Revelation Chapter 19
2025 - We are again seeing/hearing things that are going on in heaven. The POV has shifted from the vision of the prostitute to the scene in heaven. There is a distinctly chronological feel to this, which matches up with "after these things". There is a definite indication that the judgment of the prostitute was about things happening on earth, and we are now in heaven, where God's justice in judging the prostitute is celebrated as a culmination - a final judgment.
Chapters 17 and 18 have already talked at length about the fall of Babylon, but it continues into 19. This verse starts with "after this". That would seem to refer back to the last thing in 18. The last verse there was about the blood of the prophets, the saints, and all who have been murdered being found in Babylon.
We begin 19 with a shout, as from a LOT of people, coming from heaven and thanking God for destroying Babylon, and that she will never rise again. Then the 24 elders and the four living creatures fall down and worship God. There is an Amen.
BTN reminds me that while Babylon was the "world system", it also represents the 10 nation kingdom of Antichrist. It says this too is destroyed in chapters 17, 18 because it was built on that system. This is the end of man's dominion in government, and the beginning of Christ's direct rule.
2022 - This verse:
"for his judgments are true and just; for he has judged the great prostitute who corrupted the earth with her immorality, and has avenged on her the blood of his servants."" [Rev 19:2 ESV]
Does this still work with our conclusion that Babylon is the corruption/combination of immoral sex with religious belief? I don't think this is just about capitalism. I don't think the Bible - and especially the NT - condemn rich men just for being rich. So why would Babylon be the world economic system unless there was something ELSE about the way it was conducted that made it vile? But a religious system who's only goal is to enrich those who belong to it? A religious system that uses free sex as a recruiting inducement? And then that religion fleeces all its adherents for everything they have, enriching the "founders" and making paupers of the members? How often have we seen this? I was thinking more about Catholicism. It doesn't really use sex in this way, but it does elevate Mary beyond the status the Bible gives her. It pretty much deifies her. But it also preaches that a person can do just pretty much all he wants to do all week long, and then pay the priest to pray it away in confession. Join this religion that puts Mary practically in the Trinity, offer all your prayers to her (Hail Mary's) instead of God, and then PAY OUR PRIESTS to remit your sins. Still a pretty corrupt version of the gospel as I see it.
2022 - Vs 1 began the chapter with the "loud voice of a great multitude in heaven". As 18 ended we were looking at a millstone thrown in the water and heard an epitaph of Babylon So we are no longer looking at earthly events but at the response to those events as they are celebrated in heaven. In vs 4, we have "Amen, Hallelujah! because Babylon and all it stood for - whatever that was - is gone forever.
2022 - So then vs 5, there is a sort of "encouragement" to those celebrating the end of Babylon.
2022 - Then we move on to vs 6. This verse is reminiscent of vs 1. Many voices, and this time we get some detail about the sound. the roar of many waters, and/or peals of thunder. The first word John heard shouted in vs 1 was "Hallelujah!". Likewise here in vs 6. Vs 1 was a celebratory shout that Babylon was gone, vs 6 is a celebratory shout that God reigns, and the time for the marriage of the Lamb has come. So a lot of questions come up here, and it would help to have the verses:
"...Hallelujah! For the Lord our God the Almighty reigns.
Let us rejoice and exult and give him the glory,
for the marriage of the Lamb has come,
and his Bride has made herself ready;
it was granted her to clothe herself with fine linen, bright and pure"
-- for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints." [Rev 19:6b-8 ESV]
So...time for the marriage, the Bride is adorned.
First, God reigned before Babylon fell. So this ought to be seen as a praise - which was recommended back in vs 5...maybe vs 5 ought to be down here with 6...
There is a period after "reigns", but I don't know that Greek has periods. BUT, I went and looked at the Greek, in the order it is written, and the sentence ending "reigns" above certainly seems like a complete sentence, and so a period seems appropriate at that point. Let's stick with that.
The next phrase is to rejoice and give him (God) the glory BECAUSE...it is time for the marriage and the Bride has made ready.
I think the implication is that there couldn't be a marriage until God said it was time, just as the rapture could not occur until God said it was time. Hmm...the rapture is where the bride was gathered from earth to meet Jesus in the air. God determined that day, and now he determines the wedding day of the Lamb. Makes sense that he would.
The bride was granted" approval to wear fine linen. So...that almost seems as if she really had not earned it. We recently saw that linen is plant based, light, and comfortable as contrasted with wool. The word is only used 19 times in the NT. Several of those are references to the shroud that wrapped Jesus' body when he was taken off the cross. Lazarus was also wrapped in linen. Linen is mentioned in all four gospels, and then not again until Rev 15:6. The angels that came out of the sanctuary with the last plagues wore "pure, bright, linen". Babylon was clothed in fine linen, in purple and scarlet, and many jewels. So...linen is used to wrap the dead, and to clothe those of high rank. Those angels were in the sanctuary. The presence of God. Pretty highly ranked angels. Babylon, though corrupt, was rich beyond imagination. And now, for the wedding, the church is granted permission to wear bright, pure linen. Aaron and the priests wore linen garments. The high priest. The rich man, in "the rich man and Lazarus", was clothed in fine linen.
Perhaps the explanation is in 8b..."for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints". A reward to the church?
Then this verse:
"And the angel said to me, "Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb." And he said to me, "These are the true words of God."" [Rev 19:9 ESV]
Who then, is invited? Christ is the groom, the church is the bride. Who is coming to the celebratory supper? Some that are not yet present? There are some BTN notes in the "Previous notes..." below about this. MacArthur says the guests are the OT saints. If that is who this is about, if these are the guests, and they are already present, then they were raptured with the church, or they were "brought over" from Old Testament Holding sometime before these verses. I don't know how we would know that. I am very convinced that only those "in Christ" will be raptured. ONLY the church will be raptured. The OT saints will, I believe, remain where they are and their bodies will not be resurrected, until just before the GWT.
So. If it is pre-Pentecost saints who are the guests at the wedding, then bride is dressed and ready, but there is as yet no wedding. In fact, if those are the guests, the wedding is, in my opinion, still a thousand years away. That's a long time to stay dressed in glowing linen! But until I see something to tell me different, that's what I'm going to say is going on.
I wonder, in the Jewish tradition of John's day, how long the bride stays dressed? Did it vary, or was it set?
2023 - Or the wedding is iconic and about the ultimate union of the church and the Chosen people.
That last line of vs 10 is also a problem. MSB just glosses over it with some big hand waving comment:
"Then I fell down at his feet to worship him, but he said to me, "You must not do that! I am a fellow servant with you and your brothers who hold to the testimony of Jesus. Worship God." For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy." [Rev 19:10 ESV]
Why did John feel obligated to worship this messenger? John offers this phrase almost as an explanation for why he worshiped this angel.
Hmm...the Greek in vs 9 says "kai lego ego". And "said" to me. "Angelos" is not there. Does not say this was an angel. Perhaps John phrases it this way to excuse his mistake in worshiping the one talking. Perhaps John words it this way because he believed at the time that he was talking to Jesus. I don't even see a gender for this sentence. Lego is a verb, it has no gender. "He" seems to be implied...but from where???? Could be that when translating this phrase, the translators must "supply" something. In English, we do not say "And said to me "Write this...". English needs a noun or pronoun in there. "And Jim said to me..." or "she" or "he" or even "it". But English requires something there, and Greek DOES NOT. The lack of a specific pronoun or other identifier probably means that John just did not know for sure who was speaking to him. The translators have "interpreted" that since the speaker would not allow John to worship him, it must have been an angel, so THAT is the word they supplied. Wow. I went a long way for something that is probably not all that critical!
"For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy". Did all that about Greek into English help at all? No, not really. Almost all translations - all except the ones that are interpretations through and through - have this phrase exactly the same. There is another definite article in there...you could read it the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of the prophecy. A specific prophecy is maybe in mind. Hahaha! The prophecy said:
"And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you. "I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you." [Jhn 14:18 ESV] The spirit of the prophecy is the Holy Spirit. Jesus testified that he would send the Holy Spirit. The one speaking was witness to the fact that the words he was speaking were the true words of God. The one speaking says, essentially, "I heard God speak these words", or I KNOW that these are God's own words that I have just repeated to you. So perhaps, and this I think may really be it, John believed he was speaking expressly to the Holy Spirit, the third person of the Trinity, and so to God Himself.
The last time an angel "introduced himself" to John was back in 17:1 when all this began after the last bowl was poured out. The angel in 17:1 is one of the seven who came from the sanctuary in heaven, which was immediately afterward filled with the smoke of God's presence. So this angel did indeed, at least sometimes, stand in the presence of God. There were several angels in 18, but none seem to have come near John.
Previous notes...Vss 9, 10
BTN also notes that it is the guests at the wedding who are blessed, and this is not referring to the bride - the church. Who are the guests then? The guests are all those saved before Pentecost (if Pentecost is where you mark the beginning of the church), all the way back to Adam. Because the church - and those Gentiles saved in the church age, are the Bride. So Israel will be among the guests, while Gentiles will be the bride.
BTN expands and notes that the church is pure and faithful. She never has played the harlot as Israel did. That is why Israel cannot be the bride. Also in attendance will be those who came through Trib and Great Trib alive - still in physical bodies. He says the church is in heaven for the meal that culminates the marriage of Christ to the church, and then she goes to earth with him, to reign with him in the Millennial Kingdom. This is how Gentiles are included in the Millennial. I thought only pre-church believers would be there on earth because the church would be in heaven. The church comes back.
2022 -
Verse 11:
"Then I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse! The one sitting on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he judges and makes war." [Rev 19:11 ESV]
John has "looked into heaven" several times before. That's where this horse and rider are located. IN HEAVEN. The rider is called "The Word of God". This can only be Jesus. We saw him as groom earlier in the chapter, now we see him in his glory as conquering king. He is about to return and claim his kingdom.
This verse:
"And the armies of heaven, arrayed in fine linen, white and pure, were following him on white horses." [Rev 19:14 ESV]
This linen is very similar to what the bride was wearing. It would seem very likely that the church is part of the army. We know the church was allowed to wear "fine linen, bright and pure". We need a really good reason to say this isn't the church as at least a part of Christ's army. Jesus is portrayed as a fierce warrior, and a ruler who will tolerate no deviation from his commands.
We need to remember that those three unclean spirits like frogs went out back in 16:13 to convince the Kings of the east to come and fight. Here is a pertinent verse from that chapter:
"For they are demonic spirits, performing signs, who go abroad to the kings of the whole world, to assemble them for battle on the great day of God the Almighty." [Rev 16:14 ESV]
"And they assembled them at the place that in Hebrew is called Armageddon." [Rev 16:16 ESV]
So we seem to be taking up this part of the narrative from somewhere in 16. After they assembled at Armageddon, the seventh bowl is poured out and then we get into all that Babylon stuff, which continues into the first part of 19, then we get the bride adorned - but no real wedding supper nor wedding specifically takes place. Then we see Jesus, and the bride, still dressed, in heaven. Has the wedding happened...or is it on hold until later?
We really have to look at these two verses:
"Then I saw an angel standing in the sun, and with a loud voice he called to all the birds that fly directly overhead, "Come, gather for the great supper of God," [Rev 19:17 ESV]
"to eat the flesh of kings, the flesh of captains, the flesh of mighty men, the flesh of horses and their riders, and the flesh of all men, both free and slave, both small and great."" [Rev 19:18 ESV]
Surely this supper is not the marriage supper? This is called the great supper of God, that was called the marriage supper of the Lamb. Hmm. Could they be the same? Oh my! Area all these birds the guests? NO! That's not right! Perhaps though, the guests are the armies assembled with Christ for this battle. I mean the bride is there, but surely she is not the whole army. There are angels, we know. If the OT saints did resurrect at the rapture, they are all here, and they are surely guests for this supper? But I don't think they are there...no...I don't think they were raptured. I think if they are here, as guests for this supper, then it is because they were moved from the bosom of Abraham, where Lazarus of Lazarus and the rich man was, when the two of them had that fateful conversation. Abraham was an OT saint too. That is where HE was until Christ finished his work and then once all sin - especially deliberate knowing sin - was covered by the blood of Christ, then and only then, could the OT saints enter heaven. But...that still does not leave them a resurrection. The only resurrection that is still future at this point of which I am aware is here:
"The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended..." [Rev 20:5 ESV]. That's a resurrection. It just says "the rest of the dead", though. We will get to that passage tomorrow and perhaps make more of it.
Look at the next verse, this phrase; "...the flesh of all men, both free and slave, both small and great..." That is part of the "menu" for the birds. The flesh of all men is included. These verses I "just happened to read this morning"! I just have to paste them all:
"A day of wrath is that day, a day of distress and anguish, a day of ruin and devastation, a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and thick darkness," [Zep 1:15 ESV]
"a day of trumpet blast and battle cry against the fortified cities and against the lofty battlements." [Zep 1:16 ESV]
"I will bring distress on mankind, so that they shall walk like the blind, because they have sinned against the LORD; their blood shall be poured out like dust, and their flesh like dung." [Zep 1:17 ESV]
"Neither their silver nor their gold shall be able to deliver them on the day of the wrath of the LORD. In the fire of his jealousy, all the earth shall be consumed; for a full and sudden end he will make of all the inhabitants of the earth." [Zep 1:18 ESV]
""Therefore wait for me," declares the LORD, "for the day when I rise up to seize the prey. For my decision is to gather nations, to assemble kingdoms, to pour out upon them my indignation, all my burning anger; for in the fire of my jealousy all the earth shall be consumed." [Zep 3:8 ESV]
So even though Revelation does not give us much detail about the actual battle, Zephaniah is pretty "play by play" about the whole thing. Zep 3 also has a judgment scene, following the battle, that I think is the sheep and goat judgment. So here is the question...if Jesus is going to wipe out "all the inhabitants of the earth", HOW can the sheep and goat judgment be a judgment only of living people? There won't be any, according to this. Maybe...these verses from Zephaniah are about the post-Millennial battle, not long after which the old heaven and old earth pass away. If that's it, I need to come back and delete this confusing speculation.
In vs 19, the combatants are in battle formation.
In vs 20, the beast was captured. Done deal, no details.
This beast is the antichrist, because the description continues to include the false prophet. Ahh...there goes that theory. In this verse, the false prophet is singular masculine. The false prophet is male. Need to go back and make a note on that. Took all the way to here to figure out that was wrong. I don't think it changes my theory about what Babylon represents. I still think it is the combination of sex and religion. If the false prophet is not female, though, then we must see the woman on the scarlet beast as female because the false religion lures with sex. She is not symbolic of the false prophet himself, but of the "strategy" used first by Balaam, and right on through to the false prophet and the beast in Revelation. Might need to re-read 17 and 18 with this insight...
2025 - The beast and the false prophet are thrown alive into the lake of fire. But not the MoL? We have to decide here whether this means that the first beast from the sea and the MoL are the same, and then the second beast - the false prophet is a second rather than a third entity. Wait wait wait...Remember that there were two beasts in Rev 13. One from the sea, the second from the earth. But two beasts. I hate to say it...because so much of what I have considered accurate has to be revisited, but maybe the sea doesn't mean angels after all, and earth doesn't mean men. Maybe earth and water are telling us about something else. They are both "sources" for beasts, we know that from Rev 13. Earth gives rise in that chapter to the false prophet. Sea gave rise to the MoL. So...water is government and earth is religion? The angel that had one foot on each is over both? Lot to consider here...If I am to abandon the men and angels position, I have to come up with a revision that still fits all the facts. That will take a lot of time in comparing and contrasting.
This last verse:
"And the rest were slain by the sword that came from the mouth of him who was sitting on the horse, and all the birds were gorged with their flesh." [Rev 19:21 ESV]
Everyone in that assembled army was most certainly killed. These do not, in my opinion, constitute "a full and sudden end...of all the inhabitants of the earth". Surely the Jews who have survived to here will not die. They certainly will not be fighting for the other side. Maybe we view Zephaniah as including all the remaining lost of the earth in his prophecy. Maybe from his perspective, that was a total loss of all remaining humanity. But we know that after that, in the last part of 3, he describes the Millennial. He had to know, then, that only "non-Israel" was going to be wiped out.
Previous notes....vss 11-21
In vs 11, the groom appears, mounted on a white horse, splendorous, and named "The Word of God". The armies of heaven follow after him, in linen, and on white horses also. King of Kings and Lord of Lords is written on his robe and on his thigh. Vs 14 says the army was clothed in fine linen....so was the bride in vs. 8. Who all comprises this army? MSB describes exactly that in the note on vs 14. The army includes the church, Tribulation saints, OT believers, and even angels. There are many add'l references that verify the inclusion of these groups. They are not specified or implied in the wording of vs 14.
A angel standing in the sun calls all the birds to a feast of their own. They will eat the flesh of dead kings, slaves, mighty men, and so on. Those killed at Armageddon. The church is coming with Christ to this battle, after which the Millennial begins. The beast and the false prophet are captured in this battle, and thrown alive into the lake of fire. Not the pit, the lake. The beast is Antichrist, a man. Alive in hell. Isn't the false prophet also a man? Or is the false prophet pure demon?
In any case, the army arrayed to battle the Lamb is wiped out completely. They all die but for the two captives, and the carrion birds gorge themselves on the flesh of kings.
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