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People in Heaven Praise God

19 After ·this vision and announcement [L these things] I heard ·what sounded like a great many people [L the loud voice/sound of a great crowd] in heaven saying:

“·Hallelujah! [C From the Hebrew meaning “Praise the Lord/Yahweh!]
Salvation, ·glory [honor], and power belong to our God,
    because his judgments are true and ·right [just].
He has ·punished [judged] the [L great] ·prostitute [whore]
    who ·made the earth evil [corrupted the earth] with her ·sexual sin [fornication].
He has ·paid her back for [avenged] the ·death [L blood] of his servants [which she shed; L by her hand].”

Again they said:

“Hallelujah [see 19:1]!
She is burning [C implied by the context], and her smoke will rise forever and ever.”

Then the twenty-four elders [4:4] and the four living creatures ·bowed [fell] down and worshiped God, who sits on the throne. They said:

“Amen [C meaning, “So be it!”], Hallelujah [see 19:1]!”

Then a voice came from the throne, saying:

“Praise our God, all ·you who serve him [his servants/slaves]
    and all you who ·honor [L fear; Prov. 1:7] him, both small and great!”

Then I heard ·what sounded like a great many people [L the voice/sound of a great crowd], like the noise of ·flooding water [many waters], and like the noise of loud thunder. The people were saying:

“Hallelujah [19:1]!
    [L For] Our Lord God, the ·Almighty [All-powerful], ·rules [reigns].
  Let us rejoice and ·be happy [exult]
    and give ·God [L him] ·glory [honor],
because the ·wedding [marriage] of the Lamb has come,
    and the Lamb’s bride has made herself ready.
  Fine linen, bright and ·clean [pure], was given to her to wear.”

(The fine linen ·means [is; stands for] the ·good things done by God’s holy people [L righteousness/righteous deeds of the saints/holy ones].)

And the angel said to me, “Write this: ·Blessed [Happy] are those who have been invited to the wedding ·meal [supper; banquet] of the Lamb!” And the angel said [L to me], “These are the true words of God.”

10 Then I ·bowed down [fell] at the angel’s feet to worship him, but he said to me, “·Do not worship me [Don’t do that!; L See, not]! I am a ·servant like you [fellow servant with you] and your brothers and sisters who have the ·message [witness; testimony] of Jesus. Worship God, because the ·message [witness; testimony] ·about [or from] Jesus ·is the spirit that gives all prophecy [or is the essence of true prophecy; or is Spirit-inspired prophecy; L is the spirit/Spirit of prophecy].”

The Rider on the White Horse

11 Then I saw heaven opened, and there before me was a white horse. The rider [C Jesus] on the horse is called Faithful and True, and ·he is right when [with justice/righteousness] he judges and makes war [Ps. 96:13; 98:9]. 12 His eyes are like ·burning [blazing; flames of] fire [Dan. 10:6], and on his head are many ·crowns [diadems; royal crowns; C contrast 12:3; 13:1]. He has a name written on him, which no one but himself knows. 13 He is dressed in a ·robe [garment] dipped in blood [C indicating judgment; Is. 63:1–3], and his name is the Word of God [John 1:1]. 14 The armies of heaven, dressed in fine linen, white and ·clean [pure], were following him on white horses. 15 Out of the rider’s mouth comes a sharp sword [1:16] that he will use to ·defeat [strike down] the nations [Is. 11:4], and he will ·rule [or shepherd] them with a ·rod [staff; scepter] of iron [Ps. 2:9]. He will ·crush out [tread; stomp] the wine in the winepress of the ·terrible anger [furious wrath] of God the ·Almighty [All-powerful; 19:13; Is. 63:1–6]. 16 On his robe and on his upper leg was written this name: king of kings and lord of lords [17:14; Deut. 10:17; Dan. 2:47].

17 Then I saw an angel standing in the sun, and he called with a loud voice to all the birds flying in ·the sky [L mid-heaven]: “Come and gather together for the great ·feast [supper; banquet] of God 18 so that you can eat the ·bodies [flesh] of kings, ·generals [captains; officers], mighty people, horses and their riders, and the bodies of all people—free, slave, small, and great [13:16; Ezek. 39:17–20].”

19 Then I saw the beast and the kings of the earth. Their armies were gathered together to make war against the rider on the horse [C Jesus] and his army. 20 But the beast was captured and with him the false prophet who ·did the miracles [performed signs] ·for the beast [on his behalf; in his presence]. The false prophet had used these ·miracles [signs] to ·trick [deceive; lead astray] those who had the ·mark [brand; stamp] of the beast and worshiped his ·idol [image]. ·The false prophet and the beast [L The two] were thrown alive into the lake of fire that burns with sulfur. 21 And ·their armies [L the rest] were killed with the sword that came out of the mouth of the rider on the horse, and all the birds ·ate the bodies until they were full [L were gorged/filled up with their flesh].

Rejoicing in Heaven

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

“Hallelujah!
(B)Salvation and glory and power belong to our God,
    for (C)his judgments are true and just;
for he has judged (D)the great prostitute
    who corrupted the earth with her immorality,
and (E)has avenged on her the blood of his servants.”

Once more they cried out,

“Hallelujah!
(F)The smoke from her goes up forever and ever.”

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

(H)“Praise our God,
    all you his servants,
(I)you who fear him,
    small and great.”

The Marriage Supper of the Lamb

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

“Hallelujah!
For the Lord our God
    the Almighty (M)reigns.
Let us rejoice and exult
    and give him the glory,
for (N)the marriage of the Lamb has come,
    and (O)his Bride has made herself ready;
(P)it was granted her to clothe herself
    with fine linen, bright and pure”—

for the fine linen is (Q)the righteous deeds of the saints.

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

The Rider on a White Horse

11 Then I saw (W)heaven opened, and behold, (X)a white horse! The one sitting on it is called (Y)Faithful and True, and (Z)in righteousness he judges and makes war. 12 (AA)His eyes are like a flame of fire, and on his head are (AB)many diadems, and he has (AC)a name written that no one knows but himself. 13 He is clothed in (AD)a robe dipped in[b] blood, and the name by which he is called is (AE)The Word of God. 14 And the armies of heaven, (AF)arrayed in fine linen, white and pure, (AG)were following him on white horses. 15 (AH)From his mouth comes a sharp sword (AI)with which to strike down the nations, and (AJ)he will rule[c] them with a rod of iron. (AK)He will tread the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty. 16 On his robe and on his thigh (AL)he has a name written, (AM)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 (AN)all the birds that fly directly overhead, (AO)“Come, gather for (AP)the great supper of God, 18 (AQ)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,[d] both small and great.” 19 And I saw (AR)the beast and the kings of the earth with their armies (AS)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 (AT)the false prophet (AU)who in its presence[e] had done the signs by which he deceived those who had received the mark of the beast and those who (AV)worshiped its image. These two were (AW)thrown alive into the lake of (AX)fire that burns with sulfur. 21 And the rest were slain by the sword (AY)that came from the mouth of him who was sitting on the horse, and (AZ)all the birds were gorged with their flesh.

Footnotes

  1. Revelation 19:9 Greek he said
  2. Revelation 19:13 Some manuscripts sprinkled with
  3. Revelation 19:15 Greek shepherd
  4. Revelation 19:18 For the contextual rendering of the Greek word doulos, see Preface
  5. Revelation 19:20 Or on its behalf

The Vision of Worship

19 After these things, I heard what sounded like the loud voice of a large crowd in heaven, saying,

“Hallelujah!
    Salvation, glory, and power belong to our God.
His judgments are true and just.
    He has condemned the notorious prostitute
        who corrupted the world with her immorality.
He has taken revenge on her
    for the blood of his servants.”

A second time they said,

“Hallelujah!
    The smoke goes up from her forever and ever.”

The twenty-four elders and the four living creatures bowed down and worshipped God, who was sitting on the throne. They said, “Amen! Hallelujah!” A voice came from the throne, saying,

“Praise our God,
    all who serve and fear him,
from the least important
    to the most important.”

The Vision of the Marriage Supper of the Lamb

Then I heard what sounded like the voice of a large crowd, like the sound of raging waters, and like the sound of powerful thunderclaps, saying,

“Hallelujah!
    The Lord our God, the Almighty, is reigning.
Let us rejoice, be glad, and give him glory,
    because the marriage of the lamb has come
        and his bride has made herself ready.
She has been given the privilege of wearing fine linen,
    dazzling and pure.”

(The fine linen represents the righteous deeds of the saints.)

Then the angel[a] told me, “Write this: ‘How blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the lamb!’” He also told me, “These are the true words of God.” 10 I bowed down at his feet to worship him, but he told me, “Don’t do that! I am a fellow servant with you and with your brothers who rely on what Jesus is saying. Worship God, because what Jesus is saying is the spirit of prophecy!”

The Vision of the Coming of the Messiah

11 Then I saw heaven standing open, and there was a white horse! Its rider is named Faithful and True. He administers justice and wages war righteously. 12 His eyes are like a flame of fire, and on his head are many royal crowns. He has a name written on him that nobody knows except himself. 13 He is dressed in a robe dipped in[b] blood, and his name is called the Word of God. 14 The armies of heaven, wearing fine linen, white and pure, follow him on white horses. 15 A sharp sword comes out of his mouth to strike down the nations. He will rule[c] them with an iron rod and tread the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty. 16 On his robe that covers[d] his thigh he has a name written:

King of Kings and Lord of Lords

The Vision of the Angel’s Invitation

17 Then I saw an angel standing in the sun. He cried out in a loud voice to all the birds flying overhead, “Come! Gather for the great supper of God. 18 Eat the flesh of kings, the flesh of commanders, the flesh of warriors,[e] the flesh of horses and their riders, and the flesh of all people, both free and slaves, both unimportant and important.”

The Vision of the Judgment of the Beast and False Prophet

19 Then I saw the beast, the kings of the earth, and their armies gathered to wage war against the rider on the horse and his army. 20 The beast was captured, along with the false prophet who had performed signs on its behalf.[f] By these signs[g] the false prophet[h] had deceived those who had received the mark of the beast and worshipped its image. Both of them were thrown alive into the lake of fire that burns with sulfur. 21 The rest were killed by the sword that belonged to the rider on the horse and that came from his mouth, and all the birds gorged themselves with their flesh.

Footnotes

  1. Revelation 19:9 Lit. he
  2. Revelation 19:13 Other mss. read sprinkled with
  3. Revelation 19:15 Or shepherd
  4. Revelation 19:16 Lit. robe and on
  5. Revelation 19:18 Lit. of the powerful
  6. Revelation 19:20 Or in its presence
  7. Revelation 19:20 Lit. By which
  8. Revelation 19:20 Lit. he

19 After these things I heard as it were a great voice of a great multitude in heaven, saying,

Hallelujah; Salvation, and glory, and power, belong to our God: for true and righteous are his judgments; for he hath judged the great harlot, her that corrupted the earth with her fornication, and he hath avenged the blood of his [a]servants at her hand.

And a second time they [b]say, Hallelujah. And her smoke goeth up [c]for ever and ever. And the four and twenty elders and the four living creatures fell down and worshipped God that sitteth on the throne, saying, Amen; Hallelujah. And a voice came forth from the throne, saying,

Give praise to our God, all ye his [d]servants, ye that fear him, the small and the great.

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 thunders, saying,

Hallelujah: for the Lord our God, the Almighty, reigneth. Let us rejoice and be exceeding glad, and let us give the glory unto him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready. And it was given unto her that she should array herself in fine linen, bright and pure: for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints.

And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they that are bidden to the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he saith unto me, These are true words of God. 10 And I fell down before his feet to [e]worship him. And he saith unto me, See thou do it not: I am a fellow-servant with thee and with thy brethren that hold the testimony of Jesus: [f]worship God: for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.

11 And I saw the heaven opened; and behold, a white horse, and he that sat thereon [g]called Faithful and True; and in righteousness he doth judge and make war. 12 And his eyes are a flame of fire, and upon his head are many diadems; and he hath a name written which no one knoweth but he himself. 13 And he is arrayed in a garment [h]sprinkled with blood: and his name is called The Word of God. 14 And the armies which are in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and pure. 15 And out of his mouth proceedeth 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 [i]winepress of the fierceness of the wrath of God, the Almighty. 16 And he hath on his garment and on his thigh a name written, King of Kings, and Lord of Lords.

17 And I saw [j]an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the birds that fly in mid heaven, Come and be gathered together unto the great supper of God; 18 that ye may eat the flesh of kings, and the flesh of [k]captains, and the flesh of mighty men, and the flesh of horses and of them that sit thereon, and the flesh of all men, both free and bond, and small and great.

19 And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against him that sat upon the horse, and against his army. 20 And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought the signs in his sight, wherewith he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast and them that [l]worshipped his image: they two were cast alive into the lake of fire that burneth with brimstone: 21 and the rest were killed with the sword of him that sat upon the horse, even the sword which came forth out of his mouth: and all the birds were filled with their flesh.

Footnotes

  1. Revelation 19:2 Greek bondservants.
  2. Revelation 19:3 Greek have said.
  3. Revelation 19:3 Greek unto the ages of the ages.
  4. Revelation 19:5 Greek bondservants.
  5. Revelation 19:10 See marginal note on 3:9.
  6. Revelation 19:10 See marginal note on 3:9.
  7. Revelation 19:11 Some ancient authorities omit called.
  8. Revelation 19:13 Some ancient authorities read dipped in.
  9. Revelation 19:15 Greek winepress of the wine of the fierceness.
  10. Revelation 19:17 Greek one.
  11. Revelation 19:18 Or, military tribunes. Greek chiliarchs.
  12. Revelation 19:20 See marginal note on 3:9.

Threefold Hallelujah Over Babylon’s Fall

19 After this I heard what sounded like the roar of a great multitude(A) in heaven shouting:

“Hallelujah!(B)
Salvation(C) and glory and power(D) belong to our God,
    for true and just are his judgments.(E)
He has condemned the great prostitute(F)
    who corrupted the earth by her adulteries.
He has avenged on her the blood of his servants.”(G)

And again they shouted:

“Hallelujah!(H)
The smoke from her goes up for ever and ever.”(I)

The twenty-four elders(J) and the four living creatures(K) fell down(L) and worshiped God, who was seated on the throne. And they cried:

“Amen, Hallelujah!”(M)

Then a voice came from the throne, saying:

“Praise our God,
    all you his servants,(N)
you who fear him,
    both great and small!”(O)

Then I heard what sounded like a great multitude,(P) like the roar of rushing waters(Q) and like loud peals of thunder, shouting:

“Hallelujah!(R)
    For our Lord God Almighty(S) reigns.(T)
Let us rejoice and be glad
    and give him glory!(U)
For the wedding of the Lamb(V) has come,
    and his bride(W) has made herself ready.
Fine linen,(X) bright and clean,
    was given her to wear.”

(Fine linen stands for the righteous acts(Y) of God’s holy people.)

Then the angel said to me,(Z) “Write this:(AA) Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb!”(AB) And he added, “These are the true words of God.”(AC)

10 At this I fell at his feet to worship him.(AD) But he said to me, “Don’t do that! I am a fellow servant with you and with your brothers and sisters who hold to the testimony of Jesus. Worship God!(AE) For it is the Spirit of prophecy who bears testimony to Jesus.”(AF)

The Heavenly Warrior Defeats the Beast

11 I saw heaven standing open(AG) and there before me was a white horse, whose rider(AH) is called Faithful and True.(AI) With justice he judges and wages war.(AJ) 12 His eyes are like blazing fire,(AK) and on his head are many crowns.(AL) He has a name written on him(AM) that no one knows but he himself.(AN) 13 He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood,(AO) and his name is the Word of God.(AP) 14 The armies of heaven were following him, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen,(AQ) white(AR) and clean. 15 Coming out of his mouth is a sharp sword(AS) with which to strike down(AT) the nations. “He will rule them with an iron scepter.”[a](AU) He treads the winepress(AV) of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty. 16 On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written:(AW)

king of kings and lord of lords.(AX)

17 And I saw an angel standing in the sun, who cried in a loud voice to all the birds(AY) flying in midair,(AZ) “Come,(BA) gather together for the great supper of God,(BB) 18 so that you may eat the flesh of kings, generals, and the mighty, of horses and their riders, and the flesh of all people,(BC) free and slave,(BD) great and small.”(BE)

19 Then I saw the beast(BF) and the kings of the earth(BG) and their armies gathered together to wage war against the rider on the horse(BH) and his army. 20 But the beast was captured, and with it the false prophet(BI) who had performed the signs(BJ) on its behalf.(BK) With these signs he had deluded(BL) those who had received the mark of the beast(BM) and worshiped its image.(BN) The two of them were thrown alive into the fiery lake(BO) of burning sulfur.(BP) 21 The rest were killed with the sword(BQ) coming out of the mouth of the rider on the horse,(BR) and all the birds(BS) gorged themselves on their flesh.

Footnotes

  1. Revelation 19:15 Psalm 2:9