“Why is Jesus against violence in the Gospels, but in Revelation, he initiates a bloody battle to kill all men with the sword?” A Muslim friend once asked this about Revelation 19:11–21, where Jesus is portrayed in a bloody robe on a white horse, leading the armies of heaven with a sword that strikes down nations (19:11–15).

I commended my friend for noticing the dissonance. Indeed, as Stephen D. Moore in his essay “Revolting Revelations” (1999) wonders, “If the slaughter of the ‘ungodly’ should be permissible at the Parousia, then why not before?” (The term “Parousia” used here refers to Christ’s Second Coming; in Greek, it means “presence” or “arrival”.)

Some have had no qualms about seeing Jesus executing violence. Mark Driscoll and Gerry Breshears in Death by Love: Letters from the Cross (2008) describe Jesus in this passage as “a warrior with a tattoo down his leg and a sword in his hand, riding on a white horse to slaughter evildoers until their blood runs through the streets like a river”. They justify this as “righteous anger”.

This literal interpretation needs a serious rethink.?

First, this understanding of Jesus in Revelation 19:11–21 contradicts his words in Matthew 26:52: “Put your sword back into its place; for all those who take up the sword shall perish by the sword” (NASB).?

Second, the vision is about the preaching of God’s Word. The rider is named “the Word of God” (19:13). His sword comes from his mouth (19:15), and not his hand. Moreover, throughout Revelation, the saints conquer not by violence, but by preaching and perseverance unto death (6:9; 11:7; 12:11).?

Third, the theme of the passage is the kingship of Jesus through his death. The rider’s robe bears the title “King of kings and Lord of lords” (19:16). His robe has been “dipped in blood” (19:13), which is a completed action that suggests why the armies “clothed in fine linen, white and clean” are following him (19:14)—Jesus, after his death on the cross, is returning as “King of king and Lords of lords”, and he leads his army in the preaching of the Word.

This theme is also in Revelation 5–6. Jesus is granted power to rule God’s kingdom because of his death (5:6–14). He then goes forth as the rider of a white horse in a war that results in the saints being killed in the preaching of the Word (6:2, 9).

The same message is found in the Gospel of Matthew. Jesus as the Son of Man must first be killed (16:21–28). After he was raised, he sends his disciples to call the nations to obey him, because “all authority … in heaven and on earth” has been given to him, and as they go forth, his presence goes with them (28:18–20).

The vision in Revelation 19:11–21 is like that of the New Jerusalem in Revelation 21–22. It calls believers to preach the gospel today. We are called to be a light to the nations (21:24), to share leaves from the tree of life as healing for them (22:2), and to invite them to come and drink the water of life freely (22:1).

For Discussion

Christ died for the world. What can you sacrifice to bring the gospel to the nations?