Revelation 19

V 1–8: WORSHIP AND HALLELUJAH! At the downfall of Babylon and God’s vengeance against her evil system, a great multitude in heaven praise God and sing their own ‘Hallelujah Chorus’. God has avenged the martyrdom of his servants and they repeat the chorus again! The twenty-four elders and the four living creatures again prostrate themselves to worship God, as the echoes of the ‘Hallelujah Chorus’ spread. God then bids His servants, ‘both small and great’, to join in the refrain. The ‘great number’ of worshippers focus their praise on God’s omnipotent reign. They gladly and joyfully give Him glory for ‘the marriage of the Lamb has come and His wife has made herself ready’. Christ will reign finally with His saints, His bride. V 9–10: WRONG AND HELPED John is told to write of the blessings of those who are called to the Lamb’s marriage supper. He is informed that these are ‘the true sayings of God’. But even an apostle can get things wrong, even when God is blessing him! He falls at the angel’s feet to worship him, but is instantly rebuked and told that the angel is but a fellow servant. He is told to ‘Worship God! For the testimony of Jesus is the Spirit of prophecy.’ Our Triune God alone is worthy of worship. V 11–16: WORD AND HOLINESS The Lord Jesus Christ now makes an appearance in flaming holiness. He is ‘faithful and true’. His robe is dipped in blood and His name is ‘The Word of God’. He appears on a white horse and is followed by the armies of heaven, ‘white and clean’, also on white horses. The nations will be destroyed by the sword coming out of His mouth and He will be the ruler and tread ‘the winepress of the fear and wrath of Almighty God’. He is ‘KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS’. V 17–21: WAR AND HELL The angel tells John of the coming battle of Armageddon, where the defeat of the enemies of God will be so comprehensive that it will be referred to as ‘a supper’ in which their dead bodies will be devoured by birds. Antichrist (the sea beast), the kings of the world (the world’s political rulers) with their amassed armies, and the false prophet (the land beast) gather together to war against the Lord Jesus Christ and His people. All except the beast and the false prophet are killed with the sword coming from Christ, ‘the Word of God’, and the birds are filled with their flesh. The beast and the false prophet are captured and are cast alive into the lake of fire burning with brimstone. This is later identified as eternal, continuous and conscious punishment. This is the hell of eternal damnation. At this stage, Satan himself is not confined there, but the next chapter shows that he soon will be.