Looking for His glorious appearing! Titus 2:13

Revelation 19:15-16
May 15th, 2011
Exploring RevelationArt Sadlier
Categories: Commentary;Prophecy

"And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron," (Revelation 19:15).

This verse gives us the weapon our Lord uses in this final great battle of the present age. The sword of His mouth will be the weapon He uses to destroy the nations that oppose Him. This is the fulfillment of Isaiah 11:4b, "....and he shall smite the earth: with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked."

This battle will be over almost the entire length of the land of Palestine, covering an area of 200 miles. We learn this from Revelation 14:20, “And the winepress was trodden without the city, and blood came out of the winepress, even unto the horse bridles, by the space of a thousand and six hundred furlongs.” One thousand six hundred furlongs is equivalent to 200 miles. The area would be from Bozrah in the south to Megiddo in the north.

The weapon used to defeat the Lord’s enemies is different from all other weapons of war. The armies of heaven do not fight in this battle. Only the general Himself is going to fight. All the armies of the earth will be gathered together to fight against the Lord. The saints and angels from heaven will look on as the Lord Jesus Christ destroys all the world’s armies.

The Word of the Lord is the most powerful thing in God’s universe. It is recorded eight times in the record of creation. God spoke the heavens and the earth into being. “By the word of the LORD were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth. He gathereth the waters of the sea together as an heap: he layeth up the depth in storehouses. Let all the earth fear the LORD: let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him. For he spake, and it was done; he commanded, and it stood fast," (Psalm33:6-9).

For those men and nations today which are so adamant in denying the record of creation, denying the fact that God created the heavens and the earth by the Word of His mouth. It is fitting that they will be destroyed by the Word of Christ. By the same power of His mouth the Lord will execute judgment at His second coming.

Who will the enemies of Christ be in this great battle? Revelation 16:14 tells us, “For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty.”

The rebellion of men will reach a climax in that hour. They will be so proud and rebellious that they will believe that they can actually defeat the Lord Jesus Christ. Our Lord demonstrates His mighty power, He does not need the help of His saints and angels, He merely speaks and the world’s armies are destroyed.

We have a warning about the danger of refusing His Word. Hebrews 12:25-27, “See that ye refuse not him that speaketh. For if they escaped not who refused him that spake on earth, much more shall not we escape, if we turn away from him that speaketh from heaven: Whose voice then shook the earth: but now he hath promised, saying, Yet once more I shake not the earth only, but also heaven. And this word, Yet once more, signifieth the removing of those things that are shaken, as of things that are made, that those things which cannot be shaken may remain.”

I suggest to you that the central issue in the history of man is man’s refusal to obey the Word of God. That issue will come to a climax at the battle of Armageddon.

“That with it he should smite the nations;” this will be a judgment that will be total and final.

“And he shall rule them with a rod of iron;” man has had 6,000 years to prove that he is incapable of ruling the earth on God’s behalf. Man’s day is now over and the rightful ruler of the earth has returned to order and rule over the earth in righteousness and fairness and to bring peace. A rod of iron will prevent man’s continued destruction and chaos.

“And he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.”  God hates sin; God’s wrath will always burn against unconfessed sin.  Only through Calvary’s cross and the shed blood of Christ can the sinner escape the eternally burning wrath of God. “God judgeth the righteous, and God is angry with the wicked every day,” (Psalm 7:11).  “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness,” (Romans 1:18).

The only way to escape the wrath of God is to bow at the cross in repentance and faith and receive Christ as your sin-bearer and Saviour.

Verse 16, “And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.” The true and rightful king has returned to His creation. He is its ruler by right of creation and He is man’s Lord by right of redemption. Philippines 2:9-11, “Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

Every man has a choice, to bow before Christ willingly out of love or by force as a rebel.