3rd August 2024 – Revelation 19:1-21

19 After this I heard what seemed to be the loud voice of a great multitude in heaven, crying out,

³ Once more they cried out,

⁴ And the twenty-four elders and the four living creatures fell down and worshipped God who was seated on the throne, saying, “Amen. Hallelujah!” ⁵ And from the throne came a voice saying,

⁶ Then I heard what seemed to be the voice of a great multitude, like the roar of many waters and like the sound of mighty peals of thunder, crying out,

for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints.

⁹ And the angel said to me, “Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.” And he said to me, “These are the true words of God.” ¹⁰ Then I fell down at his feet to worship him, but he said to me, “You must not do that! I am a fellow servant with you and your brothers who hold to the testimony of Jesus. Worship God.” For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.

¹¹ Then I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse! The one sitting on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he judges and makes war. ¹² His eyes are like a flame of fire, and on his head are many diadems, and he has a name written that no one knows but himself. ¹³ He is clothed in a robe dipped in blood, and the name by which he is called is The Word of God. ¹⁴ And the armies of heaven, arrayed in fine linen, white and pure, were following him on white horses. ¹⁵ From his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations, and he will rule them with a rod of iron. He will tread the wine press of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty. ¹⁶ On his robe and on his thigh he has a name written, King of kings and Lord of lords.

¹⁷ Then I saw an angel standing in the sun, and with a loud voice he called to all the birds that fly directly overhead, “Come, gather for the great supper of God, ¹⁸ to eat the flesh of kings, the flesh of captains, the flesh of mighty men, the flesh of horses and their riders, and the flesh of all men, both free and slave, both small and great.” ¹⁹ And I saw the beast and the kings of the earth with their armies gathered to make war against him who was sitting on the horse and against his army. ²⁰ And the beast was captured, and with it the false prophet who in its presence had done the signs by which he deceived those who had received the mark of the beast and those who worshipped its image. These two were thrown alive into the lake of fire that burns with sulphur. ²¹ And the rest were slain by the sword that came from the mouth of him who was sitting on the horse, and all the birds were gorged with their flesh.

There is a glory shining in this chapter that is brighter than the sun. It is a picture of the blessedness of the redeemed in heaven. It corresponds to the earlier vision in chapter 7, but is greater and fuller. We have seen how, as section follows section in the book, the visions become more elaborate. This is certainly true of the grim picture of judgment, but it is also true of the final consummation, and here we have a swelling majesty that is almost indescribable in its beauty and intensity. In the previous two chapters we have witnessed the destruction of Babylon; here in ch. 19 it is the turn of the beast and the false prophet. But, in fact, their destruction is not the central message of the chapter, for it is eclipsed by something grander and greater, the marriage of the Lamb. The beast and the false prophet come at the end of the chapter, almost as an afterthought. The significance of this 'playing-down' is that the real subject of God's programme is not judgment, although there has been much of it here in this book, but the blessedness of the redeemed. Judgment is His 'strange' work, the 'shadowed' side of His purposes, and stands alongside grace as its cloudy aspect. Thus, there are the two feasts here - that which celebrates the marriage of the Lamb, and that for the destruction of the enemies of Christ (17- 18). These bear a necessary and inevitable relation to each other, since judgment and grace are both alike appointed by God.