and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God; the fierce wrath of God against sinners is compared to a winepress; and the wicked antichristian party are likened to clusters of grapes; who being ripe for destruction, are cast into it, and pressed, squeezed, and trodden down by the mighty power of Christ, the Word of God, whose vesture is therefore before said to be dipped in blood; the same metaphor is used in Revelation 14:19 the allusion seems to be to Isaiah 63:3. Commentary on Revelation - [Chapter 18] - Theology First There is going to be another supper, a supper prepared by God for all the birds. That is, Babylon is viewed in this chapter not so much in her mysterious and religious form, giving currency to every kind of confusion of truth and error, of good and evil, intoxicating, corrupting, and seducing, as all can see, through her wickedly religious influence; but she is viewed here as the most conspicuous aider and abettor of the world in its luxuries and delights and the pride of life, of what men call "civilization." Jesus at the Last Supper said that he would not again drink of the cup until he drank it new in his Father's kingdom ( Matthew 26:29). Everything that could attract the natural man was there; and all that which to him looks fair enough on the side of religion. God is sovereign. Those festivities could last up to a week and sometimes even Verse 9. The There was the sad register of undeniable sin on the one side; there was no writing of the name on the other side. 19:12 His eyes are a flame of fire, and on his head are many royal crowns, and he has a name written which no one knows except himself. . Literally "fierceness of the wrath". marriage is the eternal union of the church with Christ following the Rapture The person of Jesus Christ, the Son of God and the Redeemer, is in the centre of these future events. "And the angel said unto him, Wherefore didst thou wonder? And a voice came forth from the throne. In the Ascension of Isaiah ( Isaiah 9:5) there is a saying: "Thou canst not bear his name until thou shalt have ascended out of the body." small and the great mean everyone which includes all human categories and According to the biblical narrative, Zerubbabel [a] was a governor of the Achaemenid Empire 's province of Yehud [3] and the grandson of Jeconiah, [4] penultimate king of Judah. Revelation 19:18 Commentaries: so that you may eat the flesh of kings So, He is coming to bring an end of man's rebellion. the 144,000 seen with the Lamb on Mount Zion (Revelation 14:1), and with those on That is why Christianity is successful. No. On these I may say but a very few words. There is no scriptural reason to infer that any saint dies during the thousand years, but rather the contrary. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone. God. And if you try to worship God in an unprescribed way, setting up little idols or whatever, which God has forbidden, that is spiritual fornication. Here we learn at once of what His train consists. He is thrown into the abyss (see 9:1; 11:7; 17:8) where he is imprisoned for a long period, symbolized by a thousand years, so that he is no longer able to tempt the human race to rebel against God. Revelation 19:1. For everything in this book begins and ends in Christ. The woman was there seen sitting on a scarlet-coloured beast, i.e., the well-known imperial power of the Roman Empire, "full of [the] names of blasphemy" in its wicked opposition to God, and clothed with the forms we have already seen "seven heads and ten horns." 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." "Called" is most evidently inapplicable, because calling supposes that the person is brought out of one condition and raised into another and a better one. The voice that came out of the throne said what? May our hearts answer freely to His word of love and truth with our "Amen." While the term bride often refers to the church, and does so here (2 Cor. There are always those that say, "What about the people that haven't heard? And he says to him not to do that because he is a fellowservant, but to worship God.You see it is a apart of man to need and want to worship something, and man seems to find it easier to worship an object that he can see rather than an object that he cannot see. Christ will come in glory to judge and rule. Scripture is positive in Isaiah 65:1-25 that death during the millennium only comes as a specific judgment because of open rebellion. Verse 1. I. We shall find that the scripture affords much light to decide the true bearing of the prophecy, and that no application to the past can possibly satisfy the conditions satisfactorily. Salvation and glory and honor and power belong to the Lord our God! In the last chapter, we saw the terrible destruction of commercial and political This exclamation, meaning Praise the Lord, occurs frequently in the Old They will be gathered together at the inspiration of Satan. 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. But for the eternal judgment heaven and earth are fled away; and then we see the new and eternal universe. For instance, when Ptolemy entered Antioch he wore two crowns or diadems--one to show that he was lord of Asia and one to show that he was lord of Egypt ( 1Ma_11:13 ). We. There may be lights of the heaven to mark times and seasons for the earth, and again on the earth. He speaks and it is done. The name was in fact so holy that it was never pronounced. Righteousness of saints: Not Christs imputed righteousness granted to He is no longer to be allowed to prowl about the world ensnaring and destroying. What is this name? In Daniel's time it was not at hand. So, Jesus was at odds with the religious leaders of His day and they are the ones that prompted His crucifixion. Now, this law that has the backing of the Greek Orthodox Church, or it was instituted because of the Greek Orthodox Church against proselytization, is the law that they used to charge him.In Egypt it is a capital offense to lead a Muslim to a faith in Jesus Christ. To free men from the restraints that they may feel that have any kind of a Biblical base, so that you will not be feeling guilty over those things that are prohibited in the scriptures. And of course all of our finest scientific equipment could not locate such a thing there in the heart of the earth. the wilderness, the High Priest wore a very ornamented robe with a breastplate These are the true sayings of God. The redeemed all there is about us already. ceremony); (3) The elders do show us the heavenly heads of priesthood (embracing, as I believe, the Old Testament saints and those of the New); i.e., they are not limited to the church, Christ's body. Christianity tells you that your righteousness is as filthy rags. It is due to the exigency of a notion which fears and is irreconcilable with the truth in this place. We can quite understand that God would comfort His people in the dark ages by this book; and a very imperfect glimpse at its real meaning might in His grace serve to cheer them on in their trials as far as it went. He is an American citizen and his base is in Sunland, California. That city will be a constant remembrancer of those who went before restored Israel here below, as undoubtedly it will be used for their blessing during the millennium, but not for theirs only. This too must not be viewed as if it were a loss. (3) *It is the aorist in Greek, which in such a case as this it is difficult correctly to represent in English; for neither "reigned" nor "hath reigned" could convey that God had entered on His kingdom, but rather that it was past. I. The Old Testament points forward to Jesus, beginning in Even so, come, Lord Jesus." Verse 6 commends these sayings afresh. 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. believers lives, i.e., the outward manifestation of inward virtue. [Note: See David J. MacLeod, The Seven Last Things.] At the pouring of the seventh bowl, God's voice was heard from the Temple saying, "It is done!" (Rev. Therefore be zealous and repent. It is not only that the angel corrects the act by asserting that he is a fellow-servant of him and of his brethren who have the testimony of Jesus. For true and righteous are his judgments ( Revelation 19:2 ): All the way through we have had this affirmation that the judgments of God are true and righteous. His Word is "a two-edged sword." Here now is the rejoicing which was called for. But, further, we find that the saints who had suffered for Christ, during the time that the others were in heaven, are now reunited to their bodies and live, the Lord waiting for the last martyr that He might not leave out one of those who had died for His name. It cannot be done till the moment comes. In general this has been either passed over in the chapter, or some unsatisfactory inference has been flung out, which can only embroil the prophecy. 2. 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. In verse 1, this great voice from heaven was whom? The great city was either guilty Jerusalem or Babylon. And there shall in nowise enter into it anything that defileth, nor making abomination and a lie: but only those written in the book of life of the Lamb." But she has a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and the impurities of her fornication. And out of His mouth goes a sharp sword by which these rebellious armies are destroyed. But the church consists of souls called out from the earth, and is not of the world: consequently to the church the time is always at hand. "These have one mind, and give their own power and authority to the beast," or their imperial leader. Angels we know from other scriptures will be there, but of this we hear nothing here. They broke up the beast yet more than Babylon. The worst of all sins is to teach others to sin. are no other than God's covenant people, who are given to Christ, and made At his rebuke nations shall flee before him, And he shall reprove sinners for the thoughts of their hearts, There is a Rabbinic picture of the Messiah: "How beauteous is the king Messiah, who is about to rise from the house of Judah. Nobody can dispute that this remarkable cluster of kingdoms in Europe was the fruit providentially of the destroyed unity of the Roman empire when the barbarians invaded it. The church cannot hear of Him as the bright morning star without at once desiring that He should come. [Note: Lilje, p. Help us purchase electrical generators for churches. Finally they will destroy her. - CBSC, The psalm prophecy is quoted by the apostle Peter in Acts 4:25-26 with this application of the effect of preaching Christ to the heathen world. (Matthew 28:19-20, Mark 16:15-16; sharp . In the former verse God invited all the ravenous fowls to a supper, he here showeth their cheer. Here it is the city described in itself, on which we need not now enlarge. It is a wholly unwarranted interpolation. If a person drew from this, for instance, that the boast was to carry the woman, Babylon, when it had as a fact all that is meant by the seven heads and the ten horns, it would be an error. Polyglot, and all editions of the least critical value. It will be understood when one says "spiritual" that none is meant save of a wicked kind. It also means genuine, as opposed to that which is unreal. Here I am obliged to say that our authorized version, and not merely it, but our common Greek Testaments, are altogether wrong. Now we find the symbol of the bride brought before us, and the elders and the living creatures disappear. Idealists feel that Revelation relates primarily to the church between the first and second coming of Christ. - CBSC, a sharp sword . judgment seat of Christ (compare 1 Cor. He is, as H. B. Swete puts it, "a royal commander followed by a dazzling retinue." To be sure, the language here suggests Armageddon, the great spiritual conflict going on throughout history, the results of which will be announced and executed on the last day. 8:38, Paul often used some of the most extreme things such as life and death to make a point. After these things I heard a loud voice of a great multitude in heaven, saying, "Alleluia! To us, as His soldiers, Christ says "As My Father has sent Me so send I you." That an openly heathen metropolis, devoted to the worship of Mars, and Jupiter, and Venus, and other wicked monstrosities of pagan mythology should be irritated with the gospel which exposes it all, and should consequently seek to injure the faithful, was to be expected, and a necessary result, directly that the uncompromising spirit of Christ was known. The friendships of the evil are not lasting. Worship is for God alone. 21:1-2). 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. The things in the present and in the future are all designed to help God's children. Of course they will be preserved through that crisis in some sort of way suitable to divine wisdom. Accordingly, "Behold, I come quickly, and my reward is with me." There are always those who are ready to challenge the fairness of it. It is true, the beast's judgment is only referred to as a defeat under the hand of the Lamb. They feel Revelation relates to the battle between God and evil and between the church and the world at all times in church history. In Hebrew writing there were no vowels; the vowels had to be supplied by the reader. And the devil that deceiveth them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where both the beast and the false prophet [are], and they shall be tormented day and night unto the ages of the ages.". "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.". "At the last day" does not mean merely an instant of time. The weapons of his warfare--A sharp sword proceeding from his mouth (Revelation 19:15; Revelation 19:15), with which he smites the nations, either the threatenings of the written word, which now he is going to execute, or rather his word of command calling on his followers to take a just revenge on his and their enemies, who are now put into the wine-press of the wrath of God, to be trodden under foot by him. purified at the judgment seat of Christ (1 Cor. God is making sure that you know that Jesus is innocent as He hangs there on the cross. worship him. Armies of angels are with him, but his conquest is not by armies or weapons. But a voice issues from the throne, saying, "Praise our God, all ye his servants, and ye that fear him, both small and great. But we can understand that the Lord could and did make that little go far, and do no little good. One of the great dangers of being in any kind of ministry where God is using you, one of the great dangers of exercising any spiritual gift, is that people so often look at the instrument that God uses. Seven Spirits of God - Wikipedia judgment. The judgment of the dead is strictly individual, judgments in this world are not. When we come to the full application of the prophecy, we must look onward to the latter day. Third, he alone has the wisdom to find the right judgment and the power to apply it. 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. It is not now lightnings and thunders and voices. 252-53. And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God ( Revelation 19:12-13 ). So, vultures are invited from all over the earth to come and feast on the supper that God prepares. Revelation 19 New International Version Threefold Hallelujah Over Babylon's Fall 19 After this I heard what sounded like the roar of a great multitude in heaven shouting: "Hallelujah! We must face difficulties; we must bow to the word; we must seek to learn through all. The series of Psalms from Psalms 113:1-9; Psalms 114:1-8; Psalms 115:1-18; Psalms 116:1-19; Psalms 117:1-2; Psalms 118:1-29 were called the Hallel (compare H1984) , the Praise God, and were part of the essential education of every Jewish lad. I do not acknowledge the language to be either difficult or ambiguous. The rebellion that had begun in the Garden of Eden is finally ended. These are the martyrs of Revelation 6:1-17, those long since seen under the altar, poured out like burnt-offerings to God. But that the heart of man even so is not renewed becomes manifest, when Satan at the close deceives all that are not converted; and these, as we are told, are countless "as the sand of the sea.". The account given of Babylon inRevelation 17:1-18; Revelation 17:1-18 does not follow Revelation 14:1-20 or Revelation 16:1-21 in point of prophetic time, but differs from them in structure. He has punished that great prostitute. The pronoun he is emphaticHe Himself, by Himself, as is there expressed. On him the blow comes, not on the wretched parent. And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and in them the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb." We usually pronounce it JEHOVAH; but the vowels in Jehovah are really those of the Hebrew word 'Adonay ( H136) , which means Lord, the name by which the Jews called God in order to avoid pronouncing the sacred name. This is not unrighteous, but, on the contrary, the highest justice from a divine point of view. Enduring Word Bible Commentary Revelation Chapter 10 He spoke it into existence. (iii) He judges and makes war in righteousness. He was a divine person, whatever new position He assumes for the world. (faithful to Jesus). The temple would suppose a medium. But the attempt, again, to apply what is said here to a future city of Babylon in Chaldea seems to me no less vain. There is therefore much to be said for the ]Protestant application of the chapter as compared with the Praetorist theory of pagan Rome. And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS ( Revelation 19:15-16 ). They were judged every man according to their works. They have long waited for the time when God's justice would triumph. The army which he commands (Revelation 19:14; Revelation 19:14), a very large one, made up of many armies; angels and saints followed his conduct, and resembled him in their equipage, and in their armour of purity and righteousness--chosen, and called, and faithful. It was not uncommon for a monarch to wear more than one crown in order to show that he was the king of more than one country. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me. "And he said unto me, It is done. At the end of the millennium the righteous and the wicked form two distinct arrays, though even then there would appear to be a line drawn between the surrounding camp, and the beloved city Jerusalem on earth, where the Jews were. (function() { It is not his own blood, but the blood of his enemies that he tramples as he tramples out the rebellious. marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready.". And then comes the gathering and the battle. V. An invitation given to the fowls of heaven, that they should come and see the battle, and share in the spoil and pillage of the field (Revelation 19:17; Revelation 19:18), intimating that this great decisive engagement should leave the enemies of the church a feast for the birds of prey, and that all the world should have cause to rejoice in the issue of it. 5:25-32), and the And Paul speaks of himself as betrothing the Church like a pure virgin to Christ ( 2 Corinthians 11:2), and for him the relationship of Christ to his Church is the great model of the relationship of husband and wife ( Ephesians 5:21-33). First, there are his servants. "And he that spoke with me had a golden reed as a measure, that he might measure the city, and the gates thereof, and the wall thereof. After that we have the admonitions to the end of this book. "Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues. There was no doubt at all of the character of the emperor; there never had been a worse than he; yet God took that very opportunity to lay this on the Christians as their duty to the worldly authority outside and over them. Blessed are those that are called to be a part in this. After the destruction of Babylon religious and commercial, chapter seventeen and eighteen. The antichrist and the false prophet are thrown into the lake of fire, signifying punishment from which there is no escape. And that is the question the prophet asks and Jesus answers, "I that speak in righteousness, mighty to save." The battle is through. It is the place that Jesus said God prepared for Satan and his angels. Supposing, for instance, a drunken father: if the sons had one spark of right feeling, not only must they feel the utmost shame and pain on account of their parent, but they would endeavour (like the sons of Noah who had a due sense of what was proper to their father) to cast some mantle of love over that which they could not deny, yet would not look at, but surely above all things they would watch against that shameful sin. Jeremiah hears God say and appeal: "Return, O faithless children, for I am your master" ( Jeremiah 3:14). Have we not all heard of the balance of power? He sees the glorious creation of God and he worships the creation, rather than the creator.And so John is making the same mistake and the angel corrects him and says don't do that. Ezekiel works out the whole picture most fully in Ezekiel 16:1-63. Hitherto the reverse of this has been true in history. "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." This is of great importance, because if the new Jerusalem be, as I have no doubt it is, the bride the Lamb's wife, then we have her separate condition asserted in eternity. Here it would seem we have just what answers to that: this name none knew but He Himself. There were two particular effects of her evil: the one, illicit commerce with the kings of the earth; the other, intoxicating the inhabitants of the earth with the wine of her fornication. Revelation 19:5 (1) And a voice came from the throne, saying, (2) "Give praise to our God, all you His bond-servants, you who fear Him, the small and the great." 1. Read the verses thoughtfully. These events are in chronological sequence, as will become clear. And again they said, Alleluia. But he ought to have withstood it I do not mean in vengeance (for that belongs to the Lord), but as holily hating the sin itself, yet withal in the deepest compassion for his parent. Christ is described by two words. Return to Home Page * It is to Him that God has given all judgment not necessarily to us. But "nations of them which are saved," is a most anomalous expression, and betrays man as the author of it. From Rome saints had suffered; and it was easy to see that the revealed persecutress is called Babylon, and identified with the governing city of Rome. "And let him that is athirst come; and whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.". The book is traditionally attributed to John the Apostle, [1] [2] but the precise identity of the author remains a point of academic debate. He was filled with astonishment that this mysterious form of evil, this counter-testimony of the enemy (not antichrist, but antichurch), should seem and be largely accepted as the holy catholic church of God, that Christendom, if not Christianity, should at the same time become the bitterest of persecutors, more murderously incensed against the witnesses of Jesus and the saints of God than ever paganism had been in any country or all ages. In fact, we may say, all nations will be desolated by judgments of one kind or another; but for all this the world proceeding for a thousand years with every outward blessing, and the most admirable government administered by the blessed Lord Himself, will issue in the teeming and prosperous races of mankind. Return to Home Page The relationship of the Christian and Christ must be the closest in all life. "And death and hades were cast into the lake of fire. There is a contrast with the scarlet and gold of the great harlot. (b) He is true. "And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse." These things were Christs return, Satans capture, Satans binding, the Millennium, Satans final end, the last judgment, and the new heavens and earth, including the New Jerusalem. For the fine linen is the righteous deeds of God's dedicated people. The thrones were already filled. At a marriage, Such was her influence stretching out far beyond the beast. On the head of the victor Christ there are many crowns to show that he is lord of all the kingdoms of the earth. The church is the bride, And they said Alleluia a second time; and her smoke goeth up unto the ages of the ages." unrighteousness. Not because any of their names were written therein, but in proof that they were not. This is known so well, and on such decided grounds, that it would be unbecoming to withhold the fact. God is said to smite men with plagues, e.g. But along with that God warns of her ruin, and calls on His people (verse 4) to come out of her. "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. I am a servant of God just like you are. Revelation 19:9 "And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed [are] they which are A seventh should follow; and what is more, the seventh was in one aspect to be an eighth. And out of his mouth proceeded a sharp sword Again, all voices agree as one in seeing this as a symbol of the word of God (Hebrews 4:12,13; Ephesians 6:17f). This remains true. Begin by reading the Introduction first. "On his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS. This is the declaration that is made all through the period of judgment, "true and righteous are thy judgments, O Lord".The concept that Satan brought to Eve in the Garden of Eden was that God was not fair, that God was trying to hold her back from something that was beneficial, that God was somehow trying to protect Himself. It is a universal summons to praise God for his mighty acts. It was not merely a vocable or sound dropped heedlessly from unthinking lips. (faithful to Jesus). The picture is of all men sitting down at the Messianic Banquet of God. Hence the effort of some to prop up a manifestly false reading. They had cried to the Sovereign ruler to avenge their blood on their foes, but they were told they must wait a little for some others, their fellow-servants and their brethren, to die as they had. Then comes not the destruction only of these rebels by divine judgment, but the dissolution of heaven and earth. Verse 6. All the dead are there who had not part in the first resurrection. When the hour comes that is spoken of here, it is not for us, but for those who will be found after we are gone. Gods deliverance of His people from their enemies (verse 1); (2) So here He is sitting upon a white horse. The seventh bowl contained under it the fall of Babylon, which "was remembered before God, to give to her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of his wrath.". chapters The first were such as came out of heaven after Christ, being already raised from the dead and glorified. So, I will be clothed in linen, pure and white and clean. 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. There we interpreted as "CHRIST EVANGELISING". It is a simple picture, not to be taken with crude literalness, but simply saying very beautifully that in his kingdom all men will enjoy the bounty of God. The twenty-four elders were prominent in the early visions ( Revelation 4:4; Revelation 4:10; Revelation 5:6; Revelation 5:11; Revelation 5:14; Revelation 7:11; Revelation 11:16; Revelation 14:3) as were the four living creatures ( Revelation 4:6-9; Revelation 5:6-14; Revelation 6:1-7; Revelation 7:11; Revelation 14:3; Revelation 15:7).
