God Speaks
After this I heard the shouting of a vast crowd in heaven, “Hallelujah! Praise the Lord! Salvation is from our God. Honor and authority belong to him alone; 2 for his judgments are just and true. He has punished the Great Prostitute who corrupted the earth with her sin;[a] and he has avenged the murder of his servants.”
3 Again and again their voices rang, “Praise the Lord! The smoke from her burning ascends forever and forever!”
4 Then the twenty-four Elders and four Living Beings fell down and worshiped God, who was sitting upon the throne, and said, “Amen! Hallelujah! Praise the Lord!”
5 And out of the throne came a voice that said, “Praise our God, all you his servants, small and great, who fear him.”
6 Then I heard again what sounded like the shouting of a huge crowd, or like the waves of a hundred oceans crashing on the shore, or like the mighty rolling of great thunder, “Praise the Lord. For the Lord our God, the Almighty, reigns. 7 Let us be glad and rejoice and honor him; for the time has come for the wedding banquet of the Lamb, and his bride has prepared herself. 8 She is permitted to wear the cleanest and whitest and finest of linens.” (Fine linen represents the good deeds done by the people of God.)
9 And the angel[b] dictated this sentence to me: “Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding feast of the Lamb.” And he added, “God himself has stated this.”*
10 Then I fell down at his feet to worship him, but he said, “No! Don’t! For I am a servant of God just as you are, and as your brother Christians are, who testify of their faith in Jesus. Worship God. The purpose of all prophecy and of all I have shown you is to tell about Jesus.”[c]
11 Then I saw heaven opened and a white horse standing there; and the one sitting on the horse was named Faithful and True—the one who justly punishes and makes war. 12 His eyes were like flames, and on his head were many crowns. A name was written on his forehead,[d] and only he knew its meaning. 13 He was clothed with garments dipped in blood, and his title was “The Word of God.”[e] 14 The armies of heaven, dressed in finest linen, white and clean, followed him on white horses.
15 In his mouth he held a sharp sword to strike down the nations; he ruled them with an iron grip; and he trod the winepress of the fierceness of the wrath of Almighty God. 16 On his robe and thigh was written this title: “King of Kings and Lord of Lords.”
17 Then I saw an angel standing in the sunshine, shouting loudly to the birds, “Come! Gather together for the supper of the Great God! 18 Come and eat the flesh of kings, and captains, and great generals; of horses and riders; and of all humanity, both great and small, slave and free.”
19 Then I saw the Evil Creature gathering the governments of the earth and their armies to fight against the one sitting on the horse and his army. 20 And the Evil Creature was captured, and with him the False Prophet,[f] who could do mighty miracles when the Evil Creature was present—miracles that deceived all who had accepted the Evil Creature’s mark, and who worshiped his statue. Both of them—the Evil Creature and his False Prophet—were thrown alive into the Lake of Fire that burns with sulphur. 21 And their entire army was killed with the sharp sword in the mouth of the one riding the white horse, and all the birds of heaven were gorged with their flesh.
Footnotes
- Revelation 19:2 sin, literally, “fornication,” the word used symbolically throughout the prophets for the worship of false gods.
- Revelation 19:9 the angel, literally, “he”; the exact antecedent is unclear. God himself has stated this, literally, “These are the true words of God.”
- Revelation 19:10 The purpose of all prophecy . . . is to tell about Jesus, literally, “The testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.”
- Revelation 19:12 A name was written on his forehead, implied.
- Revelation 19:13 “The Word of God,” literally, “The Logos,” as in John 1:1—the ultimate method of God’s revealing himself to man.
- Revelation 19:20 the False Prophet; see 13:11-16.
Source: The Living Bible: BibleGateway.com
We Respond
Reflection: The scene shifts to the throne room of Heaven where the fall of the evil, rebellious Babylon is being celebrated. Almighty God, His Son Jesus, and the Holy Spirit are being praised and glorified. Words cannot capture the joy and rejoicing taking place. The 24 Elders and the four Living Creatures join in the praise and worship. It is time for the wedding banquet of the Lamb and His bride. She is now cleansed and ready to wear the pure white garments of her beautiful wedding dress. This dress was made from all the good deeds done by the people of God down through the ages. The purpose of all teaching and prophecy is to tell people about Jesus, the Bridegroom. Then we see Jesus on a white horse. He has many crowns and banners or sashes with the names and titles “Faithful and True,” “The Word of God,” and “King of kings and the Lord of lords” written on them. All the evil armies of the earth gathered in the Holy Land and were dealt with appropriately by Jesus the Christ. The beast and false prophet were captured and thrown into the lake of fire. The remains of the slain have been properly disposed of by the birds.
Prayer: Dear Lord God Almighty, all glory, honor, authority, and praise belong to You alone. You are the source of all justice and truth. Amen! Hallelujah! Praise the Lord! The evil world system that Babylon represents will be (I declare by faith has been) defeated. The killing of innocent pre-born children, martyrs who died for their faith in Christ, and all who faithfully spoke God’s word and His truth are being avenged. Words cannot capture the joy and rejoicing I am feeling. All I can say is I love You, Sovereign Lord. Thank You for allowing me to be an active participant in both Your conquest over evil and the wedding banquet of the Lamb. May the good deeds Holy Spirit has enabled me to do find their proper place in the wedding garments of the Bride. AMEN
Action: (Ask the Holy Spirit, which one of these He wants you to work on or something else more personal that He points out.
- I will use an extensive concordance or other reference materials to compile a list of at least 20 names or descriptions of God.
- I will use an extensive concordance or other reference materials to compile a list of at least 20 names or descriptions of Jesus.
- I will use an extensive concordance or other reference materials to compile a list of at least 20 names or descriptions of the Holy Spirit.
- I will use these lists and take at least fifteen minutes to praise the Almighty, Triune God for who He is.
Share: I plan to share what I’ve learned with __________.