Revelation 19:1-10

Rejoicing in Heaven

1 After this I heard ¹what seemed to be the loud voice of a great multitude in heaven, crying out, “Hallelujah! ²Salvation and glory and power belong to our God,

2 for ³his judgments are true and just; for he has judged ⁴the great prostitute who corrupted the earth with her immorality, and ⁵has avenged on her the blood of his servants. ” ^[a]

3 Once more they cried out, “Hallelujah! ⁶The smoke from her goes up forever and ever. ”

4 And ⁷the twenty-four elders and the four living creatures fell down and worshiped God who was seated on the throne, saying, “Amen. Hallelujah! ”

5 And from the throne came a voice saying, ⁸“Praise our God, all you his servants, ⁹you who fear him, small and great. ”

The Marriage Supper of the Lamb

6 Then I heard what seemed to be ¹⁰the voice of a great multitude, like ¹¹the roar of many waters and ¹²like the sound of mighty peals of thunder, crying out, “Hallelujah! For the Lord our God the Almighty ¹³reigns.

7 Let us rejoice and exult and give him the glory, for ¹⁴the marriage of the Lamb has come, and ¹⁵his Bride has made herself ready;

8 ¹⁶it was granted her to clothe herself with fine linen, bright and pure”—for the fine linen is ¹⁷the righteous deeds of the saints.

9 And the angel said^[b] to me, “Write this: ¹⁸Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb. ” And he said to me, ¹⁹“These are the true words of God. ”

10 Then ²⁰I fell down at his feet to worship him, ²¹but he said to me, “You must not do that! I am a fellow servant^[c] with you and your brothers who hold to ²²the testimony of Jesus. Worship God. ” For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.

Revelation 19:1-10 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. 19:1 See ch. 11:15
• 2. 19:1 ch. 4:11; 7:10; 12:10
• 3. 19:2 ch. 15:3; 16:7
• 4. 19:2 See ch. 17:1
• 5. 19:2 Deut. 32:43; 2 Kgs. 9:7; [ch. 16:6]; See ch. 6:10
• 6. 19:3 ch. 18:9, 18; Isa. 34:10; [ch. 14:11]
• 7. 19:4 ch. 4:4, 6, 10; 5:14
• 8. 19:5 Ps. 22:23; 113:1; 134:1; 135:1
• 9. 19:5 ch. 11:18
• 10. 19:6 Dan. 10:6; [ver. 1]
• 11. 19:6 See ch. 1:15
• 12. 19:6 ch. 6:1; 14:2
• 13. 19:6 ch. 11:15, 17; Ps. 97:1
• 14. 19:7 Matt. 22:2; 25:10; Luke 12:36; 14:8; John 2:1; [Eph. 5:22-32]
• 15. 19:7 ch. 21:2, 9; [Isa. 54:5; Hos. 2:19, 20]
• 16. 19:8 [Ps. 45:13-15; Ezek. 16:10]
• 17. 19:8 [Ps. 132:9; Isa. 61:10]
• 18. 19:9 Luke 14:15; See ver. 7
• 19. 19:9 [ch. 21:5; 22:6]
• 20. 19:10 ch. 22:8
• 21. 19:10 ch. 22:9; See Acts 10:26
• 22. 19:10 ch. 1:2; 6:9; 12:17

Footnotes

• [a] 19:2 Greek 'bondservants'; also verse 5
• [b] 19:9 Greek 'he said'
• [c] 19:10 Greek 'fellow bondservant'