«　WEEK 3　DAY 6　»

　　Rev. 19:11 And I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse, and He who sits on it called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war.

　　13 And He is clothed with a garment dipped in blood; and His name is called the Word of God.

　　After His wedding feast, Christ will come as a fighting General with His bride, the overcoming believers who are His army, to fight Antichrist, the kings under him, and their armies at Armageddon.

　　Christ is called "Faithful and True" (Rev. 19:11). Christ is faithful both to God and to those who believe in Him. In His faithfulness He defeats and destroys those who oppose God and persecute the believers. He is true in carrying out God's economy and in caring for those who believe in Him. He is trustworthy, and with Him there is no falsehood. (Life-study of Revelation, pp. 633, 635-636)

　　Revelation 19:11 also says, "In righteousness He judges and makes war." Christ will judge and fight in righteousness. He judges by fighting. It is true even today that no wrongdoers would accept the judgments of our courts if the government had no police force to back up these judgments. Judgment can only be executed by police power. When Christ comes to judge Antichrist, Antichrist will be utterly rebellious. Thus, there will be the need for Christ to fight to subdue this rebellion and to judge these rebels in righteousness. His judging by fighting is not only according to righteousness; it is also to maintain righteousness.

　　Verse 13 says, "And He is clothed with a garment dipped in blood." The garment of Christ is dipped in blood and becomes red by His treading the winepress of the wine of the fury of the wrath of God (v. 15; Isa. 63:1-3) at Armageddon (Rev. 16:14, 16), where the blood will rise up to the bridles of the horses (14:20).

　　Revelation 19:13 also says, "His name is called The Word of God." The Word of God is the definition, the explanation, and the expression of God. As the Word of God, Christ speaks for God not only by imparting life as grace to God's chosen people in the Gospel of John (John 1:1, 4, 14), but also by executing God's judgment upon the rebellious people in the Revelation of John. Even as the Lord fights, He speaks for God and expresses God. The fighting of Christ is the speaking of the Word of God. God is righteous and sovereign. He is also a God of order and He cannot tolerate disorder and rebellion. As Christ fights against the enemy, He will speak that God is sovereign, righteous, and orderly. He will declare that God is the God over everyone and that He does not tolerate rebellion against His authority. Hence, the Warrior is the Word. His fighting is the speaking of God's Word.

　　Suppose I come into the meeting hall and find everything is in a mess. Without saying a word, I begin to clean up the hall. My act of cleaning says that I am a neat person and that I cannot tolerate a messy environment. There is no need for me to say anything, because my cleaning speaks for me. Likewise, the Lord's fighting in the war at Armageddon will be a powerful speaking. It will tell Satan, Antichrist, the false prophet, and the entire universe that God is sovereign and that no one can rebel against Him. God is a God of order and He will sweep away all rebellion.

　　The Word of God is mentioned both in the Gospel of John (1:1) and in the Revelation of John. In the Gospel of John the Word of God does not speak anything related to fighting; rather, He speaks redemption, light, life, and building. In the Gospel of John the Word of God speaks life and building. In the Revelation of John the Word of God speaks not only life and building, but also fighting. Before God can have the building He desires, He must first clean up His universe. In this book Christ's fighting is also His speaking for God. As the Word of God, His fighting proclaims to the whole universe what kind of God He is. God is not a God of confusion—He is the sovereign God, a God of order who does not tolerate rebellion. By His fighting Christ declares this to the universe. (Life-study of Revelation, pp. 636-638)

　　Further Reading: Life-study of Revelation, msg. 55