Up till now the visions have mainly been concerned with the power of evil and the sufferings of believers. That with it he should smite the nations - The nations that were opposed to him; to wit, those especially who were represented by the beast and the false prophet, Revelation 19:18-20. I am not raising any question about the ten. To the same world in which He suffered, according to the scriptures, He will come back. They were in three distinct stages which first involved the betrothal or One of our pastors, Imad, spent some time in the Egyptian jail. "Owr hayah owr hayah", "Light be and light was". But the most ordinary knowledge suffices; for who does not know from the Bible that there was a Roman empire when Christ was born, one emperor, and no such state as that empire divided into ten kingdoms? 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. "I heard a great voice out of heaven, saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God" (alluding to this very city) "[is] with men." The church is heavenly; and in heaven there are no times nor seasons. absence of the Church from the earth during the judgments of (Rev. Then heaven is opened, and for a sight most solemn. Testament (compare Psalms 104:35; 105:45; 106:1; 111:1; 112:1; 113:1; 117:1; - WG, and He treads the wine press of the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty . In our day men prophecy "the end of Christs church", but Christs Word is mightier than any word that men can utter. He shall destroy the pride of the sinner as a potter's vessel. His grace be with all! 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. THE TE DEUM OF THE REDEEMED ( Revelation 19:6-8 ). faith during the Tribulation (Jeremiah 31:31-34; Zech. It is by the sword that goes out of his mouth. The marriage feast will take place on earth following Christ's return with the Some evade the difficulty by referring the desolation to the Gothic powers; and these Protestants, as if they were mere Praeterists! At the beginning there will have been carnage, as we know, among both the western powers and the eastern powers. His Earthly Kingdom (see article . Four beasts: The four beasts are the cherubim as described (in Rev. That is worship of God in unprescribed ways. It is altogether unfeasible, and it shows how carelessly we read the Bible that people are not stopped by such an expression. Here you may see the reason for saying that the four and twenty elders and the four living creatures are not absolutely the church, because when that symbol applies, and the one of the bride comes forward, we have got others too. The marriage of the Lamb and the marriage supper of the Lamb "in heaven" (function() { That was Jesus looking forward to the great Messianic Banquet. I have examined Him. His equipage: he is again described as sitting on a white horse, to show the equity of the cause, and certainty of success. In verse 1, this great voice from heaven was whom? Just as I said, these robes have been made white by the blood of the Lamb. 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. And the marriage is the eternal Justly does she gather her title from the old fountain of idols and of combined power without God: confusion being here the characteristic element, the designation is taken from the renowned city of the Chaldeans, the first spot notorious in both respects. But it is what each saint has, though the blessed thought here is that the church has it not merely in the way of each person possessing his own; the bride has the whole of it (that is, the church in glory). "These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them (for he is Lord of lords and King of kings), and they that are with him, called, and chosen, and faithful.". When God is so gracious, His word rich, full, and deep, it does seem sad to see His children content with just enough to save their souls, or keep them from positive starvation. It was the religious leaders that prompted the persecution against the church in its beginning and throughout history.There is even at the present time, one of the leaders of the YWAM program who has been charged in Greece with a charge of proselytizing, because he gave a Bible to a Greek sixteen-year old boy, and he has been charged in the Greek courts with proselytizing. It is true, the beast's judgment is only referred to as a defeat under the hand of the Lamb. But then while there is such a call to Christ, while the believer is not to be afraid, but to call on the Lord to come, the church does not forget those that are poor sinners, let them be deeply conscious of it, or let them be those that are only made willing by the grace of God (which is the feeblest expression of the sinner's need, just as you have the feeblest expression of the saint in the previous call). 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. And a voice came forth from the throne. 13 And it performed great signs, even causing fire to come down from heaven to the earth in full view of the people. Yet grace despised necessarily ends in judgment. All the way along the fairness of God's judgment has been challenged.I don't know what God is going to do in a lot of cases. It is a wholly unwarranted interpolation. derives from a Hebrew word meaning "to be firm," and may be translated "truly" * None, however, can be exempt from being manifested before the judgment-seat of Christ, or from giving an account of all done in the body. The betrothal takes place on earth during the church age; The presentation will take place in heaven following the Rapture (verse 7); and. III. Religions tell you that you have to do certain things in order to please God. But what I particularly call your attention to is the exceeding importance of heeding the retrospect at the bride, or new Jerusalem here, and the consequent removal of the difficulty caused by taking the last vision of this book as part of the prophetic series which begins in Revelation 19:1-21. Christianity tells you that your righteousness is as filthy rags. It is not for His crime or guilt. The events that are described within its pages were written for us today. 19:4 And the twenty-four elders and the four living creatures fell down and worshiped God who sits on the throne saying, "Amen. 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. At the same time we are not at liberty to eliminate such a feature out of the description. Second was the presentation which was a time of festivities just before the We saw that the twenty-four elders represent the twelve patriarchs and the twelve apostles, and, therefore, stand for the totality of the Church. Wars were matters of ambition and tyranny and oppression rather than of justice. Alleluia: for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth.". When the hour comes that is spoken of here, it is not for us, but for those who will be found after we are gone. event in the biblical world. Their praise is that the smoke of Babylon rises for ever and ever. Every day-and we set up these rules for righteousness. Imagine the millions upon millions of Christians that will be gathered in that glorious assembly and when the voice of the Lord comes exhorting us to praise God and give glory to Him, and in our response to it that tremendous praise, crescendo of praise that will arise. The cosmic drama is drawing to a close. May our hearts answer freely to His word of love and truth with our "Amen." actual ceremony. I do not acknowledge the language to be either difficult or ambiguous. "And he that spoke with me had a golden reed as a measure, that he might measure the city, and the gates thereof, and the wall thereof. The army which he commands (Revelation 19:14; Revelation 19:14), a very large one, made up of many armies; angels and saints followed his conduct, and resembled him in their equipage, and in their armour of purity and righteousness--chosen, and called, and faithful. "And I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the birds that fly in the midst of heaven, Come, gather yourselves together unto the great supper of God; that ye may eat flesh of kings, and flesh of chiliarchs, and flesh of strong [men], and flesh of horses, and of those that sit on them, and flesh of all, both free and bond, both small and great." Gods permanent crushing of mans rebellion (verse 3); (4) Here we have described to us the visions of The Conquering Christ (19:11-16), the judgments of the beast and of the false prophet and of Satan (19:17-20:10), the judgment of the wicked (20:11-15), the visions of the New heaven, the New earth and the New Jerusalem (20:16-22;5). The betrothal takes place on earth during the church age; (2) That ye may eat the flesh of kings, and the flesh of captains, and the flesh of mighty men, and the flesh of horses, and those that sit on them, and the flesh of all men, both free and bond, both small and great. Revelation. THE AVENGING WRATH ( Revelation 19:14-16 ). It was a unit of energy charged with power. Thus the only use that seems made of the book is negative and exclusive. 25:1-13; Luke The white horse is the symbol of the conqueror, because it was on a white horse that a Roman general rode when he celebrated a triumph. The "things to come" are synonymous with death. A Verse by Verse Study of the Book of Revelation - Glenn Earle Cummings 2007-02 The Gospels, Acts, Epistles and Book of Revelation: Commonly Called the New Testament. And I saw the beast [that is the antichrist], and the kings of the earth [which have been drawn by the demonic forces], and their armies, gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse, and against his army ( Revelation 19:18-19 ). unrighteousness. Then, when the Lamb and His purchase by blood are celebrated in heaven, the four living creatures join the elders, though each is distinct. It is the divine judgment of man eternal judgment. and righteousness to the world. The very name indeed shows something similar; not of course that the church can ever be earthly. 3. VI. There are those who have set themselves deliberately and conscientiously to fight against God.The humanists in their Humanist Manifesto have declared their intention of destroying God out of the minds and conscientiousness of men. They have long waited for the time when God's justice would triumph. No sooner was the marriage solemnized between Christ and his church by the conversion of the Jews than the glorious head and husband of the church is called out to a new expedition, which seems to be the great battle that was to be fought at Armageddon, foretold Revelation 16:16; Revelation 16:16. The gospel of John and the Revelation perfectly disclose both, whether in grace or in judgment. of the bride, the Lamb's wife. Verse 8. Although there is such a levelling of human distinctions, and men have to do directly with God that is men raised from the dead or in their changed condition we still see the holy Jerusalem "the holy city, new Jerusalem," separate from the rest of those that fill the new heaven and earth. 2 Everything that he decides is right and fair. The old oracles were sealed then: not so John's. He is "true," for He is the answer to all our hopes. used (in Gen. 19:28). All redeemed are told to praise God. And God said, "Let the waters above the firmament be separated from the waters below the firmament." The Now, this law that has the backing of the Greek Orthodox Church, or it was instituted because of the Greek Orthodox Church against proselytization, is the law that they used to charge him.In Egypt it is a capital offense to lead a Muslim to a faith in Jesus Christ. 11:25-27). The reason is manifest there is a hinderer "one that letteth." Who said Amen, Alleluia as they worshipped around the throne? And if you try to worship God in an unprescribed way, setting up little idols or whatever, which God has forbidden, that is spiritual fornication. Presentation (the festivities, often lasting several days, that preceded the This remains true also in its own place, as we shall find; and when it is a question of reward, this is precisely the grand point; but when it is a question of the bride above, that is the way in which it is presented here, as we may see clearly from verse 8. I agree one hundred percent. Then follows another scene still more solemn the most awe-inspiring of all we can contemplate, at the same time full of blessing for the Christian to look onward to as that which will for ever put aside every trace of evil, and vindicate good where man must altogether fail. * Idolatry is the awful stamp that she bears, and this too both in what she gives to man, and in what is written on her forehead before God. Revelation 19:7 "Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honor to him: for the In one sense it would be an eighth, and in another sense it would be of the seven; the eighth perhaps because of its extraordinary resurrection character, yet one of the seven because it is outwardly old imperialism again. This may suffice for Revelation 18:1-24. "Called" is most evidently inapplicable, because calling supposes that the person is brought out of one condition and raised into another and a better one. 13 And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God. They will then treat her with contempt and shameful exposure. Here it is the positive worship of the creature besides the Creator, yea, and notoriously more than He. 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. . God is sovereign. Lit. And they shall bring the glory and honour of the nations unto it. ceremony); (3) Once again we must remember that this picture is demonstrably painted in Jewish terms. Those who are invited to the marriage supper are Israel (see article , ), who will turn to Christ in Here we have the purely Jewish idea of the Word of God. Tribulation saints. Meanwhile the armies of the antichrist perish in battle (19-21).With the antichrist and the false prophet destroyed, only the first member of the evil trinity remains to be dealt with, Satan himself. Verse 11. I will tell thee the mystery of the woman." It "shall go into perdition," it is therefore added, "and they that dwell on the earth shall wonder, whose names are not written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, when they behold the beast that was, and is not, and shall be present." With that love of freedom which they carried from their German forests, they would not allow the one iron rule of the ancient empire to subsist longer, but set up each their own kingdom in the different fragments of the dismembered empire. email us at: Thus there is a completeness and perfection about it suited to its present character. It is not what Christ puts on them, but a recognition even at this time of whatever has been of God the working I do not deny of the Spirit of Christ. The seven Spirits of God (Greek: , ta hepta pneumata tou theou) are mentioned four times in the Book of Revelation, and in the Book of Isaiah it names each Spirit.Revelation 1:4: John to the seven churches which are in Asia: Grace be unto you, and peace, from him which is, and which was, and which is to come; and from the seven . here. His name: The Word of God, a name that none fully knows but himself, only this we know, that this Word was God manifest in the flesh; but his perfections are incomprehensible by any creature. Pilate said, "I find no fault in Him. 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. And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb. I will be a part of that army, as will you, because we are clothed in the fine linen white and clean, which is the righteousness of the saints. *Most copies, it would seem, read , "of the earth;" the Alex. A mighty angel takes a stone and says, when he cast it into the sea, "Thus with violence shall be thrown down Babylon the great city, and shall be found no more at all." Here we learn at once of what His train consists. I am a servant of God just like you are. His armour; and that is a vesture dipped in blood, either his own blood, by which he purchased this mediatorial power, or the blood of his enemies, over whom he has always prevailed. Righteousness of saints: Not Christs imputed righteousness granted to And he saith unto me, These are the Verse 6 commends these sayings afresh. And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years." His blood-soaked robe signifies that his triumph has come through his death on the cross. 11-21). Hence the effort of some to prop up a manifestly false reading. On his head he has many crowns. Verse 3. The same was in the beginning with God. How did He create it? It cannot be done till the moment comes. His Kingship is universal--But one thing remains--that the enemies of His people be consigned to their doom. 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. believers at salvation, but the practical results of that righteousness in We have seen that these follow the Lord out of heaven, and are next seen enthroned. "And when the thousand years are completed, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison, and shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to war." (John 12:48). It will be observed that in this case it is one of the angels that had the seven bowls who comes forward and says to John, "Come hither; I will show unto thee the judgment of the great whore (or harlot) that sitteth upon [the] many waters." He is praised for judging religious Babylon and avenging the martyrs. they said, "because the Lord our God, the Almighty, has entered into his kingdom. It isn't that you have been faithful in your devotions, and you have witnessed to so many people, and read so many chapters of the Bible, and spent so many hours in prayer, and you have done all of the religious devotional things, not that at all. This was an arrangement by both sets of parents, was legally binding Thus there is no question that some of the actors in the final scenes of the great drama were already there, as the reigning city, and the Roman empire. To be crowned with more than one crown may seem strange, but in the time of John it was quite natural. Any other intermediary than Jesus Christ between God and man must be utterly opposed. He spoke it into existence. "Praise our God," says the voice, "all you his servants, you who fear him." Lord. is a myth. I am the, Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. If not blessing it judges. He accepts us plain and simple. Again, to my mind it seems demonstrably true that the relation to the beast here brought before us must in all fairness be allowed to look onward to a later stage of Babylon. On His robe where it spreads out at His waist HIS TITLE is inscribed. That is, the tabernacle of God is regarded as a separate object, no doubt associated with men, but not confounded with them. Had he really penetrated under the surface, and seen that beneath the fair guise of Christendom the woman was, of all things under the sun, the most corrupt and hateful to God, it would not be so much to be surprised at. Again, that it supposes Rome after it had professed the name of Christ I think is not to be doubted, if only from the expression "mystery" attached to Babylon. And Paul speaks of himself as betrothing the Church like a pure virgin to Christ ( 2 Corinthians 11:2), and for him the relationship of Christ to his Church is the great model of the relationship of husband and wife ( Ephesians 5:21-33). We see the Lord Jesus as righteous judge in chapter 1 and as the one who will soon be coming in the last chapter. The four living creatures, respectively like a lion, an ox, a man and an eagle, stand for two things, for all that is bravest, strongest, wisest and swiftest in nature--and for the cherubim. (Hebrews 4:13). And the LAST WORDS (22:6-21). First, there are his servants. In the Testament of Levi (5:5) Michael is said to be the angel who intercedes for Israel. At the same time you will mark that these are not said to be executors of judgment as Christ is. I admit that afterwards no doubt the new heaven and the new earth are seen; but who contends that this is the sphere to which the Lord comes? The book of life will confirm what is gathered from the books. This is a mistake. Do it not (compare 22:8-9). There was never a time when the Christian was called upon to undergo such suffering and to accept so continually the prospect of a cruel death. But that the heart of man even so is not renewed becomes manifest, when Satan at the close deceives all that are not converted; and these, as we are told, are countless "as the sand of the sea.". That is to say, never again will she rise from her ruins. We must therefore look a little into the two objects Babylon and the beast. - CBSC, The psalm prophecy is quoted by the apostle Peter in Acts 4:25-26 with this application of the effect of preaching Christ to the heathen world. 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. Verse 7. This exclamation, meaning Praise the Lord, occurs frequently in the Old If you understand the testimony of Jesus, what must you do. Verses 1-6: Alleluia: This Hebrew word appears 4 times in the New Testament. It gives a retrogressive account of Babylon's character, and shows how it morally compelled the divine judgment. These things were Christs return, Satans capture, Satans binding, the Millennium, Satans final end, the last judgment, and the new heavens and earth, including the New Jerusalem. He has with him the armies of heaven. There was the sad register of undeniable sin on the one side; there was no writing of the name on the other side. In general this has been either passed over in the chapter, or some unsatisfactory inference has been flung out, which can only embroil the prophecy. _gaq.push(['_setAccount', 'UA-10273872-1']); In Revelation 16+, John was shown the pouring forth of the final seven bowls which contained God's wrath. All is then fixed. In two Old Testament stories, the wrestling of Jacob at Peniel ( Genesis 32:29), and the appearance of the angelic messenger to Gideon ( Judges 13:18) the divine visitor refuses to tell his name. 20 And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. The word is pantokrator ( G3841) , literally the one who controls all things. Gratitude, reverence, trust--these are the constituent elements of real praise. Link with Johns vision of Revelation 19:11-16 a meditation on the Hymn "Crown Him with many crowns" and also the stirring Hymn "Onward Christian soldiers." 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 ). ( 7) Namely, to that holy marriage, both herself in person in this verse, and also provided by her spouse with marriage gifts princely and divine, is adorned and prepared in the next verse. There is a distinct contrast between the city John describes and the ancient Babylon, in that the latter was built on the plain of Shinar, while the former is expressly said to have seven heads, and these explained to mean seven mountains. But He "treadeth the winepress of the fury of the wrath of the Almighty God" another character of judgment never attributed to the saints, that I know of. Zerubbabel led the first group of Jews, numbering 42,360, who returned from the Babylonian . The prophet asks, "Why are you red in your apparel, and your garments like those that have been treading in the wine vat? The absence of a temple is therefore no loss but a gain for this city. ceremony); The marriage of the Lamb: The wife or bride of Christ is the church (Matt. "* There is no thought of making such a paradox to perplex the mind. For who knows not the horrors of Mariolatry? millennial kingdom and last throughout that 1000 year period (compare 21:2). It is not a syllogism that is wanted or that can satisfy here: only require, only believe, the word of God. It is impossible to refer it to the past with any show even of reasonable probability, I will not say of reality or truth. Holding on to what others knew before them, or little more, they reduce themselves to a minimum of the truth. . And he says to him not to do that because he is a fellowservant, but to worship God.You see it is a apart of man to need and want to worship something, and man seems to find it easier to worship an object that he can see rather than an object that he cannot see. We have just seen that it is the eternal state. are no other than God's covenant people, who are given to Christ, and made The word "rule" is "to shepherd" them, and the rod of iron is the club the shepherd used to fend off the wolves, bears, lions, etc. The picture is not of an "iron rod" he uses to "club" or beat his sheep! ", All things are thus made new; and, further, "these words are faithful." Thus everything implies their simultaneous presence for the same time and common action with the beast, in plundering and then destroying Babylon.
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