Revelation is a picture book of visions that John would like us to "view" for building a belief that when the chips are down due to external circumstances that we don't control, we can at least count on the end result being very much in our favor because we have endured through all of the difficulties of life's harshness. The apostle John lived the last half of his life in a time when Rome had begun to kill and torture Christians for their "superstitious" beliefs (referenced in Pliny the younger). Some towns in Greece had evidently withheld financial favor for Jews in their realms according to the letters to the seven churches in the opening chapters of John's picture book. Times were not easy and a clear message needed to be published about what the end held for believers in Jesus.
John was an old man by the writing of Revelation, but he was the only living apostle who could set the record straight. He had actually walked with Jesus, so he knew he needed to be the one to step out, be bold, and reiterate that Jesus was alive and well, that he would conquer his enemies and take his brothers and sisters to the place he had been preparing. Jesus would do all of this in dramatic fashion. Paul had faced this same need, but had addressed it with logic and reason. John decided to write in pictures for all to see and be assured.
John writes three sets of visions using seals, trumpets, and bowls to indicate how terrible and dire conditions on the Earth had become. Then, at the end of the book (Revelation 19.11-21), with imagery everyone in that day and time was familiar with, John set a scene portraying the end result for persevering through all the insults, malicious actions, torture, and death.
John wrote that the sky opened up so that everyone could see a rider on a white horse. He had a very determined, iron look on his face (eyes of flaming fire is the image) because he was about to finish his mission - to utterly destroy the armies that had gathered against him. He brandished his sword for all of his own armies to see (the sword coming from his mouth is the image) so that they would know he is about to engage the enemy and release the utter fury of the Lord of Hosts. The opposing general and all of his armies would be crushed and their blood would run like wine running from a winepress.
But the scene was not about the sea of army troops in white robes sitting on white horses annihilating the army of darkness. It was about the rider who sat tall on the white horse as the skies opened. One would notice the millions of troops as a backdrop of white behind the rider, but it was the center-stage rider who stood out among the millions. He was wearing his royal cape and jeweled bands around his head for easy recognition as commander in chief. His cape was easy to recognize because its red color waved in the wind in contrast to all the white battle garments and white horses of the army. It was specially marked with all the stains of his own blood and the blood of those who had died for him.
The tasty morsel in this scene would be in the three places where Jesus' name was mentioned. His first name is in verse 12. The jeweled bands he wore to show that he was the commander of the army all bore a name that only Jesus could have engraved on them, ο ουδεις οιδεν ει μη αυτος (the name no one else recognizes except for his own people), his unique name. The commander of the armies of evil could wear a jeweled band around his head to designate him as commander, but it didn't have the unique name on it, the name of God's only son, telling his followers that his army will destroy the enemy. His second name is in verse 13. People called him ο λογος του θεου (the essence of God). John loved to use this term for Jesus. It's one of the evidences that the gospel and the apocalypse shared the same author. John wanted to be certain that people knew that Jesus was more than just the son of a god. He wanted them to know he had the true God's essence through and through. His third name is in verse 19. It was written in two places - across the back of his cape and across the bottom of his thigh-length battle garment. βασιλευς βασιλεων και κυριος κυριων (king of kings and lord of lords).
The three names had significance to three different groups. His own people would recognize Jesus as commander; they were his willing followers. The Jews, who hadn't particularly cared for Christians, would finally recognize Jesus because he was God's essence. And the Romans would finally bow to an emperor other than their own for Jesus was above all leaders, the highest authority.
What a way to end a book after enumerating all of the difficulties involved in living a Christian life. A whole army of white surrounding the whole enemy and obliterating them in one battle. The end result would definitely be worth the trust that each person had put in the commander of Heaven, God's own being, the one leader above all others!
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