Revelation 19

The chapter moves from the reactive worship of heaven over the destruction of the world-system to the active military intervention of Christ as the Word of God, resolving the tension between the suffering of the saints and the rebellion of the nations.

• The marriage of the Lamb is come (v. 7).
• Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb (v. 9).

• Praise our God, all ye his servants, and ye that fear him, both small and great (v. 5).
• Worship God (v. 10).

• Those who follow the beast and the false prophet face the judgment of the lake of fire (v. 20).

• The imagery of 'Babylon' and the 'prostitute' (*πόρνη* [G4204]) would have resonated with the original audience as a symbol of Roman imperial power, which demanded idolatrous worship and persecuted the saints.

• The 'marriage' metaphor relies on the cultural understanding of the groom preparing a place and the bride preparing herself, emphasizing the necessity of purity and preparation for the church.
• Matthew Henry observes that the church in heaven and on earth triumphs and praises God for His righteous judgments, and that the 'fine linen' represents Christ's righteousness imputed for justification and imparted for sanctification.

• This chapter follows the fall of Babylon in Revelation 18 and provides the direct resolution to the warfare described in the vision of the beast in chapter 13.

• The text draws heavily on Old Testament prophetic themes, particularly the idea of God’s 'winepress' of wrath (Isaiah 63) and the 'rod of iron' (Psalm 2:9).
• The angel’s refusal of worship ('I am thy fellowservant') in verse 10 functions as a biblical safeguard against idolatry, consistent with the command in Exodus 20:3.

• Revelation 19:15 (rod of iron) alludes to Psalm 2:9.
• Revelation 19:13 (The Word of God) and 19:15 (sword from mouth) echo John 1:1 and Isaiah 11:4 respectively.

• The word 'After' is *μετά* [G3326], denoting the succession of events.
• The word 'loud' (*μέγας* [G3173]) and 'voice' (*φωνή* [G5456]) emphasize the magnitude of the heavenly sound.
• The term 'judgments' (*κρίσις* [G2920]) carries the weight of judicial decision or legal verdict.
• The phrase 'crying out' (*λέγω* [G3004]) here denotes a formal or authoritative proclamation.

• The angel's explicit refusal of John's worship reinforces the unique deity of Christ and the prohibition of creature worship.
• The sword proceeding from Christ's mouth indicates that His victory is won by His authoritative Word, not by human means.
• The 'fine linen' is explicitly defined as the 'righteousness of saints' (*dikaiōma*).

• There is scholarly debate regarding whether the 'marriage supper of the Lamb' occurs before or after the millennial reign, though the text clearly situates the 'marriage' as having 'come' before the destruction of the beast.