Brother Mike Ministries

The many days of Judgment Day began on May 21, 2011!  
***
ETERNAL LIFE: No Longer Possible!! ***

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Revelation 19 Commentary, Part 3 (verses 11-16) 
By Brother Mike (10-22-13, 68 minutes) 


Verse 11:
  

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 .

The apostle John now says that I saw heaven opened. The participle opened is in the perfect tense and passive voice of the Greek. The perfect tense means that the action of heaven having opened was completed in the past, and this state of having opened in the past continues on to the present while the passive voice means the having opened had been opened. Putting these meanings into the verse would read like this: 

11 And I saw heaven in the present state of having been opened [i.e., open], 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

By revealing these verb meanings in the verse, we can see that John did not see when heaven was opened as one could be led to believe by the King James Translation, which reads, I saw heaven opened, but, instead, he saw heaven open - not opened - which was the result of heaven having been opened in the past. Sometimes things like this can make a huge difference in the interpretation of a given verse, so it is important to understand the distinction. John did not see heaven opened in the past, but he saw it open in the present as a result of it having been opened in the past.

Now upon the apostle John having seen heaven open, we read, and behold a white horse. The word translated as behold is actually a command, and it literally means be perceiving, or be seeing. It's like what we command in English when we want someone to pay careful attention: we say, tune in, or pay attention! It is a word of command, therefore, which is aimed at getting our attention. And, by use of this word, behold, be perceiving or be seeing, we are first directed to pay careful attention to a white horse. The color white is symbolic of holiness or purity, and a horse or horses is often identified with battle. For instance, we read in Revelation 6, 

Re 6:2 And I saw, and behold a white horse: and he that sat on him had a bow; and a crown was given unto him: and he went forth conquering, and to conquer .

Notice that in this verse that the horse is used in connection with battle, for it goes forth with its rider conquering, and to conquer. Actually, this whole verse is a picture of Christ going forth with the gospel in spiritual battle during the church age. Now look how similar this verse is to our verse in discussion. Remember, it reads, 

11 And I saw heaven in the present state of having been opened [i.e., open], 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

Just like the horse and its rider in Revelation 6:2 had to do with spiritual battle as he went forth conquering, and to conquer, so does the horse and its rider in this verse, for we are told in righteousness he doth judge and make war. We see most clearly that horses have to do with spiritual battle further on in Revelation 19 in verse 14: 

Re 19:14 And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean .  

So let's just conclude at this point that a white horse is representative of a spiritual holy battle. The color white represents holiness, and the horse represents battle. 

Next, after reading, and behold a white horse, we read, and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True. The phrase he that sat is a translation of a present tense and middle voice participle, so the action should not be in the past, sat, as it appears in the King James, but in the present, is sitting. In addition, the middle voice signifies that the sitting is in the interest of, or on behalf of, the subject, which is the one sitting. To express that the sitting is in the interest of the one sitting, it can be translated as the one sitting Himself. Our entire verse can now be translated, 

11 And I saw heaven in the present state of having been opened [i.e., open], and behold a white horse; and the one sitting Himself upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war

There are further improvements that can be made to the verse as well. First of all, the one sitting Himself upon him should be translated as the one sitting Himself upon [it] since the white horse, it, is being referred to and not a person. Second, was called in the sentence, the one sitting Himself upon it was called Faithful and True is a present tense participle, and so is better translated as is called; not was called. Finally, both the verbs he doth judge and make war are in the present tense and active voice so they should be translated, he is judging and is making war in order to more clearly reveal the present ongoing action of his judging and making war. The entire verse now more accurately reads, 

11 And I saw heaven in the present state of having been opened [i.e., open], and behold a white horse; and the one sitting Himself upon it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he is judging and is making war

Now let's answer the question, who is it sitting on the white horse? The answer is obvious. In fact we are told right out in verse 13, 

13 And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God .  

That He is called the Word of God immediately identifies Him with being Christ because Christ is the Word of God made flesh as we read in John 1, 

Joh 1:14 And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his [Christ's] glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth .

So the one sitting Himself upon the white horse is obviously Christ, but now we read that He is called Faithful and True. The idea of being called faithful and true not only means that Christ perfectly obeyed the one He was subject to, the Father and His law, but also He is genuine, real, sincere, veracious, without defect, and certain, to name a few of the synonyms for the word true. He is completely opposite to what is fictitious, counterfeit, imaginary, simulated, pretended, imperfect, defective, frail, and uncertain. 

Now we read, and in righteousness he is judging and is making war. The word righteousness can be translated as justice, so we can say, in justice he is judging and is making war. The point is that his judging and making war against the great whore, this world, is just; that is, she is getting everything that she deserves according to God's law. The law says, the wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23), and the world has sinned much, so she deserves to be put to death, which is exactly what has happened ever since May 21, 2011. She has been put to death spiritually because there is no longer any hope for her spiritual salvation; she is locked into the spiritual death which came through the fall of Adam and Eve, and which guarantees that she will also physically die. Just as judgment began as spiritual judgment for Adam and Eve, for the day they ate of the forbidden fruit, they did spiritually, not physically, die, so also judgment against the great whore, Babylon the Great, the world, the kingdom of Satan has begun as completely spiritual. But even as the spiritual judgment upon Adam and Eve eventually ended in their physical deaths, so the spiritual judgment upon this world will end in their physical deaths when the Lord comes to bring an end to this world, to resurrect and change His people, and to create a new heaven and earth in which righteousness dwells. 

Next, it is of interest to note that our verse states that He [Christ] is judging and is making war. Because the context of our verse is in the Day of Judgment after May 21, 2011, this means that during this time, Christ is judging and is making war ongoing. It wasn't that He just brought judgment against Babylon, the world, on May 21, 2011, and then it was complete. No, rather, He continues to bring judgment on Babylon. As God's people continue to proclaim the Day of Judgment with the removal of salvation, the world continues to be judged, for it is the Word of God (Christ) which does the judging as God's people do the declaring. And we are to be declaring Judgment Day to the whole world. As it reads in Jeremiah 50, 

1 The word that the LORD spake against Babylon [the world, the kingdom of Satan, the churches] and against the land of the Chaldeans by Jeremiah the prophet .
2
Declare ye among the nations, and publish, and set up a standard; publish, and conceal not: say, Babylon is taken, Bel is confounded, Merodach is broken in pieces; her idols are confounded, her images are broken in pieces

Now, there is one other thing which we should note before going to our the next verse in Revelation 19, and that is that not only is Judgment Day - the period of many days after May 21, 2011 - a time when Christ is judging ongoing, but it is also a time in which Christ is making war ongoing. We get an idea as to the nature of this warring in Revelation 2: 

Re 2:16 Repent; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will fight [war] against them with the sword of my mouth .

The sword of my mouth is representative of the Word of God, so God is saying in this verse that He will war against them with the Word of God. It is a war of Words. That is exactly what is happening now during Judgment Day: the Word of God is declaring judgment against the entire world in war against them, but they are fighting back, saying, nothing happened on May 21, 2011; things are just as they were; God has not brought judgment upon us; salvation has not come to an end. Nevertheless, God has and is bringing judgment upon them, but Christ has brought judgment upon them as a thief in the night; indeed, they are not even aware that judgment has come. Now we can clearly understand what is meant by 1Thessalonians 5:

1 But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you .
2
For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night .
3 For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape .
4 But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief

Yes, judgment came upon the world in such a way that they were not even aware that it had come. This is because it came as a thief in the night for them. They were looking for something outward and physical on May 21, 2011 if even anything at all, but as soon as Judgment Day came without any physical manifestation, they began to say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction came upon them because spiritual judgment immediately came, and they shall not escape, for the spiritual death which overtook them guarantees that they shall not escape physically either. They are guaranteed to die, or be annihilated on the Last Day. Until then, Christ is making war with them by the words of His mouth through the people saved in His name, and this warring will continue until the Last Day when His judgment will be made complete. 


Verse 12:
  

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

Here in this verse is a further description of the one [Christ] sitting himself upon a white horse who is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He is judging and is making war. The first thing that we read about Christ in this verse is that His eyes were as a flame of fire. Actually, the first word and (de in the Greek) has been excluded for some reason in the King James Version, so we will include it to read, And His eyes were as a flame of fire . . . Also, the word were in the sentence, And His eyes were as a flame of fire, does not appear in the original text, which is why it is written in italics in the King James Bible, but it was added to complete the sentence. The adding of it to complete the sentence is a legitimate practice in the translation of Greek, but, unfortunately, it is in the wrong tense according to the context. The context is not that of the past tense, were, but it is that of the present tense, are, as can be seen in the previous verse, which says that Christ is called (present tense) Faithful and True, and He is judging and is making war (present tense). Therefore, to remain consistent with the present tense of the context, the verse should not be translated, And His eyes were as a flame of fire, but should be translated,  

12 And His eyes are as a flame of fire . . .  

The same is true for the next part of the verse which reads, and on his head were many crowns. The context of the verse is in the present tense, and so should be translated like this:

12 And His eyes are as a flame of fire, and on his head are many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself .

Furthermore, the last part of the verse, and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself, should also be in the present tense to match the context, and the whole entire segment would be better translated not and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself, but simply, 

12 . . . having a name, having been written, which no one has known, except Himself. 

The verb having been written is in the perfect tense and passive voice. The perfect tense means that the having written was completed in the past, but the state of having written continues on to the present. The verb has known is also in the perfect tense, so that no one has known was completed in the past, but continues in full force to the present. The idea is that no one has known the name in the past, and no on has known the name right on up to the present. Now taking into account all the improvements, our verse should read like this: 

12 And His eyes are as a flame of fire, and on his head are many crowns; having a name in the present state of having been written [i.e. written], which no one has known, except Himself .  

Now what does it mean that His eyes are as a flame of fire? To answer this question, let's look at Revelation 2 where eyes like a flame of fire is defined: 

18 And unto the angel of the church in Thyatira write; These things saith the Son of God, who hath his eyes like unto a flame of fire, and his feet are like fine brass ;
19
I know thy works, and charity, and service, and faith, and thy patience, and thy works; and the last to be more than the first ;
20 Notwithstanding I have a few things against thee, because thou sufferest that woman Jezebel, which calleth herself a prophetess, to teach and to seduce my servants to commit fornication, and to eat things sacrificed unto idols .
21
And I gave her space to repent of her fornication; and she repented not .
22 Behold, I will cast her into a bed, and them that commit adultery with her into great tribulation, except they repent of their deeds .
23
And I will kill her children with death; and all the churches shall know that I am he which searcheth the reins and hearts: and I will give unto every one of you according to your works .  

Place your focus on these last couple sentences. They read, I am he which searcheth the reins and hearts: and I will give unto every one of you according to your works. In that Christ is said to be the one which searcheth the reigns and hearts means that He sees all things about human beings with His eyes, and in that we are told that Christ will give unto every one of you according to your works means that He is the judge. This is exactly what it means that His eyes [are] like unto a flame of fire: His eyes represent the seeing of all things while the flame of fire represents that Christ is the judge of everything that He sees with His eyes, and He will give unto everyone according to their works. So what does it mean that His eyes are as a flame of fire? It means His eyes are seeing in order to bring judgment, and this is in the context of the time period of Judgment Day that we now find ourselves. Indeed, we are now in a time period in which Christ did bring spiritual judgment on May 21, 2011, and is continuing to bring judgment. As we read in the previous verse, in righteousness he is judging and is making war.

Next, we read in our verse, and on his head are many crowns. We all understand that a crown represents kingship, but why is Christ said here to have many crowns? Well, one answer is that one crown would mean that Christ is a king, but many crowns means that He is not just a king, but He is King of Kings, and Lord of Lords. Nevertheless, I think that there is more to it than just this. We read in Philippians 4, 

Php 4:1 Therefore, my brethren dearly beloved and longed for, my joy and crown, so stand fast in the Lord, my dearly beloved

And, we read in 1Thesalonians 2, 

1Th 2:19 For what is our hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing? Are not even ye in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at his coming

From these two verses, we see that a crown can represent the elect of God themselves. So in that Christ has many crowns on His head, could this be a symbolic way of saying that He has many elect? This makes sense because this would mean that His elect are the symbol, like the crown, of His kingship. The fact that He had elected a people for Himself from the foundation of the world, and then saved them all by His Holy Spirit by May 21, 2011 makes them the crown of His accomplishment, and they, as the crown, declare forth His kingship. In this way, the elect are His crowns. 

Now, the last part of our verse says, having a name in the present state of having been written [i.e. written], which no one has known, except Himself. This is simply a statement of the incomprehensibleness of the Lord our God. He has a name written, which no one has known in the past and right on up to the present in that He is infinite, and we can really only comprehend a small portion of who God is because we are finite and so greatly limited in our ability, therefore, to comprehend an infinite God. We can only know Him as the reflection that we see of Him through His creation, and the revelation we have of Him through His Word, the Bible. These help us to a degree to know God, but we can never know God fully. We shall always be finite, and He will always be infinite. Even in the next life, although we will be able to grasp far more of God than we do now, we will still never come close to the infinite. So He will always be God, and we will always be the creature. 

This fact that we can never know God fully helps us to rest about things that we cannot understand. For instance, how is it that God is one God, but He is manifested in three different persons, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit? Philosophers have contemplated this question for millenniums, and could never come to a complete understanding. This is because there is a point in which God becomes incomprehensible, and we can do nothing but learn to rest in what we cannot understand. As we are told in scripture, 

Pr 3:5 Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding

As another example, we are told in scripture that God is not the author of sin, but if God foreknew that sin would enter into the world before He created the world, which He did, but He then created the world anyway, does not this make God the author of sin? Did not God create the world so that sin would enter in? In our minds, it seems as if God must be the author of sin, but we are told in scripture that God is not the author of sin. So what is our conclusion? We must conclude that God is not the author of sin, but we cannot fully understand why this is. We must relegate our understanding to the fact that God is incomprehensible, and this is another one of those things that we in our finite minds cannot understand. Once again, as the scripture says, 

Pr 3:5 Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding

Because God is incomprehensible, there will always be things that we just cannot put our minds around. But does this make God untrue? Of course not! Rather, it makes God, God, and it makes us the creature, just like it should be. The problems only arise when we begin to lift ourselves up to a higher place than we actually are, and then begin to rely on our own understanding of things, and we put ourselves in the place of God. Then we must deny God simply because there are things which do not make sense to our minds. How foolish this is! Nevertheless, this is the foolishness that many have succumbed to. They have become a God unto themselves, and in so doing they deny the true God for a God that cannot save, but can only lead to death. May the Lord keep all of His elect from such foolish thinking, Amen. 


Verse 13: 

13 And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God

This verse overall is a good translation of the Greek, except it should not be in the past tense as the King James Bible portrays it. What I mean is that the verb was in the sentence, And he was clothed should be in the present tense to match the tense of the previous two verses, so the verse should read, 

13 And he is clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God .

The verb clothed in the sentence, And he is clothed is actually a participle in the perfect tense and passive voice just as is also the verb dipped in the phrase, vesture dipped in blood. A more literal translation looks like this: 

13 And [He is] having been clothed with a vesture having been dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God

The perfect tense means that the having clothed and the having dipped was completed in the past, but the state of the having been clothed and having been dipped continues to the present. To put these meanings into the verse reads like this: 

13 And [He is] in the present state of having been clothed [i.e. clothed] with a vesture in the present state of having been dipped [i.e. dipped] in blood: and his name is called The Word of God .  

With these meanings added to the verse, we are able to see that the being clothed and the being dipped both took place in the past, but the state of having been clothed and having been dipped; that is, being clothed and being dipped, continues right to the present so that now we understand why the verse can be translated like this: 

13 And [He is] clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God .  

But why is Christ here spoken of as clothed with a vesture dipped in blood? Actually, the word translated here as vesture is the word most often translated as garment, so let's translate our verse like this: 

13 And [He is] clothed with a garment dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God

The being clothed and being dipped as we know is in the perfect tense, so we know that these both took place in the past, and the only time in the past that Christ could be spoken of as having been clothed with a garment dipped in blood was at His atonement in 33 AD for the sins of His people. So we know that He is clothed with a garment dipped in blood is representing the death of Christ on behalf of His elect. He is the one who shed His blood so that the sins of His people could be atoned for. As we read in Colossians 1, 

Col 1:14 In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins .

And, again, 

Ro 5:9 Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him

And, 

Eph 1:7 In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace

Finally, finishing up on our verse, we read, and his name is called The Word of God. This, as we have already learned, refers to none other than the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. He is the Word of God made flesh as we read in John 1, 

1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God .
2
The same was in the beginning with God .
3
All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made .
. . .  
14 And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth .
15 John bare witness of him, and cried, saying, This was he of whom I spake, He that cometh after me is preferred before me: for he was before me .  


Verse 14:

14 And the armies [which were] in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean

In this verse, the two words [which were] are added to the text in the King James Bible, but in the original text they do not exist. Furthermore, they reveal the past tense, [which were], when they should have been, if used, used to express the present tense [which are]. Therefore we will simply exclude the whole thing from the verse, and just realize that the action is in the present and not the past as the previous verses had revealed. Remember, the context of these verses is in the present time period of many days known as Judgment Day after May 21, 2011.The verse now appears, 

14 And the armies in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean

The verb followed is in the imperfect tense, which means that the action of the verb is in the past and continuous. Therefore, the armies in heaven followed him not just once or twice, but they followed him continuously during the time we are now in, Judgment Day. Also, the verb clothed in the phrase clothed in fine linen is in the perfect tense and middle voice of the Greek. According to the perfect tense, the time when the armies of heaven are clothed was first in the past, but the state of having been clothed in the past continues to the present. So the armies of heaven were clothed in the past and continue to be clothed in the present. Then, according to the middle voice, the having been clothed and still being clothed is in the interest of the subjects of the sentence, which are the armies in heaven. With all this in mind, our verse now reads, 

14 And the armies in heaven continuously followed him upon white horses, in the present state of having been clothed [i.e. clothed] [in the interest of themselves] in fine linen, white and clean

But, now, we want to answer the question, who are the armies in heaven who continuously followed Christ upon white horses? Since we had previously learned back in verse 8 of our previous study that the fine linen, white and clean, that the Lamb's wife, the elect, was granted to be arrayed in represents the salvation of Jesus Christ, and we have now learned that the armies in heaven are clothed in this same fine linen, white and clean, then the armies in heaven must be God's saved people, His wife, His elect. 

But, why do the armies of heaven (the elect) follow Christ on white horses? Certainly, they don't follow Christ on actual white horses, but this is symbolic language to teach spiritual truth. Horses in the Bible typically have to do with battle, and the color white is symbolic of holiness. Therefore, that God's people followed Christ on white horses teaches that they followed Him in the holy spiritual battle of judging the world. As we read in 1Corinthians 6, 

1Co 6:2 Do ye not know that the saints shall judge the world? and if the world shall be judged by you, are ye unworthy to judge the smallest matters ?

It is important to understand that the judging of the world is taking place right now ever since May 21, 2011, and this is when the elect are following Christ as they declare that God has brought judgment on the world with the result that salvation is no longer possible. This is a spiritual and holy battle of which the elect are privileged to be a part by reason of their having been clothed in fine linen, the salvation of Jesus Christ.  


Verse 15:  

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

Here we first read that out of his [Christ's] mouth goeth a sharp sword. This is the similar language used in Revelation 2 where we read, 

Re 2:16 Repent; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth

We also find such language in Revelation 1: 

Re 1:16 And he had in his right hand seven stars: and out of his mouth went a sharp two-edged sword: and his countenance was as the sun shineth in his strength .  

Now we discover just what this sharp two-edged is that is coming out of Christ's mouth in Hebrews 4 where it says, 

Heb 4:12 For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart .

From this, we can reason that the sharp sword that issues out of Christ’s mouth is the Word of God since the Word of God is here being compared to a sharp sword. Of course, the simple fact that the sharp sword is issuing out of Christ’s mouth is an obvious hint to the sword being the Word of God as well. 

Next, after reading, And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword (the Word of God), the verse states, that with it he should smite the nations. The verb smite here can mean to physically strike or hit something or someone, but it can also mean to spiritually strike or hit someone. For instance, we read in Revelation 12, 

Re 11:6 These [the two witnesses] have power to shut heaven, that it rain not in the days of their prophecy: and have power over waters to turn them to blood, and to smite the earth with all plagues, as often as they will

Without going into detail, the two witnesses in this passage represent the elect of God who brought the gospel during the church age from May 21, 33 AD to may 21, 1988. As they brought the gospel, this gospel judged those who would not believe. It did not judge them physically, but it judged them spiritually, and this spiritual judgment is being spoken of by this verse in physical terms like the power to shut heaven that it rain not, or the power of waters to turn them to blood, or the power to smite the earth with all plagues. These things did not literally take place, but they are simply being used to represent the spiritual judgment which takes place any time the elect proclaimed the gospel to the world during the church age. 

Now returning to our verse, it states, that with it (the Word of God) He (Christ) should smite the nations. Because this verse is in the context of the many days of Judgment Day after May 21, 2011, this is talking about Christ spiritually smiting the world during this time. He has smote the nations by having removed salvation from them on May 21, 2011, and He continues to smite the nations as the message continues to reverberate throughout the world that salvation has come to an end, and the Lord is hardening the nations in their sin in preparation for the final destruction that will soon envelope the earth perhaps as early as October 6-7, 2015 .  

Next, our verse reads, And He [Christ] shall rule them with a rod of iron. This reveals the method by which Christ will rule the world, and it further explains what is meant by the sentence, with the Word of God Christ should smite the nations. We read of a rod of iron in Psalm 2: 

Psalm 2:8 Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession .
9
Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter�s vessel

Here a rod of iron is obviously a tool used to bring judgment. But the Word of God could also be said to be a tool of judgment in that it smites the nations. So it appears that the Word of God and the rod of iron are the same thing, and so when our verse says, And He [Christ] shall rule them with a rod of iron, it means that He (Christ) shall rule them with the Word of God. It is the Word of God that should smite the nations, and it is the Word of God that shall dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel.

But, if the rod of iron is the same thing as the Word of God, then why even use the picture of a rod of iron? Normally the rod or staff was made of wood, and it was used to rule or shepherd sheep by its more gentle prodding and guiding of them, but here it is a rod of iron to rule the unsaved nations by its unyielding iron. It is a picture of ruling without mercy. No longer would the world be ruled by having mercy upon one here, and another over there, and another one over there, but it would be ruled by the unyielding rod of iron, which only brings judgment with no mercy. These are the days we are now in; this is the terrible time of Judgment Day that we now find ourselves.  

Now, finally, we read, and he [Christ] treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. We also read of the treading of this winepress in Revelation 14 where we read,

Re 14:20 And the winepress was trodden without the city, and blood came out of the winepress, even unto the horse bridles, by the space of a thousand and six hundred furlongs

The picture of treading the winepress is a picture of Christ stomping upon the unsaved in judgment as grapes are stomped upon to produce wine, but instead of producing wine, Christ's treading upon the unsaved squishes the blood right out of them. The blood represents the life of the unsaved, and in that the blood is being stomped out of them, that which is life in the body has now become death outside the body. This is all a picture of Christ bringing spiritual death upon the unsaved ever since May 21, 2011. Spiritually, they have all been killed in that salvation has come to an end, so it is as if the blood has been stomped out of them.  

Now we are told that the blood came out of the winepress, even unto the horse bridles. The horse is the symbol of strength in battle of humankind, and the bridles are what humans use to control that strength in battle. So, if the blood, which represents the judgment of God, came out of the winepress unto the horse bridles, it means that the strength of humankind in battle against God is completed when the judgment of God - the blood - reaches the horse bridles. And, when does it reach the horse bridles? We are told by the space of a thousand and six hundred furlongs. This means that 1600 furlongs from the time when Christ first began treading the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God on May 21, 2011 is when the strength of humankind will be finished, and, so also, God's spiritual judgment against them. And, if furlongs are here representative of days, this means that 1600 days after May 21, 2011 will humankind be finished, and God's spiritual judgment completed. This would be on October 6-7, 2015. 

But, one might say, what you say is true that 1600 days from May 21, 2011 is October 6-7, 2015, but it assumes that furlongs are equal to days, and there is no other place in the Bible that equates furlongs with days, so this whole idea is not supported in the Bible. And I would say in response, yes, you are correct in that there is no other place in the Bible which equates furlongs with days, but you would be wrong to think that there is no biblical support. In fact, there are strong reasons to see the 1600 furlongs as being 1600 days. First, if we see the spiritual judgment of God from May 21, 2011 to The End as being 1600 days, this, when added to the time in days in which the churches were under the spiritual judgment of God from May 21, 1988 to May 21, 2011 (8400 days), comes to 10,000 days exactly. This is amazing because 10,000 is a factor of 10, and such numbers in the Bible are symbolic of the completeness of whatever is in view (see Bible Meaning of Number 10 ). So the number 10,000 would symbolize the completeness of God's spiritual judgment from May 21, 1988 to October 6-7, 2015 (10,000 days). This fits perfectly into our understanding that judgment first begins with the house of God (1Peter 4:17), but then is completed upon the world. Judgment on the house of God was for 8400 days (23 years) from May 21, 1988 to May 21, 2011, and judgment on the world is for 1600 days from May 21, 2011 to October 6-7, 2015. This totals 10,000 days of spiritual judgment, which teaches the completeness of God's judgment. Remember, we also saw this completion of God's judgment in that the blood came out of the winepress unto the horse bridles. Once the judgment of God comes unto the horse bridles, the strength of humankind against God will have expired, and God's judgment will have been complete. 

Next, if we take the 1600 furlongs to be 1600 days, then 1600 days from when Christ began treading the winepress of His wrath on May 21, 2011 comes to October 6-7, 2015. This is amazing because this just happens to be the last day of the feast of tabernacles according to the Jewish calendar. This is the day on which we have for years and years thought that the end of the world would come. It is the only feast day that has not yet been fulfilled. The feast of Passover was fulfilled when Christ died on the cross in 33 AD; the feast of First Fruits was fulfilled at Pentecost 50 days later in 33 AD when the Holy Spirit was poured out and the first fruits of souls were saved; but the feast of tabernacles will be fulfilled on the Last Day of this world when God's people will celebrate unto the Lord for His having completely delivered them from the enemy and this sinful world. It will be a time when God's people will be rejoicing, praising, and giving thanks to the Lord for all the work he had accomplished in saving them. 

So for these reasons, that the 1600 days of spiritual judgment upon the world added to the 8400 days of God's spiritual judgment upon the churches just happens come to a perfect 10,000 days to represent the completeness of God's judgment, and that the 1600 days from May 21, 2011 just happens to fall on the most significant Last Day of the Feast of Tabernacles in the year 2015, we see that there is support for the 1600 furlongs being 1600 days, and there is support for The End coming on October 6-7, 2015. We can't say this for certain, but we must acknowledge the possibility whenever things like this seem to fit together so nicely. If October 6-7, 2015 is The End, we would expect more support to surface as the days go by. 


Verse 16:

16 And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS .

Here we are told that He [Christ] has on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, King of Kings, and Lord of Lords. The verb has in the sentence He has on his vesture is in the present tense and active voice of the Greek. This means that the action of the verb is continuous or ongoing in the present. Also the word vesture is the same word used back in verse 13, which is normally translated as garment. So now our verse reads, 

16 And he is having continuously on his garment and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS .  

Next, the word written in the phrase and on his thigh a name written is actually a participle in the perfect tense. The perfect tense means that the action of the word written took place in the past, but the state of having been written in the past continues on to the present so that a name is written. Expressing this meaning into the verse would read like this: 

16 And he is having continuously on his garment and on his thigh a name in the present state of having been written [i.e. written], KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS .  

Now we ask the question, why are we told that a name, King of Kings, and Lord of Lords is written on His garment and on His thigh?

Spiritually speaking, the garment represents the spiritual condition of an individual as we can see by looking at several passages that use the word for garment

Re 3:4 Thou hast a few names even in Sardis which have not defiled their garments; and they shall walk with me in white: for they are worthy

Re 3:5 He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels

Re 3:18 I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see

From these passages, it is clear that those who are spiritually clothed in white garments or raiment are saved, which logically means that those who are not so clothed are not saved. Therefore, what we see is that the garment which one spiritually wears represents that person's spiritual condition. So in that Christ has a name, King of Kings, and Lord of Lords, written on His garment means that His spiritual condition is one of King of Kings, and Lord of Lords. He is not just a king, or a Lord, but He is the King and the Lord over all others. 

Next, with respect to the name, King of Kings, and Lord of Lords written on His thigh, the thigh represents the strength and power of an individual in battle as on the thigh is where a soldier carried his sword. So in that the name, King of kings, and Lord of Lords is written on His thigh means that His strength and power is that of being the King of Kings, and Lord of Lords. His power and strength is not just that of any king or lord, but it is the power and strength of the King and the Lord. Therefore, no one can surpass Him in power and strength, and this is what it means that the name, King of Kings, and Lord of Lords is written on His thigh. He shall be victorious in the battle of Judgment Day because He is the King of Kings, and Lord of Lords. This is the sword on His thigh, and it is a sword that is guaranteed to win. Amen, and Amen.


Now may the Lord bless thee, and keep thee; may the Lord shine His face upon thee, and be gracious unto thee; the LORD lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace
.


 

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