xxiii the return of jesus christ in revelation

XXV THE RETURN OF

JESUS CHRISTTHE LION THIS TIME

Revelation 19+20 Promises Kept

A Production of

the skOG

Workshop

httpwwwvisualbiblealivecomstock_imagephpid=47365

As we work our way backwards in the book of Revelation we come to Johnrsquos presenta-tion of the actual return of the Savior Chapters 19 and 20 continue to maintain the end of the bookrsquos story order presentation of events

Irsquom just filler you know lsquoNo hyperlinks for you

till Slide 4rdquo Did I mention Irsquom sitting atop handmade sheets

Grammy-builts Class-A

EMAIL leonardhoygmailcom

TITLE PICTURE httpenwikipediaorgwikiFileSecond_Templejpg

SIR ROBERT ANDERSON httpenwikipediaorgwikiFileSirRobertAndersonjpg

Basic InformationLICENSING I grant a Creative Commons license made of the following elements You may freely share and adapt this work provided you give me creditndash(website info fine) your efforts have no commercial application and you share extractedredacted work with others God bless and have fun

VISIT skOG Workshop Headquarters at wwwlennyhoycom for other items of interestSlide Array Table of Contents

IMAGES

By Subscription httpwwwinstonebrewercombpg2009frameshtmmembersmember_pagephp

By Permission Creative Commons Licensing as noted (see TITLE PICTURE at right for instance)

WE NOW WORK INTO THE NEXT SECTION A 3-PART NARRATIVE UNIT

Introduction

Letters to the Seven Churches

The Story of the Tribulation

Christrsquos Return

The Millennium

Great White Throne JudgmentThe Eternal City

Final Message

Doom of Babylon

SOME OPENING THOUGHTS

Part OneWe All Wait For The Return

And as they were gazing intently into the sky while He was going behold two men in white clothing stood beside them They also said ldquoMen of Galilee why do you stand looking into the sky This Jesus who has been taken from you into heaven will come in just the same way as you have watched Him go into heavenrdquo Acts 1 10+11

A LONG-AGO PROMISE

A LONG INTERVALldquoThis gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all the nations and then the end will comerdquo Matt 2414

ldquoBut the one who endures to the end he will be savedrdquo Matt 2413

ldquoWhere is the promise of His coming For ever

since the fathers fell asleep all continues just as

it was from the beginning of creationrdquo

II Peter 34The Lord is not slow about His promise as some

count slowness but is patient toward you

II Peter 39ldquoHow long O Lord holy and

true will You refrain from

judging and avenging our

blood on those who dwell on

the earthrdquo Rev 610

AN ENDURING HOPE

looking for the blessed hope and

the appearing of the glory of our

great God and Savior Christ

Jesus Titus 213

13 But we do not want you to be uninformed brethren about those who are asleep so that you will not grieve as do the rest who have no hope 14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again even so God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep in Jesus I Thessalonians 413+14

Now faith is the assurance of things

hoped for the conviction of things not

seen Heb 111

12 Beloved do not be surprised at the

fiery ordeal among you which comes

upon you for your testing as though

some strange thing were happening to

you 13 but to the degree that you share

the sufferings of Christ keep on rejoicing so that also at the revelation of

His glory you may rejoice with exultation

1 Peter 412-13

Caution Speculation Alert In my opinion even Jesus waits with gathering emotional intensity for The Day His Day

32 ldquoNow learn the parable from the fig tree when its branch has already become tender and puts forth its leaves you know that summer is near 33 so you too when you see all these things recognize that He is near right at the door Matthew 2432+33

whose exact date may well remain known only to the Father

36 ldquoBut of that day and hour no one knows not even the angels of heaven nor the Son but the Father alone Matthew 2436

14 Then I looked and behold a white cloud and sitting on the cloud was one like a son of man having a golden crown on His head and a sharp sickle in His hand 15 And another angel came out of the temple crying out with a loud voice to Him who sat on the cloud ldquoPut in your sickle and reap for the hour to reap has come because the harvest of the earth is riperdquo 16 Then He who sat on the cloud swung His sickle over the earth and the earth was reaped Revelation 1414-16

Support for Speculation The Father tells the waiting Son ldquoThe hour to reap has comerdquo

PROMISES KEPTCHAPTER 19 THE RETURN OF THE KING


1 After these things I heard something like a loud voice of a great multitude in heaven saying ldquoHallelujah Salvation and glory and power belong to our God 2 because His judgments are true and righteous for He has judged the Great Harlot who was corrupting the earth with her immorality and He has avenged the blood of His bond-servants on herrdquo 3 And a second time they said ldquoHallelujah her smoke rises up forever and everrdquo 4 And the twenty-four elders and the four living creatures fell down and worshiped God who sits on the throne saying ldquoAmen Hallelujahrdquo5 And a voice came from the throne saying ldquoGive praise to our God all you His bond-servants you who fear Him the small and the greatrdquo 6 Then I heard something like the voice of a great multitude and like the sound of many waters and like the sound of mighty peals of thunder saying ldquoHallelujah For the Lord our God the Almighty reigns


Hmmm before we can get to Chapter 19rsquos triumphant declaration of Christrsquos reign readers celebrate Godrsquos victory over a female entity called lsquoThe Great Harlotrsquo

I hope this prelude raises your curiosity with regards to this figure Wersquoll spend considerable time on her in the next section Revelation 14-19 Indeed we must for the Bible devotes considerable space and text to her activities Shouts celebrating Godrsquos triumph over her shall ring in our ears as we descend with a returning Christ to reclaim the planet



7 ldquoLet us rejoice and be glad and give the glory to Him for the marriage of the Lamb has come and His bride has made Herself readyrdquo 8 It was given to Her to clothe herself in fine linen bright and clean for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the Saints 9 Then he said to me ldquoWrite lsquoBlessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lambrsquordquo

ELEMENTS IN REVELATION 14-19CHAPTER 19 THE RETURN OF THE KING

A couple of things to note about this

1 See how late in the narrative we encounter the Marriage Supper of the Lamb As a POST Tribulationist Irsquom hardly surprised )

2 The Bride ldquohas made Herself readyrdquo She is allowed to ldquoclothe Herself in whiterdquo as a tribute to Her righteousness Hmmm Odd phrasing that As a POST Tribulationist I look at what the Tribulation Saints have endured have overcome and I see this phrasing as a tribute to their faithfulness in the spiritual battle of the ages ldquoMade Herself readyrdquo indeed Revelation 1211 lauds these Saints ldquoAnd they (the Saints) overcame him (Satan) because of the blood of the Lamb and because of the word of their testimony and they did not love their life even when faced with deathrdquo

3 Who are those who are invited to the ceremony Every candidate I entertain as a possibility seems not to fit Sorry Another question I canrsquot answer Got tons ofrsquoem

PROMISES KEPT CHAPTER 19 THE RETURN OF THE KING

11 And I saw heaven opened and behold a white horse and He who sat

on it is called Faithful and True and in righteousness He judges and wages

war 12 His eyes are a flame of fire and on His head are many diadems

and He has a name written on Him which no one knows except Himself

13 He is clothed with a robe dipped in blood and His name is called The

Word of God

14 And the armies which are in heaven clothed in fine linen white and

clean were following Him on white horses 15 From His mouth comes a

sharp sword so that with it He may strike down the nations and He will rule

them with a rod of iron and He treads the wine press of the fierce wrath of

God the Almighty 16 And on His robe and on His thigh He has a name

written ldquoKING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDSrdquo


A couple of things to note about this passage

It is short Very short Six verses Powerful imagery to be sure but comprised of only six verses By contrast God allots two chapters and numerous allusions to the Harlot and her operation characteristics doom and etc Only six verses to the return of Jesus Christ WUWT

A Perhaps the rule of thumb is this We get prophetic coverage about things we need to face as challenges while still on earth We have work to do down here and need to know the terrain and the adversary

B Even what the Bible does tell us of heaven seems designed to guide us while still on earth to faithfulness righteous action and sound attitude not diminish the importance of our calling here on earth or undercut our determination to live out that calling to the fullest

C And besides how on earth are any mere words going to depict something as awesome as the Return of Jesus Christ

Noticing a pattern

Check out these depictions of Christrsquos return1 Daniel 713-14 A formal scene in which God the Father presents His

Son with dominion over the kingdoms of the earth 2 Matthew 2429 Christ depicts His own return as involving lsquocloudsrsquo and

lsquopowerrsquo and lsquogloryrsquo and trumpets and a gathering together of the faithful from the far ends of heaven to the far ends of earth

3 I Corinthians 1550 Paul describes the return only to assure us that the return involves a resurrection of the dead

4 I Thessalonians 413 Paul describes the return to clear up the sequence of the resurrection and the rapture of the saints

5 Revelation 1911-16 The actual return depicted with Christ as the center of attention A word picture in six short verses

The Bible methodically uses sparse imagery to describe Christrsquos return

Most statements of Christrsquos return seem to have the purpose of establishing certain facts not providing us with lurid and graphic pictures

That Christ does in fact return (Acts 110+11)

That Christ comes with authority

from His Father to receive the

kingdom at last (Daniel 713+14)

That Christ returns with the Saints

(Matthew 2429 Mark 1327 I Cor

1550 I Thess 413 Rev 1914)

That Christ returns with relief from a time of great desperation (Zechariah 141 Matthew 2429 Rev 1911 Isaiah 2420 Daniel 121)

That Christ returns with purpose and intent to1 Restore Israel (Zech 12-14 Daniel 12)2 Avenge the Church (II Thess 1 Rev14-20)3 Judge the earth (Isaiah 24)4 Slay the AntiChrist (Daniel 11+12 Rev 19)5 Establish His kingdom on earth (Dan 12

Rev 19+20 Zechariah 12-14)








1550 I Thess 413 Rev 1914)




It seems to me that God gives us information about His Sonrsquos return on a ldquoNEED TO KNOWrdquo basis not a ldquoWANT TO KNOWrdquo basis

1 Both faithful Jews and Tribulation Saints need to know that theyrsquore in for a time of great distress and testing before they reach the end of their challenge

2 Descriptions of Christrsquos return seem crafted to meet our need to know certain kinds of information

A Yes believer Christ WILL return He will returnB Yes you will face extremities of despair and doubt unknown before that timeC Christ will return just when you think all is lostD Christ returns with final authority from His Father to defeat the forces of Hell

and fix this planet E Believer God has not forgotten you You will be remembered and avenged

rescued restored resurrected raptured rewarded and returned This world will be rebuilt in righteousness by a King who remembers your name

F Oh Believer you can endure You will endure and you will overcome and you will celebrate your victory on a Sea of Glass singing your heart out in gratitude joy and satisfaction with all God has worked in you and through you in the very-most worst of times

G His victory is ours God Himself thrills to your faithfulness your endurance and your love He who knows the secret of every heart knows what yoursquove done in His name and with His power and His gifts

17 Then I saw an angel standing in the sun and he cried out with a loud voice saying to all the birds which fly in midheaven ldquoCome assemble for the great supper of God 18 so that you may eat the flesh of kings and the flesh of commanders and the flesh of mighty men and the flesh of horses and of those who sit on them and the flesh of all men both free men and slaves and small and greatrdquo19 And I saw the beast and the kings of the earth and their armies assembled to make war against Him who sat on the horse and against His army 20 And the beast was seized and with him the false prophet who performed the signs in his presence by which he deceived those who had received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image these two were thrown alive into the lake of fire which burns with brimstone 21And the rest were killed with the sword which came from the mouth of Him who sat on the horse and all the birds were filled with their flesh

We leave the brief sketch of Christ to reflect on His purpose Victory over Hellrsquos pawnsndashthe Beast the False Prophet and the nations which have allied themselves to them

PROMISES KEPTCHAPTER 20 INTO THE MILLENNIUM

WE NOW WORK FURTHER INTO THIS 3-PART NARRATIVE UNIT

Introduction



Christrsquos Return

The Millennium


Final Message

Doom of Babylon


Satan Bound for 1000 Years

1 Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven holding the key of the abyss and a great chain in his hand 2 And he laid hold of the dragon the serpent of old who is the devil and Satan and bound him for a thousand years 3 and he threw him into the abyss and shut it and sealed it over him so that he would not deceive the nations any longer until the thousand years were completed after these things he must be released for a short time

A period without Satanic interference


4 Then I saw thrones and they sat on them and judgment was given to them And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony of Jesus and because of the word of God and those who had not worshiped the beast or his image and had not received the mark on their forehead and on their hand and they came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years 5 The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were completed This is the first resurrection 6 Blessed and holy is the one who has a part in the first resurrection over these the second death has no power but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with Him for a thousand years

Letrsquos see Satan bound for 1000 years we rule and

reign for 1000 years the second resurrection takes place after the

1000 years

I think God plans for 1000 years of ruling

and reigning on earth literally

And as a POST-Tribulationist may I point out that this late moment hosts the

FIRST resurrection Just saying

Again with the 1000 years I think this is a REAL chunk of time


Satan Unchained7When the thousand years are completed Satan will be released from his prison 8and will come out to deceive the nations which are in the four corners of the earth Gog and Magog to gather them together for the war the number of them is like the sand of the seashore 9And they came up on the broad plain of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city and fire came down from heaven and devoured them 10And the devil who deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and brimstone where the beast and the false prophet are also and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever

And why one might well ask A thousand years-worth of generations have lived under Christrsquos benevolent rule They were FORCED to act righteously and (oh horrors) endure the benefits that follow righteous living Now here at the end Satan tests them as he tested Job in the OT Do they really love Christrsquos rule Satan gathers an army of those that do not



Oh and notice the word ldquoALSOrdquo The use of lsquoALSOrdquo asks the reader to cast reflectively back in the narrative to remember that for 1000 years the AntiChrist and the False Prophet have been waiting in Hell for Satanrsquos final arrival

This word ldquoALSOrdquo justifies our treating Chapter 20 as a continuous narrative laid out in story-order The wordrsquos inclusion here all but forces us recognize the literal reality of the 1000 year rule of Christ on earth

The Millennium so called is REAL

WE NOW WORK TO THE THIRD ELEMENT OF THIS 3-PART NARRATIVE UNIT

Introduction



Christrsquos Return

The Millennium


Final Message

Doom of Babylon


The Great White Throne11Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat upon it from whose presence earth and heaven fled away and no place was found for them 12 And I saw the dead the great and the small standing before the throne and books were opened and another book was opened which is the book of life and the dead were judged from the things which were written in the books according to their deeds 13 And the sea gave up the dead which were in it and death and Hades gave up the dead which were in them and they were judged every one of them according to their deeds 14 Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire This is the second death the lake of fire 15

This is our promised lsquosecond resurrectionrsquo I have much to say

about this event See ldquoALL BOW

DOWNrdquo for starters an earlier presentation in this series Then

go to ldquoTHE NATIONSrdquo

It should not surprise you to discover I see this event a leetle differently than the average evangelical bear

One of two possible judgmental outcomes is clearly stated in the text Hell Is Hell the only outcome of these hearings Letrsquos look at vs 15

15 And if anyonersquos name was not found written in the book of life he was thrown into the lake of fire Rev 2015

OK we know what happens to a resurrected soul

whose name is NOT found in the Book of Life

the text tells us directly

Can we fairly infer that a) some resurrected souls

DO have their names in the Book of Life and the

b) these are therefore admitted into heaven I think so

Let me tell you why (Click now)

THE GREAT WHITE THRONE JUDGMENTMORE THAN A MERE SENTENCE HEARING

I can logically infer some souls have their names in the Book of Life and do gain admittance to Heaven based on Rev 2015

In support I see people from the ldquonationsrdquo in the Eternal State how else can they have gotten there if not via this route

Romans 212-16 provides the legal basis for their admittance

Christ bore their sins too and He it is who weighs their conscience against their ignorance of both Law and Grace


Now before we look at what led up to the return of our Savior I feel the need to nail down the relation-ship between two distinct periods Chapter 20rsquos Millennium so called and the Eternal State of Chapters 21 and 22

You may want to investigate this relationship OR you may want to continue backwards in Revelation and see what led up to Christrsquos return

Search the

Table of Contents

for Other Offerings In

This Series

Next XXVI The Millennium and Eternity

OR XXVII On The Edgeof The End

As we work our way backwards in the book of Revelation we come to Johnrsquos presenta-tion of the actual return of the Savior Chapters 19 and 20 continue to maintain the end of the bookrsquos story order presentation of events









IMAGES




Introduction



Christrsquos Return

The Millennium


Final Message

Doom of Babylon




A LONG-AGO PROMISE













AN ENDURING HOPE




Jesus Titus 213




seen Heb 111








1 Peter 412-13



























Word of God













Noticing a pattern















1550 I Thess 413 Rev 1914)











1550 I Thess 413 Rev 1914)
















Introduction



Christrsquos Return

The Millennium


Final Message

Doom of Babylon









1000 years















Introduction



Christrsquos Return

The Millennium


Final Message

Doom of Babylon

























Search the

Table of Contents


This Series











IMAGES




Introduction



Christrsquos Return

The Millennium


Final Message

Doom of Babylon




A LONG-AGO PROMISE













AN ENDURING HOPE




Jesus Titus 213




seen Heb 111








1 Peter 412-13



























Word of God













Noticing a pattern















1550 I Thess 413 Rev 1914)











1550 I Thess 413 Rev 1914)
















Introduction



Christrsquos Return

The Millennium


Final Message

Doom of Babylon









1000 years















Introduction



Christrsquos Return

The Millennium


Final Message

Doom of Babylon

























Search the

Table of Contents


This Series




Introduction



Christrsquos Return

The Millennium


Final Message

Doom of Babylon




A LONG-AGO PROMISE













AN ENDURING HOPE




Jesus Titus 213




seen Heb 111








1 Peter 412-13



























Word of God













Noticing a pattern















1550 I Thess 413 Rev 1914)











1550 I Thess 413 Rev 1914)
















Introduction



Christrsquos Return

The Millennium


Final Message

Doom of Babylon









1000 years















Introduction



Christrsquos Return

The Millennium


Final Message

Doom of Babylon

























Search the

Table of Contents


This Series






A LONG-AGO PROMISE













AN ENDURING HOPE




Jesus Titus 213




seen Heb 111








1 Peter 412-13



























Word of God













Noticing a pattern















1550 I Thess 413 Rev 1914)











1550 I Thess 413 Rev 1914)
















Introduction



Christrsquos Return

The Millennium


Final Message

Doom of Babylon









1000 years















Introduction



Christrsquos Return

The Millennium


Final Message

Doom of Babylon

























Search the

Table of Contents


This Series















AN ENDURING HOPE




Jesus Titus 213




seen Heb 111








1 Peter 412-13



























Word of God













Noticing a pattern















1550 I Thess 413 Rev 1914)











1550 I Thess 413 Rev 1914)
















Introduction



Christrsquos Return

The Millennium


Final Message

Doom of Babylon









1000 years















Introduction



Christrsquos Return

The Millennium


Final Message

Doom of Babylon

























Search the

Table of Contents


This Series





























Word of God













Noticing a pattern















1550 I Thess 413 Rev 1914)











1550 I Thess 413 Rev 1914)
















Introduction



Christrsquos Return

The Millennium


Final Message

Doom of Babylon









1000 years















Introduction



Christrsquos Return

The Millennium


Final Message

Doom of Babylon

























Search the

Table of Contents


This Series









Noticing a pattern















1550 I Thess 413 Rev 1914)











1550 I Thess 413 Rev 1914)
















Introduction



Christrsquos Return

The Millennium


Final Message

Doom of Babylon









1000 years















Introduction



Christrsquos Return

The Millennium


Final Message

Doom of Babylon

























Search the

Table of Contents


This Series










1550 I Thess 413 Rev 1914)











1550 I Thess 413 Rev 1914)
















Introduction



Christrsquos Return

The Millennium


Final Message

Doom of Babylon









1000 years















Introduction



Christrsquos Return

The Millennium


Final Message

Doom of Babylon

























Search the

Table of Contents


This Series










1550 I Thess 413 Rev 1914)
















Introduction



Christrsquos Return

The Millennium


Final Message

Doom of Babylon









1000 years















Introduction



Christrsquos Return

The Millennium


Final Message

Doom of Babylon

























Search the

Table of Contents


This Series







Introduction



Christrsquos Return

The Millennium


Final Message

Doom of Babylon









1000 years















Introduction



Christrsquos Return

The Millennium


Final Message

Doom of Babylon

























Search the

Table of Contents


This Series











1000 years















Introduction



Christrsquos Return

The Millennium


Final Message

Doom of Babylon

























Search the

Table of Contents


This Series













Introduction



Christrsquos Return

The Millennium


Final Message

Doom of Babylon

























Search the

Table of Contents


This Series



























Search the

Table of Contents


This Series



xxiii the return of jesus christ in revelation

Spiritual

e e of h

believ o e

u h o h

ffering e

se w h o

e reve

fiery o

b mong e