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Exciting and EASY Study on REVELATION
Here is a great church to attend in Trumbull County, Ohio
FAITH Baptist Church
1401 Shaw Avenue, Niles, Ohio 44446
(330) 652-8151
10:00 a.m. Sunday School
11:00 a.m. Morning Worship
6:30 p.m. Evening Worship
6:30 p.m. Wednesday Services
Pastor Lenny Towle, with wife, Mrs. Amy Towle
VERSE 1: (Chapter 19)
​
PEOPLE in HEAVEN
Will Be SHOUTING
"And after these things I heard a great voice of much people in heaven, saying, Alleluia; Salvation, and glory, and honour, and power, unto the Lord our God:"
This verse starts out with "And after these things". Verse 1 of Chapter 19 here begins just like Verse 1 of Chapter 18 ... "And after these things". After what things? After everything that John witnessed in Chapter 18. "After" the angel, with "great power" and a mighty voice, finishes revealing to John the last form of Gentile world power = "BABYLON THE GREAT" and it's terrible destruction. "After" John witnesses the final destruction and burning of "the great city", Babylon. "After" all this, "after these things", John hears a "great voice". A voice that is loud, magnificent, and in complete unification.
John is probably amazed here. He just witnessed the coming destruction of Babylon. He witnesses the devastation. He saw the sea merchants "weeping and wailing". But then he suddenly hears a "great voice" coming from heaven. This voice is different. It is not the "weeping and wailing" that he was use to hearing. It was not saying "Alas, alas, that great city ... for in one hour is thy judgment come" (17:10). It is not the voice of mourning (17:11). In fact, it sounds like a voice of shouting and rejoicing!
John hears "a great voice of much people". The Bible says here that it is the "voice of much people". Much means more than millions. These "much" people will be all the people who have gone to Heaven from the time of Adam and Eve all the way through the Tribulation Period. That is a whole lot of people. Innumerable ... too many for us to count! And these "much people" are going to shout in precise accuracy, symphonizing their voices in perfect harmony so they will become one "great voice".
These "much people" will be watching everything happen on the earth during the Tribulation Period. Yes, people, who have died and are now in Heaven, may watch us here on earth today as God permits. (We studied this in Chapter 6, verse 10). God will also grant every human being in Heaven the privilege of watching Babylon be destroyed. And when everyone in Heaven sees Babylon's destruction, they are going to shout together with a harmonizing voice as if they were one.
And this is what they are going to shout: "Alleluia; Salvation, and glory, and honour, and power, unto the Lord our God:" This is the great hymn of triumph in heaven over the destruction of Babylon.
"Alleluia" means 'Praise the Lord'. "Praise ye the Lord" and "Praise the Lord" is found in many of the Psalms (Psalms 106; 111; 112; 113; 117; etc.)
"Salvation", according to the 1954 Historical Digest Study Bible, Salvation is "The act of saving; deliverance from destruction; and the redemption of man from the bondage of sin".
"Glory" refers to the splendor and majesty of God Himself.
"Honour" is what everyone will be bestowing upon God. It is great respect and recognition of His holiness.
"Power" encompasses God's divine authority, His strength and His ability.
This verse is the great victory song that those in Heaven are going to sing, with one voice, to God Almighty when they look down upon the destruction of Babylon.
The next verse is a continuation of this victory song, however, it is quite different. The second verse of this great song will be about judgment ...
VERSE 2: (Chapter 19)
​
PEOPLE in HEAVEN
Are Given VICTORY
"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."
Have you ever heard the saying: "What goes around comes around"? This is what everyone in Heaven will be indicating when they shout their victory "Alleluias". This principle is also taught throughout the Bible. God told Adam "What goes around comes around" in Genesis 2:16-17: "And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it; for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die." God told Adam, 'you sin, you pay.' That was clear back in Genesis.
This warning is woven all through the Old and New Testaments. Galatians 6:7 states: "Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap." Now here we are in Revelation, the last book of the Bible, and this principle of punishment for disobedience is carried through. "For true and righteous are His judgments".
The judgments, that these "much people in Heaven" are shouting about, are the judgments that God will pour down on Babylon and totally destroy it. Everyone in Heaven will be saying in one accord that God "hath judged the great whore". We know that the "great whore" is Babylon because God told us that in Chapter 17.
We are also told why God will judge Babylon. God told us this in Chapters 17 and 18. Everyone in Heaven knows why God will judge Babylon. God will judge Babylon because it "did corrupt the earth with her fornication". The major "fornication" that Babylon commits is forsaking God to worship money, idols, and self. Babylon made its choice. It rejected God and committed "fornication" with all its lusts. And if this is bad enough, Babylon causes the whole earth to follow it into all types of "fornication". Babylon is responsible for the spread of worldly lusts all over the earth.
Babylon is also responsible "for the blood of His (God's) servants". Babylon has and continues to murder people who claim the name of Christ. We named just a few in verse 1, but there are many more. Many more will die at the hands of Babylon's policies before the end of the Tribulation Period.
These people who are murdered, for the name of the Lord, will be shouting this victory song as they watch from Heaven. See what they say in the next verse ...
VERSE 3: (Chapter 19)
​
ALL The PEOPLE SAY
"And again they said, Alleluia. And her smoke rose up for ever and ever."
Every human being in Heaven will shout "Alleluia"! This is their victory shout. They will look down upon Babylon and see its smoke of destruction rise up into the air. They will feel relief and rejoice that Babylon will no longer be able to kill anyone anymore. They will have hearts full of thanks to God Almighty for revenging their blood on the world.
Alleluia
Alleluia
Alleluia
Alleluia
Praise the LORD
Alleluia
Alleluia
Praise the LORD
Alleluia
Praise the LORD
VERSE 4: (Chapter 19)
​
24 ELDERS With The BEASTS
"And the four and twenty elders and the four beasts fell down and worshipped God that sat on the throne, saying, Amen; Alleluia."
John was first introduced to the "four and twenty elders" in Chapter 4, verse 4. The angel, of Chapter 4, took John up to Heaven and opened a door in Heaven. This is where John saw the twenty-four elders. We studied that these twenty-four elders are the twelve sons representing the twelve tribes of Israel and the twelve apostles of Christ. (Refer to Chapter 4 of Revelation for refreshing.)
Also in Chapter 4, verses 6-8, we learned about the Beasts. In our current verse, we see that "the four and twenty elders and the four beasts" will fall down and worship God as He sits on His throne. So the scene will be that these twenty-four elders, along with the "four beasts" and along with "the great voice of much people" (v.1) will be shouting "ALLELUIA"!
What a GREAT TIME of REJOICING that will take place in Heaven! God Almighty will reclaim His world. He will totally annihilate all sin. The universe will become a place of real peace and safety! And this will not happen until God Almighty completely destroys all sin, starting with Satan and his Antichrist. What about the sin in your life? Psalm 66:18 says: "If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me:" How do we keep sin out of our lives? God tells us in Psalm 119:9b: "...by taking heed thereto according to Thy Word." To cleanse sin out of your life, you must first read God's Word (KJV) and then do it. Apply it to yourself. Let the Holy Spirit work in your heart through the Bible to clean your heart. I speak this to Christians. You must ask Christ to be your Saviour ... to come into your heart ... then when you read your Bible, it will open your eyes to God's will.
VERSE 5: (Chapter 19)
​
The VOICE from the THRONE
"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."
Continuing from Verse 4 with the Heavenly scene, there will be "a voice" that will come "out of the throne" of God. This is the precious voice of Jesus. It is not an angel's vice. An angel was always identified as an angel. In Revelation 3:21, Jesus says: "I ... am sat down with my Father in His throne." The Lord Jesus will be saying "Praise our God, all ye His servants, and ye that fear Him, both small and great".
Jesus said in John 6:38: "For I came down from Heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of Him that sent me". The Lord Jesus told people to "worship the Father" ... for the Father seeketh such to worship Him". Here in our verse (5), the Lord Jesus will be encouraging all God's "servants" to "worship God".
The Lord tells all of us to "Praise our God". Psalm 150:1 tells us to "Praise ye the LORD, Praise God in His sanctuary: praise Him in the firmament of His power". This is exactly what Jesus is saying here with His "voice" ... "Praise our God". The Lord Jesus is telling God's "servants" to "Praise" God. He tells everyone that "fear Him", and He tells everyone, no matter if they are young or old, poor or rich, to "Praise" His Father. Everyone in the heavenly realm will be praising God the Father for His victorious judgments upon Babylon.
VERSE 6: (Chapter 19)
​
The VOICE of the MULTITUDE
"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."
After John hears the "voice" that "came out of the throne", he then hears "the voice of a great multitude". This "great multitude" refers to everyone in Heaven. There will be millions upon millions of people. These will be all the saved people from Adam and Eve to this time of the Tribulation Period. They will be as "the voice of many waters". Remember, we learned that "waters" often refers to all the different nations of the earth. In other words, there will be many different nationalities in Heaven. For example: Jews, Chinese, Americans, Russians, Arabs, Koreans, Japanese, Canadians, and the list goes on. This "great multitude" will be made up of every nationality from the earth.
These "great many" people will be praising God in unison. They will be like the "voice of many waters". Their voice will combine as one, like the roar of a great waterfall. All the vocal 'waves' will flow perfectly together. Their voice will be so loud that everyone on earth will think they hear "mighty thunderings", but it will be the booming voices of all the saints in Heaven. They will be shouting: "Alleluia; for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth"!
"Omnipotent" means that God has unlimited power. He is able to do anything. These people in Heaven realize that God has 'super power'. His power is unlimited. God is extremely strong, and He can do anything. Everyone in Heaven will be shouting and praising God saying, "Alleluia; for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth"! What a super victory shout that is going to echo all through Heaven and earth! There will be such great rejoicing that it is hard to put into words! It will literally shake the universe!
VERSE 7: (Chapter 19)
​
The MARRIAGE
"Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to Him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and His wife hath made herself ready."
Most everyone is excited for a wedding celebration. Everyone in Heaven is going to be extremely excited for the heavenly wedding celebration. This is why everyone in Heaven will be saying: "Let us be glad and rejoice ... for the marriage of the Lamb".
Just like the groom is the honored one at the wedding, so will the groom be in this heavenly wedding. The groom is the Lord Jesus Himself. He has been waiting a very long time for this day. When Jesus walked on our earth, he was born an Israelite holding to the Nazarite traditions of a wedding. This is very important because a Nazarite tradition is actually the type, the symbol, of the future wedding in Heaven.
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First, the Nazarite voluntarily make a vow. They commit themselves to each other.
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They abstain from impurities. For example, no alcohol or no contact with graves/death, etc.
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They also have a designated time of not seeing each other until the wedding date.
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It is the father who decides the time/date of the wedding. No one knows the date and time except the father.
These are the traditions held in Heaven also concerning the marriage of the Lamb. The Lord Jesus voluntarily made a vow by laying down His life for us. The Lord Jesus committed His life for us on the cross. We are to commit our lives to Him. We need to abstain from impurities like alcohol, smoking, swearing, and especially using God's name in vain. There is a designated time when we will see Jesus. We wait and watch for Him to come. It is only God the Father that knows the exact time when He will tell Jesus that He may go get His bride. Jesus even told us this when He was here on the earth. He said in Matthew 24:36: "But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only." This is going to be a very exciting for our Saviour also.
During this time of the Tribulation Period, "the marriage of the Lamb is come". It is time for the Lord to claim what is His. This is the time He claims "His wife". "His wife hath made herself ready."
This is what the Lord said before to "His wife" in Jeremiah 2:2: "Thus saith the LORD; I remember thee, the kindness of thy youth, the love of thine espousals, when thou wentest after Me in the wilderness". The Lord chose Israel for "His wife" way back in Genesis (32:28; 35:10). In Jeremiah 3:14 the Lord says: "for I am married to you". Then in Isaiah 54:5 the Lord declares: "For thy Maker is thy husband; the LORD of hosts is His name". Israel is clearly "His wife".
The last part of our verse (7), we read that "His wife hath made herself ready". As of today, Israel is spiritually blind. In other words, they are blind to the fact that Jesus is their Messiah. On a whole, most Jews do not believe Jesus is their Messiah. This blindness is mentioned in Romans 11:25b: "...that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in. And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob (Israel)."
For over 2,000 years, Israel, as a nation, has refused to accept Christ as their Messiah. This is their "blindness". During this Tribulation Time, Israel will make "herself ready". This means Israel will acknowledge and accept Christ Jesus as their Messiah. They will accept His blood sacrifice on the cross for their sins and because Israel will see this truth at this time ... the next verse tells us what she will be given!
VERSE 8: (Chapter 19)
​
The GIFT
"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."
Now we see that Israel, as a nation, will be saved. She will "be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white". We studied about the "white linen" in Revelation 6:11 and 7:14. "Fine linen" represents being washed clean by the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. Everyone one in Heaven will be dressed in a fine linen robe. This indicated that they have accepted Christ as their own personal Saviour. Israel's blindness will be taken away, and she will have the opportunity to "be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white" if that Israelite will accept Christ as their Messiah.
When Jesus was walking on the earth, He relayed a parable to the Jews about a lost son. It is known as the 'Prodigal son" found in Luke 15:11-24. The Lord tells about a man that had two sons. The one son left the father. This son did not have a very easy life and finally returned to his father. This is just like Israel. They are God's chosen people, "His wife". Yet they left Him. They left their Heavenly Father. The nation of Israel has suffered a lot for many years. However, the day is coming that Israel will return to their Father. They will be restored as "His wife" and their will be great rejoicing.
Jeremiah prophesied about this. Jeremiah 31:1 says: "At the same time, saith the LORD, will I be the God of all the families of Israel, and they shall be my people." The Lord continues in verses 3 and 4 of Jeremiah 31 saying: "Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee. Again I will build thee, and thou shalt be built, O virgin of Israel: thou shalt again be adorned with thy tabrets, and shalt go forth in the dances of them that make merry." Yes, God is going to restore Israel again, as "His wife", during this time of Tribulation.
Israel will be given the Gift of Salvation. She will see her Messiah. She will accept His Gift of Salvation and be reunited with God, the Father.. Christ will clothe her "in linen, clean and white". Israel will have "the righteousness of saints". In other words, just like all saints, her sins will be covered with the precious blood of Christ, that was shed on the cross for her also.
VERSE 9: (Chapter 19)
​
COME To The MARRIAGE SUPPER
"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."
The 'church' is never called the "His wife". Israel is called "His wife". Before Christ comes to claim His bride, the church, God the Father will reclaim Israel as "His wife". Israel will be restored to her rightful place. Israel will reign for 1,000 years. Revelation 20:4, which we will study soon, sheds light on Israel reigning "with Christ a thousand years". This will be a precious time for Israel. They will truly get to know and understand God's Son as He teaches Israel, out of the scriptures, all about Himself just like Christ taught in the Jewish temple when He walked on the earth. Jesus said in John 18:20: "...I ever taught in the synagogue, and in the temple, whither the Jews always resort". John 7::14 says: "Jesus went up into the temple, and taught." He will personally teach the Jews out of the scriptures. He will teach them how the Old Testament revealed Himself. He will open their eyes to Salvation, and they will reign with Christ for 1,000 years.
After God's wife, Israel, is restored to her rightful place (verse 7), then we see the "marriage supper of the Lamb". There are two events: First, Israel is reclaimed by the Father through His Son. Then there is the "marriage supper of the Lamb". Christ is the bridegroom and the church is His bride.
This angel is going into more detail about this "marriage supper". The angel says, "Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb". Christians are the "Blessed". They are the ones "called unto the marriage supper". People will be called to the "Lamb's marriage super" because they will have accepted the Lamb as their sacrifice. They are saved people. Psalm 50:5 says: "Gather my saints together unto me; those that have made a covenant with Me by sacrifice" (Christ's sacrifice).
The Lord Jesus gave us an excellent explanation of this in Matthew 22:2-10:
"The kingdom of heaven is like unto a certain king (The Father), which made a marriage for His son. And sent forth His servants (prophets), to call them that were bidden (Israel) to the wedding: and they would not come (Israel rejected the Father). Again (over and over), He (the Father) sent forth other servants, saying, Tell them which are bidden (Israel), Behold, I have prepared my dinner: my oxen and my fatlings are killed, and all things are ready: come unto the marriage. But they (Israel) made light of it, and went their ways, one to his farm, another to his merchandise (God wasn't important to them): And the remnant (Israel) took His (the Father's) servants, and entreated them spitefully, and slew them. But when the king (the Father) heard thereof, He was wroth; and He sent forth His armies, and destroyed those murderers, and burned up their city. Then saith He to His servants, The wedding is ready, but they which were bidden were not worthy. Go ye therefore into the highways, and as many as ye shall find (witness), bid to the marriage. So those servants went out into the highways (Gentiles), and gathered together all as many as they found, both bad and good (us): and the wedding was furnished with guests (Gentiles)."
Then this angel says unto John, and all of us: "These are the true sayings of God". This angel is telling us that this is serious and wonderful news. When John hears this from the angel, look what John does ... in the next verse.
VERSE 10: (Chapter 19)
​
Don't Do THAT !
"And I fell at his feet to worship him. And he said unto me, See thou do it not: I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren that have the testimony of Jesus: worship God: for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy."
John falls at the feet of the angel. John is very humble. John recognizes that he is not worthy to be in the presence of the angel. John bows down to the angel. However, the angel rebukes John for this action. This angel says to John (and us) "See thou do it not"! The angel is a little frustrated with John. The angel probably feels that John should know better than to bow down to anyone except God. The first of the Ten Commandments commands us: "Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them; for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God" (Exodus 20:5).
This angel explains to John that he (the angel) is "thy fellowservant". In other words, the angel is telling John (and us) that angels and humans are all servants to God as one. The angel continues to remind John that he (the angel) is not only a fellowservant to John but also to all "thy brethren that have the testimony of Jesus". This angel says that all that "have the testimony of Jesus", whether angels or saints, we are all fellowservants together.
Then the angel commands John, and us, to "worship God". On this site, Uneed2no.com, on the 'HOME' page, under 'ARTICLES' is an excellent short article titled "ANGELS". It informs us on the heavenly place of angels and how we are to treat them. And yes, they do come to earth. Read the article!
Jesus said: "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind." (Matthew 22:37).
Lastly, this verse informs us that "the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy". This definitely does not mean we are to go around 'prophesying' for Jesus. This is why it is so important to take the Bible as a whole. All through the Old Testament, God had prophets .... Moses, Samuel, Jeremiah, Elijah, Elisha, Joel, Isaiah, etc. These prophets knew the Word of God. They knew and studied the Old Testament scrolls. The prophets also traveled and revealed God's Word to the people. In the New Testament, there were apostles. Apostles were personally chosen by Jesus. Their job was to verify that Jesus is the Messiah. They had to prove that Jesus is the Messiah written about in the Old Testament. Today, we have the Bible. It is the completion of the Old Testament prophets with the New Testament apostles. The Bible is complete. Revelation is the last book to complete God's written Word.
Being the Bible is complete, we do not need prophets or apostles. But God does not leave us guessing on this subject, so He clearly ends His Word, the Bible, with the following warning in Revelation 22:18-19:
"For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book: And if any man shall take of the prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book."
Do not add to the Word of God. That is what Satan did in the Garden of Eden. Everything that God wants us to know is written down in His Word. It is complete. Do not add to it. There is a curse to all who add or take away from God's word. It says so right in the above verse.
VERSE 11: (Chapter 19)
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The TRUE White Horse APPEARS
"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."
Next, John sees "heaven opened". John may be a little shaken here. He was just rebuked by the angel (in the previous verse) for bowing down to him. Now he sees "heaven opened". John sees a magnificent "white horse". It is the most beautiful horse ever possible. It is lean and strong. This horse is perfect. Absolutely flawless. And this "white horse" is ready for war.
This "white horse" stands as a proud stallion because of its Rider. "He that sat upon him was called Faithful and True". The Rider is the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus calls Himself "the faithful and true witness" in Revelation 3:14. We also saw in Revelation 1:5: "And from Jesus Christ, Who is the Faithful witness, and the first begoten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto Him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in His own blood."
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The Lord Jesus is also Truth. Jesus says in John 14:6 that He is "the Way, the Truth, and the Life". When this "white horse" appears, the Lord Jesus will be the Rider. He will be bringing His Truth to all the earth. This will be a precious site to all the saints, but it will be a terrifying sight to the Antichrist and everyone who has the mark of the Beast.
The second part of this verse tells us why He is on this white war horse. It is because "in righteousness He doth judge and make war". The Lord is not going to war to be 'mean'. He is going forth in "righteousness". Psalm 119:137 declares: "Righteous art Thou, O LORD, and upright are Thy judgments."
In God's "righteousness", the Lord is going to "judge and make war". Most of today's 'Christian theology' is that God is all loving. People think they can live in sin and be fine with their 'man upstairs'. God is not a 'man upstairs'. He is God Almighty. He is to be feared and reverenced. And not only is He going to "judge" sin, but He is also going to "make war". Yes, God fights. He fights Satan every second of every day over souls that Satan wants to drag down to Hell.
God is a God of war. Exodus 15:3 states: "LORD is a man of war; the LORD is His name." Isaiah 42:13 prophesied of this moment: "The LORD shall go forth as a mighty man, He shall stir up jealousy like a man of war: He shall cry, yea, roar; He shall prevail against His enemies."
John gets a closer look at the Lord and he sees flames coming from the Lord ...
VERSE 12: (Chapter 19)
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The LORD's EYES
"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."
Fire produces heat and light. Fire is caused by a reaction of fuel when it reaches its ignition point. When fire reaches its ignition point, it releases flames. The Lord's eyes will be "as a flame of fire". The Lord will have reached His 'ignition point' at this time of the Tribulation Period. The fire that will 'burn' in our Lord's heart will be seen through His eyes. We studied this in Revelation 1:14: "... and His eyes were as a flame of fire". Not only will the Lord see through all the evil, but He will burn it all away. The Lord is on His "white horse" and ready for war.
On the Lord's head are "many crowns". The "many crowns" represent His authority and majesty. The Lord has total authority over heaven and earth.
The Lord also has "a name written, that no man knew, but He Himself." Names are extremely important to God. God changed Jacob's name to Israel because Jacob was to be a father of many nations. In Revelation 2:17 we studied that the Lord is going to give us a "white stone, and in the stone a new name written, which no man knoweth saving he that receiveth it". Isn't it really wonderful that the Lord is going to give us a stone with a secret name written just like He has "a name written, that no man knew, but He Himself"?
VERSE 13: (Chapter 19)
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A VESTURE Dipped In BLOOD
"And He was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and His name is called The Word of God."
The Lord Jesus is still being described here. A "vesture" is a very fine garment of priests. Jesus wears a "vesture" because He is our High Priest. Hebrews 4:14 tells us: "Seeing then that we have a great High Priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God".
The "vesture" that Jesus will have on will be "dipped in blood". During the Old Testament law, sin offerings had to be by the blood of an animal, mainly a lamb. Hebrews 9:22 confirms this: "And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission." In other words, according to the law, all sins had to be purged with blood. The blood of the animals showed faith in the coming Messiah to shed His blood as the Lamb of God. People looked forward to the Sacrifice on the cross, and we look back on the Sacrifice of the cross. 1 Peter 1:19 tells us that we are not saved by the blood of animals "But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot". The "vesture" that Jesus will have on will prove that He had shed His own blood for those who will accept His sacrifice.
Then we are told that "His name is called The Word of God". The Lord Jesus is the living "Word of God." John 1:1 says: "In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God." Then verse 14 continues: "And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth." Jesus is "The Word". Jesus was "In the beginning" with God. Genesis 1:26 shows that Jesus was present during creation: "And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness".
We use the word 'History'. It is still used in schools. Many people do not give much thought to History. However, History actually means "His story". It means the Lord's story all down through the ages. The Lord's story is sewn in the fabrics of every person's life. God places a "Light" into the heart of every human born (John 1:9). All through a person's life, the Lord continually tries to encourage each person to come to Him in faith. When we get to Chapter 20 of Revelation, we will learn about the "books" in Heaven. Each person will have his own book ... written and kept in heaven. And each book will be intertwined with how Christ reached out to each person. These books will be the History of how Christ sacrificed for each individual. We will talk more about these books in Chapter 20, the very next chapter!
VERSE 14: (Chapter 19)
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The ARMIES Are COMING To ARMAGEDDON
"And the armies which were in heaven followed Him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean."
In verses 11-13 of our text, we studied about the Lord Jesus coming out of Heaven on His white horse. We know the Lord is angry, for His eyes are a flame of fire. We also see that He has a right to execute judgment because of His "vesture". His"vesture" illustrates His blood that He shed. He gave His life for the world, and the world is rejecting Him. Satan has filled people with lies since the book of Genesis.
The Lord is now ready for "war". He has called His "armies" together. We learned about the Lord's armies in Chapter 7:4-8 of Revelation. God's armies are the 144,000 Jews that He hand picked, just like Jesus hand picked His 12 apostles. In Chapter 14 of Revelation, we had studied that these "armies" of God are men virgins. They have been saved by the blood of Christ, that is why they are dressed in "fine linen, white and clean". They "follow the Lamb whithersoever He goeth" (Revelation 14:4). These are like the Lord's 'motorcade'. Just like our president has his 'motorcade' that follows him whenever he goes out in public, so the Lord has His. All the people in the White House do not follow the president everywhere he goes. Only those hand-picked security people follow him. Likewise, all the saints in Heaven do not follow the Lord upon white horses to war. Only the Lord's chosen armies follow Him. The rest of us watch from Heaven.
Armageddon is a literal place. It is an ancient hill with the valley called Megiddo. It is located west of Jordan in the plain of Jezreel. It is a strategic location for many battles. The valley of Megiddo became the symbol of a 'point of decisive conflict'. Armageddon represents the final decision of all those still on the earth. People will have chosen their sides. They will have made their decision. Those on the Beast's side will come face to face with Christ and His Jewish army.
This "war" is called the "Battle of Armageddon". It is going to be an extremely bloody war. The book of Jude, verses 14 & 15, foretells that "the Lord cometh with ten thousands of His saints (armies), To execute judgment upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed, and of all their hard speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken against Him."
The "Battle of Armageddon", the final war on earth ...
VERSE 15: (Chapter 19)
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The SHARP SWORD That RULES
"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 winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God."
The Book of Revelation began making it very clear, in the very first chapter, that the "sharp sword" is the Word of God. It is the Bible. Chapter 1, verse 16, of Revelation says: "... and out of His mouth went a sharp two edged sword". Here, in our verse, it says almost the very same words: "And out of His mouth goeth a sharp sword". The Lord will be using His Word, the Holy Bible, to execute judgment upon everyone.
Many people think they are "good". Many people think that they are going to be let into Heaven because they haven't done anything 'that bad'. Well, let's think about this ... Not that 'bad' according to what? According to their own opinion? No. It is going to be according to God's Word. Let's look a just a few examples ...
1. "Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's house ... wife ... nor anything that is thy neighbor's" ... even his car, etc. This is sin.
2. "Thou shalt not bear false witness". This can be saying something that isn't exactly the whole truth. This is sin.
3. "Honour thy father and thy mother". If you don't, this is sin. Even as an adult, if you have elderly parents and you are impatient with them, it is sin if you talk to them in a disrespectful tone..
4. "Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain; for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh His name in vain." This is a terrible sin. How many times have you said "Oh, God", or "Jesus", or "Christ" ... any combination? Using God's name in disrespect is an insult to God Almighty. You are being irreverent to God. That is very bad.
5. "Thou shalt have no other gods before Me." Think about your day. Did you think about God when you got up? Did you read your Bible and pray before you left for work? If you didn't, then you just put your work before God. Your work is what you really serve. Did you go to church Sunday or did you do yardwork? Are you really putting God first???
These are just a very few of the sins that are listed in the Bible. These ones are found in Exodus, chapter 20. Read the first five book of the Bible and you will be shocked at the laws, sins mentioned, and the judgments executed upon each sin. When we stand in front of God, we will have to give account of what we did, or did not do, according to what is written in His Word. God gave us His Bible. He will not accept the excuse that you did not read it. You are held to all the laws of your country even if you don't know them. It is your job to know and obey the laws of the land. It is your responsibility to know and obey the laws of the Lord. They are all written down in the Bible.
When the LORD is on His white war horse and opens His mouth in judgment, His Word is going to cut hearts in two. "For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged 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."
God's Word is so "powerful" that our verse tells us that He is going to "smite the nations" with it!
Next, in our verse, we see that the Lord will "rule them (the nations) with a rod of iron". The Lord is going to cause these "nations" to 'walk the line'. He will watch them like a prison guard. His mercy and grace will not be given here. Maybe the Lord will be trying to teach these "nations" that "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom" (Proverbs 9:10).
The last part of this verse declares that the Lord will "treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God". We studied about the winepress of God back in Chapter 14 of Revelation.
Our verse says Christ will tread "the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God". Christ is not going to be tiptoeing through the grapes! He will be treading them down. The Lord is going to be crushing the nations like grapes. He will be angry. He will be showing forth the "fierceness and wrath of Almighty God". This is going to be very, very frightening.
VERSE 16: (Chapter 19)
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KINGS Of KINGS
"And He hath on His vesture and on His thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS."
We just studied the Lord's "vesture" in Verse 13 of this chapter (19). The Lord's "vesture" is His High Priest garment. Christ shed His own blood as the required Sacrifice.
Because Christ gave the ultimate Sacrifice to cover all sins, He is the Possessor of Supreme power over all the world. He is "KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS".
"Ascribe ye strength unto God: His excellency is over Israel, and His strength is in the clouds" (Psalm 68:34).
VERSE 17: (Chapter 19)
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BIRDS .. COME EAT
"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;"
John continues to write down all that he witnesses ... all that God commands him. John witnesses another "angel standing in the sun". This does not mean that the angel is standing on the sun itself. It simply means the angel is standing in the part of our heaven ... atmosphere ... where airplanes fly, not where astronauts go in their rockets.
This angel, that is "standing" where the birds fly, will cry out "with a loud voice". The Bible says it will be "with a loud voice". It is not a whisper nor a normal tone voice ... it will be with "a loud voice". The angel's voice will reach all around the world.
With his "loud voice", this angel is going to call "all the fowls that fly in the midst of heaven". Fowls are birds. It is a general name for all types of birds. God created the birds in Genesis 1:20: "And God said, Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that hath life, and fowl that fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven."
This angel calls to "all the fowls that fly in the midst of heaven". He is not just calling buzzards and eagles. He calls "all the fowls" ... sparrows, pigeons, crows, etc. In Ezekiel 39 God instructs: "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".
God is going to call the birds together for the "supper of the great God". The Lord knows this is going to be a messy battle. He wants to make sure it is cleaned up. There are two suppers mentioned here in Chapter 19. The first supper is "the marriage supper of the Lamb" in verse 9. These are the saved people, the "blessed", that attend "the marriage supper of the Lamb" (verse 9). The second supper is "the supper of the great God" (this verse). The guests are the birds. The angel will say "to all the fowls that fly in the midst of heaven, Come and gather yourselves together unto the supper of the great God".
People have a choice. They can choose to eat at "the marriage supper of the Lamb" or they may be what is served as the meal for "the supper of the great God". Eat or be eaten. The choice is up to each person.
The next verse informs us who are 'dishes of entrees' will be that God is going to serve up ...
VERSE 18: (Chapter 19)
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The BIRDS' SUPPER
"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."
In this verse, the angel still talking "to all the fowls". He will call to them with his "loud voice". The birds will obey and gather themselves unto Armageddon, the place where God Almighty is going to finish destroying all of mankind.
In this verse, the angel telling the birds what they are going to eat for their dinner. The fowls will "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, bot free and bond, small and great". This is one grand finale for the birds.
Even though the first course of the bird's meal is going to be the kings, captains, and mighty men, the birds eventually get to eat the rest of the people. It won't matter whether they are rich or poor. All the people will be eaten by the birds
VERSE 19: (Chapter 19)
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The BEAST And His ARMIES
"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.
John is talking here in this verse. The angel just finished calling all the birds together for their "supper of the great God". The birds are waiting for their meal. While the birds are waiting, John sees "the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together". They may not even be that aware of all the birds overhead.
The beast is mad and furious. He hates the Lord with extreme hate. Satan can never fight clean and fair. The beast has "gathered together" all the military leaders of the entire earth together to fight against the Lord. Stop and think about this. The Civil War was a very sensitive and cruel war. Mainly because family had to fight against family, friend against friend. It was a very personal and heart-breaking war. In this Battle of Armageddon, Satan is going to use the very people God created, the very people Christ died for and turn them emotionally and physically against the Lord.
The Lord never wants anybody to go to Hell. He loves them so much that He died for them. Love doesn't come any more powerful than that. Yet, these people kept refusing the Lord. Christ called to each one of them over and over, even through the Great Tribulation Period. But these people kept saying no to God. Christ is left with no alternative. Now He must destroy all mankind just like He destroyed all mankind in the Flood during Noah's time. Genesis 6:5-7 says: "And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And it repented the LORD that He had made man on the earth, and it grieved Him at His heart. And the LORD said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth; both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air; for it repenteth Me that I have made them". (If you ever get the chance, visit the 'Ark Encounter' in Williamstown, Kentucky. Phenomenal!)
In the very first book of the Bible, man became very evil and God destroyed that earth with a flood. All humans perished except Noah and his family. Now, we are at the last book of the Bible. God is going to destroy this entire world with fire. God promised He would not destroy the world with a flood, that is why He gave us the rainbow (Genesis 9:11-17). Now, again, all mankind has yielded to the Beast. Satan is ruling the nations and he brings them all down to the valley of Armageddon to fight against their own Creator.
Satan is having all the armies of all the nations fight against the "KING OF KIINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS". Christ will meet all these nations in the valley of Armageddon on His white horse, followed by His own chosen, Jewish army ... the 144,000.
Let the war of Armageddon begin ...
VERSE 20: (Chapter 19)
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The BEAST Is CAPTURED
"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 the lake of fire burning with brimstone."
When Christ, our "KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS", meets the beast in the valley of Armageddon, the first thing Christ does is to capture the beast and the false prophet ... "And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet". Christ does not waste any time. He grabs them both up quickly.
As Christ has a hold of the beast and the false prophet, He remembers that these two are the ones that "deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image". Christ recalled that "the false prophet" had "wrought miracles". He knew that they are "devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty" (Revelation 16:14). Christ knew these two are the evilest of all evil. They had stolen precious souls from Him by all their deceits. Christ had died for these precious people, and now Satan was going to take them to Hell. This makes the Lord very angry.
So Christ, in all His righteous fury, will take both the Beast and the False Prophet and cast them "alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone".
VERSE 21: (Chapter 19)
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​SATAN'S Earthly ARMY DESTROYED
"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."
After the Lord "cast alive" the Beast and the False Prophet into the "lake of fire burning with brimstone", He attacks the "remnant" of Satan's earthly army. They will be "slain with the sword of Him that sat upon the horse". The Lord's sword is His Word. His Word contains judgments ... death sentences. In the book of Numbers, Chapter 35, there are some of the law concerning 'death sentences'. Numbers 35:16-21 says over and over ... "the murderer shall surely be put to death".
We are going to see in the next chapter in Revelation, Chapter 20, that this army that the Lord is going to destroy had murdered His children, Christians. Back in Numbers 35:19 it states that : "The revenger of blood himself shall slay the murderer; when he meeteth him, he shall slay him." The Revenger in Relation is Christ. God's Word says that since these people have slain His children, then He must slay them. Christ is on His white horse to execute the judgment written "when He meeteth him".
This will be a very great army that Satan will gather together at Armageddon against Christ. That means it is going to be a great big meal for all the birds ... "and all the fowls were filled with their flesh". Not only did these birds eat, but they were filled. Their stomachs will be very full of Satan's human army.