Bible Study With Jairus Revelation 19 (part 2) The Church’s Maturity Will Pave the Way for the Final Judgment and the Millennial Kingdom

Bible Study With Jairus
Revelation 19 (part 2)

The Church’s Maturity Will Pave the Way for the Final Judgment and the Millennial Kingdom

 

In Acts 19, we read about the seven sons of Sceva who attempted to cast out some demons. But they were not successful. Instead, the demons overpowered and harmed the men. The evil spirits even mocked them, saying, “Jesus I know, and Paul I recognize, but who are you?” (Acts 19:15).

 

The inability to cast out demons is not limited to the seven sons of Sceva; it is a common experience for many Christians today. Demons and evil spirits are often at work in the lives of individuals and congregations, yet we are unable to identify and cast out these evil spirits. Not only can individual Christians be possessed by demons, but churches can also become a dwelling place for Satan when they accept the teachings of demons. The reason for this is a lack of spiritual maturity. Only when we reach the level of spiritual maturity of Paul or of Christ will we be able to successfully cast out demons from our lives and the church.

 

The final chapters of Revelation, including the latter part of chapter 19, describe the casting out of evil spirits on a cosmic scale. The Lord Jesus and His bride defeat the beast, the false prophet, and their kings at Armageddon. They then cast these evil forces out of the world. This passage not only describes the victorious Christ, but it also describes the bride’s pure white garments. I believe these garments represent purity and maturity. Even though the Lord Jesus has already won the victory on the cross, the beast and his followers cannot be judged until the bride reaches a place of victorious maturity.

 

This principle not only applies to the end times, but also to our present-day spiritual lives. Difficulty and oppression from evil spirits are tools that God uses to bring us to maturity. As we mature spiritually, we will be victorious over the evil spirits that are affecting a certain area of our lives.

 

Let's take a detailed look at the latter part of this chapter, which includes descriptions of Christ, His bride, and their victory over the beast, the false prophet, and the kings. This passage not only contains future prophecy, but also wise principles that we can apply to the church and the world today.

 

In Revelation 2:26, Jesus promised the church in Thyatira that the one who overcomes will be given authority to rule the nations with a rod of iron. We often think that this victorious authority will happen automatically once we go to heaven. As a result, we often overlook the process of suffering that is necessary to reach this victorious state. We forget that we need to apply Christ’s victory to our lives today so we can gain victory over sin and struggle. Only then will we have the maturity to rule over the nations with authority. If we merely hope for the arrival of the Millennial Kingdom so we can reign with Christ, we overlook the process and jump directly to the end. It is impossible to attain victory without going through the process of suffering. As Paul encouraged the disciples, “through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God” (Acts 14:22). Suffering is an indispensable path to growing in spiritual maturity, attaining a victorious life, and entering God's kingdom.

 

What is true of the individual believer is also true of the collective church. The maturity of the bride and the victory of the church, as recorded in Revelation 19, are the result of countless individual believers gaining maturity through suffering. Without the victory and maturity of individual believers, there is no collective maturity of the church as the bride and body of Christ.

 

Many Christians do not pursue personal spiritual growth and victory, but only long for the New Jerusalem to descend from heaven or for the sudden return of the Lord Jesus. This is irresponsible and childish behavior, akin to spiritual infancy. Without suffering, there can be no spiritual maturity, and many Christians who are unwilling to learn and grow from suffering are destined to fail to reach spiritual maturity.

 

The Fullness of Life Within and the Manifestation of Righteousness Without

 

In Revelation 19, the victorious bride is wearing fine linen which represents the righteous acts of the saints. On the surface, it may seem like this verse is encouraging us to do righteous deeds. However, if we are not filled with God's life within, we cannot produce righteous deeds (fine linen) outwardly.

 

Jesus said, “For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. The good person out of his good treasure brings forth good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure brings forth evil” (Matthew 12:34-35). What fills our hearts will inevitably be revealed externally. Jesus' brother, James, also said, “Can a fig tree bear olives, or a grapevine produce figs? Neither can a salt pond yield fresh water” (James 3:12). Only when we are filled with the life of Jesus Christ and God can his life be manifested in the righteous acts of the body of Christ, which is the bride.

 

We must first experience the filling of the Holy Spirit and the life of Jesus Christ in our spirits, and then we can experience the outward renewal and transformation of our souls and offer our bodies as a living sacrifice (Romans 12:1). When we are filled with God's life, we will live out the righteous deeds of Christ, manifesting the fine linen.

 

Jesus Christ is the fullness of God, and the body of Christ is the fullness of Christ. Therefore, together with Christ the Head, we become the fullness of God, manifested throughout the universe, filling all things. Without the inward fullness of Christ, we cannot accomplish external acts, such as casting out evil spirits. Only when the church is full of Christ will the final judgment take place. The church’s maturity brings about the judgment of all things, including the beast, the false prophet, the kings, and even Satan.

 

In the letters from Jesus to the seven churches, we see that God intends for the church to receive the fullness of God's life within. In the letter to the church in Thyatira, overcoming believers receive authority to rule the nations with a rod of iron (Revelation 2:26). As we’ve discussed in other lessons, we can only receive this rod of iron by overcoming “the deep things of Satan” (2:24), which means exposing and removing the work of Satan and evil spirits from our lives. How can we remove evil spirits from our lives? This can only happen when Christ’s life fills us. The more we are filled with the life of Christ, the less room there is for Satan and evil spirits to work within us. Jesus was so filled with the Holy Spirit that he could say about Satan, “He has no claim on me” (John 14:30). As we are filled with Jesus Christ, we can conquer Satan and produce the righteous deeds that are mentioned in the next letter, the letter to Sardis.

 

After the letter to Thyatira lays the foundation of being filled with Christ’s life internally, the letter to the church in Sardis explains how the church can manifest outward righteousness. Jesus promises that those who overcome in Sardis will be dressed in white garments and will walk with Him in white (Revelation 3:4-5).

 

The message to these two individual churches reflects the experience of the universal church in Revelation 19. In other words, the authority to rule the nations with a rod of iron (which results from being filled with Jesus’ life) and the promise of being clothed with white garments (messages to Thyatira and Sardis in Revelation chapters 2-3), is fully expanded and manifested in Revelation 19. The latter part of Revelation 19 describes how Christ’s victory and the church’s victory give them the authority to rule the nations with a rod of iron and to defeat the beast, the false prophet, and the armies of the kings. It also shows the bride, clothed in white, walking with the Lord. The bride, as the victorious body of Christ, joins the Lord in judging the nations and the evil spirits behind them.

 

This principle is not only applicable to the end times described in Revelation, but can also be applied to our personal spiritual lives today. If we are filled with the life of Jesus Christ, we can overcome the deep things of Satan and defeat the enemy's work in us. Then we will be able to walk with the Lord in white garments, displaying Christ's righteous deeds in our lives. Through his victory, we can be included in the 144,000.

 

The Crown on Christ's Head and the Robes Dipped in Blood

 

How do we experience being filled with God’s life today? By looking to Christ and imitating Him, as Paul said, “Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ” (1 Corinthians 11:1). How do we imitate Christ? By having a true knowledge and revelation of Him. When Jesus came to the earth, many did not recognize Him, and some even mistook Him for Elijah or John the Baptist. However, when He asked His disciples who they thought He was, Peter declared that Jesus was the Christ, the Son of the living God. Peter received this revelation from God the Father Himself. As a result, Jesus called Peter the rock, and said the church would be built upon this rock, and the gates of hell would not be able to overcome it.

 

The degree to which we are filled with God's life depends on how deeply we comprehend the revelation of Jesus Christ. As we gaze upon and look to the Lord Jesus, we experience transformation. Just as a mirror, we reflect the glory of the Lord, and are transformed into His glorious image, from glory to glory, by the Spirit of the Lord (2 Corinthians 3:16). The truth revealed by Paul is the key to understanding the victory of the churches of Thyatira and Sardis in Revelation 2-3. Our understanding of Jesus, particularly through revelation, will ultimately allow us to transform into his image.

 

In Revelation 19, Jesus reveals a vision of his traits and characteristics that can help His people reach maturity. Revelation 19:11 tells us that “the heavens were opened.” This is reminiscent of what happened in Revelation chapters 4-5, when John sees “a door standing open in heaven,” and hears the sound of a trumpet. He is then taken in the Spirit to heaven, where he sees God’s throne and God’s work on the throne. Therefore, John sees that “the heavens were opened” here, and then begins to unveil a series of characteristics and descriptions of Christ.

 

The characteristics of Christ described in Revelation 19 are the key to the church’s transformation and victory. By knowing Christ personally and understanding the traits of Jesus Christ revealed in Revelation 19:11-16, the church is built up to maturity. The depiction of Christ in this passage is inseparable from the subsequent description of the church wearing white garments and judging the beast, false prophet, and the kings with the Lord. The more we understand and absorb the revelation of Christ, the more we understand our identity and position in Christ, and the more authority we gain to govern the universe and tread on serpents and scorpions.

 

The descriptions of Christ in Revelation 19 are deliberate and significant, emphasizing His role as the ultimate judge coming to judge the whole world and to avenge the martyrs. In Revelation 6, John saw the saints under the altar, crying out for justice (6:10). In that passage, God told them that the number of those to be martyred was not yet completed. By the time we reach Revelation 19, the number is complete and the time has come for justice.

 

The cry for justice from the saints, which is a request to judge Babylon the Great, has already been recorded in detail in the first half of Revelation 19. The second half of the chapter describes Christ as the great Judge who judges the Beast, the False Prophet, and the kings of the earth. Verse 11 reveals Jesus sitting on a white horse. He is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war. Verse 12 describes Jesus’ eyes as being like a flame of fire, which symbolizes judgment. On His head are many diadems, symbolizing His victory. The verse also says He has a name written on him that only He Himself knows, which indicates His complete victory in every aspect. He is clothed in a garment dipped in blood, referring to the work of His precious blood, which has permeated His robe. This symbolizes that His body (the church) has been cleansed by His blood. These saints have been purified by the blood of Jesus and have been martyred for His testimony. The fine linen worn by the saints has also been purified by His blood. The righteousness of Jesus Christ fills both Christ and His body, the church. The more we understand Christ, who is the head of His body, the more we experience the purity of His cleansing blood in our lives (represented by the fine linen worn by the saints).

 

Revelation 19 describes Christ’s body, the church, as a heavenly army. They are riding on white horses like He is, dressed in fine linen, white and pure, following Him. This confirms what I said earlier, that the body of Christ, the church, is cleansed by Christ's precious blood, righteousness, and holiness.

 

As the description of Jesus continues, we learn that He has a sword coming out of His mouth, which can strike down the nations. He will rule them with a rod of iron (19:15). This further confirms that Revelation 19 depicts the victory of both Christ and believers. Like the believers in the church of Thyatira, all victorious believers will rule the nations with a rod of iron.

 

The letters written by Jesus to the seven churches are secrets to victory for both individual Christians and the church as a whole. While the letters to the churches teach the principles to individual churches, Revelation 19 reveals the victory that happens when the collective church applies the principles. The principles revealed in both passages are the same, and understanding these principles will help us better comprehend the book of Revelation. The former is a prototype, the latter is its fulfillment.

 

Revelation 19:15 tells us that Jesus Christ will tread the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty, bringing about the final judgment on the beast, the false prophet, the kings, and Satan. In verse 16, we learn that on His robe and thigh, He has a name written: King of Kings, and Lord of Lords. He is the Lord who judges all.

 

The Relationship Between the Help of the Heavenly Army and the Maturity of Our Lives

 

In Revelation 19:17, an angel summons the flying birds to gather for the great supper of God, to eat the flesh of kings and of nations. The flying birds are a part of God's creation, and they help Him execute judgment upon the rebellious kings and people. This demonstrates that even angels and birds can help execute God's judgment, when He commands it.

 

The false prophet, evil beasts, and kings whom God is judging are part of a greater system that ironically helps God’s chosen people grow and mature. They are like scaffolding that remain in place until the construction is complete. What is God building? He is building the New Jerusalem. The evil kings are like scaffolding, which remain in place until construction is finished.

 

Another image that helps us understand the role of the kings of the earth is the image that King Nebuchadnezzar saw in his dream in Daniel 2. A stone that is not cut by human hands will strike the feet of the great image, crushing it. The stone will then fill the earth, at which point the whole earth will become the kingdom of our Lord and Christ.

 

The beast, the false prophet, and others are merely branches attached to the great tree (Daniel 4). When it is cut down, the stump of Jesse will remain (Isaiah 11:1). Then new branches will grow from the stump. The great tree of Christ and His new bride will grow.

 

Revelation 19:19-21 records how the beast and the kings of the earth, along with their armies, fight against the one riding the white horse and are defeated. The beast and the false prophets who worship its image are captured and thrown alive into the lake of fire that burns with sulfur. The rest are slain by the sword that comes from the mouth of Him who sits on the white horse, and all the birds are gorged with their flesh. Jesus Christ judges the beast, the false prophet, and the rebellious kings and civilians. Those who worship the image of the beast will receive a double punishment. Their souls will be tormented eternally in the lake of fire, and their flesh will be eaten by flying birds. This is a symbolic image, paralleling the cutting down of the branches of Nebuchadnezzar's great tree.

 

Conclusion: We Must Eagerly Long for Spiritual Maturity

 

Many people read the book of Revelation from the perspective of the end times. They focus on understanding its signs so they can identify the Antichrist and the beast in the present-day world. While it is important for us to be alert and recognize the signs of the end times and the characteristics of the Antichrist so we can be watchful in prayer, our main focus in reading the book of Revelation should be on spiritual growth. Without spiritual maturity in our individual Christian lives, it is impossible to gain the victory over Satan in our own personal lives. Before we can even speak of ruling the nations, we must overcome Satan in our own lives and in the lives of our families. It is unfortunate that many Christians look forward to ruling the nations when they cannot even rule their own lives. As a result, Satan is gaining a foothold in their lives and the lives of their families. They are not making use of the tools Jesus has provided, which will give us victory and authority over Satan in our personal lives. Only when we rule over Satan with a rod of iron in our own lives will we be able to use our God-given authority to rule the nations with a rod of iron.

 

Similarly, when Christ’s church reaches maturity, we will receive a rod of iron to rule the nations and bring judgment on the rebellious nations, the false prophet, and the beast, ushering in the millennial kingdom. I hope that all Christians will deeply meditate on the seven letters Jesus wrote to the churches, as they lay the foundation for the judgments depicted at the end of Revelation. Without the collective maturity of Christ’s body, the church, the millennial kingdom cannot come. The millennial kingdom is not merely something that descends from heaven; it is the fruit of our spiritual maturity.

 

Our job is not simply to wait for the return of the Lord Jesus. He declared, “I am coming soon,” over two thousand years ago, yet He has not yet returned. He is waiting for us to mature spiritually so that we can become His pure bride and His powerful army, ready to marry Him and defeat His enemies. May we all pray in this way: “Lord, I long for Your return, but I desire even more to mature quickly.”