Robert Jeffress - Jesus the Conqueror
Hi, I’m Robert Jeffress, and welcome again to Pathway to Victory. The Bible is filled with promises about the return of Jesus Christ. And while we don’t know exactly when he’ll return, Scripture gives us many clues about what to expect in those final days. Today we’ll examine what God’s word teaches about Jesus' role as the ultimate conqueror who will defeat evil once and for all. My message is titled: Jesus the Conqueror on today’s edition of «Pathway to Victory».
British novelist H.G. Wells was the author of many science fiction books, including «The War of the Worlds,» but what you may not know about H.G. Wells is he was a pacifist. He believed that all wars should be avoided. He believed that until the beginning of the 20th century when he watched the rise of the German military complex and was determined that it needed to be defeated and decimated. And thus he became a proponent of the war, what we call World War I. He said: «This is a war for peace. This, the greatest of all wars, is not just another war, it is the last war». In fact, he wrote a book entitled «The War That Will End War,» and from that book, we got the phrase that was used to characterize World War I, The War to End All Wars. But it didn’t end all wars, did it?
20 years after the end of World War I, Adolf Hitler lit the fuse that began what we call World War II, in which 85 million men and women were wounded or killed around the world, and it didn’t stop there. After that came the Korean War and then the Vietnam War, and then in more recent days, we have witnessed Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. We saw just less than a year ago, Hamas, really Iran, invading Israel and on and on and on it goes. There seems to be no end to war. But there will actually be an end to war. There will actually be one final war that ends all wars because it will culminate in the return of Jesus Christ, the Conqueror. But we need to understand that, before the ultimate Conqueror returns, there is going to be the appearance of a pseudo-conqueror, a false conqueror, a false Christ.
If you have your Bibles, turn to Revelation chapter 13. We call this false conqueror the Antichrist. Now, it may interest you to know that the term Antichrist is never used in the Bible to refer to an individual. There’s the spirit of the Antichrist, but no one person is identified as the Antichrist. Instead, Paul refers to him in 2 Thessalonians 2 as the man of lawlessness and that lawless one. But there are some common characteristics that all of the Bible verses about him reveal. I want you to write this down on your outline. First of all and foremost: «He Is Against Christ».
That prefix anti means to be opposite of or to be opposed to, and that’s how we think of Antichrist. He is opposed to the things of God. He’s opposed to the people of God, whether it be the people of God, the Israelites, or the adopted people of God, the Gentiles, he will oppose them in every way. The second characteristic is: «He will Seek to Imitate or Replace Jesus Christ». That word anti, the prefix, can also mean in the place of. He will actually substitute the worship of him for the worship of Christ. Now, he doesn’t start that way. He’d turn off people if he did that, but he arises to power promising peace and safety. And for a time, he will seem almost Christlike.
Thirdly: «He Is Empowered Directly by Satan». How do you explain this magnetic personality and unparalleled military ability and shrewdness, much more gifted than Abraham Lincoln, Winston Churchill, George Patton, Ronald Reagan, or any other leader? How do you explain it? Well, it’s explained in Revelation 13: «And the dragon,» that is Satan, «gave him,» the Antichrist, «his power and his throne, and his great authority». Most Bible scholars believe that he will come from some part of the ancient Roman Empire. And that leads to the fourth characteristic: «He will Rule Over a Confederation of Ten Nations».
Look again at verse 1 of Revelation 13. Much like NATO or the European Union, this final form of government will be a confederation of nations. Verse 1 says: «the dragon stood on the sand of the seashore. Then I saw,» John says, «a beast coming out of the sea,» that’s the Antichrist, the human leader, and notice this, «having ten horns and seven heads and on his horns were ten diadems, and on his heads were blasphemous names». And that leads to the next characteristic of the Antichrist, fifth: «He will Defile the Temple».
Remember, he comes to power in peace. The world follows him because, at last, somebody is able to solve the Middle East mess we read about every day. He brings peace to the Middle East by signing a peace covenant with Israel, according to Daniel 9, but halfway through that seven years after the first 3 ½ years, he turns against Israel, and he defiles the temple by setting up an idol in the temple that resembles the Antichrist. And this idol speaks blasphemies against the true God. And not only that, he orders the murder of God’s people. Jesus warned about this event.
In Matthew 24:15, he said: «Therefore, when you see the abomination of desolation which was spoken of through Daniel the prophet,» that is, when you see the newly built temple defiled by this idol, know that the end is near. And that leads to the campaign of Armageddon that marks the countdown to the return of Jesus Christ. Now many times when we talk about Armageddon, we talk about it as a short battle that occurs in the valley of Jezreel. Now, there are eight phases to this war, and we’re going to go through them very quickly. But it’s important to understand, first of all, the armies of the Antichrist are assembled.
Revelation 16:14 and 16: «For they,» what? These frog-like demonic characters, «are spirit of demons, performing signs, which go out to the kings of the whole world, to gather them together for the war of the great day of God, the Almighty». The Bible says the satanic Trinity, Antichrist, the false prophet, Satan will use demonic powers to deceive all the armies of the world to come and descend on this place, which in Hebrew, is called Harmageddon. Secondly, Babylon is destroyed. What is Babylon? Well, the Babylon is used several ways in the Bible. Sometimes it refers to that ancient city.
In Jeremiah 50, verse 9, God says: «For behold, I’m going to arouse and bring up against Babylon a horde of great nations from the land of the north,» that’s Russia. «And they will draw up their battle lines against her; From there she will be taken captive. The arrows will be like an expert warrior Who does not return empty-handed». And that leads to phase three, Jerusalem is attacked and falls. Daniel said: Antichrist will try to go against the armies from the South, Africa, and Egypt, they will collide in Jerusalem, and Jerusalem will be decimated by Antichrist.
In Zechariah 14:2, God says: «For I will gather all the nations against Jerusalem to battle, and the city will be captured, the houses plundered, the women ravished, and half of the city exiled, but the rest of the people will not be cut off from the city». All the nations will go against Jerusalem. This is a spiritual issue. In Genesis 12, God said: «I will bless those who bless Abraham and his descendants, and I will curse those who curse Abraham and his descendants». What we’re seeing on our college campuses today is an affront to Almighty God, the protest, the anti-Semitism, and it cannot be tolerated in our nation. To be on the wrong side of Israel is to be on the wrong side of history, but more importantly, it’s to be on the wrong side of God.
You’ll see all the nations go against Israel, and that leads to Phase 4: «The Antichrist Marches South». He’ll drive the Jews out of Jerusalem into the wilderness, and he will repel the southern armies, driving them across the Red Sea into Africa. Then: «The Antichrist will Establish His Capital in Jerusalem». We know this. «He is going to move like a flood,» the Bible says, «over the nations, and he will collide with other forces in Jerusalem, and he will attack Jerusalem». But while that is going on, verse 44, Daniel 11 says: «rumors from the East,» that is Asia, China, Japan, «rumors from the East and from the North,» that will be Russia, «will disturb the Antichrist, and he will go forth with great wrath to destroy».
Verse 45: «He’ll pitch his tent in the royal pavilion between the seas and the beautiful mountain, Mount Zion, yet he will come to his end, and no one will help him». At that time, Phase 6: «Israel Calls on the Messiah». Why? Because it looks like, for the first time ever, somebody, the Antichrist, is going to be able to accomplish what even Adolf Hitler couldn’t pull off, and that’s the complete extermination of the Jews. They’ve been living under this for 3 ½ years. They think the end of Israel is at hand, when what happens?
Look at Daniel 12:1: «At that time, Michael,» the archangel, the protector of Israel, «the great prince who stands guard over the sons of Israel, will arise. And there will be a time of distress such as never occurred since there was a nation until that time; and at that time your people,» the Jewish people, «everyone who is found written in the book will be rescued». God is not going to allow Israel to be destroyed. God promises to raise up Michael, the Archangel, the protector of Israel, and who will be rescued? Underline this: «Everyone who is found written in the book».
What is the book? It’s the book of life. It’s the book that records the name of everyone who’s ever trusted in Christ as Savior. You cannot be saved apart from faith in Jesus Christ. There is no Jew who will be in heaven without personally trusting in Jesus Christ. There are not two covenants, one agreement for Gentiles and one for Jews. How do I know that? How do I know being a physical descendant of Abraham isn’t enough to get you into heaven? I’ll tell you how I can say that with such confidence, because Paul was a Jew, and he said there is no salvation apart from Christ. Jesus was a Jewish Rabbi, and he said: «I am the way, the truth, and the life». No man, Jew, Gentile, no man comes to the Father except by me.
Daniel 12:1 says: «Those written in the book will be rescued». And that leads to: «The Conqueror’s Return and Glory, and He Defeats the Antichrist». We find that in Revelation 19, verses 11 to 15: «He is clothed,» look at verse 13, «He is clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God. And the armies which are in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, were following Him on white horses». This is the second coming of Jesus Christ. And who is with him? You and I are with him. We have been in heaven during the tribulation. We were raptured there. We’re in heaven. We return on white horses dressed in fine linen. What is the linen? John tells us later: «It is the righteous acts of the saints».
Don’t ever forget, we’re not saved by good works, but we are saved for good works. And we will wear those good works, those rewards, as we come back with Christ. Verse 15: «From his mouth comes a sharp sword, so that with it He may strike down the nations, and He’ll rule the world with a rod of iron; and He treads the wine press of the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty. And on His robe and on His thigh, He has a name written: 'KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.'» Not long ago, one of my grandchildren FaceTimed me and said: «Papa, I’ve got a question. Tell me about Armageddon».
And he was interested in knowing about the battle and the fighting. I said: «Well, it’s not going to be like that. In fact, the battle will be over before it begins because Jesus will destroy his enemies, not by physical might but by the power of his Word, one Word, and it will all be over». It’s a time Jude described in Jude verses 14 and 15: «Behold, the Lord came with many thousands of His holy ones to execute judgment upon all and to convict the ungodly of their ungodly deeds». And that leads to Phase 8, the final phase: «The Conqueror Jesus Divides the Mount of Olives».
Zechariah 14, verses 3 and 4: «On that day his feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, which is in the front of Jerusalem on the east; and the Mount of Olives will be split in its middle from east to west by a very large valley». We can’t be dogmatic about this, but it’s very possible when Christ returns, it will be simultaneous with the seventh bold judgment in Revelation 16 in which there were great earthquakes. There’s a great earthquake here when Christ returns and splits the city into three parts. There will be peals of thunder and lightning. There will be tsunamis as a result of the earthquakes that will cover the islands in water.
This is the final bold judgment. Maybe it’s explained by an exchange of nuclear weapons among the nations. I can’t say for sure, but it’s something that seems to be contemporaneous with the return of Jesus Christ and thus ends the seven years of tribulation. But amidst all of this darkness and destruction, we have The Conqueror’s Promise to hang on to today. You know, after World War I that I talked about earlier, nations gathered together, the national leaders, in Paris to form the League of Nations hoping to put an end to war forever. It didn’t work. 20 years later after World War II, again, the nations of the world came together and formulated the United Nations.
And on the day of the signing of the United Nations Charter, then President Harry Truman declared it to be a declaration of great faith by the nations of the earth, faith that war is not inevitable, that faith, that peace, can be maintained forever. It hasn’t happened. John Kennedy one time said: «Mankind has to put an end to war or war will put an end to mankind». But what’s wrong with what Harry Truman and John F. Kennedy and countless others have said? What’s wrong with their statement is this. They don’t recognize that there is nothing human beings can do to put an end to war. War is a part of our nature. It’s a part of who we are as fallen individuals.
But the good news is there is a conqueror coming who will end war and bloodshed, sickness and death and suffering forever and ever. Until that time, when the conqueror comes, we live in the backwash of sin every day. We feel it all around us. We know Jesus came the first time and conquered sin and death, but we long for the time he will come back again and relieve us of the oppression we feel every day in every way in our existence. There’s some of you who feel weighed down by the cares and concerns of this world, by sin around you, by sin within you.
Don’t lose heart. Jesus the Conqueror is coming. And he says: «Behold, I am coming soon». And when he finally comes, he will fulfill the promise God made in Psalm 91. Listen to this: «I will rescue those who love me. I will protect those who trust in my name. When they call on me, I will answer. I will be with them in trouble. I will rescue and honor them. I will reward them with a long life and give them my salvation». Even so, come quickly, Lord Jesus, come quickly.