Revelation 19 tells us how Jesus will fulfill His promise.
When Jesus comes again, it will be as a husband coming for His bride… It will be a time of excitement and rejoicing such as you’ve never known or experienced before, because Jesus will be coming, just as He promised.
Illus: For example, the Bible teaches God is a loving heavenly Father, but if you happen to be un-fortunately enough to have a earthly father that was not loving it is difficult for us to understand how God the father is a loving heavenly Father.
With all the fouled up marriages today it is difficult to understand the great love the Lord has for the bride of Christ.
Illus: I heard about a woman said to her husband what would you do if I won a million dollars?
• He said, I would give you a half million and tell you to hit the road.
• She said, I just won $12.00 dollars from a scratch card, here is your half …hit the road.
The Lord Jesus loves His bride (Church) and one of these days He has promised his bride He was going to return to the earth and get his bride.
Illus: A small country church was holding a Revival and the building was packed. It was so crowded that night that they had to put up chairs everywhere, even up by the pulpit. The Evangelist was preaching about the 2nd coming of Christ that night and he had really was putting everything in this sermon. He was one of those fire and brimstone speakers that literally marched up and down the pulpit. And at one point of his sermon he leaned over toward the audience and shouted out Jesus’ promise: “I am coming soon!”
He marched up and down the stage some more and then leaned out again over the edge of the stage and cried out “I am coming soon!”
Several minutes went by and again he shouted out “I am coming soon!” BUT this time, he got tangled up in the microphone cord and lost his balance.
Tumbling off the stage, he landed on the lap of a couple sitting in the front row of chairs.
The husband looked at his wife and said: “Well, I guess we shouldn’t be upset. He warned us 3 times He was coming!”
Jesus, made a similar promise nearly 2000 years ago – “I am coming soon!” He’s made a promise and He intends to fulfill it at the end of time.
The first five verses show heaven's response to the judgment of the harlot.
Look at Revelation 19:1-5 And after these things I heard a great voice of much people in heaven, saying, Alleluia; Salvation, and glory, and honour, 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 his servants, and ye that fear him, both small and great.
Notice these words in verse 1, “And after these things...” is spoken in reference to the judgment of the great harlot which is SPIRITUAL BABYLON and COMMERCIAL BABYLON.
The Bible tells us HE HATH JUDGED THE GREAT HARLOT!
Now He is getting ready in Revelation chapter 19 and 20 to bring to a climax the Book of Revelation with the return of Christ to establish His Earthly Kingdom.
The multitude in heaven praises God for judging the great (Religious Babylon and Commercial Babylon, the harlot)
It is going to be a great day in the life of believers when the Lord Jesus defeat the DEVIL and remove him from our lives.
There is no wonder that we read at the beginning of Revelation chapter 19 these words, And after these things I heard a great voice of much people in heaven, saying, Alleluia; Salvation, and glory, and honour, and power, unto the Lord our God: For true and righteous are his judgments:
This chapter is one of the most dramatic chapters in all the Bible. In it, the Church returns with Christ in His Triumphal Second Coming (Rev. 19:11-21).
The people mentioned here are distinct from the other beings in heaven, for they are singing a song of salvation.
This scene incorporates believers:
1) The Old Testament saints,
2) The Church age saints,
3) The Tribulation saints.
Together they join this great chorus proclaiming "Alleluia!"
The scene now shifts from the earth where it has been since chapter 6, to heaven.
Now the scene totally changes to heaven. We hear the voices of the redeemed. This "great voice" here is because of the number of people speaking.
• These words of praise here are focused on the Lord Jesus Christ.
• The redeemed are the ones who are praising.
There is not enough adjectives in the dictionary to say enough about what Jesus has purchased for us all.
“After these things” – This section bridges the Tribulation and the millennial kingdom.
The word "church" (Greek ekklesia), appears nineteen times (in Revelation 1-3), and does not appear again until (Revelation 22:16), emphasizing the absence of the Church from the earth during the judgments of (Rev. chapters 4-19).
"I heard a great voice of much people in heaven":
• The people are the same with the 144,000 seen with the Lamb on Mount Zion (Revelation 14:1),
• And with those on the sea of glass, who had got the victory over the beast (Revelation 15:2), and are no other than God's covenant people, who are given to Christ, and made willing to be his in the day of his power.
It is said to be "great" partly because of their number.
Revelation 19:2 "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."
It appears that those who were redeemed were looking on from heaven and approving of the destruction of Babylon, because the Messiah was bringing justice and righteousness to the world.
There is a reassuring tone here telling the Lord that He was justified in His judgment. They have long waited for the time when God's justice would triumph. Now that time had come.
Revelation 19:3 "And again they said, Alleluia. And her smoke rose up for ever and ever."
“Smoke rose” speaks of the permanence of this judgment. This is just a statement telling us it will never be built again. Rev. 16 He said, IT IS DONE!
This destruction of the last, most powerful empire in history marks the end of man's days on earth. The rebellion that had begun in the Garden of Eden is finally ended. Never again will there be any more false religions, worldly philosophy, injustice or unrighteousness.
Revelation 19:4 "And the four and twenty elders and the four beasts fell down and worshipped God that sat on the throne, saying, Amen; Alleluia."
These twenty-four elders, these are representatives of the church.
Illus: Just like we have congressmen and women to represent us in Washington D.C, these represent the church around the throne of God.
“Four beasts”: These compose the same group as (in 7:11), and are associated with worship frequently (4:8, 11; 5:9-12, 14; 11:16-18).
Revelation 19:5 "And a voice came out of the throne, saying, Praise our God, all ye his servants, and ye that fear him, both small and great."
The speaker isn't identified but is probably an angel and refers to God as our God.
His instructions are to praise God. “Both small and great” The small and the great mean everyone which includes all human categories and distinctions. All redeemed are told to praise God.
Revelation 19:6 "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 thunderings, saying, Alleluia: for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth."
So vast is this group that they are without number. These are the faithful. When this great multitude begin to praise God, the volume would be so great as to sound like "mighty thunderings".
This is the only place in the Bible where the word "omnipotent" occurs. Omnipotent means almighty: having unlimited power.
Who this is?
Then we look at Him who "reigneth". This has no time element attached. It means continually reigns.
During the tribulation period the Anti-christ has been reigning, but now the REAL CHRIST REIGNS!!!
At this point the evil world system has been destroyed and God's kingdom has come into its fullness.
Revelation 19:7 "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."
• The heavenly praise continues, this time for a call for gladness, rejoicing and giving God glory because the marriage of the Lamb has come.
• This is in total contrast to the harlot Babylon who has not made herself ready. Here we see the chaste virgin (faithful to Jesus).
The strange thing to me, is that Jesus would even have us. We have been washed in His blood, and we have on our white wedding garment ready for the wedding.
I believe the word "Lamb" is used here, instead of one of the other names of Jesus, to show that we have been cleansed by His sacrificial blood.
In ancient times, a marriage was the single greatest celebration and social event in the biblical world. Preparations and celebrations were much more elaborate than those of today. And they also lasted much longer.
Revelation 19:8 "And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints."
“Righteousness of saints” That is, the Bride has made herself ready by being clothed with the righteousness of Christ.
Just as I said, these robes have been made white by the blood of the Lamb.
This "righteousness" was not ours until we received the Lord Jesus into our lives and took on His righteousness. Our own righteousness had been as filthy rags, but Jesus replaced the filth with His righteousness.
Just like, as many other places in the Bible, "her" does not mean just women, it is the bride. All believers in the Lord Jesus Christ are the bride of Christ, whether they are male or female.
I would like to say a few words about this "fine linen". In the tabernacle in the wilderness, the High Priest wore a very ornamented robe with a breastplate of all sorts of jewels when he represented God to the people; but when he went into the Holy of Holies, he wore pure white linen.
You see, all of the fineries of the world mean nothing to God. This tells us something about our approach to God. Salvation is simple. It is not complicated, just bare all to God. He knows all there is about us already. We do not have to pretend to be something we are not. He accepts us plain and simple.
The fine linen the bride is clothed in represents the righteous acts of the saints.
Revelation 19:9 "And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed [are] they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he saith unto me, These are the true sayings of God."
The participants of this incredible end time event will include the groom who is the Lamb – Jesus Christ and the bride who is the church.
Every person who is a member of the body of Christ will be there as the bride. The moment you accepted Christ as your Lord and Savior you became part of His Bride to be. This will be your wedding feast.
The third party invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb are the “Guests”.
Who are these friends or guests?
They will be the Old Testament saints such as Abraham, Issac and Jacob, Moses, Joshua, and David all who are in heaven, however, they are not part of the church, thus they are not the bride.
Hebrews 12:1 talks about them as a “great cloud of witnesses”. John the Baptist, one of the Old Testament saints, identifies himself as a friend of the Bridegroom. (John 3:29) All the believing dead from Adam until the resurrection of Christ will be guests at this wedding feast.
And so the Marriage Supper of the Lamb will be a magnificent end time event. Meanwhile, as we are celebrating at this great feast in heaven, the angels of the Lord are carrying out God’s judgments of the Great Tribulation on earth.
Revelation 19:10 "And I fell at his feet to worship him. And he said unto me, See [thou do it] not: I am thy fellow servant, and of thy brethren that have the testimony of Jesus: worship God: for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy."
“Fell at his feet”: Overwhelmed by the grandeur of the vision, John collapsed in worship before the angel.
“Do it not” (compare 22:8-9). The Bible forbids the worship of angels (Col. 2:18-19).
John here was so awed by all of this that he fell at this angel's feet to worship him. Then the angel quickly tells John not to worship him. Only God is to be worshiped (22:8-9; Acts 10:25-26).
“The testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy”. The central theme of both Old Testament prophecy and New Testament preaching is the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. The "testimony of Jesus" is what the whole Bible is about. Without Jesus, there would be no salvation.
• The Old Testament points forward to Jesus, beginning in Genesis.
• The New Testament is the "last will and testament" of Jesus, and to receive our inheritance, we must read the will.
Now we are going to change the subject and talk about the Battle of Armageddon.
Look at Revelation 19:11-21 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. 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 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. 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.
John sees another vision of Heaven, with similarities to the earlier visions starting at Revelation 1 and 4.
John sees a rider on a white horse who has a glorious appearance, and wonderful names; he is too powerful for his enemies to even begin their battle with him (Revelation 19:11-21)’
(1)The procession of Christ (Revelation 19:11-16)
In the vision of the four horses, the first was a white horse and its rider went out to conquer (Revelation 6:2).
Now again a white horse appears and its rider "wages war" against evil (Revelation 19:11).
HIS EYES - His "eyes like a flame of fire" show him to be the same person (Jesus Christ) whom John saw in the very first vision (Revelation 1:14).
HIS NAME IS CALLED - In this vision, John is made aware of four names for Jesus...
• Faithful and True (Revelation 19:11).
• A name which nobody knows except Jesus himself (Revelation 19:12).
• The Word of God (Revelation 19:13).
• King of Kings and Lord of Lords (Revelation 19:16).
The first name tells us that we can trust him; the second that he is God; the third that he explains God, the fourth that he has the highest authority over us.
A ROBE DIPPED IN BLOOD - This is a two-way symbol: we may think of this blood as Jesus’s own, shed for our redemption; but we may also take it to be the blood of his enemies (Revelation 19:13, Isaiah 63:1-6).
FINE LINEN WHITE AND CLEAN - The "armies of Heaven" who follow behind Jesus do not have blood-stained robes like his. (Revelation 19:14).
This shows us that Jesus is the only one authorized to judge, to redeem or to destroy. We can follow him as soldiers of Christ, but he alone takes responsibility and has the authority for treading out the winepress of God’s wrath.
A SHARP TWO-EDGED SWORD - This sign of a sword coming out of his mouth is another mark showing this horseman to be the same person (Jesus Christ) whom John saw in the very first vision(Revelation 19:15, Revelation 1:16).
The sword coming out of the Lord’s mouth is a sign for the word of God ( Ephesians 6:17, Hebrews 4:12). Jesus has ultimate authority — he is called "the Word of God" (Revelation 19:13).
It is a happy accident that in English “word” is within “sword”.
ROD OF IRON - This sword is an "iron rod" (Revelation 19:15) by which Jesus shepherds and rules the nations of the world (Revelation 19:15). His is a rule of iron far stronger than that of the iron kingdom of Rome which ruled the world in John’s time (Daniel 2:31-35).
(2) THE SUPPER OF WRATH (Revelation 19:17-18)
ANGEL IN THE SUN - [TRANSITION]
The visions now move from heaven back to earth, and an angel issues an invitation, "Come! Assemble for the great supper of our God" (Revelation 19:17).
GREAT SUPPER OF OUR GOD - Now this great supper of God is not the blessed "marriage supper of the Lamb" (Revelation 19:9).
This great supper of God is for the birds! They feast on the flesh of the dead after the battle between good and evil is won.
• The blessed marriage supper of the Lamb signifies the grace of God and eternal life.
• This supper for the birds signifies the wrath of God and eternal death.(Revelation 19:17-19).
(3) THE BATTLE OF FUTILITY (Revelation 19 19-21)
ASSEMBLED TO MAKE WAR - While John watches, the army of evil, led by the beast, gathers to make war against Jesus and his saints. Revelation 19:19 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.
No battle takes place. The army gathers, but its leaders are powerless; they are destroyed and all their defenseless armies are vanquished before they can strike one blow.
This victory before battle in the vision doesn't mean there's no battle between good and evil —there is! (Ephesians 6:10-13).
The battle in this vision is a humiliation to assure us that victory is a foregone conclusion.
Conclusion:
It is important to note in the battle of Armageddon the devil is defeated by Christ alone. We will have a ring side seat, but He alone defeats the devil.
