is a myth. The ten horns with the beast are all to receive authority the beast of course wielding the imperial power, they as kings, all during one and the same time before the end comes. "Crowns and thrones may perish Kingdoms rise and wane But the Church of Jesus Constant will remain. [Note: Thomas, Revelation 8-22, p. 381, 567-85.] He was a medical doctor there. The fall of Babylon being fixed, finished, and declared to be irrecoverable in the foregoing chapter, this begins with a holy triumph over her, in pursuance of the order given forth: Rejoice over her, thou heaven, and you holy apostles and prophets,Rev. This "great voice" here is Her part in the corruption of the high and the intoxication of the low her idolatrous character has come before us. Judgment is the inescapable consequence of sin. ", GOD'S WORD IN ACTION ( Revelation 19:13 ). Voices cry out joyfully that the Lord reigns and the marriage supper of the Lamb is ready. I think that religion is a tremendous curse upon the earth. Accordingly, "Behold, I come quickly, and my reward is with me." And the coming of the Lord is urged in connection with it. "And there came one of the seven angels which had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues, and talked with me, saying, Come hither, I will show thee the bride, the wife of the Lamb. When you couple that with "Lord", which means Take this quite simply and literally. occasion and the downfall of Rome, is said to be "great" partly because of their Lastly was the wedding ceremony during which time the vows were exchanged. receive our inheritance, we must read the will. Hence the effort of some to prop up a manifestly false reading. "And if any one was not found written in the book of life, he was cast into the lake of fire." He has, I think, exactly that class in view when He sanctions the calling him who hears to say "Come." If they have only heard His voice, this after all is the incalculable boon; yea, it is the turning-point of all blessing. It is as if the multitude of the redeemed sent up their shout of praise because the promise of Christ to his persecuted ones had come abundantly true. And he says to him not to do that because he is a fellowservant, but to worship God.You see it is a apart of man to need and want to worship something, and man seems to find it easier to worship an object that he can see rather than an object that he cannot see. Salvation and glory and power belong to our God, 2 for true and just are his judgments. "And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth." A lot of the persecution against the Christian has come from religion, religious leaders. "* There is no thought of making such a paradox to perplex the mind. We find a decree going forth that all the world shall be enrolled. Jude 1. Lord. That was Jesus looking forward to the great Messianic Banquet. That age of visible glory is inefficacious to change the heart of man, though in the absence of the enemy and the controlling presence of the great King, they render feigned obedience for a long while. It furnishes material for a contrast between the earthly Jerusalem and the heavenly city, because if there be one thing more remarkable than another in Ezekiel's description, it is the temple. small and the great mean everyone which includes all human categories and It is not therefore his final judgment. Indeed it must be so, because, as we read in the end of the last chapter, there the lost were cast. "All three of the figures in this verse are representations of the word of Christ, by which he executes with indisputable authority the judgment of God. Fell at his feet: Overwhelmed by the grandeur of the vision, John collapsed in For her sin., have reached unto heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities." So, The Lord is not so interested in telling you who you are going to marry or what is going to happen to you next week, the spirit of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy. Certainly the ascription to the Lord of the fierce struggles of a human warrior is markedly avoided. It is no longer a question of sustaining His saints in grace, but of sovereign power for judging the earth. But she has a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and the impurities of her fornication. So, Jesus is the spirit of prophecy. This is of great importance, because if the new Jerusalem be, as I have no doubt it is, the bride the Lamb's wife, then we have her separate condition asserted in eternity. The thief said, "We are here because we deserve to be here, but this man has done nothing amiss"( Luke 23:41 ). And the devil that deceiveth them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where both the beast and the false prophet [are], and they shall be tormented day and night unto the ages of the ages.". On the one hand, the return of Jesus Christ to the earth is the climax of all that has gone before in Revelation. Now we find the symbol of the bride brought before us, and the elders and the living creatures disappear. The heavenly city, which is the full expression of blessedness on high, has no temple because it is all a temple. took on His righteousness. Holding on to what others knew before them, or little more, they reduce themselves to a minimum of the truth. In ancient times, a marriage was the single greatest celebration and social Thus the attempt to apply it during the pagan period is altogether futile on the face of the matter. 19:2 For true and righteous are his judgments: for he hath judged the great whore, which did corrupt the earth with her fornication, and hath avenged the blood of his servants at her hand. Revelation 19:7 "Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honor to him: for the Revelation provided a message of hope: God is in sovereign control of all the events of human history, and though evil often seems pervasive and wicked men all powerful, their ultimate doom is certain. All is opened, and this because we have the Holy Ghost dwelling in us; "for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God." V. An invitation given to the fowls of heaven, that they should come and see the battle, and share in the spoil and pillage of the field (Revelation 19:17; Revelation 19:18), intimating that this great decisive engagement should leave the enemies of the church a feast for the birds of prey, and that all the world should have cause to rejoice in the issue of it. man's day. 20 Behold, I stand at the door and knock. 1:4; Heb. The thrones were already filled. With that love of freedom which they carried from their German forests, they would not allow the one iron rule of the ancient empire to subsist longer, but set up each their own kingdom in the different fragments of the dismembered empire. * Even the Complutensian editors give the right text here; and it would seem that Erasmus failed to use his MS. aright. As long as Rome was pagan, there was neither the full bearing of the seven heads, nor did so much as one of the ten horns exist. The church is the bride, The description of the great Commander, 1. Rabbi, Jehudah, actually gave the odd instruction that men ought not to pray in Aramaic because the angels did not understand Aramaic! Angels we know from other scriptures will be there, but of this we hear nothing here. 20 And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. Even when God was judging providentially in the beginning of the Apocalyptic visions (Revelation 4:1-11), associated thrones were seen. . Justly does she gather her title from the old fountain of idols and of combined power without God: confusion being here the characteristic element, the designation is taken from the renowned city of the Chaldeans, the first spot notorious in both respects. At the same time you will mark that these are not said to be executors of judgment as Christ is. called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb. Such is the meaning of the verse "The rest of the dead lived not again till the thousand years were finished. They will then treat her with contempt and shameful exposure. The antichrist and the false prophet are thrown into the lake of fire, signifying punishment from which there is no escape. Worship God!". * Idolatry is the awful stamp that she bears, and this too both in what she gives to man, and in what is written on her forehead before God. Babylon was the spurious church as long as it was a question of the church, and the final corrupter when it could be no question of this longer, and there went forth the closing testimony of God. "His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many diadems." And the LAST WORDS (22:6-21). For remark, the beast or Roman empire is described here as that which once existed, which then ceased to exist, and which assumes a final shape when it reappears from the bottomless pit. T. S. Kepler comments: "The moral law can no more be broken than the law of gravity; it can only be illustrated." I. "At the last day" does not mean merely an instant of time. Thus nothing can be simpler or more beautiful than the way in which this verse sums up the Revelation as a whole. come (verse 15; 2:27; 12:5). Sometimes, again, they have sought to turn it aside toward Jerusalem in her corrupt state. The Jews had the idea that, when the Messiah came, God's people would, as it were, be entertained by God to a great Messianic Banquet. The color of crushed grapes reminded the ancients of blood, death, and battle! Verse 5. For there follows another company of martyrs who suffered when the beast set up his worst and final pretensions. The marriage symbolism runs all through the Gospels. And here is John falling on his knees before the angel that is giving him all of this revelation and he is so overawed and thrilled with what is in store for him he falls at his feet to worship him. * Let us be glad and exult, and give the glory to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready." When any wrong is done, it will be dealt with. We had seen Babylon twice: first, in the circle of God's warnings and testimonies; and then as the object of God's judgment under the seven bowls. * None, however, can be exempt from being manifested before the judgment-seat of Christ, or from giving an account of all done in the body. Second, he says: "Let us rejoice and exult." or "so be it. The battle is through. It is not only that the angel corrects the act by asserting that he is a fellow-servant of him and of his brethren who have the testimony of Jesus. Betrothal (often when the couple were children); Presentation (the festivities, often lasting several days, that preceded the Revelation 19:5 (1) And a voice came from the throne, saying, (2) "Give praise to our God, all you His bond-servants, you who fear Him, the small and the great." 1. "And the woman whom thou sawest is the great city, that hath kingship over the kings of the earth." There is no doubt that THE RIDER ON THE WHITE HORSE In 19:11 IS CHRIST. That is prophecy centers around the person of Jesus Christ. So here is the praise being given to God and now the encouragement for that praise coming from the throne of God. And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses ( Revelation 19:14 ). "And hath avenged the blood of his servants at her hand": And by these judicial In as many things as she glorified herself, and lived luxuriously, so much torment and sorrow give to her: for she saith in her heart, I sit a queen, and am not a widow, and I shall in no wise see sorrow.". History is actually "His story." There never has been a like experience. The mighty angel. "Let him that heareth say, Come." (This takes you to our other website) The fine linen, clean and white, represents the Let me just first emphasise again, It is the active word which carried out the commandment of God. All these things have their place in Babylon the great. It is not a syllogism that is wanted or that can satisfy here: only require, only believe, the word of God. And the [antichrist] the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and those that worshipped his image. There is nothing like the joy of loving and of being loved. The word of God, or the judiciary sentence of Christ according to it, and which he will fully execute, to the utter destruction of all his enemies; :- that with it he should smite the nations; the Gentiles, the Papists, the antichristian states, those that have adhered to Babylon, and have drunk of the wine of her fornication. It is a time of strong delusion, be it remembered. Hallelujah literally means "Praise God". It is for your sin that He is dying. The cosmic drama is drawing to a close. The church goes on according to the will of the Lord, who might according to His own purpose lengthen or abridge the space. And the twenty-four elders [representing the church] and the four beasts [cherubim] fell down and worshipped God that sat on the throne, saying, Amen; Alleluia ( Revelation 19:4 ). They are not seen here as the bride. "Praise our God," says the voice, "all you his servants, you who fear him." First, he is remembering Psalms 97:1: "The Lord reigns; let the earth rejoice." Lord God: Used many times in Revelation as a title for God (compare verse 15, I saw still another mighty angel coming down from heaven, clothed with a cloud. That is, the tabernacle of God is regarded as a separate object, no doubt associated with men, but not confounded with them. 13:20), and will be presented to Him at the Rapture (John He shall destroy the pride of the sinner as a potter's vessel. Those festivities could last up to a week and sometimes even Revelation chapter 19, beginning in verse number 1, the Bible reads "And after these things I heard a great voice of much people in heaven, saying, Alleluia; Salvation, and glory, and honour, and power, unto the Lord our God". Once again John finds his model in the words of the Old Testament, for that is a quotation from Psalms 135:1; Psalms 135:20. The seven Spirits of God (Greek: , ta hepta pneumata tou theou) are mentioned four times in the Book of Revelation, and in the Book of Isaiah it names each Spirit.Revelation 1:4: John to the seven churches which are in Asia: Grace be unto you, and peace, from him which is, and which was, and which is to come; and from the seven . At the pouring of the seventh bowl, God's voice was heard from the Temple saying, "It is done!" (Rev. And he said unto me, See thou do it not: I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren that have the testimony of Jesus: worship God ( Revelation 19:10 ): Now, John like so many people, we want to worship the instrument that God uses to bring His knowledge or love or grace to us. So, He is coming to bring an end of man's rebellion. Zerubbabel displays a plan of Jerusalem to Cyrus the Great by Jacob van Loo. It has been suggested that the name is either embroidered on his girdle or engraved on his sword hilt. When the hour comes that is spoken of here, it is not for us, but for those who will be found after we are gone. cum cdd. He knows 14 And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean. It is a description, not of Babylon's relation to the beast, but of the city's fall, with certain dirges put into the mouth of the different classes that groan because of her extinction here below. [Note: See David J. MacLeod, The Seven Last Things.] "Amen," they said, "Hallelujah!" 135:1; 146:1). 244.]. Now the Lord in the end here is really putting a lot of emphasis upon the fact that these are true sayings. There is therefore much to be said for the ]Protestant application of the chapter as compared with the Praetorist theory of pagan Rome. And he treadeth the wine-press of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God - This language is probably derived from Isaiah 63:1-4. And he said to me: "These are the true words of God." The, nature of the case exempts of course the saints of the millennium;* and this very simply, because they are never said to die at all. There are many who are not so; but the Lord does not forget them. . He saw their condition: it was part of the vision. We can quite understand that God would comfort His people in the dark ages by this book; and a very imperfect glimpse at its real meaning might in His grace serve to cheer them on in their trials as far as it went. Verse-by-Verse Bible Commentary Revelation 1. They received their power as kings when the beast ceased to exist. Babylon had once heard the varied testimony of God; for what had she not heard of truth? Salvation and glory and power belong to our God, And he saith unto me, These are the The testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy, the witness of Jesus. And what shall we say of the wonderful wisdom of the Lord? "And the city has no need of the sun, nor of the moon, that they should shine for it." God loves you and receives you just as you are on the basis of His grace, love and mercy. There was a Jewish belief that no man could know the name of God until he had entered into the life of heaven. 19 As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. The millennial nations, "the number of whom is as the sand of the sea," fall a prey to Satan. I like that, God speaking into existence the world in which we live. We had Babylon with a spuriously ecclesiastical but a really murderous character, and at the same time guilty of corruption with the kings of the earth. Out of his mouth goes this sharp sword, His word. But that the heart of man even so is not renewed becomes manifest, when Satan at the close deceives all that are not converted; and these, as we are told, are countless "as the sand of the sea.". The weapons of this warfare are described in Ephesians 6:12. But a grave consideration soon disposes of both views by the relation to the beast, and more particularly by what will be shown a little farther on. First, he came from a world in which there were many gods--Zeus, Hera, Apollo, Aphrodite and the rest, What was easier than to keep the old gods in the form of angels? Revelation 19 The people in heaven praise God 1 After these things, I heard a sound like the voices of a great crowd of people in heaven. What does Revelation 19:3 mean? Again and again the prophets thought of Israel as the chosen bride of God. It is not now the temple opened there, and the ark of the covenant seen when Israel's security is seen, as the object of God's counsels; nor is it a door opened above, as we saw it when the prophet was giving his introduction to the prophecy of God's dealings with the world as a whole, though in both cases all manifestly clusters round the Lord Jesus. "On the east three gates; on the north three gates; on the south three gates; and on the west three gates. The true reading here is neither hard nor doubtful save to unbelief. It was a unit of energy charged with power. wedding garment ready for the wedding. (iii) There is joy. He came to the world, and avenged His people on the beast and the false prophet with the kings and their armies; and after that the risen saints reign with Him over it a thousand years. And the gates of it shall not be shut at all by day: for night shall not be there. Had those who preached said nothing about heathen vanities, had they merely presented the gospel as a better thing than anything the pagans could boast, I do not doubt that the pagans themselves would have acknowledged thus much. This city is seen now as the holy vessel of divine power for governing the earth during the millennium, "having the glory of God: and her brightness was like a stone most precious, even like a jasper stone, clear as crystal.". The And it appears to me that here we are bound to account for the presence of these others that are at the marriage-supper of the Lamb, but appear as guests, and not at all in the quality of the bride. Begin by reading the Introduction first. Those that do rise at the same time rise, no doubt, in a moment; but that there are to be various acts of resurrection is not only not contrary to scripture, but required by its own descriptions. John goes out of his way to heap up similes to describe its sound. The relationship of the Christian and Christ must be the closest in all life. That is religion. Revelation 19:8 "And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine When But, in point of fact, in giving the description of Babylon, the Holy Ghost enters even more into an account of her relations with the beast, the imperial power of which we saw not a little last night. the sea of glass, who had got the victory over the beast (Revelation 15:2), and Jesus describes it as a place of outer darkness where he said there will be weeping, wailing and gnashing of teeth.Hell or Hades is located in the center part of the earth. Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power; but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.". persecution are made the beasts provoking sins. It is derived from halal ( H1984) , which means to praise, and Jah ( H3050) , which is the name of God. There was judicial discernment with the distinct possession of all titles to sovereignty. Revelation 19 begins with a multitude in heaven singing a doxology to God. In Php_2:9-11 we read of the name above every name which God has given to Jesus Christ because of his complete obedience; and there the name is almost certainly Lord. No one can soberly deny that Babylon in some sort had a place then; but that the special, and above all, the full character of Babylon was manifested as here portrayed is another matter. It is a wholly unwarranted interpolation. This web site explains the Book of Revelation, each individual scripture. When God is so gracious, His word rich, full, and deep, it does seem sad to see His children content with just enough to save their souls, or keep them from positive starvation. The Word that Christ spoke will judge men at the last day. Worship God." 14:1-3; 1 Thess. Not so. For instance, when Ptolemy entered Antioch he wore two crowns or diadems--one to show that he was lord of Asia and one to show that he was lord of Egypt ( 1Ma_11:13 ). We may surely say her cup was not yet full. Righteousness of saints: Not Christs imputed righteousness granted to With this we may compare Jesus' words at his arrest, when he said he could have had twelve legions of angels to fight for him ( Matthew 26:53). We find that Jesus is called the faithful witness. *It is the more strikingly characteristic, because of such language as Psalms 149:6-9, which speaks of all the saints contemplated on earth for the day of Jehovah. It is plain that they are not in this city. Like when this guy was breaking up with his girl, he said, "Can I have one final kiss?" instead of one of the other names of Jesus, to show that we have been cleansed We must perforce therefore look for a still more complete development before the Lamb judges the beast after the ten horns along with it shall have destroyed Babylon. To this the vision now proceeds at verse 17. In Daniel's time it was not at hand. It may well be from that old Jewish idea that there came the idea of the marriage feast of the Lamb, for that indeed would be the true Messianic Banquet. shed by them. But it really is. And God shall wipe away every tear from their eyes; and death shall be no more, nor sorrow, nor crying nor shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away. God is going to be fair and just. 19:9-10a And he said to me: "Write! You worship God. It is not therefore a question of virtual idols suitable to ensnare the children of God, but of that which is adapted to the earth itself, thorough-going palpable idolatry. b. "The second coming of Christ is an absolutely essential theme in New Testament theology. She does not, it is true, say, "Come quickly." He is coming forth in indisputable human glory, but the greatest care is taken to let us know that He had that which was above man above the creature; for "no man knoweth the Son but the Father." The great city was either guilty Jerusalem or Babylon. But according to His principle of government it is not merely personal guilt, but that which, from despising the testimony of God, is thus morally accumulating from age to age in the ratio of the testimony of God and the wickedness that has been indulged by men in spite of it. His armour; and that is a vesture dipped in blood, either his own blood, by which he purchased this mediatorial power, or the blood of his enemies, over whom he has always prevailed. This is just a statement telling us it will never be built servant, and of thy brethren that have the testimony of Jesus: worship God: for It is plain that what the verse contemplates is neither the Roman power when there was one head of the empire, nor the eastern or Byzantine part of it after that partition, nor the western state of division under the kings who succeeded the deposition of Augustulus; for in the medieval state there may have been ten kings (in contrast with the ancient state of the beast without them but no beast or imperial system with its chiefs. (a) He is faithful. At this point the evil world system has been destroyed and God's kingdom has No one really knows what the vowels in Y-H-W-H were. This is the meaning of "one hour with the beast.". In the tabernacle in Men are not regarded as composing this tabernacle; they co-exist. And there will the second Psalm come into play.