Amelia Church of Christ - Christian Church in Amelia, OH near Cincinnati in Clermont County

Today we are finishing up our "Vintage Jesus" series and throughout this series we have been exploring the truth about who Jesus really was and is. Our culture has become confused on who Jesus really was and who he is and we want to get back to straight Biblical teaching on the person and character of the Son of God, Jesus Christ.

For the last four weeks, we have been walking through the four gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, which give an extremely detailed account of the life and ministry of Jesus as a human on earth. Today, we’re going to skip to the end. We’re going to tackle the Biblical picture of Jesus in Revelation and deal with the Second Coming of Christ. We are going to go through a lot of Scripture today, so I hope that you have pens in hand and you’re ready for them to start smoking as you write because we’re going to move very quickly today.

Now, usually when someone says that they’re going to talk about the Book of Revelation, it seems like all the wackos come out.

Understand that today, I’m not going to give you my view on eschatology or my dissertation on the Book of Revelation. I’m not going to explore things like premilleniallsm and amillenialism and I’m not going to tell you whether the Book of Revelation is literal or symbolic. What I am going to tell you is that the Book of Revelation is all about Jesus and his redemption of mankind which is the main thesis of the entire Bible.

The book of Revelation has a lot of scary stuff in it, dragons and beasts and judgments, but in the end, the Book of Revelation is only two things for us. It is a book of hope and a book of victory. We cling to the hope that Jesus will return for us soon and we know that he has already conquered sin and death and will ultimately throw the Devil into Hell which happens in the book of Revelation. So if you came here expecting me to discourse on the Book, prepare to be disappointed. But, if you came here to hear about Jesus, and his

Second Coming, prepare to be transformed.

The Book of Revelation is what we call a book of prophecy, meaning it is a book which deals with future events that have not yet happened. Biblical prophecy provides some of the greatest encouragement and hope available to us today. The Old Testament is chock—fuIl of prophecies concerning Christ's first coming, but both testaments are filled with references to the second coming of Christ. One scholar has estimated that there are 1,845 references to Christ's second coming in the Old Testament, where 17 books give it prominence. In the 260 chapters of the New Testament, there are 318 references to the second coming of Christ which leads to an amazing 1 out of every 30 verses. Twenty-three of the 27 New Testament books refer to this great event. For every prophecy in the Bible concerning Christ's first coming, there are 8 which look forward to His second! So let’s pray and then, let’s dive in and study this.

"l’lI be back." Those words will forever ring in my mind. I was 14 and was watching the movie "The Terminator" for the first time. Arnold Schwarzenegger plays this evil cyborg from the future who is sent to the past to prevent the birth of a child and as he walks into a police station to see the mother of this unborn child, the police officer stops him and tells him that no visitors are allowed, to which Arnold replies one of the most famous movie lines of all time, "I’II be back."

Lots of people say "I’II be back". The Beatles even wrote a song about it. It’s a phrase in our culture that means, |’|I only be gone for a short time. I’II be back infers that you plan to return at some point, and it’s a phrase that’s not only found in life, it’s found in the Bible. And it’s a phrase that not just anyone said in the Bible, Jesus said it.

Have a look at John 14:1-3: 1"Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. 2In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you.3And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. (John 14:1-4, NIV)

Jesus was telling his disciples and followers that he was going away but that he would be back. This was a huge disappointment for them because they were expecting Jesus to be a warrior king who would overthrow Rome and raise the Jewish nation to power above the entire world.

Jesus was telling them that he was going away and they would have to wait for him to come back and they were confused. They were expecting Jesus to not only be the Messiah, but to be the Warrior King as described in Isaiah 11:1-4 - "1 A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit. 2 The Spirit of the LORD will rest on him- the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of power, the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD - 3 and he will delight in the fear of the LORD. He will not judge by what he sees with his eyes, or decide by what he hears with his ears; 4 but with righteousness he will judge the needy, with justice he will give decisions for the poor of the earth. He will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth; with the breath of his lips he will slay the wicked." (Isaiah 11:1-4, NIV)

Jesse was the father of King David, so the disciples and Jewish nation were expecting a warrior to rise up from David’s family line who would be full of the Spirit of the LORD and he would strike the earth with his words and would slay the wicked with a breath from his lips. They thought that "the wicked" referred to Rome and that Jesus would conquer the Romans as a fearsome warrior.

Imagine expecting to follow Chuck Norris into Washington DC and watching him tear down the ruling government with his bare hands and as you’re having a quiet dinner with him one night, he says, "I’m going go away for a while, but l’ll be back."

You’re going to be extremely confused, and that’s how the disciples were. They didn’t get it, but Jesus was going away. And then, he gets arrested that same night and the next day is crucified by the Romans on a cross and now, you’re really confused, because how can someone come back when they’re dead. Sure, Jesus raised the dead a couple of times, but how do you raise yourself from the dead. And at that moment, the disciples began to doubt that Jesus would come back.

It’s kind of like our culture today. Most of us don’t think daily about the fact that Jesus will return. We go through our daily lives and run around staying "busy" with life and we forget that Jesus said "I’II be back" Jesus did rise from the dead three days after he was crucified. Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 15 that Jesus "was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, 5and that he appeared to Peter, and then to the Twelve. 6After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. 7Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, Band last of all he appeared to me also" (1 Corinthians 15:4b-8a, NIV)

So Jesus came back from the dead, and in Acts 1, Luke states "He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke to them about the Kingdom of God." (Acts 1:4, NIV) Then, the disciples are excited and ready for Jesus to go Jack Bauer on the Romans and fulfill the Isaiah 11 prophecy and they ask him this question in Acts 1:6 - "Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?" (Acts 1:6, NIV)

And Jesus responds by saying these words in Acts 1:7-8 - 7He said to them: "It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. 8But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."

Jesus says, it’s going to happen, but not now. We are not supposed to know the dates and times that God has set for them to happen. And then the really crazy thing happens in Acts 1:9 - 9After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight.

Wait a second, Jesus died, rose from the dead and left again? As a disciple, how would you take this? I mean, the last thing Jesus says is pretty much, "God knows the time that he has set for Isaiah 11 to be fulfilled and you’re not going to know right now."

And they stand there looking up into the sky as if Jesus’ disappearing act was all just a giant cosmic joke and he never came back down. A couple of angels show up at this point, I like to kind of picture them as the mob angels Vinny and Guido, and they say these words in Acts 1:11 - "Men of Galilee," they said, "why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven." (Acts 1:11, NIV) Okay, so Jesus is coming back again and we even know how. According to Acts 1, He’II come back in the same way he left.

Let’s fast-forward about sixty years. Most of the disciples have been martyred as a result of following Jesus. One disciple is still left alive and his name is John. Tradition tells us that John would have been the youngest of the twelve disciples at the time Jesus called him. And now he has been arrested as an older man and has been exiled by the emperor Domitian to the Island of Patmos.

Now, that we’ve set the stage, open your Bibles to the Book of Revelation which is where John writes to us from this island of Patmos which would have been the ancient equivalent of Alcatraz island. We’II pick it up in verse 9 of Revelation 1 - I, John, your brother and companion in the suffering and kingdom and patient endurance that are ours in Jesus, was on the island of Patmos because of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus. 1°On the Lord's Day I was in the Spirit, and I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet, "which said: "Write on a scroll what you see and send it to the seven churches: to Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia and Laodicea." (Revelation 1:9-11, NIV)

John is probably in his study on this Island, which would have been a place that he worshipped God, studied the Scriptures, and wrote to these early churches mentioned in verse 11. The island was not so much of a prison as it was a place of banishment. As he’s worshipping on the Lord’s Day, he hears a loud voice behind him like a trumpet, which probably means that he was startled by it. Can you imagine sneaking up behind someone and then blowing a trumpet?

Keep reading in Revelation 1 - "I turned around to see the voice that was speaking to me. And when I turned I saw seven golden Iampstands, "and among the Iampstands was someone "Iike a son of man," dressed in a robe reaching down to his feet and with a golden sash around his chest.”His head and hair were white like wool, as white as snow, and his eyes were like blazing fire. 15His feet were like bronze glowing in a furnace, and his voice was like the sound of rushing waters. 16ln his right hand he held seven stars, and out of his mouth came a sharp double-edged sword. His face was like the sun shining in all its brilliance. (Revelation 1:12-16, NIV)

John is worshipping, and all of a sudden, someone speaks to him, startling him and he turns around to find "someone like a son of man". In his own gospel, John writes 5 different times where Jesus referred to himself as the Son of man. John 1:49-51, John 5:25-27, John 8:28, John 9:35-37, and John 12:34-36 are all examples in the gospel of John where Jesus describes himself as a son of man. So there is no confusion when John refers to Jesus in Revelation as one like a son of man.

And don’t overlook that little word "Iike". John is saying in essence that the person before him was like Jesus in his humanity, but was much more than he remembered Jesus on the earth because he is in his glorified state with nine specific characteristics that struck John enough to write about them. A robe reaching down to his feet, a golden sash around his chest, White head and hair, Eyes like blazing fire, Feet glowing like bronze, Voice like rushing waters, Seven stars in his right hand, a sharp sword that comes from his mouth, and a face as bright as the sun on a cloudless day.

These descriptions of Jesus are incredibly significant. The Greek word used here for robe "podérés" was the same word used to describe what the High Priest wore in the Jewish temple and the sash would have been a representation of royalty as only the rich could afford gold in ancient times. It represented majesty.

The white hair is a direct reference to God himself. ln Daniel 7:9, Daniel writes - As I looked, "thrones were set in place, and the Ancient of Days took his seat. His clothing was as white as snow; the hair of his head was white like wool." (Daniel 7:9a, NIV)

Then there are the eyes, and feet, and the bright face. Eyes like blazing fire, Feet like bronze glowing in a furnace, and a face like the sun shining in all its brilliance. These speak to the glory and majesty of Jesus in his glorified state. He was so bright and pure that John could barely look at him.

Next, John writes about his voice which was like rushing waters. This is another reference to God as Ezekiel puts it in Ezekiel 43 - Then the man brought me to the gate facing east, 2 and I saw the glory of the God of Israel coming from the east. His voice was like the roar of rushing waters, and the land was radiant with his glory. (Ezekiel 43:1-2, NIV)

Finally, we have seven stars in his right hand, which are explained in Revelation 1:20 - The mystery of the seven stars that you saw in my right hand and of the seven golden Iampstands is this: The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven Iampstands are the seven churches. (Revelation 1:20, NIV) and we have my personal favorite, a sharp double-edged sword that comes out of his mouth. This refers to the "Word of God" which is a word of salvation to those who serve God and at the same time, a word of judgment to those who oppose him. We’II come back to this one in a minute.

So, put all of that together and let me ask you this question. Do you think that John was petrified? What would you do in a situation like this? John has been confronted with a vision of Jesus in his glorified state and his response is not all that surprising — he falls at his feet as though he were dead.

Look again at Revelation 1 - "When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. (Revelation 1:17a, NIV)

This is John, who walked and talked with Jesus. John, the disciple, John the son of Thunder, John who Jesus gave care of his mother, Mary to, when he was on the cross. And when he sees Jesus in his glorified state, he falls at his feet as though he were dead.

I have heard people say to me before, "when I get to heaven, I’ve got some questions to ask God. I want to know why he did this, or what purpose he had for that..." No! You! Won’tl You will be so overcome by his glorious presence that you won’t even be able to stand in his presence. lf John couldn’t and he was the disciple that Jesus loved, there’s no way you’ll be able to. You will fall at his feet and you will beg him for mercy because you will be so afraid of his glory.

And that’s for people who know and love Jesus. We won’t be able to stand in his presence. So what about his enemies? What about the people who choose not to follow Jesus? What are they going to do in his presence? What vision of Jesus will they be confronted with'?

Keep the "double-edged sword" in mind, flip right in your Bibles and head over a few chapters to Revelation 19. The disciples wanted to know how Jesus would come back. They wanted to know when. They wanted Jesus to be the fulfillment of Isaiah 11. And finally, in Revelation 19, John gives us the picture we have been waiting to see for so long.

"I 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. "His 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. "He 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. 15Out of his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations. "He will rule them with an iron scepter." He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty. 16On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS. (Revelation 19:11-16, NIV)

Whoa. This is much more fearsome than the Jesus we just saw a minute ago. And it’s a far cry from the blonde-haired, blue-eyed, pastel Jesus you saw in the church paintings growing up. This Jesus judges and makes war. This Jesus has a robe that has been dipped in blood. This Jesus has his name tattooed on his thigh "King of Kings and Lord of Lords."

Finally, the Warrior King Jesus that the disciples and all of ancient Israel waited to see shows up three chapters from the end of the Bible. I want to draw your attention to a few things mentioned here. First, Jesus "has a name that is written on him that no one knows but himself" (Revelation 19:12, NIV) This shows that no one else has power over Jesus. Secondly, John quotes from Psalm 2:9, which reads, "You will rule them with an iron scepter; you will dash them to pieces like pottery." By applying this Psalm to Jesus, John is calling him the Messiah, the Christ, the Anointed One chosen by god to rule as King over all nations.

Thirdly, Jesus bears the title King of Kings and Lord of Lords which literally means King over all other kings and Lord over all other lords. In ancient times, there were rulers who were given the title king of kings, such as Artaxerxes, Nebuchadnezzar, but here, John sees that Jesus is truly the only ruler who bears universal authority - not Ceaser and not any other earthly king.

Fourth, his eyes again are like blazing fire. As in Revelation 1:14, they speak of Jesus’ glory and Godhood and his identity as the risen Lord.

Fifthly, his many crowns testify to his authority over many people, tribes, languages, and nations. God has made Jesus Lord of all, but his kingship will not be fully realized until he puts down all opposing kingships.

In addition to presenting Christ as a king, Revelation 19 portrays him as the conquering warrior. Go back to verse 13 for a minute: "”He is dressed in a robe dipped in bIood" (Revelation 19:13a, NIV) Now, keeping that imagery in mind, read Isaiah 63:1-6 with me.

Who is this coming from Edom, from Bozrah, with his garments stained crimson? Who is this, robed in splendor, striding forward in the greatness of his strength'? "It is I, speaking in righteousness, mighty to save." 2 Why are your garments red, like those of one treading the winepress? 3 "I have trodden the winepress alone; from the nations no one was with me. I trampled them in my anger and trod them down in my wrath; their blood spattered my garments, and I stained all my clothing. 4 For the day of vengeance was in my heart, and the year of my redemption has come. 5 I looked, but there was no one to help, I was appalled that no one gave support; so my own arm worked salvation for me, and my own wrath sustained me. 6 I trampled the nations in my anger; in my wrath I made them drunk and poured their blood on the ground."

Ladies and Gentlemen, I present to you the Warrior King Jesus. In verse 11 of Revelation 19, John declares that Christ judges and makes war. John calls him faithful and true. These titles appear elsewhere in Revelation, also pointing to Jesus and finally, we come back to the sword.

Verse 15 says "15Out of his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations." (Revelation 19:15, NIV) The sword again symbolizes the Word of God and that is the name of the rider. Jesus was once called the Word of God elsewhere in the Bible. In John 1:1, John says, "ln the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God." (John 1:1, NIV)

Friends, you should not be afraid. This picture is terrifying, but THIS IS THE GOD WE WORSHIP. THIS IS OUR KING. OUR GOD, OUR LORD, OUR SAVIOR. This is who John wanted his readers to know. This is Vintage Jesus. This is who we love and who we want to be like. This is why we get so excited about his return. When Jesus comes back, it’s all over.

And if you don’t know him, you won’t get to be with him. You will be in the way of him. The book of Revelation ends with these events. Jesus and the armies of heaven come to earth and throw the beast and the false prophet into hell, then Satan is thrown into hell and the earth is judged by Jesus. And standing there before the throne, at that moment, you don’t get a second chance.

You are right now, at this very moment, living your second chance out. Listen, I know that today is Halloween. And I know that many people love to dress up and put masks on to hide their true identity for awhile. And while Jesus was here on the earth, he was fully God and fully human and he masked his glory behind his human form, but now, we see him unveiled, unmasked and at the end of time, your mask will be ripped from you and the truth of your life we be laid bare in front of the Warrior King. Don’t think that you can hide behind your mask. You may fool people now, but the truth will win out and you will be found out. But, I don’t want you to leave today with that in your heart. I want you to know that there’s hope.

You have an opportunity today to not have to fear the Warrior King Jesus, but to be a part of the army of heaven that rides behind him, dressed in pure white. For our last scripture today, go back to Revelation 19, verse 14. "1"The armies of heaven were following him, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and cIean." (Revelation 19:14, NIV)

Now, at first glance, this would appear to be armies of angels following Jesus, but take a closer look at it. This army wears the kinds of garments associated with believers throughout the book of Revelation. Secondly, they follow Christ just as the 144,000 redeemed saints follow the Lamb in Revelation 14:4. Thirdly, Satan and his allies make war against this army just as they make war against the saints in Revelation 11:7, 12:17, and 13:7, and finally, this army shares in Christ’s final victory, just as Christians share in Christ’s victory elsewhere in Revelation.

The point of it all is this. lf you don’t know Jesus, you’ve had an enormous opportunity to get to know him in the past five weeks. If you haven’t given your life to him, or you’re still waffling on the edge, you’ve been warned. This is your second chance and there is no third chance. If you’ve walked away from Jesus, you have been warned that the Warrior King is coming and it could be today. lt could be right now. Don’t let this moment go by without giving him your all. Without rushing into his arms and declaring him your Savior and your King.

Jesus wants to save us. He died so that you and I could have life and have it to the full. Don’t wait. Come to him now. lf you need to make a decision, come forward as the band leads into the last song. Someone will meet you up here and we’ll go forward together. Let’s do it.

Brian Morrissey

Tags: end times, Isaiah, Isaiah, King, prophecy, Revelation, second coming, Vintage Jesus, warrior