What a vision of the Lord Jesus Christ! We can only imagine the joy, awe and relief John experienced. After the multiple revelations of plagues of judgement on the unbelieving world, the Lord Jesus is now seen at the gates of heaven: a warrior king on a white horse. Whereas, in Revelation 6:2, the first horseman of the apocalypse is bent on evil conquest, Jesus is a just warrior. In some ways, this description of Christ echoes Revelation 1:12-18 which portrays His searing sovereignty and purity. But the tone is different. Here, His role is not as Saviour and Lord of the church, but as Judge of the nations (Psalm 110:6) at the Battle of Armageddon (Revelation 16:16).

Jesus is both Faithful to God's Word and True to God's character. His judgements are just, and He will finally defeat all evil (Isaiah 11:4-5). He sees everything, He is in command of everything. The fulness of His character is known only to God (1 Timothy 6:13-16). But to all who see Him, He is the victorious One. His robe is dipped in the blood of battles which He wins (Isaiah 63:2-3; Revelation 14:20). This is picture language, not in any way exciting believers to take up arms against unbelievers, but to describe that the Lord has His own way of subduing His enemies. His cause is assisted by heaven's armies, like those seen by Elisha (2 Kings 6:15-17): the legions of angels, whose help He did not need when He went to the cross (Matthew 26:53-54), now become His agents of judgement.

The sharp sword, which in Revelation 1:16 is the Word of God, to dissect truth from error in the church, now becomes the sword of vengeance against all who have disobeyed His Word. That is His right as King of kings and Lord of lords. He has both the authority of God and the power of the Almighty. The insignia on His battledress is that of the Universal Sovereign. The nations are all the people of the world who have refused to obey the gospel call to come to repentance and live: but their destruction gives Jesus no pleasure (Ezekiel 18:23, 32). The nations which had actively collaborated with the Antichrist and the false prophet will be blind to their end until it comes (Matthew 24:37-39).

This is God's Word to us: not for us to speculate on the exact conditions at the end of time, but to encourage us today and tomorrow. We must take heart and continue to follow Jesus despite persecution and injustice. He will fulfil His promise of judgement: that is His responsibility. Our responsibility is to live under His mercy, by His grace, in repentance and faith which leads to obedience and worship. Satan's tactic is to disable the church from bringing glory to Jesus, even though he knows that the Lord will win in the end (Revelation 12:12). It is hard to be oppressed and persecuted. But it was harder for Jesus. If we suffer for His sake, we bring Him glory (John 15:20; 1 Peter 2:20). As the benediction of 1 Peter 5:8-10 says, "Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings. And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast."