1 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 [NU-Text and M-Text omit 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.”
The praise of the great apostles and prophets kindle the fire for the heavenly choir This loud or great voice of a great multitude declares His rightness judgment. Saying, “Alleluia”- “This is the first use of the term ‘hallel-u-yah’ (‘praise you Yah’) in the New Testament.” (Ranko Stefanovic)
3 Again they said, “Alleluia! Her smoke rises up forever and ever!”
“Again they said again, ‘Alleluia!’" There was an Alleluia in Revelation 19:1 but also a refrain of them running throughout the Psalms, calling for the destruction of the wicked. “Its first use there parallels its use here, ‘let sinners be consumed out of the earth, and let the wicked be no more. Bless the Lord, Oh my soul. Halleluyah’ (Ps. 104:35). Here the cry arises because sinners have been consumed out of the earth in the form of the demise of Babylon the Great. Justice has been obtained and God’s servants have been avenged. Note that here it is then repeated, something which is stressed. And again it is connected with the fall of Babylon the Great.” (Peter Pett)
“‘Her smoke rises up forever and ever!’ "The smoke represents the effects of the fire that will destroy Babylon (cf. Rev. 17:16; 18:8-9; 18:18). It will stop rising when the fire dies out, but the destruction that it symbolizes will be permanent. The punishment of God's enemies will be everlasting (cf. Rev. 19:20-21; 14:11; Dan.12:2; Matt. 25:46)." (Dr. Thomas B. Constable) “Never again will she rise from her ruins. The actual picture comes from Isaiah: ‘The streams of Edom shall be turned into pitch, and her soil into brimstone; her land shall become burning pitch. Night and day it shall not be quenched; its smoke shall go up for ever and ever. From generation to generation it shall lie waste; none shall pass through it for ever and ever.’ (Isa. 34:9-10).” (William Barclay)
4 And the twenty-four elders and the four living creatures fell down and worshiped God who sat on the throne, saying, “Amen! Alleluia!”
And the four and twenty elders, representing ”the whole redeemed company, Old and New Testament saints" (Arno Gaebelein)— and the four living beings, "the representatives of nature" (C. J. Elliott)— who together “eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God” (Romans 8:19) fell down and worshipped Jesus who sat on the throne saying, “Amen! Alleluia!”
These added no edification or original thought. They only add their ratification to the judgments:
a— “Amen!"— “meaning 'so it is' or 'let it be,' derived from a verb meaning 'to be firm or sure.' Some translations of the Bible always retain the Hebrew word amen in the text. Others translate it by an expression such as 'truly' or 'I tell you the truth,'..." (William Tyndale) and b— "Alleluia- Praise You Yah!" showing their hearty acquiescence in the infliction of his judgments." (Justin Edwards)
He has fulfilled His threatening. The redeemed are in glory, after the consummation of all things to Christ, and the second resurrection. For those in the grave cannot praise God.
Numbers 16:33- So they and all that belonged to them went down alive to Sheol; and the earth closed over them, and they perished from the midst of the assembly.
Psalm 6:5 - For there is no mention of You in death; In Sheol who will give You thanks?
Psalm 28:1- A Psalm of David. To You, O LORD, I call; My rock, do not be deaf to me, For if You are silent to me, I will become like those who go down to the pit.
Psalm 30:9- What profit is there in my blood, if I go down to the pit? Will the dust praise You? Will it declare Your faithfulness?
Psalm 88:11- Will Your lovingkindness be declared in the grave, Your faithfulness in Abaddon?
Psalm 115:17- The dead do not praise the LORD, Nor do any who go down into silence;
Ecclesiastes 9:10- Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might; for there is no activity or planning or knowledge or wisdom in Sheol where you are going.
5 Then a voice came from the throne, saying: “Praise our God, all you His servants and those who fear Him, small and great!”
The object of their adoration speaks, “Praise Yah,” all His servants, whether ministering spirits or “redeemed from among Jews or Gentiles,” (Adam Clarke). In His praise, Yeshua (Jesus) ”identifies Himself with the redeemed church, and speaks of God as His God and hers.” (Albert Barnes)
"YAH is my strength and song, and He has become my salvation; He is my God, and I will praise Him; my father's God, and I will exalt Him." (Exod 15:2) John the Baptist prepared the way for Messiah. Here is his ancient message: “The voice said, ‘Cry out!’ And he said, ‘What shall I cry?’ ‘All flesh is grass, and all its loveliness is like the flower of the field. The grass withers, the flower fades, because the breath of the Lord blows upon it; surely the people are grass. The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God stands forever.’ O Zion, you who bring good tidings, get up into the high mountain; O Jerusalem, you who bring good tidings, lift up your voice with strength, lift it up, be not afraid; say to the cities of Judah, ‘Behold your God!’” (Isaiah 40:6-9)
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!
”The final shout is the praise of the host of the redeemed. John goes out of his way to heap up similes to describe its sound.” (William Barclay)— saying, “Hallelujah for Yahweh God Omnipotent reigns!”(6b) “This was the ‘Hosanna Rabba’, as the Jews call it; the victoria Halleluiatica, as the old Britons called their victory over the Saxons. ” (John Trapp) He is “Omnipotent” speaking of His “infinite knowledge and understanding of things past, present, and future.” (William Tyndale)
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.”
“The Jewish wedding consisted of: (1) a betrothal, (2) a period where the man and woman still lived apart [physically], but were recognized as married, and (3) the marriage feast…” (Box) The betrothal begins at justification by faith but here it is said that the marriage of the Lamb has come. "The relation of God, and especially of the Messiah, to the church, is often in the Scriptures represented under the image of marriage. See Isaiah 54:4-6; 62:4-5; 2 Corinthians 11:2; Ephesians 5:23-33. Compare Jeremiah 3:14; 31:32; Hosea 2:19-20.” (Barnes) “and His wife has made herself ready.” During the betrothal, Jesus’ bride “has made herself ready”; and therefore, “He takes her into full union with Himself, and thus gives her rest from all her conflicts and sufferings.” (Justin Edwards)
“This will be one marriage and accompanying ‘refreshments’ at which there will be no human guests but the bride.” (E.M. Zerr) “The bride is, of course, righteous Israel, comprising the totality of God’s resurrected people of the Old and New Testaments.” (Peter Pett) After the destruction of the wicked, the marriage of the Lamb to His bride will occur and we will be dressed in our rghteouess deeds wrought in communion with Him during our betrothal. All good works come from His love letters to us, His Word by His Spirit, meant to sustain us while He is away preparing a place for us.
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.
“The harlot was gorgeously arrayed, but her pomp, splendour, and ornaments were claimed as a matter of right. With the bride it is different; she is arrayed as a matter of grace.” (Walter Scott)
But here it is granted to the bride only— the universal church— to be arrayed in fine linen, "‘Bright’ indicates divine glory.. ‘Clean’ reflects purity (cf. Rev. 21:18; 21:21). This is dress appropriate for God’s presence. Fine linen represents righteous deeds, as this verse explains... These are the works of the saints rather than their standing before God. Their good deeds, which God’s grace made possible, make them dressed appropriately for their righteous Lord (cf. Matthew 22:1-14).” (Dr. Thomas B. Constable)
“for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints.” “Her readiness does not consist in a curiosity as to when Christ shall come, but in the righteousness which is of God by faith, and all its spiritual results.” (D. S. Clark) “— both of their justification and sanctification.” (John Wesley)
"The fine linen here spoken of is not the righteousness of Christ imputed to believers, for it is here called the righteousness of the saints - that which the grace and Spirit of Christ has wrought in them.” (Adam Clarke) This "shocks the ‘faith only’ people, who at once ‘correct this’ by the comment that she made herself ready ‘not by doing anything of her own,’ and pointing out that ‘it was given to her, given by the pure grace of God, that she be clothed.’ We might add that, of course, God gave her the clothes, but she had to put them on! That is what is meant by making herself ready. The whole analogy is beautifully exhibited in Matthew 22:12, where the wedding guests had all received proper wedding garments, but one of them neglected to dress himself, with disastrous results for him; and so it will be for all who neglect to do the good works of the Christian life, which are a moment later identified as the wedding garments. By putting these on, the bride ‘worked out her own salvation’ (Phil 2:12); in this way she made herself ready.” (Burton Coffman)
9 Then 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 sayings of God.”
“Write: ‘Blessed are those who are called etc.’”— Blessed are all they who hear the Gospel and respond thus lay hold on everlasting life. “All people are bidden in the sense of being invited by the gospel of Christ to accept the salvation of God; but, in the New Testament, the ‘called’ means those who ‘have accepted and obeyed the call.’ ‘Bidden’ means those who accepted God's invitation through their believing and obeying the gospel… ” (Burton Coffman), having clothed themselves in righteous acts. “And he said to me, ‘These are the true words of God.’" There is no cheap grace.
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.”
"It seems, mistaking him for the Angel of the Covenant. But he saith, ‘See thou do it not.’ In the original, it is only, ‘See not’, with a beautiful abruptness. To pray to or worship the highest creature is flat idolatry.” (John Wesley) “The focus is to be on Jesus. He is the One Who sums up all that prophecy in both Old and New Testaments have spoken about. He is the One to Whom the Spirit of prophecy points. Therefore John, and we, must look only to Him.” (Peter Pett)
"Worship God!"
“As no creature in heaven or on earth is to be worshipped, as men are commanded to worship God only, and as both men and angels do worship Christ, and that in obedience to divine command, it is certain that he is God. John 1:1; Heb. 1:6; Rev. 5:13.” (Justin Edwards) “All intelligent creatures really stand on this ground. In the case of angels the right is founded on their creation and place; in that of saints on the ground of purchase and redemption (1 Cor 6:19-20).” (Walter Scott)
“‘The testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.' We know that the Old Testament was written in the spirit of prophecy. "Jesus tells us in John 5:39 that they testify of Him. ‘Search the Scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of Me.’ He then tells us in John 15:26 that under the New Covenant the Holy Spirit will continue to testify of the Lordship of Jesus Christ. ‘But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me:’” (Gary H. Everett)
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. 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. 13 He was clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God.
“This is an exhibition of the triumph of Christ after the destruction of his enemies." (Adam Clarke)
And behold a white horse, symbolizing His righteousness. He was faithful and true to His promises. "'And on His head were many crowns'; not material, but metaphorical; whereby is signified the pre-eminence, supremacy, and sovereignty of our Lord Jesus Christ, above all principalities, and powers, thrones and dominions, as being the only potentate, the King of kings and Lord of lords. {1 Tim. 6:15; Rev. 19:16}— And He had a name written, that no man knew, but He Himself; {Isaiah 9:6-7} a secret name, as Judges 13:19.." (Hanserd Knollys)
“Let the triple crowned pope look to himself; Christ outcrowns him by far.” (Justin Edwards)
“‘A name written, that no man knew’ - This is a reference to what the rabbins call the shem hammephorash, or tetragrammaton, יהוה Yhvh ; or what we call Jehovah. This name the Jews never attempt to pronounce: when they meet with it in the Bible, they read אדני Adonai for it; but, to a man, they all declare that no man can pronounce it; and that the true pronunciation has been lost, at least since the Babylonish captivity; and that God alone knows its true interpretation and pronunciation. This, therefore, is the name which no man knew but He Himself. “ (Adam Clarke) “His holy and reverend name Jehovah, importing His [Jesus’] Godhead; for He is ‘Jehovah, our righteousness,’Jeremiah 23:6. And as thus, no man knows the Son but the Father, Matthew 11:27; for as God He is incomprehensible, 13:18; ‘What is His name, or what is His Son’s name, if thou canst tell?’ Proverbs 30:4; ‘Who shall declare His generation?’ Isaiah 53:8.” (Justin Edwards)
“‘He was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood’ - to show that he was just come from recent slaughter..." (Adam Clarke), as prophesied by Isaiah: "I have trodden the winepress alone, and from the peoples no one was with Me. For I have trodden them in My 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." (Isaiah 63:3-4)
And His name is called ‘the Word of God’ - Written in the Targum, and in other Jewish writings, דיי מימרא meimera daiya, ‘the word of Jehovah;’ by which they always mean a Person, and not a word spoken.” (Adam Clarke)- applied here, as in John 1, to the incarnate Son.
14 And the armies in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, followed Him on white horses.
“They are, like Him, upon white horses and are clothed in fine linen, white and clean.” (Arno Gaebelein) “Some would limit these to angels. The apparel which they wear—the fine linen (byssus) ‘which is the righteousness of saints’ (see Rev. 19:8)—is conclusive against this limited view. The saints who have fought the good fight here, and who loved not their lives unto the death, will share the triumph of their King.” (C. J. Ellicott) “What is being stressed is the total purity of these followers, whether men or angels. There is no suggestion of their being armed.” (Peter Pett)
”This heavenly army, unlike their Leader, has no swords or spears. They take no part in the action. They wear no armor because, being immortal, they are immune to injury. They are noncombatant supporters [benefactors] of the Messiah as He wages the war single-handedly …’” (Dr. Thomas Constable)— And “no blood is sprinkled upon their garments. So in Psalms 110:3 the Psalmist does not speak of Messiah’s people as fighting…” (Schaff's Popular Commentary)
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.
“Now out of His mouth goes a sharp sword, that with it He should strike the nations.”
“There is but one sword in the armies, and that belongs to the Leader. And it brandishes not from His hand, but from His mouth.” (Whedon's Commentary)- signifying that destruction, as creation, is by His spoken Word only. “And He Himself will rule them with a rod of iron.” “The rod of iron (cp. Revelation 2:27; Revelation 12:5), when defined, is a rod of punishment and refers to expressing rule in judgment, not to a continual reign. In Isaiah 11:4 His words are such a rod. Psalms 2:9 describes Him as breaking with a rod of iron and dashing in pieces like a potter’s vessel and Revelation 2:27 also has this in mind. He expresses His rule by judgment. The word translated ‘rule’ here is regularly used in LXX (the Greek OT) for ‘destroy’, which suggests we should translate in that way here. This meaning is confirmed by the next words, ‘He treads the winepress of the fierceness of the wrath of God Almighty’.” (Pett) “As the grapes are trodden to express the juice, so His enemies shall be bruised and beaten, so that their life's blood shall be poured out.” (Clarke)
16 And He has on His robe and on His thigh a name written: King of kings and Lord of lords.
This name is written on His robe of righteousness by which the victory was won. It is also written on His thigh. “The name may be on the thigh because that is where oaths were once confirmed (Genesis 24:2; Genesis 24:9), thus emphasising His faithfulness to His covenant with His own.” (Peter Pett) The name written is “King of kings and Lord of lords.” “King indicates supreme authority and lord means one who governs the conduct of others. Jesus was given these two titles because He had overcome all who opposed Him.” (E.M. Zerr) This name He always had, “but He now comes forth openly to manifest it; therefore this name is said to be ‘written on His vesture and on His thigh’, that all might take notice of it…” (Matthew Poole)— “and partly for permanency, to show that as long as Himself lasts, which is forever, so long shall His kingdom and dominion over all [living] endure.” (William Burkitt) “The Lord Jesus Christ is King of Saints, {Rev. 15:3} King of Sion, {Psa. 149:1-2} and King of Nations, {Jer. 10:7-10} the only potentate. {1 Tim. 6:15} And He shall be King in all the earth, {Zechariah 14:9} And the Kingdoms of this world shall become the Kingdom of Christ and His saints. {Rev. 11:15; Dan. 7:27-28}” (Hanserd Knollys' Commentary)
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 small and great.”
This is "the great slaughter which Christ will make in this great Armageddon battle amongst His enemies." (Hanserd Knolly) "This cry to the vultures and scavenger birds is a vivid way of describing the awfulness of the judgment and its universal application.” (Peter Pett)
"The imagery is taken from Ezekiel 39:17-20, where God invites all the feathered fowl and wild beasts to come to the table which he has provided for them." (Justin Edwards)—
“... And as for you, son of man, thus says Yahweh God, ‘Speak to every sort of bird and to every beast of the field: 'Assemble yourselves and come; gather together from all sides to My sacrificial meal which I am sacrificing for you, a great sacrificial meal on the mountains of Israel, that may eat flesh and drink blood. You shall eat the flesh of the mighty, drink the blood of the princes of the earth, of rams and lambs, of goats and bulls, all of them fatlings of Bashan. You shall eat fat till you are full, and drink blood till you are drunk, at My sacrificial meal which I am sacrificing for you. You shall be filled at My table with horses and riders, with mighty men and with all the men of war,' says Yahweh God. And I will set My glory among the nations; all the nations shall see My judgment which I have executed, and My hand which I have laid on them."
Rams, lambs, goats, and bulls make me think of symbols of the different nations in the book of Daniel which were to control God's people from the time of the release Babylonian until Jesus.
“Then I saw an angel standing in the sun"- "because from this standpoint, and at the same time with the glory suitable to an angel, he can best call to the fowls flying..." (Heinrich Meyer) And this ministering spirit makes known "the certain destruction of the enemies, before the battle be fought. 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.’ They that would not come to the supper of the Lamb shall be made a supper to the fowls of heaven.” (John Trapp) “The adversaries of the righteous King have a name to live, but the eagles and vultures are gathered together as though the carcase had already fallen (Matt. 24:28; cp. Eze. 39:17-20)." (C. J. Ellicott) They shall die.
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 worshiped his 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.
They gather, but: “No mention is made of a battle... for there is no battle... They (the beast and the false prophet) are simply taken and can offer no resistance..." (Pett Pett)
And they are cast "alive" into the lake of fire. (20b). Their fate is contrasted with that of the human agents. These were slain with the sword of Him that sat upon the horse, which sword preceded out of His mouth, that is, the Word of God or the command of Christ. It is death by fire. “There shall be a universal destruction; the kings, generals, captains, and all their host, shall be slain." (Adam Clarke) “And all the fowls were filled with their flesh.“ (21b), completing their destruction.