19 1 The heavenly company praise God for avenging the blood of his servants on the whore. 9 They are written blessed, that are called to the Lamb’s supper. 10 The Angel will not be worshipped. 11 That mighty King of Kings appeareth from heaven. 19 The battle, 20 wherein the beast is taken, and cast into the burning lake.
1 And [a]after these things I heard a great voice of a great multitude in heaven, saying, [b][c]Hallelujah, salvation, and glory, and honor, and power be to the Lord our God.
2 For true and righteous are his judgments: for he hath condemned the great whore which did corrupt the earth with her fornication, and hath avenged the blood of his servants shed by her hand.
3 And again they said, [d]Hallelujah: and that her smoke rose up for evermore.
4 And the four and twenty Elders, and the four beasts fell down, and worshipped God that sat on the throne, saying, Amen, Hallelujah.
5 [e]Then a voice came out of the [f]throne, saying, Praise our God, all ye his servants, and ye that fear him, both small and great.
6 And I heard [g]like a voice of a great multitude, and as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of strong thunderings, saying, Hallelujah: for the Lord that God that Almighty one hath reigned.
7 Let us be glad and rejoice, and give glory to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made [h]herself ready.
8 And to her was granted, that she should be arrayed with [i]pure fine linen and shining, for the fine [j]linen is the [k]righteousness of Saints.
9 [l]Then he said unto me, Write, (A)Blessed are they which are called unto the Lamb’s supper. And he said unto me, These words of God are true.
10 [m]And I fell before his feet, (B)to worship him, but he said unto me, See thou do it not: I am thy fellow servant, and one of thy brethren, which have the [n]testimony of Jesus, Worship God: for the testimony of [o]Jesus is the Spirit of prophecy.
11 [p]And I saw [q]heaven open, and behold a white horse, and he that sat upon him was called faithful and true, and he judgeth and fighteth righteously.
12 And his eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns: and he had a name written, that no man knew but himself.
13 And he was clothed with a garment dipped in blood, and his name is called, THE WORD OF GOD.
14 [r]And the hosts which were in heaven, followed him upon white horses, clothed with fine linen white and pure.
15 [s]And out of his mouth went out a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the heathen: for he shall (C)rule them with a rod of iron, for he it is that treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.
16 [t]And he hath upon his garment, and upon his thigh, a name written, (D)THE KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.
17 [u]And I saw an Angel stand in the [v]sun who cried with a loud voice, saying, to all the fowls that did fly by [w]the midst of heaven, come, and gather yourselves together unto the supper of the great God,
18 That ye may eat the flesh of kings, and the flesh of high captains, and the flesh of mighty men, and the flesh of horses, and of them that sit on them, and the flesh of all freemen, and bondmen, and of small and great.
19 [x]And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their hosts gathered together to make battle against him that sat on the horse, and against his army.
20 But the beast [y]was taken, and with him [z]that false Prophet that wrought miracles before him, whereby he deceived them that received the beast’s mark, and them that worshipped his image. These both were alive cast into a lake of fire burning with brimstone.
21 And the remnant were slain with the sword of him that sitteth upon the horse, which cometh out of his mouth, and all the fowls were filled full with their flesh.
Footnotes
- Revelation 19:1 This chapter hath in sum two parts, one transitory or of passage unto the things that follow unto verse 10, another historical of the victory of Christ gotten against both the beasts unto the end of the chapter, which I said was the second history of this argument, Rev. 17:1. The transition hath two places, one of praising God for the overthrow done unto Babylon in 4 verses, and another likewise of praise, and Prophetical, for the coming of Christ unto his kingdom, and his most royal marriage with his Church, thence unto the tenth verse. The former praise has three branches, distinguished after the ancient manner of those that sing: … , that is, an invitation or provokement in 2 verses, … , a response or answer in the third verse, and … , a close or joining together in harmony: all which I thought good of purpose to distinguish in this place, lest any man should with Porphyrius, or other like dogs, object to Saint John of the heavenly Church, a childish and idle repetition of speech.
- Revelation 19:1 Praise the Lord.
- Revelation 19:1 The proposition of praise with exhortation in this verse, and the cause thereof, in the next verse.
- Revelation 19:3 The song of the Antiphony or response, containing an amplification of the praise of God, from the perpetual and most certain testimony of his divine judgment as was done at Sodom and Gomorrah, Gen. 19.
- Revelation 19:5 The second place of praise as I said verse 1, which first is commanded from God in this verse: and then is in most ample manner pronounced of the creatures, both because they see that kingdom of Christ to come, which most they desire, verse 6, also because they see that the Church is called forth to be brought home: into the house of her husband by holy marriage unto the fellowship of his kingdom, verses 7, 8. Wherefore S. John is commanded to write in a book the Epiphonema , or acclamation joined with a divine testimony, verse 9.
- Revelation 19:5 Out of the temple from God, as Rev. 11:19.
- Revelation 19:6 Without the Temple in heaven.
- Revelation 19:7 Namely unto that holy marriage both herself in person in this verse and also furnished of her spouse with marriage gifts princely and divine is adorned and prepared in the next verse.
- Revelation 19:8 As an ensign of Kingly and priestly dignity: which dignity Christ bestoweth upon us, Rev. 1:6.
- Revelation 19:8 This is a gift given by the husband for marriage sake and a most choice ornament, which Christ bestoweth upon us, as upon his spouse.
- Revelation 19:8 Good works which are lively testimonies of faith.
- Revelation 19:9 Namely the Angel, as appeareth by the next verse.
- Revelation 19:10 The particular history of this verse is brought in by occasion, and as it were besides the purpose, that Saint John might make a public example of his own infirmity, and of the modest sanctimony of the Angel, who hath renounced for himself the divine honors, and recalled all the servants of God, unto the worship of him alone: as also Rev. 22:8.
- Revelation 19:10 Which are commanded to bear witness of Jesus.
- Revelation 19:10 For Jesus is the mark that all the prophecies shoot at.
- Revelation 19:11 The second place of this Chapter (as I said verse 1) is of the victory gotten by Christ against both the beasts: in which first Christ is described as one ready to fight, unto verse 16, then is showed the battle to be begun, thence unto verse 18: lastly is set forth the victory unto the end of the Chapter. In this place do shine most excellent properties of Christ as our heavenly Judge and revenger, according to his person, company, effects, and names.
- Revelation 19:11 Properties belonging to his person, that he is heavenly, judge, faithful, true, just, in this verse, searching out all things ruling over all, to be searched out of none, verse 12, the trumpet, and the very essential word of God, verse 13.
- Revelation 19:14 The company or retinue of Christ, holy, innumerable, heavenly, judicial, royal and pure.
- Revelation 19:15 The effects of Christ prepared unto battle, that with his mouth he striketh the Gentiles, ruleth and destroyeth.
- Revelation 19:16 The name agreeing unto Christ according to the former properties, expressed after the manner of the Hebrews.
- Revelation 19:17 The second member as I said, verse 11. A reproachful calling forth of his enemies unto battle: in which not themselves (for why should they be called forth of the king of the world, or provoked being his subjects? for that is not comely) but in their hearing, the birds of the air are called to eat their carcasses.
- Revelation 19:17 That is, openly, and in sight of all, as Num. 25:4 and 2 Sam. 12:11.
- Revelation 19:17 That is, through this inferior heaven, and which is nearer unto us: a Hebrew phrase.
- Revelation 19:19 The third member (as was said, verse 11) of the victory obtained by Christ. Unto this apppertaineth two things: his bucking with the beast and his forces in this verse: and the event most magnificent, described after the manner of men, in the verses following. All these things are plain.
- Revelation 19:20 Namely, that beast with seven heads, of which before, Rev. 13:1 and 17:3.
- Revelation 19:20 That is, that beast with two heads, of which Rev. 13:11. See also Rev. 16:14.