Matches the description of Christ in Revelation 1:16 . In the tabernacle in For according to unquestionable testimony the Reuchlinian copy has like some half-dozen cursives, which was probably a mistake for . Here is the idea in Hebrews 4:12: "The word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword.". The angels are never "called," although they may be "chosen;" and though termed holy, I do not recollect that they are ever spoken of as "faithful." There is more that we still have to learn of Him. This passage calls God by a certain name; and says that he has entered into his kingdom. At the beginning there will have been carnage, as we know, among both the western powers and the eastern powers. 19:12 His eyes are a flame of fire, and on his head are many royal crowns, and he has a name written which no one knows except himself. To the church the end is always near. Hence the horns and the beast join together and desolate the harlot. essence of all true prophecy. Man gets hung up and he stops short. The Word of God is alive and powerful, if we would only realize the power of the Word of God. - CBSC, the winepress . Scholz's note ("rec. If you But "nations of them which are saved," is a most anomalous expression, and betrays man as the author of it. With a rod of iron He shall execute the severest judgment on the opposers of his truth. Rabbi, Jehudah, actually gave the odd instruction that men ought not to pray in Aramaic because the angels did not understand Aramaic! It is suggested that it is actually written on his thigh, because it was sometimes the custom to engrave the titles of statues on the thigh. But you can go ahead and do these things without pangs of conscience trying to destroy God out of our society, out of our lives. here. It was a unit of energy charged with power. This is in total contrast to the harlot Babylon. Reuchlin. And out of his mouth proceeded a sharp sword Again, all voices agree as one in seeing this as a symbol of the word of God (Hebrews 4:12,13; Ephesians 6:17f). Here is faith and confidence; and the whole point of this passage is that that faith and confidence are vindicated. The presentation will take place in heaven following the Rapture (verse 7); and. But he tells us further that the Spirit of prophecy, who prophesies in this book, is the testimony of Jesus. But this passage confronts us with something which became of very great importance in the worship of the Church. This is known so well, and on such decided grounds, that it would be unbecoming to withhold the fact. This tells what Christ is depicted as doing in this scene. The same was in the beginning with God. John goes out of his way to heap up similes to describe its sound. The particulars are reserved for a later point in this prophecy. Gen. 1; Isaiah 55:11; John 1:1; 2 Thessalonians 1:8) not a literal description. That religious system has an incomparably nearer connection with this mysterious harlot than anything we have yet spoken of. Bear this in mind: to leave the last part out is fatal to any accurate understanding of the Revelation. 19:10b The testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy. The word of God, Hebrews 4:12, Ephesians 6:17 Indicates the power of Gods words, cf. What is it? I have already touched on the double force of the symbol mountains. It is a time of strong delusion, be it remembered. 19:5 And a voice came from the throne, saying, "Give praise to our God, all you His bond-servants, you who fear Him, the small and the great.". Just hope the Lord doesn't come Friday night. The white linen represents the good deeds of God's dedicated people; that is to say, it is character which forms the robe which arrays the Bride of Christ. Raphael tells Tobit that he is the angel who brought his prayer before God ( Tob_13:12-15 ). They had cried to the Sovereign ruler to avenge their blood on their foes, but they were told they must wait a little for some others, their fellow-servants and their brethren, to die as they had. There is a contrast with the scarlet and gold of the great harlot. Never worry about the righteousness of God's judgments. So, I will be clothed in linen, pure and white and clean. But in the time really contemplated here all this political shuffling will be over. That is what history is about. Lit. God has not told us how, nor is it our business. It is not into a wilderness the prophet is carried, but he is set on "a mountain great and high," and shown not the great, but. Revelation 19:2 "For true and righteous [are] his judgments: for he hath judged Babylon was the spurious church as long as it was a question of the church, and the final corrupter when it could be no question of this longer, and there went forth the closing testimony of God. is a myth. The vials have all now been dispensed upon the earth of the judgment and the wrath of God. In the last chapter, we saw the terrible destruction of commercial and political The blessing given could not be taken back. The question is, why is she thus designated? servant, and of thy brethren that have the testimony of Jesus: worship God: for He will tread the winepress of the anger of the wrath of God. "Notwithstanding the dogmatic helps which the Church offers, the mind fails to grasp the inmost significance of the Person of Christ, which eludes all efforts to bring it within the terms of human knowledge. And the beast was taken" (taken alive), "and with him the false prophet that wrought signs in his presence, with which he deceived those that received the mark of the beast, and those that worshipped his image." So we are obliged to translate the single word, e.g. 9:7; Like a novel, the storyline builds from front to back, with the characters, themes and plot elements introduced early and developed across many chapters. It is not now lightnings and thunders and voices. Whoever this angel is, he too had the testimony of Jesus. The horns and the beast join in hating the whore. In other words, this is the characteristic title for God in the Revelation. He is the living Word, the active agent of God who expresses Gods will and carries it out. In that place the sword seems to be an emblem of his words or doctrines, as penetrating the hearts of people; here it is the emblem of a work of destruction worked on his foes. Accordingly, "Behold, I come quickly, and my reward is with me." This testimony here is not Jesus giving it, but we believers who testify of the This disposes of many a web of comments; for we find at once what is perfectly simple, what any child of God who believes this to be the word of God must own. In the . discover_revelation@charter.net, Revelation chapter 19 and 20 This it is precisely which will bring out the indignant judgment of God upon the last phase of Babylon, so that the guilt of all the blood shed on the earth shall be imputed to her, and she may be judged accordingly. 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. There is another remark to make. 17 And I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the fowls that fly in the midst of heaven, Come and gather yourselves together unto the supper of the great God; 18 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 of them that sit on them, and the flesh of all men, both free and bond, both small and great. 14:8-11). Still God acts in a wisdom far above man, and holds to His principles even there. Well, the folly of men today that think that they are able to fight against God and to come out victorious. symbolizes the permanence of Babylon's destruction (Isaiah 34:8-10). As usual John takes his picture from the Old Testament and is thinking of the terrible picture in Isaiah 63:1-3, where the prophet pictures God returning from the destruction of Edom; "I trod them in my anger, and trampled them in my wrath; their life blood is sprinkled upon my garments, and I have stained all my raiment." Moral elements too were not wanting: the mystery of lawlessness had long been at work, though the enemy had not yet brought in the apostacy, and still less the manifestation of the lawless one. He uses a "staff" to gently nudge or guide his sheep. The picture is of all men sitting down at the Messianic Banquet of God. or "so be it. It is all centered around Him. Scripture records no name whatever among those judged written there. Verse 1. That picture stands for the final union between Jesus Christ and his Church. But we as properly say, "Come." Verse by Verse Ministry International is a non-profit, non-denominational, unaffiliated Christian ministry that is dedicated to promoting the preaching and teaching of God's Word clearly and boldly. I do not doubt that there was a corrupt form in connection with Israel in times past. I expect to be there in that heavenly scene declaring, "Alleluia, salvation and glory and honor and power unto the Lord our God.". But a grave consideration soon disposes of both views by the relation to the beast, and more particularly by what will be shown a little farther on. And because of this there is great rejoicing in heaven. This verse reports that the heavenly multitude shouted another "hallelujah," which translates to "praise the Lord!" The residents of heaven declare that Babylon's smoke ascends "forever and ever." We should not interpret this declaration to mean the physical smoke from God's judgment on Babylon is eternal. The Sword--The Word of His mouth--is now wielded in judgment. Directly he had sinned, the word of God came, and he was called. If alive before the thousand years, he will live after the thousand years; in fact, literally he will never die, though I do not doubt, on general principles, that the saints of the millennial earth will be changed at the very time when the heavens and earth disappear. and the fullness of the Gentiles will be brought in. Pilate said, "I find no fault in Him. Ezekiel works out the whole picture most fully in Ezekiel 16:1-63. In any real marriage there must be four things which must also be in the relationship between the Christian and Christ. At the same time we are not at liberty to eliminate such a feature out of the description. Thus was concluded all dealing on the Lord's part with both soul and body, and all that pertains to either. As any dream or vision has to be interpreted, so does Revelation. "He that testifieth these things saith, Surely I come quickly. Called: Those who are invited to the marriage supper are Israel, who will turn Such is the meaning of the verse "The rest of the dead lived not again till the thousand years were finished. - Utley. God will judge Israel, namely, Jews living when He returns (Ezekiel 20:33-38), and the Gentiles living then (Matthew 25:31-46). What's amazing is that the Father never calls His Son "My God," though there are at least 7 times in the NT where Jesus called the Father "My God." twice on the cross, once on resurrection morning with Mary, and 4 times in Revelation 3.12. Second, he alone has that purity which can judge without prejudice. There was the sad register of undeniable sin on the one side; there was no writing of the name on the other side. After that we have the admonitions to the end of this book. A single verse dispels clouds of arguments. righteousness of the church, which has now been judged and purified at the They "lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.". There is no scriptural reason to infer that any saint dies during the thousand years, but rather the contrary. To the same world in which He suffered, according to the scriptures, He will come back. for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy ( Revelation 19:10 ). The description of the warrior Christ is further filled in. 2 Everything that he decides is right and fair. But it really is. The angel implies nothing of the sort. shall be their shepherd, as in Revelation 2:27, Revelation 12:5 Of course in all three places the reference is to Psalms 2:9. If ancient times failed fully to meet the requirements of the chapter, it is evident that the middle ages are passed without its fulfilment as a whole. "The tabernacle of God [is] with men, and he shall dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, their God. "All three of the figures in this verse are representations of the word of Christ, by which he executes with indisputable authority the judgment of God. They which are called: This is not the bride (the church), but the guests. We have seen that these follow the Lord out of heaven, and are next seen enthroned. Verse 11. At the end of this time he will be released for a short while (20:1-3). 21 To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne. The marriage of the Lamb: The wife or bride of Christ is the Babylon must hear, I do not doubt, the final testimony of God the gospel of the kingdom that is to go forth in the last days; but she loves her pleasure and power, and refuses truth. After so long a tarrying how blessed! Up till now the visions have mainly been concerned with the power of evil and the sufferings of believers. From his mouth . Once Jesus enters the battle, it is soon over. This also is a no less important element for understanding the chapter. One of the most approved axioms is, that kingdoms are just like men in this respect, that they begin, rise, and fall. 2:18-19). It is not now the temple opened there, and the ark of the covenant seen when Israel's security is seen, as the object of God's counsels; nor is it a door opened above, as we saw it when the prophet was giving his introduction to the prophecy of God's dealings with the world as a whole, though in both cases all manifestly clusters round the Lord Jesus.