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Revelation 19:11-21: Total Victory.

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 sceptre.’^[a] 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.¹⁷ And I saw an angel standing in the sun, who cried in a loud voice to all the birds flying in mid-air, ‘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.’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 worshipped its image. The two of them were thrown alive into the fiery lake of burning sulphur. 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.” NIV

There may be a lot of picture language employed here, but it is clearly pointing to the final and complete victory of the Lord Jesus Christ over all evil. Nothing devilish or demonic can possibly win in the end. So even before the ‘final whistle’ we know the result.

This passage takes us back to Psalm 2. Consider particularly these words:

‘’Therefore, you kings, be wise; be warned, you rulers of the earth. Serve the LORD with fear and celebrate his rule with trembling. Kiss his son, or he will be angry and your way will lead to your destruction, for his wrath can flare up in a moment. Blessed are all who take refuge in him’’ (verses 10-12).

Another important Old Testament passage for understanding today’s reading Isaiah 63:1-6. When we read that Jesus’ is ‘’dressed in a robe dipped in blood’’ (13), that this is probably not His own, but that of His enemies. God’s judgment is real, and He is to be feared. Let us make sure we ‘’take refuge in’’ God in Christ. He is the only safe place (House) in the universe.

Revelation 19: 11-21: The mystery of Christ.

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 sceptre.’^[a] 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.¹⁷ And I saw an angel standing in the sun, who cried in a loud voice to all the birds flying in mid-air, ‘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.’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 worshipped its image. The two of them were thrown alive into the fiery lake of burning sulphur. 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.” NIV

The battle has been long and hard, but in the end Jesus wins!                                             Here is the Leader we all long for. One day He will appear. He is Faithful and True’’ and totally Just (11). He has complete knowledge, and exercises absolute rule (12a; note the repetition from 1:14b). But, there is a mystery about the Person of Christ that we will never fully fathom. However much we do know, by grace, there will always be so much more to know:

‘’He has a name written on him that no-one knows but he himself’’ (12b).

‘Only the Son of God can understand the mystery of His own being.’ H.B.Swete. Therefore, like John in chapter 1, we belong at His feet. May we always feel the wonder of Jesus.

Revelation 19:1-10: A Wedding and a Feast

Once again, Old Testament roots are showing through here. In the first part of the Bible we see Israel portrayed as God’s bride (see for example Isaiah 54/55). We also find there the theme of God’s great banquet with a wide invitation given to many (Isaiah 25:6-10). Jesus Himself used the theme of a king’s marriage supper for his son (Matthew 22:1-14; see also Matthew 25:1-13). He also hinted at the related theme of having appropriate clothing for the event. Tom Wright says that this moment, described in Revelation 19, is what the world has been waiting for ever since Genesis 1. Looked at from one angle, the Bible tells a great love story. God and His people are going to be married. They will be together for ever, and there will be a ‘happy ever after.’

Note how differently God’s ‘’bride’’ is dressed (7b/8), compared with that gaudy prostitute Babylon (18:16). Our clothing says a lot about us. The church’s dress is a gift of sheer grace:

‘’Fine linen, bright and clean, was given her to wear’’ (8). She didn’t earn it. It’s a precious gift.

A child once asked a preacher why Jesus never got married. His reply: ‘One day He’s going to be!’

Revelation 19:1-10: The Hallelujah chorus.

“After this I heard what sounded like the roar of a great multitude in heaven shouting:

³ And again they shouted:

⁴ The twenty-four elders and the four living creatures fell down and worshipped God, who was seated on the throne. And they cried:

⁵ Then a voice came from the throne, saying:

⁶ Then I heard what sounded like a great multitude, like the roar of rushing waters and like loud peals of thunder, shouting:

(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.’

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.’ NIV

‘Rejoicing over Babylon gives way to rejoicing over the establishment of God’s rule…’ IVP New Testament Commentary.

The word ‘’Hallelujah’’ is found four times in these verses. It comes from two Hebrew words which mean ‘Praise the Lord.’ The word is not found anywhere else in the New Testament.

As we have seen, Babylon had a corrupting influence on the whole world. She killed God’s people. Now her condemnation is clear and has been enacted there is great rejoicing. Prayers are turned into praises, and there is harmony between saints and angels in the worship. Now that Babylon is no more it is time to sing the Hallelujah chorus.

Revelation 19:1-10: Praise commanded.

After this I heard what sounded like the roar of a great multitude in heaven shouting:

³ And again they shouted:

⁴ The twenty-four elders and the four living creatures fell down and worshipped God, who was seated on the throne. And they cried:

⁵ Then a voice came from the throne, saying:

⁶ Then I heard what sounded like a great multitude, like the roar of rushing waters and like loud peals of thunder, shouting:

(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.’ 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.’ NIV

We move from the threefold ‘woe’ on Babylon to a threefold ‘Hallelujah’. This is a response to the order in 18:20:

Rejoice over her, O heaven! Rejoice, saints and apostles and prophets!’’

 The fact that praise can be commanded shows that it is about more than feelings. Whether we feel like praising God or not, we should. Even if God never did another thing for us, the fact that Jesus loves us and died for us is good reason for endless praise.

Let us ‘’Worship God” (10), and Him only.

Revelation 18:21-24: Further thoughts.

^“21 Then a mighty angel picked up a boulder the size of a large millstone and threw it into the sea, and said:

Before moving on into chapter 19, here are two further thoughts on this passage:

‘Any institution that misuses wealth, power and pleasure resembles Babylon. Not only does John judge Babylon, but he implores his people to avoid being enticed and then entrapped by the illusion that prosperity and power protect persons and institutions from the ultimate demands of God’s justice. That message has contemporary relevance. The seductive powers of wealth, social status, and culture threaten the church because they are subtle deceivers that blur the distinction between the values of God and the    values of the world.’ Asbury Bible Commentary.

‘Babylon is a city founded on violence, not only the blood of the martyrs. Babylon has been at the centre of a network of violence that spanned the world, and all who have been slaughtered on earth have, in a sense, been slaughtered at the behest of Babylon. The merchants have grown rich on the back of military conquest. Money and power have done their collective worst, and John lumps them together, as we have seen, under the metaphor of fornication. Babylon the whore is gone, and will not return. And we, who live in the shadow of modern Babylon’s, can and must shudder as we too, watch the plume of smoke and smell the bitter smell.’ Tom Wright: ‘Revelation for Everyone’, p.166.

(For further study see Jer.51:60,61,63&64/Nahum 3:14/Deut.19:16-20).

Revelation 18:21-24: Pied Piper

^“21 Then a mighty angel picked up a boulder the size of a large millstone and threw it into the sea, and said:

There can be no question that this present world system is on borrowed time. Its end will come (21). This message is hammered in with the repeated use of the word ‘’never’’.

It struck me as I read this that one of the ways ‘the world’ influences is by music. It is a ‘Pied Piper’. It casts a spell on people. It mesmerises. It influences in ways that go far deeper than logic. This is not to say that music is bad. Not at all. But we do need to try to analyse the messages the culture is preaching to us constantly. It comes at us through a variety of means. It will have us under its spell in no time if we are not on guard. The prevailing culture will ‘disciple’ us in its ways if we do not determine that we will be discipled by Scripture, God’s Word.

‘’By your magic spell all the nations were led astray’’ (23b).

In his book ‘Don’t waste your life’, John Piper says ‘America is the first culture in jeopardy of amusing itself to death.’ Western Europe can’t be far behind.

PRAYER: Lord, please awaken me to the cultural forces that will shape my life only too gladly, if I do not allow you to do the shaping. Help me to swim against the strong tide.

Revelation 18:9-20: Godly sorrow.

⁹ ‘When the kings of the earth who committed adultery with her and shared her luxury see the smoke of her burning, they will weep and mourn over her. ¹⁰ Terrified at her torment, they will stand far off and cry:

¹¹ ‘The merchants of the earth will weep and mourn over her because no one buys their cargoes any more – ¹² cargoes of gold, silver, precious stones and pearls; fine linen, purple, silk and scarlet cloth; every sort of citron wood, and articles of every kind made of ivory, costly wood, bronze, iron and marble; ¹³ cargoes of cinnamon and spice, of incense, myrrh and frankincense, of wine and olive oil, of fine flour and wheat; cattle and sheep; horses and carriages; and human beings sold as slaves.

¹⁴ ‘They will say, “The fruit you longed for is gone from you. All your luxury and splendour have vanished, never to be recovered.” ¹⁵ The merchants who sold these things and gained their wealth from her will stand far off, terrified at her torment. They will weep and mourn ¹⁶ and cry out:

‘Every sea captain, and all who travel by ship, the sailors, and all who earn their living from the sea, will stand far off. ¹⁸ When they see the smoke of her burning, they will exclaim, “Was there ever a city like this great city?” ¹⁹ They will throw dust on their heads, and with weeping and mourning cry out:

‘’Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death’’ (2 Corinthians 7:10).

As Babylon disappears in a plume of smoke, great grief is expressed by those who benefited from the system. But this is not repentance. It may well be regret and remorse, but the dismay is over their ruin – their financial losses. It is not repentance for sin. These who mourn are not blessed; they will not be comforted, for they are not mourning over their wickedness. We have here an example of what Paul calls ‘’worldly sorrow.’’

Revelation 18: 11-13: Soul-traders.

 ‘The merchants of the earth will weep and mourn over her because no one buys their cargoes any more – ¹² cargoes of gold, silver, precious stones and pearls; fine linen, purple, silk and scarlet cloth; every sort of citron wood, and articles of every kind made of ivory, costly wood, bronze, iron and marble; ¹³ cargoes of cinnamon and spice, of incense, myrrh and frankincense, of wine and olive oil, of fine flour and wheat; cattle and sheep; horses and carriages; and human beings sold as slaves.” NIV

There is nothing intrinsically wrong with trade. We live in an inter-connected world where people grow things, produce things, make things which others want and/or need, and are prepared to pay for. I can’t see that there is anything fundamentally wrong with the idea of goods fairly sold at a fair price. I don’t think the book of Revelation is condemning the normal processes of trading at this point. But, like everything else in the world, trade is now tainted by sin; it is contaminated by lust and greed, covetousness and dishonesty etc. Things get bought and sold that shouldn’t be. This also applies to people.

There is something slap you in the face shocking about the statement:

‘’…and bodies and souls of men’’ (13b).

 There is also something tragically contemporary about it. Human trafficking is a huge, corrupt, wicked business right now. We have modern forms of slavery.

Tom Wright explains its place in Roman times:

‘Slavery was to the ancient world, more or less, what steam, oil, gas, electricity and nuclear power are to the modern world. Slavery was how things got done. Life was almost literally unthinkable without it.

And yet John believed in the God of the Exodus, the God who sets slaves free. A huge amount of his book, as we have seen, was built up on the basis that what God did in Egypt he will do again, this time on a cosmic scale – and that the basic act of slave-freeing has already taken place with the sacrificial death of Jesus…(5.9)’ ‘Revelation for Everyone’ pp.164/165.

Slavery was the system upon which the ancient world was built. It was one of the expressions of ‘Babylon’ then, and it remains so now. But as we keep seeing, ‘Babylon’s’ days are numbered.