REVELATION 19
One of the three main themes of the book of Revelation is the constant worship of God. In Revelation 4:8-11, after John saw an open door in heaven, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders worshiped God the Father. In Revelation 5:9-14, after the Lamb took the scroll with the seven seals from the Father, the angels join the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders in worshiping the Son. In Revelation 7:9-12, the multitude from every nation which came out of the great tribulation and the angels worshiped the Father and the Son. In Revelation 11:16-18, after the seventh trumpet, the twenty-four elders again worshiped God. The 144,000 who were sealed in chapter 7 sing a new song to God in Revelation 14:2-3, a song no one else can learn and whose contents we do not know. In Revelation 15:2-4, those who conquered the beast sang the song of Moses and the song of the Lamb. To these six passages of worship, we now add a seventh, the worship of all of the redeemed, along with the twenty-four elders and the four living creatures.
It is Jesus Christ's wedding day, and the church is his bride. The excitement of the bride is explicitly stated here in verses 1-9, and it is reasonable to assume Christ the bridegroom is also very pleased with this day. It is time for the marriage supper of the Lamb, which Jesus spoke about in Luke 14:16-24. Unlike the last supper, which we commemorate as communion, Jesus does not plan to be absent after suffering for our redemption, nor does the church have to hope for his return. All of the redeemed can now have fellowship with God, face to face, as Adam and Eve did in the garden before they sinned. Yet now there is much more to be thankful for, for he who loves us has freed us from our sins, as Revelation 1:5 says.
One thing which occurs to me as I read this chapter is that the redeemed consist of people from every tribe and tongue and people and nation, as Revelation 5:9 says, yet John understands them all. Since they are worshiping together, it seems that they understand each other. Perhaps this means that God has reunited the human race into one language, which the Lord confused so the tower of Babel could not be completed (Genesis 11:1-9).
God's people rejoice over the fall of Babylon and over the fact that the smoke of its burning will go up forever, as will the smoke of those who worshiped the beast, according to Revelation 14:11.
The bride of Christ is allowed to dress in fine linen, radiant, dazzling and white. Verse 8 tells us that the fine linen represents the righteous deeds of the saints, yet as Philippians 1:6 says, those deeds originated in Christ, "he who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Jesus Christ" (NASB).
Recall that the garments Jesus wore became dazzling white on the mount of transfiguration, described in Matthew 17:1-9, Mark 9:2-9 and Luke 9:28-36. Remember also that Jesus said in Revelation 3:4 (NASB), "You have a few people in Sardis who have not soiled their garments. They will walk with me in white, for they are worthy."
Seven blessings are pronounced in Revelation. Revelation 1:3 says, "Blessed are those who read aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear and keep themselves true to the things which are written in it." Revelation 14:13 says, "Blessed are those who die in the Lord from now on. Blessed indeed, says the Spirit, that they may rest from their labors, for their deeds follow them." Revelation 16:15 says, "I am coming like a thief! Blessed is he who is awake, keeping his garments that he may not go naked and be seen exposed!" Revelation 19:9 says, "Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb." Revelation 20:6 says, "Blessed and holy is he who shares in the first resurrection! Over such the second death has no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and they shall reign with him a thousand years." Revelation 22:7 says, "Blessed is he who (abides by and) keeps the words of the prophecy of this book." Revelation 22:14 says, "Blessed are those who wash their robes, that they may have the right to the tree of life and that they may enter the city (the new Jerusalem) by the gates." It is the fourth of these seven blessings which concerns us here, but I wish every Christian were as familiar with these seven blessings as they are with the ten commandments.
In verse 10, John falls down to worship the angel. It is not clear whether he is confused about the identity of who is speaking to him or whether he is simply overwhelmed by what he is seeing. The angel's reply is similar to Peter's reply to Cornelius in Acts 10:25-26. He forbids John to worship him, says he is a fellow servant and he tells John to worship God and that the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy. With regard to the testimony of Jesus, Romans 10:9 (NASB) says, "if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved." 1 John 5:7-12 (Amp) says:
7 "So there are three witnesses in heaven: the Father, the Word and the Holy Spirit, and these three are One;
8 and there are three witnesses on the earth: the Spirit, the water, and the blood; and these three agree [are in unison; their testimony coincides].
9 If we accept [as we do] the testimony of men [if we are willing to take human authority], the testimony of God is greater (of stronger authority),
for this is the testimony of God, even the witness which He has borne regarding His Son.
10 He who believes in the Son of God [who adheres to, trusts in, and relies on Him] has the testimony [possesses this divine attestation] within himself.
He who does not believe God [in this way] has made Him out to be and represented Him as a liar, because he has not believed (put his faith in, adhered
to, and relied on) the evidence (the testimony) that God has borne regarding His Son.
11 And this is that testimony (that evidence): God gave us eternal life, and this life is in His Son.
12 He who possesses the Son has that life; he who does not possess the Son of God does not have that life."
Revelation 12:11 (Amp) says:
11 "And they have overcome (conquered) him by means of the blood of the Lamb and by the utterance of their testimony, for they did not love and cling
to life even when faced with death [holding their lives cheap till they had to die for their witnessing]."
In Revelation 4:1, John saw an open door in heaven. In Revelation 11:19, after the seventh trumpet, the sanctuary of God in heaven was opened, and the ark of his covenant was seen inside the sanctuary. In Revelation 15:5, before the seven angels emerge with the seven bowls, the sanctuary of the tent of the testimony in heaven was opened. Though I don't completely understand the significance of this series of events, they seem to progressively lead to Revelation 19:11 where John sees heaven itself opened, and a rider on a white horse, Jesus himself, emerges. In the next chapter, books will be opened, including the book of life.
In John 6:15, after he fed five thousand with five barley loaves and two small fish, the crowd wanted to make him king, but Jesus withdrew from them. Now he will take the authority which is rightfully his. Verse 11 tells us that Jesus is faithful and true and that he wages war in righteousness. We are told throughout Revelation, and particularly in the rest of this chapter, that Jesus values righteousness and justice, even when conflict is necessary to achieve them. This contrasts with the world's view that peace at any price is worthwhile. This reminds me of Luke 12:49-51 (NASB), which says:
49 "I have come to cast fire upon the earth; and how I wish it were already kindled!
50 "But I have a baptism to undergo, and how distressed I am until it is accomplished!
51 "Do you suppose that I came to grant peace on earth? I tell you, no, but rather division."
Riding on a white horse, Jesus is about to wage war against his enemies who are still on earth. He will do so, as King of kings and Lord of lords and as the Word of God, not with bombs, missiles, guns or knives, but with the sharp sword which comes from his mouth, the sword of his word. Jesus appears to destroy his enemies by simply speaking their destruction. Verse 14 says the armies of heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, follow him on white horses. Because of the reference to fine linen, it is reasonable to assume that the saints return to earth to fight this battle with him, but it's likely that the only purpose for their return is to show the world that God has judged their conflict with the beast in their favor. In Revelation 13:7 the beast was allowed to make war on the saints and to conquer them, but now Christ will make war on the beast and conquer it. The result of this battle has probably already been described to us in Revelation 14:20, and perhaps also in Zechariah 14:1-5 and 14:12-13.
In verse 17, an angel invites birds to the great supper of God, a supper in which they will consume the flesh of kings, commanders, mighty men, horses and their riders, free men and slaves, the small and the great, all who have worshiped the beast. This is a very different supper from the marriage supper of the Lamb, the saddest meal of all time for its victims, men who share Jezebel's fate because they are idolators and they have shed the blood of saints and prophets. As is frequently the case throughout Revelation, it is hard not to feel grieved that this is the outcome of their lives. Yet feeling sorry for these worshipers of the beast who have murdered saints and prophets is somewhat like feeling sorry for Judas Iscariot, who followed Jesus for three years, saw the miracles he performed and the lives he transformed, yet still betrayed him for thirty pieces of silver. Aside from coveting the money, I suspect Judas believed the Jews would turn against Jesus, and he would be regarded as a hero for turning him in to the Pharisees. Something afterwords caused him to realize that not even the Pharisees regarded him highly, and he returned the money, but he did so, seeking the approval of men, not of God. My point is that many who receive the mark of the beast may be partially motivated by their desire to please men and their desire for the temporal security Babylon offers. By contrast, God's elect strive to please him and realize that real security is found in Christ alone, being willing even to die for their faith, if necessary.
The beast and the false prophet have also gathered their army, as we saw in Revelation 16:13-14, but to no avail. The beast and its followers are probably deceived by their recent victory over Babylon into thinking this will be just another victory, but the beast and the false prophet are captured and thrown into the lake of fire, and their followers are killed.
Note that the lake of fire is different from the abyss, from which the locusts in Revelation 9 came. The abyss, where Satan will soon be bound for a thousand years, is a place of confinement, but not the ultimate place of torment. Jesus says in Matthew 25:41 that this is the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. It was never intended for men.
There is much dispute about when the events described in Ezekiel 38 and 39 occur. One possibility is that it occurs here, because of the comparison between the events described in Revelation 19 and Ezekiel 39:17-20 (NASB) which says:
17 "As for you, son of man, thus says the Lord GOD, 'Speak to every kind of bird and to every beast of the field, "Assemble and come, gather from every
side to My sacrifice which I am going to sacrifice for you, as a great sacrifice on the mountains of Israel, that you may eat flesh and drink blood.
18 "You will eat the flesh of mighty men and drink the blood of the princes of the earth, as though they were rams, lambs, goats and bulls, all of them
fatlings of Bashan.
19 "So you will eat fat until you are glutted, and drink blood until you are drunk, from My sacrifice which I have sacrificed for you.
20 "You will be glutted at My table with horses and charioteers, with mighty men and all the men of war," declares the Lord GOD."
Another possibility is that these events do not take place until after the thousand year reign of Christ, since Gog and Magog are only mentioned in Revelation 20:8 and in Ezekiel 38 and 39. I tend to favor this latter view, but either one, or another alternative, is quite possible.
It is Jesus Christ's wedding day, and the church is his bride. The excitement of the bride is explicitly stated here in verses 1-9, and it is reasonable to assume Christ the bridegroom is also very pleased with this day. It is time for the marriage supper of the Lamb, which Jesus spoke about in Luke 14:16-24. Unlike the last supper, which we commemorate as communion, Jesus does not plan to be absent after suffering for our redemption, nor does the church have to hope for his return. All of the redeemed can now have fellowship with God, face to face, as Adam and Eve did in the garden before they sinned. Yet now there is much more to be thankful for, for he who loves us has freed us from our sins, as Revelation 1:5 says.
One thing which occurs to me as I read this chapter is that the redeemed consist of people from every tribe and tongue and people and nation, as Revelation 5:9 says, yet John understands them all. Since they are worshiping together, it seems that they understand each other. Perhaps this means that God has reunited the human race into one language, which the Lord confused so the tower of Babel could not be completed (Genesis 11:1-9).
God's people rejoice over the fall of Babylon and over the fact that the smoke of its burning will go up forever, as will the smoke of those who worshiped the beast, according to Revelation 14:11.
The bride of Christ is allowed to dress in fine linen, radiant, dazzling and white. Verse 8 tells us that the fine linen represents the righteous deeds of the saints, yet as Philippians 1:6 says, those deeds originated in Christ, "he who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Jesus Christ" (NASB).
Recall that the garments Jesus wore became dazzling white on the mount of transfiguration, described in Matthew 17:1-9, Mark 9:2-9 and Luke 9:28-36. Remember also that Jesus said in Revelation 3:4 (NASB), "You have a few people in Sardis who have not soiled their garments. They will walk with me in white, for they are worthy."
Seven blessings are pronounced in Revelation. Revelation 1:3 says, "Blessed are those who read aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear and keep themselves true to the things which are written in it." Revelation 14:13 says, "Blessed are those who die in the Lord from now on. Blessed indeed, says the Spirit, that they may rest from their labors, for their deeds follow them." Revelation 16:15 says, "I am coming like a thief! Blessed is he who is awake, keeping his garments that he may not go naked and be seen exposed!" Revelation 19:9 says, "Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb." Revelation 20:6 says, "Blessed and holy is he who shares in the first resurrection! Over such the second death has no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and they shall reign with him a thousand years." Revelation 22:7 says, "Blessed is he who (abides by and) keeps the words of the prophecy of this book." Revelation 22:14 says, "Blessed are those who wash their robes, that they may have the right to the tree of life and that they may enter the city (the new Jerusalem) by the gates." It is the fourth of these seven blessings which concerns us here, but I wish every Christian were as familiar with these seven blessings as they are with the ten commandments.
In verse 10, John falls down to worship the angel. It is not clear whether he is confused about the identity of who is speaking to him or whether he is simply overwhelmed by what he is seeing. The angel's reply is similar to Peter's reply to Cornelius in Acts 10:25-26. He forbids John to worship him, says he is a fellow servant and he tells John to worship God and that the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy. With regard to the testimony of Jesus, Romans 10:9 (NASB) says, "if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved." 1 John 5:7-12 (Amp) says:
7 "So there are three witnesses in heaven: the Father, the Word and the Holy Spirit, and these three are One;
8 and there are three witnesses on the earth: the Spirit, the water, and the blood; and these three agree [are in unison; their testimony coincides].
9 If we accept [as we do] the testimony of men [if we are willing to take human authority], the testimony of God is greater (of stronger authority),
for this is the testimony of God, even the witness which He has borne regarding His Son.
10 He who believes in the Son of God [who adheres to, trusts in, and relies on Him] has the testimony [possesses this divine attestation] within himself.
He who does not believe God [in this way] has made Him out to be and represented Him as a liar, because he has not believed (put his faith in, adhered
to, and relied on) the evidence (the testimony) that God has borne regarding His Son.
11 And this is that testimony (that evidence): God gave us eternal life, and this life is in His Son.
12 He who possesses the Son has that life; he who does not possess the Son of God does not have that life."
Revelation 12:11 (Amp) says:
11 "And they have overcome (conquered) him by means of the blood of the Lamb and by the utterance of their testimony, for they did not love and cling
to life even when faced with death [holding their lives cheap till they had to die for their witnessing]."
In Revelation 4:1, John saw an open door in heaven. In Revelation 11:19, after the seventh trumpet, the sanctuary of God in heaven was opened, and the ark of his covenant was seen inside the sanctuary. In Revelation 15:5, before the seven angels emerge with the seven bowls, the sanctuary of the tent of the testimony in heaven was opened. Though I don't completely understand the significance of this series of events, they seem to progressively lead to Revelation 19:11 where John sees heaven itself opened, and a rider on a white horse, Jesus himself, emerges. In the next chapter, books will be opened, including the book of life.
In John 6:15, after he fed five thousand with five barley loaves and two small fish, the crowd wanted to make him king, but Jesus withdrew from them. Now he will take the authority which is rightfully his. Verse 11 tells us that Jesus is faithful and true and that he wages war in righteousness. We are told throughout Revelation, and particularly in the rest of this chapter, that Jesus values righteousness and justice, even when conflict is necessary to achieve them. This contrasts with the world's view that peace at any price is worthwhile. This reminds me of Luke 12:49-51 (NASB), which says:
49 "I have come to cast fire upon the earth; and how I wish it were already kindled!
50 "But I have a baptism to undergo, and how distressed I am until it is accomplished!
51 "Do you suppose that I came to grant peace on earth? I tell you, no, but rather division."
Riding on a white horse, Jesus is about to wage war against his enemies who are still on earth. He will do so, as King of kings and Lord of lords and as the Word of God, not with bombs, missiles, guns or knives, but with the sharp sword which comes from his mouth, the sword of his word. Jesus appears to destroy his enemies by simply speaking their destruction. Verse 14 says the armies of heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, follow him on white horses. Because of the reference to fine linen, it is reasonable to assume that the saints return to earth to fight this battle with him, but it's likely that the only purpose for their return is to show the world that God has judged their conflict with the beast in their favor. In Revelation 13:7 the beast was allowed to make war on the saints and to conquer them, but now Christ will make war on the beast and conquer it. The result of this battle has probably already been described to us in Revelation 14:20, and perhaps also in Zechariah 14:1-5 and 14:12-13.
In verse 17, an angel invites birds to the great supper of God, a supper in which they will consume the flesh of kings, commanders, mighty men, horses and their riders, free men and slaves, the small and the great, all who have worshiped the beast. This is a very different supper from the marriage supper of the Lamb, the saddest meal of all time for its victims, men who share Jezebel's fate because they are idolators and they have shed the blood of saints and prophets. As is frequently the case throughout Revelation, it is hard not to feel grieved that this is the outcome of their lives. Yet feeling sorry for these worshipers of the beast who have murdered saints and prophets is somewhat like feeling sorry for Judas Iscariot, who followed Jesus for three years, saw the miracles he performed and the lives he transformed, yet still betrayed him for thirty pieces of silver. Aside from coveting the money, I suspect Judas believed the Jews would turn against Jesus, and he would be regarded as a hero for turning him in to the Pharisees. Something afterwords caused him to realize that not even the Pharisees regarded him highly, and he returned the money, but he did so, seeking the approval of men, not of God. My point is that many who receive the mark of the beast may be partially motivated by their desire to please men and their desire for the temporal security Babylon offers. By contrast, God's elect strive to please him and realize that real security is found in Christ alone, being willing even to die for their faith, if necessary.
The beast and the false prophet have also gathered their army, as we saw in Revelation 16:13-14, but to no avail. The beast and its followers are probably deceived by their recent victory over Babylon into thinking this will be just another victory, but the beast and the false prophet are captured and thrown into the lake of fire, and their followers are killed.
Note that the lake of fire is different from the abyss, from which the locusts in Revelation 9 came. The abyss, where Satan will soon be bound for a thousand years, is a place of confinement, but not the ultimate place of torment. Jesus says in Matthew 25:41 that this is the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. It was never intended for men.
There is much dispute about when the events described in Ezekiel 38 and 39 occur. One possibility is that it occurs here, because of the comparison between the events described in Revelation 19 and Ezekiel 39:17-20 (NASB) which says:
17 "As for you, son of man, thus says the Lord GOD, 'Speak to every kind of bird and to every beast of the field, "Assemble and come, gather from every
side to My sacrifice which I am going to sacrifice for you, as a great sacrifice on the mountains of Israel, that you may eat flesh and drink blood.
18 "You will eat the flesh of mighty men and drink the blood of the princes of the earth, as though they were rams, lambs, goats and bulls, all of them
fatlings of Bashan.
19 "So you will eat fat until you are glutted, and drink blood until you are drunk, from My sacrifice which I have sacrificed for you.
20 "You will be glutted at My table with horses and charioteers, with mighty men and all the men of war," declares the Lord GOD."
Another possibility is that these events do not take place until after the thousand year reign of Christ, since Gog and Magog are only mentioned in Revelation 20:8 and in Ezekiel 38 and 39. I tend to favor this latter view, but either one, or another alternative, is quite possible.
posted by TAPIOCA at 12/23/2006 03:44:00 AM
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