Chapter 17 and 18 discussed Babylon and its destruction: Babylon is about Organized Opposition to God . This opposition to God is found both spatially and physically in the Spiritual and Material Babylon. Spiritual= Spirit of Impurity/Idolatry Material= Luxury/Excess/Immorality • Babylon is a place believers shouldn’t be • Believers should depart from worldliness • Christians need to take a stand (either we are of the world or we are not) • If we are yoked to something that is not of God, then we will crumble when it is destroyed • We will be hurt by the fall of Babylon based on the extent we have invested in it
1After this I heard what sounded like the roar of a great multitude in heaven shouting: “Hallelujah! Salvation and glory and power belong to our God, 2 for true and just are his judgments. He has condemned the great prostitute who corrupted the earth by her adulteries. He has avenged on her the blood of his servants.” 3 And again they shouted: “Hallelujah! The smoke from her goes up for ever and ever.” 4 The twenty-four elders and the four living creatures fell down and worshiped God, who was seated on the throne. And they cried: “Amen, Hallelujah!” 5 Then a voice came from the throne, saying: “Praise our God, all you his servants, you who fear him, both great and small!”
This passage refers to the roar of the great multitude. They sing Hallelujah (praise the Lord). In chapter 18 the world was mourning the fall of Babylon but chapter 19 begins with the praise for God’s righteous judgment.
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. 7 Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory! For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready. 8 Fine linen, bright and clean, was given her to wear.” (Fine linen stands for the righteous acts of God’s holy people.) 9 Then the angel said to me, “Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb!” And he added, “These are the true words of God.”
The marriage of the lamb:
The lamb is to be joined with His people: God’s union with His people is often seen as marriage in scripture (Hosea 2:19-20, Isaiah 54:5, 2 Cor 11:2), In the Old Testament, Israelites were presented as God’s wife. In the New Testament, the church is presented as God’s fiancee.
The bride has made herself ready: People (the church) will be prepared in purity, loyalty and faithfulness (Fine linen, bright and clean).
True saying: This will take place.
10 At this I fell at his feet to worship him. But he said to me, “Don’t do that! I am a fellow servant with you and with your brothers and sisters who hold to the testimony of Jesus. Worship God! For it is the Spirit of prophecy who bears testimony to Jesus.” Why doesn’t the angel accept John’s worship? Because nothing created is worthy of worship. Prophecy should always point back to Jesus as redeemer and savior.
The Heavenly Warrior Defeats the Beast 11 I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice he judges and wages war. 12 His eyes are like blazing fire, and on his head are many crowns. He has a name written on him that no one knows but he himself. 13 He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is the Word of God. 14 The armies of heaven were following him, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean. 15 Coming out of his mouth is a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations. “He will rule them with an iron scepter.” He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty. 16 On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written: king of kings and lord of lords.
First, we must understand who this really is. Back in chapter 6, we saw a rider on a white horse. Was it Jesus? We discovered it wasn’t, and we used this verse to compare Jesus with this first appearance of the counterfeit. Below is a chart that compares the two: Jesus’ return is obvious: He is on a white horse (purity), He is called faithful and true (keeper of promises, including judgment), he comes to make war (against the world who rejected Him). Jesus’ war is not on all mankind. His fight is against those who have stubbornly rejected Him.
His eyes are like flames of fire (judgment), he wears many crowns (royalty and authority), with a name that no one knows (no one can comprehend Him completely). His robe is wiped in blood (blood shed in battle/ atoning sin). His armies are God’s people. The army needs no armor, they wear linen (purity). A sharp sword comes out of Christ’s mouth (power of His word), and He holds an iron scepter. This refers to His removal of all authority of man.
17 And I saw an angel standing in the sun, who cried in a loud voice to all the birds flying in midair, “Come, gather together for the great supper of God, 18 so that you may eat the flesh of kings, generals, and the mighty, of horses and their riders, and the flesh of all people, free and slave, great and small.”
This is the great invitation for the birds. They are to feast on the flesh of man. Flesh is what got man in trouble from the start. It’s man’s flesh that is opposed to God from the beginning. And finally, men of all stations are judged. There is a great equalization of men, all equalized in their opposition to God.
19 Then I saw the beast and the kings of the earth and their armies gathered together to wage war against the rider on the horse and his army. 20 But the beast was captured, and with it the false prophet who had performed the signs on its behalf. With these signs he had deluded those who had received the mark of the beast and worshiped its image. The two of them were thrown alive into the fiery lake of burning sulfur. 21 The rest were killed with the sword coming out of the mouth of the rider on the horse, and all the birds gorged themselves on their flesh.
The armies gather and man’s hatred of God summits. Man does not want to be accountable for its actions. If you are expecting a great battle description here, you will be disappointed. The battle is completely one-sided. The beast and false prophet are captured and cast into the lake of fire before judgment. The rest are killed by the sword. In a flash it is done, God’s great power overruns the beast and deluded mankind. The battle is over.