“The FedEx logo is legendary among designers. It has won over 40 design awards and was ranked as one of the eight best logos in the last 35 years in the 35th Anniversary American Icon issue of Rolling Stone magazine. Nearly every design school professor and graphic designer with a blog has at some point focused on the FedEx logo . . .”1
Now, if you’re like me, this may sound a bit odd. After all, when I first thought about the FedEx logo being revered, as something to be studied, I was shocked. I mean, it’s just letters, right? The logo is just a shortened form of two words (federal and express) being shortened and put together so that it says “FedEx.” Now, yes, the letters are colored well, I guess. I mean, you could have chosen something worse than purplish blue and orange. But what’s so impressive?
But then I read about how the logo was actually built around an arrow that exists between the “E” and the “x” in the logo that the original designer intended to communicate forward direction, speed, and precision. And he wanted it to remain hidden unless you looked closely. He wanted people to look at the logo and have an “aha” moment, perhaps like some of you are having this morning, who may have looked at the logo many, many times and never saw that arrow. And as more people have conversations about it, pointing it out to unknowing people, I guess you might say, “Mission accomplished.”
What I’ve found odd for me was that I feel like I’ve seen that logo hundreds of times and never saw the arrow. In my mind, there simply was no arrow. It was just five letters – F-E-D-E-X. But now, now that someone has helped me to see what lies at the center of this logo, I feel like I see it all the time.
Well, as we come to Revelation 19:11-21 this morning, I hope that we have something of a similar eye-opening experience with the truth communicated in this text. After all, this text could be seen as merely a violent image that makes us want to turn away and say, “Yes, the Bible does talk about violent judgment and we believe what the Bible says is true, but I don’t necessarily enjoy reading about it, especially in such grotesque images.” And it’s indeed true that there are violent and grotesque images throughout these verses.
The text opens with a description and picture of Jesus that is encouraging and powerful, but we’re quickly reminded in the first verses that this isn’t lowly Jesus meek and mild. We’re told in verse 11 that he “makes war.” Then, we’re given an image of him in verse 13 where his robe is dipped in blood. But if you’re picturing his robe covered in blood because it’s reminding us that he’s shed his blood for us, I don’t think that’s the image here. Rather, his robe is dipped in blood because he has been at war, destroying his enemies. We’re told in verse 15 that he treads down the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God,” meaning that he tramples down his enemies even as grapes are trampled in the winepress so that instead of the juice from the grapes running out, it’s the blood of his enemies. We’re told as well in verse 15 that he has a sharp sword coming out of his mouth that he is using to strike down the nations, over which he will rule with a rod of iron.
Then, if that’s not enough, starting in verse 17, he calls for the birds of the heavens to come and gather for the great supper of God. But what they’re eating is the flesh of Christ’s enemies who are being slaughtered. And to make matters more gruesome, the text doesn’t read that the birds were invited to eat the flesh of kings, of captains, of mighty men, etc., but the word “flesh” is repeated again and again so that we read, ‘to eat the flesh of kings, the flesh of captains, the flesh of mighty men, the flesh of horses and their rides, and the flesh of all men, both free and slaved, both great and small” (v. 18).
And it doesn’t stop there. Then we read that the beast and the false prophet were thrown into the lake of fire – while still alive, and that the others (i.e., those who followed them) were slain with a sword.
You can see then why if someone is reading through the book of Revelation that they might come to this text and think, “I don’t want to read that.” It doesn’t necessarily mean they don’t believe the Bible or think there shouldn’t be judgment in the end. But to be reminded of these gruesome images can just feel over the top perhaps.v
But this morning, I want to propose a different way of seeing this. I want to show you what truth I think this text is built around that may be hard to see (much like that arrow in the FedEx logo). I think this text is about the faithfulness of Christ, his love for his people, and his desire to fill his people with hope and encouragement in a world in which they are facing struggle on all sides. I think that’s what Revelation 19:11-21 is about, and that’s what I want us to see as we look at this text. In fact, my hope is that we can never return to this text again without seeing what we may not have been able to see in this text when we first read it – the “breadth and length and height and depth” of Christ’s love for us (Eph. 3:18-19).v
Therefore, this morning I want to show a couple of truths that this text holds forth and then two implications of these truths.
First, I want us to see that:
As John opens this section, he sees a vision in heaven that first focuses on Jesus, and it is filled with much description of who Jesus is. We’re given many names of this one whom John sees as he notes in verse 11 that he is called “Faithful and True,” in verse 13 that he is called the “Word of God,” and in verse 16 that his name is, “King of kings and Lord of Lords.” Then we’re told that his eyes are like flames of fire, that he has many diadems on his head, and that he has a sharp sword coming out of his mouth.
So, what are we to make of all of this? Well, I think that what helps us is realizing that these descriptions of Jesus having eyes like flames of fire and a sword coming out of his mouth, we’ve seen before. We saw them in chapter 1, didn’t we? You’ll remember from the vision John had in chapter 1 that there Jesus was described as the faithful witness and the ruler of the kings of the earth (1:5) – something seemingly echoed in him being called “Faithful and True” and “King of kings and Lord of Lords.” Also, we were told there that he had eyes like a flame of fire, with a sharp two-edged sword coming out of his mouth (1:14-16), something again we see echoed in our text this morning.
But it wasn’t as if the vision John saw of Jesus in chapter 1 happened and then faded into the background. Rather, this vision became the foundation for all of the promises Jesus made to his church in chapters 2-3. So, for example, Jesus introduced himself in the letter to the church at Pergamum as the one who has the sharp two-edged sword (2:12). Then, he promised them that if they endured (i.e. conquered) that he would give him a white stone with a new name written on it that no one knows except the one who receives it (which sounds a lot like Jesus having a name that no one knows but him in Revelation 19:12). And again, to the church in Thyatira, he introduced himself as one who has “eyes like a flame of fire” (2:18). Then, he promised them that if they endured (again, conquered) he would give authority over the nations, allowing that one to rule the nations with a rod of iron (2:26-27).
Therefore, when we get to Revelation 19:11-16, it sounds a lot like what we’ve seen earlier. Jesus is described in similar terms, and the promises he made seem to be echoed as well so that just as he promised his people would rule the nations with a rod of iron, now we see that he will rule with a rod of iron (19:15), and as they will be given a name no one will know, he is introduced as the one who has a name no one knows (19:12).
So, why are these images and promises all coming back up? I think the answer is because Jesus is showing John (and the recipients of this letter) that he is going to be faithful to all that he has promised and bring it about. That’s why he shares that his name is Faithful and True. That’s why he shares that he is the Word of God. What he has declared is true and certain, and he’ll be faithful to bring it to pass. Furthermore, he shares that his name is also King of kings and Lord of lords so that his people might know that he is utterly able to bring about these promises. That is, no one can stop him. He is not one who has good intentions but is powerless to bring about what he intends. He is King of kings and Lord of lords.
And I think the reason that the promises made earlier to the overcomers, such as being given a name that no one knows and ruling the nations with a rod of iron are now spoken of as being true of Christ himself is because Jesus is sending the message that all of these promises will come to his people through their being united with him and receiving the blessings that come to those who are found in him. Sure, perhaps there is insight we can gain from Jesus having a name no one knows. Perhaps we’re to remind ourselves that there are things about our Lord that no one knows or that he will be mastered by no one. But I think the larger message is that the name promised to his people is his own name. The reign promised to his people is his own reign. That is, we will have all that Christ as promised because he is bringing them all about in himself, and if we are in him, then we will share in these promised blessings as well. That is what we’re being shown in Revelation 19:11-16, I believe.
Therefore, we can rest in him. We can stand on his promises as if certain and true. If you knew for absolutely certain that if you walked out this side door that you’d never have any health problems again, then my guess is that if one your way to open the door something fell in your path, you wouldn’t stop. If the door was a bit hard to open, you wouldn’t give up. Why? The answer of course is that you are certain that the promise that awaits you on the other side of the door is worth working hard, persevering, and enduring here. Well, that’s what Revelation 19:11-16 is showing us. Christ’s promises are certain, for he faithful, true, and all-powerful. Therefore, live in light of the certainty of his promises.
Now, specifically, I want us to see that:
We’re told in verses 11-16 that Christ is coming to wage war. We see it in verse 11, and as I mentioned, his robe is dipped in the blood of his enemies, as we’re told that he will tread the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God (vv. 13, 15). But the imagery of warfare really comes to the fore in verses 17-21.
In these verses, an angel calls the birds overhead to get ready to feast because Jesus is about to slay his enemies, and they’re flesh will become fair game for these creatures to consume. Then, John tells us, “I saw the beast and the kings of the earth with their armies gathered to make war against him who was sitting on the horse and against his army” (19:19). This is an image we’ve seen again and again throughout this letter. It’s the scene we saw in 16:13-14, as there we read, “And I saw, coming out of the mouth of the dragon and out of the mouth of the beast and out of the mouth of the false prophet, three unclean spirits like frogs. For they are demonic spirits, performing signs, who go abroad to the kings of the whole world, to assemble them for battle on the great day of God the Almighty.” And we also saw it in 17:12-14 as the angel said to John, “And the ten horns that you saw are ten kings who have no yet received royal power, but they are to receive authority as kings for one hour, together with the beast. They will make war on the Lamb, and the Lamb will conquer them, for he is Lord of lords and King of kings, and those with him are called and chosen and faithful.”
I think it’s pretty obvious that this is the same scene we find repeated in 19:19. But the Lamb’s conquering of his enemies is given in a bit more detail here, as we read in verses 20-21, “And the beast was captured, and with it the false prophet who in its presence had done the signs by which he deceived those who had received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped its image. These two were thrown alive into the lake of fire that burns with sulfur. And the rest were slain by the sword that came from the mouth of him who was sitting on the horse, and all the birds were gorged with their flesh.”
Do you see what is happening here? Each of these enemies of Christ has come onto the scene throughout the book. First we saw the dragon in chapter 12, then the beast and false prophet in chapter 13, and then the great prostitute in chapter 17. And now what’s happening is that Christ is conquering each of them. First, we saw the judgment of the prostitute recorded in chapter 18, now the beast and false prophet in 19, and the dragon will come in chapter 20. This is why I said last week that in chapter 18 Jesus begins his uncontested reign. By the end of chapter 20, we will be completely into his uncontested reign. And of course the followers are the dragon, who carry out the work of the beast, false prophet, and prostitute are all slaughtered by the Lord and will meet the same fate as they are thrown into the lake of fire according to 20:15.
Christ is disposing of his enemies. And he’s judging the people who followed Satan, who carried out the work of the beast, false prophet, and the prostitute. Yes, it’s gruesome. Yes, it’s total, even as we are told that all men who followed the beast, “all men, both free and slaved, both great and small” were destroyed (20:18) and that “the rest” were slain. Jesus is saying that he’s going to dispose of all of his enemies and all of the enemies of his people.
And, yes, we could then look at this section and see gruesome violence. But I want us to see something else. Imagine that you have a son who has been captured and he’s being tortured. And between you and your son are ten men who hate you and want to destroy your son. And these men are saying, “If you want to save him, you’re going to have to kill us.” So, off you go, running toward your son, armed only with a sword. One by one, you’re slaying these men to get to your son so that you might deliver him and be with him. As you go, slaying these men, your heart is racing, you’re driven to get to your son, and nothing is going to stop you. Then, at last, you’ve slayed every one of them and you’re standing before your son with the blood of your enemies who held your son captive all over you. If someone witnessed that scene would they say, “Oh what gruesome violence”? No. They would say, “Oh how that father loves his son. No enemy was going to stand in the way of that father rescuing his son.”
Well, I think that’s the picture here. Jesus is riding on his white horse with a sharp two-edged sword coming out of his mouth because he’s coming to rescue those whom he told, “Be faith and endure persecution. Be faithful unto death.” He’s coming to rescue those whom he told that the beast, false prophet, and prostitute are going to shed your blood. He’s coming to deliver those whom he told the dragon is furious, knowing his time is brief, and he’s coming after you. This scene of the conquering King Jesus, with his robe dripping with the blood of his enemies, screams of his love for us. That’s also why back in the first chapter when we were given this picture of the sovereign and reigning Christ, he was described as “him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood” (1:5).
Revelation 11:17-21 is a message from Jesus to his people wherein he says to us, “Nothing is going to stop me from delivering you.” This is a violent, gruesome picture that tells us of Jesus’ love for us, a love that says, “Nothing will stop me from coming and getting those for whom I died.”
So, if that is true. If all of Jesus’ promises are certain, and one of those promises is that he’ll come and conquer his enemies so that he might deliver his people because of his love for us, then what should we do? Let me give you two exhortations:
His faithfulness to his promises means that he will mercilessly judge his enemies. So, please don’t remain Christ’s enemy. Please don’t die in your sins. Rather, repent of your sins right now and by faith be reconciled to the one who took on flesh, lived a perfect life of obedience to the Father that none of us could, died on the cross to pay for our sins, and was raised from the dead on the third day. Please, be reconciled to him by repentance and faith and live. Don’t die in your sins.
Keep pressing on. Keep walking in obedience. I know it’s hard. I know that faithful obedience can grow wearying and sometimes you can feel like you just want to give in to sin. You just want to chase after what the world offers. You just want to know some of the joys that those around you seem to linger in front of you. You’re tired of walking in purity and feeling like you’re missing out. You’re tired of trying to walk faithfully and feeling like it’s getting you nowhere.
But don’t look at what you can see. Set your eyes on the one whose robe is dipped in blood and cling to him. Overcome, endure, persevere, and know that he’ll give you his name, wrap you in white linens, and let you rule the nations with him. Hold fast. In fact, may that be the very corporate response we make in light of this text as we come to the table this morning. Amen.