Verse 9. "Owr hayah owr hayah", "Light be and light was". His Kingship is universal--But one thing remains--that the enemies of His people be consigned to their doom. These are those saved before Pentecost, Thus everything implies their simultaneous presence for the same time and common action with the beast, in plundering and then destroying Babylon. (a) He is faithful. Now the scene totally changes to heaven. Such was her influence stretching out far beyond the beast. * It is to Him that God has given all judgment not necessarily to us. Whoever this angel is, he too had the testimony of Jesus. The answer: because it's the final book of the Bible. In Judaism there was increasingly stressed the transcendence of God, because of that it was increasingly felt that man needed some intermediary. We may surely say her cup was not yet full. As for the earthly land and city, the moon will have her light increased to that of the sun, and the sun shall be sevenfold. And so it is with this very Babylon that comes before us here. The twenty-four elders were prominent in the early visions ( Revelation 4:4; Revelation 4:10; Revelation 5:6; Revelation 5:11; Revelation 5:14; Revelation 7:11; Revelation 11:16; Revelation 14:3) as were the four living creatures ( Revelation 4:6-9; Revelation 5:6-14; Revelation 6:1-7; Revelation 7:11; Revelation 14:3; Revelation 15:7). And God said, "Let the water bring forth and let the earth bring forth." It will help to show us that, whatever may have been the past conditions of Babylon, there is a future one; and it is in that future one that Babylon is to perish. The visions of this prophetic book open, not with the rapture of saints to heaven, but the sight of saints already raptured, often before the seer in the visions, but seen always in a complete condition without addition to their number. There stands the solemn brand graven, not on the blasphemous beast, but on the forehead of its rider, "Mystery, Babylon the great." In it, the Church, Here we see the chaste virgin Lit. - CBSC, a sharp sword . "And the nations shall walk in the light of it: and the kings of the earth do bring their glory and honour unto it. This disposes of many a web of comments; for we find at once what is perfectly simple, what any child of God who believes this to be the word of God must own. And God said is the recurring phrase in the narrative of creation ( Genesis 1:3; Genesis 1:6; Genesis 1:9; Genesis 1:14; Genesis 1:26). Revelation 19 - Jesus Returns as Conquering Lord A. In the coming of the Lord all include His coming to the habitable earth. They were caught in flagrant treason and rebellion: what further need of any process of judgment whatsoever? "Five are fallen, one is, the other hath not yet come." There is no expression in the word of God which binds all to rise at the same instant. And so the first two inhabitants of Gehenna will be the antichrist and his prophet and they will be the soul inhabitants, it would seem, for a thousand years. We can see that, for instance, in the old story in which Jacob filched Esau's blessing from Isaac ( Genesis 27:1-46). Judgments: Saints long for the day of judgment (compare 6:10; 16:7; Isa. Revelation 19 New International Version Threefold Hallelujah Over Babylon's Fall 19 After this I heard what sounded like the roar of a great multitude in heaven shouting: "Hallelujah! If Christianity does not bring joy, it does not bring anything. I do not suppose that many words are required by the present audience to show that we are not to understand the scene as a mere figure of Christianity. 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." Second was the presentation which was a time of festivities just before the In general this has been either passed over in the chapter, or some unsatisfactory inference has been flung out, which can only embroil the prophecy. "The nations shall walk in the light of it," Any one of spiritual judgment can see that it should not be "nations of them which are saved." The word used for sitting down is the word for reclining at a meal. And the Spirit and the bride say, Come: and let him that heareth say, Come: and let him that is athirst come: let him that will take the water of life freely." It should not be "and which had not," but rather, "and those who had not worshipped the beast, nor his image, neither had received his mark upon their forehead, and on their hand; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years." Any other intermediary than Jesus Christ between God and man must be utterly opposed. We usually pronounce it JEHOVAH; but the vowels in Jehovah are really those of the Hebrew word 'Adonay ( H136) , which means Lord, the name by which the Jews called God in order to avoid pronouncing the sacred name. "After these things I heard as it were a great voice of a great crowd in heaven, saying, Alleluia, the salvation, and the glory, and the power of our God: for true and righteous [are] his judgments: because he judged the great harlot, which did corrupt the earth with her fornication, and avenged the blood of his servants at her hand. That is, there was first the literal Babylon, of course; but here it is symbolical. The picture is of the warrior Christ trampling the grapes so as to produce the wine of the wrath of God, which his enemies must drink to their doom. Revelation 19 begins with a multitude in heaven singing a doxology to God. Thus the only use that seems made of the book is negative and exclusive. We shall find, on the contrary, its aspect is toward the universe, yet is there the special place of Israel; and quite right it is that it should be so. It is suggested that it is actually written on his thigh, because it was sometimes the custom to engrave the titles of statues on the thigh. The picture is of all men sitting down at the Messianic Banquet of God. He will tread the winepress of the anger of the wrath of God the Almighty. They lived, and were put therefore into a place and condition suitable for reigning with Christ, no less than the Old Testament saints and the church itself. Here is most likely the multitude of the angels, first in the Te Deum of praise. Verse 5. There follows praise from the twenty-four elders and the four living creatures. They were shouting, ' Praise the Lord our God! In my opinion it is not absolutely so. "Called" is most evidently inapplicable, because calling supposes that the person is brought out of one condition and raised into another and a better one. Certainly the ascription to the Lord of the fierce struggles of a human warrior is markedly avoided. The worst of all sins is to teach others to sin. rather than differing reality. These events are in chronological sequence, as will become clear. It is called "the first resurrection." He equally expresses what God is. It can govern and bless but not convert man. the remnant were slain with the sword of him that sat upon the horse ( Revelation 19:21 ). The wrath of God is fierce! The application to old pagan Rome is harsh and purposeless enough; but the attempt to refer it to Jerusalem is of all schemes the most absurd; for, far from being borne up by the imperial power, Jerusalem was trodden down by it. Literally "fierceness of the wrath". He wrote several tracts and was instrumental in leading several Muslims from their religion to a real relationship with God in Jesus Christ. 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. Revelation 19 is the nineteenth chapter of the Book of Revelation or the Apocalypse of John in the New Testament of the Christian Bible. "They have one mind, and give their own power and authority to the beast." They themselves were to judge. No one really knows what the vowels in Y-H-W-H were. Now, this law that has the backing of the Greek Orthodox Church, or it was instituted because of the Greek Orthodox Church against proselytization, is the law that they used to charge him.In Egypt it is a capital offense to lead a Muslim to a faith in Jesus Christ. His attributes: he is faithful and true to his covenant and promise, he is righteous in all his judicial and military proceedings, he has a penetrating insight into all the strength and stratagems of his enemies, he has a large and extensive dominion, many crowns, for he is King of kings, and Lord of lords. In her own course, and in the matters of her portion, the church does not know time at all. Supper), who will turn to Christ in "I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled; and place was not found for them." How can it be said that this vile, corrupt, idolatrous system of the last days was guilty of the blood of all martyrs? It is a time of strong delusion, be it remembered. pl.") Let me just first emphasise again, God. For who knows not the horrors of Mariolatry? The letters Y-H-W-H (Yahweh) are called the sacred tetragrammaton, the sacred four letters. "And to the bride was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousnesses of saints." Two sets of people are called on to praise God. Jeremiah hears God say and appeal: "Return, O faithless children, for I am your master" ( Jeremiah 3:14). T. S. Kepler comments: "The moral law can no more be broken than the law of gravity; it can only be illustrated." "So he carried me away in the Spirit into a wilderness" a thorough waste as to the knowledge or enjoyment of God. And they shall bring the glory and honour of the nations unto it. I am not raising any question about the ten. 19:9-10a And he said to me: "Write! pure and faithful, never a harlot, like Israel was (see Hosea chapter 2). I think, therefore, that the elders and the living creatures comprehend both the Old Testament saints and the church, the bride of Christ, that consequently, when the bride is mentioned, there were these others who had been included in the elders and the living creatures, but who are now seen as a separate body. The reason is given at the close; not only "by thy sorcery were all the nations deceived," but above all "in her was found [the] blood of prophets and saints, and of all the slain upon the earth.". They begin to worship, in a sense, the instrument that God has used. Revelation 11:15-19. 11:2; Eph. This is predicted in Numbers 24:17 and on account of this the nations will be angry under the sounding of the seventh trumpet, with which this vision is contemporary, Revelation 11:18. I am the, Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. It is remarkable, that all along this book, idolatry and There are times when John sees the Lord himself. News Links, Recommended Books, News Sites, and Bibles Here we learn at once of what His train consists. Verse 7. THE TE DEUM OF THE ANGELS ( Revelation 19:1-2 ), 19:1-2 After these things I heard what sounded like a great voice of a vast multitude in heaven. "Yet is" is a most unfortunate expression. So, God has judged the false religious system that corrupted the earth with her spiritual fornication. In short, no testimony can avail, no work, power, or glory without the word of God applied by the Spirit of God. 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. The pronoun he is emphaticHe Himself, by Himself, as is there expressed. These twenty-four elders, I believe, as I said before, are two groups of twelve, Spirit of prophecy: The person and message of Jesus is the 5:25-32). Revelation 19:3 "And again they said, Alleluia. "Your Maker is your husband; the Lord of hosts is his name," says Isaiah ( Isaiah 54:5). 12:10; 13:9; and Roman The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. Hence this certainly must be future. 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. 4:13-18). And he shall rule them with a rod of iron; use them with the utmost severity; the phrase is taken out of Psalms 2:9 a prophecy of Christ, and mentioned twice before in this book, Psalms 2:9- :. The fact is, in the very best authorities it does not exist at all. purified at the judgment seat of Christ (1 Cor. Both small and great: All distinctions and ranks are to be transcended. Who were they? Just like, as many other places Then the angel quickly tells John not to worship him. Hence arose the prominence of angels. and in righteousness he doth judge and make war ( Revelation 19:11 ). THE KING rides at the head of His armies. Jesus Christ. 1. When I take it, therefore, that God intended this analogy to be noted by us; that it is not a pursuance of the prophecy, but a description of the holy city previously named, just as the other was a description of the corrupt city, whose judgment had been announced. I saw still another mighty angel coming down from heaven, clothed with a cloud. It was the destruction of the imperial unity of Rome that gave occasion for the well-known ten kingdoms which the barbarians set up afterwards. The victory gained by the great and glorious head of the church: The beast and the false prophet, the leaders of the army, are taken prisoners, both he who led them by power and he who led them by policy and falsehood; these are taken and cast into the burning lake, made incapable of molesting the church of God any more; and their followers, whether officers or common soldiers, are given up to military execution, and made a feast for the fowls of heaven. Otherwise, it is called in the scriptures, Gehenna, which is the final abode for the unrighteous dead. Zerubbabel led the first group of Jews, numbering 42,360, who returned from the Babylonian . He speaks and it is done. Help us purchase electrical generators for churches. Fell at his feet: Overwhelmed by the grandeur of the vision, John collapsed in He remains in that condition of readiness from the time when He sat at God's right hand till the present. When the beast dares to fight with the Lamb He shall overcome the beast; and they that are with Him, "called and chosen and faithful" terms, as a whole, entirely inapplicable to the angels. Therefore we find in connection with the book a most solemn warning. With this agrees His coming out of heaven in judgment of the earth, described inRevelation 19:1-21; Revelation 19:1-21. It was not merely a vocable or sound dropped heedlessly from unthinking lips. John 1:1-5; Revelation 2:16; Revelation 19:15, Revelation 19:21. cf. "The dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works." and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God; the fierce wrath of God against sinners is compared to a winepress; and the wicked antichristian party are likened to clusters of grapes; who being ripe for destruction, are cast into it, and pressed, squeezed, and trodden down by the mighty power of Christ, the Word of God, whose vesture is therefore before said to be dipped in blood; the same metaphor is used in Revelation 14:19 the allusion seems to be to Isaiah 63:3. Thomas viewed the second coming of Christ plus everything else through Revelation 22:5 as part of the seventh bowl judgment. In Christianity you have a God that is reaching out to man. Even man himself when he was innocent in Eden was not called. God wants a loving relationship, not religion. Revelation. Choose a verse from 'Revelation 19' to begin your 'Verse-by-Verse' study of God's Word using the more than 100 commentaries available on StudyLight.org. 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. It is by the sword that goes out of his mouth. "Let him that heareth," then, "say, Come." To this the vision now proceeds at verse 17. The word of God, Hebrews 4:12, Ephesians 6:17 Indicates the power of Gods words, cf. church (Acts 2:1ff). It was the religious leaders that insisted that the Roman government put Him to death. Victorious power put forth to subdue is the meaning of the white horse. All is then fixed. After a thousand years then they will be joined by Satan and the rest of the satanic beings or the angelic beings that joined with Satan in his rebellion against God. In ancient times, a marriage was the single greatest celebration and social It is impossible to refer it to the past with any show even of reasonable probability, I will not say of reality or truth. 2:18-19). And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and in them the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb." judgment seat of Christ (compare 1 Cor. discover_revelation@charter.net [shepherd] . We have already met this description in Revelation 1:14 and Revelation 2:18. You worship God. He will not fail to take up the gage He has given our hearts. (John 12:48). He uses a "staff" to gently nudge or guide his sheep. The multitude in heaven praises God for judging the great whore (Babylon, the This bloodthirsty picture is again far more in line with Old Testament apocalyptic expectations than with the gospel of Jesus Christ. But he ought to have withstood it I do not mean in vengeance (for that belongs to the Lord), but as holily hating the sin itself, yet withal in the deepest compassion for his parent. So here is the praise being given to God and now the encouragement for that praise coming from the throne of God. the Bride of Christ, is the guest of honor at the marriage of the Lamb in heaven ceremony); (3) That city will be a constant remembrancer of those who went before restored Israel here below, as undoubtedly it will be used for their blessing during the millennium, but not for theirs only. this that is glorious in his apparel, traveling in the greatness of his strength?" "* There is no thought of making such a paradox to perplex the mind. place on earth following the return of Christ (20:4; compare Matt. Second, he came from a world in which it was believed that God did not interest himself directly but made his contact through the demons (daimon, G1142) , by means of whom he controlled the natural forces and acted upon men. Why did the angel tell John not to do this? Verse 4. He had a great desire to bring his brothers, Egyptian brothers to the knowledge of Jesus Christ. The word used here for crown is diadema ( G1238) , which is the royal crown, as opposed to stephanos ( G4735) which is the crown of victory. 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. The color of crushed grapes reminded the ancients of blood, death, and battle! It is not now lightnings and thunders and voices. Worship God." to Christ in faith during the Tribulation (compare Jer. Take this quite simply and literally. Godly people love righteousness and hate sin, for righteousness i. See [thou do it] not: I am thy fellow It is the divine judgment of man eternal judgment. Revelation 19:1 "And after these things I heard a great voice of much people in Verse 2. It has been suggested that the name is either embroidered on his girdle or engraved on his sword hilt. The voice of this great multitude was as the voice of __________ ______________. There. millennial kingdom and last throughout that 1000 year period (compare 21:2). in the Bible, "her" does not mean just women, it is the bride. And out of His mouth goes a sharp sword by which these rebellious armies are destroyed. 2. God will judge Israel, namely, Jews living when He returns (Ezekiel 20:33-38), and the Gentiles living then (Matthew 25:31-46). Let it be carefully observed here that the first resurrection does not mean all rising exactly at the same moment. 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 series of Psalms from Psalms 113:1-9; Psalms 114:1-8; Psalms 115:1-18; Psalms 116:1-19; Psalms 117:1-2; Psalms 118:1-29 were called the Hallel (compare H1984) , the Praise God, and were part of the essential education of every Jewish lad. . The principle is very clear. Patience or endurance of hope is what becomes us. In the midst of the broadway of it, and of the river, on this side and on that, [the] tree of life," bearing not merely as the original one did, but now according to the fulness of the provision of God's grace for man, for man in glory first, but for man on the earth also, but for man in glory "producing twelve fruits, in each month yielding its fruit: and the leaves of the tree for the healing of the nations." For there follows another company of martyrs who suffered when the beast set up his worst and final pretensions. They picture the final triumph of God over all enemies and his complete conquest of evil. We must therefore look a little into the two objects Babylon and the beast. When the apostle Paul wrote to the, saints at Rome, he particularly specified at that very time the duty of absolute subjection on the part of Christians to the powers which then were. That is why religions fail. "And so here we see Him, clothed in a vesture dipped in blood. "I heard a great voice out of heaven, saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God" (alluding to this very city) "[is] with men." Here is one of the most dramatic moments in the Revelation, the emergence of the conquering Christ. They will then treat her with contempt and shameful exposure. "And he had a name written, that no man knew but he himself." Verse 11 . If you preach on prophecy, you are bringing the testimony of Jesus. Unhallowed love will end in hatred. "Surely I come quickly." and so forth. but it does not follow that various bodies are not raised at different times. and believers alive in earthly bodies in the kingdom. 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. That glorious prediction of breaking the serpent's head was the stay and support of the patriarchal age; and the many prophecies there were concerning the Messiah to come were the gospel of the Old Testament. Now the scene totally changes Consequently Christianity, as being directly aggressive on the falsehood of heathenism, was of all things the most offensive to Rome. She followed and had inherited the spirit of all, from the days of Cain, who had lifted up their hands against their righteous brethren. Rev. 1 Thessalonians 2:10-12 Commentary. He just said it, "Let there be light," and light existed.And in the Hebrew it is even more intensive. marriage is the eternal union of the church with Christ following the Rapture The salvation of God should awaken the gratitude of man; the glory of God should awaken the reverence of man; the power of God is always exercised in the love of God and should, therefore, awaken the trust of man. giving God glory for a fifth reason, the marriage of the Lamb has come. overwhelming understanding of Who this is. His name: The Word of God, a name that none fully knows but himself, only this we know, that this Word was God manifest in the flesh; but his perfections are incomprehensible by any creature. "For the glory of God enlightened it, and the Lamb is the lamp thereof." Link with Johns vision of Revelation 19:11-16 a meditation on the Hymn "Crown Him with many crowns" and also the stirring Hymn "Onward Christian soldiers." There is a contrast with the scarlet and gold of the great harlot. We do not have to pretend to be something we are The Word of God is alive and powerful, sharper than any two-edged sword. [Note: Thomas, Revelation 8-22, p. 381, 567-85.] which sword proceeds out of his mouth: and all the fowls were filled with their flesh ( Revelation 19:21 ). The weapons of his warfare--A sharp sword proceeding from his mouth (Revelation 19:15; Revelation 19:15), with which he smites the nations, either the threatenings of the written word, which now he is going to execute, or rather his word of command calling on his followers to take a just revenge on his and their enemies, who are now put into the wine-press of the wrath of God, to be trodden under foot by him. Yet one allows freely a partial application already. It calls God the Almighty. Here is the idea in Hebrews 4:12: "The word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword.". 11:25-27). This is in total contrast to the harlot Babylon. Of course they will be preserved through that crisis in some sort of way suitable to divine wisdom. })(); Return to Revelation Menu | Idealists feel that Revelation relates primarily to the church between the first and second coming of Christ. "Come," he said, "assemble for the great feast which God will give you, that you may eat the flesh of kings, and the flesh of captains, and the flesh of mighty men, and the flesh of horses and of those who ride them, and the flesh of all men, both free men and slaves, both small and great.". To a Jew a word was not merely a sound; it did things. Centuries after came in, not only the division into east and west, but the broken up state of the west, when there ceased to be an imperial chief. - Utley. corrupted and destroyed them in soul, body, and estate. Apart from his return to purge his creation of evil, redemption remains forever incomplete." The race was now in the resurrection state either for good or for evil; and thus it must be for ever. Revelation chapter 19 English Standard Version 1 After this I heard what seemed to be the loud voice of a great multitude in heaven, crying out, "Hallelujah! 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 ). is a word to him that hears. come (verse 15; 2:27; 12:5). The church goes on according to the will of the Lord, who might according to His own purpose lengthen or abridge the space. 19:3 And again they said, Alleluia And her smoke rose up for ever and ever. is a myth. . It is not the magnitude of each voice. I find no fault in Him" ( Luke 23:14 ). III. You can trust in this that these are the true sayings of God. But now, when those symbols disappear, because of a new action of God (namely, the consummation of the church's joy), the elders and the living creatures disappear, and we have not the bride alone, but another class of saints, who at once come forward. Hence a song of praise from the twenty-four elders and the four living creatures is a Te Deum from the whole of the Church and the whole of nature. Some evade the difficulty by referring the desolation to the Gothic powers; and these Protestants, as if they were mere Praeterists! - CBSC. there is rejoicing and giving of honor. union of the church with Christ following the Rapture (see 1 Thess. So, I will be clothed in linen, pure and white and clean. groom prepared for his bride. But alas! Jude 1. (i) It can mean the witness which the Christian bears to Jesus Christ. 19 And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse, and against his army. We have just seen that it is the eternal state. But "nations of them which are saved," is a most anomalous expression, and betrays man as the author of it. 19:4 And the twenty-four elders and the four living creatures fell down and worshiped God who sits on the throne saying, "Amen. He is an American citizen and his base is in Sunland, California. (i) John sees Christ as the conqueror. But it is what each saint has, though the blessed thought here is that the church has it not merely in the way of each person possessing his own; the bride has the whole of it (that is, the church in glory). It is simply said that the glorified are to follow the Lord in victorious power, and nothing more, "clothed in fine linen, white, pure." . In the . She will despise everything really divine; she will only use whatever of God's word she can pervert for increasing her own importance, and gaining a greater ascendancy over the consciences of men, and enjoying herself more luxuriously in this world; for she will go far to obliterate all remembrance of heaven, and to make this world a kind of paradise which she embellishes, not with pure and undefiled religion, but with the arts of men and the idolatries of the world. That is something that God will never have to do, apologize. What's amazing is that the Father never calls His Son "My God," though there are at least 7 times in the NT where Jesus called the Father "My God." twice on the cross, once on resurrection morning with Mary, and 4 times in Revelation 3.12.