Revelation Chapter Nineteen
1And 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:
Author: After the judgment pronounced upon the Great Harlot and her merchants is stated, then the people of heaven rejoice and sing praises to their Deliverer – Jesus. These people in heaven are God’s people who dwell in heaven by faith in Jesus. “But God, who is rich in mercy, for His great love wherewith He loved us, even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) and hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.” Ephesians 2:4-7. This text states that we sit together in Christ in heavenly places, even though we still remain physically here on Earth. Since our hearts and minds dwell in heaven by faith, God allows us to praise Him as though we were already there.
2For 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.
Author: God’s people proclaim that He was righteous in His judgments upon the Great Whore because she corrupted the earth with her evil doings, and He has avenged the blood of His servants who died by her decisions.
3And again they said, Alleluia And her smoke rose up for ever and ever.
Author: Again God’s people cried out praises to God for the smoke, or the testimony, of her destruction ascended up forever and ever. God does not grant eternal life to those who do not want to be around Him. God does grant eternal life to the righteous. (Romans 6:23). Forever and ever means as long as one shall live (I Samuel 1:22, 28; Jonah 2:6; Malachi 4:1-3), it does not mean that the wicked violate the criteria of Romans 6:23.
4And the four and twenty elders and the four beasts fell down and worshipped God that sat on the throne, saying, Amen; Alleluia.
Author: The four beasts and the twenty four elders, God’s heavenly witnesses, also testify that God is good and they worshipped Him on His throne.
5And a voice came out of the throne, saying, Praise our God, all ye his servants, and ye that fear him, both small and great.
Author: We receive instruction from the throne of God to praise God, we who are His servants, and we who fear and love Him, both small and great.
6And I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude, and as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of mighty thunderings, saying, Alleluia: for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth.
Author: And John heart the testimony of a great multitude of people, which are the voices of the many waters (Revelation 17:15), praising God and singing Alleluia, for the Lord God omnipotent reigns in the heavens and in the earth.
7Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready.
Author: The reason for the praise for God is that He has accomplished a miracle. God has prepared His bride for Jesus. She has allowed herself to accept the power and grace of Jesus and now she is ready and she has made it through the time of trouble and has not sinned against God. (Revelation 14:1-5, 13-16; 15:1-4). Since the Bride of the Lamb is ready now the marriage can occur.
8And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints.
Author: The bride, or the
9And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he saith unto me, These are the true sayings of God.
Author: Since the
10And I fell at his feet to worship him. 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: for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.
Author: When John saw, and heard, all of these things, he fell at the feet of the angel revealing all these things, and he wanted to worship the angel. The angel forbade this worship for he also is a created being and our worship is to go to God only. A true angel of God will not allow anyone to worship them. A false angel, like Satan, will request or demand worship. (See Matthew 4:1-11). The angel then explains that he is a fellowservant, and that he is not God, to whom all of our worship should go to. Then the angel states that those who reveal these things have the gift of the spirit of prophecy that comes from the Holy Spirit. They cannot generate such things on their own.
11And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war.
Author: Then John saw a white horse and the Rider on that horse was Jesus. This picture of heaven brings us back to the first seal in Revelation 6:2. That which Jesus started He is finishing. He started out with His church in battle (Zechariah 10:3) and He will bring her to the end and deliver her from the battle; for He will fight for her and deliver her. (Exodus 15:1-19).
12His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself.
Author: He who rides the horse has eyes like a flame of fire. This text refers us back to the identity of Christ in Revelation 1:4; 2:18; 5:6. The fire symbolizes judgment as signified in Malachi 3:2 and Matthew 3:17. In addition this picture of Jesus signifies that He owns all crowns for He is King of all things. He has more crowns than the triple tiara of the papacy which claims to be king of heaven, earth, and under the earth. Jesus also has a name that only He knows, and to those whom He especially reveals it to. (Revelation 3:12).
13And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God.
Author: In this text Jesus is again identified as the Word of God. (John 1:1-3, 14). He also refers us back to His position as One Whose vesture is dipped in blood. This is a statement both of His position as the Lamb of God whose vesture was dipped in His own blood at Calvary (Genesis 37:31; Leviticus 9:9; Psalms 22:18; Matthew 27:35; John 19:24), and it would be a testimony of Jesus coming at the head of His armies to take vengeance upon His enemies at the Battle of Armageddon. (Psalm 68:23; Isaiah 63:1-6).
14And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean.
Author: This is another symbol of God’s church. We noticed in Revelation 19:1 that God’s people can be in heaven and on earth at the same time. Here God’s armies, His church, are riding on white horses as well clothed in the righteousness of the saints given to them by Jesus. These peoples follow Him like the 144,000 in Revelation 14:4.
15And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.
Author: And out of the mouth of Jesus goes a sharp sword which is the Word of God. (Ephesians 6:17). God states that He will rule them with a rod of iron. This refers us back to the Old Testament where God uses this word – Rod – to describe the power and comfort of the rod in the hand of Moses under God’s instruction, as a symbol of His leadership. A rod of iron would be His unyielding power to rule the nations in behalf of His kingdom and His people. Then God refers to Jesus treading the winepress of judgment in the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. God has ordained that this would be done and that time has come in Revelation Nineteen. (Isaiah 63:1-6; Revelation 14:17-20)
16And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.
Author: Here Jesus is identified as King of Kings and Lord of Lords. This name is written in a similar manner as His adversary Babylon in Revelation 17:5. This name is capitalized for emphasis and for authority. Jesus is all of these things and He is the ruler of the universe.
17And I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the fowls that fly in the midst of heaven, Come and gather yourselves together unto the supper of the great God;
Author: Here God reminds us of His prophecy against Gog and Magog in Ezekiel 38-39. God promises that the opposing army will lose and that they will die and be available to be eaten as it decomposes in death.
18That ye may eat the flesh of kings, and the flesh of captains, and the flesh of mighty men, and the flesh of horses, and of them that sit on them, and the flesh of all men, both free and bond, both small and great.
Author: As the Image to the Beast tried to make all mankind worship the Beast (Revelation 13:7-16), so God will pass judgment on all mankind and they will die in the last great battle against God.
19And 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.
Author: This text describes the last interaction between the armies of Babylon and the armies of Israel – the church of God. The outcome is as certain as the battle between Egypt and Israel in Exodus 15. God will deliver His people, His holy church, from the armies that the three demons of Revelation 16:12-14 have called. He, and His people, will win in this great battle of God Almighty. They will be destroyed by the plagues of Revelation 16, by the hail (Joshua 10:11; Isaiah 30:30; Ezekiel 13:11; 38:22). This destruction takes place at the second coming of Jesus.
20And 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. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone.
Author: This destruction takes place at the third coming of Jesus after the thousand years of Revelation 20:1-15.
21And the remnant were slain with the sword of him that sat upon the horse, which sword proceeded out of his mouth: and all the fowls were filled with their flesh.
Author: Those who remain after the destruction of the seven last plagues will be destroyed by the brightness of His coming (II Thessalonians 2:8) and with the spirit of His mouth – His declarations of truth. All who have not accepted Jesus will die at the second coming of Jesus and there will be nobody left alive on earth. (See Isaiah 13:6-13 the earth will be moved out of its place and the sun, moon, and stars will not give their light; Isaiah 24:1 the earth will be turned upside down and empty of life; Isaiah 24:19-23 all mankind will be gathered into the pit of death; Jeremiah 25:30-33 the slain of the Lord will be from one end of the earth to the other and they shall not be lamented or gathered; See also Jeremiah 4:23-27; 16:4). All of the righteous will be with Jesus and will be taken up into His cloud and will go to heaven for a thousand years to judge the wicked. (I Thessalonians 5:13-18; John 14:1-3; Acts 1:9-11; Revelation 20:1-2).
Conclusion: Jesus is the Deliverer who will come to defend His people from the Whore, and all of her followers. Jesus will come, save us, and then take us to heaven for a thousand years. He will discuss this phase in more details in the next chapter of Revelation.