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 o... [ Continue Reading ]
AND AFTER THESE THINGS,.... After the angel had declared the fall of Babylon, a voice from heaven had called the people of God out of her, and had ordered them to take vengeance on her; after the mournful lamentation of the kings, merchants, and seafaring men; after another voice had called upon the... [ Continue Reading ]
FOR TRUE AND RIGHTEOUS ARE HIS JUDGMENTS,.... As in Revelation 15:3, Revelation 16:7: this is to be understood of God's judgments in general, and is a reason of the attribution of praise and glory to him; which may be said to be true, because, being threatened, are now fulfilled; and to be "righte... [ Continue Reading ]
AND AGAIN THEY SAID, ALLELUIA,.... Or a "second time" they said it; they began and ended their solemn worship and service with it; so some psalms begin and end with this word, translated in the Old Testament by the words "Praise ye the LORD", as in Psalms 106:1 c. and the repeating of the word shows... [ Continue Reading ]
AND THE FOUR AND TWENTY ELDERS AND THE FOUR BEASTS,.... Mentioned in Revelation 4:4 and who represent the churches of Christ and ministers of the Gospel in the several periods of time, these join in the chorus, and praise the Lord on the account of the destruction of Rome, and ruin of antichrist; so... [ Continue Reading ]
AND A VOICE CAME OUT OF THE THRONE,.... Not from God the Father, that sat upon it, for the phrase, PRAISE OUR GOD, could not be said by him with propriety and pertinence; but rather from Christ, the Lamb, in the midst of the throne, who as Mediator could say of him to his people, my God and your Go... [ Continue Reading ]
AND I HEARD, AS IT WERE, THE VOICE OF A GREAT MULTITUDE,.... Even of all the servants of the Lord, and them that fear him, small and great; a vast multitude of converted Jews and Gentiles, in the several parts of the world, who in answer to the voice out of the throne, which came with great power an... [ Continue Reading ]
LET US BE GLAD, AND REJOICE, AND GIVE HONOUR TO HIM,.... The saints particularly; the converted Jews will call upon one another to express their gladness at the glorious display of Christ's kingly power and authority, and at the destruction of his enemies, and the happy and comfortable state of his... [ Continue Reading ]
AND TO HER WAS GRANTED THAT SHE SHOULD BE ARRAYED IN FINE LINEN,.... Or "Byssine": the "Byssus", of which fine linen is made, is said to grow on a tree, in height like to a poplar, and its leaves like a willow, and to be brought out of Judea into Egypt, which the Egyptians used in most of their holy... [ Continue Reading ]
AND HE SAITH UNTO ME, WRITE,.... What follows, because of the importance of it, and to show the certainty of it, and that it may be regarded and remembered: the person speaking is either the voice from the throne, Revelation 19:5 or the angel that attended John all along, and showed him this revelat... [ Continue Reading ]
AND I FELL AT HIS FEET TO WORSHIP HIM,.... Being transported with the news he brought him of the marriage, or conversion of his countrymen the Jews, and struck with reverence and awe of the glory and majesty in which the angel appeared to him; and forgetting himself, that worship was only due to God... [ Continue Reading ]
AND I SAW HEAVEN OPENED,.... This vision refers not to the same time the first seal does, Revelation 6:2 for though a white horse, with a rider on it, is seen here, as there; that respects the first times of the Gospel, this the latter part of the dispensation of it; nor to the war in heaven between... [ Continue Reading ]
HIS EYES WERE AS A FLAME OF FIRE,.... Which denotes the perspicuity and penetration of them, the omniscience of Christ to look into and discover the secret machinations, schemes, and devices of his enemies against his people, and his exercise of it in favour of them, his eyes, like a flame of fire,... [ Continue Reading ]
AND HE WAS CLOTHED WITH A VESTURE DIPPED IN BLOOD,.... Either in his own, by which he became the Saviour of his church and people; or else in the blood of his saints, he now comes to avenge; or rather in the blood of his enemies, with which he appears as stained, before the battle is fought, the vic... [ Continue Reading ]
AND THE ARMIES WHICH WERE IN HEAVEN,.... Not the angels, though they are God's host, and are the armies of the heavens; they are in heaven, and dwell there, and follow Christ, attend upon him, and minister to him, and have been sometimes represented by horses and horsemen, 2 Kings 2:11 and they are... [ Continue Reading ]
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 e... [ Continue Reading ]
AND HE HATH ON HIS VESTURE AND ON HIS THIGH A NAME WRITTEN,.... This name, afterwards expressed, is said to be written on his vesture, in allusion to the custom of persons of note and eminence having their names interwoven in their garments, and which was sometimes done in letters of gold, as Zeuxis... [ Continue Reading ]
AND I SAW AN ANGEL STANDING IN THE SUN,.... By whom is meant, not the angel of the fourth vial, who poured it on the sun, taken in another sense than here, and therefore could not stand in it; nor the archangel with the last trumpet, for as yet the dead rise not, nor does the judgment come on; nor o... [ Continue Reading ]
THAT YE MAY EAT THE FLESH OF KINGS,.... Of the earth, and of the whole world, who will fall in the battle at Armageddon; see Revelation 16:14 and design either those antichristian kings and states, which have drunk of the wine of Rome's fornication, and will bewail the downfall of Babylon, Revelati... [ Continue Reading ]
AND L SAW THE BEAST,.... Not the devil, for after this he is taken and bound for a thousand years, and then loosed, and laid hold on again, and cast into the lake of fire; not but that this war will be by his instigation, and under his influence, Revelation 16:14 not the Roman Pagan empire, which ha... [ Continue Reading ]
AND THE BEAST WAS TAKEN,.... At the first onset, as soon as ever the battle begun, and carried away captive, as it was threatened he should, Revelation 13:10 and this by Christ, who will destroy him with the breath of his mouth, and the brightness of his coming, 2 Thessalonians 2:8. AND WITH HIM TH... [ Continue Reading ]
AND THE REMNANT WERE SLAIN,.... Not only the kings of the earth, and their armies, that will now be gathered together, but all the remains of Papists, Pagans, and Mahometans, in the several parts of the world, even all the enemies of Christ: these will be slain WITH THE SWORD OF HIM THAT SAT UPON T... [ Continue Reading ]