Revelation Chapter 19

[Pastor Dave Honey]

Revelation 19:1
After these things I heard a loud voice of a great multitude in heaven, saying, "Alleluia! Salvation and glory and honor and power belong to the Lord our God!

"After these things..." After what things? After the seven Seal Judgments, after the seven Trumpet judgments, and after the seven Bowl judgments, the world has been decimated! After the destruction of the Great Harlot, the world's false religious system, and after the total destruction of Babylon, that great city of wickedness, John is given a new and glorious vision which opens with an innumerable multitude of holy angels shouting "Alleluia!" in an awe-inspiring heavenly choir. This mega choir of holy angels sing praises to God and give Him all of His due glory, honor and power as they sing of God's wonderful salvation given to His children!

Revelation 19:2
For true and righteous are His judgments, because He has judged the great harlot who corrupted the earth with her fornication; and He has avenged on her the blood of His servants shed by her."

There is so much celebration in heaven as the heavenly hosts speak to John of God's amazing righteousness! God has judged the great harlot and has at last avenged the blood of those whom she shed!

Revelation 6:10
And they cried with a loud voice, saying, "How long, O Lord, holy and true, until You judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?"

Their time has finally come!

Revelation 19:3
Again they said, "Alleluia! Her smoke rises up forever and ever!"

A second time they cry "Alleluia!" Why? They rejoice over the complete and eternal destruction of the great harlot! Her religion was so demented and so evil that she murdered rather then comforted! She condemned rather then set free! She replaced love with evil hate and she made sure that the "Long Black Train" to Hell was always loaded to capacity! And now those who cried out to God for vengeance will see the smoke of her torment rise up from the pit of Hell forever! Alleluia!

Revelation 19:4
4 And the twenty-four elders and the four living creatures fell down and worshiped God who sat on the throne, saying, "Amen! Alleluia!"

Joining this myriad of holy angels during this incredible choir of praise and worship are some familiar players, or they should be if you've been keeping up! These are the twenty four elders and the four living creatures. As you may recall, the twenty four elders represent the redeemed church and the four living creatures are a high ranking caste of angels known as cherubim.

Revelation 19:5
Then a voice came from the throne, saying, "Praise our God, all you His servants and those who fear Him, both small and great!"

Likely this is another angel calling out to the other groups of worshipers to join together to "Praise our God!" He is crying out to all who serve and fear God with the animation of one leading a pre-game rally!

Revelation 19:6-7
6 And I heard, as it were, the voice of a great multitude, as the sound of many waters and as the sound of mighty thunderings, saying, "Alleluia! For the Lord God Omnipotent reigns! 7 Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready."

One voice piled onto another until a great multitude of voices becomes an almost deafening sound, a thundering chorus of worship! Celebrating the coming of the marriage of the Lamb!

His wife was ready....

Matthew 25:10
And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding; and the door was shut.

...and she was wed to the Bridegroom!

Revelation 19:8
And to her it was granted to be arrayed in fine linen, clean and bright, for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints.

The bride of Christ! She is clothed in the righteousness of the saints. She is the saints! The bride of Christ is the redeemed church, the twenty four elders, the body of Christ!

Revelation 19:9
Then he said to me, "Write: 'Blessed are those who are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb!'" And he said to me, "These are the true sayings of God."

 

Wow! Beatitudes in the book of Revelation!

Revelation 1:3
Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written in it; for the time is near...

Revelation 14:13
Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on...

Revelation 16:15
Blessed is he who watches, and keeps his garments, lest he walk naked and they see his shame...

Revelation 19:9
Blessed are those who are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb!

Revelation 20:6
Blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection. Over such the second death has no power...

Revelation 22:7
Blessed is he who keeps the words of the prophecy of this book...

Revelation 22:14
Blessed are those who do His commandments...

Those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb are a special group indeed! Not special due to personal achievements or great works, but that they are the wise ones who are prepared with oil in their lamps when the Bridegroom arrives! These are the ones who the doors will be opened to! The emphasis in this verse is found in the statement that God said it is true!

Revelation 19:10
And I fell at his feet to worship him. But he said to me, "See that you do not do that! I am your fellow servant, and of your brethren who have the testimony of Jesus. Worship God! For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy."

John is so moved, and so overcome with the spirit of worship that he fell at the feet of the angel! I wish I could see this scene when it takes place; John falls at the angel's feet and the angel says, "Come on! Don't worship me! Worship God and only God!" John will most likely be snapped back into the reality of the moment, and here's the best part...John stands there next to the angel, two servants of God, an angel and a preacher, and together they worship the one and only true living God!

Revelation 19:11
Now I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse. And He who sat on him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war.

In Revelation chapter four, John looked and beheld a door standing open in heaven. I my mind's eye I envision a doorway, only large enough for John to pass through and access heaven. Here in chapter nineteen, heaven is fully opened! Not a simple doorway, but a grand opening, as if the entire side of heaven facing earth has been removed! An opening large enough to allow Jesus and all of the armies of heaven to come out of heaven in a grand processional to earth!

First to make an appearance is a rider on a whit horse! There was also a rider on a white horse in Revelation chapter six, verse two. In both cases, the white horse (according to language; hippos leukos) is a emblem of victory, although the riders are very different, here the Rider is Jesus Christ and in chapter six, the Antichrist!

He is called Faithful and True because He has been faithfully true to His Word, demonstrated by His long anticipated return! He has come to bring a final judgment upon His enemies!

Revelation 19:12
His eyes were like a flame of fire, and on His head were many crowns. He had a name written that no one knew except Himself.

His eyes are the eyes of a discerning God! All seeing, all knowing and penetrating to the uttermost depths of every human heart, which make up His church!

His unknown name is evidence that we simply cannot know all there is to know about Him. Perhaps He will reveal this mystery to us at some point, either at His second coming, or sometime after. Certainly this anomaly leaves something more to the imagination to those who love His appearing!

Revelation 19:13
He was clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God.

This blood is not His Own. It is the blood of His righteous slaughter of His enemy!

Isaiah 63:1-6
1 Who is this who comes from Edom, with dyed garments from Bozrah,
This One who is glorious in His apparel, traveling in the greatness of His strength? —
"I who speak in righteousness, mighty to save."
2 Why is Your apparel red, and Your garments like one who treads in the winepress?
3 "I have trodden the winepress alone, and from the peoples no one was with Me.
For I have trodden them in My anger, and trampled them in My fury;
Their blood is sprinkled upon My garments, and I have stained all My robes.
4 For the day of vengeance is in My heart, and the year of My redeemed has come.
5 I looked, but there was no one to help, and I wondered that there was no one to uphold;
Therefore My own arm brought salvation for Me; and My own fury, it sustained Me.
6 I have trodden down the peoples in My anger,
Made them drunk in My fury, and brought down their strength to the earth."

 

His name IS the Word of God!

John 1:1
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

1 John 5:7
For there are three that bear witness in heaven: the Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit; and these three are one.

Jesus Christ is the Word of God, the Father's expression of unconditional love to all mankind!

Revelation 19:14
And the armies in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, followed Him on white horses.

You may be surprised just who has been inducted into the armies of heaven! There are several groups, four to be exact, and they are;

1) The Old Testament Saints.

2) The Redeemed Church or, the New Testament Saints.

3) The Tribulation Saints.

4) Multitudes of Holy Angels.

These four groups ride in together behind Jesus in what I affectionately refer to as the greatest day of horseback riding in all of the ages! They come not to fight, but to peacefully observe what Jesus has come to accomplish! That they are clothed in fine linen, white and clean, speaks of their holiness and purity.

Revelation 19:15
Now out of His mouth goes a sharp sword, that with it He should strike the nations. And He Himself will rule them with a rod of iron. He Himself treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.

In Ephesians chapter six we learned about the Sword of the Spirit which is the only offensive article found in the Armor of God. The Greek word for sword is Machaira. It is a short sword used in hand to hand combat. It symbolizes the spoken word of God, or Rhema, which is the Greek word for word. Here we see a large sword protruding from the Lord's mouth which may be known as Rhomphaia, a weapon of very large size. It may also be referred to as a Mege Machaira. The imagery here clearly refers to Christ's judicial utterances which He employs to speak judgment on His enemies.

Jesus will rule in the Millennial Kingdom with a rod of iron because there will still be the presence of sin during those one thousand years. He will share His authority with believers during this period of time as they will rule and reign with Him for one thousand years! His rule will not tolerate sin and He will judge sin quickly and without question. Gone are the days where the guilty will argue their way out of a  just judgment and punishment for their sins.

The winepress of God's wrath is imagery of God's total judgment!

Revelation 14:19-20
19 So the angel thrust his sickle into the earth and gathered the vine of the earth, and threw it into the great winepress of the wrath of God. 20 And the winepress was trampled outside the city, and blood came out of the winepress, up to the horses' bridles, for one thousand six hundred furlongs.

Revelation 19:16
And He has on His robe and on His thigh a name written:

 

KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.

He has a name that only He knows, He is also called the Word of God, and now a third name! It appears that He is wearing a banner that hangs from His robe to His thigh which reads "King of Kings and Lord of Lords!"

John has now witnessed this great army in heaven to be led by Jesus Christ Himself, all mounted on horses and ready to0 ride! Now, back to earth...

Revelation 19:17-18
17 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,   18 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."

Another angel with an incredible announcement! An announcement not to John, or the peoples of the earth, but to every bird of the air! The angel invites them to gather together over the valley of Megiddo and prepare themselves for the supper of the great God!

Revelation 19:19
And I saw the beast, the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against Him who sat on the horse and against His army.

Here they are! The Antichrist, the ten kings of the world, over two hundred million from the East, and many 0thers from surrounding nations have all come to wage war! But as they look up, it is all but over! Jesus returns and with a word from His mouth, it is finished...again!

Jesus cried out from the cross, "it is finished!" when He conquered sin for us by His death. Now, He conquers His enemy Satan when He returns as a Conquering King, defeating the world's political and false religious systems as He crushes Antichrist and the false prophet with just a word from His mouth, as well as all who have gathered at the valley of Megiddo to wage war against Him! In one thousand years, Jesus will complete the victory when Satan is loosed from his prison and Jesus casts him into the Lake of Fire, finishing at last!

Revelation 19:20
Then the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet who worked signs in his presence, by which he deceived those who received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image. These two were cast alive into the lake of fire burning with brimstone.

Both the beast and his false prophet, both just men, are cast into the lake of fire, created for Satan and his angels! Satan is not among these two as he no longer controls the beast or Antichrist. God has something else in mind for him, as we shall se in chapter twenty.

Revelation 19:21
And the rest were killed with the sword which proceeded from the mouth of Him who sat on the horse. And all the birds were filled with their flesh.

Jesus opens His mouth and utters a word that secures His victory, and the birds of the air enjoy a supper of the great God! Amen and amen!

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