Devotional by Jorge Monsalve on the conference of the Alliance of Church Support 2026. See the recording in German here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jOCTkrofWBQ
They will make war on the Lamb, and the Lamb will conquer them, for he is Lord of lords and King of kings, and those with him are called and chosen and faithful.
Revelation 17:14 ESV
Our Lord Jesus Christ—as meek, innocent, and compassionate as he is—has enemies. He has enemies, because he defends the truth, resists injustice, and helps the oppressed. But above all he has enemies because he is the Lord of lords and no world power, small or great, has the last authority over our consciences as his Word has. This text in Revelation gives us an outlook into the end of history, when the hostility of the world against Christ escalates to the point of war. The powers of the world are deceived by the devil to destroy the saints in a massive and final persecution, but Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God, appears with his heavenly army and defeats his enemies once and for all. Behold how he preserves his Church till the last day. Furthermore, this text also gives us a very practical definition of what the Church is: the Church are ‘those with him’.
The one who defines us as Church is our King. We are with him! We are with the one who loved us and cleansed us from our sins with his blood. We are with the Faithful and True one, with the good shepherd. Being with him is more precious to us than the whole world. This is why we carry our cross and follow him, and likewise we will rule with him. For better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, in peace and persecution, we abide with him. But some are not with him. Many people in our Protestant National Churches have never known Jesus, for they consider him to be dead. And many assume to be with him while openly disregarding his commandments. However, we cannot be with him and with the world at the same time. Jesus says in the gospel of Matthew (12:30): ‘He who is not with me is against me, and he who does not gather with me scatters abroad’.
Our text goes on to describe how the Lord names us: as called, chosen and faithful. May these words define our identity. First of all, as his Church we are called. We have heard the voice of Jesus, saying ‘Follow me!’. We don’t live for ourselves anymore, but for the one who called us. He has called us out of darkness into his marvelous light, out of a vain lifestyle far from him into a fulfilled life near him. We are also called to the marriage supper of the Lamb. We are blessed! Therefore, we prepare ourselves diligently and joyfully for this wedding. Secondly, as his Church we are chosen. Our calling emphasises our destination, whereas our election emphasises whom we belong to. We don’t belong to this world, but to Christ. We are baptised in his Name. By grace alone, the Father has chosen us in Christ Jesus without any merit of our own. We are his beloved covenant people. It was his initiative to redeem us, and it is his power that sustains us. Thirdly, as his Church we are faithful—which is synonymous with ‘believers’ in Greek. There may be unbelievers in the visible Church, but not in Christ. May the Lord evangelise our Protestant Churches and save souls from fire. We believe in God, the Father; we believe in the Son of God, who became flesh, was crucified, and rose again; and we believe in the Spirit of God, who has spoken through the prophets. In the other sense of the word, we are likewise faithful: those who believe, remain faithful. Later on, the book of Revelation describes the saints as ‘those who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received his mark on their foreheads or on their hands’ (Rev. 20:4). Hence, be it far from us to betray our Lord in that upcoming fiery trial, and be it also far from us to participate in today’s ‘inter-religious’ and ‘queer’ pagan church services. We have nothing to look for in those altars.
As called, chosen and faithful, we remain with our Lord. Just as we will appear with him at the end of time with all saints and angels before the whole world, let us also stand for his Word today, even if we are ridiculed, ostracized, or attacked because of this. The enemies of the cross will fight against the Lamb, but the Lamb will overcome them.
Amen.
