Revelation 19: ☧ on the White Horse Defeats Beast & False Prophet

Rev. Chris Matthis, pastor of Epiphany Lutheran Church in Castle Rock, Colorado, joins host Rev. AJ Espinosa to study Revelation 19. “Then I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse! The one sitting on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he judges and makes war.” In Revelation 19, the Lord Jesus descends upon the earth, defeats the beast and the false prophet, and slays His enemies with the sword of His mouth. But how does this logically follow the mixture of lamentation and celebration over the destruction of Jerusalem? In the Old Testament, God used Cyrus of Persia to defeat Babylon and vindicate His people. Isaiah even called Cyrus “Christ.” Likewise here in Revelation, Christ used Vespasian and Titus to defeat the Beast and “Babylon,” vindicating the church from the corrupt high priesthood responsible for the deaths of Christians like James the Just and even the death of Christ Himself. Christ is our true high priest, who intercedes in the true heavenly temple of the true heavenly Jerusalem. We must worship God alone and not any earthly authority.