The figure on the white horse in Revelation 19:11-16 is identified as the “Word of God” (v. 13) and as King of kings and Lord of lords (v. 16). This is the eternal Word made flesh, now made warrior and king. This Word is no passive Word, but a militant, conquering word, the Word made flesh to dwell among us, the Word made warrior to fight, the Word made king to rule.
The vision in Revelation 19 has dramatic Christological import. It also has implications for our understanding of the word of God spoken and written. Jesus is not a book, not words on a page, but a living Person. But the Word makes Himself known by the written word, and so there is a kind of transfer of attributes one to the other.
Thus:
The word of God is a rider on a white horse, going out conquering and to conquer.
The word of God is equipped with flame-flashing eyes and a mouth-sword to strike down nations.
The word of God is crowned, a royal word, a royal book.
The word of God wears garments dipped in blood.
The word of God treads in the wine press of the wrath of God.
The word of God judges and makes war in righteousness.
Armies of saints follow the word of God.
Every time we open the Bible, every time the Bible is read and preached, Jesus the Word speaks His conquering word through the word.
Dear Reader,
Can I be direct with you?
War abroad. Socialists on the rise. AI upending human life. Endless uproar online. The modern attention economy doesn’t want readers — it wants users enslaved to the tyranny of the present.
First Things is the antidote: literary excellence, timeless truths, and a fixed point of reference in a culture that has lost its bearings.
But we can’t do it without readers like you.
Our goal: Raise $150,000 by November 1 to sustain First Things in the year ahead.
Your gift anchors readers in the permanent things.
Make your Fall Campaign gift now using the button below.
If you have any questions or would like more information, please contact Giovanni Del Piero, Director of the Editor’s Circle, at gdelpiero@firstthings.com or 212-627-1985.
YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE
The Church in the Age of Therapy
In 1966, Philip Rieff wrote in The Triumph of the Therapeutic that “Religious man was born to…
Canada’s Deadliest Blind Spot
On September 20, the Daily Mail ran a story with the provocative headline, “Our 83-year-old Christian grandmother…
The Faithful Joy of Dolly Parton and Fulton Sheen
Dolly Parton and Fulton Sheen seem to have had little in common. She favored rhinestones; he wore…
