Revelation 19:15

15 A sharp sword comes out of his mouth so he can subdue the nations, then rule them with a rod of iron. He treads the winepress of the raging wrath of God, the Sovereign-Strong.

Revelation 19:15 Meaning and Commentary

Revelation 19:15

And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword
The Complutensian edition, and all the Oriental versions, with the Vulture Latin, read, "a sharp twoedged sword". The word of God, or the judiciary sentence of Christ according to it, and which he will fully execute, to the utter destruction of all his enemies; (See Gill on Revelation 1:16) that with it he should smite the nations; the Gentiles, the Papists, the antichristian states, those that have adhered to Babylon, and have drunk of the wine of her fornication. This is predicted in ( Numbers 24:17-19 ) and on account of this the nations will be angry under the sounding of the seventh trumpet, with which this vision is contemporary, ( Revelation 11:18 ) .

And he shall rule them with a rod of iron;
use them with the utmost severity; the phrase is taken out of ( Psalms 2:9 ) a prophecy of Christ, and mentioned twice before in this book, (See Gill on Revelation 2:27), (See Gill on Revelation 12:5):

and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of
Almighty God;
the fierce wrath of God against sinners is compared to a winepress; and the wicked antichristian party are likened to clusters of grapes; who being ripe for destruction, are cast into it, and pressed, squeezed, and trodden down by the mighty power of Christ, the Word of God, whose vesture is therefore before said to be dipped in blood; the same metaphor is used in ( Revelation 14:19 Revelation 14:20 ) the allusion seems to be to ( Isaiah 63:3 Isaiah 63:6 ) .

Revelation 19:15 In-Context

13 He is dressed in a robe soaked with blood, and he is addressed as "Word of God."
14 The armies of Heaven, mounted on white horses and dressed in dazzling white linen, follow him.
15 A sharp sword comes out of his mouth so he can subdue the nations, then rule them with a rod of iron. He treads the winepress of the raging wrath of God, the Sovereign-Strong.
16 On his robe and thigh is written, King of kings, Lord of lords.
17 I saw an Angel standing in the sun, shouting to all flying birds in Middle-Heaven, "Come to the Great Supper of God!
Published by permission. Originally published by NavPress in English as THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language copyright 2002 by Eugene Peterson. All rights reserved.