Chapters 19 - 20
Chapters 19 - 20
Chapter 19
The Two Suppers and The Visible Coming of Christ
We now move from the judgment of the harlot to the two suppers; the marriage supper of the Lamb and to the supper of God. Once again we will see praises poured out for God in the great Alleluia chorus.
“After these things I heard a loud voice of a great multitude in heaven saying, ‘Alleluia! Salvation and glory and honor and power belong to the Lord our God!”
“2 For true and righteous are His judgments, because He has judged the great harlot who corrupted the earth with her fornication; and He has avenged on her the blood of His servants shed by her.”
After the judgment of Babylon that we saw detailed in Chapters 17 and 18, we see a great multitude answering the call to rejoice (18:20). The great multitude no doubt includes all which are in heaven.
The rejoicing begins with “Alleluia”. The word appears four times in this chapter and is a transliteration (not a translation) of two Hebrew words not found any where else in the New Testament. In the Old Testament it is correctly translated as “Praise the Lord”. “Alleluia” is recognized worldwide as the highest form of praise that can be given. In my travels as a missionary, every culture, language, and dialect that I have encountered understands “Alleluia”.
The great multitude praises God for four distinct characteristics; salvation, glory, honor and power. One of my favorite Bible scholars, William Barclay, says in his commentary that each of God characteristics should awaken a specific response from us. For example, salvation should awaken the gratitude of man, the glory of God should awaken the reverence of man, He goes on to say, “The power of God is always exercised in the love of God, and should, therefore, awaken the trust of man. Gratitude, reverence, trust --- these are the constituent elements of real praise.”
Verse 2 declares God’s judgments to be “true and righteous” because of the sin of the great harlot. As we saw in the preceding chapters she was guilty of shedding the blood of those who chose to follow God rather than take the mark of the beast.
“3 Again they said, ‘Alleluia! Her smoke rises up forever and ever!”
Heaven gives praise for the final eternal punishment of the fallen harlot Babylon.
“4 And the twenty-four elders and the four living creatures fell down and worshipped God who sat on the throne, saying, ‘Amen! Alleluia!”
Once again we see our old friends from chapter 4 prostrating themselves in worship before the throne of God.
“5 Then a voice came from the throne, saying, ‘Praise our God, all you His servants and those who fear Him, both small and great!”
A call comes from the seat of power beseeching all of God’s servants to join in the praise service.
“6 And I heard, as it were, the voice of a great multitude, as the sound of many waters and as the sound of mighty thunderings saying, ‘Alleluia! For the Lord God Omnipotent reigns!”
Imagine what this will be like! The sounds of praise swell until they become like the sound of many waters rushing down the mountain, sounds as powerful as a sky filled with constant thunder, all proclaiming the Lord God Omnipotent reigns.
“7 Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready.”
“8 And to her it was granted to be arrayed in fine linen, clean and bright, for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints.”
“9 The he said to me, ‘Write: Blessed are those who are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb!’ And he said to me, ‘These are the true saying of God.”
“10 And I fell at his feet to worship him. But he said to me, ‘See that you do not do that! I am your fellow servant, and of your brethren who have the testimony of Jesus. Worship God! For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.”
Overcomers receive their reward! The wife, church, has made herself ready by receiving Jesus as Lord and Savior. She wears the fine linen which is the righteous acts of the saints as her wedding gown.
The church is the bride and the rest of the redeemed (Old Testament saints) are the honored guest. We see in verse 9 that the guests are called to the marriage supper.
Who is the church? There is debate here. I believe the church is all who have receive Jesus as Lord and Savior, including the redeemed of Israel and those who are saved during Tribulation. I do not believe that all of Israel will be redeemed, a national salvation. I know some that believe that the nation of Israel will be forgiven for its rejection of Christ. I can find no support for national redemption. Our faith will be judge individual.
Scripture takes the symbolism of marriage very seriously. Both the Old and New Testaments encourage us to prepare proper attire for marriage supper.
Notice in verse 7 it does not say it is the marriage of the bride. It says instead it is the marriage of the Lamb. Normally, we refer to a marriage ceremony as the bride’s day --- but the joy is the Lord’s. It is His day!
Another important point that needs to be understood is that the judgment seat of Christ (II Corinthians 5:10) has already been held. The bride is fully prepared and qualified for the wedding.
Verse 10 gives us two important points. First, only God is to be worshipped. We can pay honor and show respect for men, but they are never worthy of worship. Second, Jesus is the reason for all prophecy. He is the spirit behind it all.
The Visible Coming of Christ
“11 Now I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse. And He who sat on him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war.”
Some believe this to be the rapture of the church. I disagree. Here we see Christ coming with His saints not for His saints. (See verse 14)
He is riding His war horse and comes to remove all unrighteous from His kingdom.
“12 His eyes were like a flame of fire, and on His head were many crowns, He had a name written that no one knew except Himself.”
His omniscience eyes penetrate so that no one can deceive Him. He wears the crown of royalty. There is much we don’t understand about the personage of Christ. He is beyond our limited ability and knowledge.
“13 He was clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God.”
Isaiah 63:2-4, “Why is Your apparel red, and Your garments like one who treads in the winepress? I have trodden the winepress alone and from the peoples no one was with Me. For I have trodden them in anger, and trampled them in My fury; their blood is sprinkled upon My garments, and I have stained all My robes. For the day of vengeance is in My heart. And the year of My redeemed has come.”
Just as in John 1:1, Jesus is recognized as “The Word of God”. Prophecy is being full-filled.
“14 And the armies in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, followed Him on white horses.”
Now Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied about these men also saying, ‘Behold, the Lord comes with ten thousand of His saints, to execute judgment on all, to convict all who are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have committed in an ungodly way, and of all the harsh things which ungodly sinners have spoken against Him.” (Jude 14 -15)
Most Bible scholars agree the army is the redeemed. The army includes the church, the Tribulation saints and the Old Testament saints.
“15 Now out of His mouth goes a sharp sword, that with it He should strike the nations. And He Himself will rule them with a rod of iron. He Himself treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.”
The sharp sword that goes out of His mouth is the Word of God, and its purpose is judgment. His rule extends to all nations and it is inflexible but righteous. He has not come to save but to judge.
“16 And He has on His robe and on His thigh a name written:
KING OF KINGS
AND LORD OF LORDS
The name first introduce to us in 17:14 is now restated but this time the order is reversed. In the Near East conquering kings allowed their kings they had conquered to keep their titles and would claim the title of King of Kings for themselves, thereby declaring their absolute authority.
Jesus comes as Supreme Ruler over all nations and kingdoms.
“17 Then I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the birds that fly in the midst of heaven, ‘Come and gather together for the supper of the great God.”
“18 that you may eat the flesh of kings, the flesh of captains, the flesh of mighty men, the flesh of horses and of those who sit on them, and the flesh of all people, free and slave, both great and small.”
This is the second supper of this chapter. The following verses give us a picture of Armageddon. The great supper of God is the destruction of God’s remaining foes before the kingdom is set up. (Believers Bible Commentary)
“19 And I saw the beast, the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against Him who sat on the horse and against His army.”
“20 Then the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet who worked signs in his presence, by which he deceived those who received the mark of the beast and those who worshipped is image. These two were cast alive into the lake of fire burning with brimstone.”
“21 And the rest were killed with the sword which proceeded from the mouth of Him who sat on the horse. And all the birds were filled with their flesh.”
In contrast to the beauty and joy of the marriage supper, the supper of God is ugly and filled with the carnage of death.
The Anti-Christ and the False Prophet are captured and thrown into the lake of fire.
By the Word of God the rest are killed and the feast of the birds begin. Those that die will still face the judgment to come at the Great White Throne.
The Great Tribulation is over!
Chapter 20
The Binding of Satan and the Millennium Reign
We saw Satan and his angels cast out from heaven into the earth in 12:9. Since that time, through his agents, the Anti-Christ and the False Prophet, he has taken control of fallen man-kind. The first portion of the Tribulation Period sees his rise to power. During the second three and half years, Great Tribulation, his agents moved from popular political leaders to world–wide control. Not satisfied with political power, they come to be worshipped as god. But suddenly their plans fall apart as God pours out His judgment.
Jesus Christ returns with His saints for the final battle. As we studied in Chapter 19, we have the marriage supper of the church and Jesus followed by victory on earth. Satan and his allies are defeated at the battle of Armageddon (19:17-21).
Verses 1-3 that follow describe the binding of Satan for a thousand years. Verses 4-6 give us the resurrection and reign of the saints. The final doom of Satan, the beast and the False Prophet come in verse 7-10. And the Great White Throne Judgment is revealed in verses 11-15.
This is one of the most widely debated chapters in all of Scripture. I will try to share some of the more popular viewpoints as we continue in our study.
“Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, having the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand.”
“2 He laid hold of the dragon, that serpent of old, who is the Devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years:”
“3 and he cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal on him, so that he should deceive nations no more till the thousand years were finished. But after these things he must be released for a little while.”
AMILLENNIAL VIEW:
As a reminder, the Amillennial view is that we are today (2007) living in the Millennial Reign. They hold that Christ is currently ruling over the church. They see the Battle of Armageddon as symbolic and not a literal battle. They see the battle as a symbol of God’s word overcoming evil that applies throughout all time.
HISTORICAL PREMILLENNIAL VIEW:
Their view is that Christ will reign on earth for 1000 years following His Second Coming; saints will be resurrected at the beginning of the millennium and non-believers at the end followed by judgment. The church goes through Tribulation and the Battle of Armageddon is not a military battle with weapons but non-military event of some unknown kind that results in victory for believers.
DISPENSATIONAL PREMILLENNIAL VIEW:
They believe that after the Battle of Armageddon, Christ will rule through the Jews for a literal 1000 years. This will be followed by or accompanied by two resurrections and at least three judgments. The battle is a bloody one at the end of Tribulation between an alliance of nations including a revived Roman Empire and the kings of the East. They are defeated by a blast from Christ’s mouth and then the millennium begins.
I don’t agree entirely with either of these viewpoints. My view continues to be that Revelation uses symbolic descriptions for real events that have very literal results. Keep this in mind as we continue our study. And of course there are many viewpoints that I did not list here.
The Scriptures tell us that at the beginning of the millennium Satan is bound for a thousand years. The angel is thought by some to be Christ while others state the angel is just that an angel selected for the task. We know that the archangel Michael was not found capable of handling Satan on his own but through the name of the Lord rebuked Satan. In either case, the results are the same, Satan is bound.
The key is to lock and the chain is to bind and only God has authority over the bottomless pit. It should be understood Satan does not reign in Hell but suffers there. One of Satan’s successes is the deceptive image we have of him.
Verse 2 used four names to describe his character;
Dragon --- indicates cruelty
Serpent --- speaks of his guile
Devil --- the tempter of man
Satan --- the adversary of Christ
Satan is sealed in the pit for 1000 years. A common question is, “Why for only a thousand years?” The best explanation in my mind is that he must be release for a very brief time to show that he has not changed; therefore, is unworthy of forgiveness.
Man-kind too remained unrepentant as the judgments were being poured out upon the earth. Time and time again unrepentant man-kind refused to receive Christ as Lord and Savior. Instead they blasphemed against God; thereby, they too are unworthy of forgiveness.
“4 And I saw thrones, and they sit on them, and judgment was committed to them. Then I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their witness to Jesus and for the word of God, who had not worshiped the beast of his image, and had not received his mark on their foreheads or on their hands. And they lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years,”
Listed as reigning with Christ are; the souls of those who had been beheaded, those who had not worshiped the beast, and those who had not received his mark. All of these lived during the end of Tribulation. But also named are those who sit on the thrones to whom was committed the job of judgment. Who are they?
I Corinthians 6:2 ask us, “Do you not know that the saints will judge the world?” The saints are overcomers, true believers, of the church.
Jesus said in Matthew 20:28, “Assuredly, I say to you that in the regeneration when the Son of Man sits on the throne of His glory, you who have followed Me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.” (Also see Luke 22:29-30 and Deuteronomy 28:1)
“5 But the rest of the dead did not live again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection.”
“6 Blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection. Over such the second death has no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with Him a thousand years.”
Let the debate begin! How many resurrections are there? Who is resurrected when? These are the most common questions and unfortunately there have numerous answers given by Bible scholars.
This first part of verse five, “but the rest of the dead did not live again…” deals not with saints, overcomers, true believers, but with the lost. Those who have rejected Christ as Lord and Savior will be raised to face final judgment at a later time. The end of verse five refers back to the group pronounced in verse 4. Verse 6 denotes blessing and declares as “holy” the participants of the first resurrection. Therefore, those reigning with Christ are the believers of the church age, Old Testament saints and those who are saved during Tribulation.
Most Bible scholars see the “first resurrection” (resurrection of believers) occurring in phases. Consider the following order of the first resurrection;
Christ... the firstfruits... 1Cor. 15:23
The church... His followers... 1Cor. 15:23
the raptured... 1Thess. 4:13-18
Two witnesses... Rev. 11:11
Tribulation saints... Rev. 20:4
Those who overcome will be priests of both God the Father and Christ and shall reign with Him.
“7 Now when the thousand years have expired, Satan will be released from his prison”
“8 and will go out to deceive the nations which are in the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle, whose number is as the sand of the sea.”
As stated earlier, Satan is released to show that he has not changed and thereby not worthy of forgiveness. Also those born during the 1000 year reign have not had their faith tested.
Satan is once again very successful in deceiving weak men and women, those driven by their own lust and desire (James 1:14-15). Once again he gathers them together to do battle.
Satan’s army comes from throughout the world. Gog and Magog are used symbolically here. They can not be the same as those of Ezekiel 38-39. There Magog is a great land north of Israel and Gog is its ruler. The battle here is from a worldwide army whose number is as the sand in the sea. Also, in Ezekiel the time is Premillennial and here it is Postmillennial.
“9 They went up on the breadth of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city. And fire came down from God out of heaven and devoured them.”
Satan leads his army to Jerusalem and surrounds the beloved city and the camp of the saints. But God sends fire from heaven to devour them.
God’s judgment is swift and final.
Judgment of Satan and the Great White Throne Judgment
“10 The devil, who deceived them, was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone where the beast and the false prophet are. And they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.”
Notice that the beast and the false prophet have been in the lake of fire for a thousand years. Satan now joins them, not as ruler, but as fellow condemned. Their punishment is eternal. This is in direct opposition to those who believe in some type of final annihilation.
“11 Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away. And there was found no place for them.”
Great because of the issues at hand, white because of the perfection and purity of the decision to be handed down is the throne of Jesus. (John 5:22, 27)
“But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up.” (2 Peter 3:10)
“12 And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by things written in the books.”
Here again there are a variety of views concerning verse 12 and following. I believe this to be the final judgment of unbelievers.
There are two books; the first contains the works of man and the second is the list of those saved by the blood of Jesus. If your name is written in the Book of Life there is no judgment for you here. This takes place at the Rapture of the church at the judgment seat of Christ in heaven (II Timothy 4:8).
For those not written in the Book of Life this is the day they have ran from. This is the day that they knew would never happen --- but it now looks them in the eye.
Judgment is a fearful thing. Our carnal nature does all it can to prevent it or to put it off until some other time. We want to discount and hide its convicting power. But it comes to all of us many times during our lives.
Like life, Biblical judgment is not simplistic. The Liberty Bible Commentary gives seven distinct times of judgment. One which is past, one present, and five future.
1. Judgment of the Cross. Man’s sins were judged as was Satan. (II Cor. 5:21; Gal. 3:13; Rom. 8:1)
2. There is judgment of the sinning believer (I Cor. 11:30-32) if he does not judge himself.
3. Judgment of believer’s works (Rev. 22:12; Rom. 14:10; I Cor. 3:10-19; 4:5; II Cor. 5:10) This takes place at the Rapture of the church. It is for reward or suffering lose (I Cor. 3:14-15).
4. Judgment of Israel (Ezek. 20:33-38; Mt. 24:9-10). It takes place after the Tribulation Period; those who continue to reject their Messiah will not enter it (Rom. 11:26).
5. Judgment of nations (Joel 3:11-16; Mt. 25:31-46)
6. Judgment of Satan and fallen angels (II Peter 2:4; Jude 6; Rev. 20:10)
7. The final judgment of Rev. 20:11-15 where all who have reject Jesus Christ face the Great White Throne Judgment.
“13 The sea gave up the dead who were in it, and Death and Hades delivered up the dead who were in them. And they were judged, each according to his works.”
The sea gives up the bodies of unbelievers. Death represents the interred bodies of unbelievers (graves) and Hades is the abode of their souls. They are resurrected for final judgment. Verse 13 seems to indicate that there will be degrees of punishment in Hell based upon their works.
“14 Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.”
Body and soul of the unbeliever is cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death from which there is no redemption.
“15 And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire.”
Just in case there might be some doubt as to the fate of those who reject Christ as Lord and Savior, if your name is not written in the Book of Life, the book of the redeemed, you will be cast into the lake of fire for all eternity.
All those who stand before the Great White Throne will not find their names in the Book of Life. So whatever else they may bring as an argument for their defense, Jesus will say, “Depart from me for I do not know you.”