Revelation 19:1-3
After these things I heard something like a loud voice of a great multitude in heaven, saying,
"Hallelujah! Salvation and glory and power belong to our God; because His judgments are true
and righteous; for He has judged the great harlot who was corrupting the earth with her immorality,
and He has avenged the blood of His bond-servants on her." And a second time they said,
"Hallelujah! Her smoke rises up forever and ever."

The call in Revelation 18:20 was for all heaven and the saints,
apostles, and prophets to rejoice.

Revelation Chapter 19 describes how they responded with 4 great hallelujahs,
giving praise to God as all heaven rejoices over the fall and judgment of the harlot Babylon.
It goes on then to deal with the final defeat of the antichrist at the end of the tribulation in
connection with Christ's triumphant return in glory and power. He will bring judgment on
the antichrist and his armies and reign on earth with the believers.

Verses  1 - 2
"After these things" indicates another vision. This vision is introduced not by an angel but by
a multitude of loud voices in a combined choir in heaven saying or singing a hallelujah
chorus in response to the just overthrow of Babylon.

Do you know what the word Hallelujah means?
In the Hebrew "hallelu" is a command to praise. "Jah" is the abbreviation for
Yahweh (Jehovah), the personal name for God.
So Hallelujah or Alleluia simply means "Praise the Lord."

Alleluja occurs in this chapter alone 4 times. The people begin by singing praise to God,
recognizing Him as their God in a personal way, attributing to Him "salvation (including
healing and deliverance), and glory, and honor, and supernatural power.
He has manifested them all, and He is the source of them all.
Referring to the praise and worship of this multitude in heaven

One commentary made a very profound statement Christians are seriously frustrated
today because they are incapable of worshiping Jesus Christ as described here.
Their spirit of self-sufficiency and pride prohibits their abandoning themselves to God.

Only Christians who have voluntarily bent their knees to Jesus Christ are really able to
enjoy the blessings of true worship, which is such an integral part of one's emotional desires.
From Him will come the glory we will share with Christ when we reign with Him.

Then the people in heaven give praise and honor to God for His "true and righteous" judgments,
because he has judged the world and avenged the saints who suffered at its hand, and because
Jesus Christ is returning to earth to reign. The Babylon of the Old Testament times, was both
religious and wicked, both a city and an empire, it worshiped false gods and persecuted God's
people as if a world power. In New Testament times Rome was also a city land an empire,
a world power that stood against God and persecuted His people. In the Middle Ages the
Roman Church attempted to step into the place of political power, at the same time
persecuting those who rejected its unscriptural doctrines and practices.

All the iniquities of past ages will be justified in this ultimate destruction when God, in
righteous judgment, "has avenged on her the blood of his servants."

When the fifth seal was opened, the martyrs under the altar in heaven cried out for just
vindication. They were given white robes and told to remain quiet "for a little season,"
until other martyrs would be added to their number. Now that season has come to an end.
The multitude of people in heaven rejoice that the divine judgment of Babylon has vindicated
and avenged them with justice. None of them could avenge themselves.
But God says, "Vengeance is mine, I will repay. Romans 12:19

Verse 3
The second Hallelujah comes from the multitude of people in heaven. It seems to be more
emphatic. If you will notice in some Bible's there is an exclamation point after the Alleluia!
"The smoke from her goes up for ever and ever," indicating that this judgment on the Babylonian
religion, politics, and commerce will last forever. No wonder there is rejoicing in heaven at the
realization that satan's religious, commercial, and political systems will never again
be permitted to lead anyone astray.

Verse 4
The 24 elders and the four living creatures fell down and worshiped God, who was seated
on the throne, saying amen, and Alleluia or Praise the Lord, as they join in honoring God
for his justice and the righteousness of his judgment.
    The word Amen is a response of faith that recognizes that what has been said is true,
absolutely certain. The Amen of the 24 elders and the four living creatures show that
they put their full approval on what God has done and on the certainty that 
His judgment is just and all He does is right.

Verse 5
Again a voice comes out of the throne with the command that all the servants of God are to
keep on praising him. Probably another angel. Servants here are all who "fear him" who
reverence, worship, and serve him. These servants "small and great" are those who not only
fear God, but are the humble as well as those in high office.

Verse 6
This fourth Hallelujah is a command from the throne to praise our God. It gives praise to God
because he is the Lord, because he is all powerful, and because he reigns. He is on the throne
and about to begin the millennial reign on earth through Christ.

He is to be praised even more for the fulfillment of His promises as the believers enter the
fullness for their inheritance. Because of this, this fourth Hallelujah has the volume of the
sound of "many waters" and "mighty thunderings."  He is worthy of praise, because he is the
Lord. He has always been on the throne, but he is about to manifest His reign in a new way.


 


Revelation 19:7-9

Verses 7 - 8
The marriage supper of the Lamb is subject greatly misunderstood,
because it is almost neglected in our preaching today.
There are two main divisions 

1. the marriage of the Lamb, and 
2. the marriage supper of the Lamb

First of all lets look at the marriage of the Lamb
Who is the bridegroom? The bridegroom is none other than the Lord Jesus Christ Himself.
How do we know that? In John 3:29 John the Baptist referred to Christ as 
"the bridegroom, and himself as "the friend who attends the bridegroom.

Who is the Bride? - The Church
One can not be a Christian, with the Holy Spirit as the witness
in one's heart, and worship anyone but the Lord Jesus Christ.

What is the MARRIAGE of THE LAMB?
It will be a great wedding banquet, fulfilling the relationship of the church to Christ.
When this takes place all the universe will know that the church is what the Bible says the
church is, the Bride of Christ. It will bring great honor and give great glory to God the Father
as a culmination of his great plan of redemption.

It will be a time for gladness that is full of joy and delight.
Although anticipation of this great event causes believers to
rejoice even now, its reality will be joy beyond our present imagination.

This marriage of the Lamb and the marriage supper of the Lamb take place in heaven right
before Jesus returns in all His glory to defeat the Antichrist and his armies, which is at the end
of the Tribulation, just before his millennial reign.  The Bride (the church) will be a radiant church,
without spot or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless.  Ephesians 5:27

Notice also that the emphasis is that the "wife or Bride" has made herself ready.
The judgment seat of Christ takes place during the tribulation, and will precede the marriage
supper of the Lamb, and immediately after the judgment of rewards has been presented to
the last believer, the marriage of the Lamb will take place. 

Who will be present at the marriage of the Lamb?
All Christians who have trusted Christ during the age of grace,
from the day of Pentecost to the Rapture of the Church,
will make up His Bride. You are saying wait a minute.

I thought all Saints of all ages made up the church.
There really was not any Church before Christ came.
There were saints of God, but quote (the church) never existed
until Christ came. Think about that for a moment.
I am not trying to lead anyone astray either. The Judgment seat
of Christ takes place during the tribulation. Right? This is
where we are given out our rewards. Right? 2 Corinthians 5:10
says we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ,
that everyone may receive the things done in his body,
according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.

There are some greatest and some least in the kingdom of heaven.
There are some who shall be first and some who shall be last.
There are some who get crowns, and there are some who get none.
There are some who are given dominion over ten cities, and some
over five, and some who lose all rewards, but are saved only "so as by fire." 

This my opinion but I think those "so as by fire" may be those who got saved just before dying.
Now those who died as martyrs during the tribulation and those who were all the saints of the
Old Testament days up to the time of the resurrection of all saints, is a part of the Bride, but are
not actually the Bride herself. A Bride has her attendants, and the Bridegroom has his attendants,
but they are not actually the Bride and Groom.

If the judgment seat of Christ takes place during the first half of the tribulation, then there is no
way all of those who came to Christ after the rapture had taken place could be at the judgment
seat of Christ unless it is a continuous judgment for those as they are killed and martyred.

Verse 8
This verse explains how the Bride makes herself ready.  She makes herself ready through
her righteous acts, or deeds. Since this marriage comes after the judgment seat of Christ,
most likely the position of an individual as a member of the Bride will be determined by the
degree of acts of faith and righteousness that we do because of our relationship with
Jesus Christ. In other words as members of the Bride of Christ our rewards will be
determined by how faithful our service to Him here on earth was. 

The clothing of fine linen represents the righteousness of saints. There is a righteousness of 
justification, a righteousness of life and sanctification. There is a righteousness which is the
free gift of God(Salvation, faith in Jesus Christ) and a righteousness of man's own obedience
to God's ordinances and commands.

Christians in this age must be careful to do good works that glorify God and bear witness to
Christ. If we are a Christian and as examples( gone to church faithfully, tithed faithfully,
but never done anything else for Christ) this will limit the extent to which we will rule and reign
with Christ during the millennial kingdom. The words we all should want and need to hear are
"Well done, good and faithful servant.  You have been faithful over a few things, I will make you
ruler over many things.  Enter in the joy of thy Lord."  Matthew 25:21

This verse shows that we will be judged for our works also that flow out of our love for Christ
and our love for those for whom He died.

Verse 9
Blessed are they which are called, invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.

MILLENIUM, HALLELUIA!! 
Revelation Chapter 19, Verses 10-16


  

The Bride is all ready and awaits The Groom

The GROOM APPEARS!  LOOK UP!
Who are these called or invited ones?

    

Those who are invited are the friends of the bride and groom.
It can't be the church because the Church is the Bride.
No one will be left outside at the marriage supper of the Lamb.
John the Baptist, one of the last Old Testament saints,
indicates that the was a friend of the Bridegroom.  John 3:29

These Old Testament saints will be in heaven and will have their rewards, but they are not the
church. They are the friends of the Bride (church) and the Bridegroom. So they are the ones
who are invited as guests to the feast. So then all the believing dead from Adam until the
resurrection of Christ will be invited guests at this feast. In addition to them will appear those
who have received the Savior during the Tribulation, both Jew and Gentile, many of whom will
have been martyred for the testimony of Christ. There is now way that the Old Testament Saints
are inferior either. The Jews and the invited guests or friends at the marriage supper of the Lamb,
have promises and relationships to Him in which we shall not share.
The marriage supper of the Lamb is an experience reserved for the Church.

Verse  10
The hope inspired by this vision so overwhelms John that he falls at the feet of the angel in
an attitude of worship.  The angel says do not do that, I am a fellow servant of yours and your
brothers who hold the testimony of Jesus. Only God is worthy of worship. All the attention
should be given to Jesus just as the spirit of prophecy in both the Old and New
Testaments focuses its testimony or witness on Jesus.

"The testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy" means that the purpose of prophecy is
to bear witness of Jesus, to exalt Him, and to reveal his redemptive work. It should make us
see the glory and holiness of Jesus and encourage us to be ready. The God who loved us
enough to send His Son to die on Calvary loves us enough to make every provision necessary
to see us all the way to glory.

    

Verses  11 to 13
Immediately after the marriage supper of the Lamb, John has another vision in which he see's
heaven already opened and Jesus coming to earth on a "white horse," which means He
comes as a mighty conqueror, the triumphant King of Kings and Lord of Lords. He comes
as the mediator bringing God's victory and God's judgment which is necessary in order to
clear the way before bringing in the millennial kingdom. In using the white horse depicts
His power and glory. If you think it strange that there are horses in heaven you will a
reference to horses and chariots of fire in 2 kings 2:11 and 6:13-17

Faithful and true means He is genuine and real. He can be trusted and relied upon to judge
every enemy when He comes. He will conquer and judge and condemn all the ungodly
and evil of this world, and His Word can trusted and relied upon.
Jesus will judge a person perfectly, in perfect justice.  A person will reap exactly what he has
sown. He will be judged and condemned for exactly what he has done.

He will judge and make war upon the earth in righteousness.
Any person that does not measure up to the righteousness of
Christ will be conquered, judged, and condemned where he comes up short.

Verse  12
His eyes will like fire. This is symbolic of a piercing, penetrating power. He sees everywhere,
even in the dark places and behind closed doors. His eyes search the innermost recesses of
the heart. He knows all, and is able to conquer all those who reject him and do evil. Nothing
will escape judgement, and no one can hide from him.

He will be wearing many crowns(royal diadems) the royal crowns of rule and authority
over many kingdoms. He will conquer all the kingdoms of the earth. He will have a name
written somewhere on his clothing, but he alone knows what the name will be.
The name "that no man knows" speaks of the inner glory and
divine nature Jesus shares with the Father.

Verse  13
His robe will be sprinkled with blood. This is symbolizes the blood of his enemies.
The "vesture dipped in blood" could also show that He is the same Jesus who shed His
blood, rose from the dead, and ascended into heaven. He will conquer and defeat
all the ungodly and evil of the earth, How? By the Word of God.
All he has to do is speak the Word and the very power and energy and force of His Word
will conquer the ungodly and evil of the world.

Verse  14
The armies of heaven will follow him. They will be clothed in fine linen, white and clean.
So who are they? This is the very same clothing worn by the believers at the Marriage
supper of the Lamb. The armies will include the multitude of angels that
Jesus said he would bring with him when he returned to earth.
Matthew 25:31 the Old Testament saints, the Church, and the Tribulation saints.

Verse 15
The weapon he uses will be a sharp sword proceeding out of His mouth. The "sharp sword"
represents the sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God. Then he will smite or strike down,
slay, and rule the nations with a rod of iron. He will conquer and subject them all and take His
rightful place as the Sovereign Lord over the earth and all its people. This must be done before
Christ can bring in the thousand year reign of the millennial kingdom.

"Treading the wine press of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God" is a picture of a harvest
of Judgment, meaning a deliberate and continuous action until the judgment is complete and
the wrath of Almighty God has been fully expressed. This should be a warning to us that the
severity of the judgment to come will demonstrate how much God hates sin.  The Bible
emphasizes these things to remind us that it is important to take the opportunity to repent
and get right with God while there is still possible time to do so.

Verse 16 - KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS
On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written:
"KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS." A warrior goes into battle
with his sword on his thigh. Christ's sword will be His spoken
Word. The word that called the world into being will call
human leaders and the armies of all nations into control.

Believers remember with joy that Jesus came as a babe in a manger, humbling Himself to
identify with us. We remember with praise and gratitude that Jesus died for our sins and shed
His blood on the cross, and that God raised him from the dead for our justification. But he is
no longer the babe in the manger, no longer on the cross, but is risen, ascended, glorified,
and exalted at the right hand of the Father as our Advocate interceding for us. He is the

"KING OF KINGS AND THE LORD OF LORDS"


          


ARMAGEDDON
Revelation chapter 19:17-21

Angel Called Eagles (vultures) to Gather
In the Valley of Meggiddo 

Verses 17-18
John see's an angel standing in the sun, and he cries with a loud voice to all the birds of the air.
He cries for them to gather for the Supper of the Great God. Why are the birds called together?
Because God is going to destroy the godless nations and armies of this world. The supper is for
all the birds, but especially for vultures and other birds of prey. Multitudes of these birds will
come to feast on the victims of the battle and will clean up the battlefield after the destruction
of God's enemies. The birds will make no distinctions among the victims of the battle of
Armageddon, feasting on kings, generals, horses and horsemen, slave and free, small and great.

Some try to point out the similarity of the description of the battle of Gog and Magog in
Ezekiel 39:17-20 as the battle of Armageddon. However, there are too many differences.
The battle in Ezekiel 38 and 39 seem rather to refer to a battle at the beginning of Tribulation or
just before it. This could be a possible World War 3 or some conflict as they are called today.

This could possibly be the Battle for the land of Israel, where many countries will try and help
wipe out Israel.  Whatever this battle is Ezekiel says it will take 7 years to burn the implements
of war left on the ground after this great battle. This could not be carried out during the Millennium,
so the conclusion is that it has to  happen right before the Tribulation.

God calls these birds together to be ready when he captures
the antichrist and the false prophet and their armies.

Verse 19-21
As the vision continues John see's antichrist accompanied by his false prophet and the kings
(and other rulers) of the earth whose armies have survived to the end of tribulation. Having been
under the rule of the antichrist throughout this period, these kings are finally summoned together
by demonic spirits sent by the antichrist and the false prophet. The armies of all these nations
thus join under the antichrist's banner to defy the Christ accompanied by His true followers.

Let's take a look at this battle of Armageddon. There will be a mobilizing of the world's armies.

How is it humanly possible for so many armies to gather in one place. If a war is going to fought
in Palestine or (Israel) why bother with foot soldiers when the world has so many sophisticated
weapons such as missiles and atomic warheads?  The reason is simple

Armies use foot soldiers when they want to preserve the land and its resources. In the end time
this is exactly what will happen. The antichrist will read his alliance against Israel to totally
exterminate the Jews and to take the whole Middle East with its rich resources for himself.
By this time the jews all that are left will be saved having accepted Jesus as their Messiah.
The antichrist cannot use atomic weapons, for the weapons would not only destroy the land and
its resources but just might cause some of the other nations of the world to strike back.

How did all of these armies get to Israel. If some major army began to march to claim all the
oil of the Middle East we all know exactly what would happen. Every nation will take sides to
protect its own interest. The point of conflict may be MidEast oil, or just the Plan to kill Jews.

Armageddon or the valley of Meggido runs thru the middle of Israel from the Mediterranean
Sea to the Jordan river about 200 miles long and ten miles wide.
This battle does not last long. The Bible does not tell us how
long it lasts but one commentator said not more than a few hours.




Revelation chapter 19, Verse  20

The antichrist and his false prophet are seized and taken into custody. He and the antichrist
are thrown alive into the "lake of fire burning with brimstone." Though the lake of fire was
prepared for the devil and his angels, these agents of satan actually precede him into it.
Satan is not cast into it until after the Millennium. Then the rest of the wicked dead are
cast into it after the Great White Throne judgment.

Verse  21
The rest of the followers of the antichrist do not escape.  The "remnant" of the kings of the earth
and their armies are slain. All Jesus will need to do is use the sword "of His mouth" that is,
He will speak the Word of God and the sword of diving judgment will strike them down. These are
the people who rejected the gospel preached "to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people"
during the tribulation. All of these who are slain at Armageddon have heard the gospel.

But because of their rejection of Christ they are given "strong delusion that they should believe a lie,
that they all might be damned who believed not the truth"  2 Thessalonians 2:11-12

They are among those who have turned away from Christ because of their evil deeds. John 3:19-20
By their unrighteous life styles and the lusts of the flesh that they practice, they have cut
themselves off from all possibility of having any inheritance in the kingdom of God.

John again draws attention to the birds, they are now "filled" with the flesh of the bodies of those
who are slain. No one who can hinder the establishment of Christ's millennial kingdom is left on earth.




* BURP! *