Now I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse. And He who sat on him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war...And I saw the beast, the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against Him who sat on the horse and against His army...These two were cast alive into the lake of fire burning with brimstone.And the rest were killed with the sword which proceeded from the mouth of Him who sat on the horse... They [Satan and his followers] went up on the breadth of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city. And fire came down from God out of heaven and devoured them. The devil, who deceived them, was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone where the beast and the false prophet are. And they will be tormented day and night forever and ever. - Revelation 19: 11 & 19-20 20: 9 - 10
In general, we love stories with epic endings. It is why movie goers went in masses to see the ultimate ending of Disney’s Marvel movies – Avengers: End Game. Loads of books ands poems have been written that feature epic battles, outnumbered heroes, and hordes of villains. We love to see the underdog triumph and good conquer evil. It is the entire premise of Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings series. Near the very end of the books, Tolkien creates a scene where the small army of men and elves are completely surrounded by hundreds of thousands of evil orcs. There is absolutely no way they could win the battle – zero chance. And just when it seemed all up was lost, you see the explosion of Mt. Doom indicating that Frodo and Sam had completed their mission which not only saves their friends but the world. The films did a great job depicting the dire situation of the moment – complete with epic music and the lighting created the scenario of the light on the verge of being extinguished by the darkness. Tolkien’s story is such an amazing story but it pales in comparison to God’s.
The Apostle John explains to us that from the beginning Satan has opposed God and for this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil (1 John 3:8). From the beginning the Devil has been sinning and actively working against God. Using his devices to lure others to follow him instead of the Lord. Sometimes, this long battle may seem to us to have an uncertain ending. I didn’t truly realize how evil the world was until I got out of my 20s and found myself rooted firmly in adulthood. But, now I look around and I see evil everywhere and see Satan’s influence and power over this world just continue to grow – from the top to the bottom. Nations make war against each other for self – ambitions. Governments murder and torture citizens in their countries who happen to be of a different race, ethnicity, or religion than the government wants in their homeland. Corporations and business only seek to make more money for themselves. The lengths they are willing to go to ensure their continued financial success and the things they are willing to overlook are breathtakingly evil. On a bottom level, people think and act with such wickedness all to continue the pursuit of their own ambitions and desires. God and His world is soundly rejected and now actively attacked by both governments and individuals. Injustice, prejudice, poverty, cruelty, violence, and more – the list could go on and on. So, sometimes I look around and I think like the Psalmist of Psalm 94:
O Lord God, to whom vengeance belongs— O God, to whom vengeance belongs, shine forth! Rise up, O Judge of the earth; Render punishment to the proud. Lord, how long will the wicked, How long will the wicked triumph?
The world sometimes can feel like a very dark place and the followers of Christ may often feel that the darkness only spreads. It drains our hope and Satan feeds off our fear to make use doubt what we believe about the Lord or of His eventual return. Make no mistake – this is a strategy the Devil is actively using to ensnare the followers of the Lord. He wants us to fear the darkness so much that we actually choose to join it rather than stand firm against the waves of evil. Yet, there is no reason to truly fear. God in His wisdom knew that Christians (whether Christians in 70 AD living under extreme persecution by the Roman government or Christians 1000 + years later) needed to be reassured of the ending of the long battle between Satan and his followers and God. So, He provided us with that very insight in the Book of Revelation. In other words, God gave us a spoiler to this long battle so we wouldn’t stress about it. You know, like when you go to an epic movie in the theaters and you are stressed the whole time about the outcome. Will this character die? Will the good guys win? Will there be justice and punishment for the villains? God doesn’t want us out our lives on earth stressed with those questions. He would rather we focus on fighting the battle for him. So, to prevent fear and doubt which are tools of the Devil and ease our own stress about world and the evil in it, God told us the end of the story.
We are painted a picture in Revelation 19 & 20 of the final battle. Only this time, God has not sent only his angels and his servants (Christians) to fight Satan. No. This time God has sent Christ – the Redeemer of the world. God has finally sent His Son. Jesus appears sitting on a white horse and is called Faithful and True..The Word of God..King of Kings and LORD OF LORDS. His eyes of like flaming fires, his head is covered in multiple crowns, and his tongue is a sharp sword. Behind him is gathered the armies of heaven. Christ has come to tread the winepresses of the fierceness and wrath of the Almighty God (Revelation 19: 11 – 16). Opposite Him is gathered the forces of Satan. John, in chapter 20, gives us a little more insight in the context of Christ coming. Christians on earth are completely surrounded by God’s enemies (20:7 – 9). It appears that all hope is lost and Satan and his minions think they’ve finally won. I always imagined this very similar to the scenario described above from the Return of the King in Tolkien’s story. The light on the verge of being extinguished. Only God himself can save the righteous. It is in that precise moment that Christ appears and God’s fire reigns down from heaven and devours them all. Satan and his servants are cast into the lake of fire and are tormented for all eternity. What appeared to be the victory of Satan is now his utter and total destruction.
God’s victory is our victory. Paul tells us “thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ (I Corinthians 15:57).” When Christ died on the cross the last words he exclaimed were “IT IS FINISHED!” (John 19: 28 – 30). In that moment, the battle was won. Nothing Satan can do will change the outcome. He has already lost. And, he knows it. So, he works tirelessly to bring in other souls to share in his fate. Luring and entrapping them with the their own lusts and their pride. He knows he won’t beat God so he has turned is attention to God’s creation. Man. And especially those who strive to stay loyal to the Lord. He and those ensnared by his devices rage against the righteous and mock God. Like the Psalmist said, “They say, “The Lord does not see, Nor does the God of Jacob understand (Psalm 94: 7).” But God does see and He does understand. He is just waiting – his lovingkindness and mercy pushes him to wait to give as many people as possible the opportunity to repent (2 Peter 3: 9). Yet one day, like the cries of the children in slavery in Egypt, the cries of the Saints will finally be answered and God will send Christ to judge the world, punish the wicked, and reward the righteous.
But the Lord has been my defense, And my God the rock of my refuge. 23 He has brought on them their own iniquity, And shall [g]cut them off in their own wickedness; The Lord our God shall cut them off. - Psalm 94:22 - 23
Only the Jehovah knows when He will send Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior to judge the nations and mankind for their works (Matthew 24:36). But the world has been told with absolute certainty – “Surely, I am coming quickly” (Revelation 22:20). In fact, those are Jesus’ last words recounted to us in the Bible. For those not counted in the number of the righteous, we implore you “Be saved from this perverse generation (Acts 2:40)!” For those who actively work against the Lord be aware, “The Lord laughs at the wicked, for he knows their day is coming (Psalm 37:13).” For the righteous who wait, put on the armor of God (Ephesians 6), fight the fight for the Lord (1 Timothy 6:12), and don’t be discouraged. Christ has already won. We know we are victorious because God has told us so.
Adonai's Appeal 