Grant Swank
The second coming of Christ
By Grant Swank
The Book of Revelation, Chapter 19
1-10 Heaven rejoices in the Second Coming. "Hallelujah! Salvation is from our God. Glory and power belong to Him alone. His judgments are just and true."
Eternity's perspective provides angels and heavenly saints the foresight of Christ's descent through space toward Earth. They are ecstatic that the AntiChrist and False Prophet rule is soon to be wrapped up. Satan is about to be bound in the bottomless pit. The about-seven year tribulation period is almost over. Christ is soon to reign for a thousand years upon the planet He created.
The twenty-four elders represent the saved of all time. They symbolically represent the saved of the Old Testament period, thus pictured as twelve elders. They symbolically represent the saved of the New Testament Church Age, thus pictured as twelve elders. Twelve plus twelve equals a total of twenty-four elders representing the saved of all time.
Christ, the Groom, is about to rescue His bride, the redeemed. The wedding feast soon will commence. The menu will be the dead bodies of the defeated in the Armageddon Battle. Vultures will feast upon the corpses in Israel's northwest Valley of Megiddo. "Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding feast of the Lamb."
11 Christ symbolically is pictured as riding on a white horse. The color of the horse represents purity. Christ is labeled as "Faithful and True" for He is just that. He is in contrast to the unfaithful and false AntiChrist and False Prophet who will have ruled during the almost-seven year tribulation period.
Further, because Christ is faithful and true, he judges fairly. He is about to judge the Earth, putting to His left the goats and to his right the lambs. (Matthew 25:31-46) Goats represent the spiritually rebellious. Lambs represent the redeemed souls who follow the Shepherd, Christ.
12 Christ's eyes are symbolically pictured as "like flames of fire." That is, He returns with righteous anger and pure justice. The world has been turning against His gospel; now it is time for His fury to judge free will mortals will who have stubbornly rejected His saving grace.
On His head are symbolically pictured "many crowns." That is, Christ rules with unlimited power — "crowns" in the plural. He is the Almighty God from everlasting.
In contrast Revelation 6:1-2 symbolically pictures a rider on a white horse. That rider carries a bow without an arrow. He wears one crown on his head. That rider is the AntiChrist who will appear with bow but no arrow, that is, supposedly on a mission of world peace. There is no arrow so he apparently is not about to kill. He carries only the bow, the sign of peace. He rides on a white horse, appearing to be pure. He has only one crown on his head, that is, his power is limited. He goes forth to conquer; that is, he temporarily takes over much of the world for evil.
Though appearing without an arrow, he does slaughter the martyrs. He is not in reality on a mission of world peace but worldwide conflict. Further, he will reveal himself to be not at all pure but instead the agent of blasphemy.
13 Christ is symbolically pictured as wearing a cape dripping with blood. The cape represents His royalty. The blood represents His blood shed on Calvary.
From seven body fountains Christ shed His blood: two hands, two feet, His side, His head via the crown of thorns, and His back, riveted with blood strips from whippings received Thursday night.
Seven stands for divine perfection, hence Christ providing the perfect sacrifice as the slain Lamb of God. He offered Himself willingly upon the altar of the cross. He became Atonement Lamb. He became sin for us, the sinful. It is by His blood that souls are wiped clean of their sins.
Further, Christ received the title of "Word of God." Therefore, in addition to his title being "Faithful and True," He is also known as the "Word of God." This is likewise written in John 1:1-5, 14: the Word (Christ) is God, the Word (Christ) became flesh and dwelt among us, and by the Word (Christ) the world was created.
14 Armies in heaven accompanying Christ at His Second Coming are the redeemed saints of all time. They are dressed in "pure white linen" which represents their commitment to Christ's holiness. They too ride on white horses; that is, they are symbolically pictured as in the company of Christ the Pure One who makes their surrendered souls pure.
15 Christ is symbolically pictured as having a sword coming out of His mouth. It is an exceptionally sharp sword. The sword of the Lord is the Word of God.
Therefore, Christ will speak and world events will occur accordingly. Just as His mouth spoke worlds into existence — something from nothing — at His Second Coming the Monarch will speak.
In that speaking, the Armageddon Battle will cease, the dead falling to the ground. He will speak, bringing into being the judgment of goats and lambs. He will speak, thus concluding the about-seven year tribulation period. He will initiate the "rule of the iron rod." In His anger against the planet's ongoing evil, Christ will "trod the winepress of the fierce wrath of almighty God."
During the Church Age, Christ ruled with forgiving love for those who repented of their sinful ways, following Him. But at the Second Coming, Christ will return in just anger upon those who have rebelled against His saving grace.
16 Christ has inscribed on his robe the titles of "King of Kings" and "Lord of Lords." Replacing the temporary evil AntiChrist kingly rule and the False Prophet's hellish lordship, Christ will doom their souls to hell.
17-18 At the Second Coming's victory of Armageddon, the dead will fall to the ground. Vultures then will be commissioned by an angel to eat their dead bodies.
"Come! Gather together for the great banquet God has prepared. Come and eat the flesh of kings, captains, and strong warriors; of horses and their riders; and of all humanity, both free and slave, small and great."
Saints will not be eating the wedding feast menu. It will be for the birds only. Saints, the bride, will be content to be with the Groom Christ. The eating will be left to the vultures.
19-20 John the Beloved Disciple on the Isle of Patmos, recipient of this vision from Christ, then sees the "beast," that is, the AntiChrist of Revelation 13 in particular.
The AntiChrist political ruler of the about-seven year tribulation period will have amassed his militia for Armageddon, the last battle of the Church Age. Other leaders of the planet will have joined him. Yet they come to their end with the sharp sword of Christ piercing their schemes. The approaching Christ captures the AntiChrist and False Prophet. They both are sent alive into hell, "the lake of fire."
21 The Armageddon armies are all defeated by the sharp word of Christ. Vultures from the sky "gorged themselves on the dead bodies."
© Grant Swank
February 15, 2011
The Book of Revelation, Chapter 19
1-10 Heaven rejoices in the Second Coming. "Hallelujah! Salvation is from our God. Glory and power belong to Him alone. His judgments are just and true."
Eternity's perspective provides angels and heavenly saints the foresight of Christ's descent through space toward Earth. They are ecstatic that the AntiChrist and False Prophet rule is soon to be wrapped up. Satan is about to be bound in the bottomless pit. The about-seven year tribulation period is almost over. Christ is soon to reign for a thousand years upon the planet He created.
The twenty-four elders represent the saved of all time. They symbolically represent the saved of the Old Testament period, thus pictured as twelve elders. They symbolically represent the saved of the New Testament Church Age, thus pictured as twelve elders. Twelve plus twelve equals a total of twenty-four elders representing the saved of all time.
Christ, the Groom, is about to rescue His bride, the redeemed. The wedding feast soon will commence. The menu will be the dead bodies of the defeated in the Armageddon Battle. Vultures will feast upon the corpses in Israel's northwest Valley of Megiddo. "Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding feast of the Lamb."
11 Christ symbolically is pictured as riding on a white horse. The color of the horse represents purity. Christ is labeled as "Faithful and True" for He is just that. He is in contrast to the unfaithful and false AntiChrist and False Prophet who will have ruled during the almost-seven year tribulation period.
Further, because Christ is faithful and true, he judges fairly. He is about to judge the Earth, putting to His left the goats and to his right the lambs. (Matthew 25:31-46) Goats represent the spiritually rebellious. Lambs represent the redeemed souls who follow the Shepherd, Christ.
12 Christ's eyes are symbolically pictured as "like flames of fire." That is, He returns with righteous anger and pure justice. The world has been turning against His gospel; now it is time for His fury to judge free will mortals will who have stubbornly rejected His saving grace.
On His head are symbolically pictured "many crowns." That is, Christ rules with unlimited power — "crowns" in the plural. He is the Almighty God from everlasting.
In contrast Revelation 6:1-2 symbolically pictures a rider on a white horse. That rider carries a bow without an arrow. He wears one crown on his head. That rider is the AntiChrist who will appear with bow but no arrow, that is, supposedly on a mission of world peace. There is no arrow so he apparently is not about to kill. He carries only the bow, the sign of peace. He rides on a white horse, appearing to be pure. He has only one crown on his head, that is, his power is limited. He goes forth to conquer; that is, he temporarily takes over much of the world for evil.
Though appearing without an arrow, he does slaughter the martyrs. He is not in reality on a mission of world peace but worldwide conflict. Further, he will reveal himself to be not at all pure but instead the agent of blasphemy.
13 Christ is symbolically pictured as wearing a cape dripping with blood. The cape represents His royalty. The blood represents His blood shed on Calvary.
From seven body fountains Christ shed His blood: two hands, two feet, His side, His head via the crown of thorns, and His back, riveted with blood strips from whippings received Thursday night.
Seven stands for divine perfection, hence Christ providing the perfect sacrifice as the slain Lamb of God. He offered Himself willingly upon the altar of the cross. He became Atonement Lamb. He became sin for us, the sinful. It is by His blood that souls are wiped clean of their sins.
Further, Christ received the title of "Word of God." Therefore, in addition to his title being "Faithful and True," He is also known as the "Word of God." This is likewise written in John 1:1-5, 14: the Word (Christ) is God, the Word (Christ) became flesh and dwelt among us, and by the Word (Christ) the world was created.
14 Armies in heaven accompanying Christ at His Second Coming are the redeemed saints of all time. They are dressed in "pure white linen" which represents their commitment to Christ's holiness. They too ride on white horses; that is, they are symbolically pictured as in the company of Christ the Pure One who makes their surrendered souls pure.
15 Christ is symbolically pictured as having a sword coming out of His mouth. It is an exceptionally sharp sword. The sword of the Lord is the Word of God.
Therefore, Christ will speak and world events will occur accordingly. Just as His mouth spoke worlds into existence — something from nothing — at His Second Coming the Monarch will speak.
In that speaking, the Armageddon Battle will cease, the dead falling to the ground. He will speak, bringing into being the judgment of goats and lambs. He will speak, thus concluding the about-seven year tribulation period. He will initiate the "rule of the iron rod." In His anger against the planet's ongoing evil, Christ will "trod the winepress of the fierce wrath of almighty God."
During the Church Age, Christ ruled with forgiving love for those who repented of their sinful ways, following Him. But at the Second Coming, Christ will return in just anger upon those who have rebelled against His saving grace.
16 Christ has inscribed on his robe the titles of "King of Kings" and "Lord of Lords." Replacing the temporary evil AntiChrist kingly rule and the False Prophet's hellish lordship, Christ will doom their souls to hell.
17-18 At the Second Coming's victory of Armageddon, the dead will fall to the ground. Vultures then will be commissioned by an angel to eat their dead bodies.
"Come! Gather together for the great banquet God has prepared. Come and eat the flesh of kings, captains, and strong warriors; of horses and their riders; and of all humanity, both free and slave, small and great."
Saints will not be eating the wedding feast menu. It will be for the birds only. Saints, the bride, will be content to be with the Groom Christ. The eating will be left to the vultures.
19-20 John the Beloved Disciple on the Isle of Patmos, recipient of this vision from Christ, then sees the "beast," that is, the AntiChrist of Revelation 13 in particular.
The AntiChrist political ruler of the about-seven year tribulation period will have amassed his militia for Armageddon, the last battle of the Church Age. Other leaders of the planet will have joined him. Yet they come to their end with the sharp sword of Christ piercing their schemes. The approaching Christ captures the AntiChrist and False Prophet. They both are sent alive into hell, "the lake of fire."
21 The Armageddon armies are all defeated by the sharp word of Christ. Vultures from the sky "gorged themselves on the dead bodies."
© Grant Swank
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