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Keys to Revelation – Chapter 19
AUTHOR: Capoccia, Tony
PUBLISHED ON: May 12, 2003
DOC SOURCE: CCN
PUBLISHED IN: Bible Studies

                        Keys to Revelation – Chapter 19

Taken from the HOLY BIBLE: NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION (C) 1978 by the New York
International Bible Society, used by permission of Zondervan Bible Publishers.

          BIBLE TEXT                                  COMMENTARY

REV 19:1  After this I heard what        [After this] – Beginning in REV 17:1
sounded like the roar of a great          we saw the introduction of the city
multitude in heaven shouting:            of Rome, the capitol city of the
“Hallelujah! Salvation and glory          world, and the head of the wicked
and power belong to our God,              world system. In chapter 18, the Fall
                                          of Babylon (Rome) is revealed and in
                                          REV 18:20 we, the Saints of God, are
                                          commanded to rejoice over her final
                                          fate, because of the way she had
                                          treated God’s children in the many
                                          generations previous.

                                          [great multitude] – The redeemed of
                                          God in heaven. Throughout the history
                                          of man, it has only been a remnant
                                          that has accepted God’s message and
                                          believed.  One just needs to look at
                                          our generation to realize that very
                                          few of any society really believe and
                                          are saved.  It has been estimated
                                          that since the days of Adam and Eve
                                          that approximately 41 billion people
                                          have lived on this planet.  If only
                                          a remnant equal to 1% was saved, that
                                          would make heaven’s population of
                                          saints equal to about 400,000,000. Of
                                          course, God is not finished calling
                                          all of His servants yet so the number
                                          will continue to grow.

                                          [Hallelujah!] – There are only four
                                          instances in the New Testament of the
                                          term Hallelujah, all of which occur
                                          in this chapter (vs 1, 3, 4, 6). The
                                          OT word Hallelujah comes from two
                                          Hebrew words (halal and Jah), and
                                          means “Praise Yahweh!”

                                          [belong to our God] – Salvation is of
                                          God and not of man.  All men turned
                                          away from God and earned their place
                                          in the torments of the Lake of Fire.
                                          But, our God is a Gracious God, and
                                          chose “some” to be saved (not many).
                                          He also prescribed the exact manner
                                          of salvation, it would not be of
                                          works, but rather, of faith.  A faith
                                          that manifests itself in the three-
                                          fold act of Believing in Christ,
                                          Repenting of our sins, and Submitting
                                          to the Lordship of Our Savior Jesus
                                          Christ, the God of the Universe!

REV 19:2  for true and just are his      [true and just] – There can be no
judgments. He has condemned the          doubt that God judged rightly in the
great prostitute who corrupted the        case of Babylon (Rome).  In fact, He
earth by her adulteries. He has          demonstrated great patience and
avenged on her the blood of his          mercy waiting all these many years
servants.”                                while she committed her acts of
                                          adulteries. 

                                          [avenged on her the blood] – God had
                                          declared in DEU 32:43 that He would
                                          ultimately avenge the blood of the
                                          saints, “Rejoice, O nations, with His
                                          people, for He will avenge the blood
                                          of His servants; He will take ven-
                                          geance on His enemies and make
                                          atonement for His land and people.”

REV 19:3  And again they shouted:        [smoke..goes up…for ever] – This is
“Hallelujah! The smoke from her          not a reference to the city itself,
goes up for ever and ever.”              but will be fulfilled by the eternal
                                          judgment of the people who sinned in
                                          and through the evil world system of
                                          Babylon.  It will be literal smoke
                                          rising from the burning of the bodies
                                          of these unbelievers in the endless
                                          torment of the Lake of Fire.

REV 19:4  The twenty-four elders          [twenty-four elders] – See comments
and the four living creatures fell        on REV 4:4-11
down and worshiped God, who was
seated on the throne. And they         
cried: “Amen, Hallelujah!” 

REV 19:5  Then a voice came from          [a voice] – Not the voice of the
the throne, saying: “Praise our          Father, Son, or Holy Spirit, but
God, all you his servants, you who        rather it is the voice of an angel
fear him, both small and great!”          who commands us to praise “our” God.

                                          [Praise] – Present tense and is a
                                          command to “keep on praising” the
                                          Lord.

                                          [small and great] – Believers from
                                          every socioeconomic level, and from
                                          various stages of spiritual maturity.

REV 19:6  Then I heard what sounded
like a great multitude, like the
roar of rushing waters and like
loud peals of thunder, shouting:
“Hallelujah! For our Lord God
Almighty reigns. 

REV 19:7  Let us rejoice and be          [wedding of the Lamb] – For a proper
glad and give him glory! For the          perspective of this event we need to
wedding of the Lamb has come, and        remember the customs of the Bible
his bride has made herself ready.        Times in regard to marriage.  First,
                                          there was the Betrothal, which was 
                                          a public declaration by the two
                                          families that the two participants
                                          were now betrothed, that is, legally
                                          husband and wife.

                                          Following the Betrothal came a period
                                          of time that was used by the groom to
                                          prepare a home for the bride (usually
                                          a room in his father’s house).  This
                                          could be a year or so. The bride also
                                          used this time to prepare herself for
                                          the wedding feast.  When the time was
                                          ready, the bridegroom would travel to
                                          the bride’s home and take her back
                                          with him to the new home (room).

                                          Shortly after the couple and the
                                          families arrived at the new home the
                                          wedding feast began and lasted for a
                                          week or longer.             

                                          The Bride here is the Church (each
                                          Christian from the Church Age) and
                                          the Groom is Jesus. We were betrothed
                                          on the day of our salvation as the
                                          announcement was made on earth and in
                                          heaven that we and Jesus were legally
                                          married (committed) to each other. 

                                          Again, the Bride is the Church and
                                          the guests are all the Old Testament
                                          saints and the Martyred Tribulation
                                          saints. 

                                          Jesus has been “preparing our rooms
                                          in His Father’s house” (JOH 14:2-3)
                                          and came back for us in the Rapture
                                          of the Church.  The wedding feast was
                                          delayed until the Lord had taken back
                                          the earth from the control of the
                                          evil one. 

REV 19:8  Fine linen, bright and          [given her] – Most likely at the Bema
clean, was given her to wear.”            Seat (Judgment Seat of Christ) the
(Fine linen stands for the                brilliant garments of linen were
righteous acts of the saints.)            given to each of the saints.  When a
                                          person is saved they receive the
                                          righteousness of Christ, however,
                                          their transformed life will be
                                          evidenced by the actual righteous
                                          acts they do by the Spirit (JAM
                                          2:14-18).

REV 19:9  Then the angel said to          [those…invited] – The Church is the
me, “Write: ‘Blessed are those who        Bride and the invited wedding guests
are invited to the wedding supper        are the Old Testament saints (see
of the Lamb!'” And he added, “These      MAT 8:11) and the martyred saints of
are the true words of God.”              the Tribulation.

REV 19:10  At this I fell at his          [worship him] – John is overcome by
feet to worship him. But he said to      the tremendous picture of the coming
me, “Do not do it! I am a fellow          blessedness of the Kingdom of God,
servant with you and with your            and falls down and worships an angel.
brothers who hold to the testimony        This only shows the humanness of the
of Jesus. Worship God! For the            Apostle John.  The angel quickly
testimony of Jesus is the spirit of      informs John that angels are also
prophecy.”                                servants of God (HEB 1:4-14).

                                          [spirit of prophecy] – The prophecy
                                          that John was watching unfold was the
                                          testimony of Jesus, not of angels,
                                          therefore, God is the one who is to
                                          be worshiped for such a revelation.

REV 19:11  I saw heaven standing          [heaven standing open] – When a door
open and there before me was a            is opened a person can see in or out.
white horse, whose rider is called        John is now on the earth and can see
Faithful and True. With justice he        into the third heaven, the residence
judges and makes war.                    of the Saints, the Angels and the
                                          Throne Room of God.  Remember, that
                                          the First Heaven is the atmosphere,
                                          and the Second Heaven is Outer Space
                                          (see 2CO 12:2).  John can see into
                                          heaven as clearly as we can see a
                                          cloud in the sky.  The opening to
                                          heaven is so wide that a whole army
                                          can pass through.

                                          [white horse] – A real horse, just
                                          like the literal donkey that Jesus
                                          rode into Jerusalem on (MAT 21). It
                                          was prophesied hundreds of years
                                          earlier that the Messiah would ride
                                          into the city on a donkey (ZEC 9:9),
                                          and here we listen to the spirit of
                                          prophecy tell us that when Christ,
                                          the Magnificent King, returns He will
                                          be riding a white horse–Believe it!

                                          [Faithful and True] – Our sweet Lord
                                          and Savior is truly faithful.  He is
                                          faithful when we are faithless (2TI
                                          2:13).  He is faithful and true in
                                          all of His promises to return to the
                                          earth and establish His kingdom. He
                                          will fulfill all of His promises made
                                          to His people.

                                          [judges and makes war] – The right-
                                          eous vengeance that is about to be
                                          enacted upon the Antichrist and his
                                          followers will be harmonious with
                                          truth and justice.  He has judged
                                          mankind and now makes war against
                                          them. 
                                       

REV 19:12  His eyes are like              [eyes…blazing fire] – These are
blazing fire, and on his head are        eyes of judgment that are burning
many crowns. He has a name written        and all-penetrating, from which
on him that no one knows but he          nothing can be hidden.
himself. 
                                          [many crowns] – The symbols of
                                          royalty.  These are kingly crowns
                                          and should not be pictured as many
                                          large crowns “stacked and balanced”
                                          one upon another.  Rather, they most
                                          likely are various “bands” linked
                                          together in a very lovely series of
                                          crowns that is in proper proportion
                                          to His head.

                                          [name…no one knows] – It is foolish
                                          to try to guess this name since it is
                                          known only to Jesus.  We could guess
                                          that someday, when we are in our
                                          eternal state, that we will be able
                                          to comprehend what the meaning of
                                          this special name.

REV 19:13  He is dressed in a robe        [robe dipped in blood] – This is the
dipped in blood, and his name is          blood of His enemies already defeated
the Word of God.                          by His wrath (see ROM 1:18 and  REV
                                          14:19-20).  It will also be dipped or
                                          splattered by the blood of those on
                                          earth whom He fights against as He
                                          returns (REV 19:21).

                                          [name is the Word of God] – “In the
                                          beginning was the Word, and the Word
                                          was with God, and the Word was God”
                                          (JOH 1:1).  “For the Word of God is
                                          living and active. Sharper than any
                                          double-edged sword, it penetrates
                                          even to dividing soul and spirit,
                                          joints and marrow; it judges the
                                          thoughts and attitudes of the heart”
                                          (HEB 4:12).  Jesus is the living and
                                          active Word of God that has come in
                                          judgment to judge the thoughts and
                                          attitudes of the heart.

REV 19:14  The armies of heaven          [armies of heaven] – Comprised of
were following him, riding on white      both the holy angels (MAR 8:38) and
horses and dressed in fine linen,        the called, chosen and faithful
white and clean.                          followers (REV 17:14). 

                                          [riding on white horses] – Literal
                                          white horses just like the one that
                                          Jesus is riding on.  The white horse
                                          has always been used by conquerors,
                                          and also symbolizes purity.

                                          [fine linen] – See Rev 19:8
                                         

REV 19:15  Out of his mouth comes a      [sharp sword] – Christ conquers by
sharp sword with which to strike          the power of His Word and not by a
down the nations. “He will rule          sword in His hand.  “For the word of
them with an iron scepter.” He            God is living and active.  Sharper
treads the winepress of the fury of      than any double-edged sword” (HEB
the wrath of God Almighty.                4:12).  Literally, Christ does not 
                                          have a sword “sticking” out of His
                                          mouth, rather this symbolizes His
                                          Word, which will be used to strike
                                          down the wicked on the earth.  He
                                          simply speaks their judgment and
                                          they will die.

                                          [rule…with an iron scepter] – This
                                          rod is a shepherd’s staff used to
                                          make the sheep conform to the rules
                                          of the shepherd.  Jesus will rule all
                                          the nations of the earth during the
                                          Millennium with an unyielding, firm
                                          and absolute government that demands
                                          total allegiance to God.

                                          [wrath of God] – “It is a dreadful
                                          thing to fall into the hands of the
                                          living God” (HEB 10:31).  Mankind is
                                          under the delusion that God either
                                          doesn’t care or is not able to deal
                                          with man’s willful disobedience.  But
                                          God has simply been storing up the
                                          wrath that each person deserves,
                                          “Because of your stubbornness and
                                          your unrepentant heart, you are stor-
                                          ing up wrath against yourself for the
                                          day of God’s wrath….” (ROM 2:5).

                                          The day of God’s fury has arrived
                                          and for those who have refused His
                                          mercy He has nothing left but wrath.

REV 19:16  On his robe and on his        [one His robe] – Most likely on His
thigh he has this name written:          robe near His chest.
KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS. 
                                          [on His thigh] – Not a tattoo but on
                                          something attached to His thigh, like
                                          the sheath of a sword or on that part
                                          of the garment which fell open across
                                          the thigh.

                                          [KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS] –
                                          One of the most beautiful and most
                                          powerful passages in all the Bible.

                                          Now let those in our day, who say
                                          that a person can become a Christian
                                          without submitting to the Lordship of
                                          Christ, be filled with shame.  For
                                          to advocate that one can come before
                                          the KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS,
                                          refusing to repent and submit, all
                                          the while asking for salvation, is
                                          a doctrine straight from the pit of
                                          Hell!

REV 19:17  And I saw an angel            [standing in the sun] – The angel
standing in the sun, who cried in a      was located at a place where all the
loud voice to all the birds flying        birds of the air could see him — in
in midair, “Come, gather together        the brightest part of the sky.  Most
for the great supper of God,              likely standing between the sun and
                                          the earth.

                                          [Come, gather] – The angel is calling
                                          all the birds to a the great supper
                                          of God where they can gorge them-
                                          selves on the flesh of the fallen
                                          enemies of God.  This fulfills the
                                          prophecy that was spoken through the
                                          prophet Ezekiel:

                                          EZE 39:17  “Son of man, this is what
                                          the Sovereign LORD says: Call out to
                                          every kind of bird and all the wild
                                          animals: ‘Assemble and come together
                                          from all around to the sacrifice I am
                                          preparing for you, the great sacri
                                          fice on the mountains of Israel.
                                          There you will eat flesh and drink
                                          blood. 

                                          EZE 39:18  You will eat the flesh of
                                          mighty men and drink the blood of the
                                          princes of the earth as if they were
                                          rams and lambs, goats and bulls–all
                                          of them fattened animals from Bashan.

                                          EZE 39:19  At the sacrifice I am
                                          preparing for you, you will eat fat
                                          till you are glutted and drink blood
                                          till you are drunk. 

                                          EZE 39:20  At my table you will eat
                                          your fill of horses and riders,
                                          mighty men and soldiers of every
                                          kind,’ declares the Sovereign LORD. 

                                          EZE 39:21  I will display my glory
                                          among the nations, and all the
                                          nations will see the punishment I
                                          inflict and the hand I lay upon them.

                                          EZE 39:22  From that day forward the
                                          house of Israel will know that I am
                                          the LORD their God.”

REV 19:18  so that you may eat the        In the time of judgment it makes no
flesh of kings, generals, and            difference if you were rich or poor,
mighty men, of horses and their          famous or unknown, free or a slave,
riders, and the flesh of all              the wrath will know no favorites.
people, free and slave, small and
great.” 

REV 19:19  Then I saw the beast and      [beast…make war] – Even after the
the kings of the earth and their          Lord God returns with magnificent
armies gathered together to make          glory and power, Satan, through the
war against the rider on the horse        Antichrist, tries to destroy Jesus.
and his army.                            But this time Jesus did not come to
                                          die, but rather to rule with power
                                          and authority.

                                          One can imagine these evil armies
                                          turning their weapons upon Christ and
                                          His glorious army, thinking that they
                                          will be easily killed as were all the
                                          martyrs of the previous generations.

REV 19:20  But the beast was              [beast was captured] – Before a laser
captured, and with him the false          or a bullet was fired, Jesus had the
prophet who had performed the            Antichrist and his false prophet
miraculous signs on his behalf.          captured.
With these signs he had deluded
those who had received the mark of        [thrown alive] – There is no soul
the beast and worshiped his image.        sleep for the wicked. They will enter
The two of them were thrown alive        the fires of torment with full
into the fiery lake of burning            consciousness for all eternity.
sulfur. 
                                          [lake of burning sulfur] – The final
                                          place for the wicked. It is a literal
                                          place of torment and agony.  God has
                                          determined that these two evil men
                                          deserved final judgment ahead of all
                                          the others who will be thrown into
                                          the lake of fire after the 1,000 year
                                          rule (REV 20:15).

REV 19:21  The rest of them were          [killed with the sword] – Here Jesus
killed with the sword that came out      simply uses the words from His mouth
of the mouth of the rider on the          to effect judgment and death upon the
horse, and all the birds gorged          wicked.
themselves on their flesh. 

Tony Capoccia
BIBLE BULLETIN BOARD
Box 130
Shreveport, LA 71110
Modem (318) 949-1456
300/1200/2400/9600 Baud

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