Revelation 19
DOYLYRevelation 19:2
- For true and righteous are his judgments.] They join praises and thanksgiving to Almighty God, for His truth and righteousness in judging this idolatrous city; His truth in fulfilling His promises and threatenings; and His righteousness in proportioning her punishment to her crimes. Bp. Newton.
Revelation 19:3
3.—And her smoke rose up for ever and ever.] Which intimates, that she should be made as signal a monument of Divine vengeance, as Sodom and Gomorrah. Bp. Newton.
Revelation 19:4
4.—elders—beasts] See notes at chap. iv.
Revelation 19:7
7.—for the marriage of the Lamb is come, &c.] The ancient Prophets describe the favour of God to His people, by the affection of a bridegroom, Isai. lxii. 5. The church is represented in the New Testament, in the same similitude of a bride, 2 Cor. xi. 2. As marriages were used to be celebrated with great joy, the marriage of the Lamb with His church is a fit emblem to shew the state of prosperity and happiness to which God will raise it, after all its sufferings for the sake of truth and righteousness. Lowman.
Revelation 19:8
8.—that she should be arrayed in fine linen.] Not in worldly spendour, like the harlot; but in the pure, simple, though resplendent, garments, which are the clothing of the heavenly inhabitants. She “had washed
The angel will not be worshipped. The fools called Anno DOMINI 96. a Mact. 22. 3.
Revelation 19:9
- — he saith unto me, Write,] Write this down for the comfort of all true Christians. Pyle. — Blessed are they which &c.] Blessed are they who, by the grace of God, co-operating with their own endeavours, “make their calling and election sure,” 2 Pet. i. 10; who, having on the wedding garment of righteousness, become entitled to “sit down to meat” in the kingdom of heaven, Luke xii. 37. Dean Woodhouse.
Revelation 19:10
- And I fell at his feet] St. John was in such rapture and ecstasy at these discoveries, that he neither knew nor considered what he did. Bp. Newton. — And he said — See thou do it not: ] This prohibition to worship angels, or any other being besides God, is repeated in chap. xxii. 9; and, thus repeated, seems to contain a very strong injunction against that angel worship, in which a great part of the Christian world has been involved. Dean Woodhouse. “See thou do it not:” it is not to me these thanks are due; I have been in this only fulfilling the orders of Him who is my Lord as well as yours; “worship God” therefore, to whom you ought to ascribe these revelations. Harmer. — I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren &c.] The sense is plainly this, Direct thy acknowledgment for this important discovery, and that religious adoration which it inspires, to God only who revealed it, and not to me, who am but thy fellowservant in this office of bearing testimony to Jesus. I said, ‘in bearing testimony to Jesus:’ for know that the spirit of prophecy, with which I am endowed, and by which I am enabled to foretell these great things, is but in other words “the testimony of Jesus;” it has no other use or end, but to do honour to Him; the Prophet, whether He be angel or man, is only the minister of God to bear witness to His Son; and his commission is ultimately directed to this one purpose, of manifesting the glories of his kingdom. Bp. Hard.
Revelation 19:11
- And I saw heaven opened, &c.] We are now arrived at that signal and expected point of the prophecy, vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called the Word of God.
Revelation 19:12
- — on his head were many crowns;] Our Saviour is here described in such characters, as are appropriated to Him in this book, and in the ancient Prophets. “On His head were many crowns,” to denote His numerous conquests and kingdoms, which were now (chap. xi. 15) “become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of His Christ.” As the Jewish high priest wore the ineffable name of Jehovah on his forehead, so he had a name written, which none could perfectly comprehend but Himself, and His name is called “the Word of God.” Bp. Newton.
Revelation 19:13
- — the Word of God.] The eternal and incarnate Word of His Father. Bp. Hall.
Revelation 19:14
- — clothed in fine linen, &c.] An emblem of victory and sanctity. Bp. Newton.
Revelation 19:16
- — a name written, &c.] Having given, in the demonstration of His power, open marks and proofs of His glorious sovereignty over all creatures, He is publickly proclaimed and acknowledged, “King of kings, and Lord of lords.” Bp. Hall.
Revelation 19:17
- — an angel standing in the sun;] And so conspicious to all. This angel, in lofty strains, copied from the ancient Prophets, Ezek. xxxix. 17, 18, calls the fowls to the great slaughter of Christ’s enemies. Bp. Newton.
Revelation 19:18
- That ye may eat the flesh] “Flesh,” in symbo- Anno DOMINI 96. to the great slaughter. Satan bound for a thousand years. Anno DOMINI 96.
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.
Revelation 19:19
- And I saw the beast, &c.] “The beast,” and “the false prophet,” ver. 20, represent the enemies of Christ, the antichristian powers, civil and ecclesiastical, with “their armies gathered together,” their adherents and followers combined, and determined to support idolatry, and oppose all reformation. But the principals, as deserving of the greatest punishment, are “taken and cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone;” and their followers are slain with the word of Christ, “the sword which proceedeth out of His mouth, and all the fowls are filled with their flesh;” their substance is seized for other persons, and for other uses. The design of this sublime prophecy is to shew the downfall of popecy and the triumph of genuine Christianity; the true word of God will prevail over superstition and idolatry; all the powers of antichrist will be completely subdued, and the religion of Rome, as well as Rome herself, be totally destroyed. Bp. Newton.
Thus are concluded all the several representations of the fall of the corrupt church power in the Christian world; all of them being contained within the seventh seal, which is the grand period, containing all the periods of the seven trumpets, as the seventh trumpet does the periods and events of the seven vials. The battle mentioned in this chapter seems to contain the particulars of that which is shortly mentioned in chap. xvi. 16. The frequent repetition, and variety of the representations of this grand event, are owing to the vast importance of it to the Christian world. Pyle.
Chap. XX. ver. 1. And I saw &c.] After the fall of the antichristian power, there is to succeed a glorious and happy state of the Christian church upon earth; which is to be displayed at large, in the lofty figures of prophetic language, in the concluding chapters of this book. Preparatory to this glorious event, there will be, (ver. 1—3,) in the course of all-powerful Providence, a full (though not absolutely final) stop put to all wicked powers, that formerly corrupted and persecuted the true church of God; all impious hands are to be tied up from acts of
violence and fraud, that thus true knowledge and pure worship, with a virtuous life, in peace, charity, and prosperity, may be pursued and enjoyed without interruption. Pyle.
—the key—a great chain] These two symbols expressing the commission on which the angel came. Lowman.