I do know that whatever He does will be absolutely fair. Hence arose the prominence of angels. | He is very powerful! And he shall rule them with a rod of iron - See the notes on Revelation 2:27; Revelation 12:5. ", All things are thus made new; and, further, "these words are faithful." You just have to come on the basis of God's grace and love for you and cast yourself upon His mercy, but that God is merciful. 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? And because of this there is great rejoicing in heaven. to Top Of course the application to the Roman empire would be immediately in the mind of any Christian at Rome. 'https://ssl' : 'http://www') + '.google-analytics.com/ga.js'; As any dream or vision has to be interpreted, so does Revelation. 3:12-15: 2 Cor. On these I may say but a very few words. "I heard a great voice out of heaven, saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God" (alluding to this very city) "[is] with men." It was not merely a vocable or sound dropped heedlessly from unthinking lips. At the beginning there will have been carnage, as we know, among both the western powers and the eastern powers. "And no curse shall be any more: and the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and his servants shall serve him." . So, Jesus was at odds with the religious leaders of His day and they are the ones that prompted His crucifixion. Victorious power put forth to subdue is the meaning of the white horse. The book is traditionally attributed to John the Apostle, [1] [2] but the precise identity of the author remains a point of academic debate. took on His righteousness. On his head he has many crowns. The answer: because it's the final book of the Bible. "And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings, which have not yet received a kingdom; but they receive authority as kings (not at but for) one hour with the beast." The description of the great Commander, 1. And the [antichrist] the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and those that worshipped his image. The relationship of the Christian and Christ must be the closest in all life. Jeremiah hears God say and appeal: "Return, O faithless children, for I am your master" ( Jeremiah 3:14). But here there is none; a temple is for the earth. That pagan Rome, therefore, should set itself against Christianity was to be expected, and so the fact proved. And a voice came out of the throne, saying, Praise our God, all ye servants, and ye that fear him, both small and great ( Revelation 19:5 ). It is partly because of this that many excellent men have endeavoured to apply the vision to Romanism; and I admit that there is found a measure of analogy. I saw still another mighty angel coming down from heaven, clothed with a cloud. Verses 6-10: Omnipotent: God is all-powerful, and reigneth over His Here is a picture which is essentially Jewish. Of course there must needs be a consultation with the kings, when the kings exist and become an accredited part of that empire, as rulers subordinate to the beast. He just said it, "Let there be light," and light existed.And in the Hebrew it is even more intensive. church (compare Matt. From the manner in which resurrection is referred to in scripture, does not God leave room for this? Judgments: Saints long for the day of judgment (compare 6:10; 16:7; Isa. To this earth He is coming, and not merely to the new earth in the eternal state. Both small and great: All distinctions and ranks are to be transcended. "Behold I come quickly: blessed is he that keepeth the words of the prophecy of this book." To report dead links, typos, or html errors or suggestions about making these resources more useful use the convenient, Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology, Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament, Watson's Biblical & Theological Dictionary, International Standard Bible Encyclopedia. We may have a special task in it, but this is not the work for us, as it seems to me. So here He is sitting upon a white horse. This is the last main section of the Book of Revelation. Not because any of their names were written therein, but in proof that they were not. Unlike the kings of the earth who wage war in selfishness, "in righteousness He judges and makes war.". And of course, this proselytizing law was prompted by the Greek Orthodox Church, and he has been sentenced to spend three and a half years in jail in Greece. email us at: Clearly, therefore, it is future. It is thus that God is wont to deal as a rule in His judgments, not necessarily on the one that first introduces an evil, but on those that inherit the guilt, and perhaps aggravate it, instead of taking warning by it. His grace be with all! reign with Christ in the millennial kingdom. And the fine linen is the righteousness of the saints. Hallelujah is a very common word in religious vocabulary but the only time it actually appears in Scripture is on the four occasions in this chapter. . 14 Although there is such a levelling of human distinctions, and men have to do directly with God that is men raised from the dead or in their changed condition we still see the holy Jerusalem "the holy city, new Jerusalem," separate from the rest of those that fill the new heaven and earth. From His mouth comes a sharp sword, so that with it He may strike down the nations, and He will rule them with a rod of iron; and He treads the wine press of the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty. But still we have not the end of Babylon yet. They themselves were to judge. God in His providence did sanction the great empires of old; and the principle continues as long as the church is here below. And I saw the beast [that is the antichrist], and the kings of the earth [which have been drawn by the demonic forces], and their armies, gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse, and against his army ( Revelation 19:18-19 ). There is a distinct contrast between the city John describes and the ancient Babylon, in that the latter was built on the plain of Shinar, while the former is expressly said to have seven heads, and these explained to mean seven mountains. 4:13-18). . The thief said, "We are here because we deserve to be here, but this man has done nothing amiss"( Luke 23:41 ). They have the capacity to stand in the sun. A state of war has existed since the fall of Satan (compare verse 4, compare Dan. But whatever subsisted then, that which the Spirit here presents as a whole cannot be found realized at any point of time in the past. "And 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, gather yourselves together unto the great supper of God; that ye may eat flesh of kings, and flesh of chiliarchs, and flesh of strong [men], and flesh of horses, and of those that sit on them, and flesh of all, both free and bond, both small and great." Their doom was awful, but by no means after the same sort as their two leaders. Again, to my mind it seems demonstrably true that the relation to the beast here brought before us must in all fairness be allowed to look onward to a later stage of Babylon. [Note: Ladd, pp. understand the testimony of Jesus, then you must preach and prophesy so that Accordingly the resuscitated Roman empire will carry men away by a storm of wonder at its revival. Many suggestions have been made. The "testimony of Jesus" is what the whole Bible is about. Verse-by-Verse Bible Commentary Revelation 1. And as for the twelve tribes of Israel, they are merely written there, nothing more. From generation to generation it shall lie waste; none shall pass through it for ever and ever" ( Isaiah 34:9-10). He came to the world, and avenged His people on the beast and the false prophet with the kings and their armies; and after that the risen saints reign with Him over it a thousand years. 4:17; see I think, therefore, that the elders and the living creatures comprehend both the Old Testament saints and the church, the bride of Christ, that consequently, when the bride is mentioned, there were these others who had been included in the elders and the living creatures, but who are now seen as a separate body. The But the attempt, again, to apply what is said here to a future city of Babylon in Chaldea seems to me no less vain. "Which did corrupt the earth with her fornication": Drew the kings and judgment seat of Christ (compare 1 Cor. Here we find the term "Alleluia" used really for the first in the New Testament and it is used four times here. Four beasts: The four beasts are the cherubim as described (in Rev. Second was the presentation which was a time of festivities just before the . But first, the first five verses show heaven's response to the judgment of the Thus everything implies their simultaneous presence for the same time and common action with the beast, in plundering and then destroying Babylon. (Hebrews 4:13). There are times when John sees the Lord himself. Verse 1. The Bible forbids the worship of angels (Col. ( John 1:14 ) And now again He comes as the Word of God. For Christ has not only a supreme but an exclusive place. This is just a statement telling us it will never be built "Salvation and glory and power belong to our God, because his judgments are true and just, for he judged the great harlot who corrupted the earth with her fornication, and has avenged upon her the blood of his servants.". So far they were right. By the seat of his empire; and that is heaven; his throne is there, and his power and authority are heavenly and divine. It is the way to all, if it be not the actual entrance into and enjoyment of it. "And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, King of kings, and Lord of lords.". He spoke it into existence. It will never happen. 9:7; inhabitants of the Roman empire into wicked and idolatrous practices, and so Salvation is simple. })(); Return to Revelation Menu | "Having a wall great and high, having twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and names inscribed, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the sons of Israel." There is no expression in the word of God which binds all to rise at the same instant. Revelation 19 is the nineteenth chapter of the Book of Revelation or the Apocalypse of John in the New Testament of the Christian Bible. So, God has judged the false religious system that corrupted the earth with her spiritual fornication. Return to Revelation Menu | These would appear to be (save Judas Iscariot, of course) the twelve apostles that were peculiarly associated with Christ in His suffering path on the earth. When you couple that with "Lord", which means that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. He hath bound his loins and gone forth to war against those who hate him; kings and princes shall be slain; he will make red the rivers with the blood of the slainhis garments will be dipped in blood.". 11:2; Eph. "On his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS. It would have been incongruous to bring in that long description before, because this must have interrupted the flow of the prophetic stream. At a marriage, John was forbidding angel worship; and that was a very necessary prohibition, for in the early church there was a well-nigh inevitable tendency to worship angels, a tendency which has never wholly disappeared. ", 2. III. That is worship of God in unprescribed ways. The letters Y-H-W-H (Yahweh) are called the sacred tetragrammaton, the sacred four letters. At this point the evil world system has been destroyed and God's kingdom has It should not be "and which had not," but rather, "and those who had not worshipped the beast, nor his image, neither had received his mark upon their forehead, and on their hand; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years." It calls God the Almighty. In the tabernacle in That is something that God will never have to do, apologize. But here there is neither; and this again is an evidence of gain, not of loss. To the Christian this book is not sealed. In one sense it would be an eighth, and in another sense it would be of the seven; the eighth perhaps because of its extraordinary resurrection character, yet one of the seven because it is outwardly old imperialism again. He was a medical doctor there. When the second beast appeared, he even strove to put to death those who would not worship the beast, nor pay homage to his image, nor receive his mark. ", And the twenty-four elders, and the four living creatures fell down and worshipped the God who is seated upon the throne. 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. For the fine linen is the righteous deeds of God's dedicated people. 14:1-3; 1 Thess. That is why religions fail. There is a scripture that would indicate maybe two hundred million.And that is when the blood will flow to the horses bridle all the way through the Valley of Megiddo clear on down to Edom through the valley of Jehoshaphat as they gather together against the Lord and His anointed. It is only God and man now. the Bride of Christ, is the guest of honor at the marriage of the Lamb in heaven (compare 1 Thess. "The second coming of Christ is an absolutely essential theme in New Testament theology. No sooner was the marriage solemnized between Christ and his church by the conversion of the Jews than the glorious head and husband of the church is called out to a new expedition, which seems to be the great battle that was to be fought at Armageddon, foretold Revelation 16:16; Revelation 16:16. But still it is a very solemn fact to read, and that which we are bound to preach that even in the perfect state of eternity, while there is the brightness of the heaven and of the earth into which no evil can enter, you have all the evil that ever has been all the wicked of every clime and of every age cast into the fixed condition of eternal judgment in the lake of fire. He with the glorified saints will have their home on high, but none the less shall they reign over this very world for the allotted time. Thus the second beast is no longer seen as an earthly power, but as a prophet-of course a false prophet. There was judicial discernment with the distinct possession of all titles to sovereignty. But now, when those symbols disappear, because of a new action of God (namely, the consummation of the church's joy), the elders and the living creatures disappear, and we have not the bride alone, but another class of saints, who at once come forward. the holy city Jerusalem. Such is the meaning of the verse "The rest of the dead lived not again till the thousand years were finished. 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. (verse 16--We know who He is "King of kings and Lord of lords"). It is as if the multitude of the redeemed sent up their shout of praise because the promise of Christ to his persecuted ones had come abundantly true. First, he is remembering Psalms 97:1: "The Lord reigns; let the earth rejoice." As usual John takes his picture from the Old Testament and is thinking of the terrible picture in Isaiah 63:1-3, where the prophet pictures God returning from the destruction of Edom; "I trod them in my anger, and trampled them in my wrath; their life blood is sprinkled upon my garments, and I have stained all my raiment." 3:12-15: 2 Cor. The enemy falls on with great fury, headed by the beast, and the kings of the earth; the powers of earth and hell gathered, to make their utmost effort, Revelation 19:19. But he tells us further that the Spirit of prophecy, who prophesies in this book, is the testimony of Jesus. 4:17; see The fall of Babylon being fixed, finished, and declared to be irrecoverable in the foregoing chapter, this begins with a holy triumph over her, in pursuance of the order given forth: Rejoice over her, thou heaven, and you holy apostles and prophets,Rev. The four living creatures, respectively like a lion, an ox, a man and an eagle, stand for two things, for all that is bravest, strongest, wisest and swiftest in nature--and for the cherubim. "WHITE" is a symbol throughout the book of Revelation for PURITY and VICTORY. I find no fault in Him" ( Luke 23:14 ). THE KING rides at the head of His armies. Wheat and tares grow together till the process of judgment separates. "His eyes are like a flame of fire" seeing all the secrets of our lives. We have here a note of time of signal value. And so this is the hang-up of man as Paul said in Romans one, "They worshipped and served the creature more than the creator."