Revelation 19:15

15 Out of his mouth came a sharp sword, with which he will defeat the nations. He will rule over them with a rod of iron, and he will trample out the wine in the wine press of the furious anger of the Almighty God. 1

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 The robe he wore was covered with blood. His name is "The Word of God."
14 The armies of heaven followed him, riding on white horses and dressed in clean white linen.
15 Out of his mouth came a sharp sword, with which he will defeat the nations. He will rule over them with a rod of iron, and he will trample out the wine in the wine press of the furious anger of the Almighty God.
16 On his robe and on his thigh was written the name: "King of kings and Lord of lords."
17 Then I saw an angel standing on the sun. He shouted in a loud voice to all the birds flying in midair: "Come and gather together for God's great feast!

Cross References 1

  • 1. 19.15 aPsalms 2.9; bIsaiah 63.3;Joel 3.13;Revelation 14.20.
Scripture taken from the Good News Translation - Second Edition, Copyright 1992 by American Bible Society. Used by Permission.