Good evening and welcome to EBible Fellowship’s Bible study in the Book of Revelation.  Tonight is study #16 of Revelation chapter 19 and we are going to be reading Revelation 19:12-13:

His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself. And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God.

These verses describe the Lord Jesus Christ, as we saw back in verse 11.  He was seated upon a white horse and His name was called “Faithful and True.”  Only Jesus is faithful and only Jesus is truth.

Now, in verse 12, God further describes Christ and He says, “His eyes were as a flame of fire,” and I think this is the third time in the Book of Revelation that God makes this kind of statement.  Let us go back and look at one of those instances, in Revelation 1:12-14:

And I turned to see the voice that spake with me. And being turned, I saw seven golden candlesticks; And in the midst of the seven candlesticks one like unto the Son of man, clothed with a garment down to the foot, and girt about the paps with a golden girdle. His head and his hairs were white like wool, as white as snow; and his eyes were as a flame of fire;

Here is the same statement we see in Revelation 19:12 and it is teaching the same thing we discussed when we went through Revelation, chapter 1.  Christ’s “eyes” are a figure to represent what He sees and God sees everything about everyone, so God sees the outward things, as well as inward things.  He knows the words and actions of people and He also knows the thoughts they think, consciously or even subconsciously; God knows what is going on in the deepest part of man that even the man himself may not know.  God sees all and that is why the Bible says, “but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do.”  God does see all when He sees all the people of the world.  What does He see?  He sees sin.  He sees constant sin and transgression of His Law.  What is the response of God when He sees sin?  It provokes Him to anger and that is why it says, “His eyes were as a flame of fire,” because God sees the filthy deeds of mankind all over the earth and it has kindled His wrath and, therefore, “His eyes are as a flame of fire.” 

It is an appropriate time to make this statement because Revelation 19 describes Judgment Day, the time in which God is judging men for their sins.  Then it goes on to say in Revelation 19:12:

His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns…

Why does Christ have on His head many crowns?  He does not just have one crown, as a king.  I think we can understand the reason when we read of King David when his army took a city of the Ammonites, in 2Samuel 12:30:

And he took their king's crown from off his head, the weight whereof was a talent of gold with the precious stones: and it was set on David's head. And he brought forth the spoil of the city in great abundance.

The Israelites conquered Rabbah and defeated the Ammonites.   The Ammonites had a king who wore a crown and David took his crown and put it on his own head to signal that the city and its people were under the rule of David.  David was the victor and Israel was triumphant and now David ruled over the people of Ammon.  David continued to hold the crown as King of Israel, so we can see with this historical example that he had two crowns.  If David’s army, led by Joab, would conquer another nation, David would wear that crown, and so on.

In Revelation 19, the Lord Jesus Christ has done battle against Satan and his kingdom, as Satan had ruled over the nations of the world.  Babylon is a mistress of nations, which means she ruled over all the nations and, therefore, when the Lord Jesus Christ defeated Satan and his kingdom of Babylon, He has defeated all the kingdoms of this world and He has put down all rule, authority and power.  It is as though all the kings of all the nations have been conquered and have entered into a submissive role to Him and Christ is “wearing their crowns,” indicating that He rules over all the nations of the world and all the unsaved inhabitants of the earth.

Then it goes on to say in Revelation 19:12:

… and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself.

The Bible indicates that Jesus Christ has many names.  In this very chapter we read of a couple of different names.  In verse 13, it says, “And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God.   This is one of His names and we will spend some time looking at this when we get to this verse.  Also, take a look at Revelation 19:16: “And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.”  So in just these few verses, He is called “The Word of God, “KING OF KINGS” and “LORD OF LORDS.”  

It could be (although I am not saying this is definite) that since the context is that Jesus had on his head many crowns, the statement that he is “KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS” would go along with that idea very well, as Christ has conquered all kings, making him “KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.”

In the Greek, where it says, “He had a name written,” it should have said, “Having had a name written,” so it was something done long ago: “Having had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself.”  Christ has always known He was “KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS,” but there had to be a demonstration of this because Satan had a claim to being king over the unsaved people of the earth, which he had won by the right of conquest in the Garden of Eden.  Then during the Great Tribulation, Satan’s rule was expanded to the churches, as well as the nations, so Satan was making greater and greater claims, so Jesus had a name written that no man “knew” and that was that He was “KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.”  It would not be known until Judgment Day, on May 21, 2011, the day that Satan was deposed from all rule.  He was put down and he no longer rules as the man of sin in the churches and he no longer rules over the unsaved inhabitants of the earth outside of the churches.  He has been removed from all rule, authority and power and now Jesus is demonstrating the name which He had always known He had: “KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.”  That is a possible explanation for this name.  Of course, it is difficult to say that definitely, but it is very possible this is the case. 

But, if not, it could be that God is maintaining a name for Himself that He is only aware of and no one else.  Why would God do that?  It would indicate that there are things about God that only He knows.  God is infinite and eternal and He is enormous in His being, so there is much about God we do not know.  We cannot know anything unless God grants us understanding and reveals aspects of Himself to us, but I think it is possible that this name was the name that came into full evidence in the sight of all at the time of Judgment Day for the world.

Let us go on to Revelation 19:13:

And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God.

The Lord Jesus was clothed with a vesture or garment dipped in blood.  Why would Christ be clothed with a garment dipped in blood?  It reminds us of what we read in the Book of Isaiah, chapter 63.   Let us go back there and look at Isaiah 63:1-4:

Who is this that cometh from Edom, with dyed garments from Bozrah? this that is glorious in his apparel, travelling in the greatness of his strength? I that speak in righteousness, mighty to save. Wherefore art thou red in thine apparel, and thy garments like him that treadeth in the winefat? I have trodden the winepress alone; and of the people there was none with me: for I will tread them in mine anger, and trample them in my fury; and their blood shall be sprinkled upon my garments, and I will stain all my raiment. For the day of vengeance is in mine heart, and the year of my redeemed is come.

Here, we have a very difficult passage because it appears to be describing Christ at the point of the world’s foundation suffering the wrath of God for the sins of His people.  Since He was God, it was as though God had forsaken God.  Christ was the High Priest that put the Lamb to death and there was shed blood because He gave His life for His elect people as He paid for their sins.  Therefore, His garments were stained with His blood as He paid the penalty for sin and He satisfied the Law’s demand for everyone He had elected to salvation.

But when God says, “for I will tread them in mine anger, and trample them in my fury; and their blood shall be sprinkled upon my garments, and I will stain all my raiment,” it is the language of judgment.  It is the language of the wrath of God being poured out upon sinners and that is exactly what we see in Revelation, chapter 19.  We see Christ “clothed with a vesture dipped in blood,” and then look at what it says in Revelation 19:15:

And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.

So I think we have a passage that has a dual application.  One applies to Christ as He was slain for the sins of His people and the other one applies to Christ on Judgment Day, as He treads the winepress and destroys the sinners, so the “vesture dipped in blood” is pointing to the life of the one that is under the wrath of God.

It goes on to say at the end of Revelation 19:13:

… and his name is called The Word of God.

I mentioned that this is another name for Christ.  I do not know how many names God gives Himself in the Bible and, of course, Christ and God is the same.  They are numerous and God gives these names in order to help us understand certain of His characteristics or attributes.  This particular name is a glorious name.  All of God’s names are glorious, but we take special note of this name because His name is called “The Word of God,” as it says in John 1:1:

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

This is strong proof that Jesus Christ is God.  We know that in Revelation 19 Jesus Christ is said to be called “The Word of God,” and it says in John 1:1: “and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”  Then it says in John 1:14:

And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.

Eternal God, the Word, became flesh and dwelt among men.  He became flesh and entered the human race and He walked around as a man and wherever Jesus went, the Word of God went.  Jesus completely identifies with the Word of God, the Bible.  It says of Him in Hebrews 10:7:

Then said I, Lo, I come (in the volume of the book it is written of me,) to do thy will, O God.

The “volume of the book” is the entire Word of God, the Bible, and it is written concerning the Lord Jesus Christ.  He is the essence of Scripture.  He is the essence of everything we read in the Bible, no matter where you open the Book to read, whether it is the genealogies of Genesis, chapter 10 or the Book of Judges or the Psalms.  Wherever you read, you are reading about the Lord Jesus Christ and it is impossible to separate the Word of God, the Bible, from Christ.  That is why doctrine is so important.  That is why truth is so important because people will tell you, “Oh, I love the Lord!  I love Jesus.”  Yet, Jesus said, “If you love me, keep my commandments.”  What are the commandments but the Word of God and He is that Word, so if you love Him, you love His Word and you are going to obey it.  You will respond faithfully to it.  So when Christ gives His Word on a particular point, the child of God wants to keep that Word.  As we keep His Word faithfully in spirit and in truth, this is “Christ” and this is His very essence.  He is the Word made flesh, so it is a very real demonstration of love toward Him if we keep His commandments. 

On the other hand, if we fail to keep His commandments, it does not matter how much we say we love Him or speak of our “feelings” about Him.  Through our actions we are showing that we do not love Him.  We do not love the Word of God. 

Remember how God speaks of a failure to love the truth in 2Thessalonians 2:10-12:

And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.

God says, “They received not the love of the truth,” and Christ is the Truth.  The Bible says, “Thy word is truth.”  If you do not have a love of the truth, what are you failing to do?  You are failing to keep His commandments: “If you love me, keep my commandments.”  If you do not love His truth and it is not all that important to you to be diligent and careful in every Word of God and every doctrine of the Bible, then you do not love the Lord.  You would want to obey God on these points of doctrine, like a woman teaching men or marriage and divorce or the Sunday Sabbath or the end of the church age or of Judgment Day occurring on May 21, 2011.  Whatever it is, the child of God wants to uphold and maintain the true teaching of the Bible and the doctrine of Christ.

Let us look at “the doctrine of Christ,” because that goes hand-in-hand with the Word of God.  It says in 2John 1:9:

Whosoever transgresseth, and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God. He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son.

The true believer is very earnest in his desire to do the will of God and to keep Christ’s commandments and to faithfully observe His sayings as found in the Bible.  Of course, God’s Holy Spirit guides and directs us into truth that we might do this to a greater and greater degree throughout our lives. 

“The Word of God” is another name for the Lord Jesus Christ.  His name is called “The Word of God,” and in the Day of Judgment this name, especially, shines through, as the Word of God brings judgment.  The Word of God executes the judgment written and which the Bible has long declared.  Now it is Judgment Day and God’s Word is being greatly glorified.  It is being lifted up because God has opened up the Scriptures to reveal the judgment on the world.  It is not through the physical sight of man, but it is being revealed on the pages of the Bible.  It is being revealed through the Word of God.