The King In Combat
By Matt Leasher
Who is this who
comes from Edom,
with dyed
garments from
Bozrah,
This One who is
glorious in His
apparel,
traveling in the
greatness of His
strength?
“I who speak in
righteousness,
mighty to save.”
Why is Your
apparel red, and
Your garments
like one who
treads in the
winepress?
“I have trodden
the winepress
alone, and from
the peoples no
one was with Me.
For I have
trodden them in
My anger, and
trampled them in
My fury; their
blood is
sprinkled upon
My garments, and
I have stained
all My robes.
For the day of
vengeance is in
My heart, and
the year of My
redeemed has
come.
(Isaiah 63:1-4)
The above
passage from
Isaiah 63 is a
fascinating
Scripture in
that we see a
Q&A exchange
going on between
the prophet
Isaiah and the
Lord.
Isaiah
foresees a time
in the future
when the Lord
Himself will be
on Earth and in
actual combat
with those that
wage war against
Him.
This is
expressed in the
next two verses,
(5&6), where the
Lord goes on to
say:
“I looked, but
there was no one
to help, and I
wondered that
there was no one
to uphold;
therefore My own
arm brought
salvation for
Me; and My own
fury, it
sustained Me. I
have trodden
down the peoples
in My anger,
made them drunk
in My fury, and
brought down
their strength
to the earth.”
(Isaiah 63:5-6)
The visions that
Isaiah wrote in
these passages
are no doubt
referring to the
latter part of
the 7 year
Tribulation in
which Christ
will physically
return to earth
to do battle
with His enemies
that are
persecuting His
people, the
Jewish remnant
left on earth at
that time that
fled to Edom
[southern
Jordan] from
Israel to escape
the fury of the
anti-christ
after he had
entered
Jerusalem and
entered the Holy
Temple declaring
himself to be
God, (Matthew
24:15-16).
Apparently the
Jews hiding in
Petra, (today’s
modern name in
which the area
of Bozrah would
be located),
will be in
trouble, most
likely
surrounded by
their enemies.
At this time in
the Tribulation
only one third
of the Jews on
Earth are
remaining
according to
Zechariah 13:8,
so it is a
necessity that
the Lord comes
to their rescue
for the Lord
promised to
always preserve
a remnant of His
people as He
always had and
this promise
will continue
until the last
days of this
age.
There are many
things from this
passage in
Isaiah 63 that
are worth
noting.
For one,
we are informed
as of how Christ
got blood on His
robe that we
read about when
He returns with
His saints in
Revelation
19:13-14.
“He was clothed
with a robe
dipped in blood,
and His name is
called The Word
of God. And the
armies in
heaven, clothed
in fine linen,
white and clean,
followed Him on
white horses.”
This blood on
Christ robe is
not His own
blood. Christ
left His
bloodstained
robes in the
tomb at the
Resurrection and
was then given
glorified
clothing.
Evidently Christ
makes His rounds
doing battle
before escorting
the saints back
to Earth to wipe
out the false
prophet, the
beast and their
armies at the
final battle at
Armageddon,
(which is Hebrew
for Megiddo, a
modern town
today located
approximately 25
miles
west-southwest
of the southern
tip of the Sea
of Galilee in
the Kishon River
area). In the
Isaiah 63
passage the Lord
says that He
acts alone in
this Jordanian
combat.
Apparently the
previously
raptured saints
are still in
their heavenly
chambers,
(Isaiah 26:20-21
& John 14:1-4)
waiting for the
Lords furious
indignation to
pass before they
return with Him.
The winepress
that the Lord
has trodden in
His anger is the
same winepress
that is trampled
in Revelation
14:20 as it is
“outside the
city.” Even the
144,000 Jewish
witnesses have
been removed
from the Earth
at this point,
(Revelation
14:3-4), leaving
only the Jews in
Petra, (Bozrah),
as the only
remnant of
Christ’s
brethren alive.
To the
Tribulation
Gentiles that
have helped this
Jewish remnant
they will be
rewarded at the
Sheep and Goat
judgment, but to
those that
opposed them
they will be
cast out of the
Kingdom, (see
Matthew
25:31-44).
This battle that
Christ will
participate in
is also
referenced in
Isaiah 34, which
is a passage in
reference to the
judgment against
the nations at
the end of the
age.
In verse
2 of that
chapter it says
that
“the Lord is
angry with ALL
nations and His
wrath is on all
their armies.”
Then in verse 4
it says that the
stars in the sky
will be
dissolved and
the heavens
rolled up like a
scroll. This is
in no doubt
speaking about
the end of the
age as described
in the book of
Revelation.
Then
beginning in
verse 5 we again
see the
reference to the
battle in Edom
of the Lord
rescuing His
people in
Bozrah, (today’s
Petra).
“My sword has
drunk its fill
in the heaven;
see, it descends
in judgment on
Edom, the people
I have totally
destroyed. The
sword of the
Lord is bathed
in blood, it is
covered with fat
– the blood of
lambs and goats,
fat from the
kidneys of rams.
For the Lord has
a sacrifice in
Bozrah and a
great slaughter
in the land of
Edom.
For the Lord has
a day of
vengeance, a
year of
retribution, to
uphold Zion’s
cause. (Isaiah
34:5-6, & 8)
This day of
vengeance is
spoken of in
Isaiah 61, a
Messianic
prophecy of the
coming Messiah’s
mission written
in the first
person from the
words of the
Lord Himself.
Interestingly
enough, when
Christ went into
the synagogue,
as recorded in
Luke 4:16-28, He
read from His
owns words from
this very
passage in
Isaiah 61:
“The Spirit of
the Lord is upon
Me, because He
has anointed Me
to preach the
gospel to the
poor; He has
sent Me to heal
the
brokenhearted,
to proclaim
liberty to the
captives and
recovery of
sight to the
blind, to set at
liberty those
who are
oppressed; to
proclaim the
acceptable year
of the Lord.”
(Luke 4:18-19)
After Jesus read
this Scripture
from Isaiah 61,
He then handed
the scroll back
to the attendant
and sat down and
said,
“Today this
Scripture is
fulfilled in
your hearing.”
The very
next line on
that scroll that
Jesus stopped at
and DID NOT read
from says this:
“…and the day of
vengeance of our
God.” (Isaiah
61:2b)
He stopped at
the scroll where
He did because
His first advent
was not yet the
day of vengeance
of God, but His
second advent
will be!
The
Messiah’s
mission is not
yet complete.
His atonement
for sin was
completed at the
Cross but His
mission to
establish His
physical earthly
kingdom is yet
to come.
This battle in
Southern Jordan,
(Edom), will
likely be moved
northward
towards
Jerusalem by the
sword of the
Lord which will
lead into the
battle spoken of
in Zechariah 14
in the Day of
the Lord.
“Behold, the day
of the Lord is
coming, and your
spoil will be
divided in your
midst. For I
will gather all
the nations to
battle against
Jerusalem; the
city shall be
taken, the
houses rifled,
and the women
ravished. Half
of the city
shall go into
captivity, but
the remnant of
the people shall
be cut off from
the city.
Then the Lord
will go forth
and fight
against those
nations, as He
fights in the
day of battle.”
(Zechariah
14:1-3)
Once again we
read that the
Lord will “fight
in battle”!
Also note
that it is the
Lord that
gathers the
nations into
this battle.
This is indeed a
time of the
Lord’s
vengeance. When
He returns to
wrap up the end
of this age it
will not be a
pretty sight for
the people left
on this earth.
When Christ came
to Earth the
first time He
came as the
suffering
Servant but when
He returns to
Earth the second
time He is
coming as
conquering King
and He’s not
going to be so
nice this time!
We are used to
the
illustrations of
the gentle
Christ holding
lambs and
cuddling
children and
this is indeed
the loving
Savior that we
should all have
a relationship
with.
But there
is another side
to Christ.
Christ the
warrior!
Joshua
seemed to have
seen a
pre-incarnate
appearance of
Christ the
warrior before
entering to do
battle in
Jericho. We read
in Joshua
5:13-15
And it came to
pass, when
Joshua was by
Jericho, that he
lifted his eyes
and looked, and
behold, a Man
stood opposite
him with His
sword drawn in
His hand. And
Joshua went to
Him and said to
Him, “Are
You for us or
for our
adversaries?”
So He said, “No,
but
as
Commander of the
army of the Lord
I have now
come.”
And Joshua fell
on his face to
the earth and
worshiped, and
said to Him,
“What does my
Lord say to His
servant?”
Then the
Commander of the
Lord’s army said
to Joshua, “Take
your sandal off
your foot, for
the place where
you stand
is
holy.” And
Joshua did so.
(Joshua 5:13-15)
This “Commander
of the Army of
the Lord” that
Joshua
encountered can
be no one else
but the
pre-incarnate
appearance of
Christ for
Joshua calls Him
“Lord” and
Joshua is
instructed to
take off his
sandal because
the place he is
standing is
holy. This is
the same thing
that the Lord
told Moses at
the burning
bush, (Exodus
3:5).
We also
know that this
is not an angel
because no angel
is referred to
as Lord, and we
are not to
worship angels
(Revelation
19:10).
So here
we have a
preview of the
warrior Christ!
It is difficult
to fathom that
even after all
that Christ has
already done for
us all, that He
even has to come
down to earth
and fight at the
end of the age
but Scripture
says it will
happen. In
ancient times it
was actually
customary for
kings to go out
and lead in
battle against
enemy forces.
King Saul, King
David and most
of the kings
listed in the
two books of
Kings are prime
examples of
this. This
tradition even
carried on into
medieval times.
But could you
imagine if this
was true today?
World
leaders wouldn’t
be so fast to
declare war or
move into
offensive
strikes if they
had to go out
and lead the
battle
themselves!
After all they
might get their
suits dirty!
To those that
know Christ
right now as
their Savior,
you are not
appointed to
this forthcoming
wrath, (see 1
Thessalonians
1:10 & 1
Thessalonians
5:9).
For all
intensive
purposes God’s
wrath towards
planet Earth
begins in
Revelation 6:1
where the Lamb,
(Christ) opens
the first seal
of judgment.
This begins
Christ campaign
against a Christ
rejecting world,
hence the Church
(His bride)
would have to
first be
removed. This
campaign
progressively
gets more and
more severe
throughout the 7
year Tribulation
as the purpose
of God’s
judgments at
this time isn’t
just to punish
the world but to
purge the world
into repentance.
For God is
longsuffering
and not willing
that any should
perish but that
all should come
to repentance,
(2 Peter 3:9).
If the
severe judgments
described in
Revelation
chapters 6-19
are what it
takes for His
people to come
to Him in
repentance and
accept His
salvation
through His Son
Jesus Christ so
that they can
have an eternity
of holy bliss
with the Lord
then so be it!
There are
many that will
indeed be saved
during this time
of tribulation
but it is almost
unfathomable to
read in
Revelation 16:9
that there are
those that STILL
will not repent
even this far
into the final
set of horrific
bowl judgments
brought forth
onto them by
God. It no doubt
grieves God that
He has to do
this because in
Revelation 15:1
we read that the
wrath of God is
complete with
these final
judgments and
then in
Revelation 15:8
that the
heavenly temple
of God is filled
with smoke and
no one is
allowed to enter
in until the
final seven
plagues upon
Earth are
completed.
God is so
grieved at what
He has to do
that He has to
be alone in the
throne room
while His angels
carry out the
task.
When all is said
and done and the
world is purged
of sin and evil,
the King will
sit on His
throne in Israel
to finally rule
the world in
righteousness.
The kings of the
earth will bring
gifts to Christ
the King,
(Isaiah 60:3 and
Psalm 72:10-11),
and will worship
Him as He will
be King of
Kings!
The
resurrected King
David will be
king of Israel
again (Jeremiah
30:9) and
Israel’s land
will be expanded
to the
measurements it
was promised to
Abraham, from
the
Mediterranean to
the Euphrates.
We live in a
time in which
Israel has no
king as it did
during the times
in the book of
Judges.
“In those days
there was no
king in Israel;
everyone did
what was right
in his own
eyes.” (Judges
21:25)
Today isn’t much
different than
it was in the
times of the
Judges. There is
no king in
Israel and the
majority does
what is right in
their own eyes
but from the way
things are
looking on God’s
prophetic
timeline, this
will all soon
change because
the King is
coming!