THE WORD OF HIS POWER
“And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war. 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. And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean. 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.” —Rev. 19:11-15
There are two white horses and their riders in the book of Revelation. This one, clearly, is Christ. The other, who appears early, in chapter 6, is debated by some, but in my opinion is representative of the spirit of antichrist which, though already in the world (see I John 4:3,) will come into full power during the tribulation period. That rider carries a bow, but no arrows. He has no real authority .
This rider is named: “His name is called The Word of God,” and that identifies Him for us. John had before written, as you will recall, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God…all things were made by Him…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 [see John 1:1-14].”
The Word of God is a Person, not a book. We are in the habit of saying the bible is the word of God. Strictly speaking, that is not true. Christ is the Word of God, and the bible directs us to Him. If the written word does not bring us to the Living Word, it avails us nothing. You could read the bible daily all your life, and if you are never brought into a relationship with the One of whom it speaks, you will be more bankrupt than had you never read it at all.
There is no power in the written word beyond its power to introduce us to Christ. However, in the Living Word there is infinite power. Consider, for example, John’s declaration in his gospel, “All things were made by Him, and without Him was not anything made that was made.” Then look at this vast, incredibly complex and marvelous creation, and consider: “By the word of the LORD were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth. He gathereth the waters of the sea together as an heap: he layeth up the depth in storehouses. Let all the earth fear the LORD: let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him. For he spake, and it was done; he commanded, and it stood fast [Psalm 33:6-9].” Thus does the Psalmist describe the creative power of the Word of God, the Lord Jesus Christ. He simply spoke creation into existence! The writer to the Hebrews in the New Testament takes us a step further. Of Christ he says He “upholds all things by the word of His power.” It is the authority of Christ, the living Word of God that keeps the creation intact. He is the cohesive power of the universe.
All of this to lay a foundation for the nugget at hand. Observe the peculiar figure in v. 15, “And out of His mouth goeth a sharp sword…” This is not the first occurrence of this figure in the book. At the outset John was given a vision of Christ exalted and in his description of what he saw he said, “…and out of His mouth went a sharp twoedged sword [Rev. 1:16].” We are reminded at once of the verse in the epistle to the Hebrews which reads, “For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do [Heb. 4:12-13].” Many commentators will refer this to the scriptures, but the pronouns used make it unmistakably clear that it is a Person under consideration.
We are interested in the One Who has and is a “two edged sword.” We have above described His creative edge. Our nugget refers to its destructive edge, with which at the end of the age He will “smite the nations” that have rebelled against Him. The same Word that brought the creation into existence and upholds it by His power is just as capable of destroying it if and when He chooses. This awesome Word is a friend to those who believe on His Name. He will be a terrifying foe to those who rebel against Him.
Which edge of the sword are you facing?
The heathen raged, the kingdoms were moved: he uttered his voice, the earth melted. —Psalm 46:6
For His glory and our good,
"Pastor" Frasier
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