The Bible — World English Bible

Revelation 19

In brief

Revelation 19 opens with an immense Hallelujah: after the fall of Babylon, heaven praises God because his judgments are just. Then comes the announcement of the wedding of the Lamb, where the bride has made herself ready and is dressed in bright, pure, fine linen. Then heaven opens on the rider on the white horse, Faithful and True, the Word of God, King of kings and Lord of lords. The chapter ends with the defeat of the beast and the false prophet. It sets two suppers side by side: the supper of the Lamb, which is joy, and the supper of the birds, which is judgment.

The chapter in 4 parts

  1. v. 1-5The Hallelujah of heaven: God's judgments are just
  2. v. 6-10The wedding of the Lamb: the bride has made herself ready
  3. v. 11-16The rider on the white horse: Faithful and True, King of kings
  4. v. 17-21The great supper of God and the defeat of the beast

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 his judgments are true and righteous. 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’s rejoice and be exceedingly glad, and let’s give the glory to him. For the wedding 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 wedding 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.

Key verses

Verse 6
I 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!

The crowd of heaven proclaims that the Lord our God, the Almighty, reigns. This sentence sets the tone of the chapter: after the evil of the previous chapters, the praise begins because God reigns.

Verse 7-8
Let’s rejoice and be exceedingly glad, and let’s give the glory to him. For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and his wife has made herself ready.” It 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.

The bride has made herself ready, but it was given to her to dress in fine linen: the text keeps both together, the commitment of the Church and the grace received. The fine linen stands for the righteous acts of the saints.

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

The guests at the supper are declared blessed. The image of the wedding meal, already used by Jesus in his parables, recalls that salvation is an invitation to a feast.

Verse 11
I 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.

The one who rides the white horse is called Faithful and True, and he judges and makes war in righteousness. The Christ who returns is no longer the humble Lamb but the King who restores justice.

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

The name written on his garment, “KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS”, speaks of the sovereignty of Christ over all the powers of the earth. It is one of the strongest affirmations of the New Testament.

Pray about this

What the sermons say

Frequently asked questions about Revelation 19

What is the wedding of the Lamb?

It is the final celebration where Jesus, the Lamb, is fully united with his Church, described as his bride. Verses 7 to 9 speak of it as a moment of total joy, after the judgment of evil. Christians discuss the exact timing of this feast in the sequence of the end times, but agree on its meaning.

What does the fine linen, the righteous acts of the saints, mean?

The text says that the bride's garment was given to her and that it represents righteous acts. Many see in it the balance between grace, which provides the robe, and the transformed life of believers, which is its fruit. Works do not buy salvation, they are its outward sign.

Who is the rider on the white horse?

The text calls him Faithful and True, the Word of God, King of kings and Lord of lords. Christians see in him Jesus Christ at his return, who judges with justice and establishes his reign. He wears many crowns and his sword comes out of his mouth: the image evokes the power of his word.

What is the difference between the wedding supper and the supper of the birds?

Verse 9 invites believers to the supper of the Lamb, a meal of joy. Verses 17 and 18 call the birds to the great supper of God, an image of judgment on those who opposed him. The chapter sets two tables in parallel: one for those who answer the invitation, the other for those who refuse it.

Articles quoting Revelation 19

← All chapters

World English Bible translation — public domain.