Commentary by Ron Beckham
Verse 1. “After these
things I heard something like a loud voice of a great multitude in
heaven, saying, ‘Hallelujah! Salvation and glory and power belong to
our God;’”
Notice here as in many places within Scripture,
that God has a MULTITUDE at His disposal. He does not NEED our
service. The fact that He calls us for His purposes is simply His
gift of love to you and me. His service is not a burden; it is
instead a blessing, His offer of love. The Greek word for “multitude”
denotes a very great number, by the way. Even when you feel alone,
there are many others involved in His service, and God is with us all.
“Hallelujah” is
translated best as “Praise the Lord!”
Note that “salvation” is not up to
you, it belongs to Him, for it is something HE has done on the cross
of Jesus Christ. Your function is to trust Him for what He has done;
to believe in what has already been accomplished through the love of
God. In a similar manner, the “glory”
is His as well, for the power it took to save us belongs to our God.
Praise the Lord!
Verse 2. “Because His
judgments are true and righteous; for He has judged the great harlot
who was corrupting the earth with her immorality, and He has avenged
the blood of His bond-servants on her.”
We really don’t understand the righteousness of
God like we should. He is pure and holy in all His ways. All that He
does and allows is full of love; His judgments are indeed true and
righteous in everything. The reason we often do not understand is
two-fold: We lack faith and we lack perspective. Here we see godless
humanity from God’s perspective.
We on earth tend to compare one government with
another, our religion with somebody else’s, and say, “Ours is
better.” We prefer “our” philosophy to “theirs.” What we have
refused to see is the “corrupting” influence that is in all our
systems. God sends us revival, which heals many, and we turn it into
a religious system that ultimately becomes immoral, denying the Spirit
and Power of God, killing the souls of those who might turn to the
Lord. He will avenge those who have been harmed by our actions.
Verse 3. “And a second
time they said, ‘Hallelujah! Her smoke rises up forever and ever.’”
This “great harlot”
(verse 2) is a representation of the sinful nature of mankind as seen
in our politics, our philosophies and yes, our religious systems.
Whatever we have thought about, we have tended to corrupt. This “harlot”
will be expressed fully through the “beast,”
the “Babylon” of the preceding
chapters. These are expressions of a world empire, its leader and its
people, which will be at the forefront of mankind in just a few short
years.
What would the world be like if we could do
whatever we want? Without Godly restrictions of any kind? Without
God’s law? The world is going to find out during the latter half of
the soon-to-come “Great Tribulation.” Humanity gets its wish and the
result is the “harlot” of these
verses, disgusting in all “her” ways.
There is an old phrase in the English language which catches the
spirit of this verse: “Good riddance to bad
rubbish!” Allowed to take sin as far as they want, humanity
will become so bad that those in heaven will shout “Hallelujah”
when this period in history is over.
Verse 4. “And the
twenty-four elders and the four living creatures fell down and
worshiped God who sits on the throne saying, ‘Amen. Hallelujah!’”
At the time in future-history of this verse,
humanity will have essentially destroyed itself through sin. “We’re
not so bad,” humanity might reply – “Look at all the good we’ve
done!” But, allowed to go it alone, without the power and love of
God, those in mankind at that time will ruin themselves in every way.
ALL will be relieved when the sovereignty of mankind will at last be
no more.
This is apparent in the excited responses of the
“twenty-four elders” seen and
discussed before, in places like Revelation 4:4, where they are
described as “faithful” people. They
are shown wearing “white garments”
which, in Revelation 19:8 is revealed as a depiction of the “righteous
acts of the saints.” The “four living
creatures” were also seen in Revelation 4:6 and forward. These
incredible beings have multiple wings and eyes all over them. Similar
beings were called “cherubim”
(cherubs) in Ezekiel 10 and “seraphim”
in Isaiah 6. They reasonably love God and praise Him continually.
Verse 5. “And a voice
came from the throne, saying, ‘Give praise to our God, all you His
bond-servants, you who fear Him, the small and the great.’”
As young people, we have all needed good advice
on how to live our lives. Considering that we only live a few short
decades to perhaps 100 years or so, we are really children all of our
lives. We therefore ALWAYS need all the good counsel we can get.
There is much good advice and encouragement in these verses, and the
word in this verse comes from the very Throne of God: “Give
praise to… God,” which should
be our chief aim in life and for all eternity.
We were recently at the USA’s Arlington National
Cemetery, in Washington, DC, where we saw many grave markers of those
who served in a number of wars. Often a Colonel would be next to a
Sergeant or a Private; designations that meant much here in life, but
are of little consequence to them now. It is good for us all to “fear”
(reverence) the Lord, for “small” and
“great” in relation to people, as seen
in this verse, have no relevance in the eternity that is to come.
Infinity is actually upon us right now – It’s time to praise the Lord!
Verse 6. “Then I heard
something like the voice of a great multitude and like the sound of
many waters and like the sound of mighty peals of thunder, saying,
‘Hallelujah! For the Lord our God, the Almighty, reigns.’”
Inevitably, when we encounter the “twenty-four
elders” who were seen in verse 4, we are likely to also find
this “great multitude,” found in
places like Revelation 7:9. They are “of all
nations, tribes, peoples and tongues” – People of every time
and place in all human history. God ALWAYS has His remnant people in
situations and settings where you would not expect them.
Note that the world thinks that God’s people are
weak – Concepts like “the meek… shall inherit
the earth” (Matthew 5:5) have been widely misunderstood. The
phrases in this verse, the “many waters”
and “mighty peals of thunder” suggest
the opposite: We are strong because God makes us so; going in His
strength, not in our own. We will reasonably shout “Hallelujah”
(Praise the Lord) for all eternity, for it is GOD who reigns (is all
powerful) and yet He shares everything with those who simply TRUST in
Him.
Verse 7. “Let us
rejoice and be glad and give the glory to Him, for the marriage of the
Lamb has come and His bride has made herself ready.”
In the verses and chapters that follow, we will
learn more about the “Lamb” of God,
the nature of His “bride” and how the
two relate to one another. This is NOT “marriage” as we understand it
because Jesus said, “In the resurrection
(in eternity) they neither marry nor are given
in marriage, but are like angels of God in heaven” (Matthew
22:30). The phrases “Lamb” and “bride”
and “marriage” are parables,
word-images designed to help us understand eternity with Him.
Marriage is intended to make us happy and is also
a vehicle for the entry of children into this world. The fact that
marriage is often unhappy is OUR fault, not God’s. We are a race of
sinners and sin always takes us in the direction of unhappiness and
regret. We who love the Lord ARE collectively the “bride”
of these verses. We will love Him and be loved by Him without limit –
Forever!
Verse 8. “It was given
to her to clothe herself in fine linen, bright and clean; for the fine
linen is the righteous acts of the saints.”
God SEES the good that His people have done. We
do not know what “good” (righteousness) really is for any given
situation, for we are not God and don’t fully understand the outcomes
that stem from what we do. That is why faith (in God) is so important
– He DOES know what will come from our actions, in the lives of our
children, grandchildren, and what will emerge from our deeds for
perhaps centuries into the future.
The “righteous acts”
of God’s people (His “saints” –
“called out ones”) are, to Him, like garments we wear, seen by God and
often not understood by people. Again, the key work, the important
“righteous act” that we can do, is always based in His work, not in
our own. When Jesus was asked, “What shall
we do, that we may work the works of God?” (John 6:28). His
answer was clear: “This is the work of God,
that you BELIEVE in Him whom He sent” (John 6:29). “Righteous
acts” are actually based in Him; and are not from you or me.
Verse 9. “Then he said
to me, ‘Write, Blessed are those who are invited to the
marriage supper of the Lamb.’ And he said to
me, ‘These are true words of God.’”
Indeed, “blessed,”
(actually HAPPY) are those “who are invited
to the marriage supper of the Lamb.” The relationship God’s
church is to have with the Lord, is described in the form of parables
throughout Scripture. One such parable is found in God’s intention
for marriage. It is not only designed by Him to be a setting in which
children may be brought into the world, but it has also been meant
from the beginning to be a setting of JOY for the husband and wife.
“Husbands (are
to) LOVE (their)
wives, just as Christ also loved the church
and gave Himself for it…” (Ephesians 5:25). Wives are to “love
their husbands” (Titus 2:4). As men and women, we often tend
to bring selfishness into marriage and the saddest part of all is that
God’s communication of love is distorted by our self-centeredness to a
point where our children and others do not understand. But this verse
is at a point in the future when selfishness will be done away, and
God’s people will know the JOY of the Lord!
Verse 10. “Then I fell
at his feet to worship him. But he said to me, ‘Do not do that; I am a
fellow servant of yours and your brethren who hold the testimony of
Jesus; worship God. For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of
prophecy.’”
John was so overcome by the wonders he was
encountering in the visions of these verses that he literally fell
down on his face in worship of the angel who had been speaking to
him. We all tend to make the mistake of regarding the things and
persons that are really gifts to us from God. We might love our
church, our pastor, a Christian singer, but such are only His
messengers. We are to worship God. If our pastor speaks well to us
of Jesus, he is doing his job, for such is the “spirit
of prophesy” – It’s about Jesus Christ!
It’s important for us to at last understand that
“every good gift and every perfect gift is
from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there
is no variation or shadow of turning” (James 1:17). We need to
get to the truth and at last see that every good thing we ever see or
experience is a gift of God’s love. He never changes, for He always
intends good for you and me.
Verse 11. “And I saw
heaven opened, and behold, a white horse, and He who sat on it is
called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and wages
war.”
To the question, “Who is Jesus Christ,” we can
certainly answer with this verse. There is no angel or any other
created being who could reasonably be called “Faithful”
and “True” as applied to the Person in
this verse. Of all who have walked on this planet, only Jesus Christ
can be described in this manner. Many theologians and others have
been offended down through the centuries, by the warlike actions of a
Holy God as revealed in the Old Testament. At least thousands were
killed in many wars in those centuries.
But in this verse we see WHY He can act in true
judgment (when others cannot). “In
RIGHTEOUSNESS He judges and wages war.” He who knows the fall
of every sparrow (Matthew 10:29), also knows the hearts of those who
fall in battle, just as he knows the outcome of the conflict. The
righteous person who falls in war is to be in the presence of the
Lord, who is “Faithful” and “True”
in all His judgments (such as how to live and when to die). We lose
nothing by leaving this world and we gain everything by TRUSTING in
Him.
Verse 12. “His eyes are
a flame of fire, and on His head are many diadems; and He has a name
written on Him which no one knows except Himself.”
Jesus Christ, our great God and Savior (Titus
2:13), is truly Wonderful beyond our ability to understand Him, as
revealed by the descriptive words in this verse. He has the capacity
to be able to see right through you and me, as shown by the phrase, “His
eyes are a flame of fire” and you should reasonably confess
everything to Him, for He already knows.
There is no end to the honors He deservedly has
been and will be given, as we see by the imagery of the “diadems”
(jeweled crowns) of this verse. And yet, we really know little about
Him. The faith we have will qualify us (in His strength and power)
for the Kingdom of God, but there are depths to the Son of God that no
human could comprehend (for instance, we don’t know this “name”).
We really don’t even know ourselves, but He does, and someday we will
SEE Him as He is. And when we do, we will also see and understand
that name. (One of His names is in the next verse).
Verse 13. “He is
clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word
of God.”
What is the “Word of God?”
Actually, the better question is: WHO is the “Word
of God?” His Name is Jesus Christ, and His right to be our
Savior and Lord is shown in this verse. His robes of righteousness
are “dipped in blood.” This is
extremely significant for us because there is no remedy for sin,
except His blood. He is the “Word”
(Greek “logos” – expression of a thought) because He is God’s answer
to all the sins, the frailties and shortcomings of mankind.
“Word” (logos)
was originally a philosophical phrase coined by Heracletes in 600 BC,
referring to the divine reason, the plan which underlies the
universe. Here is God’s plan: Mankind was created with the freedom to
trust in God or not, and our earliest ancestors utilized that freedom
as a license to sin. Their act revealed a basic flaw in our nature –
As a race we will sin against God if we can, and the “wages
of sin is death” (Romans 6:23). God’s remedy, His Word, is
Jesus Christ, who was sent to die in our place – He gave His blood for
you and me.
Verse 14. “And the
armies which are in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean,
were following Him on white horses.”
Note that we who love Him are “clothed
in fine linen, white and clean…
following Him on white horses.” Because of His shed blood
(verse 13), those who receive Him become pure in His sight. Most of
us are not good at riding horses and, by ourselves we are not
effective at remaining white and clean. But our prayers are made
strong through the power of the Holy Spirit, turning that which is
feeble into an army of warriors, faithful, pure and true.
We may often feel weakness in our actions for the
Lord. We may feel isolated and alone in what we do and say for Him.
But God’s point of view of His people is that we are already with Him
“in heaven” (Ephesians 2:6). From His
vantage point, we are effectual, pure and are never alone. We are an
ARMY utilizing powerful weapons of praise and prayer, warriors in the
Spirit of God, united in war against the enemy of God.
Verse 15. “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.”
An aspect of God that many have disliked is this:
He will “strike down the nations.”
Our God is at war against the sinful nature of mankind. At times, as
often seen in the Old Testament, this aspect of God is expressed in
wars between earthly nations. But note that the “sword”
He uses, His key weapon in any war, comes “from
His mouth.” His “sword” is the
“Word of God” as seen in verse 13 –
God’s holy Word.
The Word of God is like a sword that cuts those
who are cold in heart and are uncaring. He rules “with
a rod of iron,” which is really a scepter of love. He “treads
the wine press” of “fierce wrath,”
but the blood shed in that “wine press”
was actually that of His Son. He intends your LIFE, not your death.
He will make you NEW and beautiful in His service. You will be “clothed
in fine linen, white and clean,” and you will LIKE what you
have become, for He really LOVES you and me.
Verse 16. “And on His
robe and on His thigh He has a name written, ‘King of kings, and Lord
of lords.’”
This is Him; this is the Lord Jesus Christ,
revealed in all His glory. He is and always was “King
of kings, and Lord of lords.” It’s amazing that He left
eternity, became a human baby, a child, a man, becoming vulnerable,
even to the point of dying for you and me. We see Him in the Gospels
– Gentle, meek, healing, counseling, riding a donkey. But here is
another aspect of our Jesus: He is “King of
kings, and Lord of lords.”
That He is King and Lord is written on His robe,
representing His righteous acts on our behalf. The words are also
written on His thigh, on Himself, for He is righteous in all His
ways. There is none like Him. Mohammed has been called the “Seal of
the Prophets,” but if he is somebody, he is subordinate to the “King
of kings, and Lord of lords.” Siddhartha Gautama (the Buddha)
has been called a “way” to God, but Jesus IS the way (John 14:6) for
He is “King of kings, and Lord of lords.”
TRUST in the Lord Jesus Christ, for He IS our King and Lord – Forever.
Verse 17. “Then I saw
an angel standing in the sun, and he cried out with a loud
voice, saying to all the birds which fly in
midheaven, ‘Come, assemble for the great supper of God,’”
God uses images that have great clarity for those
who are willing to look. This image (parable) suggests a traveler who
has been crossing a desert and has long since run out of water. He is
dying and the “birds” (vultures) are
encircling him, waiting for his last gasp before they descend and
partake of the “supper” that is before
them. Those who trust in Christ Jesus, by the way, are made ALIVE in
Him. He gives us “living water” (John
4:10) and these supernatural vultures don’t circle us anymore.
The condition of the human race at this moment is
very desperate and at the point in the Great Tribulation when human
history as we know it will soon be over, things will be even worse.
Instead of just telling us that we as a race are in great trouble (and
He HAS told us, many times), He also SHOWS us His view of our
condition. Again, humanity is collectively like a cowboy, sprawled
nearly dead in a desert environment, while creatures that can rip away
what little we have, circle overhead.
Verse 18. “so that you
may eat the flesh of kings and the flesh of commanders and the flesh
of mighty men and the flesh of horses and of those who sit on them and
the flesh of all men, both free men and slaves, and small and great.”
There’s a kind of SAFETY that is found in the
success offered through humanity. The person who is elected President
or Prime Minister of a country is likely provided with a Secret
Service contingent that will literally defend the person’s life with
their own. Those who find ways to make lots of money through one
means or another can hire bodyguards, live in guarded estates with
high walls, and so on. There literally IS a logic that is found in
obtaining the “treasures on earth” that
Jesus warned us about in Matthew 6:19.
However, before you run out and grab those “treasures,”
read this verse in Revelation very carefully – Those “treasures
on earth” will only keep you safe for a time. Even if you
protect yourself with GREAT success, the “birds” (vultures) of the
preceding verse will “eat” ALL those
who reject God’s Son, including presidents, kings, military
commanders, mighty men (and women), and everybody else as well, along
with humanity’s weapons of war and other devices that we think will
keep us safe.
Verse 19. “And I saw
the beast and the kings of the earth and their armies assembled to
make war against Him who sat on the horse and against His army.”
This verse reveals the problem of humanity. God
looks inside of the heart of mankind and knows us better than we know
ourselves. And He is not in “denial” about our nature like we are.
Those in humanity deceive themselves, desperately hoping that others
will be fooled by the image they project. This “beast”
represents the best that humanity can offer – Our economic systems,
forms of government, religions, philosophies mathematical systems,
theories about the origin of the universe, and everything else.
Every school of thought, every system on earth is
hopelessly flawed, because WE who created those systems are flawed at
the very basis of our being. Humanity is at WAR with God. Down deep,
we are His RIVALS, hoping to usurp His throne. The whole of earth is
assembled against the Lord Jesus Christ who is our Creator and our
Lord, and the mutiny will be especially clear at the time of this
verse, the time of the “Great Tribulation.”
Verse 20. “And the
beast was seized, and with him the false prophet who performed the
signs in his presence, by which he deceived those who had received the
mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image; these two were
thrown alive into the lake of fire which burns with brimstone.”
Notice the SUDDENNESS of the end of the beast and
the false prophet. They merely will be SEIZED and THROWN down by the
power of God. They did not need to die as we understand it; they
simply will be grabbed and thrown “alive”
into the lake of fire. God is able to put an end to our activities at
any time. And when evil seems overwhelming in the life around us,
note that it is only temporary in nature.
Jesus warned His disciples (and through them, He
warned you and me): “you will be hated by all
for My name’s sake. But he who endures to the end will be saved”
(Matthew 10:22). We really DO have enemies that hate us just because
we have faith in the Lord. But we can endure because we have been
given verses in Scripture such as these, and we know that Christ will
suddenly deal with all our accusers. Their end is in the lake of
fire. Those who do not believe in hell, by the way, have not read
these Scriptures, or they have chosen to not believe them.
Verse 21. “And the rest
were killed with the sword which came from the mouth of Him who sat on
the horse, and all the birds were filled with their flesh.”
First the leadership of humanity, which has
become hopelessly corrupt at the point of these verses, will be
suddenly taken and destroyed, and then in the blink of an eye,
everyone else will be “killed with the sword”
as well. Note the strange nature of the “sword”
that kills the human race – It comes from the “mouth”
of Him who (in verse 16) is described as “King
of kings, and Lord of lords.” His name is Jesus Christ.
God gives us physical imagery to help us
understand because we are physical beings. The point is that
humanity’s great weaponry is really very frail and all will be
destroyed in a moment. In Ephesians 6:17, the “sword
of the Spirit” is described as the “Word
of God.” Humanity and all its ungodly systems will be ruined
in a moment – by a WORD. Just as all things were created by His Word
(Genesis 1:3 & context, John 1:1-3, 14), so will it end.
Ron Beckham, Pastor
Friday Study Ministries
P.O. Box 92131
Long Beach, CA
90809-2131 USA
www.fridaystudy.org
Ron@fridaystudy.org
