Revelation — Chapter 19

Loading ESV text...

1After this I heard a sound like the roar of a great multitude in heaven, shouting: “Hallelujah! Salvation and glory and power belong to our God!

2For His judgments are true and just. He has judged the great prostitute who corrupted the earth with her immorality. He has avenged the blood of His servants that was poured out by her hand.”

3And a second time they called out: “Hallelujah! Her smoke rises forever and ever.”

4And the twenty-four elders and the four living creatures fell down and worshiped God who sits on the throne, saying: “Amen, Hallelujah!”

5Then a voice came from the throne, saying: “Praise our God, all you who serve Him, and those who fear Him, small and great alike!”

6And I heard a sound like the roar of a great multitude, like the rushing of many waters, and like a mighty rumbling of thunder, crying out: “Hallelujah! For the Lord our God the Almighty reigns.

7Let us rejoice and be glad and give Him the glory. For the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His bride has made herself ready.

8She was given clothing of fine linen, bright and pure.” For the fine linen she wears is the righteous acts of the saints.

9Then the angel told me to write, “Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.” And he said to me, “These are the true words of God.”

10So I fell at his feet to worship him. But he told me, “Do not do that! I am a fellow servant with you and your brothers who rely on the testimony of Jesus. Worship God! For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.”

11Then I saw heaven standing open, and there before me was a white horse. And its rider is called Faithful and True. With righteousness He judges and wages war.

12He has eyes like blazing fire, and many royal crowns on His head. He has a name written on Him that only He Himself knows.

13He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and His name is The Word of God.

14The armies of heaven, dressed in fine linen, white and pure, follow Him on white horses.

15And from His mouth proceeds a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations, and He will rule them with an iron scepter. He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty.

16And He has a name written on His robe and on His thigh: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.

17Then I saw an angel standing in the sun, and he cried out in a loud voice to all the birds flying overhead, “Come, gather together for the great supper of God,

18so that you may eat the flesh of kings and commanders and mighty men, of horses and riders, of everyone slave and free, small and great.”

19Then I saw the beast and the kings of the earth with their armies assembled to wage war against the One seated on the horse, and against His army.

20But the beast was captured along with the false prophet, who on its behalf had performed signs deceiving those who had the mark of the beast and worshiped its image. Both the beast and the false prophet were thrown alive into the fiery lake of burning sulfur.

21And the rest were killed with the sword that proceeded from the mouth of the One seated on the horse. And all the birds gorged themselves on their flesh.

1And after these things I heard a great voice of much people in heaven, saying, Alleluia; Salvation, and glory, and honour, and power, unto the Lord our God:

2For true and righteous are his judgments: for he hath judged the great whore, which did corrupt the earth with her fornication, and hath avenged the blood of his servants at her hand.

3And again they said, Alleluia. And her smoke rose up for ever and ever.

4And the four and twenty elders and the four beasts fell down and worshipped God that sat on the throne, saying, Amen; Alleluia.

5And a voice came out of the throne, saying, Praise our God, all ye his servants, and ye that fear him, both small and great.

6And I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude, and as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of mighty thunderings, saying, Alleluia: for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth.

7Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready.

8And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints.

9And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he saith unto me, These are the true sayings of God.

10And I fell at his feet to worship him. And he said unto me, See thou do it not: I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren that have the testimony of Jesus: worship God: for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.

11And 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.

12His 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 he himself.

13And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God.

14And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean.

15And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.

16And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.

17And I saw an angel standing in the sun; 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;

18That ye may eat the flesh of kings, and the flesh of captains, and the flesh of mighty men, and the flesh of horses, and of them that sit on them, and the flesh of all men, both free and bond, both small and great.

19And 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.

20And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone.

21And the remnant were slain with the sword of him that sat upon the horse, which sword proceeded out of his mouth: and all the fowls were filled with their flesh.

1After these things I heard as it were a great voice of a great multitude in heaven, saying, Hallelujah; Salvation, and glory, and power, belong to our God:

2for true and righteous are his judgments; for he hath judged the great harlot, her that corrupted the earth with her fornication, and he hath avenged the blood of his servants at her hand.

3And a second time they say, Hallelujah. And her smoke goeth up for ever and ever.

4And the four and twenty elders and the four living creatures fell down and worshipped God that sitteth on the throne, saying, Amen; Hallelujah.

5And a voice came forth from the throne, saying, Give praise to our God, all ye his servants, ye that fear him, the small and the great.

6And I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude, and as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of mighty thunders, saying, Hallelujah: for the Lord our God, the Almighty, reigneth.

7Let us rejoice and be exceeding glad, and let us give the glory unto him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready.

8And it was given unto her that she should array herself in fine linen, bright [and] pure: for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints.

9And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they that are bidden to the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he saith unto me, These are true words of God.

10And I fell down before his feet to worship him. And he saith unto me, See thou do it not: I am a fellow-servant with thee and with thy brethren that hold the testimony of Jesus: worship God; for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.

11And I saw the heaven opened; and behold, a white horse, and he that sat thereon called Faithful and True; and in righteous he doth judge and make war.

12And his eyes [are] a flame of fire, and upon his head [are] many diadems; and he hath a name written which no one knoweth but he himself.

13And he [is] arrayed in a garment sprinkled with blood: and his name is called The Word of God.

14And the armies which are in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white [and] pure.

15And out of his mouth proceedeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness of the wrath of God, the Almighty.

16And he hath on his garment and on his thigh a name written, KINGS OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.

17And I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the birds that fly in mid heaven, Come [and] be gathered together unto the great supper of God;

18that ye may eat the flesh of kings, and the flesh of captains, and the flesh of mighty men, and the flesh of horses and of them that sit thereon, and the flesh of all men, both free and bond, and small and great.

19And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against him that sat upon the horse, and against his army.

20And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought the signs in his sight, wherewith he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast and them that worshipped his image: they two were cast alive into the lake of fire that burneth with brimstone:

21and the rest were killed with the sword of him that sat upon the horse, [even the sword] which came forth out of his mouth: and all the birds were filled with their flesh.

1After these things I heard what sounded like the loud voice of a vast throng in heaven, saying, “Hallelujah! Salvation and glory and power belong to our God,

2because his judgments are true and just. For he has judged the great prostitute who corrupted the earth with her sexual immorality, and has avenged the blood of his servants poured out by her own hands!”

3Then a second time the crowd shouted, “Hallelujah!” The smoke rises from her forever and ever.

4The twenty-four elders and the four living creatures threw themselves to the ground and worshiped God, who was seated on the throne, saying: “Amen! Hallelujah!”

5Then a voice came from the throne, saying: “Praise our God all you his servants, and all you who fear him, both the small and the great!”

6Then I heard what sounded like the voice of a vast throng, like the roar of many waters and like loud crashes of thunder. They were shouting: “Hallelujah! For the Lord our God, the All-Powerful, reigns!

7Let us rejoice and exult and give him glory, because the wedding celebration of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready.

8She was permitted to be dressed in bright, clean, fine linen” (for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints).

9Then the angel said to me, “Write the following: Blessed are those who are invited to the banquet at the wedding celebration of the Lamb!” He also said to me, “These are the true words of God.”

10So I threw myself down at his feet to worship him, but he said, “Do not do this! I am only a fellow servant with you and your brothers and sisters who hold to the testimony about Jesus. Worship God, for the testimony about Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.”

11Then I saw heaven opened and here came a white horse! The one riding it was called “Faithful” and “True,” and with justice he judges and goes to war.

12His eyes are like a fiery flame and there are many diadem crowns on his head. He has a name written that no one knows except himself.

13He is dressed in clothing dipped in blood, and he is called the Word of God.

14The armies that are in heaven, dressed in white, clean, fine linen, were following him on white horses.

15From his mouth extends a sharp sword so that with it he can strike the nations. He will rule them with an iron rod, and he stomps the winepress of the furious wrath of God, the All-Powerful.

16He has a name written on his clothing and on his thigh: “King of kings and Lord of lords.”

17Then I saw one angel standing in the sun, and he shouted in a loud voice to all the birds flying high in the sky: “Come, gather around for the great banquet of God,

18to eat your fill of the flesh of kings, the flesh of generals, the flesh of powerful people, the flesh of horses and those who ride them, and the flesh of all people, both free and slave, and small and great!”

19Then I saw the beast and the kings of the earth and their armies assembled to do battle with the one who rode the horse and with his army.

20Now the beast was seized, and along with him the false prophet who had performed the signs on his behalf—signs by which he deceived those who had received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image. Both of them were thrown alive into the lake of fire burning with sulfur.

21The others were killed by the sword that extended from the mouth of the one who rode the horse, and all the birds gorged themselves with their flesh.

1After these things I heard something like a loud voice of a great multitude in heaven, saying, “Hallelujah! Salvation, power, and glory belong to our God:

2for true and righteous are his judgments. For he has judged the great prostitute, who corrupted the earth with her sexual immorality, and he has avenged the blood of his servants at her hand.”

3A second said, “Hallelujah! Her smoke goes up forever and ever.”

4The twenty-four elders and the four living creatures fell down and worshiped God who sits on the throne, saying, “Amen! Hallelujah!”

5A voice came from the throne, saying, “Give praise to our God, all you his servants, you who fear him, the small and the great!”

6I heard something like the voice of a great multitude, and like the voice of many waters, and like the voice of mighty thunders, saying, “Hallelujah! For the Lord our God, the Almighty, reigns!

7Let us rejoice and be exceedingly glad, and let us give the glory to him. For the marriage of the Lamb has come, and his wife has made herself ready.”

8It was given to her that she would array herself in bright, pure, fine linen: for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints.

9He said to me, “Write, ‘Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.’” He said to me, “These are true words of God.”

10I fell down before his feet to worship him. He said to me, “Look! Don’t do it! I am a fellow bondservant with you and with your brothers who hold the testimony of Jesus. Worship God, for the testimony of Jesus is the Spirit of Prophecy.”

11I saw the heaven opened, and behold, a white horse, and he who sat on it is called Faithful and True. In righteousness he judges and makes war.

12His eyes are a flame of fire, and on his head are many crowns. He has names written and a name written which no one knows but he himself.

13He is clothed in a garment sprinkled with blood. His name is called “The Word of God.”

14The armies which are in heaven followed him on white horses, clothed in white, pure, fine linen.

15Out of his mouth proceeds a sharp, double-edged sword, that with it he should strike the nations. He will rule them with an iron rod. He treads the wine press of the fierceness of the wrath of God, the Almighty.

16He has on his garment and on his thigh a name written, “KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.”

17I saw an angel standing in the sun. He cried with a loud voice, saying to all the birds that fly in the sky, “Come! Be gathered together to the great supper of God,

18that you may eat the flesh of kings, the flesh of captains, 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 and slave, small and great.”

19I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against him who sat on the horse, and against his army.

20The beast was taken, and with him the false prophet who worked the signs in his sight, with 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 that burns with sulfur.

21The rest were killed with the sword of him who sat on the horse, the sword which came out of his mouth. All the birds were filled with their flesh.

Summary
Authorship & Background
Commentary
Videos
Articles
Reflection

Summary

A great multitude in heaven shouts "Hallelujah," praising God for his true and just judgment on Babylon, and the twenty-four elders and four living creatures join in worship before the throne (vv. 1-6). A voice calls all to rejoice because the marriage of the Lamb has come and his bride has made herself ready, clothed in fine linen representing the righteous deeds of the saints, and John is told that those invited to the wedding feast are blessed (vv. 7-9). John falls to worship the angel speaking to him, but is told to worship God alone (v. 10). Heaven then opens and John sees a rider called Faithful and True, whose eyes are like flame and whose robe is dipped in blood, leading the armies of heaven to strike down the nations and rule with an iron scepter; he is named King of kings and Lord of lords (vv. 11-16). An angel summons birds to feast on the flesh of those who oppose him, and the beast and the false prophet are captured and thrown alive into the lake of fire, while the rest of their armies are killed by the sword from the rider's mouth (vv. 17-21).

Authorship & Background

Author: The Apostle John (see Chapter 1 notes for full details).
Historical Context: Chapter 19 is the climax of Revelation — heaven's celebration (vv.1-10) followed by Christ's triumphant return (vv.11-21). After 18 chapters of building tension — seals, trumpets, bowls, beasts, Babylon — Christ finally appears in glory to defeat His enemies and establish His kingdom. This is the moment all of history has been moving toward.
Classification: Apocalyptic Prophecy — The Return of Christ
Key Themes: four uses of Alleluia, the only occurrences anywhere in the New Testament, a wedding announced for the Lamb whose bride is already dressed in the righteous acts of the saints rather than in anything of her own making, heaven opening onto a white horse and a rider whose name no one but himself actually knows, a robe already dipped in blood before a single battle has been fought, a title given last rather than first, king of kings, and lord of lords, and a beast and false prophet captured and thrown alive into the lake of fire while everyone else is simply slain by a sword coming from the rider's own mouth
Heaven's Celebration (vv.1-10): Four "Alleluias" (the only occurrences in the NT): (1) Salvation belongs to God — He judged the prostitute (vv.1-2). (2) Her smoke rises forever (v.3). (3) The elders and creatures worship (v.4). (4) "The Lord God omnipotent reigneth" (v.6). The marriage of the Lamb has come — His bride is ready, clothed in fine linen (righteousness) (vv.7-8). "Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper" (v.9).
Christ's Return (vv.11-16): Heaven opens. A white horse. The rider: "Faithful and True" (v.11). Eyes like fire, many crowns, a name no one knows (v.12). Vesture dipped in blood. His name: "The Word of God" (v.13). Heaven's armies follow on white horses (v.14). A sharp sword from His mouth to smite nations (v.15). He treads the winepress of God's wrath (v.15). His name: "KING of KINGS, and LORD of LORDS" (v.16).
The Beast Defeated (vv.17-21): An angel summons birds to "the supper of the great God" — the flesh of kings and armies (vv.17-18). The beast and kings gather against Christ (v.19). The beast and false prophet are captured and cast alive into the lake of fire (v.20). The rest are slain by Christ's sword (v.21).

Commentary

  • Enduring Word (David Guzik): enduringword.com Guzik covers the four Alleluias, the marriage supper, Christ's return on the white horse, and the defeat of the beast.
  • Jamieson-Fausset-Brown (1871): blueletterbible.org A critical and explanatory commentary on the whole Bible, more concise than Matthew Henry and closer to the Hebrew and Greek, with attention to historical and geographical detail. Public domain.
  • Matthew Henry's Exposition (1710): blueletterbible.org A devotional verse-by-verse commentary in the Puritan tradition, still among the most widely read three centuries on. Public domain.

Videos

Revelation 17-19 | Two Brides | Bible Study
Spoken Gospel

Did Jesus have a tattoo (Revelation 19:16)? | GotQuestions.org
Got Questions Ministries

Articles

  • GotQuestions.org: gotquestions.org On the whole book: an overview of the book of Revelation -- who wrote it, when, why, and how it fits the rest of Scripture.

Links open on the publisher's own site. Nothing here is reproduced on this page.

Reflection

  • The Lord Reigns (v.6) — A vast multitude cries out that the Lord God omnipotent reigns. Do you live like that's true, letting it produce worship even when the world feels chaotic?
  • The Bride Made Ready (v.7) — The marriage of the Lamb has come, and His bride has prepared herself. Are you making yourself ready — growing in holiness rather than drifting?
  • Faithful and True (v.11) — The rider on the white horse is named for His unshakable character. Can you trust Him completely, even when you can't see how things will turn out?
  • King of Kings (v.16) — Christ's name declares Him supreme over every ruler and authority. Does your life actually reflect His lordship over every area, or just the convenient ones?
  • Evil's Sudden End (v.20) — The beast and false prophet are defeated instantly, with all their power ended in a moment. Evil's power is real but limited — does that truth calm any fear you're carrying?