The rider on the white horse appears in John’s vision, and it looks like God will conquer through violence. However, Shawna Boren explains there is more than meets the eye, and when we read at a deeper level, we actually see a rider who wages war like a shepherd caring for their flock.
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More than Meets the Eye
• Shawna Boren
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This is the second sermon in the subseries entitled The End is the Beginning, addressing the end of Revelation. Shawna Boren examines the visions found in Revelation 19:11-21, demonstrating how these complex images unveil the eternal nature of God, which was ultimately shown on the cross.
The images of this passage are a radical shift from the previous verses which spoke of the wedding supper of the lamb. With a surface-level reading, it appears that Jesus has come to show us who he really is, one who is willing and able to destroy his enemies and conquer through brute force. He did one thing on the cross, but now, at the end of time, he will show everyone what real power looks like.
Underneath the surface, we see the rider of the white horse does show his true colors, but they are not the way of violence. This rider (Jesus) is named Faithful and True. He is the Word of God. And he is given the name “King of Kings and Lord of Lords.” This rider unveils the ultimate nature of God’s character, and from this character carries out final justice. (See Greg Boyd’s sermons from October 2024 entitled, “Poetic Justice” and “Final Justice.”) It is important to note that in the biblical context, the word for “justice” is covenantal. The rider judges out of right relatedness and covenant faithfulness. His idea of justice, therefore, looks a bit different from common views of human justice.
This rider wages war, but his robe is dipped in blood before anything happens. He enters the scene covered in his own blood, not that of his enemies. The battle plans used to fight this war are rooted in his character of faithful covenant keeping. Those who follow the rider are also riding a white horse, thereby showing that they are mimicking the way of the rider.
In verse 15, it seems like the violence is finally showing itself, as a sharp sword comes out of the mouth of the rider. But the sword is not in his hand. It’s in his mouth, symbolizing that he wages war by revealing truth and driving out lies. This aligns with what the writer of Hebrews says about the word of God (see Hebrews 4:12-13).
But then we see that he rules with an iron scepter. This must be the place where God acts in order to get his way. However, the word translated as “to rule” can also be translated “to shepherd.” And the scepter is a royal symbol of a shepherd’s rod. The rider rules like a shepherd, something that does not at all make sense from a human point of view.
In the end, there is not a battle after all. The enemies of the rider are simply defeated. All of the grammar here is passive, as neither the rider nor his followers act violently toward those who stand against them. This passage shows that God’s judgment is actually organic. Lies include their own destruction.
Shawna also explores what it means to be a follower of one who wages war like a shepherd. She introduces what the shepherd does, something that would have been widely understood in the first century, and then she explores what this means for us today.
The vision described in Revelation 19:11-21 concerns setting right the systems responsible for a disordered world. It’s about exposing the lies of those who were blood-thirsty for power and about destroying the death grip the enemy tried to exert over the people of God. These verses are another reminder that God will not allow the injustices of human history to continue forever. God does this, though, in a way that does not fit our common expectations.
Hide Extended SummaryTopics: Covenant, End Times, Power
Sermon Series: The Unveiling, The End Is the Beginning
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The MuseCast: June 9
Focus Scripture:
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Revelation 19:11-21
I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice he judges and wages war. His eyes are like blazing fire, and on his head are many crowns. He has a name written on him that no one knows but he himself. He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is the Word of God. The armies of heaven were following him, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean. Coming out of his mouth is a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations. “He will rule them with an iron scepter.” He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty. On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written: king of kings and lord of lords. And I saw an angel standing in the sun, who cried in a loud voice to all the birds flying in midair, “Come, gather together for the great supper of God, so that you may eat the flesh of kings, generals, and the mighty, of horses and their riders, and the flesh of all people, free and slave, great and small.” Then I saw the beast and the kings of the earth and their armies gathered together to wage war against the rider on the horse and his army. But the beast was captured, and with it the false prophet who had performed the signs on its behalf. With these signs he had deluded those who had received the mark of the beast and worshiped its image. The two of them were thrown alive into the fiery lake of burning sulfur. The rest were killed with the sword coming out of the mouth of the rider on the horse, and all the birds gorged themselves on their flesh.
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Thank you for the sermon from 06-07-2026… ‘More Than Meets The Eye’… I cannot express how much I enjoyed a ‘poetic’ rather than a literal interpretation to the scriptures from Revelation 19.
Being in theological agreement with the remarks given in the message may be having some influence on my comments, however what brings an even greater appreciation was the closing comments to the effect of ‘hey, this is how I see it…’ Not a Spiritual Absolutist presentation of the word, but rather an interpretation… based on scripture… solid in a poetic nature when comparing scripture to other scripture outside of Revelation… But presented… not as the ‘right’ interpretation, but as wisdom to be accepted and applied according to one’s own discernment and acceptance…
Thank You!…