Day 25 of Revelation Study: Chapter 19

Rejoicing in Heaven Over God’s Vengeance

What happens next is resounding praise to our God. A great multitude in Heaven is heard shouting at the top of their lungs for what God has done. Finally, He has brought about both salvation for His people and judgment for the wicked (19:1-2). Notice what else God is praised for in verse two. God “…has avenged on her [i.e. Babylon] the blood of His servants.” The prayers of the saints have finally been answered (cf. 5:8; 6:10-11; 8:4). Their patience has finally paid off because today is the day of the Lord’s return in which He will make all things right.

19:3 says that “The smoke from her goes up forever and ever.” This is referring to those who inhabited the city. For what is a city without its people? A city is a group of people who have chosen to dwell in a certain place at a certain time. This does not mean that the ground upon which this city was built will burn forever. Rather, it suggests that the wicked population who comprised this great city will burn forever. The smoke of this immoral woman [i.e. those who dwelt in Babylon] will never cease to go up. This verse is paralleling the literal judgment upon the physical city with the everlasting destruction of its wicked inhabitants.

The Marriage of the Lamb

This then inaugurates the marriage of the Lamb. It is at this point when all the people of God [OT and NT saints] are together as one and are called to consummate the marriage. In Jewish culture, the betrothed man would spend the year of betrothal building a house for him and his family. At the close of the year and upon finishing the house, this man would go and, at the word of her father, take his bride. He would then take her into his house and they would be forever married. Jesus is seen here as the betrothed Husband and we are His bride. Revelation 19:4-10 pictures this coming marriage relationship and describes it as taking place at the end of the Great Tribulation period when He comes to rescue us [i.e. comes to take His bride].

Do you remember Revelation 14:14-20? It is there that we see that Christ [i.e. the betrothed Husband] is waiting for the Father’s [i.e. the bride’s Father’s] approval to move ahead in the next stage of the program. At, and only at, the Father’s word will our Lord come to receive us to Himself and bring us into our new home.

The True Conquering King

After John sees this Heavenly worship, he sees a rider on a white horse (19:11-21). This rider is contrasted with that of the first horseman who came back in Revelation 6:2. Another interesting observation is that this rider is called “Faithful and True” (cf. 3:14) which contrasts the fourth horseman back in 6:8 who was named “Death.” Whereas the first horsemen [plural] came to conquer in wickedness, this Horseman [singular] comes to conquer, rule and judge in righteousness.

The text says that He has eyes like fire and a crown on His head with many diadems (cf. 1:12-16). 19:12 says that “…He has a name written that no one knows but Himself.” How is this possible since John gives us the name in the very next verse [i.e. “the Word of God”]? John is referring back to a truth which is expressed in Philippians 2:9 which states that “God has highly exalted Him and bestowed on Him the name that is above every name.” John says that no one else has this name; no one else knows [i.e. intimate knowledge] this name but Himself. His name alone is exalted, and He alone is the conquering King who is worthy of praise.

With Heaven’s armies following close behind, He meets His enemies head on. He is coming to stop them in their tracks. What the Anti-Christ could rule for only a few years, He will rule and reign over for a thousand. He will conquer the nations and maintain His monarchy with a rod of iron. Why? The answer that 19:16 gives is because He alone is “King of kings and Lord of lords.” It is at this time and in this place, as chapter nineteen comes to a close, that He slays His enemies and allows the birds of the air to devour their carcasses. However, both beasts of Revelation 13 [i.e. the Anti-Christ and the False Prophet] are thrown alive into the lake of fire where they will forever remain under the eternal wrath of the Almighty God (19:19-20).

Continue on to read about chapter 20.

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