Revelation 19

Revelation 19:1-6

Chapter 40 Christ praised when the wicked are damned ‘And 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: For 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. And again they said, Alleluia. And her smoke rose up for ever and ever’ Revelation 19:1-6 Try to picture the scene John has described. Judgment has come. The wicked have been cast into hell. And the saints of God are singing and shouting the praises of God with joy because of his true and righteous judgments upon the wicked.

What an awesome scene! As eternity commences, the saints of God in heaven are rejoicing and praising him for the damnation of the wicked. This passage of Holy Scripture declares this fact most plainly: The eternal torments of the damned will be a subject of eternal praise among the redeemed. Who will sing this song This song is sung by a great multitude in heaven. It is the same multitude we have seen throughout this book before the throne of God. It is the whole church of God’s elect in heaven (Revelation 18:20; Revelation 19:1-4). This is that elect multitude who sing the praises of God for his great salvation - The 144,000 sealed ones (Revelation 7:3-4; Revelation 7:9-10). These are the men and women who have been redeemed by the blood of the Lamb, out of every kindred, tongue, people, and nation on the earth, who praise God for his distinguishing grace in Christ (Revelation 5:9-10). These are the blessed dead who have died in the Lord, having kept the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus (Revelation 14:3-8; Revelation 14:12-13). This is that great multitude which has lived and died in every generation for the Word of God and the testimony of his grace (Revelation 6:9-11). The day of retribution has come and these chosen, redeemed, saved, glorified souls are singing over the very souls of the damned for whom they once prayed and labored anxiously, with loving hearts. There is Christ, singing over Jerusalem for whom he once wept. There is Paul, singing over his kinsmen for whom he was willing to die. There is David, singing over Absalom for whom he once sobbed. All the prophets are singing! All the apostles are singing! All the saints are singing! All the angels are singing! All are singing because of the judgment of God upon the wicked! What is the theme of this song (Revelation 19:3) The word ‘alleluia’ means ‘praise Jehovah!’ So the theme of this song is the praise of the Lord our God for all that he is and all that he does. ‘Alleluia’ is an expression of great joy. It appears that the saints in heaven never get weary of their heavenly employment. Again and again they sing, ‘Alleluia!’ ‘Amen!’ ‘Alleluia!’ ‘Praise the Lord!’ It is the great joy of God’s saints in heaven to praise God for his wonderful works. This word, ‘Alleluia,’ is also an expression of admiration and wonder. Every glorious view of Christ, every act of his hand, every word of his mouth, every revelation of his character, every display of his majesty, greatness, power, and glory causes the souls of the redeemed to burst out with another song of praise, saying, ‘Alleluia,’ for his salvation (Revelation 19:1), his attributes (Revelation 19:1), his judgments (Revelation 19:2-4), and his sovereignty (Revelation 19:6). What is the occasion of the song What is the event that here causes God’s saints to burst out in joyful praise? Here God’s saints are shouting, singing, and rejoicing over the fall of antichrist, Babylon, all false religion. Babylon is the mixing of everything together, stirring it well, and calling it Christianity. It is the religion of the world. If sin is damning its thousands, religion today is damning its tens of thousands. But one of these days God is going to get around to judging this thing called ‘religion,’ which has corrupted the earth with her fornication and persecuted his saints in every age.

In our text, God has finally caught up with religion. And after antichrist, Babylon, and all the promoters and followers of free-will, works religion are cast into hell, God is still on his throne. The saints are happy about that, and shout, ‘Amen! Alleluia!’ The world will mourn forever over Babylon’s fall. But the saints of God will rejoice forever over her fall, for then God will have ‘avenged the blood of his servants at her hand.’ The people who are singing are the saints of God. The theme of their song is the praise of God.

The occasion for their song is the judgment of God. What does this song teach us This song of praise to Christ is a song about the eternal ruin of rebel sinners. It is about the torments of the damned in hell. Here God’s saints are singing, and singing with joy, because of the damnation of men and women who refused to bow to and trust the Lord Jesus Christ. Surely, the fact that this song is recorded upon the pages of inspiration is meant to be a special means of instruction. Here is an awesome fact: When the wicked are damned, the saints will sing. What are we to learn from this fact? There is an appointed day of judgment when God will judge all men by the man Christ Jesus (Psalms 7:11-13; Psalms 11:5-7; Acts 17:31; 2 Corinthians 5:10-11; Hebrews 9:27)The first message of the cross is this: A holy, righteous, and just God must punish sin. God’s law must be honored. His righteousness must be vindicated. And the Judge who will execute wrath upon guilty sinners is that One who was made to be sin and died in the place of sinners, Jesus Christ our Lord (John 5:22). There is a place of eternal torment, where every rebel, every unbeliever, shall suffer the wrath of God (Luke 16:23) I don’t know what hell is or where hell is. But hell is real, more real than anyone has ever imagined. Hell is a place of endless pain, agony, and torment, where men and women forever suffer the just and righteous retribution of God’s holy wrath. The judgment of the wicked and the eternal torments of the damned will take place in the sight of the redeemed (Matthew 25:31-46; Luke 13:28; Luke 16:22; Isaiah 66:23-24; Revelation 14:10) Hell will be within the very sight of heaven! The wicked will be cast into hell before the eyes of the redeemed! In that awesome day, pastors and congregations will stand face to face before the bar of God and witness one another’s condemnation or acquittal. Parents shall be witnesses to the condemnation or acquittal of their children. Children shall stand to witness the condemnation or acquittal of their parents. Husbands and wives shall witness each other’s condemnation or acquittal.

And it will be no matter of grief to the righteous to see the wicked condemned. Our tears will be over. Our sorrows will be past. We will see them condemned. We will see the terror on their faces. We will hear their screams and cries of agony.

Yet, we will not shed a tear (Revelation 21:4). Indeed, when the wicked are cast into hell, we will say, ‘Amen! Alleluia!’ (Psalms 91:7-8). The judgment of God upon the wicked, so far from causing grief among the saints, will be a matter of everlasting joy to the redeemed (Revelation 18:20)Judgment will be a matter of endless praise in heaven. We will sing and shout, ‘Hallelujah!’ And the smoke of their torments, rising up forever, shall be cause for endless praise to our God (Exodus 14:30 to Exodus 15:1). Why will God’s elect sing his praises when the wicked are damned Obviously, it is not because they love to see human pain. or because they are mean and vindictive. Rather, it is because in that day, we will have the mind of God. ‘The righteous Lord loveth righteousness.’ It is only right for the righteous God to punish sin. God has made all things for himself, for the glory of his name. All must serve the cause of his glory. All will glorify the God of heaven, either in salvation, or in damnation. All who refuse to trust Christ and be saved by God’s free grace must be damned to the praise of his glory.

Yes, God’s saints will praise him forever for the damnation of the wicked, because by their eternal ruin wicked men will forever glorify God. The damnation of the wicked will glorify the justice of God. The ruin of the wicked will glorify the majesty of God. The torments of the damned will glorify the power of God. And the eternal ruin of the wicked in hell will be an eternal reminder to the saints of the debt we owe to God for his matchless grace!

Revelation 19:6

Chapter 41 Christ our omnipotent, reigning God ‘And 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’ Revelation 19:6 This passage refers to that blessed day that is yet to come when all opposition to Christ has been eliminated from the earth, when Babylon is cast into the sea of God’s wrath. It refers to that day when ‘the kingdoms of this world become the kingdoms of our Lord and his Christ,’ when the knowledge of the Lord shall cover the earth as the waters cover the sea, and ‘nations shall learn war no more.’ But the doctrine taught in our text is a blessed truth in all ages, ‘the Lord God omnipotent reigneth!’ Forever, before the worlds were made and forever after the worlds are dissolved, at all times and in all places, from the beginning to the end, ‘the Lord God omnipotent reigneth!’ All God’s saints, in all ages rejoice to sing with unison this great hallelujah chorus - ‘Alleluia, for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth!’ ‘The Lord God omnipotent,’, is referring to the Lord Jesus Christ our Savior. Many of the heathen religions of the world teach that God reigns. The Jews firmly hold to the truth that God reigns. But the doctrine of the Bible, the doctrine of the gospel, the doctrine of this text is that the Lord God omnipotent, the triune Godhead, exercises his sovereign dominion and government over all the universe in the Person of his Son, Jesus Christ, our Savior. ‘The Father loveth the Son, and hath committed all things into his hands’ (John 3:35). Our Lord Jesus assured his disciples, ‘All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth’ (Matthew 28:18). Jesus Christ has taken unto himself, by divine right and by merit of his obedience as the sinner’s Substitute, all power, authority, and dominion.

He has the right to reign as sovereign, absolute Lord over all things because he is God. And as a man he earned the right to reign over all things by his obedience unto death. Christ’s universal dominion is the effect and reward of his accomplished redemption. The sovereign dominion of the Lord Jesus Christ is a matter of joyful, heartfelt praise among the redeemed. Who is this great king I have already told you that this King is Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the incarnate God-Man, the Mediator between God and men. He is the very same Man who died as the sinner’s Substitute. The One whom the Jews crucified. He is the ‘Faithful and True Witness.’ He is the Lamb of God. ‘His name is called the Word of God.’ He is ‘King of kings and Lord of lords.’ This great King is our Savior. But let it never be forgotten that this Man is ‘The Lord God omnipotent!’ His name is El-Shaddai, God Almighty. He is the Lord Jehovah with whom is everlasting strength (Isaiah 26:4). He is the God with whom all things are possible and nothing is impossible (Matthew 19:26; Luke 1:37; Psalms 139:14-17). Jesus Christ is, Himself, the eternal God He is not a God, or one like unto God, or a creature of God. He is God manifest in the flesh (1 Timothy 3:16; Colossians 2:9; Romans 9:5; 1 Timothy 6:14-16). We are trinitarians. We worship one God in the trinity of his sacred persons (1 John 5:7). We worship, trust, and love the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. But we recognize that we have no knowledge of God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit except as they are revealed in the Person and work of Christ, our divine Mediator (John 1:18; Hebrews 1:1-3).

All that the Father says or reveals he says and reveals by the Son. All that the Father possesses or gives is in Christ the Son. All that the Father does, he does through the Son. All that the Father receives from his creatures, he receives through the Son. As for the Holy Spirit, he is the Spirit of Christ, leads men to Christ, speaks only of Christ, and magnifies none but Christ. The holy, triune God has put all things in the hands of Jesus Christ, the Mediator, that he might have all honor, pre-eminence and glory (Matthew 11:27; John 5:19-24; John 14:6-9; Colossians 1:17-18).

This great God is the One who lived, died, arose, intercedes, and reigns in heaven as our Savior. Our Savior is and must be both God and man in one glorious, indivisible Person. Were he not man, his work could not be imputed to man. Were he not God, his work could not be worthy of and satisfy God. God came into this world as a man to save men (Matthew 1:21-23). God lived as a man in perfect righteousness to establish righteousness for men (Isaiah 42:4).

God died upon the cross as a Man, under the wrath of God to satisfy the justice of God and put away the sins of men (Acts 20; Acts 28; Hebrews 9:24). God arose from the tomb in the body of a man, ascended back to heaven, and reigns upon the throne of glory, for the salvation of men (Hebrews 10:5-14). Our great King is God. And our great God is a Man! His name is Immanuel. He is one of us, bone of our bone and flesh of our flesh (1 John 1:1-3). Our God, Jesus Christ, is omnipotent He has all power. Therefore, he is able to do whatever he is pleased to do in all things. And he always does exactly that which pleases him (Psalms 115:3; Psalms 135:6; Isaiah 46:9-11). Omnipotence is essential to divinity. A weak, helpless, frustrated, defeated God is an absurdity. If there is anything God cannot do, which is consistent with his nature, if there is any power greater than his power, any will greater than his will, any desire of his Being that he does not satisfy, any purpose that he does not accomplish, then God is dead!

There is no God! The universe is in chaos! And man is without hope! A god who is not omnipotent is no God at all. Only a fool would worship, trust, and serve a weak god. We worship the sovereign, eternal, unchangeable, omnipotent God of glory, Jesus Christ!

You can trust an omnipotent God, for ‘none can stay his hand, or say unto him, what doest thou?’ (Daniel 4:35). He created the world out of nothing, by his omnipotent Word (Genesis 1:1; Isaiah 45:12; John 1:1-3; Hebrews 11:3). He upholds, sustains, and rules the world, by his omnipotent power (Colossians 1:16-17; Hebrews 1:3). He saves sinners by his omnipotent grace (Psalms 65:4; Psalms 110:3; 1 Peter 1:5). This is our great King, Jesus Christ, ‘the Lord God omnipotent.’ We rejoice in him. He is God.

He is man. He is the omnipotent God-Man, in whom we safely trust. How did he come to be such a king Without question, the Lord Jesus Christ has always been the King of the universe. His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom. He is King by divine right, because he is God. He is King by divine decree, because he was ordained by God to be a Mediator King from old eternity in the covenant of grace. And he is King over all things, by right as the Creator and Owner of all things. But this text speaks specifically of Christ in his Mediatorial character as the King, Ruler, and sovereign Monarch of all the universe.

As our Mediator, the Lord Jesus Christ earned the right of sovereign dominion over all things by his obedience to God as a Man (Psalms 2:6-8; Isaiah 53:9-12; Daniel 7:13-14; John 17:2; Acts 2:29-36; Acts 5:31; Romans 14:9; Philippians 2:9-11). Our Lord’s government of the universe in the nature of man is the reward of his obedience unto death as our Substitute. He lived to establish righteousness for us. He died to satisfy justice for us. He arose from the dead to demonstrate the accomplishment of redemption by his one great sacrifice for sin. He reigns in heaven over all flesh to apply the benefits of his obedience to God’s elect, by the effectual grace of his Spirit.

He will come again to gather his redeemed ones to himself in resurrection glory. And in the end, Christ the Mediator shall present all his people before the throne of God in perfect salvation (1 Corinthians 15:24; Jude 1:24-25). Then the purpose of God in the covenant of grace will be complete. What is the extent of our Lord’s dominion ‘The Lord God omnipotent reigneth!’ The Lord Jesus Christ reigns as sovereign King today! The text does not say, ‘The Lord God omnipotent shall begin to reign.’ It says, ‘He reigneth!’ The fall of Babylon is not the beginning of his reign, but the consummation of his reign. We are not waiting for some future age when Christ will become a King. Christ is King today. He reigns as King today over all things. The Lord Jesus reigns in heaven with undisputed sway He is seated now at the right hand of the majesty on high. There, in heaven’s glory, Immanuel reigns as King (Hebrews 1:3; Hebrews 10:12-13). All the holy angels, seraphim and cherubim, bow before his august throne with delight, sing his praise and rush to do his will (Isaiah 6:1-7). All the redeemed of the Lord, those spirits of just men made perfect, delight to honor, adore, worship, and serve Christ as their rightful King. In the splendors of the celestial worlds, one spot transcends all others in beauty, glory, and praise. And that spot is the throne of grace upon which Christ sits as King. But do not imagine, as so many do, that our Lord’s dominion is limited to the world above. The Lord Jesus Christ reigns today as sovereign monarch over all the earth (Isaiah 40:12-31; Isaiah 45:5-12; Daniel 4:35-37) . There is absolutely nothing and no one in the world which is not under the absolute rule of the Lord Jesus Christ. He is King everywhere and over all things. Our Savior is the King! Our God is in charge! (Romans 11:36). He rules over all the physical world (Nahum 1:3; Exodus 9:26; Matthew 5:45; Genesis 41:32; Amos 4:7; Acts 14:17), all the animal world (Genesis 31:9; Psalms 104:21; Daniel 6:22; Matthew 6:26; Matthew 10:29), every nation in the world (1 Chronicles 16:31; Psalms 33:10; Psalms 47:7; Daniel 2:21; Daniel 4:17; Amos 3:6), and all men in this world (Exodus 11:7; Psalms 37:23; Proverbs 16:9; Proverbs 21:1). Even the evil deeds of evil men are under our Lord’s dominion (Psalms 76:10; Exodus 14:17; 2 Samuel 16:10-11; John 19:11; Acts 2:23; Acts 4:27-28). Even the kingdom of darkness and hell itself is under the total dominion of our Lord Jesus Christ He holds the keys of death and of hell. He reigns in the regions of the damned, over the demons of hell and over the prince of darkness. Satan is his devil. The demons obey his voice! From the bottomless pit to the highest heaven, Jesus Christ reigns as King. ‘The Lord God omnipotent reigneth!’ Particularly, Christ is King in Zion He is the sovereign over everything. But he is King in Zion. He reigns in his church and in the hearts of his own people by right, but he also reigns with the full consent of his subjects (Matthew 23:8-10). Every believer is a voluntary bondslave to Christ as his King. ‘He reigns in the hearts of his people. There he writes his precepts, impresses his image, and erects his throne; ruling them, not merely by an outward law, but by an inward secret influence, breathing his own life and Spirit into them; so that their obedience becomes, as it were, natural, pleasurable, and its own reward. By the discoveries he affords them of his love, he wins their affections, captivates their wills, and enlightens their understandings. They derive from him the ‘spirit of power, of love, and of a sound mind,’ and run with alacrity in the way of his commandments’ (John Newton). The object of Christ in his sovereign, universal rule of all things is the eternal good of his elect (Romans 8:28) ‘The Lord God omnipotent reigneth,’ so that he may accomplish his eternal purpose of grace toward his chosen, redeemed people (John 17:2). Let him do what he deems good, for what he does is good, always good, only good and eternally good for his elect. How we ought to trust him (Proverbs 3:4-6). He loves us. He lived for us. He died for us. He reigns for us. You can trust a King whose throne is erected and dedicated for your good.

Revelation 19:7-10

Chapter 42 The Lamb and His wife ‘Let 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’ Revelation 19:7-10 Revelation 19:7-10 describes that blessed, glorious day when the marriage of Christ and his chosen bride, the church of the living God, which he purchased with his own blood, shall be fully consummated. When Babylon has fallen, when the wicked and unbelieving have been destroyed by the power of his wrath, in the end of the world, our Lord Jesus Christ shall come again. Those who sleep in Jesus shall be raised from the dead (1 Corinthians 15:51-58). Then, we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will be translated (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18). In that day, there will be a great general judgment of all who have ever lived upon the earth (John 5:28-29; 2 Corinthians 5:10-11; Revelation 20:11-12). Then, God’s elect shall be gathered to the great marriage supper of the Lamb and shall be publicly united to Christ our Husband in perfection (Ephesians 5:25-27). This is what is described in Revelation 19:7-10. Throughout the Scriptures the relationship of a bridegroom and his bride is used to portray the relationship between Christ and his church (Isaiah 50:1; Isaiah 54:1; Isaiah 62:5; Jeremiah 2:32; Hosea 2:1; Matthew 9:15; John 3:29; 2 Corinthians 11:2; Ephesians 5:32; Revelation 21:9). In fact, the marriage of a man and woman was intended from the beginning to be a picture and type of the union of Christ and his bride, the church. William Hendriksen helps us in our understanding of this majestic passage of Scripture by describing the marriage customs prevalent among the Jews during the time in which the apostle John lived. Hendriksen tells us that in a typical Jewish marriage there were four distinct elements.

1. The BetrothalThis might be compared to our engagements; but it was much more binding. In the betrothal the terms of the marriage were publicly accepted and God’s blessings were pronounced upon the union. From the day of the betrothal the man and woman were looked upon as husband and wife. They were legally married (Matthew 1:18-19).
2. The IntervalThere was an interval between the betrothal date and the wedding feast. Sometimes this interval was very long and sometimes very short. During this interval, the groom paid a dowry to the bride’s father for the honor of her hand in marriage (Genesis 34:12). The dowry might be paid in money, cattle, property, or even service (Genesis 29:20).
3. The Wedding ProcessionAt the close of the interval, the bride would prepare and adorn herself for her wedding. The groom, arrayed in his finest garments and accompanied by his friends, would go in a grand, singing procession to the home of his bride. Once he received his bride, they would return in another grand procession, either to his or to his father’s home (Matthew 25:1; John 3:29; Song. of Son 3:6-11).
4. The Wedding Feast The wedding feast was a lavish, extravagant banquet, provided entirely by the groom and his father (Matthew 22:1). Usually, these marriage suppers would be celebrations lasting at least seven days. At the wedding feast the bride and groom were publicly and permanently united. It is the wedding feast itself which is described in Revelation 19:7-10. This is no ordinary wedding feast, but ’the marriage supper of the Lamb.’ Here we are informed that there is a day appointed when the Lord Jesus Christ will gather his bride out of the world and bring her into his Father’s house for a glorious everlasting wedding feast. The marriage of the Lamb The marriage of the Lamb is presented to us as a matter of great joy in heaven (Revelation 19:7). Everything in heaven has been anticipating this great event since the beginning of time. When it finally comes, the angels shall call for all the heavenly hosts (elect angels and saved sinners) to rejoice and give honor to Christ, the Lamb of God. God the Father planned everything from eternity for this great day. God the Spirit is the earnest of this day in the hearts of his saints. God the Son sees this great day as the day of his joy and satisfaction. The angels of heaven and the glorified spirits of the redeemed anxiously await this great day. And all God’s saints living upon the earth live in the blessed hope of this glorious day. Today, the church is betrothed to Christ (2 Corinthians 11:2)Though the marriage has not yet been brought to this glorious consummation, our union with the Son of God is a matter of legal record in heaven. Christ is our lawful husband and we are his lawful, betrothed wife. He pledged his troth to us in old eternity in the everlasting covenant of grace (Hosea 2:16 to Hosea 3:3). Having betrothed himself to us in eternity, our dear Husband paid a dowry for his bride, the church. The dowry was his own life’s blood, paid to satisfy the debt we owed to God’s offended justice. ‘From heav’n He came and sought us To be His holy bride, With His own blood He bought us, And for our life He died!’ As Christ pledged his troth to us in eternity, so we who believe pledge our troth to him in faith. Faith in Christ is nothing less than the willful, deliberate consecration of our hearts to him (Romans 7:4). By faith we are wed to the Son of God. This age in which we now live is the interval of separation Our Savior has gone to prepare a place for us in the Father’s house. It was expedient for us that he go away. But as soon as the appointed time of separation is over, Christ Jesus will come again to receive us unto himself (John 14:1-3; John 16:7). During this interval,. Christ’s chosen bride must make herself ready. But how do fallen, sinful men and women make themselves ready for marriage to the Son of God?

They bathe themselves in the fountain of his blood and put on his robe of righteousness by faith. At the end of time Christ will come in a great, glorious procession from heaven, accompanied by his heavenly angels to receive his bride, the church (Matthew 25:31-34). He will gather the bodies of his sleeping saints and those who are yet living upon the earth unto himself. Then the wedding feast will begin. It is a feast that will last not for a week or two, but for eternity! This feast will be the climax of God’s everlasting purpose of grace.

It shall be an holy, blessed, everlasting, perfect union of Christ and his church, an endless, joyous honeymoon for the Son of God and his bride. All the promises of God in the gospel will be fully realized in this great wedding feast. The beauty of the bride The bride’s beauty is displayed in Revelation 19:8. Before the marriage supper takes place, the bride must be prepared. This is no ordinary bride. Her attire is no ordinary attire. Her beauty is no ordinary beauty. She has no natural beauty. But God’s sovereign grace has made her beautiful. Here is a great contrast: The great harlot (Babylon - The false church, representing all false religion) was arrayed in the gaudy tapestry of the world (Revelation 17:4); but the bride of Christ is arrayed in garments of purity, righteousness, and light - the garments of salvation. Her wedding garment of ‘fine linen, clean and white’ is called ’the righteousness of saints’ This garment does not represent the personal righteousness and good works of believers (Read Isaiah 64:6!) Without question, God’s saints do walk in righteousness and perform good works in the tenor of their lives. But these things have nothing to do with our acceptance with God. Our righteousness cannot be compared to ‘fine linen, clean and white.’ This ‘fine linen, clean and white’ represents the righteousness of Christ, given to all believers by God’s sovereign grace (Isaiah 61:10; Ezekiel 16:6-14; Zechariah 3:1-5)Christ’s righteousness is imputed to his people in justification (Romans 4:3-5; Romans 4:22-24). And his righteous nature is imparted to them in regeneration (Colossians 1:27; 2 Peter 1:4; 1 John 3:5-9). The blessedness of the called This blessedness is declared in Revelation 19:9. Many are bidden to the marriage by the preaching of the gospel. But there is no blessedness in that outward call. In fact, to be bidden and yet refuse to come will only add to one’s eternal condemnation (Luke 14:15-24). However, those who are ’the called,’ being compelled by God’s irresistible grace, effectually called by the sovereign power of the Holy Spirit to come to ’the marriage supper of the Lamb’ are here pronounced ‘Blessed.’ And blessed they are! Grace made them willing to come who otherwise would never have come (Psalms 65:4; Psalms 110:3). Their sins are all washed away (Jeremiah 50:20). They have on the wedding garment of Christ’s imputed righteousness. ‘And with His spotless garments on They are as holy as God’s own Son!’ In Christ, because of Christ, they are worthy of heaven’s glory (Colossians 1:12). ‘These are the true sayings of God.’ The testimony of Holy Scripture The testimony of Holy Scripture must always be kept and followed (Revelation 19:10). Filled with wonder and ecstasy, John fell down to worship the one who showed him these things. Perhaps he mistook the glorified messenger for his glorified Lord. We are not told. But he was sharply rebuked for his error. In the rebuke John received, four things are clearly taught.

1. God alone is to be worshipped, never angels or men.
2. All true believers are one in Christ and equal in him.
3. All God’s servants in every age proclaim one message: ‘The testimony of Jesus.’ ‘We preach Christ!’
4. The spirit, the inner content, of all Scripture is the testimony of the Lord Jesus Christ (John 5:39; Luke 24:27; Luke 24:44-47). Christ crucified is ‘all the counsel of God’ (1 Corinthians 2:2; Acts 20:27). The purpose of Holy Scripture is to show chosen sinners who Christ is and what he has done and bring them to this great wedding feast robed in his righteousness.

Revelation 19:11-21

Chapter 46 Christ and Armageddon ‘And 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’ Revelation 19:11-21 Armageddon is not a military conflict between earthly nations. It is not a nuclear war. It is a spiritual conflict. It is represented in every battle throughout history between Christ and satan, the seed of the woman and the seed of the serpent (Genesis 3:15), the kingdom of light and the kingdom of darkness, the church and the world, truth and error, righteousness and evil, the worshippers of God and false religion. Whenever the people of God are oppressed and persecuted, the Lord reveals his power and defeats our enemies. That is Armageddon (Judges 5:19-20).

It is a battle which began in the Garden of Eden, has continued throughout the ages, and shall be consummated at the glorious second advent of our Lord Jesus Christ. That is what is described in Revelation 19:11-21. This is a picture of our Lord’s second coming for judgment. He comes to judge and make war. We have seen Babylon destroyed. We have heard the shouts of ‘Hallelujah!’ in heaven because of God’s righteous judgment. But, before that final judgment comes, the beast, the false prophet, and satan himself must be destroyed. This shall be the consummation of that battle which began in the Garden. This is Armageddon. When our Lord Jesus Christ comes the second time in power and great glory, satan’s opposition to Christ and his church shall cease forever. Satan’s power to deceive will be completely destroyed. His power to hurt God’s creation shall be forever ended. Every influence of the evil one shall be cast with him into hell! Let’s look at this final battle of Armageddon. In that last day, the events will take place in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye. Christ shall come to forcibly take possession of the earth, to rid it of all evil, and to make all things new. When he comes, our Lord will find the kingdoms of this earth mustered in confederate rebellion against him. By the might of his sovereign word and ineffable glory he will destroy them completely in this battle of Armageddon (Revelation 16:15-16). The glorious advent of our Lord Jesus Christ is described (Revelation 19:11-16) What John sees here is that of which Enoch prophesied before the flood (Jude 1:14-15). In these verses the Holy Spirit gives us eleven things to describe the second coming of Christ. (1.) Our Lord Jesus will come forth out of heaven (Revelation 19:11) His name is not mentioned; but we know who he is by the marks and inscriptions he bears. All that is said of this great, coming Conqueror clearly identifies him as that same Jesus John had seen ascending into heaven (Luke 24:50-52; Acts 1:9-11). The second coming of Christ is announced by the opening of heaven - ‘I saw heaven opened.’ This is not a secret thing, known only to a few chosen people. This is the rending of the heavens that will take place at the glorious appearing of the great God, our Savior. In that last great day, the very heavens will be opened, and Christ shall appear to judge the world and to be glorified in all his saints (2 Thessalonians 1:7-10). The Lamb, being married to his chosen, redeemed bride, will leave his Father’s house and come with his saints to take possession of the earth. (2.) Christ Jesus will come riding upon a white horse (Revelation 19:11) Again, I remind you that this white horse is purely symbolical. It represents royalty, judgment and war, righteousness, justice and truth, honor, majesty and victory. White is the color that symbolizes the purity of Christ and the purity of his judgment. When he comes forth to conquer, he is upon a white horse (Revelation 6:2). When he comes to reap his harvest from the earth, he sits upon a white cloud (Revelation 14:14). And when he comes to sit in judgment, he sits upon a great white throne (Revelation 20:11). The horse symbolizes power and majesty. And its white color symbolizes purity and truth. (3.) When our Savior comes to judge the world, he is called ‘Faithful And True’ (Revelation 19:11) He is seen in sharp contrast with those whom he comes to judge and destroy. The Dragon is the deceiver. The beast, the false prophet, and Babylon represent all false religion. Those who follow them are false worshippers. But here is One who is absolutely true and faithful. (4.)When Christ comes he will judge and make war in righteousness (Revelation 19:11) In his letter to the Laodicean church, he was called ’the faithful and true witness’ (Revelation 3:14). As such, he reproved his church and instructed his friends. Here he is the faithful and true warrior and judge for the everlasting destruction of his enemies. Righteousness cannot tolerate iniquity. Justice cannot be at peace with sin. Sin must be destroyed.

God’s mercy, slighted and abused by men, brings forth the Executioner of justice. The world banded together in arms against God’s sovereign throne. And now God sends forth his King, Jesus Christ, to squash the rebellion and to execute absolute justice upon his enemies. Divine judgment will be exactly according to God’s law and justice (2 Corinthians 5:10; Revelation 22:11). This horrible vengeance and wrath of God upon men will be the result of man’s willful, deliberate rebellion against the claims of Christ in the gospel (Psalms 2:1-12; Proverbs 1:23-33). (See Matthew 22:1-7.) When Christ makes war with men, it is because they will not surrender to him and have his terms of peace. His warfare and judgment are acts of righteousness. (5.) The eyes of this great Judge are a flame of fire (Revelation 19:12) In order to judge righteously, he must see all things perfectly. And he does. He searches the depth of the heart, looks behind the mask of hypocrisy, penetrates the darkness of secrecy, and sees the very thoughts and intents of the heart. His eyes possess omniscient perception and break out against his enemies with indignation and wrath. And his wrath upon his enemies is as irresistible as his grace toward his elect, because this mighty Warrior is the Sovereign of the universe. (6.) When Christ comes to judge and make war, he wears the crowns of total, universal sovereignty (Revelation 19:12). He is not only the Judge and the General, but also the sovereign King. Remember, he won these crowns by his obedience to his Father’s will as our Substitute (John 17:2). When David conquered the Ammonites he took the crown of the defeated king and placed it upon his own head, in addition to the crown he already had as king of Israel (2 Samuel 12:30). In the same sense, Christ has, by virtue of his conquests, taken all the crowns of the universe and placed them upon his own head, in addition to the crown he possesses as God and Creator of all things. And he is coming to make war with and execute judgment upon those who dispute his right to total sovereignty (Isaiah 45:9). (7.) Jesus Christ, our coming Lord, is one whom no man can know (Revelation 19:12). He has a name ’that no man knew, but he himself.’ It is true, we know him by divine revelation. We know him by faith. But we could not know him had he not been revealed to us by God’s almighty grace (Matthew 11:27). Yet, this text implies much more. The Lord Jesus Christ, this God-Man who comes to judge and make war, possesses such ineffable greatness and glory that no man has any idea how great and glorious, awesome and majestic he is who comes to judge and destroy the wicked (Tim. Revelation 6:14-16). (8.) He who comes to judge sinners in the wrath of God is the Christ who was judged for sinners in the wrath of God (Revelation 19:13) I cannot agree with those who say those blood stains have no reference at all to our Savior’s sacrifice for sin. These are not the blood stains of men whom he treads in the winepress of God’s wrath. They are the blood stains of him who has trodden the winepress of the wrath of God alone (Isaiah 63:1-5). As he comes forth to judge and make war his garments are already stained! The primary issue of the judgment and warfare is these blood-stained garments! Christ comes to judge and make war with those who spilled his blood, despised his blood, and counted his blood a useless thing - unbelievers! He who comes to judge the world is the Lamb of God, whom the world despises (Isaiah 63:6). (9.) This mighty warrior and judge of the world is the Word Of God (Revelation 19:13) Jesus Christ is the Word of God incarnate (John 1:1-14). He is the true and only expression of the eternal, triune God. He is the living Word of whom the written Word speaks and in whom the written Word is fulfilled. When he comes in judgment, he will reveal the righteousness, justice and truth of God. (10.) The purpose of our Lord’s second advent is the destruction of his enemies (Revelation 19:15) In that dread day the word of God will be an instrument of wrath and destruction. It will be the sharp sword of almighty justice, proceeding out of his mouth (Isaiah 11:4). Do you see the ease with which Christ will destroy his enemies? He speaks, and it is done. He commands, and it is accomplished. (11.) This great judge, our Lord Jesus Christ, is the King of kings and Lord of lords (Revelation 19:16) This name tells of the majesty and dominion, glory, and power of him who bears the sword of judgment and the rod of wrath. (See Psalms 45:1-6.) For ages the beast and the false prophet have attacked the throne of the King. The nations of the world have formed a league with hell against Omnipotence. But now the Lion of the tribe of Judah comes forth to meet his enemies (Psalms 21:9). These eleven things describe the glorious second advent of Christ. But when he comes, he will not be alone. He comes with ten thousands of his saints. So next John speaks of… The armies that follow him (Revelation 19:14) When our Lord comes from heaven in flaming fire, taking vengeance upon them that know not God and obey not the gospel, his bride, the church, all the hosts of his elect will be with him. No one can say precisely how this rapid succession of events will take place. But John appears to be speaking now of those events which will take place immediately preceding the final judgment and the great hallelujah songs described in Revelation 19:1-10. The order of events appears to be as follows. (1.)Christ will come (1 Thessalonians 4:16). (2.) The dead in Christ will be resurrected (1 Thessalonians 4:16). (3.) The living believers will be translated to heaven to meet the Lord in the air (1 Thessalonians 4:17). NOTE: We will meet our Lord in his descent, and return with him to destroy the wicked (Compare the usage of the word ‘meet’ Acts 28:15-16). (4.) Christ will come to judge and make war with the armies of heaven, all his saints following him (2 Thessalonians 1:7-10). Christ is the Head, the Leader, the Captain of these armies.

He comes first. The saints follow in his train. The promise from the beginning was that the Seed of the woman should crush the serpent’s head. Here, it is done! Christ is the Seed of the woman. And we who believe are his seed.

Though the work is his and the battle is his, we shall follow him in the victory (Romans 16:20; Revelation 17:14). All those called, chosen, and faithful ones shall ride like their King upon white horses Horses and chariots of fire took Elijah up to heaven. Horses and chariots of fire protected Elisha at Dotham. And white horses, symbolically, will bring the saints from heaven with our great King, for the final subjugation of the world to his authority. It is up to the bridles of these horses that the blood will flow in that day (Revelation 14:20). All the saints of God are clothed with the righteousness of Christ, perfectly pure and clean before God Perhaps the psalmist had this very scene in mind when he wrote, ‘The righteous shall rejoice when he seeth the vengeance: he shall wash his feet in the blood of the wicked. So that a man shall say, verily there is a reward for the righteous: verily he is a God that judgeth in the earth’ (Psalms 58:10-11). It is certain that Paul had this in mind when he declared that ’the saints shall judge the world’ (1 Corinthians 6:2). Notice that in that day the saints will wear no armor. They are now immortal. They cannot be hurt. We shall not be the executioners of vengeance. That belongs to Christ alone. But we follow the achievements of his sword and rejoice in the victory. The enemies Christ comes to destroy are named in Revelation 19:19 The beast represents all antichrist government, philosophy, and power which has persecuted the church of God through the ages. The kings of the earth represent the nations of the world, arrayed in opposition to God, under the strong delusion of the beast and the false prophet, who represents all the religion of antichrist. (See Revelation 16:12-16.) Demonic spirits, working demonic miracles, lead men and women in demonic religion in the name of Christ against Christ and the gospel of his grace. And those who are set in battle array against Christ think they are doing God’s service. (See 2 Thessalonians 2:3-12.) The preachers of freewill, works religion are demonic spirits, serving the cause of antichrist to keep sinners from Christ (2 Corinthians 11:1-3; 2 Corinthians 11:13-15). Those miracle workers, claiming the gifts and powers that belonged to the apostles of Christ to speak in tongues, heal the sick, raise the dead and prophesy, are antichrists, performing their works by the power of satan. All who embrace the religion of freewillism and works salvation, under any name, are under the power of a lie and a strong delusion. They are in the religion of antichrist, fighting against God.

Those are the forces of Armageddon gathered against Christ whom he comes to destroy. With one accord, in one hell inspired confederation the governments of the world, the educators of the world, the philosophers of the world, and the religions of the world are gathered against the Lamb of God to make war. But their confederations is useless! (See Psalms 2:1-12.) Our Savior’s conquest will be thorough (Revelation 19:17-21) The whole world of unbelief is gathered against Christ and his church to do battle. But the battle will end quickly and decisively by the glorious appearing of Christ. At his second coming, satan’s persecution of the church and his power to deceive will end forever! Every influence of satan will be cast with him into hell, never to appear again outside the pit of the damned. Hallelujah! Even now, Christ’s victory over the beast and the false prophet is so certain that the angel is seen standing in the sun, calling the buzzards of the air to gather for a feast upon the carcass of the Lord’s enemies. (See Matthew 24:24-28.) So easily will our Lord defeat those who oppose him that we are told, ‘He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: the Lord shall have them in derision’ (Psalms 2:4). For six thousand years, God has been longsuffering and patient, and men have despised his goodness. Now Jehovah laughs! For six thousand years God has sent light and truth to men who despised it. But now he laughs! For six thousand years God has offered terms of peace, which men have despised. But now he laughs! What a horrible day! God comes in judgment, laughing at his enemies! First, the beast and the false prophet will be taken (Revelation 19:20)The governments and religions of antichrist shall be suddenly, thoroughly destroyed. Only at the moment of judgment will men see the futility of intellectualism, materialism, freewillism, ritualism, and legalism. The philosophical, political, and religious leaders of the world will be cast alive into hell, and with them all the delusions of antichrist. Then, those that have been deceived, because they would not obey the gospel, shall be destroyed forever (Revelation 19:21)Thus this present world shall end! The only thing left to be seen is the fate of the devil. Babylon is gone! The beast is gone! The false prophet is gone! Only the dragon remains. And his ruin is described in chapter 20. Then we will see the glorious pictures of heavenly, eternal bliss awaiting the saints of God.

Revelation 19:13

Chapter 45 Christ-The Word Of God ‘And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God’ Revelation 19:13‘His name is called The Word of God’ The doctrine declared by this name given to our Savior is of immense importance. All our knowledge of God, all our hopes of grace and life, all our salvation is wrapped up in the fact that the Lord Jesus Christ is the Word of God. In the New Testament, our Savior is frequently referred to as the Word of God (John 1:1-3; Hebrews 4:12-13; 2 Peter 3:5; 1 John 1:1-3; 1 John 5:7). Some, seeking to undermine the inspiration and authority of the Scriptures, have suggested that the apostles got their idea of the eternal Logos, the eternal Word, from the writings of Plato. But that is not accurate. Plato got his idea of the eternal Word from the writings of the Old Testament Scriptures and from the writings of the ancient Jewish theologians who expounded them (Psalms 138:2). Those ancient Jewish writers frequently referred to the Messiah (the Christ) as the Word of God. So the apostles, especially when writing to Jewish believers, used that name to refer to Christ, being inspired to do so by God the Holy Spirit. What is the significance of this name? Why is the Lord Jesus Christ called ‘The Word of God’? Our Savior is called The Word Of God because he is the Son Of God (John 1:1) As the word, whether silent or expressed, is the birth of the mind, the image of it, and equal to it, so the Lord Jesus Christ is the only begotten Son of the Father. He is the express image of the invisible God. Indeed, Jesus Christ is God, in all things co-eternal, co-equal, and one with God the Father and God the Holy Spirit. ‘In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God’ (John 1:1-2). Notice John’s language. ‘The Word was God.’ He could not be more emphatic and clear in teaching both the deity of Christ and the doctrine of the Trinity. Quite literally translated, the text reads, ‘God was the Word.

The same was in the beginning face to face (as an equal) with God.’ Yet, as the word and the mind are distinct from one another, so the Father and the Son are equal, but separate and distinct Persons within the triune Godhead. ‘There are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one’ (1 John 5:7). So when the Scriptures declare that Christ is the Word of God, they are telling us that…

1. He is God (Hebrews 1:8).
2. He is the only begotten of the Father (John 3:16).
3. He is a distinct Person, separate from the Father and the Spirit (John 14:16-17; 2 Corinthians 13:14).
4. He is one with the Father and the Spirit in the sacred Trinity (Deuteronomy 6:4). The doctrine of the Trinity is a vital doctrine of the gospel. It is a doctrine taught through the current of Holy Scripture and by universal consent of all the inspired writers. It is written as with a sunbeam through the Word of God. The trinity of Persons in the eternal Godhead is displayed in all the works of God revealed in Scripture: creation, providence, and grace. The ordinances of divine worship, the mediatoral work of Christ, the songs and prayers of God’s elect, and the benedictions of grace all show forth the tri-unity of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit in the one God. But the doctrine is plainly stated in the text referred to before - 1 John 5:7. ‘There are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost; and these three are one.’ ‘This text is so glaring a proof of the doctrine of the Trinity, that the enemies of it have done all they can to weaken its authority, and have pushed hard to extirpate it from a place in the sacred writings’ (John Gill).

Almost all modern translations of the Bible either omit this verse altogether, or put a footnote in saying that it should be omitted. But the objections raised against its inspiration are groundless. There was never any dispute about it until Erasmus mistakenly omitted it from the first edition of his translation of the New Testament. We worship one God in the Trinity (tri-unity) of his sacred Persons. And the second Person in the triune Godhead is called ’the Word of God.’ He is Jesus Christ, the eternally begotten Son of God. The man Christ Jesus is God manifest in the flesh (2 Timothy 3:16).

He so thoroughly reveals God that he says, ‘He that hath seen me hath seen the Father’ (John 14:4-11). Indeed, all the fullness of the incomprehensible God ‘dwelleth in him bodily’ (Colossians 2:9). Christ is called The Word Of God because he is the living word of whom the written word speaks I cannot stress this fact too much. The Bible is not a book of history, a book of morality, or even a book of theology. It is a book about the Son of God. This is exactly what our Lord taught his disciples on the Emmaus road (Luke 24:27; Luke 24:44-45). Jesus Christ is ‘all the counsel of God’ (Acts 20:27; 1 Corinthians 2:2). All the Old Testament Scriptures promise and portray him. The four Gospels present him. Acts, the Epistles, and the book of Revelation proclaim and praise him. No man preaches the Bible except as he preaches Christ. No man teaches the Bible except as he teaches Christ. And no one understands the Bible except as he understands how it directs him to and shows him the glory and beauty of the Lord Jesus Christ. The Word of God is like that box containing precious spikenard the woman broke to anoint the Savior. When it was broken open ’the house was filled with the odor of the ointment’ (John 12:3). God’s servants, in preaching and teaching the Scriptures, break open the precious Word containing Christ crucified; and, as they do, the house is filled with the sweet aroma of Christ.

Cherish the Bible. Read it diligently and carefully. It is the inspired Word of God, infallible and without error. But it is to be cherished because of the Person revealed in it. Take Christ out of the Book of God and you have nothing left but processed wood in leather bindings with gold edges. Christ crucified is the key that unlocks the treasure chest of Holy Scripture; and Christ crucified is the Treasure contained in that chest. Our Savior is called The Word Of God because of the works ascribed to him He is the Word of God who spoke for God’s elect in the council of peace and covenant of grace before the world began (Psalms 40:6-8; Hebrews 10:5-10). In the council chambers of the triune God, the Lord Jesus Christ spoke for us as our Surety, agreeing to do all his Father’s will for the accomplishment of our salvation. His blood is the blood of the everlasting covenant (Hebrews 13:20). His blessings are all covenant blessings, bestowed upon the chosen from eternity because of Christ’s word of promise as our Surety (Ephesians 1:3; 2 Timothy 1:9; Hebrews 7:22). His delights were with his people from everlasting (Proverbs 8:31). Because of his wise representation of us as our Wisdom, upon the ground of his Word, God’s elect were ‘accepted in the Beloved’ (Ephesians 1:6), before the world began. Christ is the Word of God by whom all things were created (John 1:3; 2 Peter 3:5). Evolution is a myth, invented and perpetuated by atheism. Christ our God is the Creator of all things. He spoke all things into being out of nothing. As he spoke all things into being, so he constantly upholds all things by the word of his power (Hebrews 1:3). The ’laws of nature’ and ‘balance of nature’ by which men imagine the world is sustained are nothing less than the execution of Christ’s mighty word. The sun will burn as long as he fuels the candle. The earth will stand as long as he holds it up in the midst of nothing upon the foundation of his word. As the Word of God, Christ is both the Revelation of God’s Being and the Interpreter of his will (John 1:18). It is not possible for man to know God apart from Christ, the Word. No man can know the mind of another, unless he expresses his mind in his word. And no man can know the mind of God, except by God’s revelation of himself in Christ, his Word. Christ has, by his doctrine, his life, and his sin-atoning sacrifice, shown us that God is holy, that he delights in mercy, and that he saves his people graciously, upon the grounds of justice satisfied (Romans 3:24-26). It is as the Word of God that the Lord Jesus acts as our Advocate in heaven (1 John 2:1-2). He speaks to God the Father on behalf of all his chosen, redeemed people (John 17:9; John 17:20). Our Advocate is One whom God will hear - ‘Jesus Christ the Righteous.’ He pleads with God for us for the non-imputation of sin to his redeemed. The basis of his plea is his shed blood. ‘He is the propitiation for our sins.’ It is Christ, the Word of God, by whom we are given and preserved in eternal life (Hebrews 4:12-13). As in the old creation, so in the new creation of grace, all things have their being by Christ, the Word of God. Notice what the Holy Spirit tells us about Christ as the Word of God in Hebrews 4. He is living, powerful, dividing, and discerning (Revelation 19:12-13). He is in the heavens (Revelation 19:14). He sympathizes with us (Revelation 19:15). He is ready, willing, and able to help us in time of need (Revelation 19:16). Jesus Christ is ’the Word of God’ Christ’s person is a revelation of God. Christ’s work is a revelation of God. He is in the Father, and the Father in him. His words and works are the words and works of the Father. In the manger, he showed us God. In the synagogue of Nazareth, he showed us God.

At Jacob’s well, he showed us God. At the tomb of Lazarus, he showed us God. On Olivet, as he wept over Jerusalem, he showed us God. On the cross, he showed us God. In the tomb, he showed us God. In the resurrection, he showed us God.

If we say with Philip, ‘Show us the Father, and it sufficeth us,’ he answers, ‘Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me? He that hath seen me hath seen the Father’ (John 14:8-9). This is God whom Christ reveals, as the God of righteous grace and gracious righteousness, is the God with whom we have to do’ (Horatius Bonar). He is God’s exalted Word, exalted above all his name (Psalms 138:2). He is the One exalted in the written Word. Let us ever exalt him as the Word of God because he is the Son of God, because he is the One of whom all the Scriptures speak, and because he is the One by whom God is made known to us and in whom we are made known to God!