The Revelation of Jesus Christ#
Lesson 13 (19:6-20:3)

1. Marriage Supper of the Lamb (19:6-10).

a. John’s attention turned from fallen Babylon when he heard a voice from heaven declaring, “Alleluia! For the Lord God Omnipotent reigns!”

b. This voice was loud and powerful, like the sound of many rushing waters and many mighty thunderings.

c. The voice called upon all in heaven to rejoice and to give God glory, for the marriage of the Lamb was ready to commence.

d. This is the long-anticipated marriage of Christ to His bride, the church.

e. The marriage supper is presented to John through a vision, but he will also be part of the “bride of Christ” at the supper.

f. Several verses in Scripture speak prophetically of this glorious event.

i. Jesus is the Bridegroom (John 3:29; Matt. 9:15; Eph. 5:25-27).

ii. Likewise, believers are described as the bride of Christ (2 Cor. 11:2; Matt. 25:1-13).

g. The Jewish wedding procedure is also referenced on several occasions (John 14:6; Matt. 25:1-13).

i. Step 1: Betrothal agreement between parties, including the groom’s father.

ii. Step 2: Payment of the dowry (ransom).

iii. Step 3: Bridegroom departs to his father’s house to prepare a home for his bride.

iv. Step 4: The bridegroom’s mysterious return at an unexpected hour to carry his bride off to the place he has prepared for her.

v. Step 5: The marriage supper and celebration after the consummation of the couple.

h. The Bride of Christ (the church, believers) has made herself ready for this divine and permanent union. The verb tense (Aorist Active Indicative) indicates a completed action in the past (faith) that satisfies the necessary condition as a purified bride (faith, not works).

i. As the Bride of Christ, she was granted to be arrayed in fine linen, clean and bright.

j. The linen is a symbol of the righteous acts of the saints.

i. Faith in Jesus.

ii. Perseverance, endurance, and overcoming the trials of the world.

iii. Works done in the Spirit of God and not in the flesh (1 Cor. 3:11-15).

k. Scholars debate if this scene takes place in heaven prior to the “second coming” or if it is one of the first events in the Millennial Kingdom on earth.

l. An angel specifically instructed John to write, “Blessed are those who are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb!”

i. Those who died in the church age are included.

ii. Those who the Harpazo caught up are included.

iii. Those who died having faith in the Great Tribulation are included.

iv. Those who remain alive and faithful in the Great Tribulation would not be included based on the presumed timing of the Marriage Supper before the Millennial period.

v. However, it may be that the tribulation saints who are not yet glorified may be the wedding guests who witness and celebrate the Bridegroom and His bride.

vi. Others may see the Old Testament saints, who were not technically the “church,” as the attendees to the wedding of the church to Christ, the Bridegroom.

m. Once united to Christ and clothed in fine, white linen, these saints will always be present with the Lord in much the same way as a husband and wife are together, relationally if not physically.

n. “These are the true sayings of God.” This is perhaps a way of stating that all of Scripture has been leading up to and prophesying of this magnificent celebration of the Son presenting His spotless and pure bride before His Father in a great celebration feast.

o. Because this event is the culmination of the blessed hope that all that has been patiently hoped for, John is overcome with emotions, and he fell at the feet of his angelic tour guide to worship him.

p. The holy angel immediately rebuked John and commanded him not to do that!

q. This angel is categorically just a servant of God Almighty, just as John and the rest of the brethren who have faith in Jesus Christ are.

r. John is rightly commanded to worship God alone, for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy (in the volume of the book it is written of Me, Heb. 10:7).

2. The King of Kings (19:11-16).

a. Following the Marriage Supper (presumed chronology), John saw heaven opened, and he saw a glorious white horse suitable for the King of kings.

i. This is not the white horse of the first seal, which was a counterfeit messiah.

ii. Also, in His humble journey to the cross, Jesus rode a donkey (Zech. 9:9; Mat. 21:5), which is a symbol of a king who comes in peace to rule over his kingdom.

iii. At the end of this Great Tribulation, Jesus Christ comes riding on a horse, symbolizing that He is ready to do battle and conquer His enemies as a powerful warrior.

b. The One who rode the horse was called “Faithful” and “True.”

c. He descends from heaven to the earth in perfect righteousness.

d. Therefore, He will rightly judge and make war with those who hate God and have rebelled against His authority.

e. His eyes were like a flame of fire (judgment).

f. He wore many crowns, indicating that He rules over every nation and people of the earth.

g. He had a name that only He knows, but it would certainly represent the full measure of His divine and holy nature.

h. He was clothed in a robe stained with blood.

i. The blood could be His, which was shed upon the cross at Calvary.

ii. The blood could be that of His enemies, who will lose their battle against him in a spectacularly inglorious fashion.

i. His name is called the Word of God (John 1:1).

j. The armies in heaven were also clothed in fine linen, white and clean; these followed Jesus to judge the earth riding on white horses of their own (though He needs no help).

k. Out of Jesus’ mouth goes a sharp sword (Word of God) with which He strikes the nations for their refusal to listen to and obey God’s perfect Word.

l. Jesus will rule with perfect authority over every nation with His rod of iron, indicating His irreversible judgment on all sin.

m. He Himself treads the winepress of the fierceness of the wrath of Almighty God (14:20).

n. He has a name written on His robe and on His thigh: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS!

o. The world that has long suppressed the truth of God and Jesus as Lord will now see the unveiled truth of the One they have tried to suppress.

p. The last thing their mortal eyes will see is the glory of the One who is KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS!

3. Victory Won (19:17-21).

a. John now sees an angel “standing in the sun” who cried out with a loud voice to all the birds in the midst of heaven:

b. “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.”

c. This is a contrasting supper with the Marriage Supper of the Lamb.

i. The heavenly supper is an incredible celebration for those who believe and trust in Jesus Christ for eternal life.

ii. The earthly supper of the birds is a brutal and disgusting consequence to all the ungodly flesh that remains on the earth after God’s wrath has been poured out.

d. Finally, John saw the beast (the antichrist), who had gathered all the kings and armies of the earth to make war against God, foolishly attempt to engage with the King of kings and Lord of lords.

e. The beast was easily captured along with the false prophet.

f. Also captured were all who received the mark of the beast and who worshipped his image.

g. The two demonically empowered beasts of the unholy trinity were cast alive into the lake of fire that burns eternally with brimstone.

h. All other human beings were killed by the command of Jesus Christ according to their justified condemnation from Scripture.

i. It was their flesh that the birds consumed as part of their humiliating judgment in that they were denied a proper burial.

4. Satan bound for 1000 years (20:1-3).

a. An unnamed angel (common, ordinary) came down from heaven, having the key to the bottomless pit with a great chain in his hand.

b. Satan was humiliatingly captured without any effort as the angel took hold of the dragon (serpent, devil, Satan), and bound him for a thousand years.

c. Satan, unlike the antichrist and false prophet, was cast into the bottomless pit.

d. The door to the pit was sealed shut so that Satan was powerless to deceive the nations of the Millennial kingdom until the end of the one thousand years of Christ’s reign.

e. Once the millennium concludes, Satan will be rereleased for a short time to test the mortals who lived under Jesus’ reign for one thousand years.