more depending on the economic or social status of the bride and groom. Hence. They were in three distinct stages which first involved the betrothal or The multitude in heaven praises God for judging the great whore (Babylon, the (i) It has been suggested that the name is kurios ( G2962) , Lord. And they said Alleluia a second time; and her smoke goeth up unto the ages of the ages." She is, the mother of the harlots, but also (and with still deeper guilt) of the abominations of the earth. Gods deliverance of His people from their enemies (verse 1); (2) She said, "You've had it. It is not now lightnings and thunders and voices. We say that he is great! It is not what Christ puts on them, but a recognition even at this time of whatever has been of God the working I do not deny of the Spirit of Christ. hromphaia) symbolized (cf. wedding garment ready for the wedding. The fact is, in the very best authorities it does not exist at all. The woman the strange woman sets forth corruption, human nature indulging itself in its own evil desires, irrespective of God's will. groom prepared for his bride. So, God has judged the false religious system that corrupted the earth with her spiritual fornication. The cosmic drama is drawing to a close. "On his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS. And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword ( Revelation 19:15 ). But alas! That is not at all the way in which the guests are spoken of. But all this will be a great reversal of man's history and political maxims. That is, there was first the literal Babylon, of course; but here it is symbolical. Here we have described to us the visions of The Conquering Christ (19:11-16), the judgments of the beast and of the false prophet and of Satan (19:17-20:10), the judgment of the wicked (20:11-15), the visions of the New heaven, the New earth and the New Jerusalem (20:16-22;5). continually reigns. This may seem to us a strange metaphor. If only an imperial city, what has this to do with mystery? [3] In this chapter, heaven exults over the fall of Babylon the Great. Revelation 19:6 "And I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude, and as And I saw an angel standing in the sun ( Revelation 19:17 ); You can't do that unless you are an angel. God said, "Light be," and light was. There are always those that say, "What about the people that haven't heard? It is impossible to refer it to the past with any show even of reasonable probability, I will not say of reality or truth. In this way there never has been anything of the kind before. That a corrupt religion is better than none I will not say: at any rate it troubles men; it is a thorn in the side of those who want no religion at all. But the church consists of souls called out from the earth, and is not of the world: consequently to the church the time is always at hand. Her part in the corruption of the high and the intoxication of the low her idolatrous character has come before us. And the [antichrist] 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 those that worshipped his image. Help us purchase electrical generators for churches. These are the true sayings of God. Everything that belongs to the body of Christ is unearthly and unworldly. It was a unit of energy charged with power. These remain as yet in the condition of separate spirits. Then the word is, "Award her even as she awarded you, and double unto her double according to her works: in the cup which she mixed, mix to her double. And though they are but a seed, a Thus was concluded all dealing on the Lord's part with both soul and body, and all that pertains to either. Hence we have to own the divine source of government even when its holders abandon all such thoughts themselves, and maintain their rule in the world as a thing flowing from the people irrespective of God. The judgment on Rome is the guarantee that God never in the end abandons his own. When we come to the full application of the prophecy, we must look onward to the latter day. He has condemned the great prostitute This shout of rejoicing begins with Hallelujah. And then those men who have chosen to cast their lot with Satan in rebellion against God. Though the divine vengeance will chiefly fall upon the beast, and the false prophet, yet it will be no excuse to those who fight under their banner that they only followed their leaders and obeyed their command; since they would fight for them, they must fall and perish with them. the Bride of Christ, is the guest of honor at the marriage of the Lamb in heaven If a person drew from this, for instance, that the boast was to carry the woman, Babylon, when it had as a fact all that is meant by the seven heads and the ten horns, it would be an error. But then while there is such a call to Christ, while the believer is not to be afraid, but to call on the Lord to come, the church does not forget those that are poor sinners, let them be deeply conscious of it, or let them be those that are only made willing by the grace of God (which is the feeblest expression of the sinner's need, just as you have the feeblest expression of the saint in the previous call). 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. "Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues. What about little babies?" In two Old Testament stories, the wrestling of Jacob at Peniel ( Genesis 32:29), and the appearance of the angelic messenger to Gideon ( Judges 13:18) the divine visitor refuses to tell his name. It is known as a divine feat in the theological term, which means the capacity of speaking things into existence. It is by the sword that goes out of his mouth. I will be a part of that army, as will you, because we are clothed in the fine linen white and clean, which is the righteousness of the saints. His grace be with all! This remains true also in its own place, as we shall find; and when it is a question of reward, this is precisely the grand point; but when it is a question of the bride above, that is the way in which it is presented here, as we may see clearly from verse 8. 8:38, Paul often used some of the most extreme things such as life and death to make a point. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone. That is what prophecy is about. But what I particularly call your attention to is the exceeding importance of heeding the retrospect at the bride, or new Jerusalem here, and the consequent removal of the difficulty caused by taking the last vision of this book as part of the prophetic series which begins in Revelation 19:1-21. This third description of judgment is an allusion to Isaiah 63:2-3; Jeremiah 51:33; Lamentations 1:15; Joel 3:13 (cf. But far from that he has, on the contrary, persevered in the same evil course, as badly or worse than his father. Hence arose the prominence of angels. You see, the Father has no God-He is "the only true God" according to Jesus in John 17:3. And it was so. The verse numbering in . Revelation 19:1 "And after these things I heard a great voice of much people in heaven, saying, Alleluia; Salvation, and glory, and honor, and power, unto the Lord our God:" In the last chapter, we saw the terrible destruction of commercial and political Babylon symbolized by its capital city of Babylon. Paul, the apostle said as he was recounting to the Philippians his past credits as a Jew, "Hebrew of the Hebrews, circumcised the seventh day, the tribe of Benjamin, a Pharisee, concerning zeal persecuting the church", but he said, "Those things that were gain to me", those credits that I had, those brownie points, "I counted loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Jesus Christ, for whom I suffer the loss of all things and count them but refuse that I may know Him and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness which was of the Law", circumcised seventh, eighth day and so forth, not having that righteousness which was of the law, "but now having the righteousness which was of Christ through faith" ( Philippians 3:5-9 ). Man has always sinned in one or other of these two ways, looking now at sin in its broadest forms. In Daniel's time it was not at hand. Gods sovereignty (verse 6); and. It is true, the beast's judgment is only referred to as a defeat under the hand of the Lamb. [shepherd] . It was John's instinct to worship the angelic messenger; but the angel forbids him to do that, because the angels are no more than men's fellow-servants. twelve disciples and twelve Old Testament prophets. The redeemed in heaven are called God's "Bond Servants", and this is the group The white linen represents the good deeds of God's dedicated people; that is to say, it is character which forms the robe which arrays the Bride of Christ. church. As long as Rome was pagan, there was neither the full bearing of the seven heads, nor did so much as one of the ten horns exist. engagement. 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. Man gets hung up and he stops short. This city is seen now as the holy vessel of divine power for governing the earth during the millennium, "having the glory of God: and her brightness was like a stone most precious, even like a jasper stone, clear as crystal.". I. Gates of hell can never Gainst that Church prevail. The very name indeed shows something similar; not of course that the church can ever be earthly. Babylon is the parent of the "abominations of the earth." 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.". John saw heaven opened and a RIDER UPON A WHITE HORSE verse 11. . 11:25-27). I sometimes make snap judgments. *It is the aorist in Greek, which in such a case as this it is difficult correctly to represent in English; for neither "reigned" nor "hath reigned" could convey that God had entered on His kingdom, but rather that it was past. It is reigning. Sometimes they have contended for its application to pagan Rome. He has saved us! 14:8-11). ( 7) Namely, to that holy marriage, both herself in person in this verse, and also provided by her spouse with marriage gifts princely and divine, is adorned and prepared in the next verse. These were simply the characters of provisional judgment that filled the interval after the church was gone, and before the reign with Christ. smite the nations . In that place the sword seems to be an emblem of his words or doctrines, as penetrating the hearts of people; here it is the emblem of a work of destruction worked on his foes. When the hour comes that is spoken of here, it is not for us, but for those who will be found after we are gone. News Links, Recommended Books, News Sites, and Bibles Old Testament prophecy and New Testament preaching is the gospel of the Lord And the fine linen is the righteousness of the saints. And yet in such times John calls God pantokrator ( G3841) . If you preach on prophecy, you are bringing the testimony of Jesus. Then follows a description of the wall, gates, foundations, and general position. It is not into a wilderness the prophet is carried, but he is set on "a mountain great and high," and shown not the great, but. Thus the name of Christ, not merely as the root and the offspring of David, but as the bright morning star, calls out responsively the heart of the church, and this too under the guiding activity of the Holy Ghost. 23:5). Yet grace despised necessarily ends in judgment. Thank God. Verse 7. And there is probably an area right in the center of the earth that is hollow and because of the rotation of the earth and gravitation and all you would be constantly falling. They are glorified saints, and not angels. This explains, it seems to me, the wounded head that was afterwards healed. Now that time had come. At this point the evil world system has been destroyed and God's kingdom has cum cdd. Verses 1-6: Alleluia: This Hebrew word appears 4 times in the New Testament. But it is blessed that He says, "I come quickly;" and it is only Christ who in scripture ever says so. Still God acts in a wisdom far above man, and holds to His principles even there. The heavenly praise continues, this time for a call for gladness, rejoicing and It probably came to be so well known to even the simplest member of the Church through its special use as a response of praise in the Easter worship. 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. Judgment is the inescapable consequence of sin. Lord. "And fire came down out of heaven from God, and devoured them. 14 And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean. There was a Jewish belief that no man could know the name of God until he had entered into the life of heaven. 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 dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works." And God said, "Let the waters above the firmament be separated from the waters below the firmament." You can trust in this. 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. *Most copies, it would seem, read , "of the earth;" the Alex. Man converted will then not merely reach the natural term if I may so say of a thousand years, but pass that bound. Verse 4. And it appears to me that here we are bound to account for the presence of these others that are at the marriage-supper of the Lamb, but appear as guests, and not at all in the quality of the bride. THE CONQUERING CHRIST ( Revelation 19:11 ). Consequently there will be an increase in population such as never has been approached since the world was made, yet it afterwards appears, that Satan will not fail to turn the masses of the nations into one vast rebellion against the objects of God's special favour on the earth the saints wherever they may be, and the beloved city of Israel, as we have seen. 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. Verse 8. After the destruction of Babylon religious and commercial, chapter seventeen and eighteen. When its own season arrives, as it surely will, the divine hindrance is to be removed, and the devil then is allowed to do his worst. Called: Those who are invited to the marriage supper are Israel, who will turn For remark, the beast or Roman empire is described here as that which once existed, which then ceased to exist, and which assumes a final shape when it reappears from the bottomless pit. But now He is ready to return and establish His kingdom and take us unto Himself and the marriage of the Lamb is come, and His wife, or bride, has made herself ready. With a rod of iron he shall break in pieces all their substance, He shall destroy the godless nations with the word of his. She does not, it is true, say, "Come quickly." servant, and of thy brethren that have the testimony of Jesus: worship God: for The whole Middle East area of Israel all the way through the land from the Valley of Megiddo clear on down to Edom will be crowded with the vast armies of the world. b. This brings in idolatry, real shameless idolatry too, not merely that subtle working of the idolatrous spirit that every Christian has to guard against. 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. I agree with the majority. And he carried me away in [the] spirit to a mountain great and high, and showed me the holy city Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God." The New Testament is the "last will and testament" of Jesus, and to Revelation 14:19-20). The "things to come" are synonymous with death. We will in that day when He returns and all of the vast military might of the world gathered and assembled together to destroy Him at His coming and He just speaks the Word and it is all over. It does not hinder, of course, that in the judgment of the dead each man is judged for his own sin. Like Hosanna ( H3467 + H4994 and G5614) it is one of the few Hebrew words which have established themselves in ordinary religious language. But along with that God warns of her ruin, and calls on His people (verse 4) to come out of her. 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. The prophecy centers around the person of Jesus Christ. 19 As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Salvation and glory and power belong to our God, 2 for true and just are his judgments. *It is the more strikingly characteristic, because of such language as Psalms 149:6-9, which speaks of all the saints contemplated on earth for the day of Jehovah. Four beasts: The four beasts are the cherubim as described (in Rev. We can quite understand that God would comfort His people in the dark ages by this book; and a very imperfect glimpse at its real meaning might in His grace serve to cheer them on in their trials as far as it went. 5:10). Another warlike expedition of the glorious head and husband of the church, with the success of it, ver 10, etc. ", This chapter is one of the most dramatic in all the Bible. Let others speculate, if they will: I am persuaded that he who essays to conceive the details is merely striving to draw a bow beyond the power of man. on Line, email us at: The marriage 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." Jesus at the Last Supper said that he would not again drink of the cup until he drank it new in his Father's kingdom ( Matthew 26:29). for they are singing a song that includes mention of salvation. Now we see the tree of life again. We desire that He should come quickly, but we leave this to Him, because we know His love, and can trust Him. Again and again the prophets thought of Israel as the chosen bride of God. The ceremony (the exchanging of vows). The people mentioned here are distinct from the other beings in heaven, From the manner in which resurrection is referred to in scripture, does not God leave room for this? 1 Thessalonians 3:1-3 Commentary. Afterwards we come to the description of itself, of its wall, its building, its foundations, and its gates. Take this quite simply and literally. "And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth." Accordingly the rapture of the church with the Old Testament saints must have already taken place, all (as I have no doubt) being caught up at the self-same time to be with the Lord above. But in this is shown what it is of importance to see the true nature of the kingdom or millennial reign. symbolizes the permanence of Babylon's destruction (Isaiah 34:8-10). We do not have to pretend to be something we are 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. The tree of life: The Bible begins with a tree of life ( Genesis 3:22-24) which man was not allowed to eat from after the sin at the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.