And God said, "Let the waters above the firmament be separated from the waters below the firmament." The prevalence of all this in Judaism is underlined by the fact that certain Rabbis insisted that prayers must always be offered direct to God, and not to Michael or to Gabriel. church (Acts 2:1ff). That is prophecy centers around the person of Jesus Christ. Reuchlin. * Idolatry is the awful stamp that she bears, and this too both in what she gives to man, and in what is written on her forehead before God. There is going to be another supper, a supper prepared by God for all the birds. "The nations shall walk in the light of it," Any one of spiritual judgment can see that it should not be "nations of them which are saved." The horns and the beast join in hating the whore. In short, it is as we saw in Revelation 17:1-18, after Babylon had been brought before us in the course of the prophecy. From His mouth comes a sharp sword, so that with it He may strike down the nations, and He will rule them with a rod of iron; and He treads the wine press of the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty. (i) In certain circles of Judaism the angels had a very large place. And if you try to worship God in an unprescribed way, setting up little idols or whatever, which God has forbidden, that is spiritual fornication. A state of war has existed since the fall of Satan (compare verse 4, compare Dan. To us, as His soldiers, Christ says "As My Father has sent Me so send I you." this that is glorious in his apparel, traveling in the greatness of his strength?" For according to unquestionable testimony the Reuchlinian copy has like some half-dozen cursives, which was probably a mistake for . They had cried to the Sovereign ruler to avenge their blood on their foes, but they were told they must wait a little for some others, their fellow-servants and their brethren, to die as they had. But all this will be a great reversal of man's history and political maxims. Here we see the chaste virgin The word used here for crown is diadema ( G1238) , which is the royal crown, as opposed to stephanos ( G4735) which is the crown of victory. Smoke rose: This is because of the fire (compare 17:16, 18; 18:8-9, 18; "And to the bride was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousnesses of saints." The abusso or abyss is probably in the very center of the earth, because it is called and correctly translated "bottomless pit." It is entirely in His hand, and in none other's. At the same time the attempt to apply Babylon to ancient Rome is almost as unhappy; and for a plain reason. "So he carried me away in the Spirit into a wilderness" a thorough waste as to the knowledge or enjoyment of God. This may seem to us a strange metaphor. This is what nations have been constantly occupied with, lest any one power should become the beast. Gods deliverance of His people from their enemies (verse 1); (2) ", If we had to find another title for the Book of Revelation to describe its message--then it would bear the title-- "King of kings and Lord of lords.". And that is the question the prophet asks and Jesus answers, "I that speak in righteousness, mighty to save." . Betrothal (often when the couple were children); (2) Nothing of the sort can be plainer. He has saved us! "Let him that heareth," then, be encouraged to "say, Come." bring the climax of the Book of Revelation: the return of Christ to establish "And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse." His Earthly Kingdom (see article . And after these things After this affecting representation of the certain destruction of Babylon, as the seat of the antichristian kingdom; I heard a great voice of much people in heaven A great chorus, who, with united voices, began to praise God on the occasion, saying, Alleluia That is, Praise ye Jehovah, or, He that is, and was, and is to come; a title which . He has a name known to no one but himself. There are many who are not so; but the Lord does not forget them. One of the most approved axioms is, that kingdoms are just like men in this respect, that they begin, rise, and fall. We have here a note of time of signal value. The verse numbering in . In her own course, and in the matters of her portion, the church does not know time at all. Who are the persons thus invested with judicial authority of so glorious a nature and to reign, as we see later, with Christ? Jer. of the bride, the Lamb's wife. And out of His mouth goes a sharp sword by which these rebellious armies are destroyed. The redeemed in heaven are called God's "Bond Servants", and this is the group And the twenty-four elders who sat before God on their thrones fell on their faces and worshiped God, saying: 11 And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war. And thus it was but a little glimpse they had of prophecy. For instance, when Ptolemy entered Antioch he wore two crowns or diadems--one to show that he was lord of Asia and one to show that he was lord of Egypt ( 1Ma_11:13 ). And so it is with this very Babylon that comes before us here. Although there is such a levelling of human distinctions, and men have to do directly with God that is men raised from the dead or in their changed condition we still see the holy Jerusalem "the holy city, new Jerusalem," separate from the rest of those that fill the new heaven and earth. But the most ordinary knowledge suffices; for who does not know from the Bible that there was a Roman empire when Christ was born, one emperor, and no such state as that empire divided into ten kingdoms? Hallelujah!". Verse 1 of the Revelation already shows God's intention: ".to show unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass". The name was in fact so holy that it was never pronounced. Verse 3. Both small and great: All distinctions and ranks are to be transcended. It is the eternal state; and also, in fact, the fullest description of that state which is furnished in the Bible. Men have been beguiled here and there, and from an early date, to set aside the true bearing of this chapter. It is energised for weal or for woe." 19 And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse, and against his army. You see, the Father has no God-He is "the only true God" according to Jesus in John 17:3. Spirit of prophecy: The person and message of Jesus is the It is hard to see how Roman city, or anything civil connected with it, could be called "mystery." chapters is a word to him that hears. the end of the Great Tribulation, just before the kingdom is established It had two horns like a lamb, but it spoke like a dragon. 11:2; Eph. It is not the magnitude of each voice. Revelation. To the church the end is always near. *It now appears that the Cod. Every day you should witness to at least two people. In the Testament of Dan ( Daniel 6:2) the angel who intercedes for men is mentioned. and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the fowls that fly in the midst of heaven, Come and gather yourselves together unto the supper of the great God ( Revelation 19:17 ); Now, we have just been rejoicing because we are coming to the marriage supper of the Lamb. The iron rod is showing his ability to protect them. That is why religions fail. What does Revelation 19:3 mean? On the head of the victor Christ there are many crowns to show that he is lord of all the kingdoms of the earth. And He Himself treads . This passage calls God by a certain name; and says that he has entered into his kingdom. supreme in authority, and "God", which means supreme deity; you have an She will despise everything really divine; she will only use whatever of God's word she can pervert for increasing her own importance, and gaining a greater ascendancy over the consciences of men, and enjoying herself more luxuriously in this world; for she will go far to obliterate all remembrance of heaven, and to make this world a kind of paradise which she embellishes, not with pure and undefiled religion, but with the arts of men and the idolatries of the world. But it really is. (3) Scripture records no name whatever among those judged written there. We have seen that these follow the Lord out of heaven, and are next seen enthroned. That is the way in which H. B. Swete takes it. And I saw an angel standing in the sun ( Revelation 19:17 ); You can't do that unless you are an angel. In my opinion it is not absolutely so. This is accordingly traced in our chapter with considerable detail, and with the sorrow and vexation of all the different classes who on the fall of Babylon groaned over her destruction, and the loss of their wealth and enjoyment. The horns have constantly opposed each other, and even sometimes the pope. At the end of this time he will be released for a short while (20:1-3). That is something that God will never have to do, apologize. This is in total contrast to the harlot Babylon. Verse 9. Thus everything implies their simultaneous presence for the same time and common action with the beast, in plundering and then destroying Babylon. The word of God, Hebrews 4:12, Ephesians 6:17 Indicates the power of Gods words, cf. "Behold I come quickly: blessed is he that keepeth the words of the prophecy of this book." of all sorts of jewels when he represented God to the people; but when he went The angelic host sings a second Hallelujah. I take it, therefore, that God intended this analogy to be noted by us; that it is not a pursuance of the prophecy, but a description of the holy city previously named, just as the other was a description of the corrupt city, whose judgment had been announced. My righteousness is something God accounts and imputes to me because of my faith in Jesus Christ. Revelation 18:1-24 need not delay us long. It has been suggested that the name is either embroidered on his girdle or engraved on his sword hilt. The thrones were already filled. If you understand the testimony of Jesus, what must you do. Just as the city of man's confusion was seen in her vile, degraded, and degrading relations with the beast, this city is seen in her pure and glorious relations with the Lamb. Clearly, therefore, it is future. It is suggested that it is on the skirt of his general's cloak, for that is where it would be easiest to read on a horseman. The ensigns of his authority, his coat of arms--a name written on his vesture and thigh, King of kings, and Lord of lords, asserting his authority and power, and the cause of the quarrel, Revelation 19:16; Revelation 19:16. "Let him that is unrighteous be unrighteous still: and let the filthy be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still." I saw still another mighty angel coming down from heaven, clothed with a cloud.