Bible Commentaries
Revelation 19

Verses 1-21

1. Intro:
   1. George Washington Carver once asked God to tell him about the universe. According to Carver, the Lord replied, “George, the universe is just too big for you to understand. Suppose you let Me take care of that.” Humbled, he replied, “Lord, how about a peanut?” The Lord said, “Now, George, that’s something your own size. Go to work on it and I’ll help you.” When Carver was done studying the peanut, he had discovered over 300 products that could be made with that little bit of God’s universe. (Galaxie Software. (2002; 2002). 10,000 Sermon Illustrations. Biblical Studies Press)
      1. Prayer: Lord, it’s Your universe…just show us a peanut.
   2. The godless system & city Babylon is judged - God’s servants vindicated - God is glorified - Christ will now usher in His kingdom!
   3. The Doomsday clock finally strikes midnight! - The hour glass runs out of sand. People finally admit Chicken Little was right, the sky is falling.
      1. D.C. Talk remade rock band R.E.M.’s song, “It’s the end of the world as we know it.”
      2. The hourglass will be flipped over(in the next chapter) for our next chapter of life.
   4. Castles in the Sand – Picture yourself with your back to the ocean making a sand castle, watching & competing to those on your left & right side to make sure yours is the better than theirs. And then getting so engulfed in it…that you never saw the little wave coming that just demolished it. - Ch.19 is that wave!
      1. When the tide of history sweeps in, many will be swept away by the fury of God’s wrath.
2. BRIDE FOOD! (1-10) [Heaven Scene]
   1. THE REHEARSAL DINNER! (1-6)
   2. It starts with a song of praise!...A Hallel(see Ps.104-109)
   3. (1) Alleluia(PTL) - Remember the call to Rejoice was issued? (in 18:20)
      1. Here the great multitude in heaven gladly follow orders!
      2. Alleluia only occurs here in the N.T. (4x’s)
      3. They Praise Him for: [1] His Salvation(1) [2] His Rt. Judgments(2,3) & [3] His Coming Reign(6)!
   4. THE WEDDING ANNOUNCEMENT! (7,9)
   5. It is the Marriage of “The Lamb” (Normally a wedding is announced in the name of the Bride!…not this one!)
   6. He will be the center of attention…not her!
      1. The processional will not be playing “Here comes the bride”, but “Here comes the Groom!” (Ryrie)
   7. Here He comes to consummate the marriage!
   8. How did the Betrothal/Marriage work?
      1. Groom to leave Fathers House/ To Brides. {Incarnation}
      2. Negotiate Price {That would be his blood}
      3. Now Betrothed {at salvation} {now Set-Apart}
      4. Both drank from a cup/to confirm cov. {communion}
      5. Back to Fathers House. {“I go to prepare a place for you”}
      6. Meanwhile bride Prepares herself. {White gown/holiness/sanctification}
      7. Invitations go out but not everyone comes. {When gospel invite goes out not all come}
      8. Father sends Groom when house is ready {Father inspects & says when}
      9. She expected him/didn’t know exactly when? {in the twinkling of an eye}
      10. The Groom arrived w/his groomsmen & was proceeded w/a shout!
      11. He takes Bride to Fathers House {Rapture} {“I will return again & receive you to myself, that where I am there you may be also!”}
      12. Enter Bridal chamber & consummate marriage for 7 days {marriage supper of the lamb}
   9. (9) A Special Blessing is pronounced upon these called to the meal.
   10. THE BRIDES DRESS! (8)
   11. Again God’s beautiful balance of Man’s Responsibility & God’s Sovereignty !
       1. Man’s Responsibility: “…has made herself ready!”
       2. God’s Sovereignty: “…to her it was granted!”
       3. Her spots & wrinkles & blemishes are taken away! “Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her, that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word, that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish.” Eph.5:25,26
   12. Her wedding gown is…her “righteous acts”!
       1. We seem to get a white garment at salvation, which is from Him! Then we make a dress on top of it!
          1. The 1^st salvation; the 2^nd Sanctification.
       2. Every “good work” is another stitch in the making of our wedding dress! - Eph. 2:10 “For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do”
   13. Remember, proper attire was expected at weddings during NT times.
       1. Mt.22:1-14 tells the story of how upset the King was when people showed up not wearing the proper attire.
       2. It would be like showing up today at a wedding in sweats instead of formal clothes.
   14. Brides come to the church on their wedding day 1 of 3 ways:
       1. [1] Fully ready [2] Partially ready [3] Not ready.
       2. Q: Will you be “ready”?
   15. Adorn yourself with “Good Works”:
       1. 1 Pet.2:12 “having your conduct honorable among the Gentiles, that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may, by your good works which they observe, glorify God in the day of visitation.”
       2. 1 Pet.5:5 “…be clothed w/humility.”
   16. (10) Look at the response of the 1 human who got a glimpse of this wedding feast….is this going to be an incredible wedding or what?
       1. Face plant #2….“oops wrong feet!”
       2. You can’t Worship non-diety! (angles, man, etc.)
          1. “Hey we’re both servants!” (fellow servants)
       3. Another proof “Jesus is God!” (He received Worship!)
          1. The Magi; leper; ruler; disciples in the boat; Syrophoenician; the women at Resurrection; disciples at Res.; blind man.
   17. The Testimony of Jesus - The study of prophecy should point to Jesus.
       1. Some people think prophecy is to open a window on the future. No, the spirit & essence of prophecy is to bear witness to Jesus.
       2. “Don’t focus on the future events but upon the One whom will bring them to pass.”
3. BIRD FOOD! (11-21) [Earth Scene]
   1. (11) Jesus said, “My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to finish His work.” (Jn.4:34)
   2. Heaven opens!…and it’s a Lamb on a horse?
      1. Contrast with His ride into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday.
      2. 1s time he slipped into the world as a baby; this time as a Mighty Warrior!
   3. Not coming “in the air” but “to the earth!” [i.e. diff or rapture & 2^nd Coming]
   4. “Veni, Vidi, Vici” - Julius Caesar (47bc) said when his Roman army defeated king Pharnaces for Pontus, in Asia Minor…“I came, I saw, I conquered!”
      1. 1700 years later King John III Sobieski drove the Ottoman invaders out of central Europe, saving the German Emperor Leopold I & the city of Vienna. He said to Pope Innocent XI “I came, I saw, God conquered!”
      2. When Jesus returns “The Lord will come, the world will see, & God will conquer!”
   5. (12) Eyes - The penetrating quality of His judgment.
   6. (12) Many Crowns - When Ptolemy Philometer entered Antioch as a conqueror, he wore a triple crown, two for Egypt, and a third for Asia. (Freeman, J. M., & Chadwick, H. J. (1998). Manners & customs of the Bible. "Rewritten and updated by Harold J. Chadwick"-- Cover.; Includes index. (Rev. ed.].) (552). North Brunswick, NJ: Bridge-Logos Publishers.)
      1. Story - In the years 1014-1035 there ruled over England a Danish king named Canute. King Canute tired of hearing his retainers flatter him with extravagant praises of his greatness, power and invincibility. He ordered his chair to be set down on the seashore, where he commanded the waves not to come in and wet him. No matter how forcefully he ordered the tide not to come in, however, his order was not obeyed. Soon the waves lapped around his chair. One historian tells us that, therefore, he never wore his crown again, but hung it on a statue of the crucified Christ.
   7. (13) Robe dipped in blood – Dipped βαπτο
      1. Whose? - Is.63:1-6 {Not His own blood, but the blood of His enemy!}
      2. Not to be confused with #907, baptizo. The clearest example that shows the meaning of baptizo is a text from the Greek poet and physician Nicander, who lived about 200 B.C. It is a recipe for making pickles and is helpful because it uses both words. Nicander says that in order to make a pickle, the vegetable should first be ‘dipped’ (bapto) into boiling water and then ‘baptised’ (baptizo) in the vinegar solution. Both verbs concern the immersing of vegetables in a solution. But the 1^st is temporary. The 2^nd, the act of baptising the vegetable, produces a permanent change. (Strong, J. (1996). The exhaustive concordance of the Bible : Showing every word of the test of the common English version of the canonical books, and every occurence of each word in regular order. (electronic ed.) (G911). Ontario: Woodside Bible Fellowship.)
         1. Thus, our baptism(baptizo) as Christians, has to do with a permanent change.
   8. (14) Armies in Heaven - Saints, because of the same clothing(8).
      1. Saddle Up! – Cowboy up! – We’ll be ridin white horses also!
   9. (15,16) This is 2 Thes.1:7-12.
      1. Also Is.63:1-6.
   10. THE END, ARMAGEDON! (17-21)
   11. (17) Calling all birds – Like Tarzan used to call jungle animals as he needed them.
       1. “Whoever says God’s judgment is for the birds may just be right!”
   12. (19) They resist God till the bitter end!
   13. (20) Caught & cast alive into the pit!
       1. They will be seen there 1000 yrs. later.
       2. And later are still being tormented! (see 20:10)
   14. (21) What a great slaughter that all the birds of the earth are needed for clean up!
   15. End: Maybe the Castle in the Sand is a parable of our time?
       1. Q: Have we gotten so engrossed in our activities that we’ve lost sight of the end? Is your life & work ready to be swept away?
   16. Q: Have you made yourself ready saint?
       1. Q: How are your garments? God playing hide & go seek, “I hide, but nobody wants to look for me.”

Horatius Bonar, realized that the little things can either make or break the Christian. He wrote, “A holy life is made up of a multitude of small things. It is the little things of the hour and not the great things of the age that fill up a life like that of the apostles Paul or John, or David Brainard. Little words, not eloquent speeches or sermons; little deeds, not miracles or battles, or one great heroic effort or martyrdom, make up the true Christian life.

It’s the little constant sunbeam, not the lightning; the waters of Siloam that go softly in their meek mission of refreshment, not ‘the waters of the rivers great and many’ rushing down in torrent, noise, and force, that are the true symbols of a holy life.”