Large Christian Library. Bible online Interpretation sermon from the bible revelation chapter 19

Chapters, John the picture of the destruction of this world was shown from 2 sides:
1) from the standpoint of the literal destruction of all spheres of his system of things - chapter 16 told about this,
2) from the position of its spiritual destruction: the spiritual bride of Christ / his co-rulers with the help of Christ will gain a complete spiritual victory over the world of Satan. Being on earth, they will all remain faithful to God even in the face of death,therefore, in the end, the truth of God will triumph in the human world, and false truth will be destroyed from the earth. This spiritual victory of Christ and his co-rulers is shown in chapter 19.

Here the triumph of the immaculate "wife" of the Lamb, the true king of Jehovah, is contrasted with the destruction of the corrupted "wife" the lying king of this world, the devil: Babylon and all its representatives.

19:1,2 After this, I heard in heaven a loud voice, as it were, of a numerous people, who said: Alleluia! Salvation and glory and honor and strength to our Lord!
2 For true and righteous are his judgments: because he condemned that great whore who corrupted the earth with her fornication, and exacted the blood of his servants from her hand.
Here is described the moment that began after the destruction of "Babylon", but - before the destruction of the wicked of this age.
Recall, first destroy " Babylon" ( beast and 10 allied kingsdestroy the "center" of all interconnections of world influence, Open17:12,16,17. The same moment is described in the 16th chapter in the form of an outpouring of the 6th and partly the 7th bowls of wrath, Rev. 16:12,17).
Then all the "deficits" of the devil's empire will be destroyed, regretting the death of "Babylon"(kings, merchants, shipbuilders and other wicked people of the end of this age, prospering in the conditions of the prosperity of this age, described in Rev. 18. The moment of their destruction is described in Rev. 16:21 in the form of the destruction of the wicked by hail).

So here it is the delight of the many voices of the celestials, reminiscent of the choir of a numerous people ( voiceas if numerous people ) -sounds about the destruction of "Babylon".
It is clear that the picture of the celestials' voice delight could be shown to John only in the form of the sound of human voices, because the voices of angels were not known to him (as well as whether angels speak human language at all).

This chorus of voices, familiar and understandable to John, made him understand that for the servants of God, perishing on earth at the hands of "Babylon" for the word of God, the heavenly servants of God also experience. They also rejoice at the just retribution for the world's "harlot" : her destruction forever because most of all she caused great suffering to the servants of the Most High (Rev. 7:3,4).

19: 3 And they said a second time: Alleluia! And its smoke ascended forever and ever.
Praise Jah - the word "alleluia" means. But the second part is important in this text: John was shown a picture of eternity for the reign diabolical "married couple": his queen will no longer "give birth" on Earth to the abominations of her "husband".
That is, on the ground with the reign of the devil and the appearance of the wicked - finished forever.

19:4-6 Then twenty-four elders and four living creatures fell down and bowed down to God sitting on the throne, saying: Amen! hallelujah!
5 And a voice went out from the throne, saying: Praise our God, all of you his servants and those who fear him, small and great.
6 And I heard as it were the voice of a multitude of people, as the sound of many waters, as the voice of mighty thunders, saying: Alleluia! for the Lord God Almighty reigned.
At that moment, at the “meeting in the throne room” of the Almighty, the entire team of His spiritual assistants gave Him honors of praise, since, firstly, Jehovah God was the initiator of all events to destroy the evil empire of this age.
And secondly, He also initiated the formation of the era of His reign: after the destruction of the system of government of the devil, the era of God’s reign will be established on Earth, which is why the voices of all celestials exclaim about the reign of the Almighty over the earthly world order in all eternity.

Calling on all God-fearing people of the Earth to praise their God ( praise our God, all his servants and those who fear him, small and great ) - heavenly spiritual creatures show that the era of God's reign will bring good, first of all, to this category of people.
(literally in this moment only His servants, the co-rulers of Christ, can praise God, since there is no one on Earth in this period, except for the "goats" gathered for destruction forever).

19:7 Let us rejoice and be glad and give Him glory; because marriage has come  Lamb, and His wife prepared herself.
The word "marriage" denoted by the Greek word ga/mov
It also translates as marriage feast", "wedding".
That is, we are talking about the "culprits" of the event: about Jesus Christ and his "bride", who at the wedding will become his "wife".

The Bible reports the following about the “bride” of Christ: “the bride”, she is also the “church of the firstborn” (2 Cor. 11: 2, Eph. 5: 25-27, Heb. throughout the entire period of "betrothal" to Christ (from the moment of his coming to Earth) to preserve his integrity to the groom (to remain faithful to God and His Christ from the moment of calling until his death).

Before the wedding, the "bride" of Christ is considered his "bride": as long as the future co-rulers walked the earth, they were his "bride".
The wedding (the reunion of the bride and groom as husband and wife) will take place after the entire composition of the "bride" has been taken to heaven through the first resurrection.

The first resurrection will begin at the sound of the seventh trumpet: at the moment of Christ's reign over the earth (Rev. 11:15; 1 Thess. 4:16,17; 1 Cor. 15:52): all co-rulers will go to heaven one group, together and at the same time, in the form of a "holistic" bride(the resurrection of the co-rulers of Christ will not occur gradually, as each of them dies, as some teach. The "bride" will not "enter" heaven to the "groom" - in separate "parts", her ascent to heaven will be one-time and in all fullness of the spiritual body, consisting of 144,000 heavenly helpers of Christ)

Since the gathering of the “bride” in heaven will take place at the 7th trumpet, and the wedding will take place after the destruction of Babylon, it must be assumed that the “bride” taken from Earth will be given some time to “prepare” for the wedding (from the moment the 7th trumpet sounds to the pouring 6th and partially 7th bowls of wrath)
During this time, the sky will be cleansed of the devil (he will be thrown down by Christ and his co-rulers on Earth, see Rev. 12: 7-9), plus - on Earth there will still be a remnant of the grieved wicked (merchants, kings and subjects of the devil's empire), who must be destroyed at Armageddon (Rev. 16:20,21)

the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has prepared herself.
The wedding of Jesus Christ and the co-rulers, which should take place after the trial of Babylon and just before the destruction of all the outright God-opponents of the Earth, will mark the beginning new era on earth: the eras of God's reign. The result will be a spiritual family union of husband/Christ and wife/co-rulers.

19:8 And it was given to her to put on fine linen, clean and bright; the fine linen is the righteousness of the saints. (The English text says "the righteous deeds of the saints".)
Recall: in Rev. 6:11 most of the co-rulers who were killed for the word of God were are given white clothes, which confirmed God's decision to accept them as the "bride" of Christ (at the time of the death of each of His servants, Jehovah knows what each one who dies deserves)

And on the wedding day, when the rest of the “bride” joined them, the whole “bride” was allowed get dressed snow-white wedding dress made of pure linen -(by fine linen is meant a thin white linen fabric).
AT Old Testament the priests also dressed in fine linen (Ex. 28:42).

This white fabric symbolizes righteousness and recognition by saints - bearers of white robes. We are talking here about the recognition by the Almighty of those righteous deeds that testify to the purity of the "bride". Each co-ruler glorified God and His Christ with them - in his time of life on earth.

Their main righteous deed is the recognition of Jesus Christ as God's Messiah and Redeemer, which helped them fulfill the will of God to the maximum extent possible, imitating Christ. Thanks to the strength of faith and perseverance in trials, all co-rulers received the status of saints (the righteous is the one of the redeemed who seeks to fulfill the will of God, and the saint is the one who fulfills it in its entirety, this is the highest degree of righteousness achieved as a result of the interaction of the holy spirit and man's own efforts, Eph. 4:30-32; 1 Cor. 9:23-27)

19:9 And [the angel] 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 words of God
The angel assures John of the truth of the upcoming wedding feast and the bliss of the participants in the wedding.
Since not all those who are invited will be able to participate in the wedding feast (there are many who are invited, there will be few participating, Mt. 22:14) - those invited who will be present at the wedding will experience bliss:
for He is the Lord of lords and the King of kings, and those who are with him, essence invited and the chosen and the faithful.(Rev. 14:14).

It is clear that in this case we are talking about the blessedness of the co-rulers of Christ - the category of those very figurative "virgins" with the lamps of the truth of God, who were waiting for their "bridegroom" (they were called), but only those who were worthy entered the spiritual wedding feast with him (Matt. 25:1,10).
They brought the light of truth into the world and, despite the persecution of the bestial rulers of this age, remained faithful to God even in the face of death. Therefore, we can say about them that they are with Christ, that is, they participate with him in their joint wedding feast.

Indirectly, those called to the "feast" of the marriage of Christ also includesheep from the parable about the division of nations into sheep and goats, invited live in God's Kingdom(Mt. 25:31-46).
Although the "sheep" will not get married as the "bride" of Christ (reasonable "virgins" with burning lamps), however, they will also be able to experience the joy of the "marriage" of Christ: they, unlike the "goats", will not be destroyed in Armageddon and will give a chance to get into God's eternity as inhabitants of the Paradise Earth.
(for details, see the parable of the wedding feast, more broadly consecrating the theme of the marriage of Christ)

19:10 I fell to his feet to bow to him; but he said to me: look, do not do this; I am a co-servant with you and your brothers who have the testimony of Jesus; worship God; for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.
The angel acts as a co-servant of the co-rulers of Christ, “bearing” on Earth the “testimony of Jesus”: it is said about angels that they are ministering spirits sent to help the servants of God (Heb. 1:14).

John, like his brothers, are the co-rulers of Christ: they not only prove by their way of life that they belong to the risen Christ, but also testify of the risen Christ, to whom the meaning of all prophecies is reduced ( The testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy ).
All of them, as we see, should not bow to anyone from above, except Jehovah: although the angels help them to fulfill the instructions of God, one should be grateful for the help only Jehovah.

This text ( I fell at his feet to worship him; but he told me: look, do not do this ) shows that thanksgiving to the diverse saints of this age, which is common today in the form of giving thanks before the icons of the Virgin Mary, Peter and Paul, Peter and Fevronia, Saint Nicholas, and so on. - contrary to the requirements of God and objectionable to Him.

19:11-13 And I saw an open sky, and behold a white horse, and he who sits on it is called Faithful and True, Who judges righteously and fights.
12 His eyes are like a flame of fire, and on his head are many diadems. [He] had a name written that no one knew but Himself.
13 [He was] clothed in clothes stained with blood. His name is "Word of God".
The sky is opened to the eyes of John, and he sees the appearance of the resurrected Jesus Christ as the militant King of God, conquering all the wicked.
Many diadems (royal crowns) on the head of the true king of God are shown here in contrast to the crowned beast of the devil, crowned with many diadems false king of this worldand reflecting the reign of the devil as a prominent representative of paganism and obscurantism.

The spiritual name of Jesus Christ, who lived with God in heaven even before his coming to earth as a man, is also mentioned as the “Word” of the Most High (John 1:1). His clothes are sprinkled with blood because the king of the Earth appears here as the redeemer of mankind, who shed his blood for their salvation.

Note : some scholars identify this passage of Scripture with Is.63:1-6, which refers to Jehovah in a bloody robe, showing by the example of the destruction of Edom - death forever for all who become like the descendants of Esau: among them there was not one who would love Jehovah and His people (because Jehovah was "alone" in the winepress of His wrath, none of the Edomites supported the justice of God).
From the history of Edom, Vikhlyantsev's dictionary: David conquered this kingdom and the Edomites became haters of the Jews. They gloated over the capture of Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar and even helped him, but soon they themselves suffered the same yoke. Later scattered throughout southern Palestine.

The call to all birds to flock to carrion shows the magnitudethe scale of the destruction of the wicked of the Earth of all ranks and categories, from the most insignificant subjects to the most influential rulers themselves:in order to saturate all the birds that feed on carrion, a considerable number of corpses are needed.

The corpses of horses and those sitting on them are a symbol of the destruction of the entire military arsenal, both murder weapons and those who control them.

19:19 And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, assembled to fight against him that sat on the horse, and against his army.
Here we see an image of the struggle between the system of government of God and the devil.
The reign of God at the end of this age is represented by Jesus Christ and his team of heavenly co-rulers.
The reign of the devil at the end of this age is represented by all earthly kings and their armies. The gathering of the pagan kings of the Earth by the spirits of malice for the battle with Christ is also shown in Rev. 16:13,14.

The eighth beast is singled out especially because it is to destroy the remnant of Christ's co-rulers and destroy the Devil's Babylon, that is, to cause the end of this age to come (Rev. 13:5-7; 17:16,17). In addition, this is the last representative of the "animal" powers that fought with the people of God.

19:20 And the beast was seized, and with him the false prophet, who worked miracles before him, with which he deceived those who received the mark of the beast and worshiped his image: both were thrown alive into the lake of fire, burning with brimstone;
Here are the descriptions of the two beasts shown in Rev. 13:
1) the eighth beast of the seven, described as a seven-headed beast with a head healed from a wound.
2) a two-horned beast or a false prophet (false Christ), helping the first beast to rule over a multitude of people at the end of this age.
We see that both of them will be destroyed by Jesus Christ.

John is shown, firstly, that not a single pagan god-fighting power from all those described earlier, the image of which contains the 8th and last beast / persecutor of the people of God, will no longer oppress the people of God forever.
Secondly, that in the person of the last false prophet who helps the pagan ruler to wage war with true Christians, all spiritual leaders in general who oppress the people of God and distort the word of God will be destroyed.
Thirdly, since they alive thrown into the lake of fire - this means that they will be destroyed in the midst of their pernicious atheistic activity. That is, although nothing will portend their sudden fall - they will disappear quite unexpectedly and rapidly.

19:21 and the rest were slain by the sword of him that sat on the horse, which proceeded from his mouth, and all the birds fed on their carcasses.
Here the complete annihilation of all subjects of the devil's empire is figuratively shown: not only kings and false prophets represented his interests on earth, but also the wicked defended them with their resistance to God. The spiritual sword of Jesus Christ will destroy all the remnants of lies on earth - along with their "carriers".

As a result of the victory of Jesus Christ and his team of heavenly helpers on Earth, there will be an impressive spectacle of the "goats" who have died forever: there will be so many of them that all the birds of prey in the skies will be able to get enough of carrion.

After this, I heard in heaven a loud voice, as it were, of a numerous people, who said: Alleluia! salvation, and glory, and honor, and strength to our Lord!For true and righteous are His judgments: because He condemned that great whore who corrupted the earth with her fornication, and exacted the blood of His servants from her hand.And they said a second time: Alleluia! And its smoke ascended forever and ever.

Then twenty-four elders and four living creatures fell down and bowed down to God sitting on the throne, saying: Amen! hallelujah!And a voice went out from the throne, saying: Praise our God, all of you his servants and those who fear him, small and great.And I heard as it were the voice of a multitude of people, as it were the sound of many waters, as it were the voice of mighty thunders, saying: Alleluia! for the Lord God Almighty reigned.Let us rejoice and be glad and give Him glory; for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and his wife has prepared herself.And it was given to her to put on fine linen, clean and bright; the fine linen is the righteousness of the saints.

And told me Angel: write: Blessed are those who are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he said to me, These are the true words of God.I fell at his feet to worship him; but he said to me: look, do not do this; I am a co-servant with you and your brothers who have the testimony of Jesus; Worship God, for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.

And I saw the heavens open, and behold, a white horse, and he who sits on it is called Faithful and True, who judges righteously and fights.His eyes are like a flame of fire, and on His head are many diadems. He had a name written that no one knew but Himself.He was dressed in clothes stained with blood. His name is "Word of God".And the armies of heaven followed Him on white horses, clothed in white and clean linen.From His mouth comes a sharp sword, with which to smite the nations. He shepherds them with a rod of iron; He tramples on the winepress of the fury and wrath of God Almighty.His name is written on his garment and on his thigh: "King of kings and Lord of lords."

And I saw one angel standing in the sun; and he cried out with a loud voice, saying to all the birds that fly in the midst of the sky, fly, gather together for the great supper of God,to devour the corpses of kings, the corpses of the mighty, the corpses of commanders, the corpses of horses and those who sit on them, the corpses of all free and slaves, both small and great.

And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies gathered to fight against Him who sat on the horse and against His host.And the beast was seized, and with him the false prophet, who worked miracles before him, with which he deceived those who received the mark of the beast and worshiped his image: both were thrown alive into the lake of fire, burning with brimstone;and the rest were slain by the sword of him that sat on the horse, which proceeded from his mouth, and all the birds fed on their carcasses.

M. Song of praise and glory in heaven (19:1-10)

1. MULTIPLE PEOPLE IN HEAVEN PRAISE GOD (19:1-3)

Chapters 4-18 are mainly devoted to describing the events that will take place on earth in the time of great tribulation. Starting from chapter 19, the theme changes noticeably. The Great Tribulation is coming to an end, and now the focus of John's vision is what is happening in heaven - the second coming of Christ to earth. For the saints and for the angels, there comes a time of joy, a time of victory.

open 19:1. The well-known sequence of events described is indicated by the words "After this," with which chapter 19 begins. They clearly refer to what happened in chapter 18. So, after the events of the Great Tribulation that he had "seen" John heard in heaven a loud voice, as it were, of a numerous people praising and glorifying God, apparently for the judgment that had taken place over Babylon. (Note that the end of verse 1 must be understood in the sense that salvation and glory and honor and power belong to our Lord, proceed from Him.) In the theological literature, unfortunately, there is a lot of confusion regarding the order of events "taking place" in chapters 19-20; therefore, it is important to emphasize that the doxology in 19:1 follows precisely the destruction of Babylon described in chapter 18.

The words "loud voice" conveyed in Russian the Greek words "megalen phonene" - literally "strong sound"; it came from a multitude of people (compare Rev. 7:9 where we are talking about the believers martyred in the days of great sorrow). For them, the trial of Babylon is a special occasion for joy. Greek, the word halleluia comes from a similar Hebrew word used in the Old Testament. It occurs only four times in the New Testament, and only in the book of Revelation (19:1,3-4,6).

open 19:2-3. In the expression of praise to God, His glory and power, which are the cause and effect of His act of salvation, are mentioned along with the truth and righteousness of His judgments. His condemnation of the great harlot (compare 17:1,4) is a righteous act of retribution for her corruption of the earth and the murder of God's servants (17:6). However, the punishment of the harlot only marked the beginning of the eternal punishment of the wicked, as indicated by the words ... and her smoke ascended forever and ever.

2. TWENTY-FOUR ELDERS SING HALLELUJAH (19:4-5)

open 19:4-5. Twenty-four elders and four animals join the choir of many people singing "Hallelujah". This is further evidence (and a reminder) that the 24 elders represent the present day church, as opposed to the tribulation saints, who are represented in verse 1 as the "great crowd." The four "animals" that first appear in the pages of Revelation in 4:6-8 are, in all likelihood, angels praising God. And another voice is heard by John, apparently coming from the Angel standing at the throne, who calls on all His servants and those who fear Him to praise God (19:5).

3. PROPHETIC Announcement of the Marriage of the Lamb (19:6-9)

open 19:6-8. The last, fourth, hallelujah, according to the testimony of John, came as if from a numerous people, and it was like the noise of many waters and strong thunders. One might think that these mighty and solemn sounds rang out both from heaven and from earth, i.e., that the righteous who survived the great tribulation also participated in this doxology.

However, this joy was not about what had already happened, but about what was about to happen. (This is evidenced by the words that in the English translation of the Bible are transmitted in the present tense: For the Lord God Almighty reigns.) The word "Almighty" (Pantocrator) is used by John in 1:8; 4:8; 11:17; 15:13; 16:7,14; 19:15; 21:22.

The call to "rejoice" is followed by the announcement that the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready.

The concept of "marriage" in the Bible is often used to describe the relationship between the saints and God. In the Old Testament, in the book of Hosea, for example, Israel is represented as Jehovah's unfaithful wife, whose "status" will be restored in the coming kingdom. And in the New Testament, the relationship between Christ and the Church is characterized as a marriage union, but, unlike the Old Testament, here the Church appears (as immaculate maiden waiting for the coming of her heavenly Bridegroom (2 Cor. 11:2).

The clean and light linen (meaning fine linen) that the bride wears symbolizes the righteousness of the saints (verse 8). In the Old Testament, the high priests also dressed in "linen"; Ref. 28:42; A lion. 6:10; 16:4,23,32.) (The English text does not say "the righteousness of the saints", but "the righteous deeds of the saints.") The point here (19:86) is not so much about the justification of the saints by faith, but about the recognition by God of those good deeds that the saints did by His grace, and the semantic emphasis here is precisely on the good or righteous deeds of the "bride". In any case, there is no doubt that human righteousness is achieved both by God's grace of justification and personal virtue; it is the result of the historical interplay of His grace and man's own efforts.

So, here is the last of the 14 doxologies recorded in Revelation, pronounced by saints, angels, 24 elders and 4 animals. Hymns of praise are found in the following verses: 4:8,11; 5:9-10,12-13; 7:10,12; 11:16-18; 15:3-4; 16:5-7; 19:1-4,6-8.

open 19:9. The angel who commanded John to "write" (14:3) repeats his command regarding the following words: Blessed are those who are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb!

One of the misinterpretations, which has unfortunately become widespread in the churches, has led to the idea that God makes no distinction between saints. In fact, upon a thoughtful reading of biblical texts, it is impossible not to notice that in the Holy Scriptures "there is" different groups saints; in 19:9 we see that the "bride" and those invited to the wedding supper are not the same. God will not treat everyone equally. He has a plan for Israel as a people and a plan for the saved Israelites.

His other plan provides for the Old Testament pagans who believe in the true God. Finally, in the New Testament we are presented with His plan for the Church, which forms a special group of saints. And again, in the book of Revelation, "the saints who came out of the great tribulation" are different from other, former, groups of believers.

And the point here is not so much in the different nature and degree of blessings for these different groups, but in the fact that God has a plan for each of them, depending on the role that each is called to play in the implementation of His overall plan. In this case, the Church acts as a bride, who will be accompanied by saints who are different from her.

Theologians debate whether this marriage will take place in heaven or on earth. But this is not so important. But in interpreting this passage, it is useful to refer to how marriages were performed in the Middle East in the first century. The marriage ceremony included the following stages:

1) an official marriage agreement between the parents of the bride and groom, with the latter paying a ransom for the bride;

2) the arrival of the bridegroom for the bride (in Matt. 25:1-13);

3) the wedding feast (John 2:1-11), which was a feast lasting several days.

In Rev. 19:9 speaks of "the wedding supper," that is, the third stage of the marriage ceremony. And the message about it coincides with the second coming of Christ to earth. However, John, apparently, was not allowed to see the "marriage supper". Deciphering all this symbolism, we can say that Christ completed the first stage of the marriage ceremony in the age of the Church through the salvation of the people who made it up. Stage two will take place at the rapture of the Church from earth, when Christ takes His bride up to heaven, to the house of His Father (John 14:1-3).

Continuing the disclosure of this allegory, we can assume that the beginning of the Millennial Kingdom will be the beginning of the wedding supper. Noteworthy is the use in 19:7 of the word "wife" (guine), instead of "bride" "nymph"; compare John. 3:29; open 18:23; 21:2.9; 22:17); this "replacement" is apparently explained by the fact that the second stage will be completed by that time, and only the celebration of the "supper" itself will remain, which will thus take place on earth. This seems to be evidenced by the "marriage allegory" in the New Testament (Matt. 22:1-14; 25:1-13). The importance of what is proclaimed in 16:6-7,9, as well as the invitation to the wedding supper repeated in 22:17, follows from the phrase spoken by the Angel: These are the true words of God.

4. THE COMMANDMENT TO WORSHIP GOD (19:10)

open 19:10. So impressive was what was happening in heaven, with the hallelujah repeated four times and the announcement of the beginning of the wedding feast, that the shocked apostle again fell on his face to bow to the angel who spoke to him. When he bowed to the Angel at the very beginning (1:17), he bowed to Christ, and it was right, but now the Angel restrained him, commanding him to worship only God, since the angels are just fellow servants of John and his brothers. For, he added, the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.

In other words, the essence and purpose of biblical prophecy is explained and determined by the testimony of Jesus Christ and the need to glorify Him and the Father in Him. One of the main functions of the Holy Spirit today is to glorify Jesus Christ and to announce to believers what is to come (John 16:13). The startling revelation given in the first 10 verses of chapter 19 forms an introduction to what will be revealed next, to the second coming of Jesus Christ, which, in fact, is main theme the whole book (1:1).

N. The Second Coming of Christ (19:11-21)

In the revelation given to him from above, John prophetically saw the second coming of Christ and the events connected with it. The doctrine of the second coming is the most important of the doctrines Holy Scripture(Ps. 2:1-9; 23:7-10; 95:10-13; 109; Is. 9:6-7; Jer. 23:1-8; Eze. 37:15-28; Dan. 2 :44-45; 7:13-14; Hos 3:4-5; Am 9:11-15; Mic 4:7; Zech 2:10-12; 12; 14:1-9; Matt 19:28; 24:27-31; 25:6,31-46; Mark 13:24-27; Luke 12:35-40; 17:24-37; 18:8; 21:25-28 ; Acts 1:10-11; 15:16-18; Rom. 11:25-27; 2 Thessalonians 2:8; 2 Pet. 3:3-4; Jude 1:14-15; Rev. 1:7-8; 2:25-28; 16:15; 22:20). The second coming of Christ is also the most important event provided by God's plan.

Conservative theologians almost unanimously believe that this is an event of the coming time (this is also mentioned in the church creed), and that it will be fulfilled literally, as His first coming into the world was literally fulfilled. However, there is a difference of opinion among them regarding the timing of the rapture of the Church, as described in 1 Thess. 4:13-18 and 1 Cor. 15:51-58; will it take place during the second coming of Christ to earth, or, as the “pre-great-sorrowers” ​​believe, seven years before it?

It should be noted that none of the many "details" revealed in Rev. 19:11-21 does not testify to the rapture of the Church in accordance with the way it is described in the pages of the New Testament. There Christ touches the earth nowhere, and the saints meet him in the air (1 Thessalonians 4:17), while Revelation speaks of his return to earth.

It is noteworthy that in Rev. 19-20 there is complete silence regarding the transfer to heaven of the saints living on earth. Apparently, this is due to the fact that they will remain on earth and enter His Millennium Kingdom in their earthly bodies. After all, if the rapture of the Church took place at the return of Christ to earth, then such an important event should have been spoken of in Rev. 19. However, we repeat, there is nothing of the kind there. In the light of these and a number of other considerations, chapter 19 seems to indirectly confirm the doctrine of the rapture of the Church as a separate event preceding the second coming, and that the saints who survive the great tribulation will not be raptured to heaven.

1. REVELATION OF THE RIDER ON THE WHITE HORSE (19:11-13)

open 19:11-13. And I saw an open sky, and behold a white horse sitting on it. Although some theologians identify this rider with the rider in Rev. 6:2, such an opinion is refuted by the context of the relevant verses. In Rev. 6:2 the rider on the white horse is the ruler of the world during the great tribulation, but here the rider is the Ruler descending from heaven. The white horse is a sign of His coming triumph.

In the Roman Empire, there was a custom: the commander who won the victory rode triumphantly on a white horse along the Via Sacra, the main highway of the imperial capital, and after him they carried trophies and led captives - evidence of his victory (2 Cor. 2:14). The white horse is thus a symbol of Christ's victory (as it was also a symbol of the short victory of Antichrist) over the forces of evil in this world.

He who sits on a white horse is called Faithful and True, because both His judgment and the war He wages are righteous. Christ "penetrates" every sin and unreservedly condemns it; this is expressed by the words: His eyes are like a flame of fire (compare Rev. 1:14). The many crowns on His head are a sign of His right to rule and rule.

He had a written name that no one knew except Himself - this is evidence of the "inexpressibility" of Christ, of His "indescribability". And yet he bears quite specific titles. In Rev. 19:13 says: His name is the Word of God (compare John 1:1,14; 1 John 1:1), but in Rev. 19:16 we read: On His garment and on His thigh is the name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS (compare 1 Tim. 6:13; Rev. 17:14) So, the rider on the white horse is Jesus Christ, returning in His glory earth. However, He comes as Judge, and this is confirmed by the fact that He was clothed in blood-stained clothes (19:13; compare Isaiah 63:2-3; Rev. 14:20).

2. THE COMING OF THE KING AND HIS HEAVENLY ARMY (19:14-16)

open 19:14-16. This amazing picture is completed by a vision of the host of heaven, which followed him on white horses, clothed in white and pure linen (compare verse 8). John sees that a sharp sword comes out of the mouth of Christ, with which to strike the nations. The apostle goes on to say that He shepherds the nations with a rod of iron (compare Ps. 2:9; Rev. 2:27). Christ is described by John as the One who treads the winepress of the fury and wrath of God the Almighty (compare 14:19-20; the use of the word "Almighty" in 1:8; 4:8; 11:17; 15:3; 16:7,14 ; 19:6; 21:22).

The whole scene sounds like a dramatic foreshadowing of the terrible judgment that is to come. From Matt. 24:30 it follows that the inhabitants of the earth will see this picture beyond imagination with their own eyes. At this time they will kill each other in the last world war. On the very day that Christ returns, warring armies will fight against each other in the Holy Land and in Jerusalem itself (Zech. 14:7). They will be brought to the battlefield by the angels of Satan - in order to fight with their hands against the armies of heaven (Rev. 16:12-16).

3. DESTRUCTION OF THE Wicked (19:17-21)

open 19:17-18. However, what are earthly armies before the host of heaven? "The sharp sword that comes out of the mouth of Christ" (verse 15) also symbolizes the supreme power of His word, at the sound of which the armies of the earth will be destroyed by power from above. Millions of people and horses will die instantly. Therefore, John writes that the Angel he saw, standing in the sun ... exclaimed with a loud voice, saying to all the birds flying in the middle of the sky: fly, gather for the great supper of God to devour the corpses of kings, the corpses of the strong - all those who will be killed by Jesus Christ .

open 19:19-21. The Beast and all his armies will gather to war against Christ and His host. The result of this battle, which in Rev. 16:14 is called "a scolding in that great day of God Almighty", summed up in Rev. 19:19-21. The ruler of the world - the beast and his false prophet, who performed miracles with his power - will be captured. Their demonic power, which has seduced the world, will not be enough to save them. Both of them will be thrown alive into the lake of fire, burning with brimstone.

The location of the wicked and wicked, who lived throughout the history of the world, until the return of Christ, is hell (Luke 16:23). "A lake burning with fire and brimstone" is not the same as hell; this place is prepared for Satan and his angels (Matt. 25:41), and people will not enter it until the moment referred to in Rev. 20:14-15.

Again, the armies mentioned above will be destroyed at the word of Christ (19:21 compare 1:16; 2:12,16; 19:15). The number of dead will be so great that the birds of prey will not be able to devour all the corpses. This will be a decisive defeat for the forces of evil on earth, and it will end with God's judgments that will follow: they will overtake the unsaved people in all corners of the earth (Matt. 25:31-45).

The same inspired word of God, which so wonderfully speaks of the mercy of God to all who believe Him, and that those who believe in Him will be saved, leaves no doubt in the judgment that is coming upon all who reject His mercy. Attempts by liberal interpreters of the Bible to focus readers' attention on those passages of Scripture that speak of God's love for people - to the detriment of the revelation of the inevitability of His just judgment - are completely unjustified. The Bible unequivocally declares that judgment awaits the wicked, which will take place on the scale of the whole world at the second coming of Christ, and there will be no judgment equal to it since the time of Noah's flood.

Rejoicing in heaven and on earth, the singing of alleluia by the celestials about the coming marriage of the Lamb with his bride (1-8). Adoration of John to the Angel explaining the vision (9-10). Vision of the Faithful and True on the White Horse, His appearance, ornaments and attire (11–16). God's judgment on the beast, the false prophet and their worshipers (17-21).

Rev. 19:1. After this, I heard in heaven a loud voice, as it were, of a numerous people, who said: Alleluia! Salvation and glory and honor and strength to our Lord!

Chapter 19 speaks of solemn joy over the destruction of Babylon, for this event foreshadowed the near and final triumph of good and truth. The Holy Seer hears a new, loud heavenly (in heaven in its oppositeness to earth) voice, i.e., the sounds of singing (cf. Rev. 10:3, 16:18) of exclusively blessed Angels with four seraphim - animals at their head (Rev. 4:8). They cry out: "Alleluia" (Hebrew for "praise God") (cf. Ps. 105:48). They glorify for salvation, which must be understood in the sense of the complete deliverance of Christian society from the wiles of the devil. By glory, one must understand the glory of God, which is proper to God from time immemorial; and strength like God. omnipotence, is the basis of this victory, this triumph.

Rev. 19:2. For true and righteous are His judgments: because He condemned that great whore who corrupted the earth with her fornication, and exacted the blood of His servants from her hand.

Rev. 19:3. And they said a second time: Alleluia! And its smoke ascended forever and ever.

Rev. 19:4. Then twenty-four elders and four living creatures fell down and bowed down to God sitting on the throne, saying: Amen! hallelujah!

The third verse contains a repetition of the song, but with the addition of a new basis for this praise of the Lord. This is that the death of Babylon from ten kings is eternal and final destruction, constituting the transition to the eternal kingdom, for the eternal smoke speaks of the eternal fire of hellish torment. That is why the elders and seraphim-animals fall and say: "Amen, alleluia." (Ps. 105:48).

Rev. 19:5. As soon as the angelic singing ceased, a voice was heard from God. throne, from Jesus Christ Himself, who demanded that all the servants of God give glory to God.

Rev. 19:7. Let us rejoice and be glad and give Him glory; for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and his wife has prepared herself.

In response to the call of God. the voice of Jesus Christ John hears new singing. He compares the sounds of this singing with the noise of speaking, singing of numerous people. One might think that it was as much heavenly as earthly. All the glorified people and martyrs of the last time who are in heaven, and all those who were appointed for glorification, but were still on earth, take part in it. As a result, the sounds of singing were so strong and so solemn. The basis of praise is, first of all, that the kingdom of the Almighty God has come, that is, the kingdom of the future age. The second motivation for joyful praise is that the marriage of the Lamb has already come and His wife has prepared herself. Here we are talking about the unity of Jesus Christ with His society, but not about the coming of this kingdom, but only about the moment closest to it. This is the same moment of eschatology when the Lord, by the sound of the angel's trumpet, gathers all His chosen ones, separating them from the wicked, placing them on the right side of His throne (Mt 25:33) to pronounce the final judgment of the court. The community of faithful Christians who have survived to the end is this woman, this bride of the Lamb. It prepared itself to meet its bridegroom, Jesus Christ.

Rev. 19:8. And it was given to her to put on fine linen, clean and bright; the fine linen is the righteousness of the saints.

The bride of Jesus Christ is dressed in linen, which means her holiness and which was given to her by the Lord Himself. She is evidence that the bride is pleasing to the Lord and can enter His bridal chamber. The lightness of the Christian garment is called the righteousness of the saints. And this righteousness of a person, as his right to closeness to God, can be achieved and is achieved simultaneously in two ways: both by his own virtue and God. the grace of justification. The pure and perfect bride of the Lamb, that is, the Christian society of the end times, is such a society, whose members have reached the highest possible moral perfection for a person with the assistance of God. grace; it is, so to speak, the fruit of the historical interaction between the grace of Christianity and man's own efforts.

Rev. 19:9. And the angel 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 words of God.

In the future, John hears confirmation of the future blessed state of the depicted and perfect Christians. He is commanded by one of the Angels to write: “Blessed are those who are called…” - These are the perfect Christians of the last anti-Christian time, who remained alive until the coming of the Lord. Revelation consoles them and tells them that their sorrows and sufferings serve as a condition for their blessed life in the future. They are blessed as called, for for them, as the chosen and perfect, God has prepared blessedness, which they will receive as a reward for their suffering, for their work in achieving piety and perfection. The wedding supper itself is an expression of the closest fellowship with the Lord, which can only be in future life, only after the final and perfect accession of Jesus Christ, after His second coming. The words about earthly bliss are worthy of complete faith and acceptance, since they belong to God Himself, the most perfect Truth and the source of all revelation, therefore the Angel calls them true God. words.

Rev. 19:10. I fell at his feet to worship him; but he said to me: look, do not do this; I am a co-servant with you and your brothers who have the testimony of Jesus; worship God; for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.

John fell at the feet of an angel. The admiration of John was a natural, involuntary consequence of the extraordinary impression of the appearance of the Angel and his words. The content of the words was so amazing that John could not resist and fell at the feet of the speaking angel, as the prophet fell at the feet of the angel. Daniel. The angel corrects this involuntary human error of the seer and explains that, no matter how majestic these or other phenomena on earth, people should not forget God because of them, who is their first cause and the only one worthy of worship and service (Deuteronomy 6:13 ). – The testimony of Jesus is Jesus Christ Himself, all that He taught and did for the salvation of the human race. This testimony is the “spirit of prophecy”, which expression is used in the sense of the foundation of prophecy, that which animates prophecy and constitutes its essence: in the testimony of Jesus Christ, that is, in His teaching and the revelation, prophecy, brought by Him, it is open and explained that God alone is worthy of worship and reverence. By the insertion of verses 9 and 10 the flow of the description of the coming wedding supper of the Lamb was broken; from 11 st. John refers to this description again. Now we are talking about those who not only do not merit participation in the wedding supper, but are subjected to cruel punishment as retribution. These are the events of the last time, the time of the Last Judgment and the last retribution.

Rev. 19:11. And I saw an open sky, and behold a white horse, and he who sits on it is called Faithful and True, Who judges righteously and fights.

Rev. 19:12. His eyes are like a flame of fire, and on His head are many diadems. He had a name written that no one knew but Himself.

John sees an open sky; such a beginning of speech speaks of a new and completely separate vision. The sky itself is opened to give passage to the earth to the white horse with its rider. The rider is called Faithful and True. This name is undoubtedly the name of Jesus Christ; it points to the permanent properties of His relationship to the community of believers. Possessing such properties, He is terrible for His enemies and unshakable hope and comfort for His admirers. To be a righteous judge, He has eyes like a fiery flame, that is, He penetrates everything with His gaze, sees everything and destroys everything that is not pleasing to Him and hostile to Him. The fact that He is not only a righteous Judge, but also an omnipotent executor of His judgments is evidenced by the many diadems adorning His head. This indicates that the whole world belongs to Him, must recognize His authority over them and submit to the sentence of His judgment. According to the properties of this nature. He also bears a name that no one knows except Himself: the Divine nature of Jesus Christ in its essence and fullness of Divine properties is incomprehensible to man. This mysterious name was on diadems. This assumption is confirmed by the fact that diadems themselves, as an accessory of royal dignity, speak of the incomprehensible properties of the Divine nature of Jesus Christ.

Rev. 19:13. He was dressed in clothes stained with blood. His name is "Word of God".

The horseman is clothed in clothes stained with blood - Jesus Christ in bloody clothes because He has already performed part of His judgment on sinful mankind; the wicked were punished with terrible executions, and Babylon had already perished. Jesus Christ appears in the world for the second time, and just as it was said about His first coming: “The Word became flesh”, so at the second coming He is called by the Word of God, as the eternal son of God.

Rev. 19:14. And the armies of heaven followed Him on white horses, clothed in white and clean linen.

Rev. 19:15. From His mouth comes a sharp sword, with which to smite the nations. He shepherds them with a rod of iron; He tramples on the winepress of the fury and wrath of God Almighty.

Jesus Christ, as Judge and Creator, is accompanied by heavenly armies, consisting exclusively of incorporeal Angels (Mt. 16:27, 25:31). The host rode on white horses to match their leader, and their clothes were of white linen. The weapon with which Christ defeated his enemies is the sword that comes out of His mouth (Rev. 1:16, 2:12). This sword is His word, the word of His omnipotence and omnipotence. He shepherds the people with a rod of iron, for he completely submits them to His power and His decision. He tramples on the winepress of the wrath and wrath of God (Rev. 14:19-20). The whole symbolic image is an image of the terrible judgment and reward, when the wicked will be brought to the consciousness of their complete insignificance. Christ, as the almighty King, alone can bear the name of King and Lord.

Rev. 19:16. His name is written on his garment and on his thigh: "King of kings and Lord of lords."

Rev. 19:17. And I saw one angel standing in the sun; and he cried out with a loud voice, saying to all the birds that fly in the midst of the sky, fly, gather together for the great supper of God,

John further sees one angel standing in the sun. It must be understood that he stood surrounded by the rays of the sun. His mission is to call the birds to the coming supper of God. It will consist in the destruction by birds of the corpses of the slain enemies of the Kingdom of God. Enemies gathered in a whole army. This gathering of all the wicked must be understood in such a way that, according to the wise providence of God and His almighty action, all the wicked doomsday will be separated and experience what they deserve. According to the word of the Apostle, all the living, who have lived to see the second coming of the Lord, will experience a change in their bodies (1 Cor. 15:51-52). The sinners, the followers of Antichrist, must also undergo this change. And if his change for the righteous will be blessed, calm and joyful, then for the wicked it will be painful. The angelic call of birds of prey to feed on the corpses of the enemies of the Kingdom of God is an indication of the horrors and sufferings of these latter during the final upheaval.

Rev. 19:18. to devour the corpses of kings, the corpses of the mighty, the corpses of commanders, the corpses of horses and those who sit on them, the corpses of all free and slaves, both small and great.

Rev. 19:19. And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, assembled to fight against him that sat on the horse, and against his army.

Under the army of the 19th century. one must understand the extreme tension and intensification of wickedness and hostility to God before the coming of the Lord. The wicked will be like an army that goes out to battle and challenges God to fight against them. But the denouement of this long story of wickedness is short. Retribution began with those who were the perpetrators of human wickedness in the last days - with the Antichrist and the false prophet. And since their wickedness and their deserving of eternal torment will be undoubted for everyone, there will not even be a judgment for them - without judgment they will be thrown alive into the lake of fire, Gehenna, into eternal torment. The Beast-Antichrist and his false prophet will be the first to receive retribution, they will be destroyed by the spirit of the mouth of God and removed from the eyes of the rest of the people gathered by the Lord for the final judgment. A terrible, painful change will take place according to the sentence of God: the wicked (others) will be killed by the sword of the one sitting on the horse, that is, by the action of God's omnipotence and judgment. Their former bodies will become the food of the birds; in a painful process, they will be reborn into new ones that would correspond to the upcoming eternal torment, the eternal feeling of uninterrupted pain.

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19:1-10 The triumph of the immaculate bride of the Lamb is contrasted with the destruction of the corrupt false church (Babylon).

19:1 hallelujah! Praise God!

19:2 are righteous. Justified by God.

19:4 twenty-four elders and four animals. See com. to 4.4.6.

19:7 marriage of the Lamb. Those. the close bond, love and joy that reigns in the relationship between Christ and His people. Marriage is the fulfillment of scriptural promises.

19:9 the wedding supper. the Lord's Supper; unlike the one that preceded His suffering, this is a celebration of the full reunion of Christ and Christians.

19:10 The testimony of Jesus...is the spirit of prophecy. The angel acts as a co-servant of the prophets (22:9). John was given the spirit of prophecy (22:6); he accepts the testimony given to him by Jesus Christ (1:2; 6:9) and hands it over to the Church (1:2). The ministry of John is equated with the ministry of angels.

19:11-21 This last war- the culmination of all the wars that the Lord waged for His people (Ex. 15:2; Deut. ch. 20; Hab. 3:8-15; Is. 59:16-18; Ezek. ch. 38; 39; Zech. 12.1-9; 14.3-5); it crowns the victory gained by Christ on the cross (5:9-10; 12:10-11; John 12:31; Col. 2:15).

This passage describes the sixth cycle of judgments leading up to the Second Coming (see Introduction: Characteristics and topics). In this, as in other later cycles, imagery is increasingly focused on the Second Coming of Christ and what events immediately precede it. In this cycle, virtually all events are part of the Second Coming. But in them - and this is typical of the book of Revelation - the principles of spiritual struggle that have been active throughout the history of the Church (1 John 5:4-5; Eph. 6:10-20) are fully manifested. At the end of the story, Jesus Christ is revealed as the ever-existing God (22:13; Heb. 13:8).

19:11 open sky. In contrast to fragment 4:1, the appearance of God from heaven is now revealed not only to John the seer, but to all mankind.