Revelation 19
Author: Steve Amato
Description: Bible study guide for the book of Revelation with commentary
Keywords: bible study,bible, revelations, end times, apocalypse, antichrist, anti-christ, beast, rapture, millenial kingdom, millenium, tribulation

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# Revelation 19 (web)

## Rejoicing in Heaven
over Babylon's Destruction

19:1 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:
19:2 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."

19:3 A second said,

"Hallelujah! Her smoke goes up forever and ever."

19:4 The twenty-four elders and the four living creatures fell down
and worshiped God who sits on the throne, saying,

"Amen! Hallelujah!"

19:5 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!"

19:6 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!

## The Marriage Feast of the Lamb

19:7 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."
19:8 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.
19:9 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."
19:10 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."

## The Second Coming

19:11 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.
19:12 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.
19:13 He is clothed in a garment sprinkled with blood.
His name is called "The Word of God."
19:14 The armies which are in heaven followed him on white horses,
clothed in white, pure, fine linen.
19:15 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. (Ps 2:9)
He treads the winepress of the fierceness of the wrath of God, the Almighty.
19:16 He has on his garment and on his thigh a name written,
"KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS."

19:17 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,
19:18 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."

19:19 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.

19:20 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.
19:21 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.

## Discussion Questions

### Rejoicing in Heaven
over Babylon's Destruction

19:1-3 What was it about the destruction of Babylon that led the multitude in heaven to praise God? In what ways is God's salvation, glory and power revealed by its destruction?
xref 2Thess 1:6,7
What is the significance of the smoke rising forever?
xref smoke rising: Rev 14:11
But where is the place of compassion and sorrow when destruction comes?
xref Pr 24:17,18

19:4
Elders worshipped:
Rev 4:10,11 - worship Creator
Rev 5:8-10 - worship Savior
Rev 7:12 - "Amen! Praise and glory and wisdom and thanks and honor and power and strength be to our God for ever and ever. Amen!"
Rev 11:17 - "We give thanks to you, Lord God Almighty, the One who is and who was, because you have taken your great power and have begun to reign."

19:5 In what way is worship contingent upon fear?

19:6 Are there things over with God will reign in the future that he doesn't reign presently?
xref: Rev 11:17
What might the world view as the downsides to God reigning?

What is the significance of the word "our" in Rev 19:1,5,6?

19:10 Don't do it!
Xref Acts 10:25,26
How might this be related to the "veneration" of saints practiced in Catholicism and Orthodox Christianity?
In contrast notice that Jesus did not object to such worship of him.
Jn 9:38; Mt 28:9,17 How does this affirm the diety of Christ?

### The Marriage Feast of the Lamb

xref Mt 22:2-14; Eph 5:25-27
In what ways did the Bride prepare herself, and in what way did Christ prepare her?
What is the significance of the linen being characterized as "fine, bright, and clean"?
What are examples of "righteous acts" appropriate for the Christian?
11-16 Who is the rider?
Ps 2:7-12
vs 17,18,f21 What might the birds represent? xref Matt 24:28
What will they be consuming during the wedding feast of the Lamb?

# Comments

vs 1-6 This is the response to the call to rejoice over Babylon in Rev 18:20. Notice the contrast with proverbs.

> "Rejoice not when thine enemy falleth, and let not thine heart be glad when he stumbleth:" Prov 24:17

To what extent and under what circumstances should Christians rejoice at the suffering of the wicked?

vs 7-10 The bride is the church, and the illustration is appropriate for marriage was made in the image of the relationship between Christ and his church.

> "For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones. For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh." Eph 5:30,31

The saints are clothed not in the righteous acts of Christ himself, but in their own righteous acts. The clothing does not represent their justification but rather the outworkings of their faith.

Jesus mentioned the wedding banquet in his parables.

The Wedding Feast Matt 22:2-14; Lk 14:16-24 Though many are invited to partake of eternal life, few respond and many have trivial excuses.

Ten Virgins Matt 25:1-13 Those who intend to meet Christ at His return must be prepared in view of the imminence of His coming.

If an angel accepts our worship, then such an angel is not from God. This proves the diety of Christ. For he did accept worship.

John 9:38 "And he said, Lord, I believe. And he worshipped him."

Matt 14:33 "Then they that were in the ship came and worshipped him, saying, Of a truth thou art the Son of God."

Matt 28:9 "And as they went to tell his disciples, behold, Jesus met them, saying, All hail. And they came and held him by the feet, and worshipped him."

The "spirit of prophecy" is simply that the purpose of prophecy is to bring glory to God.

vs 11-16 The rider is Christ. The robe dipped in blood represents his blood shed on the cross. The sword is the Word of God, as Ephesians 6 mentions, which is also his name.

vs 17-19 So you come to this wedding feast and they set the food before you. Now what it the food itself? It is the flesh of kings, generals, and mighty men. Sound delicious? But Jesus had used this illustration of eating flesh before both in the last supper he spoke of eating his flesh and in John 6 after feeding the five thousand, for which reason it says "From that time many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him." John 6:66 So one must be careful to understand the spiritual meaning of this. Xref Ezekiel 39:17-21

vs 20-21 While the rest of the unbelievers will not be thrown into the lake of fire until after the millenial kingdom, these two - the antichrist and false prophet were thrown in at this time. Leaders should recieve greater punishment than their followers.

All the rest of the armies of the antichrist were killed. Does that mean that all unbelievers were killed? Were there any left on the earth? Were there any converts during or after this battle?

The Berean Christian Bible Study Resources
Nov 28,2004