Worthy.Bible » Parallel » Revelation » Chapter 19

Revelation 19:1-21 King James Version (KJV)

1 And after these things I heard a great voice of much people in heaven, saying, Alleluia; Salvation, and glory, and honour, and power, unto the Lord our God:

2 For true and righteous are his judgments: for he hath judged the great whore, which did corrupt the earth with her fornication, and hath avenged the blood of his servants at her hand.

3 And again they said, Alleluia And her smoke rose up for ever and ever.

4 And the four and twenty elders and the four beasts fell down and worshipped God that sat on the throne, saying, Amen; Alleluia.

5 And a voice came out of the throne, saying, Praise our God, all ye his servants, and ye that fear him, both small and great.

6 And I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude, and as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of mighty thunderings, saying, Alleluia: for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth.

7 Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready.

8 And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints.

9 And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he saith unto me, These are the true sayings of God.

10 And I fell at his feet to worship him. And he said unto me, See thou do it not: I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren that have the testimony of Jesus: worship God: for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.

11 And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war.

12 His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself.

13 And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God.

14 And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean.

15 And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.

16 And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.

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.

19 And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse, and against his army.

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. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone.

21 And the remnant were slain with the sword of him that sat upon the horse, which sword proceeded out of his mouth: and all the fowls were filled with their flesh.


Revelation 19:1-21 King James Version with Strong's Concordance (STRONG)

1 And G2532 after G3326 these things G5023 I heard G191 a great G3173 voice G5456 of much G4183 people G3793 in G1722 heaven, G3772 saying, G3004 Alleluia; G239 Salvation, G4991 and G2532 glory, G1391 and G2532 honour, G5092 and G2532 power, G1411 unto the Lord G2962 our G2257 God: G2316

2 For G3754 true G228 and G2532 righteous G1342 are his G846 judgments: G2920 for G3754 he hath judged G2919 the great G3173 whore, G4204 which G3748 did corrupt G5351 the earth G1093 with G1722 her G846 fornication, G4202 and G2532 hath avenged G1556 the blood G129 of his G846 servants G1401 at G1537 her G846 hand. G5495

3 And G2532 again G1208 they said, G2046 Alleluia. G239 And G2532 her G846 smoke G2586 rose up G305 for G1519 ever G165 and ever. G165

4 And G2532 the four G5064 and G2532 twenty G1501 elders G4245 and G2532 the four G5064 beasts G2226 fell down G4098 and G2532 worshipped G4352 God G2316 that sat G2521 on G1909 the throne, G2362 saying, G3004 Amen; G281 Alleluia. G239

5 And G2532 a voice G5456 came G1831 out of G1537 the throne, G2362 saying, G3004 Praise G134 our G2257 God, G2316 all ye G3956 his G846 servants, G1401 and G2532 ye that fear G5399 him, G846 both G2532 small G3398 and G2532 great. G3173

6 And G2532 I heard G191 as it were G5613 the voice G5456 of a great G4183 multitude, G3793 and G2532 as G5613 the voice G5456 of many G4183 waters, G5204 and G2532 as G5613 the voice G5456 of mighty G2478 thunderings, G1027 saying, G3004 Alleluia: G239 for G3754 the Lord G2962 God G2316 omnipotent G3841 reigneth. G936

7 Let us be glad G5463 and G2532 rejoice, G21 and G2532 give G1325 honour G1391 to him: G846 for G3754 the marriage G1062 of the Lamb G721 is come, G2064 and G2532 his G846 wife G1135 hath made G2090 herself G1438 ready. G2090

8 And G2532 to her G846 was granted G1325 that G2443 she should be arrayed G4016 in fine linen, G1039 clean G2513 and G2532 white: G2986 for G1063 the fine linen G1039 is G2076 the righteousness G1345 of saints. G40

9 And G2532 he saith G3004 unto me, G3427 Write, G1125 Blessed G3107 are they which are called G2564 unto G1519 the marriage G1062 supper G1173 of the Lamb. G721 And G2532 he saith G3004 unto me, G3427 These G3778 are G1526 the true G228 sayings G3056 of God. G2316

10 And G2532 I fell G4098 at G1715 his G846 feet G4228 to worship G4352 him. G846 And G2532 he said G3004 unto me, G3427 See G3708 thou do it not: G3361 I am G1510 thy G4675 fellowservant, G4889 and G2532 of thy G4675 brethren G80 that have G2192 the testimony G3141 of Jesus: G2424 worship G4352 God: G2316 for G1063 the testimony G3141 of Jesus G2424 is G2076 the spirit G4151 of prophecy. G4394

11 And G2532 I saw G1492 heaven G3772 opened, G455 and G2532 behold G2400 a white G3022 horse; G2462 and G2532 he that sat G2521 upon G1909 him G846 was called G2564 Faithful G4103 and G2532 True, G228 and G2532 in G1722 righteousness G1343 he doth judge G2919 and G2532 make war. G4170

12 G1161 His G846 eyes G3788 were as G5613 a flame G5395 of fire, G4442 and G2532 on G1909 his G846 head G2776 were many G4183 crowns; G1238 and he had G2192 a name G3686 written, G1125 that G3739 no man G3762 knew, G1492 but G1508 he himself. G846

13 And G2532 he was clothed G4016 with a vesture G2440 dipped G911 in blood: G129 and G2532 his G846 name G3686 is called G2564 The Word G3056 of God. G2316

14 And G2532 the armies G4753 which were G3588 in G1722 heaven G3772 followed G190 him G846 upon G1909 white G3022 horses, G2462 clothed G1746 in fine linen, G1039 white G3022 and G2532 clean. G2513

15 And G2532 out of G1537 his G846 mouth G4750 goeth G1607 a sharp G3691 sword, G4501 that G2443 with G1722 it G846 he should smite G3960 the nations: G1484 and G2532 he G846 shall rule G4165 them G846 with G1722 a rod G4464 of iron: G4603 and G2532 he G846 treadeth G3961 the winepress G3025 G3631 of the fierceness G2372 and G2532 wrath G3709 of Almighty G3841 God. G2316

16 And G2532 he hath G2192 on G1909 his vesture G2440 and G2532 on G1909 his G846 thigh G3382 a name G3686 written, G1125 KING G935 OF KINGS, G935 AND G2532 LORD G2962 OF LORDS. G2962

17 And G2532 I saw G1492 an G1520 angel G32 standing G2476 in G1722 the sun; G2246 and G2532 he cried G2896 with a loud G3173 voice, G5456 saying G3004 to all G3956 the fowls G3732 that fly G4072 in G1722 the midst of heaven, G3321 Come G1205 and G2532 gather yourselves together G4863 unto G1519 the supper G1173 of the great G3173 God; G2316

18 That G2443 ye may eat G5315 the flesh G4561 of kings, G935 and G2532 the flesh G4561 of captains, G5506 and G2532 the flesh G4561 of mighty men, G2478 and G2532 the flesh G4561 of horses, G2462 and G2532 of them that sit G2521 on G1909 them, G846 and G2532 the flesh G4561 of all G3956 men, both free G1658 and G2532 bond, G1401 both G2532 small G3398 and G2532 great. G3173

19 And G2532 I saw G1492 the beast, G2342 and G2532 the kings G935 of the earth, G1093 and G2532 their G846 armies, G4753 gathered together G4863 to make G4160 war G4171 against G3326 him that sat G2521 on G1909 the horse, G2462 and G2532 against G3326 his G846 army. G4753

20 And G2532 the beast G2342 was taken, G4084 and G2532 with G3326 him G5127 the false prophet G5578 that wrought G4160 miracles G4592 before G1799 him, G846 with G1722 which G3739 he deceived G4105 them that had received G2983 the mark G5480 of the beast, G2342 and G2532 them that worshipped G4352 his G846 image. G1504 These both G1417 were cast G906 alive G2198 into G1519 a lake G3041 of fire G4442 burning G2545 with G1722 brimstone. G2303

21 And G2532 the remnant G3062 were slain G615 with G1722 the sword G4501 of him that sat G2521 upon G1909 the horse, G2462 which G3588 sword proceeded G1607 out of G1537 his G846 mouth: G4750 and G2532 all G3956 the fowls G3732 were filled G5526 with G1537 their G846 flesh. G4561


Revelation 19:1-21 American Standard (ASV)

1 After these things I heard as it were a great voice of a great multitude in heaven, saying, Hallelujah; Salvation, and glory, and power, belong to our God:

2 for true and righteous are his judgments; for he hath judged the great harlot, her that corrupted the earth with her fornication, and he hath avenged the blood of his servants at her hand.

3 And a second time they say, Hallelujah. And her smoke goeth up for ever and ever.

4 And the four and twenty elders and the four living creatures fell down and worshipped God that sitteth on the throne, saying, Amen; Hallelujah.

5 And a voice came forth from the throne, saying, Give praise to our God, all ye his servants, ye that fear him, the small and the great.

6 And I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude, and as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of mighty thunders, saying, Hallelujah: for the Lord our God, the Almighty, reigneth.

7 Let us rejoice and be exceeding glad, and let us give the glory unto him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready.

8 And it was given unto her that she should array herself in fine linen, bright `and' pure: for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints.

9 And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they that are bidden to the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he saith unto me, These are true words of God.

10 And I fell down before his feet to worship him. And he saith unto me, See thou do it not: I am a fellow-servant with thee and with thy brethren that hold the testimony of Jesus: worship God; for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.

11 And I saw the heaven opened; and behold, a white horse, and he that sat thereon called Faithful and True; and in righteous he doth judge and make war.

12 And his eyes `are' a flame of fire, and upon his head `are' many diadems; and he hath a name written which no one knoweth but he himself.

13 And he `is' arrayed in a garment sprinkled with blood: and his name is called The Word of God.

14 And the armies which are in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white `and' pure.

15 And out of his mouth proceedeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness of the wrath of God, the Almighty.

16 And he hath on his garment and on his thigh a name written, KINGS OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.

17 And I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the birds that fly in mid heaven, Come `and' be gathered together unto the great supper of 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 thereon, and the flesh of all men, both free and bond, and small and great.

19 And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against him that sat upon the horse, and against his army.

20 And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought the signs in his sight, wherewith he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast and them that worshipped his image: they two were cast alive into the lake of fire that burneth with brimstone:

21 and the rest were killed with the sword of him that sat upon the horse, `even the sword' which came forth out of his mouth: and all the birds were filled with their flesh.


Revelation 19:1-21 Young's Literal Translation (YLT)

1 And after these things I heard a great voice of a great multitude in the heaven, saying, `Alleluia! the salvation, and the glory, and the honour, and the power, `is' to the Lord our God;

2 because true and righteous `are' His judgments, because He did judge the great whore who did corrupt the earth in her whoredom, and He did avenge the blood of His servants at her hand;'

3 and a second time they said, `Alleluia;' and her smoke doth come up -- to the ages of the ages!

4 And fall down did the elders -- the twenty and four -- and the four living creatures, and they did bow before God who is sitting upon the throne, saying, `Amen, Alleluia.'

5 And a voice out of the throne did come forth, saying, `Praise our God, all ye His servants, and those fearing Him, both the small and the great;'

6 and I heard as the voice of a great multitude, and as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of mighty thunderings, saying, `Alleluia! because reign did the Lord God -- the Almighty!

7 may we rejoice and exult, and give the glory to Him, because come did the marriage of the Lamb, and his wife did make herself ready;

8 and there was given to her that she may be arrayed with fine linen, pure and shining, for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints.'

9 And he saith to me, `Write: Happy `are' they who to the supper of the marriage of the Lamb have been called;' and he saith to me, `These `are' the true words of God;'

10 and I fell before his feet, to bow before him, and he saith to me, `See -- not! fellow servant of thee am I, and of thy brethren, those having the testimony of Jesus; bow before God, for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of the prophecy.'

11 And I saw the heaven having been opened, and lo, a white horse, and he who is sitting upon it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness doth he judge and war,

12 and his eyes `are' as a flame of fire, and upon his head `are' many diadems -- having a name written that no one hath known, except himself,

13 and he is arrayed with a garment covered with blood, and his name is called, The Word of God.

14 And the armies in the heaven were following him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen -- white and pure;

15 and out of his mouth doth proceed a sharp sword, that with it he may smite the nations, and he shall rule them with a rod of iron, and he doth tread the press of the wine of the wrath and the anger of God the Almighty,

16 and he hath upon the garment and upon his thigh the name written, `King of kings, and Lord of lords.'

17 And I saw one messenger standing in the sun, and he cried, a great voice, saying to all the birds that are flying in mid-heaven, `Come and be gathered together to the supper of the great God,

18 that ye may eat flesh of kings, and flesh of chiefs of thousands, and flesh of strong men, and flesh of horses, and of those sitting on them, and the flesh of all -- freemen and servants -- both small and great.'

19 And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, having been gathered together to make war with him who is sitting upon the horse, and with his army;

20 and the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet who did the signs before him, in which he led astray those who did receive the mark of the beast, and those who did bow before his image; living they were cast -- the two -- to the lake of the fire, that is burning with brimstone;

21 and the rest were killed with the sword of him who is sitting on the horse, which `sword' is proceeding out of his mouth, and all the birds were filled out of their flesh.


Revelation 19:1-21 Darby English Bible (DARBY)

1 After these things I heard as a loud voice of a great multitude in the heaven, saying, Hallelujah: the salvation and the glory and the power of our God:

2 for true and righteous [are] his judgments; for he has judged the great harlot which corrupted the earth with her fornication, and has avenged the blood of his bondmen at her hand.

3 And a second time they said, Hallelujah. And her smoke goes up to the ages of ages.

4 And the twenty-four elders and the four living creatures fell down and did homage to God who sits upon the throne, saying, Amen, Hallelujah.

5 And a voice came out of the throne, saying, Praise our God, all ye his bondmen, [and] ye that fear him, small and great.

6 And I heard as a voice of a great crowd, and as a voice of many waters, and as a voice of strong thunders, saying, Hallelujah, for [the] Lord our God the Almighty has taken to himself kingly power.

7 Let us rejoice and exult, and give him glory; for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife has made herself ready.

8 And it was given to her that she should be clothed in fine linen, bright [and] pure; for the fine linen is the righteousnesses of the saints.

9 And he says to me, Write, Blessed [are] they who are called to the supper of the marriage of the Lamb. And he says to me, These are the true words of God.

10 And I fell before his feet to do him homage. And he says to me, See [thou do it] not. I am thy fellow-bondman, and [the fellow-bondman] of thy brethren who have the testimony of Jesus. Do homage to God. For the spirit of prophecy is the testimony of Jesus.

11 And I saw the heaven opened, and behold, a white horse, and one sitting on it, [called] Faithful and True, and he judges and makes war in righteousness.

12 And his eyes are a flame of fire, and upon his head many diadems, having a name written which no one knows but himself;

13 and [he is] clothed with a garment dipped in blood; and his name is called The Word of God.

14 And the armies which [are] in the heaven followed him upon white horses, clad in white, pure, fine linen.

15 And out of his mouth goes a sharp [two-edged] sword, that with it he might smite the nations; and he shall shepherd them with an iron rod; and he treads the wine-press of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty.

16 And he has upon his garment, and upon his thigh, a name written, King of kings, and Lord of lords.

17 And I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the birds that fly in mid-heaven, Come, gather yourselves to the great supper of God,

18 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 upon them, and flesh of all, both free and bond, and small and great.

19 And I saw the beast and the kings of the earth and their armies gathered together to make war against him that sat upon the horse, and against his army.

20 And the beast was taken, and the false prophet that [was] with him, who wrought the signs before him by which he deceived them that received the mark of the beast, and those that worship his image. Alive were both cast into the lake of fire which burns with brimstone;

21 and the rest were slain with the sword of him that sat upon the horse, which goes out of his mouth; and all the birds were filled with their flesh.


Revelation 19:1-21 World English Bible (WEB)

1 After these things I heard something like a loud voice of a great multitude in heaven, saying, "Hallelujah! Salvation, power, and glory belong to our God:

2 for true and righteous are his judgments. For he has judged the great prostitute, who corrupted the earth with her sexual immorality, and he has avenged the blood of his servants at her hand."

3 A second said, "Hallelujah! Her smoke goes up forever and ever."

4 The twenty-four elders and the four living creatures fell down and worshiped God who sits on the throne, saying, "Amen! Hallelujah!"

5 A voice came forth from the throne, saying, "Give praise to our God, all you his servants, you who fear him, the small and the great!"

6 I heard something like the voice of a great multitude, and like the voice of many waters, and like the voice of mighty thunders, saying, "Hallelujah! For the Lord our God, the Almighty, reigns!

7 Let us rejoice and be exceedingly glad, and let us give the glory to him. For the marriage of the Lamb has come, and his wife has made herself ready."

8 It was given to her that she would array herself in bright, pure, fine linen: for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints.

9 He said to me, "Write, 'Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.'" He said to me, "These are true words of God."

10 I fell down before his feet to worship him. He said to me, "Look! Don't do it! I am a fellow bondservant with you and with your brothers who hold the testimony of Jesus. Worship God, for the testimony of Jesus is the Spirit of Prophecy."

11 I saw the heaven opened, and behold, a white horse, and he who sat on it is called Faithful and True. In righteousness he judges and makes war.

12 His eyes are a flame of fire, and on his head are many crowns. He has names written and a name written which no one knows but he himself.

13 He is clothed in a garment sprinkled with blood. His name is called "The Word of God."

14 The armies which are in heaven followed him on white horses, clothed in white, pure, fine linen.

15 Out of his mouth proceeds a sharp, double-edged sword, that with it he should strike the nations. He will rule them with a rod of iron. He treads the winepress of the fierceness of the wrath of God, the Almighty.

16 He has on his garment and on his thigh a name written, "KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS."

17 I saw an angel standing in the sun. He cried with a loud voice, saying to all the birds that fly in the sky, "Come! Be gathered together to the great supper of God,{TR reads "supper of the great God" instead of "great supper of God"}

18 that you may eat the flesh of kings, the flesh of captains, the flesh of mighty men, and the flesh of horses and of those who sit on them, and the flesh of all men, both free and slave, and small and great."

19 I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against him who sat on the horse, and against his army.

20 The beast was taken, and with him the false prophet who worked the signs in his sight, with which he deceived those who had received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image. These two were thrown alive into the lake of fire that burns with sulfur.

21 The rest were killed with the sword of him who sat on the horse, the sword which came forth out of his mouth. All the birds were filled with their flesh.


Revelation 19:1-21 Bible in Basic English (BBE)

1 After these things there came to my ears a sound like the voice of a great band of people in heaven, saying, Praise to the Lord; salvation and glory and power be to our God:

2 For true and upright are his decisions; for by him has the evil woman been judged, who made the earth unclean with the sins of her body; and he has given her punishment for the blood of his servants.

3 And again they said, Praise to the Lord. And her smoke went up for ever and ever.

4 And the four and twenty rulers and the four beasts went down on their faces and gave worship to God who was seated on the high seat, saying, Even so, praise to the Lord.

5 And a voice came from the high seat, saying, Give praise to our God, all you his servants, small and great, in whom is the fear of him.

6 And there came to my ears the voice of a great army, like the sound of waters, and the sound of loud thunders, saying, Praise to the Lord: for the Lord our God, Ruler of all, is King.

7 Let us be glad with delight, and let us give glory to him: because the time is come for the Lamb to be married, and his wife has made herself ready.

8 And to her it was given to be clothed in delicate linen, clean and shining: for the clean linen is the righteousness of the saints.

9 And he said to me, Put in the book, Happy are the guests at the bride-feast of the Lamb. And he said to me, These are the true words of God.

10 And I went on my face before his feet to give him worship. And he said to me, See you do it not: I am a brother-servant with you and with your brothers who keep the witness of Jesus: give worship to God: for the witness of Jesus is the spirit of the prophet's word.

11 And the heaven was open; and I saw a white horse, and he who was seated on it was named Certain and True; and he is judging and making war in righteousness.

12 And his eyes are a flame of fire, and crowns are on his head; and he has a name in writing, of which no man has knowledge but himself.

13 And he is clothed in a robe washed with blood: and his name is The Word of God.

14 And the armies which are in heaven went after him on white horses, clothed in delicate linen, white and clean.

15 And out of his mouth comes a sharp sword, with which he overcomes the nations: and he has rule over them with a rod of iron: and he is crushing with his feet the grapes of the strong wrath of God the Ruler of all.

16 And on his robe and on his leg is a name, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.

17 And I saw an angel taking his place in the sun; and he was crying with a loud voice, saying to all the birds in flight in the heavens, Come together to the great feast of God;

18 So that you may take for your food the flesh of kings, and of captains, and of strong men, and of horses and of those who are seated on them, and the flesh of all men, free and unfree, small and great.

19 And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, come together to make war against him who was seated on the horse and against his army.

20 And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet who did the signs before him, by which they were turned from the true way who had the mark of the beast, and who gave worship to his image: these two were put living into the sea of ever-burning fire.

21 And the rest were put to death with the sword of him who was on the horse, even the sword which came out of his mouth: and all the birds were made full with their flesh.

Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Matthew Henry Commentary » Commentary on Revelation 19

Commentary on Revelation 19 Matthew Henry Commentary


Chapter 19

In this chapter we have,

  • I. A further account of the triumphant song of angels and saints for the fall of Babylon (v. 1-4).
  • II. The marriage between Christ and the church proclaimed and perfected (v. 5-10).
  • III. Another warlike expedition of the glorious head and husband of the church, with the success of it (v. 10-21).

Rev 19:1-4

The fall of Babylon being fixed, finished, and declared to be irrecoverable in the foregoing chapter, this begins with a holy triumph over her, in pursuance of the order given forth: Rejoice over her, thou heaven, and you holy apostles and prophets, ch. 18:20. They now gladly answer the call; and here you have,

  • 1. The form of their thanksgiving, in that heavenly and most comprehensive word, Alleluia, praise you the Lord: with this they begin, with this they go on, and with this they end (v. 4); their prayers are now turned into praises, their hosannas end in halleluias.
  • 2. The matter of their thanksgiving: they praise him for the truth of his word, and the righteousness of his providential conduct, especially in this great event-the ruin of Babylon, which had been a mother, nurse, and nest of idolatry, lewdness, and cruelty (v. 2), for which signal example of divine justice they ascribe salvation, and glory, and honour, and power, unto our God.
  • 3. The effect of these their praises: when the angels and saints cried Alleluia, her fire burned more fiercely and her smoke ascended for ever and ever, v. 3. The surest way to have our deliverances continued and completed is to give God the glory of what he has done for us. Praising God for what we have is praying in the most effectual manner for what is yet further to be done for us; the praises of the saints blow up the fire of God's wrath against the common enemy.
  • 4. The blessed harmony between the angels and the saints in this triumphant song, v. 4. The churches and their ministers take the melodious sound from the angels, and repeat it; falling down, and worshipping God, they cry, Amen, Alleluia.

Rev 19:5-10

The triumphant song being ended, and epithalamium, or marriage-song, begins, v. 6. Here observe,

  • I. The concert of heavenly music. The chorus was large and loud, as the voice of many waters and of mighty thunderings. God is fearful in praises. There is no discord in heaven; the morning stars sing together; no jarring string, nor key untuned, but pure and perfect melody.
  • II. The occasion of this song; and that is the reign and dominion of that omnipotent God who has redeemed his church by his own blood, and is now in a more public manner betrothing her to himself: The marriage of the Lamb has come, v. 7. Some think this refers to the conversion of the Jews, which they suppose will succeed the fall of Babylon; others, to the general resurrection: the former seems more probable. Now,
    • 1. You have here a description of the bride, how she appeared; not in the gay and gaudy dress of the mother of harlots, but in fine linen, clean and white, which is the righteousness of saints; in the robes of Christ's righteousness, both imputed for justification and imparted for sanctification-the stola, the white robe of absolution, adoption, and enfranchisement, and the white robe of purity and universal holiness. She had washed her robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb; and these her nuptial ornaments she did not purchase by any price of her own, but received them as the gift and grant of her blessed Lord.
    • 2. The marriage-feast, which, though not particularly described (as Mt. 22:4), yet is declared to be such as would make all those happy who were called to it, so called as to accept the invitation, a feast made up of the promises of the gospel, the true sayings of God, v. 9. These promises, opened, applied, sealed, and earnested by the Spirit of God, in holy eucharistical ordinances, are the marriage-feast; and the whole collective body of all those who partake of this feast is the bride, the Lamb's wife; they eat into one body, and drink into one Spirit, and are not mere spectators or guests, but coalesce into the espoused party, the mystical body of Christ.
    • 3. The transport of joy which the apostle felt in himself at this vision. He fell down at the feet of the angel, to worship him, supposing him to be more than a creature, or having his thoughts at the present overpowered by the vehemency of his affections. Here observe,
      • (1.) What honour he offered to the angel: He fell at his feet, to worship him; this prostration was a part of external worship, it was a posture of proper adoration.
      • (2.) How the angel refused it, and this was with some resentment: "See thou do it not; have a care what thou doest, thou art doing a wrong thing.'
      • (3.) He gave a very good reason for his refusal: "I am thy fellow-servant, and of thy brethren which have the testimony of Jesus-I am a creature, thine equal in office, though not in nature; I, as an angel and messenger of God, have the testimony of Jesus, a charge to be a witness for him and to testify concerning him, and thou, as an apostle, having the Spirit of prophecy, hast the same testimony to give in; and therefore we are in this brethren and fellow-servants.'
      • (4.) He directs him to the true and only object of religious worship; namely, God: "Worship God, and him alone.' This fully condemns both the practice of the papists in worshipping the elements of bread and wine, and saints, and angels, and the practice of those Socinians and Arians who do not believe that Christ is truly and by nature God, and yet pay him religious worship; and this shows what wretched fig-leaves all their evasions and excuses are which they offer in their own vindication: they stand hereby convicted of idolatry by a messenger from heaven.

Rev 19:11-21

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 ch. 16:16. And here observe,

  • I. The description of the great Commander,
    • 1. By the seat of his empire; and that is heaven; his throne is there, and his power and authority are heavenly and divine.
    • 2. His equipage: he is again described as sitting on a white horse, to show the equity of the cause, and certainty of success.
    • 3. His attributes: he is faithful and true to his covenant and promise, he is righteous in all his judicial and military proceedings, he has a penetrating insight into all the strength and stratagems of his enemies, he has a large and extensive dominion, many crowns, for he is King of kings, and Lord of lords.
    • 4. 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.
    • 5. 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.
  • II. The army which he commands (v. 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.
  • III. The weapons of his warfare-A sharp sword proceeding from his mouth (v. 15), with which he smites the nations, either the threatenings of the written word, which now he is going to execute, or rather his word of command calling on his followers to take a just revenge on his and their enemies, who are now put into the wine-press of the wrath of God, to be trodden under foot by him.
  • IV. The ensigns of his authority, his coat of arms-a name written on his vesture and thigh, King of kings, and Lord of lords, asserting his authority and power, and the cause of the quarrel, v. 16.
  • V. An invitation given to the fowls of heaven, that they should come and see the battle, and share in the spoil and pillage of the field (v. 17, 18), intimating that this great decisive engagement should leave the enemies of the church a feast for the birds of prey, and that all the world should have cause to rejoice in the issue of it.
  • VI. The battle joined. The enemy falls on with great fury, headed by the beast, and the kings of the earth; the powers of earth and hell gathered, to make their utmost effort, v. 19.
  • VII. The victory gained by the great and glorious head of the church: The beast and the false prophet, the leaders of the army, are taken prisoners, both he who led them by power and he who led them by policy and falsehood; these are taken and cast into the burning lake, made incapable of molesting the church of God any more; and their followers, whether officers or common soldiers, are given up to military execution, and made a feast for the fowls of heaven. Though the divine vengeance will chiefly fall upon the beast, and the false prophet, yet it will be no excuse to those who fight under their banner that they only followed their leaders and obeyed their command; since they would fight for them, they must fall and perish with them. Be wise now therefore, O you kings, be instructed, you rulers of the earth; kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and you perish from the way, Ps. 2:10, 12.