Revelation 19:11-21

The Rider on a White Horse

11 Then I saw ¹heaven opened, and behold, ²a white horse! The one sitting on it is called ³Faithful and True, and ⁴in righteousness he judges and makes war.

12 ⁵His eyes are like a flame of fire, and on his head are ⁶many diadems, and he has ⁷a name written that no one knows but himself.

13 He is clothed in ⁸a robe dipped in^[a] blood, and the name by which he is called is ⁹The Word of God.

14 And the armies of heaven, ¹⁰arrayed in fine linen, white and pure, ¹¹were following him on white horses.

15 ¹²From his mouth comes a sharp sword ¹³with which to strike down the nations, and ¹⁴he will rule them with a rod of iron. ¹⁵He will tread the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty.

16 On his robe and on his thigh ¹⁶he has a name written, ¹⁷King of kings and Lord of lords.

17 Then I saw an angel standing in the sun, and with a loud voice he called to ¹⁸all the birds that fly directly overhead, ¹⁹“Come, gather for ²⁰the great supper of God,

18 ²¹to eat the flesh of kings, the flesh of captains, the flesh of mighty men, the flesh of horses and their riders, and the flesh of all men, both free and slave, ^[b] both small and great. ”

19 And I saw ²²the beast and the kings of the earth with their armies ²³gathered to make war against him who was sitting on the horse and against his army.

20 And the beast was captured, and with it ²⁴the false prophet ²⁵who in its presence^[c] had done the signs by which he deceived those who had received the mark of the beast and those who ²⁶worshiped its image. These two were ²⁷thrown alive into the lake of ²⁸fire that burns with sulfur.

21 And the rest were slain by the sword ²⁹that came from the mouth of him who was sitting on the horse, and ³⁰all the birds were gorged with their flesh.

Revelation 19:11-21 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO REVELATION 19

This chapter contains the triumph of the saints over Babylon, and their thanksgiving to God because of his judgments on her; the marriage of Christ and his church, and a battle between him and his and her enemies, with the success of it. The congratulations are first of a promiscuous multitude in the church, ascribing salvation, praise, honour, glory, and power to God, because of the righteousness of his judgments, and because of the perpetuity of them, Re 19:1-3 and then of the four and twenty elders and four living creatures, who worship God, assent to what had been before said, and join in praising the Lord, Re 19:4 and then another voice out of the throne is heard, calling upon all the servants of the Lord, and those that fear him, whether small or great, to praise our God, Re 19:5 after which is heard the voice of a great multitude, stirring up one another to praise, because of the reign of the Lord God Almighty, and to rejoice and be glad because the time of the Lamb's marriage with his bride was come; who is described by her dress, the righteousness of the saints, comparable to fine linen, clean and white, Re 19:6-8 upon which an angel bids John write those persons happy who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb, and affirms these to be the true sayings of God; wherefore John, in a transport of joy, was just going to worship the angel, had he not been forbidden by him; from which he dissuades him, by observing that he was his fellow servant, that God only is the object of worship, and that the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy, Re 19:9,10 next follows a vision of a battle between Christ and his enemies; and first he the General is described, by the horse he sat upon, a white one; by the characters he bears, faithful and true; by what he did, judging and making war in righteousness; by his eyes, which were as a flame of fire; by his having many crowns on his head; by having a name, or names unknown, and particularly one, which is the Word of God; by his habit, a vesture dipped in blood; by the armies he was at the head of, riding on white horses, and clothed in fine linen; by a sharp sword coming out of his mouth, with which he should utterly destroy the nations; and by having a name on his vesture and thigh, King of kings, and Lord of lords, Re 19:11-16 upon which an angel is seen standing in the sun, and calling to all the fowls of the heaven to come to the supper of the great God, and to eat the flesh of kings, captains, mighty men, horses and horsemen, of all ranks, and degrees, Re 19:17,18 and next an account is given of the armies of the beast, and of the kings of the earth, that came to make war with the above warrior, Re 19:19 the issue and success of which follow; the beast and false prophet are taken, and cast alive into a lake of fire and brimstone; and the rest are killed by the sword of the above General, and the fowls have a feast of their flesh, Re 19:20,21.

Cross References

• 1. 19:11 See Ezek. 1:1
• 2. 19:11 See ch. 6:2
• 3. 19:11 See ch. 3:7, 14
• 4. 19:11 [Ps. 96:13; Isa. 11:4]
• 5. 19:12 ch. 1:14; 2:18
• 6. 19:12 [ch. 12:3]
• 7. 19:12 ver. 16; ch. 2:17; [Prov. 30:4]
• 8. 19:13 Isa. 63:2, 3
• 9. 19:13 See John 1:1
• 10. 19:14 ch. 3:4; 7:9
• 11. 19:14 [ch. 14:20]
• 12. 19:15 ver. 21; See ch. 1:16
• 13. 19:15 [Isa. 11:4; 2 Thess. 2:8]
• 14. 19:15 ch. 2:27; 12:5
• 15. 19:15 ch. 14:20; Isa. 63:3
• 16. 19:16 ver. 12
• 17. 19:16 See ch. 17:14
• 18. 19:17 ver. 21
• 19. 19:17 Jer. 12:9; Ezek. 39:17
• 20. 19:17 [Isa. 34:6; Jer. 46:10; Ezek. 39:19]
• 21. 19:18 Ezek. 39:18, 20
• 22. 19:19 ch. 11:7; 13:1
• 23. 19:19 ch. 16:16
• 24. 19:20 ch. 16:13; 20:10
• 25. 19:20 ch. 13:11-14
• 26. 19:20 See ch. 13:15
• 27. 19:20 ch. 20:10, 14, 15; [Dan. 7:11]
• 28. 19:20 ch. 14:10; 21:8; See 2 Thess. 1:8
• 29. 19:21 ver. 15
• 30. 19:21 ver. 17

Footnotes

• [a] 19:13 Some manuscripts 'sprinkled with'
• [b] 19:18 Greek 'bondservant'
• [c] 19:20 Or 'on its behalf'