Deeper Life Search The Scripture 25 July 2021 Lesson 1010
Topic: Christ’s Second Coming And The Battle Of Armageddon (STS 25 July 2021)
TEXT: Revelation 19:11-21
11 And 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.
12 His 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.
13 And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God.
14 And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean.
15 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: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.
16 And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.
17 And 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;
18 That 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.
19 And 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.
20 And 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.
21 And the remnant were slain with the sword of him that sat upon the horse, which sword proceeded out of his mouth: and all the fowls were filled with their flesh.
MEMORY VERSE: “And 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” (Revelation 19:11).
Deeper Life Search The Scripture 25 July 2021 Lesson 1010 MESSAGE:
The second coming of Christ and the battle of Armageddon are the two events that will wind up the great tribulation. Just as Jesus came to earth the first time, so will He return literally at the end of the great tribulation. However, He came the first time as the Lamb of God; He will come the second time as the Lion of the tribe of Judah with all His saints to execute judgment on the earth and to reign as King of kings and Lord of lords. The second coming of Christ is the focal point of the book of Revelation. The return of Christ to this earth is a constant theme of Scripture. Bible scholars reveal that there are one thousand, eight hundred and forty-five references in the Bible to His second coming, including three hundred and eighteen in the New Testament. No less than seventeen Old Testament books emphasise His return, while seven out of every ten chapters in the New Testament refer to this earth-shattering event. At the second coming, the Lord will reclaim and renew a world ruined by sinners and ruled by Satan. SomeSome people mistake the rapture for the second coming of Christ but they are two distinct and separate events. At the rapture, Christ comes for His saints while at the second coming, He comes with His saints. At the rapture, Christ comes in the air; at the second coming, He sets foot on the Mount of Olives. At the rapture, Christ comes in blessing, at the second coming He comes in judgment. The two events are at least seven years apart. The second coming of Christ has captivated the expectations and hearts of Christians for more than two thousand years. Jesus will return to this earth in power and glory to establish His one thousand years of peaceful reign. However, the Antichrist will attempt to oppose and resist His arrival but he and his team will be utterly defeated at the battle of Armageddon (Revelation 19:19,20).
Question 1: Differentiate between the rapture and the second coming of Christ.
APPEARANCE AND DESCRIPTION OF CHRIST, THE COMING KING (Revelation 19:11-16; 1:7; Isaiah 66:15,16; Daniel 7:13,14; Zachariah 14:1-9; Matthew 24:29,30; Mark 13:24-27; Luke 21:25-27; Acts 1:9-11; 17:30,31)
The Scripture teaches that the second coming of Christ will be as literal and visible as His going away. He is coming to execute judgment upon the ungodly. He will also set up His Kingdom and reign on this present earth for a thousand years (Zechariah 14:3,4; Matthew 25:31-46; 26:64; Mark 13:24-37; 2 Thessalonians 1:7-10; 2:8; Jude 14,15). The Scriptures abound with evidences of the certainty of Christ’s second coming. “And 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” (Revelation 19:11). This is the high point of believers’ expectation in human history: the manifestation of the Son of God in all His glory. Here, Christ is presented, coming out of an opened heaven in a picture of ultimate triumph. “And he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True”. Christ, the Lord, is here revealed in His attributes. As “the Faithful”, He is worthy of the confidence of His people and as “the True”, He will be true to all the promises He has made to His Church. The revelation that “his eyes were as a flame of fire” shows that nothing can escape His penetrating eyes. He sees all, knows all and controls all. “And on his head were many crowns” – He is crowned as King of kings and Lord of lords “And his name is called The Word of God”. This is a peculiar name which belongs only to Him. All these attributes speak of our Lord’s glory as the Son of God and the conquering, reigning Lord and King.
Question 2: Describe the attributes of Christ as revealed in the chapter.
“And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean.” Jesus would be accompanied by the redeemed saints of God when He returns in glory (Jude 14). These hosts of saints would accompany Him to be witnesses of His victory and to participate in the joy of His triumph. Christ shall appear “the second time” with ten thousands of His saints to execute judgment upon the ungodly and to reward His adversaries with fiery indignation (Hebrews 9:28; 10:27). Jesus will not need carnal weapons when He comes; He would open His mouth and unleash the power of His word. “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: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.” The nations who are opposed to Him, who worship the Beast and follow the False Prophet will be judged and trodden down under the fierce wrath of the almighty God.
Deeper Life Search The Scripture 25 July 2021 Lesson 1010
ANNOUNCEMENT OF DETERMINED CONDEMNATION ON KINGDOM ENEMIES (Revelation 19:17,18; Zephaniah 1:14-18; Ezekiel 39:1-3,17-20; John 3:18,36; Revelation 20:15)
“And 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; That 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 absolute devastation that would come upon the world is here described. There are two kinds of eschatological suppers mentioned in this chapter: the marriage supper of the Lamb and the supper of the great God (verses 9,17). The first is the marriage supper of the Lamb where the righteous will feast with Christ, the Bridegroom. The second is the supper of God, in which the flesh of mighty men would be devoured by the scavenging birds (Revelation 19:17,18). The birds of the air will feast on the carcasses of the godless people on earth who reject the message of God’s grace and submit to the will of the Antichrist (Revelation 13:16). Social status or rank will not be enough to exempt the ungodly from the judgment. Kings, captains, mighty men, the free and slaves will be judged. Just as God is indiscriminate in His offer of salvation, so will He exercise His judgment without discrimination (Acts 10:34,35). A day of universal, righteous reckoning is coming in which everyone will be held accountable for their rejection of the Lamb. We are given the choice as to which supper we will be part of. Those who are not ready for the feast of the marriage supper of the Lamb may become the food of birds at the supper of the great God.
Question 3: What is the difference between the two kinds of supper mentioned in the passage?
It must be noted that all ranks of the army of God’s enemies were mentioned here as potential delicacies for the birds of the air in this great feast. In life, they were all separated by class and status. However, we see slaves and freemen, small and great all reduced to food for the scavengers. The lesson here is that death is the great leveller. When it comes, everything one has – money, position, power, intellect – will be gone. If one leaves this world without Jesus as one’s Saviour, then there will be nothing to look forward to in eternity other than hell. The door of God’s mercy and pardon is still wide open for sinners to get reconciled with God. They should acknowledge their sinfulness, repent, forsake their sins and turn to God who pardons abundantly (Acts 3:19; Isaiah 55:6,7).
Question 4: What would be the fate of those who reject God’s offer of salvation and what steps must sinners take to be reconciled with
ANTICHRIST’S DEFEAT AT THE BATTLE OF ARMAGEDDON BY CHRIST, THE KING (Revelation 19:19-21; Ezekiel 39:17-22; Zechariah 14:1-11; Revelation 11:15-19; 14:14-20; 16:12-21; 17:8-14; 19:11-21; 20:8-10,15; Hebrews 2:1-3; 10:26-31; Luke 21:34-36; 2 Corinthians 5:11,20)
“And 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.” Satan and his cohorts would mobilise forces to fight Christ in an attempt to truncate His coming to establish the Millennial Reign. This battle against the Lord and His host is called the Battle of Armageddon (Revelation 19:11-21; 20:1-4). The reasons for Christ’s second coming are to halt the reign of terror of the Antichrist and to establish His reign of peace on earth for one thousand years. Christ’s rule would be characterised by unprecedented peace, prosperity and blessings on the earth (Isaiah 11:1-9). There will be a great and terrible slaughter of the Antichrist’s armies gathered from the nations of the earth. Christ will destroy the armies at Armageddon. “And 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. And the remnant were slain with the sword of him that sat upon the horse, which sword proceeded out of his mouth: and all the fowls were filled with their flesh.” The end and destiny of the Beast and the False Prophet is here revealed. It is foolishness when mortals fight against the immortal. It is important to note that God derives no pleasure in consigning people to hell. He is God of love who desires that people repent and trust His Son as Saviour. He is the holy God and righteous Judge. His very character demands that He punishes sin and eternally separates it from His presence. In the light of the imminent judgment that would be unleashed on the ungodly, sinners are admonished to repent and come to Christ before the day of the Lord while the Church should be ready, holy, spotless, watchful, prayerful and busy preaching His word until He comes (Hebrews 12:14; 1 John 3:1-3; 2 Timothy 4:1,2; Ephesians 5:25-27).
Question 5: What necessary preparations should sinners and believers make in readiness for Christ’s second coming?
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