9Then the angel said to me, "Write: 'Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb!' " And he added, "These are the true words of God."
10At this I fell at his feet to worship him. But he said to me, "Do not do it! I am a fellow servant with you and with your brothers who hold to the testimony of Jesus. Worship God! For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy."
The Rider on the White Horse
11I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice he judges and makes war. 12His eyes are like blazing fire, and on his head are many crowns. He has a name written on him that no one knows but he himself. 13He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is the Word of God. 14The armies of heaven were following him, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean.
Dig Deeper
Perhaps the most well known Bible story, at least from the Old Testament, is that of David and Goliath. Who hasn’t heard the tale of the young shepherd boy who trusted God so much that he was willing to do battle with the fiercest warrior that anyone had ever seen, the giant Goliath. The young man had been anointed as the rightful king of Israel but had not yet been installed as king, and now he was here fighting for his people. In fact, he represented the entire nation, as was common for the king to do, even if no one other than Samuel and a small handful of people knew that he would be king. When David won the battle, the whole nation of Israel won. If he had lost, they would have lost. What was true of the king, in the minds of the Jewish people was true of his people.
This concept was carried into the New Testament times by the early church as it concerned their king, the Messiah. Jesus is the conqueror of the earth, the one with all authority on heaven and earth, and He has given that authority to His people. If he comes riding on a white horse (albeit symbolically) then it only makes sense that his people would be right behind, taking part in whatever endeavors their king is involved in.
19:9 - The angel gives the fourth beatitude in the Revelation: Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb. This phrase invokes two central themes to the Christian life. One is that of marriage: Jesus often referred to himself as the bridegroom (Matt. 25:10; Mark 2:19-20; Luke 5:34-35; cf. 3:28-29); and the New Testament image of the Church being the Bride of Christ is prevalent throughout the Scriptures in various allusions. The second is that of the communion meal. The heart of the Christian worship was and still should be the sacrament of communion (1 Cor. 10:16-17; 11:20-34; Acts 20:7). The greatest event in the Christian community is the weekly participation in the communion meal, the wedding supper of the Lamb. The truth of this statement is verified by the highest standard possible, the vow that these are the true words of God.
19:10 - At realizing the great privilege of taking part in the wedding supper, and that this was given as the very words of God, John fell at the angel’s feet to worship him. John is told, do not do it (this incident will be repeated in 22:8-9). The angel reminds him that I am a fellow servant with you and with your brothers who hold to the testimony of Jesus. The word translated ‘worship’ here, proskuneo, can also mean the proper reverence due to superiors. It is likely that this is the aspect of the word that John intended; he was not bowing to worship the angel as a deity. All Christians under the New Covenant have ascended into the Lord’s presence so it is no longer appropriate (as it once was to view angels as superior). They are fellow servants. Thus, the angel urges John to Worship God! For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy. He is telling John to come to the Throne of God with confidence (Heb. 4:16).
19:11 - Verse 11 begins a section of seven visions, each beginning with the phrase I saw. He again is allowed to see into the realm of heaven, as he beholds a white horse. The white horse is a symbol of Christ’s victory and dominion (Rev. 6:2). David Chilton, in Days of Vengeance, says "It is important for the proper understanding of this passage to note that the [rider on the white horse] is called Faithful and True: Christ rides forth to victory in His character as the ‘faithful and true Witness’ (3:14), as the ‘Word of God’ (19:13). St. John is not describing the Second Coming at the end of the world. He is describing the progress of the Gospel throughout the world, the universal proclamation of the message of salvation, which follows the First Advent of Christ." With Justice he judges and makes war. This is a fulfillment of many Messianic prophecies (Ps. 72:2; 96:11-13; Jer. 23:5-6). It is clear that this rider is Christ, and the fact that He is declared to be the one who makes war confirms that the rider on the white horse from chapter 6 was also Christ.
19:12 - The rider on the white horse is the same as the Son of Man (Rev. 1:14), as he is also described as having eyes that are like blazing fire. We also know that this rider is victorious already, for on his head are many crowns. We are also told that He has a name written on him that no one knows but he himself. The use of the Greek word for know here is probably influenced by an extremely common Hebrew idiom in which the verb to know takes on the meaning to acknowledge as one’s own (Meredith G Kline, Images of the Spirit). The point of the verse is not that no one can know what the name is, rather it belongs to Him alone. That we can know the name will become clearer in the chiastic pattern (A, B, C, C, B, A) of this passage: A) Name no one knows (12b); B) Robe dipped in blood (13a); C) His name is called the Word of God (13b); C) Two-edged sword from his mouth (15a); B) He treads the wine-press of God’s wrath; A) He has a name written: King of Kings and Lord of Lords (16).
19:13 - That Christ is dressed in a robe dipped in blood is explained in verse 15, which tells us that the blood comes from the enemies of God. There is a sense, however, that the blood also brings forth images of Christ’s own blood and sacrifice on the Cross, for John tells us that his name is the Word of God, which references John 1:1, 14, and the Incarnation as a whole.
19:14 - The armies in heaven were following him. These are the chosen and faithful that are with Him in battle (Rev. 17:14). From the perspective of the New Testament, the Church is in heaven (Eph. 2;6; Hebrews 12:22-23; Rev. 7:15; 12:12; 13:6). The army of Christians (and possibly angels are in view here as well) are riding on white horses and are dressed in fine linen, white and clean. This again stresses the righteousness of the saints from a biblical perspective.
Devotional Thought
Nearly everyone in our culture "knows" the Jesus who is all about love and mercy, but few have any sense of the rider on the white horse, whose robes are dipped in the blood of His enemies. How does that image change your perception of Jesus Christ? Does it change how we should think about presenting the message of the gospel to the lost? How so?
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