Revelation 19

19:1-3 The song of the Great multitude in Heaven This song is a response to the verse in 18:20 which says, “Rejoice over her, O heaven! Rejoice, saints and apostles and prophets! God has judged her for the way she treated you.” The whole mood of the books changes from distress, judgment, gloom to deliverance, salvation and joy as this chapter begins. Quite a contrast to the mourning dirge of the kings, merchants and seaman of chapter 18. The three groups of mourners are countered with three groups of praisers: great multitude in heaven the twenty-four elders and the four living creatures around the throne 19:1 “After This” refers to after the destruction of the Great Prostitute (ch. 17) and the judgment of the Great City of Babylon (ch. 18). Both of these will be events in time. When these events have occurred then the great multitude in heaven will shout. “Great Multitude” would include the martyred tribulation saints in heaven but would also include believers of all time waiting in the presence of God. “Hallelujah” is the Greek word “alleluia” and is the same as the Hebrew word “Hallelujah”. This word occurs four times in the NT and they are all in this chapter verses 1, 3, 4, 6. The Greek word is a compound word made up of the verb “halal” (“to praise”) and the noun “Yah” (“God”). The basic meaning of the verb is “to be bright” and causative meaning of the piel imperfect verb means literally, “make Yahweh bright” which means “illuminate the Lord by casting a bright light on Him and His works.” “Salvation” (soteria) and refers to deliverance. This is not a direct reference to personal salvation through faith in Christ, but God’s fulfillment of final salvation in history. ”Glory” (doxa) and refers to God’s moral glory in making righteous judgments “Power” (dynamis) and refers to God’s might in the execution of the judgment on the prostitute and the city of Babylon Remember Armageddon has not yet occurred. 19:2 God’s judgments that have been manifest through out the tribulation, upon the prostitute and upon the city of Babylon are said to be “true” and “just” “True” indicates the judgments are valid “Just” indicates the judgments are absolutely fair. God’s is described by the victors (15:3) and the voice or the altar (16:7) the same way. The “great prostitute” was guilty of corrupting the earth and killing the saints. In 6:10 the saints asked how much longer? This is the saints reply. Deuteronomy 32:43 says, “Rejoice, O nations, with his people, for he will avenge the blood of his servants; he will take vengeance on his enemies and make atonement for his land and people.” The prostitute was the false religious system of Babylon. The city was the seat of the evil commercial system of Babylon. The system of Babylon is Satan’s kosmos system of imitating God. Paul writes in 2 Thess. 1:6-8: “God is just: He will pay back trouble to those who trouble you and give relief to you who are troubled, and to us as well. This will happen when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven in blazing fire with his powerful angels. He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the majesty of his power on the day he comes to be glorified in his holy people and to be marveled at among all those who have believed.” 19:3 “Hallelujah” a second time. “smoke. . .for ever” indicates this temporal judgment is complete and final and will translate into eternal judgment. 19:4 “twenty-four elders” are again representatives of the church age believers in the presence of God “Four living creatures” are cherubim These two groups have been with God through out the book This is their last appearance in the book. Their first appearance was when the Lamb took the scroll and began the judgments. Now it is finished and they say the say thing that ends the fourth book of Psalms at Psalm 106:48 – “Amen! Praise the Lord.” Psalm 90-106 make up the fourth set of Psalms 19:5 “Voice . . . from the throne” could be God, the Lamb, one of the Living Creatures. “Praise” is in the present tense and the imperative mood which means the voice is giving a command, “Keep on praising God.” “all you his servants” refers to every one who truly fears and serves the Lord. Not just some particular group. 19:7 The announcement of a major feature of the Lord’s reign on earth: His marriage to His bride. The great multitude rejoices, is glad and gave God glory because: The time for the wedding has come His bride has made herself ready. This wedding takes place in heaven. The text is not specific, but that is the appearance of the vision since the Lord is not on the earth yet. The wedding supper may take place in heaven but if these events occur in chronological order the wedding may be in heaven and the wedding supper on earth. The order of events would be like this: destruction of prostitute fall of Babylon rejoicing in heaven wedding of Lamb Kings on earth prepare for Armageddon Return of Lord and Armageddon Battles Judgments Wedding Supper Millennium Notice in keeping with Pretribulation theology the great multitude recognizes the bride as a group different than themselves. Ancient marriages include three main events: The marriage contract made by the parents for the children before the children where of age. The couple was legally married. (Mt.1:18-19) Later when the couple reached age the wedding took place. Here the bridegroom would be accompanied by his friends and go to the house of the bride and escort her to his home (Note: Matthew 25:1-13) The Bridgroom would bring his bride to his home for the marriage supper. Guest would be invited to this supper Phase One. . . . The Cross 2 Corinthians 11:2 Phase Two. . . .The Rapture Ephesians 5:25-27 John 14:2-3 The bridegroom is Jesus Mark 2:19-20, Mt. 9:15; Lk. 5:34-35; John 3:28-29 This is the time of presenting of the bride which included times of festivities lasting as long as a week Phase Three. . .The Supper Again note Pre-millennial teaching in that the Lamb already has his bride when he returns to the earth in 19:11. In the OT Israel was pictured as the wife of the Lord, but an unfaithful one as in Hosea. In the NT the church is pictured as a virgin waiting for the coming of her bridegroom as in 1 Corinthians 11:2. In the NT case the wedding has not occurred and the church is not yet the wife. In verse 7-9 there is a clear distinction between the wife of the lamb and those invited to the wedding supper. There can be seen several groups of people that God deals with fairly but differently: OT Gentiles Israel Church Tribulation saints a) martyred b) surviving Each group has its advantages and their place in God’s plan. It is not much different than each individual has their advantages and their place in God’s plan. 19:7 ”Made herself ready” Philippians 2:12-13 Colossians 1:29 1 Corinthians 3:12-15 At salvation believers are clothed with Christ’s righteousness Rm.3:21; 4:5; 5:19; 1 Cor. 1:30; 2 Cor 5:21; Phil3:8-9 At the resurrection the glorified believers are clothed with their righteousness 1 John 3:2 Rom. 8:19-21 Invited guests are OT believers Mat. 8:11 Luke 13:28 Luke 13:28 Matthew 11:11 and John 3:29.