This chapter begins with a great multitude of the heavenly host praising God. for His great power in conquering Babylon – that wicked blasphemous world system.
“Alleluia,” they cried as the smoke rose up from that smoldering city.
Then we see the 24 elders and those four living creatures, who we have witnessed throughout this book, falling down and worshipping God.
And a voice from the throne encouraged all His servants, small and great, to join in the great chorus of worship, for in this time of worship there are no classes, no ranks, just redeemed souls.
The sound of their praising is so great, it is like crashing waves, and they say “Alleujah! For the Lord Almighty reigns!”
7-10
They are rejoicing because the great “marriage of the Lamb” is about to take place – a symbolic meal signifying the end of the marriage between Christ and His church. It will take place at the establishment of the millennial kingdom.
The church is arrayed in fine linen, a symbol of their righteous actions since coming to know Christ.
He is then told to write, “blessed are those who are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb!” MacArthur explains that these guests are all those saints who have come to Christ outside of the Church age, whether before Christ’s birth, or after the rapture.
John was again, so overcome with this vision, he fell to worship the angel, but the angel was quick to remind him that he was merely a fellow servant and the only one worthy of worship, is God!
11-16
(Okay, if you haven’t been excited yet, wait until this next part. These are some of my favorite verses in the Bible!!!)
Then, John says, he saw heaven opened.
Finally, after all the many years of waiting, Jesus is coming back to set up His kingdom. This time, He will not be coming as a humble, baby, but as a triumphant king.
He sits on a white horse. True and faithful to His Word, He is returning to earth. He has come to judge and make war with and defeat those who have rejected Him.
His eyes are as flaming fire, penetrating through to the heart of each man, woman and chilld.
He wears a robe dipped in blood. He is the Word of God.
And the armies of God (that’s us – redeemed believers) follow Him on white horses! (Sooo cool!!!)
A sharp sword comes out His mouth, to show that He will conquer His enemies with the power of His word. When He comes He will reward the faithful and judge the unfaithful. The judgement will be swift and true and He will reign with the same truth.
Elsewhere, the Bible tells us that we, the saints, will reign with Him.
He wears His name on His thigh – KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.
17-18
Then another angel will summon the birds of the heavens to come and prepare for a feast- the supper of the great God. He is referencing the Battle of Armegeddon, that great final battle when God will finally destroy his enemies and the birds will feast on their flesh.
God here, declares His victory before the battle even begins.
19-21
In verse 19, the battle lines are drawn. John sees the beast, the leaders of the world and their armies all gathered to make war against the King of Kings and his army.
But the beast (Antichrist) and his false prophet are captured and cast alive into their final “unresting” place – the lake of fire.
Along with them, every last unregenerate sinner will be executed by Christ and His army and, as predicted, the birds will gorge themselves on their flesh.
Final Thoughts
Whoa, that is a heavy chapter. It’s full of the thrill of victory for Jesus and all who serve Him, but also filled with the finality of separation from God forever for those who’ve rejected Christ.
Whenever the sin of this world gets me down, I think about this chapter. When I see people blaspheming the name of God, turning His Word upside down, I think of the day He will return. Our Savior, our king, charging into battle on His white steed – conquering sin and the devil once and for all, with we, His loyal army, by His side. OH! What a glorious day that will be!
But it is not lost on me, that those who die that day, though deserving, will face an eternal agonizing fate.
There will be nothing anyone can do then, but let it make us be all the more vigilant to do all we can now to make sure those we love, those we like, those we just casually say hi to on the street, will be galloping with us on those horses and not on the bloody side of the battle.
Great pictures of heaven, Michelle, I, too, look forward to riding that horse. About 5 years ago, I was privileged to be at the bedside of a dying friend just after he was removed from life support. His daughter, Karen then 45 but with the mindset if a child, said to me after his last breath, ” My daddy is seeing Jesus riding on a white horse.” I hugged her, and told her he certainly was. I, and other friends began to sing Amazing Grace and a chorus of Alleluia. This blog, today, has brought back that sweet memory and instilled more hope for not only my future but my everlasting future. Thanks, and a Merry Christmas to you and yours.
What a great memory Deb. Thanks for your kind words. Hope you had a blessed Christmas and prayers for a wonderful year ahead!