If you are a pacifist, this chapter will be a hard pill to swallow, as will a great deal of John’s vision. The rider on the white horse is easily identified as Jesus, the Son of God, the Son of Man, the Word, the God-Man. And verse eleven says that he wages war. And he leads an army. With a sharp sword. You catch my drift?
This scene is another facet of the victory over Satan who is and was oppressing the believers. The last chapter was a lament over the fall of the city that was the center of the empire. This scene focuses on conquering the Beast and the false prophet who were rulers of this evil kingdom.
Do not suppose that this is describing an earthly battle where Jesus physically rides a white horse with a sword coming out of his mouth. Rather this is John’s attempt to describe a heavenly, eternity bound, version. Every war on earth has a heavenly counterpart. What we see on earth is initiated in the spiritual realm. The great Dragon is the force behind every war, the impetus behind tyrannical governments, the motivation behind every murder. God and Satan are at war, and it breaks out in the physical realm that we experience.
Ultimately every Beast, every false prophet will be cast into the Lake of Fire. On earth we will see them deposed, killed, dethroned, and exposed for their diabolical connection to the Dragon. In the eternity-based reality, they will succumb to the Lake of Fire.
This gave great hope to the believers in Asia Minor. It gives great hope, as well, to believers all over our world who are being imprisoned, tortured, executed, and persecuted for their allegiance to Jesus. And on that day, at the end of it all, we too will rejoice when the Beast and the false prophet in the final battle will finally and forever be dealt with.
This scene is another facet of the victory over Satan who is and was oppressing the believers. The last chapter was a lament over the fall of the city that was the center of the empire. This scene focuses on conquering the Beast and the false prophet who were rulers of this evil kingdom.
Do not suppose that this is describing an earthly battle where Jesus physically rides a white horse with a sword coming out of his mouth. Rather this is John’s attempt to describe a heavenly, eternity bound, version. Every war on earth has a heavenly counterpart. What we see on earth is initiated in the spiritual realm. The great Dragon is the force behind every war, the impetus behind tyrannical governments, the motivation behind every murder. God and Satan are at war, and it breaks out in the physical realm that we experience.
Ultimately every Beast, every false prophet will be cast into the Lake of Fire. On earth we will see them deposed, killed, dethroned, and exposed for their diabolical connection to the Dragon. In the eternity-based reality, they will succumb to the Lake of Fire.
This gave great hope to the believers in Asia Minor. It gives great hope, as well, to believers all over our world who are being imprisoned, tortured, executed, and persecuted for their allegiance to Jesus. And on that day, at the end of it all, we too will rejoice when the Beast and the false prophet in the final battle will finally and forever be dealt with.
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