Faithful and True

Revelation 19

 Then I saw heaven opened, and a white horse was standing there. Its rider was named Faithful and True, for he judges fairly and wages a righteous war. ¹² His eyes were like flames of fire, and on his head were many crowns. A name was written on him that no one understood except himself. ¹³ He wore a robe dipped in blood, and his title was the Word of God. ¹⁴ The armies of heaven, dressed in the finest of pure white linen, followed him on white horses. ¹⁵ From his mouth came a sharp sword to strike down the nations. He will rule them with an iron rod. He will release the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty, like juice flowing from a winepress. ¹⁶ On his robe at his thigh^[e]was written this title: King of all kings and Lord of all lords.

You don't have to know much about The Lord of the Rings (but a little helps) to know that J.R.R. Tolkien intended the Wizard Gandalf to be a Christ like figure.

He went to the depths of 'hell' as he sacrificed his life saving his friends,  and then comes 'back from the dead',  as it were, to rescue them yet again. 

Now forgive me LOTR nuts if I get the chronology wrong here,  but I believe it is the battle of Helms Deep where Gandalf comes to the rescue in spectacular fashion,  bringing reinforcing armies with him and riding down the hill, in blazing light, on a white horse,  just as the battle was looking to be lost. He turns everything around.

If you watch the film you will be reminded,  it is a powerful image.

And when I watched it for the first time,  my mind was drawn immediately to  Christ and this description of him.

Talking movies again,  another favourite movie of mine is 'Pale Rider'.  It's a western directed by (and starring)  Clint Eastwood.

He plays a gunslinger 'turned preacher'
And his character's entrance into the small besieged mining community (that he is later to save) is both at once understated and dramatic.

A mother and her daughter are reading in their kitchen from the book of Revelation, after taking a particularly nasty knock from the marauding hordes of the corporate mining company, who have raided the prospectors camp.  They are both distraught and at a loss as to how to go on.  The daughter has prayed for help in the scene before but has no idea where it will come from.

As they read aloud from the scripture the girl is looking out of the window and her mother's voice says 'behold I saw a pale horse,  and his rider's name was death', just as Clint/preacher passes the window on his pale horse. And then come the words 'and hell followed with him'.

The preacher becomes a symbol of hope to the community,and their talisman, but soon it becomes clear that his skills as a gunman are equally needed.

But the message of the film is self empowerment.  They just needed someone to show them that all they needed was a bit of backbone. Christ's message is more empowering and yet is one of of complete reliance on him.

And 'the preacher' is certainly a flawed character.

But Jesus is, you will be grateful,  so unlike Clint's character.

His name was 'death'.
At best an avenging angel.

And vengeance has its place.

Jesus will be coming again not like the meek Lamb,  laying down his life,  but in victory and for war.  He will vanquish all his foes and cut swathes  through the demonic ranks.

He will come in brilliant radiance,  like Gandalf (but much, much better),  and none will stand at his coming.

Yes the day of vengeance is coming.

But his name is not death.

His name is 'Faithful and True'.

There is an awful lot of imagery here in this passage and I will attempt to unpick some of it over the next few days,  but mostly I wanted to focus on the names,  as they seem to be given special significance. 

And this name,  faithful and true, tells us a whole other story to the one of revenge. 

Jesus isn't coming to get his own back.  

The second coming is not simply a divine 'I told you so'.

No doubt they there will be some retribution and justice,  but there is much more to this than that. 

We are told,  he judges fairly and wages a righteous war.

He comes with truth and faithfulness.  He comes to end injustice and oppression,  he comes to restore God's creation and people to a loving,  peaceful communion,  with himself and with echother. 

He comes to establish The Kingdom. 

And he who we put our trust in,  and wait for, is not a mere man that he should lie,  nor merely a son of Man that he should change his mind. 

He is faithful,  and all his promises are YES and AMEN in Christ Jesus. 

Put your trust in him, 

This day,

And all days. 

Amen