Revelation chapter 19
Heaven sings a song of victory. The marriage of the Lamb has arrived. A rider on a white horse appears.
HEAVEN SINGS A SONG OF VICTORY
VERSE 1. After these things I heard something like a loud voice of a great multitude in heaven, saying, “Hallelujah! Salvation, power, and glory belong to our God;
VERSE 2. for his judgments are true and righteous. For he has judged the great prostitute, who corrupted the earth with her sexual immorality, and he has avenged the blood of his servants at her hand.”
For he has judged the great prostitute. God has judged the political Babylon. It was incinerated.
VERSE 3. A second said, “Hallelujah! Her smoke goes up forever and ever.”
Hallelujah! The heavenly entities are celebrating that God has annihilated Babylon the Great.
smoke went up for ever and ever. Does this mean the city will smolder for all of eternity?
VERSE 4. The twenty-four elders and the four living creatures fell down and worshiped God who sits on the throne, saying, “Amen! Hallelujah!”
VERSE 5. A voice came from the throne, saying, “Give praise to our God, all you his servants, you who fear him, the small and the great!”
all you his servants. All people everywhere are called to celebrate the destruction of Babylon the Great.
THE MARRIAGE OF THE LAMB HAS ARRIVED
VERSE 6. I heard something like the voice of a great multitude, and like the voice of many waters, and like the voice of mighty thunders, saying, “Hallelujah! For the Lord our God, the Almighty, reigns!
the voice of a great multitude. That is, the shout. Some people say we need to shout our prayers.
VERSE 7. Let’s rejoice and be exceedingly glad, and let’s give the glory to him. For the marriage of the Lamb has come, and his wife has made herself ready.”
the marriage of the Lamb has come. What is this wedding feast of the Lamb
Some Catholics say it is the Mass. However, that interpretation falls drastically short of what is described in the Book of Revelation.
his wife has made herself ready. This probably means “the Church,” the collective body of professing Christians everywhere.
has made herself ready. What is it that all Christians everywhere do in order to prepare for this moment?
VERSE 8. It was given to her that she would array herself in bright, pure, fine linen: for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints.
the righteous acts of the saints. What Christians do is put their faith into practice.
The degree to which we lived our faith is the degree to which we are prepared.
We Christians say salvation is by faith. Yet the New Testament calls us to put our faith into action. Otherwise our faith is worthless. Read more »
VERSE 9. He said to me, “Write, ‘Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.’ ” He said to me, “These are true words of God.”
VERSE 10. I fell down before his feet to worship him. He said to me, “Look! Don’t do it! I am a fellow bondservant with you and with your brothers who hold the testimony of Jesus. Worship God, for the testimony of Jesus is the Spirit of Prophecy.”
I fell down before his feet to worship him. Encountering such heavenly greatness, John falls on his face to worship the angel. But that was the wrong thing to do.
John’s impulse is common among professing Christians. Even to this day, many people fall on their knees in prayer before a statue or icon.
They rationalize it by saying it is not worship but merely a special type of prayer. However, to an outside observer, it looks exactly like worship.
Look! Don’t do it! Even this awesome angel is not to be worshipped.
A RIDER ON A WHITE HORSE APPEARS
VERSE 11. I saw the heaven opened, and behold, a white horse, and he who sat on it is called Faithful and True. In righteousness he judges and makes war.
a white horse. In some cultures, it is held that the good guys ride a white horse. That idea might be connected to this verse.
Faithful and True. Who is it that could be named Faithful and True?
John 14:6. Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father, except through me.
VERSE 12. His eyes are a flame of fire, and on his head are many crowns. He has names written and a name written which no one knows but he himself.
He has names. This chapter reveals three names:
no one knows but he himself. The eternal Son of God goes by a name that none of us know. We might know the name “Jesus,” but that does not mean we know everything about the Eternal Son of God.
VERSE 13. He is clothed in a garment sprinkled with blood. His name is called “The Word of God.”
a garment sprinkled with blood. This evokes the image of the cross. It was on the cross that Jesus Christ shed his blood for us.
The Word of God. His name is the Λόγος τοῦ Θεοῦ (“logos tou theou), the Word of God. The Word of God is Jesus Christ.
This rider on the white horse is Jesus Christ!
The Bible refers to Jesus Christ as Savior and GOD. Read more »
VERSE 14. The armies which are in heaven followed him on white horses, clothed in white, pure, fine linen.
The armies which are in heaven. The Bible speaks of the Armies of Heaven. They are mighty warrior angels led by Michael the Archangel. They battle against evil. Read more »
clothed in white, pure, fine linen. In verse 8 above we noticed that fine linen correlates with putting your faith into practice.
In many cultures, the concept of whiteness is associated with cleanliness. And when they are baptized, most Christians wear a loose-fitting white robe.
It would be easy for a racist to use this verse to rationalize his racism.
VERSE 15. Out of his mouth proceeds a sharp, double-edged sword, that with it he should strike the nations. He will rule them with an iron rod. He treads the wine press of the fierceness of the wrath of God, the Almighty.
a sharp, double-edged sword. This is probably the Bible. It comes “out of his mouth.” That is, Jesus Christ “speaks” the Bible into existence.
The Bible is living and active. Sharper than a sword, it discerns our thoughts and intentions. Read more »
VERSE 16. He has on his garment and on his thigh a name written, “KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.”
on his garment and on his thigh. His name appears in two places.
KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS. Many people think of Jesus Christ as a helpless infant in the crib, or as the good shepherd, meek and mild. These popular images are gravely disappointing.
In this verse we see a fuller portrayal of Jesus Christ. Her is the exalted King of all Glory, in all his heavenly majesty.
VERSE 17. I saw an angel standing in the sun. He cried with a loud voice, saying to all the birds that fly in the sky, “Come! Be gathered together to the great supper of God,
I saw an angel standing in the sun. Angels are not subject to the limitations of our frail human existence.
This angel is standing in the sun. The sun is plasma heated to millions of degrees.
And the angel is visible. To be visible, the angel is shining even more brightly than the sun itself.
VERSE 18. that you may eat the flesh of kings, the flesh of captains, the flesh of mighty men, and the flesh of horses and of those who sit on them, and the flesh of all men, both free and slave, small and great.”
VERSE 19. I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against him who sat on the horse, and against his army.
gathered together to make war. There is yet another battle about to take place.
against him who sat on the horse. This battle is against Jesus Christ.
and against his army. Peripherally, the battle will include Christian believers. However, they are listed second; Jesus Christ is listed first.
VERSE 20. The beast was taken, and with him the false prophet who worked the signs in his sight, with which he deceived those who had received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image. These two were thrown alive into the lake of fire that burns with sulfur.
The beast was taken. This battle ends before it begins. The beast is taken prisoner.
and with him the false prophet. The false prophet is also taken prisoner.
thrown alive into the lake of fire that burns with sulfur. The Lake of Fire is the first eternal destination in the Book of Revelation. It is portrayed as a literal place. People are thrown into it alive. Read more »
VERSE 21. The rest were killed with the sword of him who sat on the horse, the sword which came out of his mouth. All the birds were filled with their flesh.
killed with the sword of him who sat on the horse. Evil people are killed with the Bible. It is probably a literal death of their physical body.
However, some people analogize this verse. They say evil character is “killed” by converting the person to faith in Jesus Christ.
REVELATION
CHAPTERS: 01, 02, 03, 04, 05, 06, 07, 08, 09, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22
RESOURCES: Summary, Outline, Memorize
Unless otherwise noted, all Bible quotations on this page are from the World English Bible and the World Messianic Edition. These translations have no copyright restrictions. They are in the Public Domain.