Freiday Devotional

How Big is Your Christ?

Passage: Then I saw heaven opened and here came a white horse! The one riding it was called "Faithful" and "True," and with justice he judges and goes to war. His eyes are like a fiery flame and there are many diadem crowns on his head. He has a name written that no one knows except himself. He is dressed in clothing dipped in blood, and he is called the Word of God. The armies that are in heaven, dressed in white, clean, fine linen, were following him on white horses. From his mouth extends a sharp sword, so that with it he can strike the nations. He will rule them with an iron rod, and he stomps the winepress of the furious wrath of God, the All-Powerful. He has a name written on his clothing and on his thigh: "King of kings and Lord of lords." (Rev 19:11-16; NET)

Exposition: In the previous section (Rev 19:6-10), we get a picture of the wedding feast where the church is united with Christ. From the image of Jesus as the Bridegroom, we then move to an image of Christ as a warrior. John sees a vision of heaven opening up, and Christ riding on a white horse. As many of you may already know, in the ancient days, the horse was a symbol of power and war. Therefore, when Christ entered Jerusalem before his crucifixion, he road on a donkey for he was not bringing war at that time, but redemption. However, in this image, Christ is seen as the powerful judge as he rides to war against his enemies. "His eyes like a fiery flame" describe his ability to pierce through the sin of humanity and individuals. There is no escaping him. The crowns upon his head indicate his authority. Christ has been given all authority as judge and ruler.

It us unclear as to what the unknown name is referring to. It does not seem to indicate that we will never know what the name is. Instead, it could be that John was not privy to this name, but that we will find out at the Second Coming. His blood soaked clothing is quite disturbing, given the image of Jesus in the Gospels. In their portrayal, Jesus was not a warrior; quite the contrast compared to this last book of the New Testament. Jesus does not come alone, but is followed by an army. It does not appear that these soldiers are angelic beings, but probably human beings. Their dress is quite similar to that of the Lamb's bride in v. 8.

Jesus used the power of words during his life on earth. The image of the sword protruding from his mouth indicates his ability to slay with the power of his word. He will bring judgment upon his enemies by his word. What he speaks will not be comforting to those on the wrong side. Christ will not be moved by the cries and pleas. As the "iron rod" indicates, Jesus will stand firm in his duty and judgment. There will be no appeal, only sentence. The stomping of the winepress is an image from Isaiah 63, where God judges Edom by stomping on the people and having their blood splash on his robe (not the typical image of our all-loving God!).

This section ends by John reasserting the kingship of Jesus. He is King of Kings. There is none higher than him; none more powerful than him; and none more righteous than him. He is Lord!
As a side note: For those of you that are against tatoos, notice that Christ has a tatoo on his thigh. Hmmm...

With all that said, what is your perspective of Christ? Is Jesus just meek and mild to you? Or does he encompass more than that? Is he the redeemer and warrior? The Jews were expecting a warrior; the world got a redeemer. Christians got a redeemer; but are we expecting a warrior? Also, who's side are you on? Christ's? Or...?

Prayer: God: Give us a deeper trust, that we may lose ourselves-to find ourselves in you, the ground of our rest, the spring of our being. Give us a deeper knowledge of yourself as Saviour, Master, Lord, and King. Give us deeper power in private prayer, more sweetness in your Word, a more steadfast grip on its truth. Give us deeper holiness in speech, thought, and action; and let us not seek moral virtue apart from you. We have no master but you, no law but your will, no delight but yourself, no wealth but that which you give, no good but that which you bless, no peace but that which you bestow. We are nothing apart from what you make us. We have nothing apart from what we receive from you. We can be nothing apart from your grace which adorns us. Quarry us deep, dear Lord, and then fill us to the point that we overflow with living water. (A Puritan Prayer).