Revelation 19

Revelation 19:1

L. The Coming of Christ and His Millennial Kingdom (19:1-20:9) 19:1 After these things John hears a great multitude in heaven, praising the Lord for His righteous punishment of the great harlot. The song extols Him as the Lord our God to whom belong salvation, glory, honor, and power. 19:2 It vindicates Him for His destruction of the great harlot. It was consistent with His attributes of truth and righteousness that He should punish the whore for her fornication and for her cold-blooded slaughter of His servants. 19:3 The perpetual smoke ascending from the funeral pyre evokes a second Alleluia!, or Praise the Lord.19:4 The twenty-four elders and the four living creatures concur with a loud Amen! and a heartfelt Alleluia!19:5 A voice … from the throne calls on all God’s servants to join in magnifying the Lord for destroying the monstrous Babylon. 19:6 Now another song breaks out in heaven, as loud as many water’s noise, loud as thunders to the ear. A great Alleluia swells in celebration of the reign of the Lord God Omnipotent! 19:7, 8 The Tribulation is past. Babylon has been judged. Now the marriage of the Lamb has come. The church, the wife of Christ, has prepared herself for the soul-thrilling occasion. She is arrayed in fine linen, clean and bright, which is explained as symbolizing the righteous acts of the saints. 19:9 An angel instructs John to write a benediction for all who are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb. The church is the heavenly Bride; those who are invited guests are the rest of the redeemed. The angel reinforces the importance of the blessing by insisting that it represents the true sayings of God. 19:10 John falls before the angel’s feet in an act of worship, but is forbidden. Only God is to be worshiped. The angel is a fellow servant of John and of all who hold the testimony of Jesus. Then the angel adds, For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy. This means that the true purpose of prophecy is to bear testimony to the Person and work of Jesus. Prophecy, says C. C. Ryrie, is designed to unfold the loveliness of Jesus.The angel wanted men to worship God the Son, concerning whom he was bearing witness. 19:11 Finally we reach the event to which the rest of the book has been looking forward, the glorious coming of Christ to earth in order to put down His enemies and set up His kingdom. This is not the Rapture of the church; there Christ comes to the air for His saints. Here He comes to the earth with His saints. Notice the description of our Lord. He is sitting on a white horse; here obviously it is a war horse since He is coming to conquer His enemies. His name is Faithful and True. He is faithful to His promises and true to His own character. In righteousness He judges and makes war. He can only rule over a kingdom where the people are willing to live under a reign of righteousness. Therefore He must first remove all things that offend. 19:12 His eyes are like a flame of fire, suggesting the penetrating power of His judgment. He can detect all rebellion and unbelief. On His head are many diadems. Others may wear the crown of victory, but only the Lord Jesus is spoken of as wearing the diadem of royalty. He has a name inscribed which no one knows except Himself. There are mysteries connected with the Person of Christ that no created being will ever be able to comprehend. 19:13 He is clothed in a robe dipped in blood, not the blood He shed on Calvary’s cross, but the blood of His enemies whom He tramples in the winepress of the wrath of God. He is called by the name, The Word of God. A word is a means of expressing thought. In Christ, God has fully expressed Himself to man. 19:14 He is accompanied by the armies of heaven, which are clothed in fine linen and riding on white horses. These armies are no doubt made up of the saints, but it is noteworthy that they are not required to fight. The Lord Jesus defeats His foes unaided. 19:15 From His mouth issues a sharp sword with which He strikes the nations. He comes to rule them with a rod of iron and to tread the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. 19:16 On His robe and on His thigh is written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS Our Jesus is the Supreme Ruler; all others must submit to His reign. 19:17, 18 The great supper of God (NKJV margin) is the destruction of God’s remaining foes before the kingdom is set up. The vultures are summoned to attend! They will feed on the carcasses of those who are slain by the Lordpeople from every class of society, both small and great. 19:19, 20 In a desperate attempt to prevent Christ from taking the reins of government (Ps. 2), the beast allies with the armies of the world to make war against the Lord and against His army. But it is a futile attempt. Both the beast and the false prophet are captured and hurled alive into the lake of fire burning with brimstone. 19:21 The rest of the rebels are killed with the sword of the Lord, their bodies providing ample carrion for the vultures. The sword is an allusion to the word of God (see Eph_6:17; 2Th_2:8; Heb_4:12; Rev_1:16; Rev_2:12, Rev_2:16). This brings us to the end of the Great Tribulation.