"True and righteous are thy judgments, O Lord." And so the first two inhabitants of Gehenna will be the antichrist and his prophet and they will be the soul inhabitants, it would seem, for a thousand years. 1 Thessalonians 2:17-20 Commentary. It will be interesting to find out. Who was it; Marx, that said, "Religion is the opium of the people?" The ambiguity springs from the fact that the testimony of Jesus can bear either of two meanings. shed by them. Return to Home Page union of the church with Christ following the Rapture (see 1 Thess. There is a contrast with the scarlet and gold of the great harlot. They lived, and were put therefore into a place and condition suitable for reigning with Christ, no less than the Old Testament saints and the church itself. Revelation chapter 19, beginning in verse number 1, the Bible reads "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". is a word to him that hears. That is, it is simply an expression of the homage that they pay. God said, "Light be," and light was. Here is most likely the multitude of the angels, first in the Te Deum of praise. "All three of the figures in this verse are representations of the word of Christ, by which he executes with indisputable authority the judgment of God. He speaks and it is done. small and the great mean everyone which includes all human categories and It was said of a great preacher: "First he listened to God, then he spoke to men.". The marriage symbolism runs all through the Gospels. It is not a righteousness of works. And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses ( Revelation 19:14 ). VERSE BY VERSE MINISTRY . Judgment is the inescapable consequence of sin. Literally "fierceness of the wrath". It is not the enjoyment of all, but it is the hinge on which all depends. but it does not follow that various bodies are not raised at different times. News Links, Recommended Books, News Sites, and Bibles A mysterious lawlessness inherits the well-known name of Babylon when Rome is brought forward; and it does not merely embrace Christian times, but the end of the age after the church has gone, when the course of divine judgment comes. And to her [that is the bride of Christ, the church] was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of the saints ( Revelation 19:8 ). It would have been incongruous to bring in that long description before, because this must have interrupted the flow of the prophetic stream. We have seen her connection with the beast; but there is a conflict coming. But when Christ and the church peacefully reign, such is the imagery that suits "a river of water of life, bright as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb. The antichrist and the false prophet are thrown into the lake of fire, signifying punishment from which there is no escape. It is hard to see how Roman city, or anything civil connected with it, could be called "mystery." It cannot be done till the moment comes. These compose the same group as (in 7:11), and are associated with worship "The second coming of Christ is an absolutely essential theme in New Testament theology. And when God does judge, it is not merely for the evil of those then judged, but of all from the first budding of it till that day. That is religion. Lord God: Used many times in Revelation as a title for God (compare verse 15, Who does not see that this is precisely analogous to the verse which opened the description of Babylon? occasion and the downfall of Rome, is said to be "great" partly because of their Old Testament prophecy and New Testament preaching is the gospel of the Lord But we as properly say, "Come." ", GOD'S WORD IN ACTION ( Revelation 19:13 ). We have already come upon two vast multitudes in heaven, the martyrs in Revelation 7:9 and the angels in Revelation 5:11. There is no uncertainty whatever in the case. "Praise our God," says the voice, "all you his servants, you who fear him." The particulars are reserved for a later point in this prophecy. It is plain that what the verse contemplates is neither the Roman power when there was one head of the empire, nor the eastern or Byzantine part of it after that partition, nor the western state of division under the kings who succeeded the deposition of Augustulus; for in the medieval state there may have been ten kings (in contrast with the ancient state of the beast without them but no beast or imperial system with its chiefs. This description of the warrior Christ comes from two Old Testament passages put side by side. They are not seen here as the bride. 19:11 And I saw heaven opened, and, behold, a white horse, and he who is mounted on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he judges and makes war. inhabitants of the Roman empire into wicked and idolatrous practices, and so His Word is "a two-edged sword." This is in total contrast to the harlot Babylon. remnant, a small company, when compared with the world and carnal professors; "And he that sat upon him called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war." on the other, she had, when she could, gone on increasing in both, until at last the blow of divine judgment came. THE AVENGING WRATH ( Revelation 19:14-16 ). That is to say, the heavenly saints are viewed still as the heads of the glorified priesthood, and also the executive in the administration of God's judgments. (function() { Verse By Verse Acts Through Revelation can be taken as capably as picked to act. Revelation 19:1-3. In my opinion it is not absolutely so. This is the Messiah of Jewish apocalyptic expectation far more than the Messiah whom Jesus claimed to be. There is therefore much to be said for the ]Protestant application of the chapter as compared with the Praetorist theory of pagan Rome. It is not the magnitude of each voice. (i) It can mean the witness which the Christian bears to Jesus Christ. (iii) He judges and makes war in righteousness. You have to accomplish certain works in order to be accepted by God. "And there came one of the seven angels which had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues, and talked with me, saying, Come hither, I will show thee the bride, the wife of the Lamb. So the marriage feast of the Lamb will take place here on the earth. . This is accordingly traced in our chapter with considerable detail, and with the sorrow and vexation of all the different classes who on the fall of Babylon groaned over her destruction, and the loss of their wealth and enjoyment. They will then treat her with contempt and shameful exposure. Here were joined good and evil in godless union, for the worse, not for the better, this alliance, unholy in principle, irremediable therefore in practice, between God and the natural man, who substitutes rites for the grace and word of God, for the blood of Christ, and the power of the Spirit, and employs the name of the Lord as a cover for grosser covetousness and ambition, yet more aspiring than the vulgar world. And he shall rule them with a rod of iron; use them with the utmost severity; the phrase is taken out of Psalms 2:9 a prophecy of Christ, and mentioned twice before in this book, Psalms 2:9- :. engagement. It means here that his enemies would be certainly crushed before him - as grapes are crushed under the feet of him that treads in the winevat. Revelation 19 The people in heaven praise God 1 After these things, I heard a sound like the voices of a great crowd of people in heaven. And God shall wipe away every tear from their eyes; and death shall be no more, nor sorrow, nor crying nor shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away. - CBSC. We will in that day when He returns and all of the vast military might of the world gathered and assembled together to destroy Him at His coming and He just speaks the Word and it is all over. A further account of the triumphant song of angels and saints for the fall of Babylon, ver 1-4. marriage is the eternal union of the church with Christ following the Rapture So, darkness covered the face of the deep and God said, "Let there be light," and there was light. But in this is shown what it is of importance to see the true nature of the kingdom or millennial reign. And they said Alleluia a second time; and her smoke goeth up unto the ages of the ages." It is of the seven in that point of view, because it is imperialism; but it is an eighth, because it has a diabolical source when raised up again. At his rebuke nations shall flee before him, And he shall reprove sinners for the thoughts of their hearts, There is a Rabbinic picture of the Messiah: "How beauteous is the king Messiah, who is about to rise from the house of Judah. Some ancient authorities insert two-edged, from the parallel passage in Revelation 1:16. This does not intimate we have seen that there is only one act of raising, but that all who share that resurrection, whenever raised, are raised before the millennium begins; so that when the reign of Christ takes place, all such have part in the first resurrection, including Christ Himself, raised at least 1800 years before the church; then the church, with the Old Testament saints; then these Apocalyptic saints at any rate some years after. It is the eternal state; and also, in fact, the fullest description of that state which is furnished in the Bible. For Christ has not only a supreme but an exclusive place. And I saw the beast and the kings of the earth and their armies assembled to make war with him who rides the horse, and with his army. Like when this guy was breaking up with his girl, he said, "Can I have one final kiss?" This being so, it adds immense clearness in the understanding of the book. That glorious prediction of breaking the serpent's head was the stay and support of the patriarchal age; and the many prophecies there were concerning the Messiah to come were the gospel of the Old Testament. One of our pastors, Imad, spent some time in the Egyptian jail. It is "His story". The mighty angel. I. He guards his people, allowing the wicked to exercise their power only within the limits that he has set according to his eternal plan. bring the climax of the Book of Revelation: the return of Christ to establish The church is heavenly; and in heaven there are no times nor seasons. He is urged to take up the same cry. It may well be that John intended the double meaning; and that we are meant not to choose between the meanings, but to accept both of them. Are we to infer from 1 Chronicles 21:12 what this sword will be? Then He is called the "True and faithful witness" in the third chapter of Revelation. That is why Christianity is successful. there is a son in the family, who, instead of being admonished by his father's wickedness, takes license from it to indulge the same. The description of the warrior Christ is further filled in. instead of one of the other names of Jesus, to show that we have been cleansed 1 Thessalonians 2:13 Commentary. Here we find the term "Alleluia" used really for the first in the New Testament and it is used four times here. It is not his own blood, but the blood of his enemies that he tramples as he tramples out the rebellious. Up till now the visions have mainly been concerned with the power of evil and the sufferings of believers. What confusion! It supposes the effect and the exercise of faith. "Hallelujah!" The Psalmist says of the Messianic king: "You shall break them with a rod of iron, and dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel" ( Psalms 2:9). the Lord Jesus Christ are the bride of Christ, whether they are male or female. "The tabernacle of God [is] with men, and he shall dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, their God. From his mouth there comes forth a sharp two-edged sword, so that with it he may smite the nations, and he will control them with an iron rod. It can govern and bless but not convert man. (John 5:24 compared with Romans 14:1-23 and 2 Corinthians 5:1-21.). Wheat and tares grow together till the process of judgment separates. It is suggested that it is on the skirt of his general's cloak, for that is where it would be easiest to read on a horseman. We shall find that the scripture affords much light to decide the true bearing of the prophecy, and that no application to the past can possibly satisfy the conditions satisfactorily. In other words, it is too He is saying (throw them out), they are not part of the elect. We must therefore look a little into the two objects Babylon and the beast. 10 million Ukrainians without power because of Russia. I do know that whatever He does will be absolutely fair. So far they were right. sounds like a massive crashing of waves. Revelation 2:27; Revelation 12:5; Psalms 2:9; Psalms 45). Verse 1 of the Revelation already shows God's intention: ".to show unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass". It will help to show us that, whatever may have been the past conditions of Babylon, there is a future one; and it is in that future one that Babylon is to perish. Smoke rose: This is because of the fire (compare 17:16, 18; 18:8-9, 18; We look at the vast universe in which we live, the material universe, and we realize that He created it. At the same time you will mark that these are not said to be executors of judgment as Christ is. Again this is a picture taken directly from the Old Testament, from Ezekiel's picture of the slaughter of the forces of Gog and Magog. The temple would suppose a medium. Therefore we find in connection with the book a most solemn warning. But whatever subsisted then, that which the Spirit here presents as a whole cannot be found realized at any point of time in the past. Reuchlin. But that idea is wholly insufficient to cover or meet the word of God, which gives clear and strong reasons that prove the mistake of applying this to the pope as its complete fulfilment. The pronoun he is emphaticHe Himself, by Himself, as is there expressed. So, I will be clothed in linen, pure and white and clean. God is praised because salvation, glory, and power belong to him. 4:13-18). called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb. "He has a name inscribed which no one knows but Himself." to heaven. "And no curse shall be any more: and the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and his servants shall serve him." 14 Let me just first emphasise again, On His robe where it spreads out at His waist HIS TITLE is inscribed. Such is God's account of Babylon the great. Past history therefore in no way suits the prophecy. Go to Next Section the great whore, which did corrupt the earth with her fornication, and hath (Matthew 28:19-20, Mark 16:15-16; sharp . Scripture is positive in Isaiah 65:1-25 that death during the millennium only comes as a specific judgment because of open rebellion. We do not have to pretend to be something we are Scripture and facts refute all such theories. event in the biblical world. Here were thrones, and people sat upon them, changed 'before this into the image of Christ's glory. Moral elements too were not wanting: the mystery of lawlessness had long been at work, though the enemy had not yet brought in the apostacy, and still less the manifestation of the lawless one. [3] In this chapter, heaven exults over the fall of Babylon the Great. the Bible). to Top Again and again the prophets thought of Israel as the chosen bride of God. What is the sword? It seems clear that the name is visible to all, and, therefore, probably the likeliest solution is that it was written on the skirt of the warrior Christ's robe, lying over his thigh, as he rode upon the white horse. What I judge, then, is that the guests, or those that were called to the marriage-supper of the Lamb, refer clearly to the Old Testament saints. God accounts my faith for righteousness. Just hope the Lord doesn't come Friday night. If you'd like to financially support VBVMI, please do so here. Ezekiel works out the whole picture most fully in Ezekiel 16:1-63. Directly he had sinned, the word of God came, and he was called. Praise in heaven. 11:2; Eph. Each page of scripture is from the King James Bible, and is immediately followed by . *It is the aorist in Greek, which in such a case as this it is difficult correctly to represent in English; for neither "reigned" nor "hath reigned" could convey that God had entered on His kingdom, but rather that it was past. Ephesians 6:17; smite the nations . stench and the potential for disease. For remark, the beast or Roman empire is described here as that which once existed, which then ceased to exist, and which assumes a final shape when it reappears from the bottomless pit. Of course they will be preserved through that crisis in some sort of way suitable to divine wisdom. Revelation 19:2 "For true and righteous [are] his judgments: for he hath judged We begin the description of the conquering Christ. The fine linen the bride is clothed in represents the righteous acts of the And there shall in nowise enter into it anything that defileth, nor making abomination and a lie: but only those written in the book of life of the Lamb." God. 3:12-15: 2 Cor. He has punished that great prostitute. "righteousness" was not ours until we received the Lord Jesus into our lives and This appears to mean the word of the Gospel, by which his enemies are confounded, and his friends supported and comforted. There was the sad register of undeniable sin on the one side; there was no writing of the name on the other side. The relationship of the Christian and Christ must be the closest in all life. This name used here, pertaining to our Lord, is a very strange one. I can hardly wait. So, He is coming to bring an end of man's rebellion. There are always those who are ready to challenge the fairness of it. In as many things as she glorified herself, and lived luxuriously, so much torment and sorrow give to her: for she saith in her heart, I sit a queen, and am not a widow, and I shall in no wise see sorrow.". The answer: because it's the final book of the Bible. His secret name indicates his unique authority (11-12). It has been remarked by another, and justly, that the expression "they shall be priests of God and of Christ" summarily puts out of court the interpretation that supposes a figurative resurrection.