Series: The Radical Call of Jesus
Message: Radical Solutions
Preacher: Japhet De Oliveira
Daily Walk: Japhet De Oliveira

Refresh: Open with prayer. Read or listen to Psalm 106:13–18. 

Read: Revelation 19:1–20:15 (ESV). Re-read in the English Standard Version for new insights or questions.  

Reflect: Perhaps you have already heard this sermon by my friend Pastor Mark Witas—if not, it would be worth your time to listen to it. He spoke for the One project gathering in San Diego in February 2017 and addressed this particular passage. The link is in the research section below. Pastor Witas challenges us to remember that the language here is symbolic and that character of God has not changed. When discussing the sword that Jesus has, he notes: 

And notice where the sword is coming from. 

"Coming out of his mouth is a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations."  (Rev. 19:15 NIV)

It extends from the mouth of Jesus, it’s not in His hand. It’s not Caesar’s sword, it’s the Word of God. Hebrews 4:12 says, “The word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow…” 

You see, Jesus doesn’t fight evil with evil. He fights evil by self-sacrificing love and by the words the come out of His mouth. 

Again, if Jesus vanquishes evil by slaughtering His enemies, then he’s just another king of a beastly empire. But the central theme of the book of Revelation is that Jesus is the opposite of the kings of this world and the beasts that represent them. The war of the Lamb looks nothing like the war of the Beast.

Ranko Stefanovic, in Plain Revelation, provides further clarity over Armageddon, noting that it is not a literal battle but a spiritual one:. 

It is significant that the weapon of the final battle symbolically comes out of Christ’s mouth. It affirms that the battle of Armageddon is not a literal and military war, but a spiritual combat, meant to resolve the fundamental issue that started the Great Controversy. It is the battle of ideas concerning God’s rightful rule over the universe. Satan is finally unmasked in front of the universe. This follows Paul’s statement that Christ will defeat this apostate religious system “with the breath of His mouth and bring [it] to an end by the appearance of His coming” (2 Thess. 2:8). (p. 227)

Recalibrate: ​​​How powerful is the Word of Jesus in your life?

Respond: Pray for the Spirit of God to speak into your life.

Research: Watch the sermon by Mark Witas on "The Rider—Jesus".