Nazarene Commentary 2000©
Nazarene Apocalypse ©2000
CHAPTER NINETEEN:
THE LAMB’S MARRIAGE AND WAR
[“Newly Married and Off to War!”]
Key Word: Marriage
Theme Verse: 7
#463. A royal marriage in the manner of the ancient Middle East, a feast, takes place in heaven. The following describes great rejoicing in heaven by a Large Crowd we have seen in chapter seven. “Salvation” is their theme as they praise God for his judgments against Harlot Religion. The end of his ancient harlot spells a milestone in God’s rule as King of Eternity and this moment is captured in praise in verse 6. The Lamb’s Marriage proceeds as he is now joined in union with the entire body of his Church, from the first Apostles to the recently raptured remnant of Spiritual Israel. It is a moment of joy beyond description for the centuries old suffering of the Church has ended and the cause of all that slaughter on earth has been punished. The smoke of her flames still ascend, and while much of the earth mourns, the heavens are beside themselves with great joy.
Revelation 19:1-3 – Large Crowd Praise Vengeance
RV19:1 After these things I heard a great voice as of a Large Crowd
in the Celestialum, saying: “Alleluia!
[Psalm 104:35] The salvation,
the Glory, the Power of our God!
| 908 | Large Crowd: The Greek is OCHLOU POLLOU as at Revelation 7:9 and some believe them to be the same. |
| 909 | Alleluia: Or, Hallelujah, if it were written with a strong Hebrew bias. One can see the Hebrew word for “praise,” hallel; and a Greek form for the Name “Jehovah” but lacking the YHWH which was a problem with the Greek. |
| 910 | Salvation: Compare the salvation hymn at Revelation 7:10, evidence these are the same. |
RV19:2 Because His judgments are true and right.
[Deuteronomy 32:4] Because He judged the Great Harlot who corrupted the earth with her prostitution.
He avenged the blood of His slaves shed by her.”
[Deuteronomy 32:43]
| 911 | His judgments are true and right: Compare Revelation 14:8; Deuteronomy 32:43; Psalm 5:10. |
| 912 | He avenged the blood of His slaves shed by her: Compare Revelation 6:9-11. |
RV19:3 And a second time they sing: “Alleluia!
The
smoke of her [burning]
ascends
[Isaiah 34:10] throughout all future periods of time!”| 913 | Alleluia: The second. Hallelujah is the Hebrew transliterated from the Greek, but note the difficulty with the J(Y) and H. The tetragrammaton is lacking, YHWH. |
| 914 | The smoke of her [burning] ascends: Compare Revelation 14:11 and the source for the imagery at Isaiah 34:10. |
Revelation 19:4-5 – Praise God
RV19:4 And the 24 Presbyters and the 4 Living Creatures fell and worshipped The God,
the One sitting upon the Throne, [Isaiah 6:1] saying: “Amen!
Alleluia!”
RV19:5 And a voice from the Throne came forth, saying: “Praise our God, all His slaves, those fearing Him,
all His slaves, the small and great.” [Psalm 134:1]
| 915 | Those fearing Him: Compare Psalm 115:13, the source of the phrase. |
Revelation 19:6-8 – God’s Rule and Lamb’s Marriage
RV19:6 And I heard a voice of a Large Crowd,
and it was like
the sound of thunderous waters,
[Daniel 10:6] saying: “Alleluia! For YHWH our God has reigned.
[Psalm 93:1]
| 916 | Large Crowd: The Greek is OCHLOU POLLOU as at Revelation 7:9. |
| 917 | The sound of thunderous waters: Compare Revelation 14:2. This is the sound of the 144,000, the same as the Large Crowd. |
| 918 | YHWH our God has reigned: This form of praise occurred earlier at Revelation 11:17. Great events which mark milestones in the exercise of God’s sovereignty deserve a restatement of His rule. |
RV19:7 Rejoice and exult! We shall glorify Him because the
Marriage
of the
Lamb
arrived.
[2 Corinthians 11:2; Isaiah 53:7]
| 919 | The Marriage of the Lamb arrived: Final union with his Church upon the First Resurrection and the Rapture of his Saints. (2 Corinthians 11:2, 3; Ephesians 5:25) This marriage seems to occur following Babylon’s destruction, while the smoke of her burning city ascends the wedding festivities continue. The Lamb and his Church are to return for Armageddon. [Revelation 17:14] |
RV19:8 His Wife
[John 3:29] has prepared herself, enwrapped with fine linen,
bright and clean. For the fine linen is the righteousness of the Saints.”| 920 | His Wife: Or, woman. As in other languages the word “wife” is “woman” when possessed by a man. |
| 921 | Enwrapped with fine linen: Compare Revelation 2:17; 3:5; 7:9. |
Revelation 19:9 – Marriage Feast
RV19:9 And the Angel says to me: “Happy those who have been called to the supper of the
Lamb’s marriage.”
[Isaiah 53:7; Matthew 22:2]
| 922 | The supper of the Lamb’s marriage: The supper is the main part of a Jewish wedding. The word “marriage” occurs 54 times in the Bible with the first occurrence at Genesis 34:9, 12. Compare Matthew 22:10. |
THE LARGE CROWD IN HEAVEN
#464. Following the judgment upon Harlot Religion a Large Crowd is seen in heaven praising God for carrying out His single thought against Babylon the Great. This seems to echo that Large Crowd seen in Revelation 7:9-17. The Greek in Revelation 7:9 is ochlos polys and in Revelation 19:1, 6 it is ochlou pollou. The hymn is a salvation theme here just as it is at Revelation 7:10. The description of the sound (Revelation 19:6) parallels the 14,000. (Revelation 14:2) The general dress is the same. (Revelation 7:9; 19:8) For these reasons, some believe the two groups (Revelation 7:9; 19:1) to be the same; that is, the voices here described are, or at least include, those of Revelation 15:2. Following this, John makes one of his two mistakes.
Revelation 19:9-10 – WORSHIP GOD!
RV19:9 …And he continued saying to me: “These words of The God are true.”
| 923 | These words of The God are true: This is repeated at Revelation 21:5. |
RV19:10 And I fell in front of the feet of the Angel to worship him.
And the angel says to me: “Do you not see! I am your fellow slave! [I am] a slave of your brothers,
the Prophets,
those having the witness of Jesus. Worship The God!
For the witness of Jesus is what inspires the Prophecy.”| 924 | I fell in front of the feet of the Angel to worship him: Overcome in his emotions, John does this again a bit later at Revelation 22:8, 9. |
| 925 | A slave of your brothers: Compare Revelation 12:10. |
| 926 | Prophets: Christian prophets. (Revelation 22:9) Compare Acts 2:18; Ephesians 2:20. |
| 927 | Worship The God: The Angel of the Apocalypse in no way suggests worship of Jesus mentioned in the same breath. |
| 928 | The witness of Jesus is what inspires the Prophecy: Possibly this prophecy of the Apocalypse. “Jesus” is the source of the inspiration for the prophecy. |
#465. John himself is so overcome in his godly emotions that he makes the mistake of bowing before the angel. For this he is cautioned by the angel to worship only God. This angel acknowledges he is only a servant to those who have the Testimony of Jesus. The angel continues, “For it is the Testimony of Jesus which inspires prophecy.”
THE WAR AT ARMAGEDDON
#466. Having used the wild Sea Beast and the Ten Powers as His instrument to fulfill his single thought regarding that Harlot Religion, Babylon the Great, God now turns his attention to those political powers in what has been called after the place the Battle occurs, Armageddon. Following the brief mention of the celestial wedding festivities, it is time to address the other oppressors of humankind. Verse 11 through 21 describe this final conflict between the Lamb with his heavenly armies, which include the glorified Church (Revelation 17:14), and the wild Sea Beast, the Ten Powers, and the False Prophet. When reading this portion, note who are thrown into the Lake of Fire, the Second Death. The two symbolic abstractions of the wild Sea Beast and the False Prophet. Also note “the rest” of those among the kings and their armies are killed off, but not thrown into the Lake of Fire. Why? If these were thrown into the Second Death they could have no resurrection to their judgment as Revelation 20:12-15 describes. Also, what of the great numbers who worshipped the wild Sea Beast by its Image, and who did accept the commercial mark? Though earlier it had been stated they were not found written in the Lamb’s Book of Life, this does not necessarily argue that they are all destroyed.
#467. Revelation 9:15 had described the power of the Four Angels holding tight the Four Winds. It said only one-third of mankind would be killed during that appointed time known only by God. The millions who still reside on earth after this battle of Armageddon have something in store and that is described in chapter 20. But, first:
Revelation 19:11-16 – Lamb Rides to Battle
RV19:11 And I saw the Celestialum opened up
[Ezekiel 1:1] and look! a White Horse!
The One riding it is called Faithful and True. He
judges and wars in righteousness. [Psalm 96:13]
| 929 | White Horse: Compare Revelation 6:1, 2. |
RV19:12 His eyes are a flame of fire
[Daniel 10:6] and upon his head are many diadems. He has a Name written which only he knows.
The Name he is called is
“The Word of The God.”
[Psalm 103:20; 107:20; John 1:1]
| 930 | His eyes are a flame of fire: Compare Revelation 1:14. |
| 931 | A Name written which only he knows: Compare Revelation 3:12. |
| 932 | The Word of The God: Some feel John composed the Apocalypse first and then his Gospel. John 1:1 opens with a similar designation for Jesus during his pre-existence. It is very clear throughout the Apocalypse that the Word and The God are two separate beings. The Greek here is HO LOGOS just as John 1:1. |
RV19:13 He is enwrapped in an outer garment sprinkled with blood.
| 933 | Sprinkled with blood: Compare the source at Isaiah 63:1. |
RV19:14 The armies in heaven following him
ride white horses and are clothed in white, clean, fine linen.
| 934 | Armies in heaven following him: Including the Saints. (Revelation 17:14) |
RV19:15 Out of his mouth there protrudes a long sharp sword
so that he
may smite the nations with it.
He will shepherd them with a staff of iron.
[Psalm 2:9] He is
trampling on the wine press
of the wine of the anger of
God Almighty’s wrath. [Isaiah 63:3]
| 935 | A long sharp sword: Compare Revelation 1:16 and Revelation 2:27. |
| 936 | He will shepherd them with a staff of iron: This is drawn from the Messianic Psalm 2:9. Compare Revelation 2:27. |
| 937 | Trampling on the wine press: Compare Revelation 14:19 and Isaiah 63:3. This proves we are about to flash back to Revelation 14:19. |
RV19:16 Upon his outer garment and upon his thigh he has a name written: “King of kings and
Lord of lords.”
[Daniel 2:47; Deuteronomy 10:17]| 938 | Lord of lords: Compare 1 Timothy 6:15. (Deuteronomy 10:17) |
Revelation 19:17-18 – Another Meal
RV19:17 And then I saw one angel standing in the sun. The angel cried out in a great voice,
saying to the birds: “Come here and gather
to the Great Supper of The God
RV19:18 so that you may eat the flesh of kings – The flesh of military commanders
and strong men
–
the flesh of horses
and their riders – [Ezekiel 39:17-20] the flesh of all freemen and slaves, the little and the great.”
| 939 | Eat the flesh of kings: This is a paraphrase of Exodus 39:17. |
| 940 | The flesh of military commanders and strong men: Nothing here indicates the complete destruction of all humankind. Revelation 9:15 indicated a death toll of one-third. Thus cuts across all social strata. |
Revelation 19:19-21 – A War to End Political Rule
RV19:19 Then I saw the wild Sea Beast
and the kings of the earth and their armies gathered to make The
War
[Zechariah 14:2, 3] with the one riding the White Horse and with his armies.
| 941 | The wild Sea Beast: Compare Revelation chapters 13 and 17. |
| 942 | The War: Armageddon! (Revelation 16:13-16) |
RV19:20 Then the wild Sea Beast and with it the False Prophet
(the one performing signs before the wild Sea Beast,
which signs caused those to err who had received the engraving of the wild Sea Beast, and those who worshipped the Image of the wild Sea Beast) these two were thrown alive into the Lake of Fire
which burns with sulfur.
| 943 | False Prophet: The Earth Beast of Revelation 13:1. |
| 944 | The wild Sea Beast: That is, the 7th healed Head, the Eighth King. |
| 945 | Thrown alive into the Lake of Fire: As functioning entities. It should be remembered these “two” are abstractions. Also note that these go into Second Death, or “destruction” (Revelation 17:11), but the “kings” and their “armies” do not. Does this suggest they will have a resurrection? (Revelation 20:5, 13) |
RV19:21 Those survivors were killed with the long sword
protruding from the mouth of the rider of the White Horse.
All the birds were satisfied with their flesh.
[Ezekiel 39:17]| 946 | Killed with the long sword: But not described as thrown in the Lake of Fire! |
| 947 | All the birds were satisfied with their flesh: The source is Ezekiel 39:20. |
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Nazarene Commentary 2000©
Mark Heber Miller
©2000 All Rights Reserved
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