And I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse, and He who sat on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and wages war. His eyes are a flame of fire, and on His head are many diadems; and He has a name written on Him which no one knows except Himself. He is clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God. And the armies which are in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, were following Him on white horses. From His mouth comes a sharp sword, so that with it He may strike down the nations, and He will rule them with a rod of iron; and He treads the wine press of the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty. And on His robe and on His thigh He has a name written, “KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.” Revelation 19:11-16

In this holiday season Jesus is everywhere and nowhere in America. Most people in this country celebrated Christmas in fashion. Our culture is fine with the notion of the Jesus in Matthew 2 – Jesus as a newborn baby in an ancient manger, one who asks nothing of them. But fewer want the Jesus of Matthew 24 and Revelation 19 – one who comes to judge and wage war, one who will cause nations to mourn, one who will rule.

In today’s passage, John speaks of Christ’s character, as it will be revealed to the entire world in His second coming:

• Jesus is Faithful and True – Jesus fulfills what scripture says of Him, obedient even to humiliation on a cross (Philippians 2:5-8)

• Jesus is the Word of God – this passage reminds us of John 1:1, and Jesus’ deity as the Son of God

• Jesus is King of Kings and Lord of Lords – God exalts Jesus far above any rule and authority and power and dominion (Ephesians 1:21-23)

One day, those who have tried to keep Jesus in a manger, or turn Jesus into a myth will be confronted with the reality, and they will be judged and they will mourn.

Remember, Jesus has revealed Himself already at the cross. We must not forget that someone took the time to introduce us to the real Jesus. We must not forget that those in our midst who haven’t confessed Jesus as Lord are destined to mourn eternally. We cannot pray someone or witness someone into the kingdom, but we must do everything in our power to show them the real Jesus. Otherwise we will mourn our own inaction.

Introduce the real Jesus to someone today.

When your world is upside down, rest in His promise, He is Faithful and True, he will make all things right. Embrace the Word of God, for in it we find our creator and our redeemer and His plan for us. Jesus is the King of King and Lord of Lords, place your hope in His return.

Weekly Memory Verse: He must increase, but I must decrease. John 3.30