judgment. 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. ( Revelation 18:20). On the head of the victor Christ there are many crowns to show that he is lord of all the kingdoms of the earth. church (compare Matt. Scripture records no name whatever among those judged written there. Reuchlin. Here is seen the holy city coming down out of heaven from God, which is declared to be the bride, the Lamb's wife, in the plainest contrast with the great harlot. It was, as H. B. Swete puts it, like "the din of a vast concourse, the roar of a cataract, the roll of thunder.". ). Verse-by-Verse Bible Commentary Revelation 19. var _gaq = _gaq || []; The battle joined. Revelation 19:6 "And I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude, and as Once Jesus enters the battle, it is soon over. Polyglot, and all editions of the least critical value. And though they are but a seed, a There were two particular effects of her evil: the one, illicit commerce with the kings of the earth; the other, intoxicating the inhabitants of the earth with the wine of her fornication. Gods victory over a rebellious humanity and its satanic leaders is now pictured in a terrifying war (cf. Revelation 2:27; Revelation 12:5; Psalms 2:9; Psalms 45). He spoke these things into existence; the power of the Word of God.If we would only realize the power of the Word of God. The account given of Babylon inRevelation 17:1-18; Revelation 17:1-18 does not follow Revelation 14:1-20 or Revelation 16:1-21 in point of prophetic time, but differs from them in structure. "He has a name inscribed which no one knows but Himself." saints. but it does not follow that various bodies are not raised at different times. 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). I. Yes, all my gold stars, but Friday you blow it and you didn't get your prayer time in. So it is imputed righteousness given to you by your faith in Christ. 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. Sometimes they have contended for its application to pagan Rome. The word is pistos ( G4103) ; it means absolutely to be trusted. The word "rule" is "to shepherd" them, and the rod of iron is the club the shepherd used to fend off the wolves, bears, lions, etc. 1 Thessalonians 2:14-16 Commentary. Here it is the positive worship of the creature besides the Creator, yea, and notoriously more than He. And then comes the gathering and the battle. Here we learn at once of what His train consists. (Matthew 28:19-20, Mark 16:15-16; sharp . It is written to be believed, not to be ignored or explained away. He was filled with astonishment that this mysterious form of evil, this counter-testimony of the enemy (not antichrist, but antichurch), should seem and be largely accepted as the holy catholic church of God, that Christendom, if not Christianity, should at the same time become the bitterest of persecutors, more murderously incensed against the witnesses of Jesus and the saints of God than ever paganism had been in any country or all ages. Consequently, here we must most unquestionably go back to be shown an important object in the prophecy which could not, without interrupting its course, have been described before. 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. for they are singing a song that includes mention of salvation. 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. "[48] No "battle" of any kind takes place here. 19:9-10a And he said to me: "Write! "And fire came down out of heaven from God, and devoured them. In Christianity you have a God that is reaching out to man. 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 isn't that you have been faithful in your devotions, and you have witnessed to so many people, and read so many chapters of the Bible, and spent so many hours in prayer, and you have done all of the religious devotional things, not that at all. and could only be broken by divorce. To free men from the restraints that they may feel that have any kind of a Biblical base, so that you will not be feeling guilty over those things that are prohibited in the scriptures. It was the religious leaders that prompted the persecution against the church in its beginning and throughout history.There is even at the present time, one of the leaders of the YWAM program who has been charged in Greece with a charge of proselytizing, because he gave a Bible to a Greek sixteen-year old boy, and he has been charged in the Greek courts with proselytizing. (iv) There is fidelity. And it was so. These are the true sayings of God. The The prophecy centers around the person of Jesus Christ. Righteousness of saints: Not Christs imputed righteousness granted to A state of war has existed since the fall of Satan (compare verse 4, compare Dan. This being so, it adds immense clearness in the understanding of the book. (iv) It may be that here is a lingering relic of the old idea that to know the name of a divine being was to have a certain power over him. 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! Had he really penetrated under the surface, and seen that beneath the fair guise of Christendom the woman was, of all things under the sun, the most corrupt and hateful to God, it would not be so much to be surprised at. Finally they will destroy her. Whereas for the Jew, there are necessary dates and momentous changes that must take place; and hence, as Daniel represents the Jew, we have the difference kept up. Believers long for a world of justice and it will "And here is the mind which hath wisdom. He destroys the assembled rebels who have gathered together against Him. Clearly the same saints whom we have seen first set forth by the elders in heaven, subsequently by the elders and the living creatures, next, by the bride and the living creatures at the marriage-supper, and finally by the armies that followed the Lord out of heaven. Scholz's note ("rec. He remains in that condition of readiness from the time when He sat at God's right hand till the present. 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. Help us purchase electrical generators for churches. 19:3 And again they said, Alleluia And her smoke rose up for ever and ever. Indeed it must be so, because, as we read in the end of the last chapter, there the lost were cast. The living creatures are, from Revelation 5:1-14 coupled with the elders, as we find them in the beginning of Revelation 19:1-21. We have just seen that it is the eternal state. continually reigns. See [thou do it] not: I am thy fellow avenged the blood of his servants at her hand.". This brings in idolatry, real shameless idolatry too, not merely that subtle working of the idolatrous spirit that every Christian has to guard against. 1 Thessalonians 3:1-3 Commentary. 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.". The church was betrothed to Christ by His sovereign choice in eternity past ). There will be no time for seeking mercy, as it were: whatever the state in which the Lord at His coming will find us, all is closed up and fixed. 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. This is the Messiah of Jewish apocalyptic expectation far more than the Messiah whom Jesus claimed to be. Is not this reason enough for saying that not even the shadow of solid ground appears for the system? Antichrist and his henchmen are cast into the lake of fire; and all their supporters are slain, to await in Sheol the final judgment. The question is, why is she thus designated? . 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 ). Pilate said, "I find no fault in Him. In the Testament of Levi (5:5) Michael is said to be the angel who intercedes for Israel. To report dead links, typos, or html errors or suggestions about making these resources more useful use the convenient, Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology, Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament, Watson's Biblical & Theological Dictionary, International Standard Bible Encyclopedia. But it conserves certain great truths. He treaded the winepress As the grapes are trodden to express the juice, so his enemies shall be bruised and beaten, so that their life's blood shall be poured out. At the end of this time he will be released for a short while (20:1-3). Of course the application to the Roman empire would be immediately in the mind of any Christian at Rome. 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. Again John finds his picture in the prophetic words of the Old Testament, where it is said of the chosen king of God: "With righteousness he shall judge the poor" ( Isaiah 11:4). Then and thus is aggravated guilt in the case of this wicked son. He has saved us! That is, the sixth head (reigning then in John's day) was the imperial form of government. They picture the final triumph of God over all enemies and his complete conquest of evil. Verse 4. The glory of the kingdom does not preserve when men in their natural state are exposed to the adversary. This is the kind of double meaning of which the Greek language is capable. Preparations and celebrations were much more [Note: See David J. MacLeod, The Seven Last Things.] Like a novel, the storyline builds from front to back, with the characters, themes and plot elements introduced early and developed across many chapters. But the prophecy shows us the beast revived and the separate kings reigning for the same time, before divine judgment destroys them at the coming of Christ and His saints. The word is alethinos ( G228) and has two meanings. It was the religious leaders that insisted that the Roman government put Him to death. He just said it, "Let there be light," and light existed.And in the Hebrew it is even more intensive. All the dispensational names of God disappear. God uses them for this object,-the setting aside of her, the great religious corruptress, whose centre is found at Rome. But it fails to account for the differences. And after these things After this affecting representation of the certain destruction of Babylon, as the seat of the antichristian kingdom; I heard a great voice of much people in heaven A great chorus, who, with united voices, began to praise God on the occasion, saying, Alleluia That is, Praise ye Jehovah, or, He that is, and was, and is to come; a title which . In verse 1, this great voice from heaven was whom? The Spirit of God contrasts with the fall of Babylon the marriage. Let us bear this in mind. After the destruction of Babylon at 5:25-32). 19:13 He is clothed in a robe dipped in blood, and the name by which he is called is the Word of God. And if you are wise and involved in any kind of ministry at all when attention and adulation and these kinds of things come your way, you will be wise as the angel and say, "Don't worship me. For it is clear that, though principles might reign, to be priests is quite inconsistent with a mere figure. This verse declares it, and there is no other interpretation that can stand even a moment's fair discussion. Verse 2. He had a great desire to bring his brothers, Egyptian brothers to the knowledge of Jesus Christ. Let us rise up to serve The King of kings. 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. God is praised because salvation, glory, and power belong to him. The seventh bowl contained under it the fall of Babylon, which "was remembered before God, to give to her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of his wrath.". Verse 6. That is, it is simply an expression of the homage that they pay. So far they were right. Every day you should witness to at least two people. Go To Previous Section | Revelation 19:3 "And again they said, Alleluia. took on His righteousness. Hence this certainly must be future. "The Spirit of prophecy" and such it is all through the Revelation after the seven churches are done with "is the testimony of Jesus." Here are two further pictures of the warrior Christ. The Bible with its 66 books can be compared to a novel having 66 chapters. "And the dead were judged," but not out of the book of life, which has nothing to do with judgment. In short, it is as we saw in Revelation 17:1-18, after Babylon had been brought before us in the course of the prophecy. That kings had dallied with her, that the beast had once borne her up, will only turn to gall the more bitter to her, who, faithless to God, had staked the usurped and abused name of Christ to win what was now lost for ever. I believe that religion is vastly different from Christianity. But she has a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and the impurities of her fornication. His equipage: he is again described as sitting on a white horse, to show the equity of the cause, and certainty of success. The picture is not of an "iron rod" he uses to "club" or beat his sheep! They are all to reign concurrently with the beast. At the same time we are not at liberty to eliminate such a feature out of the description. Why did the angel tell John not to do this? and the fullness of the Gentiles will be brought in. He will tread the winepress of the anger of the wrath of God. (i) In certain circles of Judaism the angels had a very large place. The thousand years of peace and plenty will have given occasion for an ever-growing population, spite of a world thinned by divine judgments which open that era. 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. 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. the sea of glass, who had got the victory over the beast (Revelation 15:2), and *Most copies, it would seem, read , "of the earth;" the Alex. Revelation 14:19-20). THE SPIRIT OF PROPHECY ( Revelation 19:10 b). distinctions. 12:10; 22:2-14; John 3:29; 2 Cor. He has reserved the matter, though not without enough to guide our thoughts, as we have seen. God is going to be fair and just. John here was so awed by all of this that he fell at this angel's feet to Return to Revelation Menu | 12 It exercised all the authority of the first beast on its behalf, and made the earth and its inhabitants worship the first beast, whose fatal wound had been healed. The word is pantokrator ( G3841) , literally the one who controls all things. His secret name indicates his unique authority (11-12). Yet it will be found imperfect, for reasons which, I think, will be clear to any unbiassed mind. Here accordingly we have them all. That righteousness that God puts on my account because I believe in Jesus Christ. see that it is in connection with the foregoing not merely His coming for us who will keep the sayings of it, but for those whom He will find here below "to give to each as his work is.". 4:6). The same imagery of a wedding picture's the Lord's relationship with His Church. We have not to learn what the other mystery means; we know well that it is according to God and godliness. 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 ). In the Testament of Dan ( Daniel 6:2) the angel who intercedes for men is mentioned. I am not aware of any MS. in its favour, though some versions represent it. So, It is by his word that God created the earth and the heavens and everything in them. Do it not (compare 22:8-9). No one really knows what the vowels in Y-H-W-H were. I agree one hundred percent. Then heaven is opened, and for a sight most solemn. It is plain that they are not in this city. He uses a "staff" to gently nudge or guide his sheep. This web site explains the Book of Revelation, each individual scripture. - Hebrews 4:12; a sharp sword . Gates of hell can never Gainst that Church prevail. There is the basis for my righteousness. There are many who are not so; but the Lord does not forget them. They are joined by the twenty-four elders (Revelation 4). Read the verses thoughtfully. They begin to admire the instrument. Isaiah 63:3. The outer court represents the control of Jerusalem and Israel by Gentiles during the last half of the Tribulation period. Accordingly these are the two main objects of judgment brought before us in the chapter. 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. "The dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works." And Paul speaks of himself as betrothing the Church like a pure virgin to Christ ( 2 Corinthians 11:2), and for him the relationship of Christ to his Church is the great model of the relationship of husband and wife ( Ephesians 5:21-33). Betrothal (often when the couple were children); Presentation (the festivities, often lasting several days, that preceded the He is in charge of the Anastausus Ship, but he is facing a jail sentence of three and a half years in Greece because He gave a Bible to a sixteen-year old Greek boy and the boy accepted Jesus Christ as His Savior. It is simply said that the glorified are to follow the Lord in victorious power, and nothing more, "clothed in fine linen, white, pure." Man has always sinned in one or other of these two ways, looking now at sin in its broadest forms. inhabitants of the Roman empire into wicked and idolatrous practices, and so The angels are never "called," although they may be "chosen;" and though termed holy, I do not recollect that they are ever spoken of as "faithful." discover_revelation@charter.net, Revelation chapter 19 and 20 John 1:1-5; Revelation 2:16; Revelation 19:15, Revelation 19:21. cf. The folly of Satan thinking that he would be able to fight against God. "At the last day" does not mean merely an instant of time. It is remarkable, that all along this book, idolatry and There was never a time when the Christian was called upon to undergo such suffering and to accept so continually the prospect of a cruel death. And they shall bring the glory and honour of the nations unto it. "Amen," they said, "Hallelujah!" They have the capacity to stand in the sun. Unhallowed love will end in hatred. Bad as pagan Rome was, it would be false to affirm that it ever had come out of the bottomless pit. Worship God." (3) But there is a time coming when power will cease to be ordained of God; and this is the point to which the last condition of the beast refers. These are not references to the merciful and benign reign of Christ through his saints on earth in the present dispensation, but to the final wrath and judgment of God upon the ungodly. "Praise our God," says the voice, "all you his servants, you who fear him." - CBSC, the winepress . The Psalmist says of the Messianic king: "You shall break them with a rod of iron, and dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel" ( Psalms 2:9). It is one of those cases which every now and then appear where God checks and reproves our foolish curiosity, as He alone knows how to do perfectly. The judgment on Rome is the guarantee that God never in the end abandons his own. Angels we know from other scriptures will be there, but of this we hear nothing here. And God said, "Let the water bring forth and let the earth bring forth." [Note: Thomas, Revelation 8-22, p. 381, 567-85.] The final shout is the praise of the host of the redeemed. It is to be supposed that it will far exceed anything yet seen on the face of the earth. It clearly contrasts this mystery with another. Creature lights are gone. Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Revelation 19:1-4. THE TE DEUM OF THE REDEEMED ( Revelation 19:6-8 ). [shepherd] . Jesus replaced the filth with His righteousness. "Upon her forehead was a name written, Mystery, Babylon the great, the mother of the harlots and of the abominations of the earth.". Verse 12 . Verse Revelation 19:15. "And the ten horns which thou sawest upon the beast." The 21 To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne. And a voice came from the throne = is not explicitly identified. Nor is there any real reason to wonder at their deriving help from partial light. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me. And they also lasted much longer. Nothing of the sort can be plainer. This is in total contrast to the harlot Babylon. 13 And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God. the holy city Jerusalem. "And the Spirit and the bride say, Come." oceans will become thick, dark, and coagulated, like the blood of a corpse. Revelation 2. But the graphic account does not end until the Spirit of God shows us another view of Babylon altogether. Five reasons for their praise emerge: (1) We may surely say her cup was not yet full. A single verse dispels clouds of arguments. John's age knew all about the perversion of justice; no one could expect justice from a capricious heathen tyrant. What about little babies?" shall be their shepherd, as in Revelation 2:27, Revelation 12:5 Of course in all three places the reference is to Psalms 2:9. Verse 10. and others give , "of her." The wrath of God is fierce! The book of life will confirm what is gathered from the books. Supposing, for instance, a drunken father: if the sons had one spark of right feeling, not only must they feel the utmost shame and pain on account of their parent, but they would endeavour (like the sons of Noah who had a due sense of what was proper to their father) to cast some mantle of love over that which they could not deny, yet would not look at, but surely above all things they would watch against that shameful sin. Nothing more is to be done. For a short time (what a mercy that it must be only for a short time!) The "things to come" are synonymous with death. Tribulation saints. It is really differing imagery Besides the bride thus arrayed, "He saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage-supper of the Lamb." There may be lights of the heaven to mark times and seasons for the earth, and again on the earth. II. We can understand a remnant saved out of one or more nations; but who ever heard of "nations of them which are saved"? 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. There are always those who are ready to challenge the fairness of it. "Let him that heareth say, Come." He knows A further account of the triumphant song of angels and saints for the fall of Babylon, ver 1-4. So we find the Lord has room for all that is the fruit of His own grace only, for the appeal of grace, even when there is not the answer to it.