19
After these things I heard a roar in heaven. It sounded like a huge crowd shouting, ‘Hallelujah!
Salvation and glory and power belong to our God.
2 The way he judges is true and fair.
He has judged the great prostitute.
She made the earth impure with her terrible sins.
God has paid her back for killing those who served him.’
3 Again they shouted,
‘Hallelujah!
The smoke from her fire goes up for ever and ever.’
4 The 24 elders and the four living creatures bowed down. They worshipped God, who was sitting on the throne. They cried out,
‘Amen! Hallelujah!’
5 Then a voice came from the throne. It said,
‘Praise our God,
all you who serve him!
Praise God, all you who have respect for him,
both great and small!’
6 Then I heard the noise of a huge crowd. It sounded like the roar of rushing waters and like loud thunder. The people were shouting,
‘Hallelujah!
Our Lord God is the King who rules over all.
7 Let us be joyful and glad!
Let us give him glory!
It is time for the Lamb's wedding.
His bride has made herself ready.
8 Fine linen, bright and clean,
was given to her to wear.’
Fine linen stands for the right things that God's holy people do.
9 Here is what the angel told me to write. ‘Blessed are those invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb!’ Then he added, ‘These are the true words of God.’
10 When I heard this, I fell at his feet to worship him. But he said to me, ‘Don't do that! I serve God, just as you do. I am God's servant, just like believers who hold firmly to what Jesus has taught. Worship God! The Spirit of prophecy tells the truth about Jesus.’
19:1–10 In John's vision, everyone in heaven celebrated that God had judged Babylon and destroyed it. The crowd that John had seen in Revelation chapter 7 shouted Hallelujah! In the Hebrew language hallelujah means praise the Lord. The smoke that rose from Babylon being burnt never stopped. This was a picture of complete and final judgement. After that, people never had to be afraid of any power like Babylon ever again. This was because God had begun to rule as King over everything. The crowd sang about the marriage between the Lamb and his bride. The wedding feast was a sign of God's kingdom coming to earth. In Matthew 22:1–14 Jesus had described himself as the groom in that feast. The bride is a sign for Jesus' followers and the church. The Lamb's bride was the opposite of how John had described Babylon. The bride's good works and holy living were seen by all. John was so excited about the wedding feast that he worshipped the angel who announced it. But the angel was a faithful servant of God. He reminded John to worship only God.
11 I saw heaven standing open. There in front of me was a white horse. Its rider is called Faithful and True. When he judges or makes war, he is always fair. 12 His eyes are like blazing fire. On his head are many crowns. A name is written on him that only he knows. 13 He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood. His name is the Word of God. 14 The armies of heaven were following him, riding on white horses. They were dressed in fine linen, white and clean. 15 Coming out of the rider's mouth is a sharp sword. He will strike down the nations with the sword. Scripture says, ‘He will rule them with an iron sceptre.’ (Psalm 2:9) He tramples on the grapes of God's winepress. The winepress stands for the terrible anger of the God who rules over all. 16 Here is the name that is written on the rider's robe and on his thigh.
The greatest King of all and the most powerful Lord of all
17 I saw an angel standing in the sun. He shouted to all the birds flying high in the air, ‘Come! Gather together for the great supper of God. 18 Come and eat the dead bodies of kings, generals, and other mighty people. Eat the bodies of horses and their riders. Eat the bodies of all people, free and slave, great and small.’
19 Then I saw the beast and the kings of the earth with their armies. They had gathered together to make war against the rider on the horse and his army. 20 But the beast and the false prophet were captured. The false prophet had done signs for the beast. In this way the false prophet had tricked some people. Those people had received the mark of the beast and had worshipped its statue. The beast and the false prophet were thrown alive into the lake of fire. The lake of fire burns with sulphur. 21 The rest were killed by the sword that came out of the rider's mouth. All the birds stuffed themselves with the dead bodies.
19:11–21 John continued seeing more about what had happened before God's judgement was finished in Revelation 16:17. Jesus stopped the power of the beast, the false prophet and all who followed them. John described this like a battle. The battle was different from how wars were usually fought in John's time. Before the battle, Jesus' robe was already dipped in blood. This was a sign of how his victory came through his sacrifice on the cross. Jesus' army wore clean and fine linen like the Lamb's bride did in Revelation 19:8. This showed that they shared in Jesus' victory by following his example for living. Jesus' only weapon was the sword from his mouth. Speaking the truth about God was how he stopped his enemies. Everyone who opposed Jesus was destroyed.