Revelation 19:13

PLUS
Revelation 19:13

robe dipped in blood
Dipped is βεβαμμένον [bebammenon] , perfect passive participle: having been dipped. This verb is from βαπτω [baptō] : to baptize. But here, it probably denotes garments stained in blood.1 Used of Rev. 19:13+).”2 Patristic evidence and a few manuscripts have variations of ῥαντίζω [hrantizō] : to sprinkle someone or something,”3 but the evidence is weak and ambiguous.4

Some suggest the blood is His own:

Notice how Jesus will be proudly arrayed in His garment which is covered in blood; this will be the basis of divine judgment—that the world has spurned His blood. Jesus wears it proudly; we will be dressed in our white garments—He will be arrayed in His bloody one. The host that will accompany Jesus is proof positive of the effectiveness of His blood.5

As attractive as this idea may be, it has several weaknesses: (1) nowhere in Scripture is there indication that Jesus wears His own blood; (2) His blood was spilled at the cross during His First Coming for redemption. This is a picture of His Second Coming which is in judgment and wrath. This is not His own atoning blood which is associated with His First Coming (Lev. Lev. 14:51; Rev. Rev. 1:5+; Rev. 5:9+). This is the blood of His enemies from His trampling them in the “winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God” (Isa. Isa. 63:3; Luke Luke 19:27; Rev. Rev. 14:20+; Rev. 19:15+).6 See Blood Stained Garments.

called the Word of God
Called is κέκληται [keklētai] , perfect passive: having been called. This is a unique title of Jesus used by John the Apostle (John John 1:1; 1Jn. 1Jn. 1:1; 1Jn. 2:14; 1Jn. 5:7 TR; Rev. Rev. 1:2+; Rev. Rev. 19:13+) and provides evidence that he is the author of the book of Revelation. See Authorship.

Like God’s literal word which He has magnified above His name (Ps. Ps. 138:2), God highly exalted Jesus and has given Him the name above every name (Php. Php. 2:9). Scripture informs us: “By the word of the LORD the heavens were made and all the host of them by the breath of His mouth” (Ps. Ps. 33:6 cf. Heb. Heb. 11:3; 2Pe. 2Pe. 3:5). Elsewhere, John uses this title to emphasis Jesus as the revelation of God in His incarnation:

That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, concerning the Word of life— the life was manifested, and we have seen, and bear witness, and declare to you that eternal life which was with the Father and was manifested to us— that which we have seen and heard we declare to you, that you also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ. (1Jn. 1Jn. 1:1-3)

The Logos or Word is the expression of God’s nature in understandable terms, and whether those terms be mercy or judgment they are both equally the message of God.7

This title also emphasizes Jesus’ role in creation (John John 1:1-3; Eph. Eph. 3:9; Col. Col. 1:16; Heb. Heb. 1:2; Rev. Rev. 3:14+)—a key theme explaining why God has ultimate dominion to retake the earth at His Second Coming (Rev. Rev. 3:14+; Rev. 4:11+; Rev. 10:6+).

Notes

1 “In this case Rev. Rev. 19:13+ means a garment dyed in blood (see JAScott, Class. Journal 16, ‘20, 53f for examples of βαπτω [baptō] =’stain’ with blood from Batrachom. 220 and Lucian, Ver. Hist. 18 [2, 38 Teub.]).”—Frederick William Danker and Walter Bauer, A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature (Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press, 2000), 132.

2 Timothy Friberg, Barbara Friberg, and Neva F. Miller, Analytical Lexicon of the Greek New Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2000), 87.

3 Ibid., 341.

4 Bruce M. Metzger, A Textual Commentary on the Greek New Testament (Stuttgart, Germany: Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft, 1994), Rev. 19:13.

5 Monty S. Mills, Revelations: An Exegetical Study of the Revelation to John (Dallas, TX: 3E Ministries, 1987), Rev. 19:13.

6 Some suggest that mention of blood on His robe requires that it be so stained while He is yet in heaven, before He rides forth. But the entire scene is one of action in-progress. Within two verses of the mention of His robe, He is treading (present tense) the winepress. “The epithet of the garment dipped in blood is proleptic as is the symbolism of the white horse and the white robes of His followers. It looks forward, not backward.”—Robert L. Thomas, Revelation 8-22 (Chicago, IL: Moody Press, 1995), Rev. 19:13.

7 Merrill C. Tenney, Interpreting Revelation (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers, 1957), 131.