Revelation 19:11
11And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war.
Christ from
Revelation 6:2;
Revelation 3:14.
Revelation 19:12
12His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself.
Christ from
Revelation 1:14;
Revelation 2:18. The many crowns are those cast before the throne
Revelation 4:4;
Revelation 4:10. They represent the authority Christ has over all those who have submitted to Him.
Revelation 19:13
13And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God.
The priestly vesture of Christ is immersed in blood indicating His sacrifice as the Lamb. This verse is referred to by John later in
John 1:1-3,14. Jesus is the Word. Jesus is God.
Revelation 19:14
14And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean.
These are the Christians going out to conquer the world through the gospel. This is another reason to view the image in
chapter 6 as a precursor to the fall of Jerusalem. The gospel was preached to the Jews and as many as could be converted were. The army of the rider of the white horse is distinct from that of the other riders which were the various Roman legions.
Revelation 19:15
15And 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: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.
A. out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations:
This is the gospel in its power to condemn all nations, both Jew and Gentile:
Hebrews 4:12;
Revelation 1:16;
Revelation 2:12.
B. he shall rule them with a rod of iron
This is Christ ruling with the gospel (a scepter and a corrective rod used against sheep who have gone astray), which is the New Law, with which He rules all nations, both Jew and Gentile:
Psalm 2;
Isaiah 11:4;
Revelation 2:27.
C. he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.
Christ is the one who has brought about the destruction just covered.
Revelation 19:16
16And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.
I doubt any question this is Christ. It is nearly self evident and certainly a basic truth of the gospel.
Revelation 19:17-18
17And I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the fowls that fly in the midst of heaven, Come and gather yourselves together unto the supper of the great God; 18That ye may eat the flesh of kings, and the flesh of captains, and the flesh of mighty men, and the flesh of horses, and of them that sit on them, and the flesh of all men, both free and bond, both small and great.
The messenger of Christ speaks and the message is interesting to me. All of the birds of heaven are called to the supper of the great God. Christ’s wedding feast is equated with the destruction of Jerusalem. The wedding reception or feast, a celebration of all that is new, is pictured as the end of all the old (
Hebrews 8). I had never thought of this until typing this just now and it is, to borrow a word from a new friend of mine, profound!
Revelation 19:19
19And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse, and against his army.
This is essentially a recap or summary of what has gone before. Rome and Judah were set to make war against Christ and the church.
Revelation 19:20
20And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone.
They lost. The sea beast, the earth beast, they were cast into the lake of fire. This is emblematic of a cessation of persecution (not an end to Rome or the Emporer worship).
[Historically, when Nero died, Vespasian took focus away from persecution of Christians and instead he focused on consolidating the Empire and cooling the rebellions throughout it.]
This has nothing to do with the concept of antichrist. This is Nero and the Caesar worship cult.