Introductory remarks:
Chapter nineteen begins setting the scene for the Lord to set up His Millennial Kingdom. We have just been through the judgments of the Great Tribulation Period, and now we are going to be encouraged with the wonderful truth of His grace regarding the Lord reigning for a thousand years on this earth. We will study the final siege of Satan in the last days of Armageddon at the close of the Book; but for the present we will be studying the things John has written for our edification.
The Four Hallelujahs
Verse 1, "And after these things I heard a great voice of much people in heaven, saying, Alleluia; Salvation, and glory, and honor, and power, unto the Lord our God."
LGT "After these things I [John] heard as it were a great voice of a multitude in the heaven, saying, Alleluia: the salvation, and the glory, and the power of our God,"
"And after these things"
The Greek phrase of this is meta tauta, and it refers to what had just taken place in chapter 18. We are encouraged now of what we can look forward to after the Great Tribulation. Verses 1-5 are the conclusion of chapter 18, the host of heaven responding to what God has done on the earth.
"I heard a great voice of much people in heaven,"
In chapters 5-7 we saw that there were saints of all ages, uncounted numbers of angels and the prophets of the Old Testament, and the apostles of the New Testament, and the saints that had died during the age of grace, praising God and His Son; now we see the Tribulation saints joining the chorus.
"Saying, Alleluia;"
"The Hebrew for Alleluia is praise ye the Lord. The word is only found here in the Revelation in this chapter. Fifteen of the Psalms either begin or end with this word. The Jewish anthem of praise (Psalm 104-109), sung chiefly at the feasts of the Passover and the Tabernacles, derived its title of the Great Hallel from the frequent use of the phrase" (Vincent).
"Salvation,"
The Greek word for 'salvation' is soteria, and it means safety, deliverance, and preservation.
"In a Christian sense, deliverance from punishment and admission to eternal life. Here the idea seems to be that their deliverance from sin, danger, persecution and death, was to be ascribed solely to God. It cannot be meant, as the words would seem to imply, that they desired that God might have salvation; but the sense is, that their salvation was to be attributed entirely to Him. This will undoubtedly be the song of the released for ever, and all who reach the heavenly world will feel that they owe their deliverance from eternal death, and their admission to glory, wholly to Him. Professor Robinson renders the word here victory. The fair meaning is, that whatever is included in the word salvation will be due to God alone - the deliverance from sin, danger, and death; the triumph over every foe; the resurrection from the grave; the rescue from eternal burnings; the admission to a holy heaven - victory in all that that word implies will be due to God" (Barnes).
"And glory,"
The glory of God should always bring our minds to worship Him.
"And honor,"
Considering all that God has done for each and every one of us, we should give Him the entire honor; no other person or thing should arouse within us the desire to honor.
"And power,"
God is all-powerful, and His overcoming Satan and his cohorts shows it, and for this we will ever be giving Him praise.
"Unto the Lord our God."
The song of heaven will eternally resound the praises of God and His Son for the eternal salvation they have provided for us freely by their ever-loving grace.
Verse 2, "For true and righteous are His judgments: for He hath judged the great whore, which did corrupt the earth with her fornication, and hath avenged the blood of His servants at her hand."
LGT "Because true and righteous are His judgments: because He has judged the great harlot, who corrupted the earth with her fornications, and He did avenge the blood of His servants from her hand."
"For true and righteous are His judgments:"
The word 'for' beginning this phrase is hoti. And it means here 'because,' and reads, because true and righteous are His judgments. "The reason for God's judgments is given in 15:3; And they sing the song of Moses the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, Great and marvelous are Thy works, Lord God Almighty; just and true are Thy ways, thou King of saints," and in 16:7; And I heard another out of the altar say, Even so, Lord God Almighty, true and righteous are Thy judgments." The doom of Babylon is seen in 14:7; Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to Him; for the hour of His judgment is come: and worship Him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters, is now realized" (Robertson).
"For He hath judged the great whore,"
This phrase is literally: because He has judged the great harlot. The 'great whore' is ecumenical religion. 'This second use of hoti, 'because' is explaining the first use in the last phrase" (Robertson).
"Which did corrupt the earth with her fornication,"
The verb 'did corrupt' is ephtheiren, is in the imperfect tense and it 'denotes habit', that is, and kept on corrupting the earth, 'a terrible fact'. The word 'fornication' is pornia, and it refers to 'false-doctrine,' that is, she teaches her followers the art of sinning, by ignoring 'The Word of God.' As I examine ecumenical religion today, I see the beginning of this apostate church that will be in power during the Tribulation. Organized religion today has gone the way of the liberal in that it is not interested in teaching Bible doctrine, but it is more interested in teaching the 'flock' how to feel good about themselves, and how to feel self-worth', that is, 'self-esteem.
"And hath avenged the blood of His servants at her hand."
John uses the prophetic aorist here in the verb 'hath avenged' gr. exedikesen, which means that John presents God's vengeance as already taken place. This brings to our minds the fact that we don't have to worry ourselves with getting even when we are mistreated. McGee notes: "You see, believers are forbidden to avenge themselves. It is true that some of us try to do it, but the moment we do so, we forsake the walk of faith. In Romans 12:19 God says to us: Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord. God will take care of vengeance for you. If we have been injured, and many of us have been, we want to hit back. That is natural; it is the old [sin] nature striking out. However, we are to turn that department over to God. He doesn't intend to let anyone get away with wrong. Vengeance is His. And He will bring judgment on this apostate system."
Verse 3, "And again they said, Alleluia. And her smoke rose up for ever and ever."
LGT "And a second time they have said, Alleluia: and the smoke goes up to the ages of the ages."
This great crowd in heaven have been waiting a long time for this judgment, and they shout 'Alleluia.' To show how long some have waited, Isaiah predicted this same event in 800 B.C., For it is the day of the Lord's vengeance, and the year of recompenses for the controversy of Zion. And the streams thereof shall be turned into pitch, and the dust thereof into brimstone, and the land thereof shall become burning pitch. It shall not be quenched night and day; its smoke shall go up forever; from generation to generation it shall lie waste; none shall pass through it forever and ever (Isaiah 34:9, 11).
Verse 4, "And the four and twenty elders and the four beasts fell down and worshipped God that sat on the throne, saying, Amen; Alleluia."
LGT "And the twenty four elders, and the living creatures fell down and worshipped the God, the One who sitting on the throne, saying, Amen, Alleluia."
"And the four and twenty elders"
Praise from the twenty-four elders and the four living creatures follow. The twenty-four elders were prominent in the early visions (4:4, 10; 5:6, 14; 7:11; 11:16; 6:1-7; 7:11; 14:3; 15:7). We saw the twenty-four elders represent the twelve patriarchs and the twelve apostles, and, therefore, stand for the entire church.
"And the four beasts"
"The four living creatures, respectively like a lion, and an ox, a human being and an eagle, stand for two things, for all that is bravest, strongest, wisest and swiftest in nature - and for the cherubim. Hence a song of praise from the twenty-four elders and the four living creatures is a hymn of praise to God from the whole Church and the whole of nature" (Barclay).
"Fell down and worshipped God that sat on the throne, saying, Amen; Alleluia."
"They now adored Him for what He had done in delivering the church from all its persecution, and causing it to triumph in the world. Saying Amen. The word here is expressive of approbation [admiration] of what God had done; or of their solemn assent to all that had occurred in the destruction of the great enemy of the church. Alleluia. The repetition of this word so many times shows the intenseness of the joy of heaven in view of the final triumph of the church" (Barnes).
This concludes the final judgment on Mystery Babylon. The judgment is past and happier things are before us.
The Marriage Supper of the Lamb
Verse 5, "And a voice came out of the throne, saying, Praise our God, all ye His servants, and ye that fear Him, both small and great."
LGT "And a voice came out from the throne, saying, You all keep praising our God, all His servants, [and] the ones who fear Him, the small ones, and the great ones."
"And a voice came out of the throne,"
This voice comes from one that is among the company surrounding the throne. It would not seem logical that it would be the voice of God nor His Son Christ, because of the next statement 'Praise our God.'
"Praise our God, all ye His servants,"
These servants are those in heaven, probably the prophets and apostles.
"And ye who fear Him, both small and great."
The fear of the Lord is an expression for those who trust God and reverence Him in true piety. The term 'both small and great' takes in all believers in heaven, those who have studied Bible doctrine and allowed God to produce His will in them, and those who did not study God's Word, but did believe in Christ, so they have eternal bodies and will be able to be forever happy, so as Theime says, 'no regrets.'
Verse 6, "And I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude, and as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of mighty thunderings, saying, Alleluia: for the Lord God Omnipotent reigneth."
LGT "And I heard as it were a voice of a great multitude, and as it were a voice of many waters, and as it were a voice of strong thunders, saying, Alleluia, because the Lord [our] God, the Almighty One reigns."
"And I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude,"
Here in verse 6 we have the response of the call to worship in verse 5. In verse 1 John heard the sound of 'much people', a very distinct description; here he hears, 'as it were' the voice of 'a great multitude, not as distinct, but much louder.
"And as the voice of many waters,"
Anyone who has camped out by a river, or have been to the seashore can remember what this sound is. We have here a description of a chorus of the Redeemed beginning a halleluiah chorus.
"And as the voice of mighty thunderings,"
McGee notes: "This is the most profound paean of praise in the entire Word of God."
"Saying, Alleluia: for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth."
I can remember when I was in Bible School in Alberta, Canada traveling with a 250-voice choir by train to Edmonton, Canada; we put on a concert in the local auditorium and we concluded the concert with 'Handle's Halleluiah Chorus,' and it was a very emotionally moving experience. I am not for using singing in the church to get people aroused emotionally, however, I just mention this in passing.
The important thing to remember here is that the body of Christ rises up to join Christ in His return to earth.
Verse 7, "Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honor to Him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and His wife hath made herself ready."
LGT "Let us be joyful and exceedingly glad, and we should give the glory to Him, because the marriage of the Lamb is come, and the wife has prepared herself
"Let us be glad and rejoice,"
The triumph of Christ over antichristian religion ushers in the marriage supper of the Lamb where the church is joined forever to Christ as His bride, and what greater reason could we have than to rejoice and be forever glad.
"And give honor to Him:"
In the Greek there is an article before the word 'honor', specifying the one and only honor that Christ deserves; we should never give a mere man honor; only Christ, the only celebrity in the universe, should be honored.
"For the marriage of the Lamb is come."
"In the Old Testament God is the Bridegroom of Israel (Hos. 2:16; Ezek. 16:7ff.). In the New Testament Christ is the Bridegroom of the Kingdom (what Robertson calls the Kingdom - is what most evangelical scholars call - the church - that is, all believers from Pentecost - the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, indwelling the first church believers - to the rapture - when the church is taken up to ever dwell with the Lord - (2 Cor. 11:2; Eph. 5:25ff., and by John in Rev. 3:20; 19:7, 9; 21:2, 9; 22:17. In the Gospels Christ appears as the Bridegroom (Mark 2:19f.; Matt. 9:15; Luke 5:34; John 3:29). The figure gamos occurs in Matt. 22:2-14. Three metaphors [symbols] of women appear in the Apocalypse (the Mother in chapter 12, the Harlot in 17 to 19, and the Bride of Christ here to the end). 'The first and the third present the church under two different aspects of her life, while the second answers to her great rival and enemy' (Swete)." (A.T. Robertson).
The last part of this phrase 'is come' is in Greek a prophetic aorist elthen, meaning it is presented as though it has already taken place, that is, it is finally come; from Pentecost to the translation of the church to heaven, it has been looking forward to this marriage.
"The time of the marriage is revealed in Scripture as falling between the translation of the church and the Second Advent. Prior to the rapture the church is still anticipating this union. According to Revelation 19:7 this marriage has taken place at the Second Advent, for the declaration is: the marriage of the Lamb is come.' The aorist tense, elthen, translated is come, signifies a completed act, showing us that the marriage has been consummated" (Pentecost - Things to Come).
"And His wife hath made herself ready."
The church gives herself over exclusively to Christ. Christ has already accomplished all the preparation of the church for Himself; in other words, Christ in reality has made the church ready via His imputed righteousness. Because we are simply responders to His wonderful grace by believing alone in Christ alone, we will finally know Christ in a wonderful way as we have not known Him in the past. It is only by the Word of God that we get a glimpse of how wonderful this union will be; we read in Ephesians 5:25-27: Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her; that He might sanctify [set apart] her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word [preparing her], that He might present to Himself the church in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that she should be holy and blameless. I believe that the church will 'prepare herself' putting on the wedding garments via the 'Bema' [judgment] Seat of Christ, where we will individually be judge for the works we have done on earth, not sin, whether they be 'good works' [gold, silver, and precious stone], or whether they be evil [wood, hay, and stubble]. The Judgment Seat of Christ will precede the 'Marriage Supper'. We will be granted rewards first, and then we will enter the marriage feast. We read in 1 Corinthians 3:12-14: Now if any man build upon this foundation [which is Christ] gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble; every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is. If any man's work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. These refined works will be the wedding garments that Christ has purified. All garments will be pure, but only some will be 'bright and shining.'
"After the wedding, the wedding dress is laid aside. We have already seen that the elders placed their crowns at the feet of the Lamb, proclaiming that He alone is worthy. The church will reveal His glory: That in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us through Christ Jesus (Eph. 2:7). We will be on display - sinners saved from hell, if you please, in heaven now. We have no right to heaven and would not go there except for the righteousness of Christ and the fact that we belong to Him. The relationship of Christ and the church is intimate, it is different, and it is delightful. No other creatures will enjoy such sweetness" (McGee).
Verse 8, "And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints."
LGT "And it was given to her that she should be clothed around in fine linen bright and pure: because the fine linen is the righteousness of the saints."
"And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white:"
As it was noted in the last verse the wedding garments will be 'bright and pure.' The church will be clothed around, [peribalitai] in fine linen, bright and pure: this bridal dress will be Christ's gift to the church. All garments will not be the same [as noted on verse seven]. Thieme notes: "Lampros - shining - winners only - Order of the Morning Star - Uniform of Glory - shining like a celestial object, but for the rest pure/clean/ no impurities."
"For the fine linen is the righteousness of saints."
We all will be clothed forever in the righteousness of Christ.
"In the light of this Scripture, we may well be exercised as to our own ways. Are you, dear fellow believer, preparing any fine linen for that coming day? You are no doubt familiar with the thought of the prospective bride's hope chest. How interested the engaged damsel is in preparing beautiful and spotless articles of apparel in view of her wedding day. May I say that we, too, have a spiritual hope chest to fill? Everything that is really done for Christ [actually any work done by Christ through us] is something added to that bridal chest. [Is this grace or what? Christ does the work and we get the reward]. Some of us, I am afraid, will have rather a poor supply. The wedding garments are to be prepared for her on earth, as the Spirit of God Himself works in us to do of His good pleasure. Let us not be neglectful of this task because the time is short, and the night cometh when no man can work. It is true that even our best deeds, our most devoted service, need to be washed and made white in the blood of the Lamb, but He will not fail to value aright and to reward richly everything that was for His own glory in our poor straightened lives. But all that is done for self, all that springs from unholy motives, will disappear in that day whereas that which was the result of His Spirit's working within us will abide forever to His praise and glory and for our eternal joy as we see what pleasure we have given Him" (H.A. Ironside).
Verse 9, And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he saith unto me, These are the true sayings of God."
LGT "And he says to me, Write: Blessed [are] the ones who are called unto the supper of the marriage of the Lamb. And he says to me, These are the true Words of God."
"And he saith unto me,"
This is the angel of 17:1.
"Write, Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb."
The marriage of the church to Christ, the Lamb, will be in heaven, but the marriage supper will be on earth: At the last supper Christ said these words: For this is My blood of the New Testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins. But I say unto you, I will not drink henceforth of this fruit of the vine, until that day when I drink it with you in My Father's Kingdom" (Matthew 26:28, 29). Read again the parables of Jesus concerning the marriage feast in Matthew 22:1-14, and in Luke 14:16-24.
"After the marriage of the Lamb in heaven, the next great event is the return of Christ to the earth. My friend, the King is coming! But He will not come until the church has been raptured, and after the earth has undergone the Great Tribulation. Now when He comes to the earth, His bride will be with Him, and their marriage supper will be here upon the earth, as we have seen. Oh, my friend, what a glorious day is ahead of us! If we could only get our eyes off the muck and mire of this earth and onto that which is eternal" (McGee).
"And he saith unto me, These are the true sayings of God."
This putting God's seal of approval on what have been said shows the importance of the words. In every generation from the first that have read these words should find comfort; for I don't believe there has been a believer in any generation since the church began that hasn't suffered some sort of persecution, and certainly felt sorrow. These words should comfort any rational soul.
"Confirming all by a solemn declaration. The importance of what is here said; the desirableness of having it fixed in the mind, amidst the trials of life and the scenes of persecution through which the church was to pass, makes this solemn declaration proper. The idea is, that in all times of persecution - in every dark hour of despondency - the church, as such, and every individual member of the church, should receive it as a solemn truth never to be doubted, that the religion of Christ would finally prevail, and that all persecution and sorrow here would be followed by joy and triumph in heaven" (Barnes).
Verse 10, "And I fell at his feet to worship him. And he said unto me, See thou do it not: I am thy fellow-servant, and thy brethren that have testimony of Jesus: worship God: for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy."
LGT "And I fell before his feet to worship him. And he said to me, See thou do it not: I am a fellow-servant to you and to your brothers, the ones having the witness of Jesus. The God be worshipped. For the witness of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy."
"And I fell at his feet to worship him."
John was overwhelmed by the truth the angel had revealed to him, and he felt the natural posture of reverence was to worship at the feet of the angel, this, by the way, is the Oriental customary posture of worship; however, the angel quickly rectifies the situation. "Emotional John makes the mistake of worshipping the messenger instead of the message" (Thieme).
"And said unto me, See thou do it not:"
Even though John may have not known better, the angel surely did. The angel assures John that no created creature should be worshipped, only the Creator.
"I am thy fellow-servant,"
"The angel refuses worship from John on this ground. All Christians are sundoulos (fellow-servants) as Christ taught: (Matt. 18:28ff.; 24:49) and as Paul (Col. 1:7; 4:7) and John (Rev. 6:11) taught. Angels are God's servants also (Heb. 1:4-14)" (A.T. Robertson).
"And of thy brethren that have the testimony of Jesus:"
This phrase is literally: and to your brothers, the ones who have the witness of Jesus. We do not witness 'for Jesus', but Jesus will testify of Himself through us, if we are but willing vessels.
"We take this phrase by itself, because it is both ambiguous and important. The ambiguity springs from the fact that the testimony of Jesus has two possible meanings.
It can mean the witness which the Christian bears to Jesus Christ. That is the way H.B. Swete takes it. He says 'The possession of the prophetic spirit, which makes a true prophet, shows itself in a life of witness to Jesus, which perpetuates his witness to the Father and to himself.' The message of the prophets lies in the personal witness of their lives, even more than in the spoken witness of their words.
It can equally mean the witness which Jesus Christ gives to men and women. On that interpretation, the phrase will mean that no one can speak to others without first listening to Jesus Christ. It was said of a great preacher: 'First he listened to God, then he spoke to men" (H. A. Ironside). (I might add that when Ironside speaks of listening to God, I am sure he means he must first study the Word of God, for God has never spoken to a man in this 'Age of Grace' outside of His Word).
"Worship God:"
That is, worship God only, and Christ who is the Son of God.
"For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy."
In the Old Testament God spoke through His prophets, communicating His divine viewpoint through them; today in this 'Grace Age' He uses the complete Word of God to communicate His divine viewpoint, and does not use any other form of communication.
"The design of prophecy is to bear testimony of Jesus. The language does not mean, of course, that this is the only design of prophecy, but that this is its great ultimate end. The word prophecy here seems to be used in the large sense in which it is often employed in the New Testament - meaning to make known the divine will, and the primary reference here would seem to be the preachers and teachers of the New Testament. The sense is, that their grand business is to bear testimony to the Savior. They are all - whether angels, apostles, or ordinary teachers - appointed for this, and therefore should regard themselves as fellow servants" (Barnes).
The Rider on the White Horse
Verse 11, "And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and He that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He doth judge and make war."
LGT "And I saw the heaven opened, and behold a white horse and the One who sits upon it [called] Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war."
"And I saw heaven opened,"
What a remarkable scene we have of John seeing the heaven opened after the marriage of the church to the Lamb. The heaven is opened so John can see the Son of God riding out to make war on heaven's enemies.
"And behold a white horse; and He that sat upon him was called Faithful and True,"
Jesus Christ comes forth as predicted in 16:16: And He gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon. Jesus Christ is identified here not by name, but by His attributes. "The description of the great Commander, 1. By the seat of His Empire; and that is heaven; His throne is there, and His power and authority are heavenly and divine. 2. His equipage: He is again described as sitting on a white horse, to show the equity of the cause, and certainty of success. 3. His attributes: he is Faithful and True to His covenant and promise, He is righteous in all His judicial and military proceedings" (Matthew Henry).
"And in righteousness He doth judge and make war."
All of Christ's judgments are just and true. Christ is coming out to defeat His enemy and set up His Millennial Kingdom where He will rule with a 'rod of iron' symbolizing perfect justice, which is swift and true. "He judges and makes war in righteousness. Again, John finds his picture in the prophetic words of the Old Testament, where it is said of the chosen King of God: With righteousness He shall judge the poor (Isaiah 11:4). The people of John's time knew all about the perversion of justice; no one could expect justice from a fickle tyrant. In Asia Minor, even the tribunal of the proconsul was subject to bribery and to misadministration. Wars were matters of ambition and tyranny and oppression rather than of justice. But, when the conquering Christ comes, His power will be exercised in justice" (William Barclay).
Verse 12, "His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on His head were many crowns; and He had a name written, that no man knew, but He Himself."
LGT "And His eyes [as it were] a flame of fire, and upon His head many diadems, having a name written which no one knew except Himself."
"His eyes were as a flame of fire,"
This description is the same of Christ as in 1:14: His head and His hair were like wool, as white as snow; and His eyes were like a flame of fire;" Here Christ comes in judgment on the earth.
"And on His head were many crowns;"
The Greek word for 'crown' here is diadema, meaning 'a Royal Crown.' "The diadema is the royal crown, as opposed to stephanos, which is the crown of victory. To be crowned with more than one crown may seem strange, but in the time of John it was quite natural. 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. 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 (1 Maccabees 11:13). On the head of the victor Christ, there are many crowns to show that he is Lord of all the kingdoms of the earth" (William Barclay).
"And He had a name written, that no man knew, but He Himself."
He has a name that only He could comprehend the meaning of. Christ has a name above every name and we will have to wait until we take on immortality before we will be able to comprehend either Christ or His name. This name will make every one of His enemies quake with fear and every believer confident in His presence. All the commentators I have read take this obscure verse and attempt to make something more than what I believe is here intended. I know I make the same mistake when I try and go beyond the simple meaning of the verse. Paul wrote in Philippians 3:10: That I may know Him, and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being made conformable unto His death. When we can comprehend this verse we will be married to Christ to be with Him forever.
Barnes quotes Professor Stuart in Bibliotheca Sacra, vol. Vii. Pp. 16-31, "regarding the fact that no man knew, but He Himself: -
(3)No one but He can understand its full import, as it implies so high a knowledge of the nature of the Deity;
(4)No one but He can understand the relation which it supposes in regard to God, or the relation of the Son to the Father;
(5)No one but He can understand in it, regarded as the method in which God reveals Himself to His creatures on earth;
(6)No one but He can understand what is implied in it in respect to the manner in which God makes Himself known to other worlds. It may be added, as a further illustration of this, that none of the attempts made to explain it have left the matter so that there are no questions unsolved which one would be glad to ask."
Verse 13, "And He was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and His name is called The Word of God."
LGT "And clothed around in a garment dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God."
"And He was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood:"
This blood on His garment is not His own but the blood of all those who oppose Him, the result of the battle of Armageddon. The Day of the Messiah's vengeance is predicted in Isaiah 63:1-3: Who is this that cometh from Edom, with dyed garments from Bozrah? This that is glorious in His apparel, traveling in the greatness of His strength? I who speak in righteousness, mighty to save. [Why] art thou red in thine apparel, and thy garments like him who treadeth in the winefat? I have trodden the wine press alone, and of the peoples there was none with Me; for I will tread them in Mine anger, and trample them in My fury; and their blood shall be sprinkled upon My garments, and I will stain all My raiment.
"And His name is called The Word of God."
In John 1:1 Jesus is designated as 'The Logos - Word of God.' Christ is the Living Word of God - as Theime puts it 'the originator of all doctrine.' In Hebrews 4:12 Paul gives us the idea; The Word of God is living and active, sharper than a two-edged sword.
"This name for our Lord is found in the New Testament only in the writings of John. It is one of the links, which connects the Apocalypse with John's other writings. Compare John 1:1-14; 1 John 1:1. Some object to this on the ground that, in the Gospel of John, the term is used absolutely, the Word, whereas here it is qualified, the Word of God, which John nowhere employs, and in 1 John 1:1, the Word of life. But, as Alford observes: 'It may be left to any fair-judging reader to decide whether it be not a far greater argument for identity that the remarkable designation the Logos- the Word is used, than for diversity, that, on the solemn occasion described in the Apocalypse, the hitherto unheard adjunct [addition] of God is added.' The idea of God, which is represented here, underlies the absolute term the Word in John 1:1. It is further urged that in the Gospel the Logos is applied to the prehistoric Christ, while in this passage it is applied to the historic Christ. But the name of the historic Christ is that referred to in verse 12, not in verse 13. It is the name, which no one knoweth but He himself, expressing the character of His whole redeeming work. The name in verse 13 is that which belongs originally and essentially to Him" (Vincent).
Verse 14, "And the armies which were in heaven followed Him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean."
LGT "And the armies [which] are in the heaven were following Him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen pure white."
"And the armies which were in heaven followed Him upon white horses,"
These armies John is referring to has to be the army of the Redeemed; for they do not take part in the battle, for Jesus Christ must tread the winepress of the wrath of God alone; therefore, we will be there to witness His victory and to participate in the joy of His conquest.
"Clothed in fine linen, white and clean."
These are the heavenly garments of ultimate sanctification of the saints.
Verse 15, "And out of His mouth goeth 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 wine press of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God."
LGT "And out of His mouth proceeds a sharp sword, in order that with it He might smite the nations, and He will rule them with an iron rod, and He treads the press of the wine of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty One."
"And out of His mouth goeth a sharp sword,"
This is obviously the same as the symbolism of Hebrews 4:12: For the Word of God is [living], and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart." The Lord created this universe with the Word of His mouth, that is, He spoke it into existence, and with this same Word He will defeat His enemies. This defeat has been predicted by the prophets of the Old Testament, and now it is coming to pass; the Word of God is a 'Two-Mouthed Sword.' The 'Word of the Lord' is the single-handed weapon the Lord uses in this defeat.
"That with it He should smite the nations:"
The nations that were opposed to Him, that is, the nations that were in alliance with the Antichrist, the Beast, and the False-prophet. I repeat the Lord will gain the victory alone, for He will not need our help.
"And He shall rule them with a rod of iron:"
The Greek word for 'rule' is poimanei, meaning to 'shepherd' them. The meaning in this verse is that Jesus Christ will rule with an iron scepter, meaning a firm and just rule, and the redeemed of the earth will join in this rule and be associated with Him in His dominion. "To rule with a scepter of iron, is not to rule with a harsh and tyrannical sway, but with power that is firm and invincible. It denotes a government of strength, or one that cannot be successfully opposed; one in which the subjects are effectually subdued" (Barnes).
"And He treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God."
God's wrath will be displayed by the fierceness of Christ's second coming to destroy the works of the devil. This phrase is literally: the winepress of the wine of the wrath of the anger of God Almighty (Robertson). God's enemies will be crushed like the grapes under the feet of those who tread on the grapes; only here, Christ will be the only one who will be crushing the enemy.
Verse 16, "And He hath on His vesture and on His thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS."
LGT "And He has upon His garment even upon His thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS."
"And He hath on His vesture"
"It was the common practice in this day for Royalty to have his name and or title on his outer garment."
"And on His thigh a name written,"
"Also the common practice in this day for a sculptor to engrave in silver on his statue - this represents Jesus Christ being the Author of the next dispensation in which He will rule - the Millennium."
"KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS."
"Our most difficult task here is to discover the picture behind the statement that the warrior Christ has the name KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS written on His robe and on His thigh. Various suggestions have been made. It has been suggested that the name is either embroidered on His girdle or engraved on His sword hilt. It is suggested that it is on the skirt of His general's cloak, for that is where it would be easiest to read on a horseman. It is suggested that it is actually written on His thigh, because it was sometimes the custom to engrave the titles of statues on the thigh. It seems clear that the name is visible to all; and therefore, probably the likeliest solution is that it was written on the skirt of the warrior Christ's robe, lying over His thigh, as He rode upon the white horse. In any event, the name singles Him out as the greatest of all rulers, the only true divine One and the universal King" (William Barclay).
Verse 17, "And I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the fowls that fly in the midst of heaven, Come and gather yourselves together unto the supper of the Great God;"
LGT "And I saw one angel standing in the sun and crying [with] a great voice saying to all the birds which fly in mid heaven, Come be gathered together unto the supper of the Great God;"
"And I saw an angel standing in the sun;"
Literally, I saw one angel, that is, a specific angel picked for the cause. "A different angel evidently from the one which had before appeared to him. The number of angels that appeared to John as referred to in this book, was very great, or with a new message. Everyone must be struck with the image here. The description is as simple as it can be; and yet as sublime [inspiring]. The fewest words possible are used; and yet the image is distinct and clear. A heavenly being stands in the blaze of the brightest of the orbs that God permits us here to see - yet not consumed, and himself so bright that he can be distinctly seen amidst the dazzling splendors of that luminary. It is difficult to conceive of an image more sublime than this. Why he has his place in the sun is not stated, for there does not appear to be anything more intended by this than to give grandeur and impressiveness to the scene" (Barnes).
"And he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the fowls that fly in the midst of heaven,"
He calls out to all the carrion eating birds such as vultures, ravens, hawks and eagles that fly in mid-heaven. This prophetic picture is also shown in the Old Testament: And, thou son of man [Ezekiel], thus saith the Lord God: Speak unto every feathered fowl, and to every beast of the field, Assemble yourselves, and come; gather yourselves on every side to My sacrifice that I do sacrifice for you, even a great sacrifice upon the mountains of Israel, that ye may eat flesh, and drink blood. Ye shall eat the flesh of the mighty, and drink the blood of the princes of the earth, of rams, of lambs, and of goats, of bullocks, all of them fatlings of Bashan. And ye shall eat fat till ye be full, and drink blood till ye be [drunk], of My sacrifice which I have sacrificed for you (Ezekiel 39:17-19). Here we have a very gruesome picture after the battle is over.
"Come and gather yourselves together unto the supper of the Great God."
This feast of carrion is described in the previous phrase and in Ezekiel, and is here called the supper of the Great God. "It is called His supper because He gives it; and the image is merely that there would be a great slaughter of His foes, as is specified in the following verse" (Barnes).
Verse 18, "That ye may eat the flesh of kings, and the flesh of captains, and the flesh of mighty men, and the flesh of horses, and of them that sit on them, and the flesh of all men, both free and bond, both small and great."
LGT "In order that you might eat flesh of kings, and flesh of chief-captains, and flesh of horses and the ones who sit on them, and flesh of all men, both free and bond, and small and great."
It doesn't appear from this verse that any opposer of God is left out; however, I am sure that the animal activists will reject this part of Scripture as too inhumane and much too gruesome to come from a loving God; but we all know that the battle of Armageddon will not be a respecter of persons. "If there is one passage of Scripture which is revolting to read, this is it. You will notice that God included it at the end of His Word to remind us how revolting and nauseating to Him are the deeds of the flesh. Men who live in the flesh will have their flesh destroyed. This is an invitation at the end of the Battle of Armageddon to the carrion-eating fowl to a banquet on earth where they will have A-1, blue ribbon flesh to eat - kings and the mighty men of the earth. My friend, it is frightful to rebel against God because He is going to judge [the wicked] someday. This scene reveals the heart of man and how dreadful that heart really is" (McGee).
Verse 19, "And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against Him that sat on the horse, and against His army."
LGT "And I saw the beast and the kings of the earth, and their armies gathered together to make the war with the One who sits upon the [white] horse and with His army."
"And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies,"
The beast is the dictator of the revived Roman Empire, gathered together with all the leaders of the nations of the earth that have sworn allegiance to the Antichrist, and who wear the mark of the beast '666.' "The still future scenes that are to occur when the Roman, the Pagan, and the Mohammedan [Arab - anti-Christian world] powers shall be aroused to make common cause against the true religion, and shall stake all on the issue of the great conflict [the angelic conflict of Righteousness versus unrighteousness]" (Barnes).
"Gathered together to make war against Him that sat on the horse, and against His army."
This is none other than the Messiah, the Son of God, with His redeemed as spectators to watch the wonderful victory (see notes on verse 14).
"What a frightful picture this is. The Beast and the False Prophet defy God right up to the very last. They dare to make war with the Son of God! Surely He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh at the utter futility of their efforts. It is preposterous that there is such a rebellion of man against God. The outcome is inevitable. The two arch-rebels and tyrants, the Antichrist and the False Prophet, have the questionable distinction of being the first two who are cast into hell. Even the Devil hasn't been put there yet" (McGee).
Verse 20, "And 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 them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone."
LGT "And the beast was taken and with him the false prophet, the one that produced the signs before him, by which he misled the ones who received the mark of the beast and the ones who worshipped his image: the two were cast alive into the lake of fire which burns with brimstone."
"And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet,"
The Beast is the Antichrist, and the False prophet was literally seized.
"That wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that worshipped his image."
The False Prophet was only able to deceive those who received the mark of the Beast (13:16; 14:9ff.; 16:2; 20:4).
"These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone."
"These two will be the only creatures in the lake of fire for the 1000 years of the reign of Christ. And, this verse says they do not go to Hades first - as unbelievers who die physically would" (Theime). The devils hosts were slain in the battle, but these two were kept alive, that is, made prisoner, to be cast into the lake of fire. "The general idea is, that these armies were overcome, and that the Messiah was victorious; but there is a propriety [decency] in the representation here that the leaders - the authors of the war - should be taken captive, and reserved for severer punishment than death on the battle-field would be - for they had stirred up their hosts, and summoned these armies to make rebellion against the Messiah. The Beast here, as all along, refers to the Papal power; and the idea is that of its complete and utter overthrow, as if the leader of an army were taken captive and tormented in burning flames, and all his followers were cut down on the field of battle. The overthrow will be a signal, and the destruction as complete, as if the leaders of the combined hosts should be taken alive, and thrown into a pit or lake that burns with insane heat" (Barnes).
Verse 21, "And the remnant were slain with the sword of him that sat upon the horse, which sword proceeded out of his mouth: and all the fowls were filled with their flesh."
LGT "And the rest were killed with the sword of the One who sits upon the [white] horse, which proceeded out of His mouth, and all the birds were gorged with their flesh."
"And the remnant were slain with the sword of Him that sat upon the horse,"
All unbelievers were slain for only believers will enter the Millennium. These were not immediately thrown into the lake of fire with the beast and the false prophet, for they were sent into Hades to be reserved for the Great White Throne judgment of God.
"Which sword proceeded out of His mouth:"
This is a repeat of what has already been noted in the previous verses. McGee comments on this phrase: "An amillennial friend of mine asked me laughingly, 'You don't believe that there is going to be a literal sword coming out of the mouth of Jesus, do you?' I told him that I would consider it to be literal if the Word of God had not made it clear that His Word is like a sword: For the Word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart' (Hebrews 4:12). 'And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God' (Ephesians 6:17). 'But with righteousness shall He judge the poor, and reprove with equity for the meek of the earth: and He shall smite the earth with the rod of His mouth, and with the breath of His lips shall He slay the wicked' (Isaiah 11:4). Do you notice how clearly this symbol is explained by Scripture? The 'sword' that comes from the mouth of Jesus is His Word. It was His Word that created this universe. It is the Word of God, which will save you. And it will be the Word of God that will destroy the wicked at the end of this age."
"And all the fowls were filled with their flesh."
The Greek word for 'filled' is chortazo, and it means they were literally gorged with chunks of flesh.
As William Barclay put it: "The cosmic drama is coming to a close. We have just finished the judgments on the wicked of the earth, but we have not read anything about the end of Satan, the culprit that started this whole mess; we will come to the record of His ruin soon. Now we move on to chapter twenty and begin our study of the Millennium. "The subjugation of the great original source [Satan] of all those evil influences is stated in 20:1-3; and then follows the account of the thousand years' rest of the saints, the resurrection of the dead, and the final judgment" (Barnes).
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