Revelation 19

 Revelation 19:1-6.

Songs of Victory in Heaven.

 

We need a diversion from all the bad news in this world. And in the end of Revelation God takes a break from all the carnage here on earth, and we jump up to heaven to see what is going on during the tribulation on earth.  Praise God the church will not go through the Great Tribulation, we will be part of the evacuation!

 

1 After this, I heard what sounded like a vast crowd in heaven shouting,

“Praise the Lord!  Salvation and glory and power belong to our God.
² His judgments are true and just. He has punished the great prostitute
who corrupted the earth with her immorality. He has avenged the murder of his servants.”

³ And again their voices rang out “Praise the Lord! The smoke from that city ascends forever and ever!”

⁴ Then the twenty-four elders and the four living beings fell down and worshiped God, who was sitting on the throne. They cried out, “Amen! Praise the Lord!”

⁵ And from the throne came a voice that said, “Praise our God, all his servants, all who fear him, from the least to the greatest.”

⁶ Then I heard again what sounded like the shout of a vast crowd or the roar of mighty ocean waves or the crash of loud thunder:

“Praise the Lord!  For the Lord our God, the Almighty, reigns.”

 

“After these things” verse 1. What things?

The destruction of “mystical Babylon” and the restored city of Babylon.

The first “Alleluia” is for the destruction of the “Great Whore” = “Mystical Babylon.”

The second “Alleluia” is for the destruction of the “city of Babylon” whose smoke rose up for ever and ever, which could not be said of “Mystical Babylon” but only of a City.

In the preceding chapter, verse 20, at the destruction of the “City of Babylon,” we read: “Rejoice over her, you Heaven, and you Holy Apostles and Prophets; for God has avenged you on her.”

Here we hear the rejoicing. What the merchants, and shipmasters, and sailors, and traders, weep and wail and mourn over, the “Fall of Babylon.”

Heaven rejoices over.

Here we see the difference between Heaven and Earth’s opinion of these Divine Judgments.

The word “Hallelujah.” It is a compound Hebrew word “HAL-LELU-JAH” (“Praise-Ye-Jah”). It occurs 24 times in the Old Testament, and 4 times in the New Testament.

In the Old Testament the word is always translated: “Praise you the Lord,” in the New Testament the Greek word “ALLELUIA” is left untranslated, but in the New Version the word “HALLELUJAH” is substituted for “Alleluia.”

Four times the word “Hallelujah” is uttered in this chapter, not only by a great multitude, but by the “Four Beasts,” and by the “Four and Twenty Elders.” It is the “cry of victory” in which praise is ascribed to God.

They also sang “Hallelujah” because the time had come for the “Marriage of the Lamb.”

Many readers of the Bible have wondered why the “Song of Solomon” was ever included among the books of the Old Testament. Upon the first reading it appears as only a love song of Solomon for one of the many women that he loved.

But a careful study of the Song reveals the fact that it is an inspired song of the love of the Church of Christ during His absence in the Heavenlies. The Song describes a maiden of Shulam, a Galilean town some 5 miles south of Mt. Tabor, who was taken from her home to one of Solomon's palaces, probably in the Lebanon district, where Solomon tries to win her love.

She had lived with her mother, but her brothers had treated her cruelly and made her the keeper of the vineyards until her skin was so tanned that she spoke of herself as “black but comely,” and had not kept the vineyard of her own beauty, and her brothers even went as far as to speak disparagingly of her character.

But there was one, a shepherd, who loved and believed in her, and whose love she returned with the most intense passion. At times Solomon visited her and sought to win her away from her beloved, but she would not listen to him.

During the day she would talk to herself of her lover and imagine she heard his voice calling, and during the night she dreamt of him and imagined she was walking the streets of the city hunting for him. At times she bursts out in rapturous praise of her lover's beauty, then she calls him in loving tones.

At last, she escapes and finds her lover and they are seen approaching from the meadows happy in each other’s love. What a beautiful picture we have here of the love of the True Church for her absent Lord. The Church is held captive in this world and is being constantly solicited by the offers of wealth and splendour to withdraw her love from Immanuel, her Shepherd Lover, who is feeding His flock in Paradise, and give her heart to her Solomonic lovers.

And consort with the kings and governments of the world, as does her sister the Harlot Church.

But she cannot give her Heavenly Lover up. At times she is sorely tempted, then she sees Him with the eye of faith, and dreams of Him as spiritually present, and she is ravished by the vision of His beauty. Then suddenly He vanishes, and she is alone again carrying on the conflict with the world that tries to cast its spell upon her and offers her its glories if she will only forsake her Shepherd Lover.

But while the temptation is great her love never wavers, for she sees the time approaching when she shall be caught away from the earth to meet her Shepherd Lover on the plains of Paradise.

The “Marriage of the Lamb” was one of the themes that Jesus loved to dwell on. In the Parable of the “Ten Virgins” He tells how the Virgins went out to meet the Bridegroom, and the unpreparedness of some of them to meet Him. And in the Parable of the “Marriage of the King's Son” Matthew 22:1-14, He prophetically refers to it, and gives us a fore view of it.

It is marvellous how the Holy Spirit has preserved in the Scriptures the Bridal relation of the Church and her Lord. It is revealed to the spiritual mind in the most unexpected places.

It is also foreshadowed in the Old Testament in the story of Isaac and Rebekah, etc.

 

⁷ Let us be glad and rejoice and let us give honour to him. For the time has come for the wedding feast of the Lamb, and his bride has prepared herself.
⁸ She has been given the finest of pure white linen to wear.” For the fine linen represents the good deeds of God’s holy people.

⁹ And the angel said to me, “Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding feast of the Lamb.” And he added, “These are true words that come from God.”

¹⁰ Then I fell down at his feet to worship him, but he said, “No, do not worship me. I am a servant of God, just like you and your brothers and sisters who testify about their faith in Jesus. Worship only God. For the essence of prophecy is to give a clear witness for Jesus.^”

 

We are now in one of my long for passage in the Book of Revelation for studying.

Notice that it does not say the “Marriage of the BRIDE,” but the “Marriage of the LAMB.” That grand event will be not so much the fulfilment of the hopes of the Bride, but it will be the fulfilment of the plan of God for His Son, arranged for “before the Foundation of the World” Ephesians 1:4.

All eyes will be focused on the Bridegroom in this heavenly marriage union, and not on the Bride, her eyes will be on her love = Jesus! The “Marriage of the Lamb” is the fulfilment of the joy of Christ as a man! It would not have been possible if Christ had not been born “in the flesh.”

Otherwise, it would have been the union of different natures, for the Bride is of human origin. This is why Jesus took His Human Nature back with Him to glory, and today we have in Heaven the MAN Christ Jesus, 1 Timothy 2:5.

While the Bride was chosen for Him before the Foundation of the World, it could not be taken up, until after Christ took on human form, so it was not until after Christ's incarnation could Paul say “For I am jealous for you with godly jealousy. For I have betrothed you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ” 2 Corinthians 11:2.

There have been many long betrothals in which the betrothed has been faithful to their vows until the long wait has ended in a happy marriage, but the longest this world has ever heard of is that of Christ waiting for His Bride.

He has been waiting now for nearly 2,000 years for His Bride the Church, but He will not have to wait much longer. Soon the sleeping Church shall hear the cry “Behold the Bridegroom comes, go you out to meet Him” Matthew 25:6.

Heaven will re-sound with the cry “Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to Him, for the Marriage of the Lamb is come” Revelation 19:7. Normally the most interest in a wedding gather around the bride, but the suggestion in Scripture is, that the most interest at the “Marriage of the Lamb” will centre around the Bridegroom.

If there is joy in Heaven in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repents, “Likewise, I say to you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents” Luke 15:10. How much greater will be the joy of the Father when He shall behold the fulfillment of His plan for His Son in His Marriage to His Bride the Church?

There have been many royal weddings of international interest where the invited guests and spectators witnessed a spectacle royal appointment, and in great rejoicing in a union that bound together different nations. But the Wedding of the Lamb and His Bride will surpass them all, for it shall unite Heaven and Earth in a bond that shall never be broken!

Let us now look at the “Marriage of the Lamb” in more detail.

 

1. WHERE AND WHEN SHALL THIS MARRIAGE TAKE PLACE?

 

The Marriage takes place In Heaven After the “Saints Rewards,” and before the appearing of Christ with His Saints at the Revelation, from verse 11 onwards. How can the Lord come with His saints if they are not already with Him?

The character of the ceremony or who shall perform, but there is never a legal marriage without some form of ceremony, with the vows the Bridegroom and Bride must take. The marriage itself is not disclosed, only the “Marriage Supper.” Of one thing we are certain that there is no one to escort the bride, for Christ presents her to Himself a “Glorious Church,” not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing” Ephesians 5:25-27.

 

2. WHO IS THE BRIDEGROOM?

 

To this question there can be but one answer. The “Bridegroom” is the King's Son of the Parable of the “Marriage of the King's Son” Matthew 22:1-14, or JESUS, spoken of here as the Lamb.

John the Baptist spoke of Christ as the “Bridegroom,” and of himself as the “Friend” of the Bridegroom who rejoiced to hear His voice. John 3:29. Jesus also represented Himself as the “Bridegroom,” saying “Can the 'Children of the Bride-chamber' mourn as long as the Bridegroom is with them” Matthew 9:15. And in the Parable of the “Ten Virgins” Jesus refers to Himself as the “Bridegroom” Matthew 25:1-10. The Bridegroom then is Christ.

 

3. WHO IS THE BRIDE?

 

Here there is a difference of opinion. Some claim that the “Bride,” because she is called “Wife” in Revelation 19:7, is Israel, because in the Old Testament God calls Himself the Husband of Israel. Isaiah 54:5. Those who advocate this view claim that “Wife” is the earthly name of Israel, and “Bride” the Heavenly.

But we must not forget that there are “Two Brides” mentioned in the Scriptures. One in the Old Testament, and the other in the New Testament. The one in the Old Testament is Israel, the Bride of Jehovah; the one in the New Testament is the Church, the Bride of Christ.

Of Israel it is said: “For your Maker is your husband, the LORD of hosts is His name; and your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel; He is called the God of the whole earth. For the LORD has called you Like a woman forsaken and grieved in spirit, like a youthful wife when you were refused,” Says your God.
          “For a mere moment I have forsaken you, But with great mercies I will gather you. With a little wrath I hid My face from you for a moment; but with everlasting kindness I will have mercy on you,” Says the LORD, your Redeemer” Isaiah 54:5-8.

Because of her fallen ways, Israel is a cast-off Wife, but God, her husband, promises to take her back when she ceases from her betrayals. Jeremiah 3:1-18; Ezekiel 16:1-63; Hosea 2:1-23; 3:1-5. She will not be taken back as a Virgin, but as a Wife.

But it is a Virgin that the Lamb (Christ) is to marry. So, the Wife (Israel) of the Old Testament cannot be the Bride (Virgin) of the New Testament. Again, the Wife (Israel) is to reside in the earthly Jerusalem during the Millennium, while the Bride (the Church) will reside in the New Jerusalem.

These distinctions make it clear that Israel cannot be the “Bride” of Christ. We must remember that John did not call the bride “Wife,” until Revelation 21:9, which was after the marriage, when she was no longer a Bride but Wife.

Many assume that the “Bride” is composed of all the saints from Adam down to the time of the taking out of the Church, but this can-not be so, for the Church did not exist until the Day of Pentecost, and only those who live and die in Christ between Pentecost and the taking out of the Church belong to the Church. Jesus Himself said “I will (Meaning in the future) will build My Church” Matthew 16:18.

 

4. WHAT IS MEANT BY HER MAKING HERSELF READY?

 

We are told in verse 7, that she has “made herself ready,” and in verse 8, that it had permitted her to be “arrayed in fine linen, clean and white, which is the righteousness of saints,” and in chapter 21:2, she is described as “prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.” The fact that the “fine linen” in which the bride is clothed is called not the “righteousness of Christ,” but the “righteousness’s” (plural) of saints, makes it clear that it stands for, the righteous acts and works of the saints themselves.

Where does the Church therefore clothe herself and when? It is certain that she does not clothe herself on the earth, for we must not forget that the Bride does not put on her wedding robes until After she has been tried at the Judgment Seat of Christ, where all her “false works” will have been consumed by fire (1 Corinthians 3:11-15).

This “Fiery Judgment” that Peter refers to as the “Trial of Faith” which “being much more precious than of gold that perish, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the APPEARING OF JESUS CHRIST” 1 Peter 1:7.

The “righteousness” then of the Saints will be their righteous acts and works that will come out of the “fiery test” of the Judgment of Reward and be found unto Praise and Honour and Glory at the “Appearing” of Jesus Christ; and these shall make up the beautiful wedding garments in which the Saints shall be clothed.

What a contrast there will be between the purple and scarlet coloured dress, and jewel bedecked person of the “Harlot Wife” of Antichrist, and the spotless white robe of fine linen of the “Bride” of the Lamb.

 

5. WHAT IS THE MARRIAGE SUPPER?

 

It is not the wedding itself. The “Marriage Feast” is the supper that follows AFTER the Marriage has been solemnized. There is one thing about this Feast it will be such an honour to receive an invitation, and to be present, that the angel said to John, “Write,” put it down in black and white lest you forget.

“Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding feast of the Lamb.” What a supper it will be!

Note: the contrast with the supper mentioned in Revelation 19:17-18, where the fowls of the air are invited to gather themselves together, “Then I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the birds that fly in the midst of heaven, “Come and gather together for the supper of the great God, that you may eat the flesh of kings, the flesh of captains, the flesh of mighty men, the flesh of horses and of those who sit on them, and the flesh of all people, free and slave, both small and great”

 

6. WHO ARE THE GUESTS?

 

Here again there is a difference of opinion. The Guests are not the “Bride,” the bride would not be “called” or “invited” to the Wedding, she has a place there of her own right and there could be no wedding without her. It is the Bride and Groom that normally send out the invites. So, who are the guests?

But there will be “Guests.” All the dead in Christ shall rise and be present at the “Marriage of the Lamb,” those who are saved from Pentecost to the taking out of the Church, are the Church of Christ (The Bride). Christ will be the star of this wedding, and will be taking on the main role, as the Bridegroom, and the Church will be His Bride.

But there will also be present “Guests.” Made up of the Old Testament Saints, such as Abel, Seth, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Job, Moses, David, the Prophets, and even John the Baptist who claimed to be only the “Friend” of the Bridegroom.

Then there will be the “Blood Washed Multitude” that come out of the Tribulation After the Church has been caught out. Thus, we see that the righteous of all the past Ages and Dispensations, and all the Saints of God who shall be worthy, and who are not included in the Bride (The Church), will be “Guests” at the “Marriage Supper of the Lamb.”

Angels will be “spectators” of the scene, but they cannot be “Guests,” for that honour is reserved for only those who have been redeemed by the “Blood of the Lamb.”

 

7. WHAT HAPPENS AFTER THE MARRIAGE SUPPER?

 

What happens at earthly weddings after the supper? After the “Marriage of the Lamb” the Heavenly Bridegroom will take His Bride on a wedding honeymoon, but not to a holiday resort.

The “Bridegroom” will take His “Bride” to the place where He once was rejected, but paid the price for our salvation, He will come back to the earth. There He will set up His Earthly Kingdom, and the Lord God shall give unto Him the “Throne of David” and His Bride (The Church) shall reign with Him for a “Thousand years.” Oh, what a sweet and delightful “Honeymoon” that will be.

During that long “Millennial Reign” the earth shall be blessed with the presence of the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, and His Spouse, The Church. But that long “Honeymoon” will end, not for the Bridegroom and the Bride, but for the Earth, by the return of the Bridegroom and the Bride to the Father's House.

Then after the Earth has had its “Baptism of Fire,” they will return with the descent of the “Holy City” to abide on the “New Earth” forever.

So thrilled was John by the Revelation that he says: “And when I saw Him, I fell at His feet as dead. But He laid His right hand on me, saying to me, “Do not be afraid; I am the First and the Last” Revelation 1:17.

 

Revelation 19:11-21.

The Battle of Armageddon.

 

The Rider on the White Horse

¹¹ Then I saw heaven opened, and a white horse was standing there. Its rider was named Faithful and True, for he judges fairly and wages a righteous war. 

¹² His eyes were like flames of fire, and on his head were many crowns. A name was written on him that no one understood except himself. 

¹³ He wore a robe dipped in blood, and his title was the Word of God. 

¹⁴ The armies of heaven, dressed in the finest of pure white linen, followed him on white horses. 

¹⁵ From his mouth came a sharp sword to strike down the nations. He will rule them with an iron rod. He will release the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty, like juice flowing from a winepress. 

¹⁶ On his robe at his thigh was written this title: King of all kings and Lord of all lords.

¹⁷ Then I saw an angel standing in the sun, shouting to the vultures flying high in the sky: “Come! Gather together for the great banquet God has prepared. 

¹⁸ Come and eat the flesh of kings, generals, and strong warriors; of horses and their riders; and of all humanity, both free and slave, small and great.”

¹⁹ Then I saw the beast and the kings of the world, and their armies gathered together to fight against the one sitting on the horse and his army. 

²⁰ And the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet who did mighty miracles on behalf of the beast, miracles that deceived all who had accepted the mark of the beast and who worshiped his statue. Both the beast and his false prophet were thrown alive into the fiery lake of burning sulphur. 

²¹ Their entire army was killed by the sharp sword that came from the mouth of the one riding the white horse. And the vultures all gorged themselves on the dead bodies.”

 

One day Napoleon looked over the plains of Megiddo in Israel and remarked that it was “the most natural battlefield of the whole earth.” That may be true, and it certainly is the location of the Battle of Armageddon, where the end of the world as we know it will conclude.

It will be the greatest battle ever fought, the most decisive victory ever achieved, and the greatest defeat ever suffered. The armies of the world will meet on this region, on a collision course with one another, but their intent and objective will change when the Lord Jesus appears in the sky. Instead of contending with each other, the armies of the earth will turn and unite to fight the army of heaven.

Remember, this is not the rapture, (at beginning of tribulation), but the Revelation (at end of Tribulation). 

At the rapture Jesus comes to claim His bride, but at His Second Coming He will condemn all blasphemers, and unbelievers. 

At the rapture He comes ‘in the air,’ but at His revelation He touches down on earth. 

At the rapture, the saints go UP to be with Christ, at the Revelation the saints return DOWN to earth with Christ!

The effect of the rapture is the glorification of the saints, but at the Revelation the effect is the consummation of the sinners.

 

 

Rapture:                                                          Revelation (2^nd coming):

Jesus comes to claim His bride                       Condemn blasphemers

In the air                                                          to the earth

Saints go to be with Christ                             coming back with Christ

Glorification of saints                                     consummation of sinners

 

Three considerations about the time of Armageddon:

 

One. Jesus is coming at this battle both bodily and visibly.

Revelation 1:7 said “Behold, He comes with clouds; and every eye shall see Him, and they also which pierced Him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of Him. Even so, Amen.” (Modern technology will allow for this!).

Revelation 19:11 is the fulfilment of Revelation 1:7
“And I saw heaven opened and behold a white horse; and He that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He does judge and make war.” “Saw,” is the key word, every eye shall see Him!

Acts 1:11 says “This same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as you have seen Him go into heaven.”

Matthew 24:27 says “For as the lightning comes out of the east, and shines even unto the west; so, shall also the coming of the Son of man be.”

This is a description of a powerful storm, a very public affair that everyone is aware of and afraid of. And though His second coming is different from the first coming, they go hand in hand together. There is no purpose for His incarnation (Where is He that is born to be King, said the wisemen), without His coronation eventually taking place. Why redeem fallen man if you will not follow through and be their ruler?!

He already came as God incarnate, now He must come again as God in charge! He is coming bodily, and visibly.

 

 

A.   Jesus is coming at this battle boldly and victoriously, verses 12-14.

¹² His eyes were like flames of fire, and on his head were many crowns. A name was written on him that no one understood except himself. 

¹³ He wore a robe dipped in blood, and his title was the Word of God. 

¹⁴ The armies of heaven, dressed in the finest of pure white linen, followed him on white horses.” 

 

Notice the contrast between this coming and His 1^st coming in the gospels when He was meek and lowly.

Do not expect a pale, weak, humble Jesus to be on that white horse in the 2^nd coming! For His is coming as King of kings and Lord of lords, to judge the earth. His second coming is quite different from His first coming.

When Jesus was being led away to crucifixion, weeping women lined the pathway, and Jesus looked at them and said, weep not for me, but weep for yourselves. This is YOUR hour, but MY hour is not yet come.

The first time was for a crucifixion, the second time for a coronation.

The Cross via the crown.

The Tree via the throne.

Then He stood before Pilate, now Pilate stand before Him.

First in shame, but now in splendour.

Then to redeem, now to rule and reign.

Then as a servant, now as Sovereign.

 

Notice His victorious nature, verse 11.

¹¹ Then I saw heaven opened, and a white horse was standing there. Its rider was named Faithful and True, for He judges fairly and wages a righteous war.” 

Notice the capital F = Faithful and T = True, Jesus always keeps His promises.

 

Notice His victorious name, verses 12-13, 16.

¹² His eyes were like flames of fire, and on his head were many crowns. A name was written on him that no one understood except himself. 

¹³ He wore a robe dipped in blood, and his title was the Word of God. 

A mystery name, Mystery name why? Because none of us can completely comprehend Him! Man at his best simply cannot approach unto Him (His thoughts above our thoughts, His ways above our ways).

The Word of God. He is the Word, He spoke the world into existence with a Word, and will speak these armies into oblivion with a Word!

¹⁶ On his robe at his thigh was written this title: King of all kings and Lord of all lords.” King of kings and Lord of lords.

          They come with guns, tanks, nukes, but God created all of it (brought into world and can take you out!).

King of kings and Lord of lords. No earthly ruler is His match, every knee shall bow, all of them! (Imagine Hitler bowing before the Jew, Jesus, or Caesar, or every other leader. We water God down so much today, attempting to bring Him down to our level, when He said, come unto me!

          We would die if we saw Him with earthly eyes, He has a Name we cannot even comprehend, His Word speaks people into oblivion, so why do we assume to joke about Him in irreverence?

He will come bodily and visibly, boldly, and victoriously.

 

B.   Jesus is coming to battle with a vengeance! Verses 17-21.

¹⁷ Then I saw an angel standing in the sun, shouting to the vultures flying high in the sky: “Come! Gather together for the great banquet God has prepared. 

¹⁸ Come and eat the flesh of kings, generals, and strong warriors; of horses and their riders; and of all humanity, both free and slave, small and great.”

¹⁹ Then I saw the beast and the kings of the world, and their armies gathered together to fight against the one sitting on the horse and his army. 

²⁰ And the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet who did mighty miracles on behalf of the beast, miracles that deceived all who had accepted the mark of the beast and who worshiped his statue. Both the beast and his false prophet were thrown alive into the fiery lake of burning sulphur. 

²¹ Their entire army was killed by the sharp sword that came from the mouth of the one riding the white horse. And the vultures all gorged themselves on the dead bodies.”

Notice the birds, the beast, and the battle.

 

The birds: Verses 17-18a.

The blood and carnage are so incredible it will keep scavenger birds like crows, vultures, ravens, etc., quite busy, they will gorge themselves!

         

The beast: Verses 19-20.

          They did not even have the privilege of having an audience with God at the great white throne, like the rest of the lost! The rest of sinful mankind will have it explained to them why they will be eternally judged and reminded of all they neglected!

The Antichrist and false prophet do not pass go, and chapter 20:10 shows that they are still there, and still burning! (1,000 years later, so much for the doctrine of annihilation!).

 

The battle:

Jesus Christ followed by His saints! You will not need to fight. Today, generals sit in offices far off the front line (in the central command centre), but this is like the days of old, when the King led the way!

In the Garden of Gethsemane:  found in John 18, they came to arrest Jesus and said, which one is Jesus? He said, I am.  They then fell backwards! At the Battle of Armageddon, He will speak the word, and the battle will be over!

Which side will you be on? I choose to be on the winning side!

 

          End of Revelation chapter 19.