Revelation 19:11-21
This passage is the focal point of Revelation: the revealing/return of Jesus Christ to earth. His first step in removing evil and wickedness from the world will be to destroy the Antichrist and all the armies gathered at Armageddon that will attempt to fight against Him. Afterward He will establish His kingdom of righteousness that will encompass the entire world.
11 And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war.
“And I saw heaven opened” - Heaven will open up to make way for Christ’s return. We saw a description of this back in chapter 6 when the 6th seal was opened: Rev. 6:12-17 “12 And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal, and, lo, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood; 13 And the stars of heaven fell unto the earth, even as a fig tree casteth her untimely figs, when she is shaken of a mighty wind. 14 And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places. 15 And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains; 16 And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb: 17 For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?”
“and behold a white horse” - In Roman triumphal processions the victorious general would ride a white horse up to the temple of Jupiter in celebration of his victory. Here, the white horse symbolizes Christ’s victory over His enemies even before the battle.
“and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True” - Christ has been faithful and truthful in all that He has promised and now He is being faithful in fulfilling His promise to return and establish His earthly kingdom.
“and in righteousness he doth judge and make war” - The destruction of His enemies may seem harsh and excessive but Jesus Christ is righteous in executing judgment and waging war against them. Their sins and rebellion have earned them their destruction.
12 His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself. 13 And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God.
“His eyes were as a flame of fire” - When John came face-to-face with Christ in chapter 1, he described Christ as having eyes as a flame of fire (Rev. 1:14). The eyes as a flame of fire speak of His wrath and judgment on sin as well as His penetrating vision that judges accurately and righteously.
“and on his head were many crowns” - A single crown would indicate authority over a single kingdom but “many crowns” show that His authority and sovereignty extends over all the kingdoms of the earth. Christ is the “King of kings and Lord of lords” (v. 16).
“and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself” - This name is apparently written across the set of “many crowns” that Christ wore on His head. This name is not “Jesus” or “Christ” but new name that has not yet been revealed. We first saw a reference to this new name in Rev. 3:12 in His letter to the church at Philadelphia where He said that one of the blessings for those who overcome is that “I will write upon him my new name” in a declaration of ownership. Here Christ is identified by the new name by which He will be known throughout eternity.
“And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood” - Some commentators believe the blood is Christ’s, but the context seems to indicate that the blood is that of His enemies from past battles against Satan, sin and death. The imagery seems to come from Isa. 63:2-3 where the LORD speaks of destroying Israel’s enemies: “2 Wherefore art thou red in thine apparel, and thy garments like him that treadeth in the winefat? 3 I have trodden the winepress alone; and of the people there was none with me: for I will tread them in mine anger, and trample them in my fury; and their blood shall be sprinkled upon my garments, and I will stain all my raiment.”
“and his name is called The Word of God” - John removes all doubt as to Who this person is that is riding the white horse. John 1:1 identifies Jesus Christ as “the Word:” “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”
14 And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean.
Jesus predicted that angels will accompany Him at His return: Matt. 16:27 “For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then he shall reward every man according to his works.” However, it seems unlikely that they would be riding white horses. We saw in Rev. 17:14 says that those who are with Christ at His return will be “called and chosen and faithful.” Zech. 14:5 speaks of the LORD coming with “all the saints.” Other additional scriptures make it plain that redeemed human beings will accompany our Lord at His return and so these armies following Christ on white horses, clothed in clean, white fine linen must be the saints of God. They will return on white horses as victors, following Christ their champion as He fights against the enemies of God. They will not have to fight but will enjoy the victory as Christ defeats all foes and establishes His kingdom on earth.
15 And out of his mouth goeth 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 and wrath of Almighty God.
“And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations” - Not a literal sword but the word that comes out of Christ’s mouth will slay the wicked. He will judge them by the word He has spoken in scripture and by His spoken words their judgment will be executed. Isa. 11:4 describes the Messiah: “But with righteousness shall he judge the poor, and reprove with equity for the meek of the earth: and he shall smite the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked.” The apostle Paul also speaks of Christ’s coming in 2 Th. 2:8 - “And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit [breath] of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming:”
“and he shall rule them with a rod of iron” - Jesus Christ will rule the earth in righteousness and will not tolerate sin or rebellion.
“and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God” - All sin and rebellion will be met with swift but righteous judgment. He will not allow sin to fester within His kingdom.
16 And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.
Christ is apparently wearing a banner proclaiming His title and authority as the King over all other kings and the Lord over all other lords. This banner is draped across His chest and flows down His leg as He is riding the white horse. The intention of the Antichrist was to reign supreme over the entire planet but Jesus Christ is returning as the only One worthy to take supreme authority over all.
17 And I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the fowls that fly in the midst of heaven, Come and gather yourselves together unto the supper of the great God; 18 That ye may eat the flesh of kings, and the flesh of captains, and the flesh of mighty men, and the flesh of horses, and of them that sit on them, and the flesh of all men, both free and bond, both small and great.
“And I saw an angel standing in the sun” - This angel was not 93 million miles away standing on the surface of the sun. Rather, he was either silhouetted in the sun or else he was standing in the sunlight, perhaps even the light of the glory of Christ.
“and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the fowls that fly in the midst of heaven” - The angel extends an invitation to all the birds in the area and perhaps even the whole planet because he knows what is about to happen. The battle has not yet begun but the angel is sure of the outcome.
“Come and gather yourselves together unto the supper of the great God...” - Even though the battle has not yet started the angel is promising that the birds will have plenty to eat because Christ (“the great God”) will be providing plenty of corpses for them to feast upon. There is no distinction made between kings and subjects, captains and soldiers, slaves or free men, for all who attempt to resist Christ will suffer His wrath with no respect of persons. There will be no special considerations given to anyone out of respect for their position or rank.
19 And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse, and against his army.
This verse describes what is likely the greatest act of folly ever to be performed by human beings. The Antichrist and the ten kings that are allied with him will utilize their armies in an attempt to wage war against Jesus Christ, the Son of God. We saw that the ten kings would take part in this battle back in Rev. 17:14. To engage in the folly of attempting to defeat God in battle tells us something about the hardness of the human heart that is in rebellion against God. They not only fight against Christ but also against “His army” which are the saints of God, as predicted by Zech. 14:5b “...and the LORD my God shall come, and all the saints with thee.”
20 And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone.
The Antichrist and the false prophet are not immediately slain but are captured because they warrant special treatment for the evil that they have done. Later in Revelation we will see that hell is not the permanent place of eternal punishment because “death and hell” will be cast into the lake of fire after the white throne judgment (Rev. 20:14). It appears that the Antichrist and the false prophet will be the first residents of this place of eternal torment, skipping hell and the white throne judgment. No doubt their physical bodies will immediately burn up, leaving their souls to endure an eternity of torment.
21 And the remnant were slain with the sword of him that sat upon the horse, which sword proceeded out of his mouth: and all the fowls were filled with their flesh.
The armies of the Antichrist, the ten kings and their armies that remain will be slain by Christ. He will not need to swing a sword; He will only need to speak and countless thousands will die and become food for the birds. This will be when the blood will reach the height of a horse’s bridle (about 4 feet): Rev. 14:20 “And the winepress was trodden without the city, and blood came out of the winepress, even unto the horse bridles, by the space of a thousand and six hundred furlongs.”
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