Revelation | May 5, 2026

Start your day with a short, Scripture-centered devotional from Paul Michael. In about seven minutes, you will hear the Word, reflect on its truth, and be encouraged to live it out in everyday life.

Revelation | Armageddon, Part 1

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Transcript

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Welcome to your daily devotional with me, PMV. In Revelation chapter 19, we see the return of Jesus pictured in two ways. Previously, we saw the return of Jesus from the heavenly perspective as we'll be brought to our heavenly home and we'll feast with Jesus at the marriage supper of the Lamb. Now we will see the return of Jesus from the earthly perspective as he comes to judge the world. Okay, so today we're going to pick up at Revelation 19, verse 11. It reads, Now I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse, and he who sat on him was called faithful and true, and in righteousness he judges and makes war. So John now sees the return of Jesus from the earthly perspective. Jesus breaks the clouds, riding on a white horse to judge and to make war. The white horse symbolizes his purity and his righteousness in judgment as king. Revelation chapter 19, verses 11 through 16 contain several different names for Jesus. The first calls him faithful and true. This title of Jesus puts him in opposition to Satan, the beast, the false prophet, and Babylon. The forces of hell and those that follow them are not faithful. They are adulterers and adulteresses. Babylon was called the great harlot. But Jesus is what? He's faithful. Jesus has remained faithful to his people even through the darkest storms. Jesus will always be faithful. Jesus is also true in contrast to his enemies, who are filled with lies and deceit. Satan rules by deceit and deception, by oppression. Jesus rules through truth and love, grace and kindness. But one more thing regarding verse 11. This event, the return of Jesus, is what hundreds, if not thousands, of prophecies in the Old Testament foretold. This is the day of the Lord. The Old Testament saints looked for a day that promised to destroy their enemies and to redeem them from all their troubles. The day of the Lord. Zechariah chapter 14, verses 3 through 5 is a well-known prophecy about this day. It reads, Then the Lord will go forth and fight against those nations, as he fights in the day of battle. And in that day his feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, which faces Jerusalem on the east. And the Mount of Olives shall be split in two from east to west, making a very large valley. Half of the mountain shall move toward the north, and half of it toward the south. Then you shall flee through my mountain valley, for the mountain shall reach to Azal. Yes, you shall flee, as you flee from an earthquake in the days of Uzziah, as you fled from the earthquake in the days of Uzziah, king of Judah. Thus the Lord my God will come, and all the saints with you. So this day, this moment, the day of the Lord, is everything that God's creation has been waiting for. This is when Jesus returns to make all things new, and it begins with the defeat of evil. It's impossible to overemphasize the magnitude of this moment. Revelation chapter 19, verse 12 reads, His eyes were like a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns. He had a name written that no one knew except himself. So Jesus' eyes like flames of fire is a reference to Daniel chapter 10, verse 6, and it speaks of his all-seeing gaze. Nothing escapes the eyes of Jesus. The many crowns on his head speak of his royalty. We will see this even more as we continue our passage today, but then we're told that he has a name on him that no one knows except him. The best way that I know how to explain this is that God makes all things new, and this also involves some new names. Do you remember Jesus' promise to the church in Philadelphia? In Revelation chapter 3, verse 12, it reads, He who overcomes, I will make him a pillar and a temple of my God, and he shall go out no more. I will write on him the name of my God and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from my God. And I will write on him my new name. Okay, so what is this new name? Well, we don't know. But one day we will, because Jesus has promised this to us. So next, verse 13 reads, He was clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and his name is called the Word of God. Jesus wears a robe dipped in blood. This is not his blood or the blood of the saints. This is the blood of his enemies. Remember, verse one, he comes to judge and make war. This is also the fulfillment of a prophecy in Isaiah chapter 63, verses 1 through 6. We don't have time to read that today, but you can go back and look at that, Isaiah 63, 1 through 6. Again, everything in God's creation is moving towards this, this event. We saw this in John 1 verse 1, even, which reads, in the beginning, uh, sorry, I just skipped something. We also see this other name for Jesus, which is he's the word of God. And this goes all the way back to John chapter 1, verse 1, in which Jesus was referred to as the Word. In the beginning was the Word, the Word was with God, the Word was God, he was in the beginning with God. So again, another name for Jesus is the Word of God. The Word. He's the living Word of God, He's God's great communication to us. Again, all that God is, Jesus is, and God has spoken to us supremely through Jesus, and He is the living Word of God. Revelation 19, 14 reads, and the armies in heaven, clothed in fine linen, linen, white and clean, followed him on white horses. The armies of heaven follow Jesus. Now get this. And they're clothed in white, and they're riding on white horses. Okay, this is a picture of purity. It's just like we saw in Revelation 19, verse 8, this concept of righteousness. But here's what I want you to get. This is great. Who are the armies of heaven? Well, I believe they're a combination of the angels and all who believe in Jesus. Matthew 25, verse 31 are the words of Jesus about his return, and reads, When the Son of Man comes in his glory and all the holy angels with him, then he will sit on the throne in glory. But Jude verses 14 and 15 also state, now Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied about these men also, saying, Behold, the Lord comes with ten thousands of his saints to execute judgment on all, to convict all who are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds, which they have committed in an ungodly way, and of all the harsh things which ungodly sinners have spoken against him. Okay, so which is it? Will Christ return with the angels or with the saints in his army? And this is the cool thing. The answer is both. It's not an either or, it's a both and. Listen to 2 Thessalonians 1, 6 through 10. Since it is a righteous thing with God to repay with tribulation those who trouble you, and to give you who are troubled rest with us when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, in flaming fire to take vengeance on those who do not know God, on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. These shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his power, when he comes in that day to be glorified, listen, in his saints and to be admired among all those who believe, because our testimony among you was believed. Now there are other verses in Scripture that describe the saints being with Jesus, and then the angels also being with Jesus when he returns. There's no contradiction here. The armies of heaven, this is what's so cool. This is an amazing image. The armies of heaven will be composed of both the angels, and believers are saints. Those put their faith in Jesus. We're going to get to be with him as he comes and defends us, redeems us before our enemies, and overthrows all of the evil of this world, and we'll be riding with him as one large army in that day. These saints are not a special class of Christians, but they are what the Bible commonly in the New Testament refers to as just believers. They're saints, they're holy ones, they've been made holy by God because they put their faith in Jesus. So join me next time as we look at what is called the Battle of Armageddon. That's what we've begun today. And then we're going to really apply this to our lives today, and we'll see who really fights in that battle of Armageddon. I hope this has been a blessing to you today. For more information, you can go to pmvministries.org. As always, I hope you have a great day.