THE HEAVENLY MULTITUDE PRAISES AND WORSHIPS GOD: 4 HALLELUJAHS

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1 THE MARRIAGE SUPPER OF THE LAMB & THE GLORIOUS RETURN OF CHRIST JESUS In this chapter we come to the most exciting event in all of history! It is the most anticipated event Heaven and the most needed event on earth. This event marks the final end of the sordid affairs of mankind, bringing to an end the corrupt, perverse and selfish control man has had in this world and guaranteeing that Babylon the Great will never rise again. It is the event that all creation has been groaning for and every believer has been longing for the glorious return of Jesus Christ to destroy the works of Satan and defeat Satan s man the anti-christ and his armies. In so doing Jesus Christ will claim His rightful Lordship over the earth that He created and set-up His kingdom to reign as LORD of lords and King of kings. In the process there will be a gruesome feast, called the Supper of the Great God, that the scavenger birds will partake in [perhaps the same ones mentioned in Rev. 18:2]. In the aftermath of the War at Armageddon they will eat the flesh of dead bodies of men from every class of society and also the flesh of horses used by military troops [vv ]. Comparing the events occurring in this chapter with those in previous chapters show us that great tribulation [ as the world has never seen before or will ever see again ] must first take place before true and lasting peace can come to this earth. This great tribulation is accompanied by the destruction of the world s corrupt religious, social, political and economic systems referred to as MYSTERY BABYLON THE GREAT: MOTHER OF ALL HARLOTS. The storm comes before the calm; darkness comes before the light and great tribulation before everlasting peace. Although many have tried to bring perfect peace and order on earth, there has never been and there will never be a utopia on earth 1 that is, until the LORD Jesus Christ returns! But there is also something else just as thrilling here the MARRIAGE SUPPER OF THE LAMB! In contrast to the world s prostituted worship system [which is called Babylon the Great: the Mother of all Harlots ] the Church, the Bride of Christ, gets to enjoy the Marriage Feast in Heaven and forever be wed to with her Lord and Savior the Lamb of God Jesus Christ! This CHAPTER can be divided into two main parts: HEAVENLY PRAISE AND WORSHIP & the MARRIAGE SUPPER OF THE LAMB (verses 1-10) EARTHLY RETURN OF CHRIST JESUS & the WAR AT ARMAGEDDON (verses 11-21) REV. 19:1-3 THE HEAVENLY MULTITUDE PRAISES AND WORSHIPS GOD: 4 HALLELUJAHS [1 After these things I heard a loud voice of a great multitude in heaven, saying, Alleluia! Salvation and glory and honor and power belong to the Lord our God! 2 For true and righteous are His judgments, because He has judged the great harlot who corrupted the earth with her fornication; and He has avenged on her the blood of His servants shed by her." 3 Again they said, "Alleluia! Her smoke rises up forever and ever! ] After these things [Gk. meta tauta ] is a common expression in the book of Revelation and it was first encountered in Rev. 1:19 speak of the things to come..after these things. What things? After the Church things in Rev. 2 3; that is, after the Church is caught-up to Heaven by Jesus Christ. {ref. 1 Thess. 4:13-18; 1 Cor. 15:51-58}. This expression is very important to the progression of prophecy in this book. 1 The word utopia is a name for an ideal community, taken from the title of a book written in 1516 by Sir Thomas More describing a fictional island in the Atlantic Ocean, possessing a seemingly perfect sociopolitico-legal system. It is interesting to note that the word utopia is derived from the Greek; atopos, meaning literally not a place indicating perhaps that Sir More did not really believe such a place could literally exist in our world. -1-

2 The next occurrence of this expression is found right after the letters to the seven churches are described in Rev. 4:1. This marked a transition in John s vision from earth to Heaven and symbolically represents the catching up, or Rapture, of the Church. The voice speaking sounds like a trumpet and Paul tells us in 1 Thess. 4:16 that we will be called up to Heaven with..the trumpet call of God ; that is, His powerful voice. Ever since Rev. 4:1 there is a persistent chronological progression in the unveiling of prophecy in this book from one future [ after this ] event to another. Now the voices of a great multitude in Heaven join together as a vast Heavenly choir and in unison sing praise to the LORD of Hosts and worship Him. What an awesome sound that will be! In verse 1 we are told that they shout out a hallelujah which means praise you JEHOVAH ; that is, praise you the LORD! For good measure they repeat this in verse 3. Here are two of four hallelujahs that are found only here in the New Testament. The other two hallelujahs are found in verses 4 and 6. Perhaps this is because after the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ the next event will be His 2 nd Coming in power and glory and for that these hallelujahs are reserved. The first three of these four hallelujah chorus occur in rapid succession. There is no hesitation to sing praises and to worship the LORD. Note that the great multitude in Heaven repeats hallelujah. In verse 1 it was to acknowledge the greatness of the Lord God the Christian s God. Not the false god of some Beatles song. The second hallelujah in verse 3 is to acknowledge the righteousness and justice of God in judging the Great Harlot. John hears the great multitude of both Old and New Testament saints of the One True God, Jehovah, throughout all the centuries. These include all the martyrs which previously were told to wait a little while until others would be killed during the Tribulation {i.e., 5 TH SEAL of Rev. 6:9-11}. In the next verses we shall see that this Heavenly choir of praise and worship includes the 24 Elders and the 4 Living Creatures and an innumerable company of angels we were first introduced to in chapters 4 and 5 and Rev. 7:9-17. They will fall down before the throne and worship God who sits there and shout out, Amen! Hallelujah! This Heavenly choir will include you if you have trusted Jesus Christ to be your Lord and Savior. What a wonderful thing to look forward to! The way of salvation is straight-forward. What does it say? Rom. 10:8-11 tells us: The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart (that is, the word of faith which we preach): that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For the Scripture says, "Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame. -2-

3 Note the four great attributes ascribed to God giving ample reason as to why He alone is worthy of praise and worship. SALVATION there is no other God and Savior but Jehovah and salvation is in no other. See for example: Thus says the LORD, the King of Israel, and his Redeemer, the LORD of hosts: I am the First and I am the Last; besides Me there is no God. Isaiah 44:6. I, even I, am the LORD, and besides Me there is no savior. Isaiah 43:11 Who has declared this from ancient time? Who has told it from that time? Have not I, the LORD? And there is no other God besides Me, a just God and a Savior; there is none besides Me. Isaiah 45:21b. Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved. Acts 4:12 GLORY this refers to the unique splendor and majesty of God in that He is all-knowing, allwise, ever-present everywhere and commands the respect and worship of the Heavenly host. There is perfection in the LORD the result of which is to evoke joy and gladness among those who trust in Him. HONOR this refers to the exalted status of God which deserves sole respect and admiration. He alone is worthy for He rules with justice and His judgments are righteous and shows grace and mercy to all who call upon His Name. POWER this refers to God s awesome ability to bring into existence that which is not creating out of what we know as nothing. The LORD is all powerful for He calls into existence those things which are not. He alone has power over life and death; both temporal (here and now) and the eternal. He brings to life that which was dead. All these attributes belong to the Lord God. I hope He is your God for only in Him do you have a future and a hope. [.His judgments are true and just.] The complete and utter destruction of the false religious system and the godless political and economic systems of the world may seem overly harsh and unfairly cruel by some people s standards. However, in verse 2 we are reminded that God s decisions, that is His judgments, are both true and righteous; they are equitable and impartial and they have moral authority. To some when Jesus cast the Legion of demons into the pigs it is seen as both unnecessary and cruel to the animals (since they ran headlong into the Sea of Galilee and were drowned). But God has more perfect knowledge than we do and He is just and fair in all His dealings with us. The people who owned these pigs were apostate Jews who were ignoring the Law s prohibition against eating pork. So what were they doing raising these pigs which were deemed an unclean animal? Abraham asks a rhetorical but important question in Gen. 18:25 concerning the impending destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah; Far be it from You to do such a thing as this, to slay the righteous with the wicked, so that the righteous should be as the wicked; far be it from You! Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?" Of course He will. For the LORD s answer in the next verse says He would not destroy it if 10 righteous were living in the city. Of course we know He sent angels to warn Lot and his family to leave, but only he and his wife and two daughters heeded the warning. [Note it was not God s fault that Lot s wife turned to see the smoke of Sodom s burning and so became a pile of salt powder]. Deut. 32:4 declares that the God of truth is without injustice and that He is righteous and upright. -3-

4 We need to remember that this is God s universe; He created all matter and energy and devised the physical laws controlling all of it. And like it or not, He is in charge. The Heavens declare the glory of God as well as His righteousness the Psalmist says {Psalms 19:1; 50:6; 97:6}. God also created you and me in the sense that He designed the physical processes that allowed us to come into existence and it will be His standards that prevail. If you don t like this arrangement you might consider going out and starting your own universe, planet and the people to inhabit it. The apostate Church, the Great Harlot, deserved to be destroyed she had shed much blood by slaying a multitude of believers. God has avenged His servants, i.e., those who were martyred for their faith. The Great Harlot corrupted the entire earth with her false system of worship. There are no qualms in Heaven about this. The LORD and His saints will be vindicated in the end. The judgment and subsequent destruction of the world s corrupt religious system marks the final end of the sordid affairs of mankind, bringing to an end the corrupt, perverse and selfish control man has had in this world and guaranteeing that Babylon the Great will never rise again the smoke of her burning will be perpetual. There is praise and worship in Heaven over this for the LORD has been vindicated for He has finally avenged the shedding of innocent blood shed. Note that believers are not to, nor do they need to, avenge themselves. God will do that perfectly and in His time. We are told in God s word to wait patiently. Heb. 10:30-31 says, For we know Him who said, Vengeance is Mine; I will repay, says the Lord. {Deut. 32:35} And again, The Lord will judge His people [Deut. 32:36]. It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God. See also Ps. 94:1; Isa. 59:17; 61:2; 63:4 and Nahum 1:2. REV. 19:4-6 THE 24 ELDERS & 4 LIVING CREATURES PRAISE AND WORSHIP GOD [4 And the twenty-four elders and the four living creatures fell down and worshiped God who sat on the throne, saying, Amen! Alleluia! 5 Then a voice came from the throne, saying, "Praise our God, all you His servants and those who fear Him, both small and great! 6 And I heard, as it were, the voice of a great multitude, as the sound of many waters and as the sound of mighty thunderings, saying, "Alleluia! For the Lord God Omnipotent reigns! ] The last time we saw the 24 elders was in Rev. 11:16 and the last time we saw one of the 4 living creatures was in Rev. 15:7 where he was handing out the SEVEN BOWLS OF GOD S WRATH to seven angels. Now we see that they also join in on this massive worship of praise. They sing out Amen! and Hallelujah! meaning let it be so and praise Jehovah. The voice now emanates from the Heavenly throne inviting all those in Heaven to praise God; all His faithful servants and those who fear Him irrespective of their status in life; the small and the great. Since this voice comes from the throne, this is none other that the LORD Himself! And yet again John the mighty voice of the vast choir in Heaven, reverberating like a immense waterfall or loud thunder, shout out hallelujah and this time the reason is because the Lord God all-powerful reigns. I would say that is worth shouting out about. Previously it was mentioned how special the phrase praise you the LORD or hallelujah was in the New Testament. The phrase hallelujah occurs only four times and all of them are in the first six verses of this chapter! The first three hallelujahs are in response to the destruction of Satan s domain on earth and the destruction of the Great Harlot the prostituted system of false worship. -4-

5 The last hallelujah, in Rev. 19:6, is acknowledging that the all-powerful Lord God reigns as King of kings and Lord of lords HALLELUJAH! On the other hand, the word hallelujah occurs quite frequently in the Psalms, especially in Psalms with the last psalm ending in a crescendo of praise. But this should not be surprising because the book of Psalms is one awesome hymnal of praise. The voice of the Heavenly choir Director now invites all those who are God s servants, all that fear Him and have believed on His Name, regardless of the social status [ small and great ] they had in the world to praise God! Note that the Greek word for small here [ mikron ] can also refer to a very short duration of time even those who were babies and children when they died. Note that when believers are in Heaven they will have Jesus Himself present with them and they will have complete knowledge. Therefore, whereas pastors and teachers will no longer be needed, choir directors will still have a job because there will be a lot of praise and worship going on in Heaven! So in response, the great multitude of resurrected, glorified Christian believers as well as the angelic host sings out in unison with a mighty loud voice that reverberates throughout Heaven like the sound of a mighty rushing waterfall and peals of thunder the last of the four hallelujahs HISTORICAL NOTE: HALLELUJAH, FOR THE LORD GOD ALMIGHTY REIGNS! It is said that King George II [ ] upon hearing the Hallelujah chorus during the first performance of George Handel s Messiah oratorio [March 23, 1743] rose to his feet upon hearing the opening lines and remained standing for the duration of the piece. Royal protocol has always demanded that whenever the monarch stands, so does everyone in the monarch's presence. Thus, the entire audience stood too, initiating a tradition that has lasted more than two centuries. It is lost to history the exact reason why the King stood at that point, but the most reasonable explanation is that it was in recognition of the fact that his earthly kingdom was subservient to the Kingdom of Heaven. Since no one could remain sitting as long as the King stood the entire audience stood throughout the duration of the piece. As was and is the custom, one stands in the presence of royalty as a sign of respect. The tradition remains to this day of the audience standing for the Hallelujah chorus even if there is no royalty physically present although interestingly enough, Heavenly royalty is. The Hallelujah chorus clearly places Christ as the King of Kings and in standing one is acknowledging that fact. The Hallelujah chorus is comprised of verses from Rev. 19:6; 11:15; 19:16: Hallelujah, hallelujah, for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth. The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ and he shall reign for ever and ever; KING of kings, and LORD of Lords. However, no matter how wonderful Handel s hallelujah chorus is when it is sung on earth; it will pale into obscurity when the real hallelujah chorus is sung in earnest by the Heavenly multitude after the destruction of the world s false worship system [the Great Harlot ] and after Jesus Christ defeats the anti-christ s army at Armageddon and sets up His rule on earth. There will come a day when the following praise will ring out: "ALLELUIA! FOR THE LORD GOD OMNIPOTENT REIGNS! -5-

6 Finally, in these four hallelujahs anticipate the MARRIAGE SUPPER OF THE LAMB. The table has been made ready, the guests have been invited and there will be marriage feast celebrating the joining of Jesus Christ with His Church. REV. 19:7-8 THE MARRIAGE SUPPER OF THE LAMB [7 Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready. 8 And to her it was granted to be arrayed in fine linen, clean and bright, for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints.] However, before the MARRIAGE SUPPER OF THE LAMB takes place, the bema seat judgment of Christ probably takes place. Paul describes this in 1 Corinthians 3:9-15 and 2 Corinthians 5:7-10. The discussion related to the nature and purpose of this judgment can be found in the Revelation 22:12-16 study notes of this series. So here the believers blessed hope is culminated with gladness and rejoicing and there is more praise and worship. Glory and honor are due to the LORD for He going to take His bride, the Church, for His own. The MARRIAGE SUPPER OF THE LAMB should properly be understood in the context of the Jewish culture. In the system during John s day a typical Jewish marriage had six stages. [The actual marriage ceremony occurs AFTER the betrothal period in a typical Jewish wedding.]. Refer to Table Table The Six Stages of a Traditional Jewish Marriage. STAGE ACTIVITY SPIRITUAL PARALLEL Father of groom selects a bride. Called by God, chosen in the beloved. 1 Initial Bride s price is negotiated. Blood payment for sins Arrangements Acceptance of contract by bride. After this a bill of Salvation by grace through divorce was required to end the contract. faith with no divorce! About 1 year waiting period to verify the purity of the bride and the commitment of the groom. Church is faithfully waiting for Jesus Christ. Bride waits and prepares herself, remains pure Believer to be holy even as Jesus is holy. Engagement/ Groom prepares the bridal chamber & future Jesus Christ is preparing a 2 Betrothal home place for us Only the Father knows the Father determines when the wedding takes place day and hour. Jesus Christ s second 3 Getting the Bride The groom personally comes to get the bride. coming for the church, his bride; Resurrection of believers 4 Wedding Ceremony Wedding vows spoken. Praise & worship in Heaven 5 Marriage Supper Usually lasted 7 days. Occurs in heaven during the last 7 year tribulation period; or may coincide with the 1000 year reign of Jesus 6 Future Home The groom takes his bride to their own home. The New Jerusalem becomes the eternal home of all believers. Scripture Notes: Matthew 1:19; John 3:29; 14:1-3; Matthew 24:26; 25:1-13; 2 Corinthians 11:2; Ephesians 5:25-32; 1 Peter 1:

7 Who is invited to the MARRIAGE SUPPER OF THE LAMB? All are but not all accept the invitation a personal invitation written with the blood of Jesus Christ! See for example John 3:15-17; 2 Pet. 3:9; 1 Tim. 2:3-6; 1 Pet. 1: Do all accept this invitation that is, believe? Unfortunately, no! {Acts 28:24; Rom. 10:16}. See also John 3:18 and 2 Cor. 4:3-4. Who will enter in to enjoy this Heavenly marriage feast? Although some Bible expositors make a distinction between Old and New Testament believers here [e.g., J. Vernon McGee], I m not so sure that only New Testament believers are included in the MARRIAGE SUPPER OF THE LAMB. It is true that O.T. believers never lived to hear the Gospel message of the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ as both payment for sin and justification for salvation. Nevertheless, they were awaiting Joshua Messiah and they definitely had the concept of the Gospel. Isaiah 53 tells about a suffering Messiah and verses 5-7 especially describe the reason why. Refer also to Psalms 22, especially verses 1, 7-8, 16. Although it does say in 1 Thess. 4:16 that..the dead in Christ are caught up first indicating only N.T. believers are caught up to Heaven; it is also recorded in John 8:56 that Jesus said..abraham rejoiced to see my day and he saw it and was glad in John 8:56. How did Abraham living almost 2000 years before the Messiah s incarnation see Him? This occurred in type when Abraham was willing to sacrifice his only son but then rejoiced when the LORD provided a substitutionary sacrifice, a ram {Gen. 22:1-14}. Therefore I believe that all believers, both O.T. and N.T., are included in the MARRIAGE SUPPER OF THE LAMB. If they are not, it would mean that the O.T. believers are not resurrected at the Rapture and so would still be Sheol/Hades in Abraham s bosom (refer to Luke 16:19-22}. They would then not be raised up until the end of Jesus Christ s 1000 year reign on earth at the Great White Throne Judgment {Rev. 20:11-15} when the dead in Sheol/Hades are raised up. But I believe the dead O.T. believers are already in Heaven having gone there with Christ at His ascension along with the dead N.T. believers when it is said that He took those who were prisoners in the grave [ lower parts of the earth ] captive into Heaven with Him. Refer to Eph. 4:8-10. This is another testimony to the grace of God and the fact that He shows no partiality among those who have put their faith and trust in Him regardless of when they lived. Only those who have on the appropriate wedding garment: See Matthew 22:9-14. It is those who... washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb Revelation 7:14. Earthly marriage is a picture of the marriage of Christ to His church. In Eph. 5:22-33 the relationship that Jesus Christ has with the Church, the Body of believers, is given as the model in the relationship of a wife with her husband and a husband with his wife. Wives are to respect their husbands even as each believer is to respect Jesus Christ. Husbands are to love their wives as Christ loves the Church and Who gave Himself for her. Husbands are to be willing to do what it takes, what is necessary, to secure the marriage relationship. In this way the husband sets his wife above all others and protects her from that which would harm and defile her but she [as with the Church] must be willing to accept that authority. A wife who is outside the authority of her husband can expect to be in danger. The success of this relationship is presupposes that the husband also keeps himself pure and remains faithful only to his wife. -7-

8 The bride is arrayed in fine linen ; clean and bright white 2. We are told here that these fine linen garments represent..the righteous [acts] of the saints. Note that the Greek word [3588: toón ] translated acts or deeds in most English translations really should be translated the or these as it is elsewhere in the New Testament. So this verse should read And to her it was granted to be arrayed in fine linen, clean and bright, for the fine linen is the righteousness of the/these saints. What exactly could this mean? One thing is for sure, this righteousness cannot be the believer s own. For Isaiah 64:6 tells us that..we are all like an unclean thing, and all our righteousness acts are like filthy rags; we all fade as a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away. Perhaps the righteousness does not refer solely to the 'saints' themselves. Although believers can and do righteous acts it is the state of righteousness referred to in this verse. It is the Source of the righteousness that it is talking about here. The credit for these righteous acts belongs to God Himself as the following scripture testifies: Rom. 3:21-22; 4:5; 2 Cor. 5:21; Gal. 3:6; Eph. 4:24 and Phil. 3:9. Note the character of the Church, Christ s Body. She is arrayed in fine linen, clean and white representing the garments of Christ s righteousness. Let every Christian never forget who he/she is in betrothed to we are engaged to a wonderful Fiancée and we need to act accordingly. The prophet Jeremiah puts it in the form of a question to wayward Israel: Can a virgin forget her ornaments or a bride her attire? Yet My people have forgotten Me days without number. Jeremiah 2:32. Let us NEVER forget to obey, honor and worship the loving, gracious and merciful LORD we are engaged to! There is a significant benefit to having righteousness assigned to us: even though a believer may at times not feel very saintly, his/her righteousness is not dependent on himself/herself. It is Jesus righteousness that remains in us forever {Rom. 10:1-4}! Saints can..be glad and rejoice.. with confidence in the fact that their righteousness comes from God and it will never fade away! This indeed is another reason for rejoicing; it is not our own righteousness but Christ s righteousness the saints are clothed with. 2 It is interesting to note that God instructed the Jews to..make the tabernacle with ten curtains of fine woven linen and blue, purple, and scarlet thread; with artistic designs of cherubim you shall weave them. {Ex. 26:1}. Also, the priests that ministered in the Tabernacle [and later the Temple] were to wear garments made of fine woven linen {e.g.; Ex. 39:2, 27-29; Lev. 16:10}. This would be cooler than wool because the LORD did not want any of His servants to sweat while carrying out the duties of spiritual ministry! Matter of fact, the LORD made a special prohibition against anyone wearing garments made of both linen and wool and the same time! {Lev. 19:19; Deut. 22:11}. Note that Jesus dead body was wrapped in linen after it was taken down from the cross -8-

9 REV. 19:9-10 THE JOY & GLADNESS OF THE SAINTS [9 Then he said to me, Write: Blessed are those who are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb!' And he said to me, These are the true sayings of God. 10 And I fell at his feet to worship him. But he said to me, "See that you do not do that! I am your fellow servant, and of your brethren who have the testimony of Jesus. Worship God! For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy. ] Blessed are those who are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb! is a wonderful statement. Why? Because the Lord God is true to His word and character! He promised that He would be preparing a place for each believer {John 14:1-4} so that they may ultimately be where He is. Jesus said,..i go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also. All those who have believed and put their trust and hope in Jesus Christ have a future appointment the clock is ticking down to the marriage feast! They have an irrevocable invitation, a reserved seat to attend the supper celebrating the marriage of the Church to the Lamb of God. What a marvelous time of joy that will be! The believer will not be disappointed, this event will take place for it is guaranteed by the true sayings of God, by the One who never lies and who never changes. Here too is the reminder that it is the Lamb of God s marriage supper. After all it is He who was slain from the foundation of the world {John 1:29}. This marriage supper could not take place except the precious blood of Jesus Christ had been shed on the cross so long ago. Now John is overwhelmed at the privilege of seeing this scene the marvelous MARRIAGE SUPPER OF THE LAMB. He is ecstatic and feels compelled to fall down and worship the angelic being who is showing him these things. However, John is sternly rebuked and reminded that he is only a fellow servant and part of the group that have and exclaim the testimony of Jesus the Savior. If this angel had been Satan, he would have welcomed John s worship for his pride and arrogance would have demanded it. Sometimes a believer is put into a position where he/she is artificially elevated position or is around people who have so much respect for them that there is a desire to exalt them to a position far beyond what is reasonable. A Christian needs to resist and avoid this subtle temptation to be worshipped. For in it is the attitude of the devil. A Christian is to remain humble all of the time. The Bible teaches us that the first will be last and the last will be first {Matt. 23:11-12; Lk. 22:25-27}. Jesus said that he who wants to be greatest or first must be servant of all even as He came to server and to be served. Refer to the parable of the Ambitious Marriage Feast Guest in Luke 14:7-11. We learn something very special about prophecy here: The testimony of Jesus [i.e., the Gospel message] is the spirit of prophecy. That truth should settle the argument among some Christians about whether or not the study of prophecy is a worthy of a believer s time and attention! REV. 19:11-14 THE GLORIOUS 2 ND COMING OF CHRIST JESUS [11 Now I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse. And He who sat on him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war. 12 His eyes were like a flame of fire, and on His head were many crowns. He had a name written that no one knew except Himself. 13 He was clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God. 14 And the armies in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, followed Him on white horses.] -9-

10 In Rev. 4:1 a door to Heaven is opened and John hears a voice (of God) saying, Come up here, and I will show you things which must take place after this and he is immediately caught up to Heaven in the spirit. Then Heaven was opened to allow for an entrance. In the future Heaven will be opened for a grand exit. At His First Coming Jesus entered the world through a womb but now at His Second Coming He re-enters the earthly scene through a Heavenly door. After the MARRIAGE SUPPER OF THE LAMB the stage is set for the return of Jesus Christ, the King of kings, Lord of lords. Heaven is once again opened and the Lamb of God appears to set-up His kingdom on earth and He is riding a white horse. However, unlike the great pretender to the throne (the anti-christ) we saw at the opening of the 1 ST SEAL {Rev. 6:1-2} who goes forth to conquer with false peace ; Jesus Christ the rightful heir, goes forth in judgment to make war against His enemies. The anti-christ will come conquering with a bow empty of arrows {Rev. 6:2} but in contrast to this we shall see in the next verse that Jesus Christ will come conquering with a sword that proceeds from His mouth! These who live for the flesh and in the flesh scoff sarcastically saying, Where is the promise of His coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of creation {2 Pet. 3:3-4}. But to their shame they are ignorant of the timing and the ways of the LORD. All those who mock Jesus 2 ND COMING {2 Pet. 3:3-7} will be silenced in the Day He returns. And what a glorious Day that will be! In the book of Acts we are told that in the manner Jesus left this earthly realm so too in similar manner will He return {Acts 1:10-12}. That promise is prophesied in Zech. 14:4 and will become reality at a future date. Unfortunately, then it will be too late for those who have mocked this event for the LORD will return as a thief in the night {1 Thess. 5:1-3}. The One who is riding this white horse is called Faithful and True and the only one who is worthy of these titles for He is God. We have already seen these attributes ascribed to Jesus in Rev. 3:14 in the context of the church at Laodicea. He is FAITHFUL because He will always keep His Word. He is TRUE because He never lies and there is never any deceit {2 Tim. 2:13; Ti. 1:2; Heb. 6:18}. Nor will He ever change of His ways {Mal. 3:6; Heb. 1:12; Jam. 1:17}. The LORD is the same yesterday, today and forever! {Heb. 13:8}. Note that when the LORD judges and makes war He is right in doing so. There is no debate, no argument no appeal to a higher court in His righteousness He will accomplish His plans. [His eyes were like the flame of fire..] We first saw this Godly attribute back in Rev. 1:14 in keeping with the principle that judgment begins first in the house of the LORD. There the description was given in the context of Jesus walking amongst the churches and judging them. Here it occurs in the context of judging the world for its wickedness and rebellion against God s standards. Peter writes, For the time has come for judgment to begin at the house of God; and if it begins with us first, what will be the end of those who do not obey the gospel of God? {1 Pet. 4:17}. Fire is used to purify and cleanse by destroying that which cannot survive its application. What does survive is more concentrated and has increased in value [e.g., gold, silver, production of steel from iron and carbon]. So too will Jesus 2 nd Coming have this effect. -10-

11 When king David conquered the Ammonites he put the crown of the vanquished king on his own head in addition to the crown he already had {2 Sam. 12:30}. When the Greek general Ptolemy entered Antioch, he set two crowns upon his head, the crown of Asia and the crown of Egypt {1 Macc. 11:13}. The Popes wear a triple crown, emblematic of three sovereignties [religious, political, martial] united in one. The Dragon has seven diadems on his seven heads, as the possessor of the seven great world-powers; Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece, Roman and the kingdom of the Beast {Rev. 12:3}. The Beast has ten diadems on his ten horns, as combining the sovereignties of ten kings {Dan. 7:24; Rev. 13:1; 17:12}. In all these cases the accumulation of crowns expresses accumulated victory and dominion. It is the same when Christ comes against the Beast and his confederates as the mighty conqueror over all the nations. Christ is wearing many diadems 3, the ornamental bands (or tiaras) worn by kings, indicating His status as King of kings and Lord of lords. He will be sole ruler over all the nations of the earth. Everyone else who has ever lived or will ever live will never be successful at doing this no matter how powerful and intelligent they are or how hard they may try. All others are miserable and pathetic imitators who died and whose kingdoms were in turn conquered by others. Only the One who is full of wisdom, riches, strength, salvation, glory, honor and power {see verse 1} is worthy of worship and will ultimately reign over the whole earth. He will never die and His kingdom will never end {Ps. 45:6; Isa. 9:6-7; Dan. 2:44; 4:34; Lk. 1:32-33; 1 Cor. 15:24-25; Heb. 1:8; Rev. 11:15}. Alexander the Great weep because he thought there were no more kingdoms to conquer. But the Chinese, African and South American empires remained illusive to him. Christ comes from Heaven as the One anointed to rule over all the kingdoms of the earth as his rightful due and possession. In this passage of scripture (including verse 16) Jesus Christ is given four names that J. Vernon McGee has associated with the four Gospels. He believes that the unknown name is represented in the Gospel account of Luke where Jesus is presented as the son of man but remains unknown because He is rejected. Refer to Table Table Associations of the Gospels with the Titles of Jesus in. Title Gospel Attribute v. 16 King of kings, Lord of lords Matthew Messiah, the King v. 11 Faithful and True Mark Faithful Servant v. 12 Name that no one knows Luke Son of Man v. 13 Word of God John Son of God/Living Word There is a name written on Christ that no one knew except He Himself. Where the name is written is not revealed. John sees this name but its meaning is known only to Jesus Himself. 3 diadem [1238 diadema (dee-ad'-ay-mah)] (a) A blue band marked with white which Persian kings used to bind on the turban, (b) a gold, gem studded tiara. -11-

12 There have been several interpretations of what this means based on the usage of the Greek word oiden [ eido ] which is usually translated saw or seen. Some take the obvious meaning that there is a name that is unknown among men and angels that is His alone; all that is known is that Jesus has this name and only He can see it. Others believe that the name is known but its intended meaning is unknown. Some believe that it refers to the fact that there was a time in pre-history when His name was only known in Heaven the great I Am. Still others believe that this expression refers to the fact that this name is unknowable by flesh and blood except it be revealed by the Spirit of God as when Peter confessed that Jesus is the Christ {Matt. 16:13-17} after being asked, Who do you say that I am?. If the latter interpretation is correct, then the name written may very well be the one revealed in the very next verse: the WORD OF GOD. The significance of the name that no one knew except Himself is illustrated by the statement made in John 1:10-11; He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him. The point is that His name has been declared to the nations but individuals still refuse to believe in Him and so remain ignorant of His Name. However, the Bible reveals enough about who the LORD is to make an informed decision to believe in His name. When Paul was preaching on Mars Hill in Athens he was brought before the philosophers debating there {Acts 17:17-25}. Paul was amazed at the numerous statues of gods being worshipped by the men of Athens. To avoid offending any god they may have inadvertently forgotten, one of the statues was dedicated TO THE UNKNOWN GOD. But Paul used this to proclaim the One they were worshipping without even knowing Him! Some of those who heard about the resurrection mocked, while others were willing to hear more at a later time; but thankfully others believed {Acts 17:32-34}! There are things that can only be known if they are revealed to us by God {Matt. 16:17; 1Cor. 2:10-16}. There is no other Name under Heaven whereby a person must be saved {Acts 4:12}. Has Jesus Christ been revealed to you? Is He become your Lord and Savior? If not, today, right now you can know Him and be saved from the effects of your sin you can avoid everlasting judgment by simply believing in His Name. The Gospel message is given in 1 Cor. 15:3-4;..that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures. What does the Bible say about how to be saved? Romans 10:8-11 says; The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart (that is, the word of faith which we preach): that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For the Scripture says, "Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame." -12-

13 Note that the robe that Lord Jesus wears as He is riding this white horse is dipped in blood. The Geek word translated dipped is derived from the same word for baptize. In other words the robe was soaked or dyed in blood. Whether the whole garment was such or only the hem of the robe we are not told. Many commentators believe that this will be blood from those who are killed in the BATTLE OF ARMAGEDDON [whose blood will be splattered up to the height of the horses bridles; Rev. 14:20]. But at this point Jesus Christ is in the process of coming from Heaven to the earth and the battle has not yet been engaged. Therefore, I believe that this is referring to His Own blood! And this would be appropriate since all the other attributes ascribed to Him are His alone. The blood stained robe is a steadfast reminder of the great cost of the sacrifice made for our sins which secured our redemption from the death of sin. It is a stark reminder that we have been redeemed by the precious blood of the Lamb of God, Jesus Christ! See for example 1 Pet. 1:18-19; Titus 3:3-7. It is also a reminder that..without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sin. {Refer to Rom. 5:9; Eph. 1:7; Col. 1:13-14; Heb. 9:22, 28} The application of blood speaks of atonement the payment for and the forgiveness of sins. The Jews were told to smear the blood of a lamb around the door jams of their homes so that the death angel would pass-over them {Ex. 12:22}. The Ark of the Covenant used to be sprinkled with the blood of a goat or lamb once a year on the Day of Atonement {Lev. 16:15; 23:27}. In similar fashion, the garment of the returning Messiah is dipped in His own blood! The wrath of the Lamb {see Rev. 6:16-17} is consecrated by the blood of the Lamb which insures the saint s victorious testimony {}. To make it unquestionably clear the identity of the One riding on this white horse is explicitly revealed as He is called the WORD OF GOD. This of course can only be referring uniquely to the One and Only Son of God, the Lord Jesus Christ {see John 1:1-14}! The Greek word for word here is logos and refers to communicated knowledge of information. Logos represents a word spoken, speech, eloquence, doctrine and reason or the process of reasoning. Therefore, as used here it signifies that Jesus Christ is the express representation and communication of God to man! The Word of God speaks of Jesus being the..way, the truth and the life and that no man can come to the Father God except through Him. See for example John 14:6-9 and Col. 1: The apostle John {Jn. 1:1} tells us that In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God and that {Jn. 1:14}..the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. 4 Literally translated, dwelt among us, means that God pitched His tent with us fulfilling another name He is called, IMMANUEL, God with us. John s writings are the only ones that refer to God this way. But the most wonderful thing about all this is, But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. {Jn. 1:12-13}. 4 The Word became flesh and pitched His tent with mankind. God became incarnate in the flesh as the person of Jesus Christ to save that which was in the flesh. This was necessary because only God could redeem mankind since He is without a sin nature. Jesus was the perfect, spotless, pure Lamb of God, slain from the foundation of the world. When Adam and Eve brought sin and death into the human race it did not catch God by surprise. He already had a plan to redeem man from a fallen state. Now, at the end of human history, His plan is reaching its conclusion. It will have been a long wait, but it will finally be completed with all remaining prophecy fulfilled. -13-

14 Although some very reputable Bible expositors take the armies in Heaven to be referring to the angelic host [e.g., J. Vernon McGee] I disagree. I take the armies in Heaven following Him on white horses to be referring to the redeemed saints because in Jude 1:14-15 we are told that Christ, the Lord, is returning with ten thousands of His saints to execute judgment. Also, they are clothed in fine linen, clean and white which is what the Church, the Bride of Christ, is wearing {v. 8}. Additionally, in Rev. 17:11-14 the ones who will return with the King of kings and Lord of lords are referred to as..called, chosen, and faithful. These are the characteristics of the redeemed believers comprising the Church! See for example Rom. 1:6; Eph. 1:4-5; Heb. 1:22-23; Jude 1:24. REV. 19:15-16 THE AWESOME POWER OF THE LORD JESUS CHRIST [15 Now out of His mouth goes a sharp sword, that with it He should strike the nations. And He Himself will rule them with a rod of iron. He Himself treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. 16 And He has on His robe and on His thigh a name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.] From the Lord s mouth proceeds a sharp sword and with it He will strike out at the nations assembled for the BATTLE OF ARMAGEDDON. We have also seen this attribute of Jesus Christ before in Rev. 1:16 and in Rev. 2:12 where it is used in context with the church at Pergamos (which had strayed from the teachings of God s Word). Is this speaking literally or symbolically? I think the most scriptural answer is that the sword here is figurative and refers to the WORD OF GOD. Ephesians 6:17 describes..sword of the Spirit, which is the WORD OF GOD. Hebrews 4:12 tells us, For the WORD OF GOD is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword.. He will only have to speak the words and the armies of the nations will be destroyed. This is the same One who spoke the Word to bring the Universe, the world and everything in it into existence! In Genesis 1:1-26 eight times God says, Let there be..and there was... What awesome power! Jesus Christ is coming in fulfillment of Old Testament prophecies which declare that when the LORD returns to judge the unrighteous He will tread out a winepress of the fierceness and wrath of God. See for example {Isa. 13:9; 63:1-4; Joel 3:13-14; Nah. 1:2-6}. We have already seen the details of this event before in Rev. 14:14-20 and it would be beneficial to read that passage in connection with this one to appreciate its significance. How will the LORD rule the nations? Not with a rod made of wood like a shepherd s staff but with a rod of iron. His will be a strong but just rule. No one will be allowed to get out of line and global peace will finally be a reality. This also is prophesied in the Old Testament. See for example Ps. 2:6-9. Finally we are told that the returning Messiah will have a name written across the vestment on His chest extending to His thigh, KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS. We first saw this title in Rev. 17:14 where this Name was associated with the LAMB in conflict with the anti-christ and the confederation of ten kings who make war against Him but are defeated. This is a title that only the Son of God is worthy of. The Messiah who suffered so excruciatingly is now returning as the victorious, all-reigning King of kings and Lord of lords Hallelujah! -14-

15 REV. 19:17-18 THE BATTLE HARVEST AT ARMAGEDDON [17 Then I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the birds that fly in the midst of heaven, Come and gather together for the supper of the great God, 18 that you may eat the flesh of kings, the flesh of captains, the flesh of mighty men, the flesh of horses and of those who sit on them, and the flesh of all people, free and slave, both small and great. ] An angel standing in the sun could refer to the angel being silhouetted with the sun behind him. People would be able to look towards the sun since it had been darkened and turned blood red at the sounding of the 4 TH AND 5 TH TRUMPET JUDGMENTS {Rev. 8:12; 9:2}. People s attention would naturally be drawn to such an imposing sight but they will only hear a prediction of horrific proportions. Those who will fight against the LORD during this time and instead trust in the arm of flesh (the anti- Christ and False Prophet) are going to be killed and their flesh devoured by scavenger birds! Rev. 14:15-20 adds the detail that their deaths will like that of a sharp sickle harvesting grapes and that their blood will be splattered up to the height of horses bridles. What a gruesome scene of carnage! The list of those whose dead flesh will be consumed by birds of prey; such as crows, vultures and eagles, will include people from all walks of like and social status. They will feast on a menu of political rulers ( kings ), military officers ( captains ), soldiers/warriors ( mighty men ) and their horses; as well as people from all walks of life; free men and slaves, the prominent individuals and also those of meager social status. Verse 21 will tell us that these birds become gorged on their flesh. These are those who refused to repent and turn to the LORD when they were given repeated opportunities to do so and now suffer the consequences of their sin and rebellion. Refer to Rev. 9:20-21; 16:11. This will be the climax of the awful time of GREAT TRIBULATION spoken by both the LORD Jesus Christ {Matt. 24:21; Mk. 13:19} as well as Daniel {Dan. 12:1}. For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be and.. there shall be a time of trouble; such as never was since there was a nation, even to that time. God sets before a sin-sick world, a world that is desperately searching satisfaction and peace; the way of life and the way of death, the way of salvation and the way of destruction {Jer. 21:8; Ez. 18:31-32; 33:11; Prov. 10:17; 1 Tim. 2:3-4; 2 Pet. 3:9}. The salvation that God offers knows no class distinction (although Jesus did say it would be difficult, but not impossible with God s intervention, for a rich person to be saved) for at the end of this book {Rev. 22:17} there remains a wonderful invitation; And the Spirit and the bride say, Come! And let him who hears say, Come! And let him who thirsts come. Whoever desires let him take the water of life freely. Who/what is the water of life? It s Jesus Christ for in John 7:38 He tells us; He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water. This is wonderful news because when it comes to salvation God is impartial; He is not ever a respecter of persons. But what we should never forget is that when it comes to judgment God is also impartial this is the power of His justice! All men who did not love the Truth but rather choose to believe Satan s lie and who preferred the pleasures of unrighteousness will be ultimately and impartially judged and destroyed regardless of their social status, education or financial portfolio! -15-