. He cannot come if those people, the leaders of Jerusalem, do not receive Him. He would violate His own prophetic word. I believe the primary thing on Satan s mind is to take control of that city so that the storyline does not unfold. Against all odds the government of that city is going to change its opinion and receive Jesus as their Messianic King. Satan will go into prison. People say, I am not really into that Israel thing. The battle for Jerusalem and for the spiritual control of that city, which involves the political and military control of that city, is a major issue related to the Second Coming of Christ. Still a lot of different groups in the body of Christ do not really spend time on the Jerusalem thing; they do not get the Jerusalem thing. They think, Let s win our neighborhood for the Lord and be done with that. It is a good thing to win your neighborhood for the Lord. Yet, there is a global plan that is unfolding centered around the city of Jerusalem, Satan going to prison, and the return of Jesus as the Messianic King. C. John described Jesus great victory at the Battle of Jerusalem of which the OT prophets foretold. Jesus will enter Jerusalem, arriving at the perfect time to rescue the remnant of Israel (Zech. 14:5). 2 I will gather all the nations to battle against Jerusalem; the city shall be taken 3 Then the LORD will go forth [Jesus second coming] and fight against those nations 4 His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives and the Mount of Olives shall be split in two making a very large valley 5 Then you shall flee through My mountain valley Yes, you shall flee The LORD my God will come, and all the saints with You. (Zech. 14:2-5) John is describing Jesus victory at that battle, which was foretold by a number of the prophets. That is what John is describing here in Revelation 19. Jesus is on a white horse riding into the city with an army, about to confront the armies of the earth around that city. Jesus enters Jerusalem, and He is arriving at the perfect time to rescue the remnant of Israel. He comes to rescue the remnant of Israel. What I mean by that is here in

4 Session 12 Victory and the Restoration of All Things (Rev ) Page 4 Zechariah 14, it says, His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, and when Jesus feet stand on the Mount of Olives, it will be different from how I hear it presented by some. It is often presented, Jesus feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, and it is all over. What really happens is Jesus feet stand on the Mount of Olives, and the mountain is split in two, making a large valley. Verse 5 is the strangest verse until you see the storyline, and then it makes sense, Then the remnant flee. You think, Flee? Jesus with a resurrected body has landed on the Mount of Olives. He splits the Mount of Olives like Moses split the Red Sea. The remnant of Israel will not be trapped against a sea, but a mountain. Jesus will split the mountain like Moses split the sea. They do not say, We worship You. They flee from the Antichrist. As they are fleeing, they say, Who was that Man who split that? They are a little perplexed as to what is going on. They flee and escape from the Antichrist. Very soon after the whole storyline comes to a head. Initially He touches the Mount of Olives so the remnant can escape. He rescues them as they are backed up against the wall because the armies of the Antichrist have gathered around them. III. THE BEAUTY OF JESUS WILL BE OPENLY SEEN A. In Revelation 19, we see Jesus beauty; we see how far Jesus is willing to go for the sake of love and how committed He is to justice. In this context, the beauty of the Lord will be revealed. As we meditate on what He will do at that time, we are able to see His personality behind the events. 2 In that day the Branch of the LORD [Jesus] shall be beautiful and glorious. (Isa. 4:2) 17 Your eyes will see the King in His beauty (Isa. 33:17) In Revelation 19, we see Jesus beauty. We see how far He is willing to go for love. We look at the violence of Revelation 19:11-21, and we might think, Ugh. Do not look at the violence and think how terrible the violence is. Look at the violence and think how far He will go for love, how far He will go for justice. He is confronting evil and injustice and is driving sin off the planet. That is the intensity behind the violence of this passage. Isaiah talked about this hour in Isaiah 4, In that day. That day is clearly centered around Revelation 19. It is related to the coming of the Lord. In that day the Branch of the Lord that is a familiar Old Treatment term for the Messiah, used six times in the Old Testament, the Branch of the Lord will be seen as glorious and beautiful. Not just by His people. The nations will see His beauty and His glory. That day is the day of Revelation 19. Isaiah 33 says it again. He says it other times as well. Isaiah 28 is another time. He says, Your eyes will see the King in His beauty. Not in His power. His power is greatly displayed. Not in His rage. He is raging against the Antichrist. The primary point from the Father s point of view is that the beauty of Jesus is being unveiled. All the nations will see it. The worshipers of the Antichrist are destroyed. They are killed. The unsaved survivors of the Tribulation will get converted across the nations by being awestruck by the beauty and the glory of the Messiah in the Revelation 19 storyline. B. Summary: The most dramatic events in world history will occur in context to the greatest military campaign that will be undergirded by the greatest prayer movement contending against the greatest oppression to see the greatest justice movement fulfilled across the whole earth. Consider this. The most dramatic events in history happen in Revelation 19. It is in context to the greatest military campaign ever undergirded by the greatest prayer movement that has come to a head in all the body of Christ in the earth. All the nations are involved in the prayer movement, and it is contending against the

5 Session 12 Victory and the Restoration of All Things (Rev ) Page 5 greatest oppression, to see the greatest true justice movement. That is the coming of the Lord, filling the earth with justice. That is what Revelation 19 is about. IV. JESUS TRIUMPHAL ENTRY (REV. 19:11-21) A. Isaiah described Jesus entering the battle scene just outside Jerusalem as He marches to Jerusalem from Edom modern-day Jordan (Isa. 62:1-63:6). He described Jesus as trampling the nations as one treads grapes in a winepress (Isa. 63:3; Joel 3:13; Rev. 14:20; 19:15). 1 Who is this who comes from Edom [Jordan] this One [Jesus] who is glorious traveling in the greatness of His strength?... 2 Why is Your apparel red, and Your garments like one who treads in the winepress? 3 I have trodden the winepress and trampled them in My fury; their blood is sprinkled upon My garments, and I have stained all My robes. (Isa. 63:1-3) I want to get a few more points in place so you can understand the storyline. Isaiah has more details about Revelation 19 than any other prophet in the Old Testament. He really contributed a lot to the storyline. Isaiah describes Jesus or the Messiah. That is, Isaiah did not know His name is Jesus. He knew it was the Messiah. I believe he would know that. The Messiah is entering the battle scene just outside Jerusalem. That is what Isaiah describes in chapter 63. The Messiah is marching to Jerusalem from Edom. Do not be confused by Edom. Edom is modern-day Jordan, which means it is the nation next door. Jordan is by Jerusalem like Kansas is by Kansas City, Missouri. It is really close. Edom or the nation of Jordan is right next door to the nation of Israel for those of you who are not up-to-date on your Middle East map. It is right there. It is just miles down the road. Jesus is marching on His way to Jerusalem from Edom. Edom was the ancient name. The modern name is Jordan. Isaiah describes this picture, and we have covered this a few times over the years, but I think it is a very important picture for understanding Revelation 19. Isaiah asked the question, Who is this Man coming from Edom? Isaiah is looking from the perspective of Jerusalem, and there is a Man coming up from the south. He is coming up from Edom. Isaiah is saying, Who is this guy? I do not know who He is. He is a very powerful unique figure, but I do not know exactly what is going on The Man who is marching up, who is this one who was glorious? He was traveling you could put the word marching. Habakkuk 3 uses the word marching He is traveling with a whole entourage, with a military behind Him. He is traveling in the greatness of power. I believe this is the hour that He is releasing the bowls of wrath against the Antichrist Kingdom. He is coming toward the city from the south in the greatness of power. In verse 2, Isaiah asks, Why are Your garments red? I do not understand why Your garments are red. It looks like You were treading in the winepress. Most of you can picture a winepress. Say a big winepress the size of this stage. It is about three or four feet deep. They put all the grapes in it. People got inside the winepress, something like this. Ten or fifteen people, they would stomp on the grapes to smash them. Or later on they rolled a big stone to smash them. The juice would roll out and they would make wine from it. They would be inside it, treading the winepress. It may be a three, four, five-foot high container. They are stomping on grapes. Their garments are completely wet with grape juice. Isaiah said, You look like You are treading a winepress. Your garments are covered with red. What is going on here? Then in verse 3 the man who is the Messiah answers, Yes, you are right. I have trodden the winepress. It is exactly what I have done. I have trampled the nations in My fury. When you read the whole passage it is clear. The winepress is described in Revelation 19. All the kings are gathered around the city of Jerusalem. That is Jesus winepress to destroy the evil leaders of the earth and completely replace all the governments of the earth in one day. Satan is seducing the leaders to go to

6 Session 12 Victory and the Restoration of All Things (Rev ) Page 6 Jerusalem. Jesus is calling the leaders to Jerusalem. They have very different motives. Satan through the Antichrist is saying, Hey, come to Jerusalem and help me, and we can get rid of this Jesus religion. Jesus is saying, Hey, come to Jerusalem so I can display My power on a global level and get rid of you all in one day. Both sides believe a completely opposite story. The people who love Jesus say, It is obviously clear what is going on. The people who are worshiping the Antichrist think the Jesus religion is about to get stomped out. So in verse 3, the Messiah answers, I have trodden the winepress. I have gathered all the kings of the earth. They are in My little container, and I am stomping on them. That is what is going to happen. I have trampled them in My fury. I am so angry with them for the way that they have oppressed the nations of the earth and with the wickedness and the demonized activity. Their blood is actually on My garments. All of My robes are stained with the blood of these soldiers. It is not grape juice. It is human blood you see. What a strange picture! John in Revelation 19 takes this picture and in essence he appeals to it and describes this in more detail. B. John saw Jesus traveling to Jerusalem for the final battle in natural history (Rev. 19:19-21). 11 I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse. He who sat on him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war. 12 His eyes were like a flame of fire, and on His head were many crowns 13 He was clothed with a robe dipped in blood 14 The armies in heaven followed Him on white horses. 15 Now out of His mouth goes a sharp sword, that with it He should strike the nations He Himself treads the winepress of the wrath of Almighty God. 16 He has on His robe a name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS. (Rev. 19:11-16) John saw Jesus traveling to Jerusalem for the final battle. The heavens open. I am going to read this, abbreviate it. Verse 11, The heavens open. There is this open heaven vision that John is having. He sees a white horse. It is a military context. There is a Man who is on the horse, and this Man is going to judge and make war. It is a military context on a horse. His eyes are like fire. He has a lot of crowns on His head. Verse 13, there is the Isaiah 63 passage. His robe is dipped in blood. For this word dipped, a number of translators use the word soaked. Dipped sounds like you just put a finger in, a little touch of blood on it. That is not what is going on. In Isaiah 63 we just read from the lips of the Messiah, All of My robes are stained with blood. All of them are. Verse 14 says, The armies of heaven are with him. They are on horses as well. We are talking about resurrected saints. They are riding horses. Someone says, What? Yes, it means what it says and says what it means. Those horses are not symbolic. They are supernatural. I do not get how all that works. I do not need to understand it, but it is real. There are all kinds of supernatural heavenly beings that are beyond what we understand. Horses are mentioned a number of times by the prophets. Out of the mouth of Jesus goes a sharp sword. He strikes the nations. He treads the winepress. The winepress again is all the kings gathered in one little area. That is the winepress. They were coming to destroy the Jesus religion. Jesus was beckoning to change all the governments of the earth in one day. Beloved, this is history in advance. This is where this thing is going. Verse 16, on His robe is written King of kings. He is seen by everybody in the earth as the King of all the new kings that He puts in place.

7 Session 12 Victory and the Restoration of All Things (Rev ) Page 7 C. John saw Jesus as the faithful and true warrior who makes war with the Antichrist (Rev. 19:11). Obviously we cannot spend much time on this. By the way, on the additional materials I have about eighteen pages with a lot more detail of all these phrases and passages. It is about eighteen, something like that. I cannot remember the number. It is quite extensive with more verses and phrases on this. 1. White horse: Jesus will make His triumphal entry into Jerusalem on a white horse, as the conquering King in the context of a military conflict. White speaks of victory and purity. There are real horses in the heavenly realm. Elijah, Elisha, and Zechariah saw horses with heavenly chariots (2 Kgs. 2:11; 6:17; Zech. 6:1-5). The saints will ride horses (v. 14). 2. He judges: Jesus will intervene with judgment in order to put things right. His judgments include establishing new leaders, laws, and policies that will help the poor (Isa. 11:4). 4 With righteousness He shall judge the poor He shall strike the earth (Isa. 11:4) 3. He makes war: The most extreme judgment in history will occur in the largest, most violent battle of history. Jesus will restore order by destroying wicked governments on the earth. The Jesus of Christmas will bring peace and goodwill to men (Lk. 2:14) by waging a just war against evil as the Jesus of Armageddon. He will use war to establish peace and justice. The Antichrist starts this war (Rev. 11:7; 12:7, 17; 13:4, 7; 17:14; 19:19; cf. Dan. 7:21; 9:26). Jesus makes war. It is the most extreme judgment in human history and will occur in the largest and most violent battle in history. This will be the largest battle. All the kings of the earth. Never have all the kings of the earth gathered at one city and brought their armies. They are top leadership. They are commanders. All of them. There are no exceptions. It is the largest battle in history, the most violent battle in history. The bloodshed is beyond anything you or I could comprehend. The reason I am saying this is we are so familiar with the Jesus of Christmas who brings peace and goodwill to men. I love the Jesus of Christmas. The Jesus of Christmas did it by the cross and resurrection, He paid the price for us, for His people, and He conquered Satan s right for the earth on the cross and resurrection. Then to walk it out on a global, historical way, He is going to wage a just war against the Antichrist. He will show Himself as the Jesus of Armageddon. Someone says, I like the Jesus of Christmas more than the Jesus of Armageddon. I have good news. There is only one Jesus and there is no contradiction between the two. He does not have two different personalities. The man who brings peace and goodwill to the earth does it through the cross and resurrection and through waging a just war. That is the Jesus of Armageddon. He is doing it all for love. He is not doing it because He got into a strange mood and just got mad. No. His anger is related in His zeal for love. He wants to remove everything that hinders love. 4. Faithful and true: Jesus is faithful to fulfill His promises and true to His loving nature in all that He does. Even in battle, Jesus is faithful to love and justice, doing all according to truth. This Messiah, the Man, the warrior doing this, His name is Faithful and True. That means He is faithful to His promises and true to His loving nature in everything that He does. He is true to His loving nature. He is true to His promises. He is true to who He says He is. There is no contradiction of Himself as He accomplishes this great battle.

8 Session 12 Victory and the Restoration of All Things (Rev ) Page 8 D. John saw Jesus eyes, His many crowns, and His mysterious name (Rev. 19:12). 12 His eyes were like a flame of fire, and on His head were many crowns. (Rev. 19:12) 1. Eyes of fire: Jesus eyes speak of His zealous love and perfect knowledge. Eyes of fire speak of His burning heart of desire for His people. 2. Many crowns: Jesus crowns speak of His past and future victories. The next thing that John highlights and there are so many implications to each one of these details. There are twelve distinct details that you will notice as you read the notes His eyes were like fire, and on His head were crowns. His eyes, number one, speak of His zealous love, His perfect knowledge, and more. His many crowns speak of His past victories, His future victories. E. Jesus robe will be stained with the blood of His enemies as He fulfills God s Word (Rev. 19:13). 13 He was clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called the Word of God. (19:13) His robe will be stained with the blood of His enemies. The word stained again is the word from Isaiah 63:3 when He says, All of My robes are stained with blood. Not His blood of redemption. This is not His bloodshed on the cross. That is not what this is talking about. I have read about this from many points of view. Some people think it is Jesus on the cross. The majority of commentators see the blood as the result of the battle that is being described here. The context is not Jesus dying for our sin. It is Jesus confronting the evil armies of the earth and driving them off the planet. That is the context. The reason I am emphasizing this, I am wanting you, if it is a new concept, to see the Jesus of Christmas and the Jesus of Armageddon as one reality, one person with no contradiction at all. We are not picking between the two in a false way. Some people say that they do not really like that part. I say, Well, yes, you do. If you understood it, you actually would, if you understood how pure, wise, and loving He is in all that He does. His name is Faithful and True. There is no contradiction to anything. 1. Robe dipped in blood: His robe (long outer garment) will be splattered with the blood of His enemies. Most scholars see this as referring to the blood of Jesus enemies being on His robe. The word dipped comes from the Greek word baptô, from which we get baptize which some translate as sprinkled or soaked in blood. His robes will be stained with blood from the battle in His march to Jerusalem from Edom (Isa. 63:3). 3 Their blood is sprinkled on My garments, and I have stained all My robes. (Isa. 63:3) a. The blood on His clothing denotes His intimate involvement in the war. Jesus will be up close and personal in the battle. It is a statement that He believes in this war. He will not be ashamed of shedding blood in the process of delivering the nations from such evil. The reason I believe that He says this is that He is indicating the way that He is intimately involved in the battle. He did not wave His hands from afar, stand in the cloud and go, Away with you, and then everybody died. He says, No, I am actually going to be involved up close and personal. I am the greater David. You think David was a great warrior king? David was only a whisper about who the great warrior King is. I am the great warrior King. That is who I am. Jesus is not ashamed of the blood on His garment. He is saying, I believe in this war. I am not like Ack! I got blood on My garment, I have to get rid of it because I am embarrassed. No, it is even a statement of My zeal for love. He actually puts it into the storyline. You might think, Hurry up and washed off. Get Yourself ready to be presented.

9 Session 12 Victory and the Restoration of All Things (Rev ) Page 9 He says, I want the blood of My enemies on My garments. I am not ashamed of what I am doing. I am doing everything for love. It must be done. I am going to intervene. People say, Where is God? With the genocide of various nations and evil leaders with great power, Where is God? He says, I promise you I will intervene and I will not be ashamed when I do. The question, Where was God? will never be asked again. 2. Word of God: All that Jesus does in the battle of Jerusalem is true to Scripture. His goals, motives, and attitudes in this great battle will be totally consistent with Scripture. His name the Word of God emphasizes His promise to fill the earth with justice through this battle. F. Jesus desires partnership with His people, even as He takes over the nations (Rev. 19:14). 14 The armies in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, followed Him on white horses. (Rev. 19:14) 24 Father, I desire that they also whom You gave Me may be with Me where I am, that they may behold My glory which You have given Me (Jn. 17:24) The armies of heaven, in verse 14, are following with Him. They have white horses. Jesus desires partnership with His people. It is remarkable to me that here He is in the greatest military victory, and He says, I want you with Me. I do not want to do this without you. You will have resurrected bodies at this time. The saints have been raptured and are with all the saints from ages past. They have resurrected, raptured bodies. All the saints are with Him. The important part I want to point out is He wants His people with Him in that day. John 17, Father I desire that they whom You gave Me will be with Me. Wherever I am, I want them to be with Me. I want them to see My glory, to experience My glory. G. Armies followed Him: In my opinion, these armies refer to the saints (1 Thes. 4:14; cf. Zech. 14:5). All the armies followed Him. In my opinion these armies refer to the saints. I believe the evidence is very strong that it is the saints, and many Bible teachers uphold that. Some say, Nah, it cannot be the saints. That is too literal. That is too bloody. That is too far outside the box. It must be angelic armies. My opinion is this is talking about the saints. I believe the angels are with them too. I believe it is both/and, but in particular he is talking about the saints here. I have three or four reasons from the Scripture that I believe the best view. Not just the angelic armies, but both the saints and the angels are with Him. Here it is focusing on the saints because of the partnership reality. H. White and clean: The armies of heaven will be dressed in fine linen, white and clean (Rev. 19:14). This clothing is similar to the saints in their bridal attire as seen in Revelation 19:7-8. I. Jesus actions in judging the nations include striking them with the sword of His mouth, ruling them with a rod of iron, and treading the winepress of God s wrath (Rev. 19:15). His end-time judgments will be released by the decree of His mouth (Isa. 11:4). 15 Out of His mouth goes a sharp sword, that with it He should strike the nations. He Himself will rule them with a rod of iron. He Himself treads the winepress of wrath (Rev. 19:15)

10 Session 12 Victory and the Restoration of All Things (Rev ) Page 10 J. King of kings: All the nations on earth will see Jesus as the King of kings (Rev. 19:16). He will take over everything forever, for the glory of God and the good of His people. 16 He has on His robe and on His thigh a name written: KING OF KINGS (Rev. 19:16) He is King of kings. All the nations will see Him as King. Right now it is the born-again believers across the earth who acknowledge He is the King. He is the King right now. He is not going to be King. He is King. The nations do not see Him as King. The day is coming when everybody will see Him as King. V. THE SPIRIT HIGHLIGHTS FOUR ASPECTS OF JESUS ACTIVITY (REV. 19:17-21) A. Jesus will gather the birds for a great supper, feasting on the Antichrist s army (Rev. 19:17-18). Jesus has power over all creation, even the birds. There will be a supernatural gathering of birds that will clean up the carnage of the dead armies (to prevent disease at the start of the Millennium?). 17 I saw an angel saying to all the birds that fly in the midst of heaven, Come and gather for the supper of the great God, 18 that you may eat the flesh of kings, the flesh of captains, the flesh of mighty men, the flesh of horses and the flesh of all people (Rev. 19:17-18) From verses it shifts gears. We have looked at eight aspects of Jesus activity. Now there are four more aspects. There are twelve total from verses Jesus will gather the birds for a great supper. They will be feasting on the Antichrist armies. This is literal. This is not figurative. Some Bible teachers reduce it to being figurative. I appreciate their view. Most of the book of Revelation they see as figurative and symbolic, not as actual events. I have some good friends who hold that position. They love Jesus, and they love the Word. They think of Revelation more as a poem depicting conflict in the spirit realm. I believe it is prophecy unfolding the storyline of how God is going to fill the earth with love and righteousness and drive evil off the earth. In verse 17, an angel spoke to all the birds who were flying in the midst of the heavens. That is the sky. In the midst of heaven means the sky. Heaven often in the Bible means the sky right above you. Sometimes it means the abode of God, the third heavens, where the throne of God is. This is the heaven right above them. The angel says, Come, gather together for the supper of the great God. What a concept, what a statement! The supper of God indicates there is going to be possibly, I do not know the number, but hundreds of millions, maybe, or millions at least I do not know the number of soldiers from all the armies of the earth gathering who are going to be slaughtered. God says, Birds, have a feast at My expense. Here is your meal. It is literal. They come, and they have a feast. Of course God is not doing it for the sake of the birds. He is doing it to drive evil off the planet. He calls the birds to come and to eat the dead bodies and to drink the blood and to remove some of the carnage from the land. There is actually a practical side to this. He tells them in verse 18, You will eat the flesh of the kings. You will eat their captains, their top leaders, and their soldiers. You will eat the flesh of their horses. Someone says, Their horses? That has to be symbolic. Well, I do not think so. I think it means horses. I do not think the flesh of the captains is symbolic or the flesh of the kings. I think it is all very straightforward. It means what it says. I believe it was Albert Einstein who said back in 1940 s, the great scientist said, I do not know what weapons they will use in the next world war. I do not know. I know which one they will use after that. It will be sticks and stones. What he meant was that in the next world war there will be such a destruction of infrastructure. The war after that is what he was saying. He was making a statement. He was saying, They will not have the

11 Session 12 Victory and the Restoration of All Things (Rev ) Page 11 capacity to wage the war in the same sophistication they did in the one that destroyed the infrastructures of the earth. I believe there will be infrastructures at that time. I believe there will be so much carnage, broken-up travel ways, earthquakes, plagues, and all kinds of troubles that horses will actually be used in the battle. Not only horses, but horses will be employed again. One thing this is telling us is that Jesus has power over all creation. There is this supernatural gathering of birds. The most practical thing that is happening, they are going to clean up the carnage of the dead armies. I do not know how many soldiers will be there, but it is going to be quite intense. B. All kings will be gathered with their armies (Rev. 19:19; cf. Joel 3:2, 12; Zech. 14:2; Zeph. 3:8). This shows the global scope of the hostility and why Jesus violent action is necessary. 19 And I saw the beast [Antichrist], the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against Him [Jesus] who sat on the horse and against His army. (Rev. 19:19) Then John says, I saw the beast the Antichrist I saw the kings of the earth and several places it says all the kings of the earth I saw their armies. They gathered together. You see that is around the city of Jerusalem when you read Isaiah, Zechariah, Zephaniah, Joel and other prophets. I saw the armies. They are gathered together to make war against Jesus and against His army. C. The Antichrist will be defeated in the sight of all the nations (Rev. 19:20). 20 Then the beast [Antichrist] was captured, and with him the false prophet (Rev. 19:20) The Antichrist then will be defeated in the sight of all the nations. In the sight of all the nations. The Lord wants the Antichrist defeated in front of all His loyal soldiers and all of His loyal kings and all of the military forces. He wants him destroyed in front of them first. Then Jesus destroys the armies. Verse 20, The beast was captured and with him the false prophet. D. Jesus attends to every detail, even the cleanup of the dead (Rev. 19:21). All the kings and their armies will be killed (Ps. 110:5-6; Isa. 24:6, 21-21; 66:24). It will take seven months to bury the bones of the dead (Ezek. 39:11-16) and seven years to burn the weapons (Ezek. 39:9). 21 And the rest were killed with the sword which proceeded from the mouth of Him who sat on the horse. And all the birds were filled with their flesh. (Rev. 19:21) So the rest of all the captains and the commanders and the cabinet member and all the others were killed with the sword of His mouth. They are, literally. We are talking about tens of millions. Some people say hundreds. I do not know. I cannot fathom it being hundreds of millions. I really do not know the number. The number will be so great. Ezekiel describes it. He says it will take them seven months to bury the dead. That is after the birds had their feast. It will still take seven months to bury the bones of the dead. It will take seven years to burn the weapons. That is what Ezekiel said. Not all the weapons will be metal. I am sure there will be metal weapons, but they will not all be metal. There will be wooden weapons involved in some of this. Some say, It has to be symbolic. There is not a chance. I think there will be such a destruction of infrastructure by this time in natural history that it will be the both/and. There will be the technology as well as the simplistic military tactics against one another, etc. E. The pinnacle of the Second Coming royal procession will be Jesus reentry into Jerusalem to be officially received by the governmental leaders of Israel as their Messianic King.

12 Session 12 Victory and the Restoration of All Things (Rev ) Page I say to you (governmental leaders in Jerusalem), you shall see Me no more till you say, Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD! (Mt. 23:39) Remember Jesus royal procession. First He comes across the sky, and every eye sees Him. He is with flaming fire and the glory of the Father. That is His royal procession as King across the sky. Then He is marching through the land killing all the enemies in the power of God in supernatural power, in this military endeavor beyond anything we can imagine. He kills the Antichrist. Now He is marching into Jerusalem. This is the pinnacle of His Second Coming royal procession. He marches into Jerusalem. This is Jesus reentry into Jerusalem where He is received by the leaders. It is what He spoke of in Matthew 23 where He told the leaders of Israel, the governmental leaders of Jerusalem who represent the nations, I tell you this. You will not see Me again until you say, and He is talking about the people in their position, in their place of power, the top leaders of Israel. They will say with their mouth, Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord. This is a quote from Psalm 118, which is about the Messiah coming into the city of Jerusalem, into the nation of Israel. He is quoting the very famous Psalm 118. He says, Until you say I am that Man, you are never going to see Me again. I can imagine the leaders of Israel this is right before the cross thinking, We are not going to call You the Messiah of Psalm 118. We are not going to say You are our Messianic King. We are sending You to the cross. Jesus could have said, I am going to orchestrate history in such a way that you will see My beauty and My glory, and you will be surprised at My power and tenderness and love for you as a city and as a nation. F. Jesus will be celebrated as the Son of David in a hosanna coronation parade hosted by the leaders of Israel. They will open the gates of Jerusalem to Jesus in an official declaration of Him as their King after He rescues them to end the Armageddon campaign. 7 Lift up your heads, O you gates [of Jerusalem]! And be lifted up, you everlasting doors! And the King of glory shall come in. 8 Who is this King of glory? The LORD strong and mighty, the LORD mighty in battle [Armageddon campaign]. (Ps. 24:7-8) I love Psalm 24, that Jesus will be celebrated as the Son of David in a Hosanna coronation. This great parade is hosted by the leaders of Israel who once 2000 years ago killed Him as the great deceiver. For 2000 years they have written off Jesus of Nazareth. They will host the great Hosanna parade. They will open up the gates of the city. Psalm 24 describes it. They will cry, Lift up your gates. Here is the Messiah about to enter in. O ye gates of Jerusalem, be lifted up, for the King of glory will come in. Then the cry is, Who is the King? He is the Lord, the Lord mighty in battle. He has just destroyed all the armies of the nations, the Gentile armies. He is mighty in battle. Open up the gates, and they open up the gates and receive their Messianic King. A whole great story unfolds after that. VI. THE MILLENNIAL KINGDOM AND THE FINAL JUDGMENT (REV. 20:1-15) A. Satan will be bound with supernatural chains and then cast into the pit or prison (Rev. 20:1-3). 2 He [an angel] laid hold of the Dragon, that serpent of old the Devil and Satan, and bound him for one thousand years; 3 and he cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal on him, so that he should deceive the nations After these things he must be released for a little while. (Rev. 20:2-3)

13 Session 12 Victory and the Restoration of All Things (Rev ) Page 13 Chapter 20 tells what happens after that. After the Antichrist is killed, the leaders of Israel open the gates. The next thing, there are many things that are happening, but one think that is happening is noted by John. There are a whole lot of things happening right after Jesus kills the Antichrist. John notes that Satan will be bound with chains. These are supernatural chains. These are not ordinary chains. He is cast into prison Revelation 20:2, An angel laid hold of the dragon. They bound the devil for 1000 years and threw him into the pit. B. The saints will be given governmental leadership of the earth for one thousand years (Rev. 20:4-6). 4 I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was committed to them. Then I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their witness to Jesus and they lived and reigned with Christ for one thousand 6 Blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with Him 1000 years. (Rev. 20:4-6) Then the saints are given the governmental leadership of the earth. Verse 4, After Satan is in prison, I saw thrones, and they sat on them. That is speaking of the saints. Judgment was committed to them. Then I saw the martyrs. Some people, because John highlights the martyrs, think only martyrs will be on thrones. No. John is not limiting those who sit on thrones to martyrs, but because in that hour of history there will be so many martyrs, he is letting them know they are not forgotten. As in, You are on His heart. You are a priority to Him. He already has a plan for you. You will sit on thrones. There are many other Bible passages where the saints who are not the end-time martyrs are on thrones as well. We cannot limit those on thrones to just the martyrs. The martyrs are especially highlighted here for the encouragement that this passage will be for them in that day. They will reign with Christ for 1000 years. This is called the Millennial Kingdom. 1. At this time the kingdom of God will be openly manifested worldwide, affecting every sphere of life. The result will be a 1,000-year period of unprecedented blessing for the earth as Jesus establishes righteousness and prosperity, restoring the agriculture, atmosphere, and animal life to some of the conditions that were seen in the Garden of Eden (Rev. 20:1-6; cf. Isa. 2:1-4; 9:6-9; 11:1-16; 51:1-8; 60-62; 65:17-25; Ps. 2:6-12; 110:1-7; Deut. 8; 28; Mt. 5:5; 6:10; 17:11; 19:28; 28:19; Acts 1:6; 3:21). At this time the kingdom of God will be openly manifested across the whole world. Every sphere of life will be Christianized. Every king of the earth will be a born-again believer. There will be kings with natural bodies on the earth. The unsaved survivors of the Tribulation were not born again, so they were not raptured. They did not worship the Antichrist nor did they have the mark of the beast, so they were not killed. They get converted when the Lord returns. That is where the kings of the earth come, out of that class of people. Then there are those with resurrected bodies who are kings and have greater authority over the earthly kings. Very similar to right now, where there are angels over the kings of nations right now in the spirit realm. Instead of angels and demons being over kings of the earth affecting them, there will be resurrected saints who have the greater authority as kings over the nations. Under them and connected to them will be the kings with natural bodies. They will be governing the earth. 2. In the Millennium all the kings of the earth will be saved and worship Jesus (Ps. 72:11; 102:15; 138:4; 148:11; Isa. 62:2; Rev. 21:24). 3. They sat on them: The saints of verses 14 and 19 are the subject of they sat (20:4). Jesus will govern the earth in partnership with resurrected saints (Rev. 2:26-27; 3:21; 5:10; 22:5; cf. Mt. 19:28; 25:23; Lk. 19:17-19; 22:29-30; Rom 8:17; 1 Cor. 6:2-3; 2 Tim. 2:12).