Revelation 19
OGCRevelation 19:1-8
Strauss-’ Comments SECTION 61
Text Revelation 19:1-8
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: 2 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 servants at her hand. 3 And a second time they say, Hallelujah. And her smoke goeth up for ever and ever. 4 And the four and twenty elders and the four living creatures fell down and worshipped God that sitteth on the throne, saying Amen; Hallelujah. 5 And a voice came forth from the throne, saying, Give praise to our God, all ye his servants, ye that fear him, the small and the great. 6 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. 7 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. 8 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.
Initial Questions Revelation 19:1-8
What does Hallelujah mean in Revelation 19:1?
Discuss how the truth, justice, and righteousness are related in God’s judgment of the great harlot - Revelation 19:2.
Discuss the spiritual implications of the imagery of the harlot in Revelation 19:2.
What does the Bible mean when it speaks of fearing God - Revelation 19:5?
What is the significance of the assertion in Revelation 19:6 - that the almighty reigneth? (Reigneth is the translation of a form which means - keeps on reigning or continually reigns.)
Is God really reigning in the above sense in view of the rapid development of the forces of evil in our own day?
Who is the wife of the Lamb in Revelation 19:7?
Discuss the difference in the dress of the great harlot (Revelation 17:4) and the wife of the Lamb - Revelation 19:8.
Triumph in Heaven; Two Hallelujah Psalms; An Angelic Message
Chapter Revelation 19:1-10
A great shout of joy is heard in heaven because of the over throw of the great Harlot. These shouts of jubilation also introduce the great scenes of final victory. The heavenly songs are modeled after their O.T. counterparts. We have passed through the great woes and have seen the ravishing effects of evil upon both the spiritual and physical creation. Now, we enter the great section of Hope! This hope is grounded in God’s victory through Christ. Our Christian hope stands in radical contrast with the contemporary nihilistic attitudes. In the prevision of hope we see the tension between cynicism and the Christian faith, defeatism and hope.
What was the message of the heavenly chorus? Hallelujah (from two Hebrew words meaning - praise Yahweh - see the note after chapter 19 on Handel’s Messiah). Read Psalms 70; Revelation 19:1; Revelation 19:3-4; Revelation 19:6. The great Hallel is the technical title for Psalms 104-109. They were sung primarily at the feasts of Passover and Tabernacles.) The salvation (the Emperior cult claimed that Caesar was the only savior of men), and the glory, and power of our God. The chorus was claiming that salvation, glory, and power belong to almighty God, and not to the great harlot. Why do these characteristics belong to God-only?
Because true and righteous are his judgments;—-This theme is the same as we find in Romans 1:18 to Romans 3:20. God will judge according to man’s own works. The only hiding place will be the everlasting arms of the Lamb of God. Another reason for praising God isbecause he judged (once for all -) the harlot who defiled (eptheiren - the imperfect tense expresses the habit of defiling) the earth with her fornication, and he avenged (exedikçsen - 1st aor. indicative, God avenged the Christians, once for all) the blood of his slaves out of her hand. This entire section of scripture cries out against all forms of universalism which are so prevalent today. The nature of the Holy, Living God can not appease sin!
Again the heavenly chorus - shouts - Praise Yahweh (Hallelujah)! God’s judgment had brought to an end the malignant disease which the great harlot had spread by her fornications.
The twenty-four elders, who first appeared in Revelation 4:4, then again Revelation 5:8, praise God and worshipped saying Amen (so be it?); Hallelujah.
Another voice joined the great chorus in praising God. The small and the great are alike commanded to praise (aineite - present, imperative - commanded to continually praise God). There is no one excused for any reason! God is no respecter of persons; He requires the same response from everyone. Being an educated, or wealthy and cultured person in no way places one in a more advantageous position with God. In human society and before men, these factors certainly give their possessor advantage, but will not sway God one wit!
The next to sing the Hallelujah chorus was a vast crowd. They sang - because our Lord God reigned (the tense shows the state of His reigning). During the most intense periods of persecution it would not be abnormal for the faithful to ask - whether or not God reigned as sovereign in all of His Creation. When the human situation is dominated by sin and evil, it is very difficult for us to understand how God was in fact the victor over sin, death, and hell at the cross. The Church has often been charged with an escapist attitude of other worldness. It presents every Christian with a profound problem, when we attempt to relate our pilgrimage in this world to the ultimate victory in the city of God. (See Augustine’s The City of God; and Etienne Gilson, Les Metamorphoses de la Cite-’ de Dieu, Paris, 1952.
John now uses the imagery of the marriage of the Lamb. Praise continues - because came the marriage of the Lamb, and the wife of Him prepared herself,.. The O.T. speaks of God as the Bridegroom of Israel in Isaiah 54:6; Hosea 2:16; Ezekiel 16:7. Christ appears as the Bridegroom in Matthew 9:15, Mark 2:19 f; Luke 5:34 f, and John 3:29. John the Baptizer said of Christ - He that hath the bride is the bridegroom; but the friend of the bridegroom, that standeth and heareth him, rejoiceth greatly because of this bridegroom’s voice: this my joy therefore is made full (John 3:29-36 translation). In the N.T. Christ is the Bridegroom of His Kingdom (2 Corinthians 11:2; Ephesians 5:25 f; Revelation 3:20; Revelation 19:7; Revelation 19:9; Revelation 21:2; Revelation 21:9; Revelation 22:17). See A. Edersheim, Sketches of Jewish Social Life in the Days of Christ, Eerdmans reprint, chp. 9, pp. 139, Mothers, Daughters, and Wives in Israel gives a brief authoritative account of the Jewish marriage customs in the first century. This information will provide better understanding of the imagery of Bridegroom and Bride in this verse. Jewish wedding customs contained the following elements; (1) the betrothal was of much graver significance than engagements in our culture; (2) the interval is the specified period of time between the betrothal and the wedding feast. Sometime during this time the bridegroom pays a dowry to the girl’s father; (3) the procession at the conclusion of the interval. Both parties dress in their finest and prepare themselves for the wedding feast. This feast was the fourth major element in Jewish marriage custom.
Wm Hendriksen has an excellent summation in his More Than Conquerors, op cit., pp. 216-217) of the marriage imagery.
God announced the great wedding feast in the O.T. The betrothal took place when God sent Jesus Christ to be heaven’s missionary to sinful man. The dowry was paid by the atoning work of our Lord! Are we slighting God’s invitation? John uses the metaphor of a woman three times in The Revelation - the mother in chp. 12; the harlot in chps. 17 to 19; and the Bride of Christ from this verse to the end of the Book of Revelation.
The wife or the bride of Christ is His Church. She has been given bright, clean, fine linen in order that (hina - purpose clause - for the purpose that she be clothed) she might be clothed; for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints. The imagery of a guiltless, guileless bride makes crystal clear that God’s wife is pure and undefiled.
Discussion Questions
See Revelation 19:17-21.
Revelation 19:1-21
**Tomlinson’s Comments
CHAPTER XIX THE HALLELUJAH CHORUS AND FINAL JUDGMENT**
Text (Revelation 19:1-21)
1 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: 2 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 servants at her hand. 3 And a second time they say. Hallelujah. And her smoke goeth up for ever and ever. 4 And the four and twenty elders and the four living creatures fell down and worshipped God that sitteth on the throne, saying, Amen; Hallelujah. 5 And a voice came forth from the throne, saying, Give praise to our God, all ye his servants, ye that fear him, the small and the great. 6 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. 7 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. 8 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. 9 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 worship him. And he saith unto me, See thou do it not: I am a follow-servant with thee and with thy brethren that hold the testimony of Jesus: 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 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 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 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 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 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 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.
Revelation 19:1 After these things.
Following the stirring scenes pertaining to the fall of Babylon, John hears these songs of rejoicing and thanksgiving. Such anthems are heard whenever some great triumph or blessing is about to come. In the twentieth verse of the eighteenth chapter there was a call to heaven and the holy apostles and prophets to rejoice over the downfall of Babylon. Here we have the response to that call. John said:
vs. Revelation 19:1-18.
I heard a great voice of much people in heaven, saying Alleluia; salvation and glory, and honor, and power, unto the Lord our God. 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. And again they said, Alleluia. And her smoke rose up for ever and ever. And the four and twenty elders and the four beasts fell down and worshipped God that sat on the throne, saying, Amen; Alleluia. And a voice came out of the throne, saying, Praise our God, all ye servants, and ye that fear him both small and 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 thunderings, saying, Alleluia; for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth. Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honor to him; for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and His wife hath made herself ready. And to her it was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints.
This has been a lengthy quotation, but it includes the verses which present this great Alleluia Chorus. This Hallelujah Chorus contains the only Hallelujahs of all the New Testament. It would seem as if these Hallelujahs were reserved for this wonderful victory in the downfall of spiritual Babylon.
These first verses of this chapter are an interlude between the fall of Babylon, Chapter 18, and the fall of the beast (Revelation 19:11-21). This is the fifth parenthesis thus far in the book of Revelation. These interludes are thus familiar features throughout the book. This parenthesis consists of a fourfold chorus and each chorus has the same theme: Hallelujah. We note that the music and singing of heaven has been heard often throughout the uncovering of the mysteries of God, but not until now has the Hallelujah Chorus sounded.
The Hallelujahs are four in number. Perhaps this points the divine finger to God’s victory over the powers of the earth, because four seems to be the numerical symbol of the earthfour corners, four winds, four directions.
The first two Hallelujahs celebrate the fall and utter destruction of Babylon, the harlot. John hears the voice of a great multitude, 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. (Revelation 19:2).
And, again (second time) they say, Hallelujah, and her smoke goeth up for ever and ever. (Revelation 19:3).
The third Hallelujah is uttered by the twenty-four elders (we found them to be heavenly princes) and the four living creatures (we found them to be Cherubim). Then a voice came forth from the throne, as it were the voice of a heavenly director or conductor, saying, Give praise to our God, all ye his servants, ye that fear Him, both small and great. Then this majestic chorus is heard in answer to the voices bidding. The chorus is like the voice of a great multitude, and like the the voice of many waters, and like the voice of mighty thunders, saying, Hallelujah: for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready. As the majestic heavenly chorus comes to its grand finale John hears a voice commanding him to open the fourth of the seven beatitudes of the apocalypse.
Write, Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb.
A solemn confirmation of this beatitude follows: And he saith unto me, These are the true sayings of God. (Revelation 19:9).
What a contrast is this with that of the eighteenth Chapter! There we read And the voice of the Bridegroom and of the bride shall be heard no more at all in thee (Babylon); here is pictured the approaching marriage of the Lamb. This vision brings us only to the announcement of the coming marriage of the Lamb. The subject will be taken up again in the twenty-first chapter. So deeply impressed was John and so overwhelmed by such a glorious revelation from this voice that came out of the throne that he fell at the feet of the messenger to worship him.
Revelation 19:10 And he said unto me, See thou do it not; I am thy fellow-servant, and of all thy brethren, that have the testimony of Jesus: worship God: for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.
While the apostate church worshipped saints, Mary and the angels, members of the true church are forbidden thus to do so. This ought to be sufficient warning to the devotees of such a false worship.
In this verse and also in Revelation 22:7-8, the apostle, John, offered to worship the angel and in each instance the prohibition is instantaneous.
Another comparison between the two instances is enlightening. Here the angel says: See thou do it not; for I am thy fellow-servant, and of thy brethren. In Revelation 22:9 he adds, of thy brethren, the prophets. Here the explanation is added, The testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.
In testifying of Jesus the angel seems to present himself as becoming one of the prophets. This spirit of prophecy is the witness to Jesus of His being the Messiah, the Son of God, the Redeemer, the Lamb that was slain, the Bridegroom and the King of the Kingdom, when the kingdoms of this world shall become the Kingdom of our Lord and His Christ. Now we seem to come to the opening of a new vision, because of the similarity of the wording to that used at the beginning of other new visions.
In Revelation 4:1, where the vision of the throne, the slain Lamb and the seven seals began, we read:
After this I looked, and behold, a door was opened in heaven.
In Revelation 11:19, another beginning, we read: And the temple of God was opened in heaven.
And here in Revelation 19:11-16 we read: 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. 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. And He was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and His name is called The Word of God and the armies which were in heaven followed Him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean.
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. And He hath on His vesture and on His thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.
All this is symbolism at its highest and best. Some have called this the Battle of Armageddon and thereby made such statements literal. We shall never see a white horse with a sword projecting out of the mouth of its rider. Truly, and without doubt this is a spiritual presentation of symbolism. And how logical and natural should this follow the Hallelujah Chorus. Up to this point the false apostate church has been under consideration. Now we see the triumphant church with presentations of conditions that would have obtained had it not been for the departure from the truth. Here we get a glimpse of what can, and will obtain when Babylon is burned. Shall we briefly consider some of the characterizations here, remembering always that we are walking in the realm of symbolism.
First: He rides upon a white horse. This is the first time Christ has appeared since a door was opened in heaven in Revelation 4:1 and a vision was given of God sitting upon His throne and Christ standing like a Lamb as it had been slain. There he was portrayed in His mediatorial work, now he is presented as a conqueror. We have already found that a horse is an emblem of war, and a white one as a symbol of victory.
As the King of the Jews he rode, in his entry into Jerusalem, upon an ass, a colt the foal of an ass. There he was meek and lowly, but here he rides a martial charger, as the King of the entire world.
Second: He is called Faithful and True, This presents Him in sharp contrast to the previous visions, where the Harlot church is unfaithful and the dragon, or the devil, is a deceiver.
Third: In Righteousness He doth judge and make war.
In the last church period, the Laodicean period, corresponding to the time element of this present chapter, Christ is called the Faithful and True Witness, (Revelation 3:14). Chirst is here presented in a dual role, namely, Judge and avenger, or executioner, but in both, Jesus Christ the righteous.
Fourth: His eyes were as a flame of fire.
To be able to judge justly he has eyes that seeth all things, hence this flaming vision.
Fifth: And on His head were many crowns.
This presents Him as a victorious King, whereas, heretofore he was the Lamb slain. The many crowns are significant. When Ptolemy entered Antioch, he wore two crowns on his head (1Ma. 11:13). When the popes put on their headgear it is a triple crown, emblematic of three sovereignties in one. The dragon or the devil had seven crowns on his seven heads. The beast, or political Rome, had ten diadems on his ten heads, signifying the union of ten sovereignties. In all these instances, the accumulation of diadems symbolized accumulated victories and increased dominion.
Christ is crowned with many diadems, symbolical of His complete dominion over heaven and earth.
Sixth: He was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood.
If it were not immediately said and His name was called the Word of God we would still know by his blood-stained garments that he was the Christ, the Lamb of God that taketh away the sins of the world, by virtue of His shed blood.
Seventh: And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword that with it he should smite the nations.
Already we have found this symbol stands for the word of God (Hebrews 4:12). This would certainly indicate that this whole action is spiritual.
Eight: And He shall rule them with a rod of iron. Literally, it means He shall shepherdize them with a rod of iron. In other words, His rule is to be firm yet at the same time in the spirit of a shepherd.
All this is highly symbolic. The armies which follow him in heaven are also portrayed riding on white horsesa symbol of triumphant warfareand clothed in fine linen, white and clean, which symbolizes the righteousness of saints. These wear no armor and we notice that they are not the executors of this vengeance. The victory belongs to Christ alone. He bears the only weapon, the sword, or the word of God. He treadeth the winepress alone. Those who accompany Him need no weapons for the victory is represented as already won. Therefore, the sword of the Captain of their salvation is sufficient. They merely follow up the achievements of the sword he wields.
This is according to (1 John 3:8).
For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.
Here is being fulfilled the prophetic utterance of the Psalmist concerning Christ’s great triumph to be followed by a description of His glorious wife:
Thou art fairer than the children of men: grace is poured into thy lips. gird on thy sword upon thy thigh, O Most Mighty, with thy glory and thy majesty. And in thy majesty ride prosperously because of the truth and meekness and righteousness; and thy right hand shall teach thee terrible things. Thy throne O God is forever and ever, the scepter of thy Kingdom is a righteous scepter.
Kings-’ daughters were among thy honorable women, upon thy right hand did stand the queen in gold of Ophir. (Psalms 45:2-9).
The name used here is not Jesus,-’ one who saves, but is the word of God as the destroyer of His enemies.
The Word of God is all powerful, because it was the Word of God who in the beginning made all things (John 14:1-3). Therefore, none can stand before Him as He comes in the might of that name.
That the victory is certain is further emphasized by the verses that follow:
Revelation 19:17-18 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;
That ye may eat the flesh of kings, 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.
Thus the call to the great supper of God. What a startling contrast between this great supper of God, and that of the marriage supper of the Lamb.
This passage carries our minds back to Ezekiel 39:17-18.
Speak unto every feathered fowl, and to every bird of the field, Assemble yourselves, and come; gather yourselves on every side to my sacrifice that I do sacrifice for you. You shall eat the flesh of the mighty, and drink the blood of the princes of the earth.
Revelation 19:19-21 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. 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 a lake of fire burning with brimstone. 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.
There is deep symbolism employed here and a different type of warfare conducted so that the whole struggle is wrapped in mystery, which doubtless will only be fully understood when the fulfillment comes. The description of this great battle in which the Kingdoms of this world become the Kingdom of our Lord and his Christ is as strange in its weapon of warfare as it is brief in detail. Its very brevity amazes us. But the result is decisive. The beast, representative of all political despotism and tyranny and the false prophet, the embodiment of false religion are taken, are seized and thrown alive into the lake of fire and brimstone. And their followers alike are dispatched. Again the strange weapon that destroys them is the sword which proceedeth out of His mouththat spiritual weapon of irresistible might. Such a strange warfare and such a feast of death has never before been witnessed. Thus is terminated the present order of things as we know it. Only the dragon’S, or the devil’s fate remains to be uncovered.
Truly, more we would like to know, but we must not speculate. Neither dare we read in human opinions or theories. It is still true, The secret things belong unto the Lord our God, but those things which are revealed belong unto us and to our children forever. (Deuteronomy 29:29).
We dare not be wise above that which is written.
Revelation 19:9-10
Strauss-’ Comments SECTION 62
Text Revelation 19:9-10
9 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 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: worship God: for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.
Initial Questions Revelation 19:9-10
Why are those bidden to the marriage supper of the Lamb blessed - Revelation 19:1?
What does the refusal by the heavenly messenger to accept John’s worship imply - Revelation 19:10? Does John ever describe a situation in The Revelation when Jesus is worshipped and He accepts that worship?
Does the messenger claim any special status in the kingdom - Revelation 19:10?
John is commanded - Write thou; blessed (are-not in text) the ones having been called to the marriage supper of the Lamb. The source of this truth is God Himself. The implication of this verse is that if one is not invited to the marriage supper, or if invited and he refuses to attend, then he will not be blessed. Our Lord uttered a parable (Matthew 22:1-14) in which He used this imagery. Jesus said that the kingdom of heaven is like unto. then saith he to his servants, the wedding is ready, but they that were bidden were not worthy. Go ye therefore unto the partings of the highways and as many as ye shall find, bid them to the marriage feast. God will not overlook the slighted invitation on the great day of His wrath. The Bride of Christ can never be destroyed but she has often been purified. Christ said - I will build my Church and the gates of hades shall not prevail against it (Matthew 16:18).
John was emotionally overcome by the tremendous revelation which he had received from the heavenly messenger. He says, And I fell down before his feet to worship him. The object worshipped here was an angel. The Jehovah Witnesses persist in their heretical assertions that our Lord is a creature of God. What was the response of this messenger? Immediately he told John; See thou do it not; I am your fellow-slave and of your brothers having the witness of Jesus; worship God. There is never a command given by any messenger of God in either the O.T. or N.T. to worship anyone other than the living God. In fact, it was categorized as idolatry if anyone worshipped anything, or anyone other than the God of the Prophets and Apostles. Yet our Lord repeatedly accepted worship from men! Angel worship flourished in Asia Minor at this time. The Colossian and Hebrew Epistles specifically condemn this practice. The last sentence in Revelation 19:10 is a very difficult one. For the witness of Jesus (There is no way to determine whether or not this is an objective or subjective genitive. This means there is no way to absolutely determine whether John is speaking of the witness given by Christ Himself or whether the witness is about Christ.) is the spirit of prophecy. 1 Peter 1:11 provides us with a very good (possible) commentary. Searching what time or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did point unto, when it testified beforehand the suffering of Christ, and the glories that should follow them.
Discussion Questions
See Revelation 19:17-21.
Revelation 19:11-16
Strauss-’ Comments SECTION 63
Text Revelation 19:11-16
11 And I saw the heaven opened; and behold, a white horse, and he that sat thereon 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 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 winepress of the fireceness 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.
Initial Questions Revelation 19:11-16
What do the names of the rider of the white horse (Faithful and True) signify about His character - Revelation 19:11?
Discuss the imagery of righteous judgment and war in Revelation 19:11.
What is a diadem - Revelation 19:12?
Where, besides Revelation 19:13, is the name word of God or just Word (in reference to Christ) found?
Who makes up the army following the rider upon the white horse - Revelation 19:14?
Where else do we find the descriptive phrases clothed in fine linen, white and pure - Revelation 19:14? To whom do these descriptions refer?
Where else do we read of a sharp sword in the N.T. - Revelation 19:15? What is the function of this sharp sword?
Who is this victor leading the victorious according to Revelation 19:16?
Beginning in this verse and continuing to the final shout - Come Lord Jesus, John is led by the spirit to speak to the triumph of Christ. We have passed through the sections of gloom and despair; now we turn to hope and victory. We have now passed through the valley of darkness. The triumphant warrior leads the great host of the redeemed. The imagery comes from Isaiah 63:1-3 and Psalms 2, etc. The action is taking place in heaven and not on the earth. The rider of the white horse is going to judge and make war. (Revelation 19:11-16 reveal the Conquering Christ.)
Some of the imagery in this verse is also used in Revelation 1:14. He wears many crowns implying his vast rule.
The rider of the white horse is identified by His name - the Word of God (see Special Study on The Titles for Christ in The Revelation - of the Word of God). John has already declared in his Gospel record that In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and God was the Word. (the Greek text has the last clause instead of the Word was God.). And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us (and we behold his glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father), full of grace and truth. (John 1:1; John 1:14) In the Gospel record, Christ is the absolute Word, and here the title is qualified - Word *of God!
The followers of The Word of God are now mentioned. They are pure and holy, because He is the source and cause of their righteousness. The army of Christ followed (ekolouthei - imperfect tense - signifying progressive following or following Him where soever He goes) Him. Their purpose and power were obtained from Him.
John uses descriptive imagery which is also found in Hebrews 4:12-13. Out of the mouth of the Word of God proceeds (continually proceeds) a sharp sword in order that (hina - purpose) he may smite the nations with it; and he will shepherd (or oversee them. This is one of the N.T. terms for Elder;) them with an iron staff;… This is a paradoxical symbol - an iron staff! The last clause of this verse is one of the sources for some of the imagery in *The Battle Hymn of the Republic.
Christ has one name which is known only to Himself; He is known as the Word of God by His followers; and He has this third name which is recorded on His garment and on his thigh-King of kings and Lord of lords. (See Special Study on Titles for Christ under this name.) This name is descriptive of His sovereign control in the universe. He is King (Ruler) over all the rulers of the earth; and His lordship extends in order to encompass the demands of every human lordship. We have here the cosmic King and Lord! (See Acts 10:36He is Lord of all. All is neuter, meaning all things or a Cosmic Lordship.)
Note: The Revelation of Christ Revelation 19:11-16
Christ’s description, Revelation 19:11-13; Revelation 19:15-16
Christ’s followers, Revelation 19:14
Christ’s Acts 19:11; Acts 19:15-16.
Discussion Questions
See Revelation 19:17-21.
Revelation 19:17-21
Strauss-’ Comments SECTION 64
Text Revelation 19:17-21
17 And I saw 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 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 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.
Initial Questions Revelation 19:17-21
Discuss the imagery of the angel standing in the sun - Revelation 19:17. Note the glory of the angel which would be necessary in order to identify the angel standing in the midst of the suns radiant brilliance.
Why does the angel call all of the scavenger birds to the great supper - Revelation 19:17.
Discuss the various categories and statutes of the men mentioned in Revelation 19:18.
Discuss the relevance of the imagery of war in Revelation 19:19 in view of contemporary man’s fear of the war to end man. (Optimistic men have spoken of past war as wars to end war, now pessimistic man is speaking of the war to end man).
What did God do to the beast and the false prophet - Revelation 19:20?
Why did John use such sickening imagery to describe the horrors of God’s judgment upon the unrighteous - Revelation 19:21?
Overthrow and End of the Beast and the False Prophet
Chapter Revelation 19:17-21
One angel standing in the sun—-cried to all the birds flying in mid-heaven, come, assemble to the great supper of God,—-Birds were omens of evil and destruction in the biblical world. These flying scavengers were looking for food. They were to find it in heaps of slain men.
All classes of men have fallen in the destruction of the great city. None escaped! The strongest men were not strong enough; the wealthiest were not rich enough to purchase their own safety. Kings and councilmen were powerless before the great god Thanatos. The scavenger birds knew nothing of their wealth or power, or prestige; all human flesh tasted the same to them. How humiliating to arrogant man! (See Ezekiel 39:17-20.)
John’s vision included the beast, kings, and their armies. They had marshalled these armies to wage a final war with the rider of the white horse. This will not be a local battle, but cosmic conflict. We encounter John’s message of confident triumph.
All of the enemies of Christ receive God’s just, righteous, and eternal punishment. The beast and the false prophet were cast alive (zontes - literally living - into burning lake of fire with sulphur.
The sharp sword which proceeds from the mouth of the rider of the white horse slays the rest. The hideous imagery reveals the extent of God’s judgment. Note that God employs only the spiritual weapon of His word in this conflict. He has declared that all men will be judged according to His Word. The judgment which we receive will be according to our works.
Discussion Questions
Chapter Revelation 19:1-21
What Psalms make up The Great Hallel - Revelation 19:1?
What are the reasons for praising God mentioned in Revelation 19:2?
Is anyone exempted from the command to praise God in Revelation 19:5?
Where in the O.T. is God spoken of as the Bridegroom? Where in the Gospel records is Christ called the Bridegroom? Where in the N.T. is the imagery of the Bridegroom applied to Christ - Revelation 19:7?
Where are three metaphors of a woman used in The Revelation - Revelation 19:7? Discuss them.
With what has the bride of Christ been clothed in according to Revelation 19:8?
Where in the Gospel records does Jesus speak a parable based on the imagery of the marriage supper - Revelation 19:9?
Why was John rebuked in Revelation 19:10?
What is the O.T. source of the imagery used in Revelation 19:11?
What is the name of the rider in Revelation 19:13?
What did the imagery of the birds signify in Revelation 19:17?
Are all of Christ’s enemies finally overcome according to Revelation 19:20-21?
**Special Study
Handel’s Messiah**
(This is just a part of an article that appeared in the June 22, 1963 Christian Standard by J. D. Strauss)
The language of human praise, so much enriched by the musical works of George Frederick Handel - especially in such passages as The Hallelujah Chorus from The Messiah - may find an occasional word of thanks for the evidently providential-’ circumstances that gave the great writer’s music to the world.
Redemption in Prophecy and Praise
George F. Handel’s was the first artistic effort to portray the gospel in great music. Often people think that The Messiah is composed of scenes from the Gospel records, but this is only partly true. Its central theme is the fulfillment of redemption through the Redeemer-Messiah. Contemporary authors have much to say about the use of drama in religious education - in The Messiah we have the great precursor to these efforts.
The Messiah has many intricate parts, but it can be nearly divided into three broad sections: (1) The prophecy and realization of God’s will and purpose through the coming of the Messiah; (2) The accomplishment of redemption by the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, and hence the rejection and utter defeat of mankind when it opposes the living God; (3) Hymn of thanksgiving for the final overthrow of death.
The Messiah was performed first in London, England, but it had to overcome many adversaries before the public finally heard the dramatic truths of the Christian gospel set to music. The Messiah was forbidden production under that name. The critics claimed that it would be sacrilegious!
The entire first part of Handel’s work is a majestic echo of the great prophetic pronouncements concerning the Messiah of God. The vivid, picturesque portrayal of mankind anxiously waiting in hope of God’s redemption is a musical and linguistic marvel. As though led by the Spirit, Handel chose the highest phrases uttered by the prophets to declare that the prophetic hope was realized in the coming of the Messiah. Isaiah, Joel, Malachi, Daniel, et al., had given grave warning and powerful promises, that if all mankind were to assemble against Jehovah their efforts would be futile. Men shall be utterly defeated when they strive against God or seek to salve their conscience by pious neutrality.
Now, in an age when human genius is seen in feats such as hurling massive steel structures through space on a split-second schedule, men need again the reminders that redemption still depends on God’s Messiah. The third section of The Messiah is the hymn of thanksgiving for the final overthrow of death. This Christian belief stands in radical contrast with the contemporary ideology which strives to face death without the God of the Christian hope.
Throughout the whole of Handel’s work two themes predominate - suffering and the work of redemption. The latter theme is merged into the triumphal hymn of the last two choruses. The brilliant Hallelujah Chorus (the Hebrew word hallelujah means praise Jehovah) is grounded in the finished work of Christthe death, burial, resurrection, and ascension. The experience of listening to a competent rendering of The Messiah is abundant proof that the gospel can be expressed in more than the usual, verbal form. The tradition by which audiences rise to their feet at hearing this chorus is singularly appropriate.
The Messiah was written in about three weeks. If it were the only work Handel ever produced he would merit the endearing words of his fellow musicians. Beethoven declared, Handel is the greatest composer who ever lived. Franz Liszt said that the genius of Handel is as great as the world itself.
In light of the fact that more advancement has been made in the physical sciences during the past forth years of civilization than in the preceding four hundred years, it is to be noted that little or no great Christian music has been produced in our day. We pray God that the great Christian themes of redemption may kindle once more the creative fires, one that our Lord may be magnified by one of many great channels of expressing the work of God in Christ - music! George F. Handel died April 14, 1759, appreciated by England as no composer had been before or after. Our concern is that men shall know The Messiah, not as a work of art composed, but rather as the Redeemer of the souls of men. Then shall the whole body of Christianity sing the new songHallelujahpraise Jehovah!for He has touched fallen man with eternal healing in Christ.
**Special Study
Some Contemporary Attitudes Toward the Biblical Doctrine of the Word of God**
I recently heard a lecture by J. V. Langmead Casserley in which he raised the four fundamental problems in the contemporary analytic attack on the possibility of a rational religious discourse (since Kant, Hume, the Vienna Circle, Wittgenstein, Austin, Ayer, and all the creative spirits in contemporary Logic of Science). The four questions were(1) What is Revelation?; (2) Is God knowable?; (3) What is the relation of the knowledge of God to knowledge in the sciences and other academic disciplines?; (4) Does religious language express truth? This line of thought has had many progenitors and many set backs but it is now the predominate Anglo-Saxon Philosophical position. In order to better appreciate the issues involved, let us provide a brief historical perspective. Nathan Söderblom took the initial steps in his Gifford Lectures, The Living God which blazed the trail for those who thought that propositional-revelation had become an untenable thesis. He laid the ground work for the contemporary attitude that extra-biblical revelation exists and continues to this hour. Söderblom did this by developing Justin Martyr’s logos spermatikos idea. William Temple, in his Nature, Man, and God, developes the lethal distinction between Revelation and the proposition which speaks of revelation. Martin Buber’s emphatic epistemology is utilized by practically every protestant theologian who has written on the subject of revelation. John Baillie, Emil Brunner, et al., recognize their debt to the Jewish Existentialist - Buber. Dr. Austin Farrer declares in his The Glass of Vision - We now recognize that the propositions on the Scriptural page expresses the response of human witnesses to divine events, not a miraculous divine dictation. (p. 36f).
The profound and prodigious efforts of Barth, Tillich, Berdyaev, et al., are efforts to work out a theory of revelation, once propositional revelation is repudiated in the name of scientific logic and the supposed demonstrations by way of a scientific study, that the Bible is a fallible record of human response to the original revelation which came in the person of Christ, and is therefore personal encounter of subject to subject, and not propositional information about God. But the revelation is God himself, not information about Him mediated through the words and sentences of a bookthe Bible (which provides true affirmation about the will and purpose of God in Christ). God is therefore not available to discursive reason! This contemporary attitude would not be too difficult to handle, if it were not for the persistent assertions by contemporary theologians, that this is the biblical view of revelation.[1]
[1] Martin Buber’s Emphatic Epistemology has revolutionized contemporary Protestant Theology, which is not built upon propositional revelation but rather upon an uncognitive ineffable person to person encounter. The thesis maintains that we know persons differently than we know things. Buber’s classic statement if found in his I-Thou and Two Types of Faith (Jewish and Greek).
We hear and read much of the thesis that God reveals Himself in acts and events and not by words and propositions.
We must pass by any discussion of the Hebrew and Greek vocabulary for truth, knowledge, faith (e.g., or as in the case of the Hebrew çmuna which means truth, faith, and trust). Martin Buber’s Two Types of Faith tries to show that the Old Testament understanding of Faith was trust and that the New Testament presents a Christianized Greek-view. The most serious flaw in Buber’s thesis is that it is not correct, either for the Hebrew or New Testament views. The biblical view does entail trust, but trust based on evidence which is the ground of the faith and not merely an irrational trust. Under this circumstance, there would be no justification for trusting in God any more than in man or some non-Christian religious object, etc.
Any adequate analysis of the biblical doctrine of revelation would necessitate that we understand the nature of Language (Linguistics and Semantics) and its relationship to thought and reality, if there is to be any extensive impact made on our generation on behalf of Christ. The very best Evangelical Literature (Henry, Carnell, Ramm, et al.) is seriously deficient in light of the problems raised by rejection of the total Christian perspective, which alone makes sense of The Restoration Movement and The Plea to restore biblical Christianity. Many misunderstand the relationship of words and propositions to the content of revelation. Even well meaning N.T. Christians and others of Evangelical persuasions believe that this line of reasoning makes the Bible and not Jesus, etc., the revelation of God. We cannot state too often that all we know of Christ and the will and purpose of God for time and eternity depends on the nature of the record which bears witness to Him. The New Testament does declare that Jesus is the final revelation, but we would not have access to this information unless spirit filled men also inscribed the Word of God. The biblical doctrine of the Word of God is not exhausted in the Incarnation of the Living Word! The biblical doctrine of the Word entails the Word Incarnate, the Word Inscribed, and the Word Proclaimed, and only if we possess a propositional revelation can we correlate this trichotomy.[2]
[2] Barth makes these distinctions, but cannot correlate them, because he will not permit the Bible to have the status of propositional revelation - see his Dogmatics and for beginners, G. C. Berkouwer’S, The Triumph of Grace in the Theology of Karl Barth, Eerdmans, 1956. Now in paperback.
There are several Hebrew terms which are translated word in our English Bibles, but the primary term is Dabar means matter or affair in the sense of the thing about which one speaks. It is not true that Hebrew thought subordinates words to events. The reverse is more nearly true, particularly in the case of the Word of the Lord, for his Word determines all events, and no Word of God is void of power. Cf. Genesis 18:14; Jeremiah 32:17-27, in Hebrew and Septuagint with Luke 1:37. The use of rhemata in Luke and Acts furnishes interesting examples of the colorlessness of translating things where sayings is required by the contextual reference to the spoken word. See Luke 1:65; Luke 2:17-19; Luke 2:50-51; Acts 5:32; Acts 13:42.[3]
[3] Edmund P. Clowney, Preaching and Biblical Theology; Eerdmans Publishing Company: Grand Rapids, Michigan; 1961, p. 26
The Word
Jesus is the Logos of God in the New Testament Scriptures. The same effort to manipulate the records into saying that Jesus is the revelatory word and the New Testament scriptures are merely fallible-human reports about the original revelation. We must not lose sight of the fact that all we really know of Jesus Christ is contained in the biblical records. Many are still searching for the historical Christ. But he has never been lost by those of us who accept the Bible as the Word of God. If we possess only a fallible human response to original revelation which did not come in propositional form, then we have no authoritative message from God. If we have no authoritative message, then the Restoration Plea is absurd, and we are of all men most miserable.
The modern theologian speaks quite extensively of communicating the gospel, but he must first have something to convey. The church of the first century had the Word. The Word was made flesh (John 1:1-18) is the one force which can stabilize the souls of men. A vast amount has been written about the term word in philosophical literature. A thorough examination would find us comparing its use of Heraclitus, the Stoics, and Philo Judaeus, with the application we find made only by John. We are not concerned with its repeated use, but with the implications of its meaning as it is used by these various authors.
The term has significantly different connotations in Hebrew and Greek and Latin. This should make it plain that there is no single term adequate for an English translation. The Greek word logos contains two elementsspeech and reason. The vocal utterance plus the thought content of the utterance is synthesized into the term logos. As the term is used in the New Testament, it does not imply one or the other, but both. The Word made flesh is unique in context.
The Latin Christians debated over the use of three words in translating this one Greek term. They were verbum, sermo, or ratio; but when the Latins selected verbum, they deprived logos of half of its implications.
Philo did use the term in both senses. And he maintained this conception as he linked it with The Word of the Lord of the Old Testament, but the stoic implication was also present. The distinctive features of John’s use imply eternal, personal, divine, and transcendent existence. John’s phraseology is not found in the other gospel records. (Hebrews 4:13 where in his sight (autou - his) identified the Word of Rev 19:12 as personal.)
It is this Word that we must communicate by proclamation and dedicated lives. It must go forth in the power of the Spirit with no uncertain sound. But thanks be to God we need not succumb to the contemporary mind nor its satanic attacks upon the Scriptures. There are no easy answers to the most serious threats to biblical Christianity in the history of the Church, but we pray that many will take up the challenge and labor in the highly technical and specialized areas of contemporary science, philosophy, and theology so that our message can be placed on the offensive instead of the defensive. The coming generation to whom many of us will preach Christ and Him Crucified must be challenged at the academic level where the contemporary mind and its animosity to Biblical Christianity is being forged. I pray God that we rally to the challenge - now beginning with you!
Some of the above points were delineated in the author’s 1962 Missouri Christian Lectureship on the Origin and Development of the Contemporary Mind and Its Significance for Biblical Christianity.
See the present author’s very superficial treatment of the problem of Revelation in the Popular presentationWhat is Revelation, parts 1 and 2, The Christian Standard, April 22 and 29, 1961; and the keen insights which are evident in the article by H. Daniel Friberg, The Bible and Propositional Truth, Christianity Today, July 5, 1963. His remarks are even more appropriate in view of the various theories of the Proposition and how they differ from the types of sentences which are under scrutiny in contemporary Logic. The following works will also be of great benefit to the serious student of this problem.
G. H. Clark, Religion, Reason, and Revelation; Presbyterian Reformed Publishing Company, Nutley, New Jersey,
G. H. Clark, Karl Barth’s Theological Method; Presbyterian Reformed Publishing Company, Nutley, New Jersey, 1963.
H. D. MacDonald - Ideas of Revelation: A Historical Study, A.D. 1700 - to A.D. 1860, MacMillan Pub. Co., New York.
Note: Problem of Education and Evangelism!
We are not winning the world! The attitude outlines above is not merely an academic affair; it is an attitude which is rapidly permeating the mind of mass-man. The kind of preparation we provide in our Bible Colleges should be determined by the mind of the age in which it lives. All Bible and nothing else - precludes winning the world! Is it possible that we are preparing a ministry for a past generation? How shall we defend our Faith in view of the comprehensive, satanic attack on biblical revelation? The areas which call for immediate attention by all concerned N.T. Christians are: 1. A Philosophy of Language which sustains the theistic view of language which is necessary for a defense of propositional revelation. The dominate thrust in the rapidly developing field of Linguistic is naturalistic. If this view of the nature and origin of Language is correct a special revelation from God to man is impossible (we need a thorough understanding of Semantics - problem of meaning); 2. A Christian View of History (A Christian Theology of History) which understands and answers all species of naturalistic, humanistic views of history, the articulation of a Christian-theistic view of a historical fact, historical causation, problem of verifying or falsifying any given assertion about historical reality; 3. Philosophy of science (concepts of cause, explanation, fact, etc.) Courses in these three areas should replace the traditional apologetic materials still being taught in our Bible Colleges. The traditional courses are powerless before the contemporary mind, and do not prepare the student to defend the faith against the barrage of attacks, verbal and inscribed, coming from the pens of the contemporary critics of biblical Christianity, and its claim to a special revelation.