Saddle up

DEVOTION

THE REVELATION

SADDLE UP

Rev 19:11-16

11 I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice he judges and makes war.   12 His eyes are like blazing fire, and on his head are many crowns. He has a name written on him that no one knows but he himself. 13 He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is the Word of God. 14 The armies of heaven were following him, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean. 15 Out of his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations. "He will rule them with an iron scepter." He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty. 16 On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written:

KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.

NIV

This is none other than Jesus Christ in all his glory and splendor. Once he came to the earth in all humility as an infant human being, to live as a human among his creation. Although he was fully God, he became fully man and lived a humble life, without a place to lay his head. He had no palace, no pomp and ceremony. No fine clothes nor great display of wealth. He even died as a common criminal at the hands of the very people he came to show the way to salvation. But now all that is over and here he is coming in all the power, might and glory he so richly deserves. There are some interesting descriptions here that give us more insight into his character and the history of who he is. Probably the most interesting is this statement about the name that is written on him that no one know but he himself. The Jews would not ever pronounce the name of God, YHWH. In fact the pronunciation of that name was lost some time in the history of Old Testament times. It would make sense that Jesus, God would be the only one who could know it, know how to pronounce it. And of course with his blazing eyes he sees all things, the all penetrating nature of his wisdom. But we also see ourselves here riding upon white horses and dress in fine linen all white and clean. There is a day coming when we will be truly pure and holy, without blemish, spotless.

Eph 5:25-27

25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her 26 to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, 27 and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish , but holy and blameless.

NIV  

That is us, a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any blemish, holy and blameless, riding after Jesus in all his glory to the final act upon this earth. We would think that if this is how we are going to be, if this is our part in all this, we would be sort of rehearsing, maybe even having a dress rehearsal for our part in this act. Do we look to our being pure and holy once we reach heaven, as a distant future? Jesus already has washed us in his blood. Jesus has already make us holy. Jesus has already made us a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle and any other blemish. He has already made us holy and blameless. Should we not be living like it? But the fact is we are, yet we still fail him, we still fall short of his glory. We still are subject to the human condition, the weakness of the flesh, with all its imperfections, yet in saying that are we saying God created us imperfect? That cannot be. He created us perfectly, but in doing so he gave us the ability to make a choice, as he has. God is not mindless nor has he created us to be mindless drones under his absolute control. He created us perfectly as we are in his image, with the ability to choose. So we can choose to live as humans with all the thoughts of humanity, or we can choose to live as followers of Jesus, with all thoughts of God. We can choose to be washed in the word, in his blood and become pure and blameless in the sight of God. When we accepted Jesus we were cleansed and in the sight of God we are already riding upon these horses. So then we should be living as such now, knowing who we are, living as his radiant church even in our failures.

Rom 8:1-4

8:1 Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus,   2 because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death. 3 For what the law was powerless to do in that it was weakened by the sinful nature, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful man to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in sinful man,   4 in order that the righteous requirements of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the sinful nature but according to the Spirit.

NIV

This does not mean that Paul was without sin, but that we choose to live by the Spirit rather than by the flesh. We have accepted the righteous act of Jesus to free us from sin and death and set us free from all condemnation from God. But the day is coming when he will bring condemnation upon the earth, upon all those who refused Jesus. This is the day of the Lord and we are not just going to witness it, but we are going to be riding behind him. Knowing all this should give us a great joy, a great sense of peace and calmness. Our lives here should be free from all worry, anxiety and fear for we are the bride of Christ, we are his radiant church, and we are his mighty army dressed in fine linen, his righteousness.  We are riding with the King of kings, the Lord of lords.

So we need to saddle up.