God doesn't want you taking credit for the work that He does, receiving glory for His work. The Bible with its 66 books can be compared to a novel having 66 chapters. On His robe where it spreads out at His waist HIS TITLE is inscribed. "They have one mind, and give their own power and authority to the beast." Revelation 19 explained (every verse) - YouTube Hence a song of praise from the twenty-four elders and the four living creatures is a Te Deum from the whole of the Church and the whole of nature. As man does not believe in the resurrection of man, it is no wonder that he does not believe in the resurrection of an empire. Revelation 19:10 "And I fell at his feet to worship him. Verse 11. It will never happen. Revelation 19:8 "And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine Zechariah 14:18, but nowhere else with a sword. pl.") inhabitants of the Roman empire into wicked and idolatrous practices, and so Those that do rise at the same time rise, no doubt, in a moment; but that there are to be various acts of resurrection is not only not contrary to scripture, but required by its own descriptions. The Word of God is alive and powerful, if we would only realize the power of the Word of God. Judgments: Saints long for the day of judgment (compare 6:10; 16:7; Isa. Verse 1 of the Revelation already shows God's intention: ".to show unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass". And he carried me away in [the] spirit to a mountain great and high, and showed me the holy city Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God." An allusion to Psalms 2:9 ; shall rule them . Besides the bride thus arrayed, "He saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage-supper of the Lamb." But it fails to account for the differences. Godly people love righteousness and hate sin, for righteousness The reason is manifest there is a hinderer "one that letteth." 13:20), and will be presented to Him at the Rapture (John For everything in this book begins and ends in Christ. To be crowned with more than one crown may seem strange, but in the time of John it was quite natural. So it is imputed righteousness given to you by your faith in Christ. Christ to earth. In the description of the total destruction of Babylon, come the words: "Rejoice over her, O heaven, O saints and apostles and prophets, for God has given judgment for you against her!" The picture is not of an "iron rod" he uses to "club" or beat his sheep! You can trust in this. 5:25-32). God is praised because salvation, glory, and power belong to him. H. B. Swete says that this comprehensive phrase embraces "Christians of all intellectual capacities and social grades, and of all stages of progress in the life of Christ." I expect to be there in that heavenly scene declaring, "Alleluia, salvation and glory and honor and power unto the Lord our God.". VII. What's amazing is that the Father never calls His Son "My God," though there are at least 7 times in the NT where Jesus called the Father "My God." twice on the cross, once on resurrection morning with Mary, and 4 times in Revelation 3.12. [Note: Ladd, pp. 25:1-13; Luke that those who were meant under the figures of the elders and of the living creatures assume the name and figure of the bride? "He has a name inscribed which no one knows but Himself." Verses 1-6: Alleluia: This Hebrew word appears 4 times in the New Testament. Thus the difference is complete between past history (if we look at the extinction of the empire and the rise of the ten kingdoms) and the certain fulfilment of the prophecy in the future, when we look at what God has really told us. What is the righteousness of the saints? "Owr hayah owr hayah", "Light be and light was". See it explained in the notes on that place, and on Revelation 14:19-20. Had those who preached said nothing about heathen vanities, had they merely presented the gospel as a better thing than anything the pagans could boast, I do not doubt that the pagans themselves would have acknowledged thus much. Our own righteousness had been as filthy rags, but In my opinion it is not absolutely so. Then there was a time of preparation as the . III. Babylon was the spurious church as long as it was a question of the church, and the final corrupter when it could be no question of this longer, and there went forth the closing testimony of God. You see, all of the fineries The strange thing to me, is that Jesus At this point the evil world system has been destroyed and God's kingdom has understood literally. "And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white, pure.". Just as the city of man's confusion was seen in her vile, degraded, and degrading relations with the beast, this city is seen in her pure and glorious relations with the Lamb. Second, he alone has that purity which can judge without prejudice. It appears that those who were redeemed were looking on from heaven and Then come others in the condition of separate spirits or souls, whom the prophet saw two different classes of them those beheaded for the witness of Jesus and the word of God, and those who refused the beast in every form, The proof of the third class should have been given a little more distinctly than in our version. And out of his mouth proceeded a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness of the wrath of God, the Almighty. "True and righteous are thy judgments, O Lord." That is prophecy centers around the person of Jesus Christ. But He "treadeth the winepress of the fury of the wrath of the Almighty God" another character of judgment never attributed to the saints, that I know of. "The woman" is the more general symbol designating her as the great imperial city; "the harlot" is her corrupt religious character, embracing papal Rome, but not ending with Popery as it is. - Utley. This is the Messiah of Jewish apocalyptic expectation far more than the Messiah whom Jesus claimed to be. It cannot be done till the moment comes. All this description closes in verse 5. All the way along the fairness of God's judgment has been challenged.I don't know what God is going to do in a lot of cases. revelation 19 - Bible Commentaries - page 2 of 46 John here was so awed by all of this that he fell at this angel's feet to At the same time you will mark that these are not said to be executors of judgment as Christ is. And though they are but a seed, a Wars were matters of ambition and tyranny and oppression rather than of justice. Then, when the Lamb and His purchase by blood are celebrated in heaven, the four living creatures join the elders, though each is distinct. And there will the second Psalm come into play. Why is the word "Lamb" used here to speak of Jesus? They have long waited for the time when God's justice would triumph. He has saved us! Book of Revelation Bible Study (Verse by Verse) - Cornerstone Fellowship This city is seen now as the holy vessel of divine power for governing the earth during the millennium, "having the glory of God: and her brightness was like a stone most precious, even like a jasper stone, clear as crystal.". Exactly the same thing is repeated here, and what makes it more apparent is the similarity of the introduction on each occasion. (ii) His name is Faithful and True. Who were they? Again this is a picture taken directly from the Old Testament, from Ezekiel's picture of the slaughter of the forces of Gog and Magog. This web site explains the Book of Revelation, each individual scripture. twelve disciples and twelve Old Testament prophets. The testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy, the witness of Jesus. the voice of many waters, and as the voice of mighty thunderings, saying, So, God has judged the false religious system that corrupted the earth with her spiritual fornication. The race was now in the resurrection state either for good or for evil; and thus it must be for ever. And you could imagine the grapejuice stains all over your clothes after having spent a day treading the wine vat therein. 'https://ssl' : 'http://www') + '.google-analytics.com/ga.js'; The redeemed Verse 5. Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Revelation 19:1-4. And he saith unto me, These are the Had it been simply a persecution from pagans, what was there to wonder at in their deadly hatred of the truth and of those who confess it? 12 It exercised all the authority of the first beast on its behalf, and made the earth and its inhabitants worship the first beast, whose fatal wound had been healed. So for the most part in the book of Revelation, there will be the angel speaking to John and revealing to him the things that were being revealed to him by Jesus Christ. The word that goes forth out of His mouth. The heavenly city, which is the full expression of blessedness on high, has no temple because it is all a temple. She will despise everything really divine; she will only use whatever of God's word she can pervert for increasing her own importance, and gaining a greater ascendancy over the consciences of men, and enjoying herself more luxuriously in this world; for she will go far to obliterate all remembrance of heaven, and to make this world a kind of paradise which she embellishes, not with pure and undefiled religion, but with the arts of men and the idolatries of the world. Finally they will destroy her. It does not hinder, of course, that in the judgment of the dead each man is judged for his own sin. Here are two further pictures of the warrior Christ. She followed and had inherited the spirit of all, from the days of Cain, who had lifted up their hands against their righteous brethren. It is not meant that he who was more honoured in service than any of the twelve, he whom the Lord used for bringing out the church of the heavenly places, will not have his own most singular dignity in this glorious scene. church (Acts 2:1ff). Zerubbabel displays a plan of Jerusalem to Cyrus the Great by Jacob van Loo. 14 How does God tell us to worship Him? Worship is for God alone. He was the word of God in the revelation of grace; when known, by and by, it will be as the executor of God's judgments. Instead of taking warning from the wickedness of those before her, who had seduced on the one hand, and persecuted. In the beginning was the Word, the Word was with God, the Word was God. After "the nations" in verse 24 omit the words "of them which are saved." And then those men who have chosen to cast their lot with Satan in rebellion against God. And he treadeth the wine-press of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God - This language is probably derived from Isaiah 63:1-4. His eyes were as a flame of fire ( Revelation 19:12 ). Revelation Chapter 16 Explained - bible-studys.org Imagine the millions upon millions of Christians that will be gathered in that glorious assembly and when the voice of the Lord comes exhorting us to praise God and give glory to Him, and in our response to it that tremendous praise, crescendo of praise that will arise. "Why are you red in your apparel, and your garments like the ones that have been treading in the wine vat?" Then you may be very good all week long, and you put your little star behind each of the categories each evening. . These are the faithful. We find, accordingly, the four and twenty elders and four living creatures here brought before us for the last time. The testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy: The central theme of both The thousand years of peace and plenty will have given occasion for an ever-growing population, spite of a world thinned by divine judgments which open that era. He answers, "I have trodden the winepress alone; and of the people there was none with me: for I will tread them in my anger, and trample them in my fury; and their blood shall be sprinkled upon my garments, and I will stain all my raiment. The scene now shifts from the earth where it has been (since chapter 6), to Babylon had once heard the varied testimony of God; for what had she not heard of truth? white, represents the righteousness of the church, which has now been judged and We had Babylon with a spuriously ecclesiastical but a really murderous character, and at the same time guilty of corruption with the kings of the earth. The great city was either guilty Jerusalem or Babylon. Like when this guy was breaking up with his girl, he said, "Can I have one final kiss?" He is, as H. B. Swete puts it, "a royal commander followed by a dazzling retinue." The death and decay of billions of sea creatures will only add to the misery of this judgment. The meaning is no more than this, that in the great battle of Armageddon, which was for the destruction of all the remainder of the enemies of the church, whether papists, or atheists, or Turks; men of all sorts and orders should be slain, and their dead bodies made meat for the fowls of heaven . He is the living Word, the active agent of God who expresses Gods will and carries it out. But now He is ready to return and establish His kingdom and take us unto Himself and the marriage of the Lamb is come, and His wife, or bride, has made herself ready. Consequently they sat upon the thrones at once; while the two latter classes, described in the rest of the verse, were still in the separate state "and the souls." The beloved city is Jerusalem; the camp of the saints, I presume, is a larger circle and embraces all of Israel and the Gentiles who, being converted, refuse Satan's deceit. ages, which becomes clear in the remainder of the book. It is really differing imagery The visions of this prophetic book open, not with the rapture of saints to heaven, but the sight of saints already raptured, often before the seer in the visions, but seen always in a complete condition without addition to their number. This is most important, because it might be (as it has been) forgotten by some who make the gospel and the corresponding presence of the Spirit to be the same at all times; as others have thought, because Revelation 4:1-11 and sequel treat of Jew and Gentile, and the state of the world under God's judgments, that this cannot be a testimony of Jesus at all. "And his name is called The Word of God." Read the verses thoughtfully. Then the word is, "Award her even as she awarded you, and double unto her double according to her works: in the cup which she mixed, mix to her double. On that account it was altogether out of place to pay homage to him instead of to the God who had sent him to serve. It will be understood when one says "spiritual" that none is meant save of a wicked kind. The marriage Jer. There stands the solemn brand graven, not on the blasphemous beast, but on the forehead of its rider, "Mystery, Babylon the great." First, then, this is the praise of the prophets and the martyrs who have witnessed for God with their voices and with their lives. There is only one other place in the New Testament where these two verbs (chairein, G5463, and agallian, G21) come together--in Jesus Christ's promise to the persecuted: "Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven" ( Matthew 5:12). When John here called the warrior Christ "The Word of God", he means that here in action is all the power of God's word; everything that God has said, and threatened, and promised is embodied in Christ. Worship God." In it, the Church, Whoever this angel is, he too had the testimony of Jesus. The tree of life: The Bible begins with a tree of life ( Genesis 3:22-24) which man was not allowed to eat from after the sin at the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Christ will strike down His enemies with a word that His long, tongue-shaped sword (Gr. They were in three distinct stages which first involved the betrothal or I will be a part of that army, as will you, because we are clothed in the fine linen white and clean, which is the righteousness of the saints. Commentary on Revelation 19 by Matthew Henry - Blue Letter Bible We know that the change of all those caught up takes place in the twinkling of an eye. Are we then to understand that the elders and the living creatures are together taken absolutely as the bride now? The Complutensian edition, and all the Oriental versions, with the Vulture Latin, read, "a sharp twoedged sword". Revelation 19:2 "For true and righteous [are] his judgments: for he hath judged So He sent this revelation by the angel to John. God accounts my faith for righteousness. essence of all true prophecy. No one can soberly deny that Babylon in some sort had a place then; but that the special, and above all, the full character of Babylon was manifested as here portrayed is another matter. The people mentioned here are distinct from the other beings in heaven, But all this will be a great reversal of man's history and political maxims. What does the linen garment tell us about salvation? more depending on the economic or social status of the bride and groom. The relationship of the Christian and Christ must be the closest in all life. Most other commentators have seen it as the first event after the seventh bowl judgment. Spirit of prophecy: The person and message of Jesus is the Then follows another scene still more solemn the most awe-inspiring of all we can contemplate, at the same time full of blessing for the Christian to look onward to as that which will for ever put aside every trace of evil, and vindicate good where man must altogether fail. Those festivities could last up to a week and sometimes even We saw that the twenty-four elders represent the twelve patriarchs and the twelve apostles, and, therefore, stand for the totality of the Church. By and by, after our translation to heaven, He will work, and as vitally in those who bow to God, when it will be the reception of the prophetic testimony which is here owned to be none the less the testimony of Jesus. Now, this vesture dipped in blood is probably a reference to Isaiah sixty-three. Salvation and glory and honor and power belong to the Lord our God! That kings had dallied with her, that the beast had once borne her up, will only turn to gall the more bitter to her, who, faithless to God, had staked the usurped and abused name of Christ to win what was now lost for ever. Even man himself when he was innocent in Eden was not called. "And the ten horns which thou sawest upon the beast." "And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and encompassed the camp of the saints, and the beloved city." It is altogether foreign to history. Thus there is no question that some of the actors in the final scenes of the great drama were already there, as the reigning city, and the Roman empire. "And the beast that was, and is not, even he is an eighth, and is of the seven, and goeth unto destruction." Scholz's note ("rec. There are probably but few, if any, here who do not understand it as the fore-shadow of a real resurrection. Another warlike expedition of the glorious head and husband of the church, with the success of it, ver 10, etc. Of course the application to the Roman empire would be immediately in the mind of any Christian at Rome. Revelation 19 is the nineteenth chapter of the Book of Revelation or the Apocalypse of John in the New Testament of the Christian Bible. In his cross and resurrection, Christ won a great victory over the powers of evil; by his second coming, he will execute that victory. But the most ordinary knowledge suffices; for who does not know from the Bible that there was a Roman empire when Christ was born, one emperor, and no such state as that empire divided into ten kingdoms?