EMMDEV 2012-02-29 [Revelations Reassurances] Our Hero

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. 12 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. 13 He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is the Word of God. 14 The armies of heaven were following him, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean. 15 Out 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. 16 On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written:
KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS. Revelation19:11-16

The next section of Revelation (19:11-21:8) forms the Seventh Act and is the penultimate act in the play. It is probably the most difficult section to understand and has been the cause of much debate. Before we get into it, we must re-iterate the keys we've been using to understand Revelation:

1. We're working with a woman-in-labour understanding of history. Revelation doesn't only speak about the end (the birth), but is relevant for every "contraction".

2. We've seen that Revelation is not chronological, but rather that there are different Acts in the play, and, just like there are different witnesses of a car accident (one witness sees a Ford and a Mazda, one sees a red and blue car, another sees a young student driver and an old lady driver etc), there are different perspectives on this "labour."

This section centers around the Champion on a white horse, it describes the defeat of the beast and it describes two periods of 1000 years in which the beast is bound and the saints reign.

After careful reading and cross-referencing with other passages of Scripture, we understand it as follows:

1. The Incarnation, Death and Resurrection of Jesus is the heart of God's victory over Satan.

2. Jesus ascension starts a period where Satan is bound and limited in the world and the Christians are able to spread the gospel throughout the world. This is the age of the church and it is the two sets of 1000 years (imprisonment of Satan and reign of the saints) combined.

3. Once all the contractions of the "labour" are complete (symbolic 1000 years are over), Satan will be released to face the Final Judgement.

One of the best analogies to understand this is from World War 2: The victory of World War 2 came from "D-Day", the day the Allied Forces wedged their way onto Europe's mainland on the beaches of Normandy, but it would take months of fighting before they marched into Berlin for "V-Day" when the war would finally be over.

Our D-Day is the Resurrection of Jesus, the V-Day will be when it is all wound up. We are in the 1000 years right now: The power of sin, death and Satan have been broken by the cross and we can proclaim forgiveness and salvation to all who would receive him.

Our best key to this section and our reassurance is the triumphant picture that the opening verses give us: Not "Gentle Jesus meek and mild" but "Christ triumphant and victorious" - OUR Champion and OUR Hero.

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Theo Groeneveld theo@emmanuel.org.za
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