Time has come to sit in judgment. Soon the kingdom of the world will belong to the master of history and his faithful ones.
John shows the judgment against the Antichrist’s world, which is identified as Babylon.
He sees a woman dressed in purple and scarlet, adorned with jewels, and sitting on an animal. The woman is drunk from the blood of Christians. All the details point to the Rome of the Caesars which persecuted the Christians. Beyond that, it is an image of self-deification; the city is the world capital of the Antichrist.
Christ himself comes to the judgment of the Antichrist. Heaven opens. Christ appears triumphant in the light of heavenly glory. This is what the image of the white horseman shows. A sword goes forth from his mouth; it is the word of God. His robe is red from blood. He does not need to struggle. He judges, as Paul says, "with the breath of his mouth" (2 Thessalonians 2:8).
The Antichrist gathers the powers of the whole world together: the fiery dragon, the black beast from the sea and the white beast from the earth. But they are nothing before God. They become food for the blackbirds. This is why the birds are called to God’s great feast. Christ’s second coming establishes the everlasting reign of the lamb, symbol of justice, peace and love. Jesus Christ is truly the master of history: He is the Alpha and Omega.
