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THE REVELATION OF JESUS CHRIST TO HIS SERVANT JOHN
The Unveiling of the Kingdom on Earth and in Heaven
Lesson 22
Succession Arrangements of the Covenant Treaty Continued:
Chapter 19
The Marriage Feast of the Lamb and His Bride and
The First Three of the Last Seven Visions

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Holy Lord God,
Help Your people of Universal Church to continue to live in the image of Your chaste and faithful New Covenant Bride united to her Bridegroom, Jesus Christ. We understand that You reveal Your character through the intimate relationship imaged as covenant marriage between a man and a woman in which they become Your partners in bringing forth new generations of the human family. Your Bride, the Church, united to You, fulfills the same divine plan by bringing forth new children for Your covenant family. Help us to honor this covenant relationship in our liturgy of worship, our families, and our social contacts. We pray in the name of God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

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"We ought to know the Babylon wherein we are captives and the Jerusalem for a return to which we are sighing. For these two cities, according to the letter (Revelation), in reality, are two cities. And the former Jerusalem indeed by the Jews is not now inhabited. For after the crucifixion of the Lord, vengeance was taken upon them with a great scourge and being rooted up from that place where, with impious licentiousness being infuriated, they had madly raged against their Physician, they have been dispersed throughout all nations ... and therefore, it is fulfilled what the Lord had said to them, Therefore the kingdom shall be taken away from you and shall be given to a nation doing justice.'"
Saint Augustine, The City of God

God, why have you finally rejected us, your anger blazing against the flock you used to pasture? Remember the people you took to yourself long ago, your own tribe which you redeemed, and this Mount Zion where you came to live. Come up to these endless ruins! The enemy have sacked everything in the Sanctuary; your opponents made uproar in the place of assemblies, they fixed their emblems over the entrance, emblems never known before.
Psalms 74:1-5

Jesus' prophecy against Jerusalem: "for this is the time of retribution when all that Scripture says must be fulfilled."
Luke 21:22

Christ loved the Church and sacrificed himself for her to make her holy by washing her in cleansing water with a form of words so that when he took the church to himself, she would be glorious, with no speck or wrinkle or anything like that, but holy and faultless
Ephesians 5:25-27

Ezekiel reference: Ezekiel Chapter 39, especially verses 17-20.

In Genesis 11:1-9, people separated themselves from God's governing authority, Noah's righteous firstborn son, Shem (shem means "name" in Hebrew), and attempted to make a shem/name for themselves: as the people moved eastwards, they found a valley in the land of Shinar where they settled. They said to one another, "Come, let us make bricks and bake them in the fire... they said, "Let us build ourselves a city and a tower with its top reaching heaven. Let us make a name[shem] for ourselves" (Gen 11:2-4), rejecting the righteous line of Shem, son of Noah. The tower of Babel, whose name in Hebrew meant "gate of god," was their plan to forge their own path to Heaven. God destroyed the tower and scattered the rebellious people, confusing (in Hebrew, balal) their languages. But their city remained and was called Babylon, meaning "gate of Heaven." It was a false gate that became the symbol of the denial of the divine plan of the One True God, but in His mercy, God provided another "gate of Heaven" through the sacrifice of Jesus, the Messiah, and His Kingdom of the New Covenant Church.

In Revelation Chapter 19, the host of Heaven announces that the gate stands open, and the Bride of Christ is ready. Her appearance, prepared for marriage, signals the opening of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ, and the full establishment of the New Covenant united to Christ in the Eucharistic Banquet that is the Marriage Supper of the Lamb. These same images will be repeated in the next two chapters when, after a series of seven visions, St. John will announce seeing the City of God descending from Heaven: "I saw the holy city, the New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride dressed for her husband."

Chapter 19

Revelation 19:1-10: The Songs of Victory for the Wedding Feast of the Lamb
After this, I heard what seemed to be the great sound of a huge crowd in heaven, singing, "Alleluia! Salvation and glory and power to our God! 2 He judges fairly, he punishes justly, and he has condemned the great prostitute who corrupted the earth with her prostitutions; he has avenged the blood of his servants, which she shed [shed by her hand]." 3 And again they sang, "Alleluia! The smoke of her will rise forever and ever." 4 Then the twenty-four elders and the four living creatures threw themselves down and worshipped God seated on his throne, and they cried, "Amen, Alleluia." 5 Then a voice came from the throne; it said, "Praise our God, you servants of his and those who fear him, small and great alike." 6 And I heard what seemed to be the voices of a huge crowd, like the sound of the ocean [polus hydra = many waters] or the great roar of thunder, answering "Alleluia! The reign of the Lord our God Almighty has begun; 7 let us be glad and joyful and give glory to God because this is the time for the marriage of the Lamb. 8 His bride is ready, and she has been able to dress herself in dazzling white linen, because her linen is made of the good deeds of the saints." 9 The angel said, "Write this, Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding feast of the Lamb,'" and he added, "These words of God are true." 10 Then I knelt at his feet to worship him, but he said to me, "Never do that: I am your fellow-servant and the fellow-servant of all your brothers who have in themselves the witness of Jesus. God alone, you must worship." The witness of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy. [...] = IBGE, vol. IV, page 693.

Biblical scholars point to several similarities in language between Revelation 19:1-10 compared with Revelation 11:15-12:1. The second part of Revelation 11, as you may remember, is the seventh angel's announcement of the completion of "the Mystery of God," which was the opening of the Kingdom and the heavenly Temple to the whole world through the New Covenant in Christ. Notice the parallels between these two chapters, especially 12:1 and 19:8, that are the climax of each of the passages!

Chapter 19 is an expansion and completion of what the seventh angel announced in Chapter 11 and climaxes with the vision of the Bride prepared for her wedding feast in Revelation 19:8. John's vision of the Virgin Mary in Revelation 12:1, as the symbol of the Church who is both Virgin Bride and fruitful mother, foreshadows this passage in Revelation Chapter 19.

1 After this, I heard what seemed to be the great sound of a huge crowd in heaven, singing, "Alleluia! Salvation and glory and power to our God! 2 He judges fairly, he punishes justly, and he has condemned the great prostitute who corrupted the earth with her prostitution; he has avenged the blood of his servants which she shed."*

*The literal Greek of the last verse is shed by her hand.

In Revelation 6:9-11, the prophets and Saints prayed for the "Great City's" destruction. In Chapter 19, they receive an answer to their prayers, and now the great multitude of the redeemed gathered around the throne of God cry out in antiphonal praise.
Question: Where have we seen the expression of this form of responsorial liturgy earlier in Revelation, and where did it take place?
Answer: We saw it in Chapter 5. This passage reminds us that John's vision takes place in the heavenly throne room during the heavenly liturgy.

In these passages, the antiphonal liturgy divides into five parts or divisions (you may recall that the lament of the Church in Chapter 5 was also in five parts). The number 5 in Scripture usually connects to God's grace, but David Chilton, in his commentary on Revelation, Days of Vengeance, suggests that this number is also connected with God's strength and power, especially in terms of military action. He sees this passage as a battle hymn of the Saints.

Question: With what word does the heavenly assembly begin the hymn of victory, and how many times does it appear in 19:1-7?
Answer: Alleluia appears four times in verses 1, 3, 4, and 6.

The word "Alleluia" is Greek, but it is Halleluyah or Hallelujah in Hebrew. Most commentators translate this word as "praise God," but in Hebrew, the literal translation is "Praise God, Yahweh." The suffix "yah" or "jah" reflects God's covenant name, "Yahweh." The Hebrew word "el" means god as in false gods or God as in the One True God.

The word Alleluia only appears in the New Testament four times and only in Revelation 19:1, 3, 4, and 6. In the Old Testament, Hallelujah only appears in the Book of Psalms where it occurs most frequently in the great Hallel (Praise-God) Psalms of 113-118). The faithful sand the Hallel Psalms liturgically and joyfully called out "Hallelujah" at the festivals of the Passover sacrifice at the Temple on the 14^th of Nisan, at the Passover Supper that night (which at sunset became the 15^th and the beginning of the Feast of Unleavened Bread), and at the last feast in the liturgical cycle, the Feast of Tabernacles (also called Booths or Shelters). These psalms celebrated the awesome greatness of Yahweh Sabaoth. These psalms looked back to the time when God revealed Himself and delivered His people from slavery in Egypt and gave them the Sinai Covenant that formed a sacred assembly set apart from all other peoples of the earth. But the Hallel Psalms also looked forward to the time when all the nations on earth will praise Yahweh as the One True God! Reading this passage in Revelation and recalling the connection between the word "Hallelujah!" and the Hallel psalms sung at the Passover meal would have reminded the 1^st-century AD readers of Psalms 118:21-26 ~ The stone which the builders rejected has become the cornerstone. By the LORD has this been done; it is wonderful in our eyes. This is the day the LORD has made; let us be glad and rejoice in it .... Blessed is he who comes in the name of the LORD. Jesus fulfilled the prophecy of this passage. He is the cornerstone of the New Covenant, rejected by the priests of the Old Covenant and condemned to death only to rise from the dead in victory!

Halleluyah (Hallelujah), Amen, and Hosanna are three Hebrew words preserved in the Greek of the New Testament, which serve as a visible and audible marker of the internal connection between the Old and New Covenant Church and the Old and New Testament of His Word.
Question: In verse 1, how is the authority of God expressed in three words?
Answer: Salvation, power, and glory. These words express the fullness of God's power. Three is also the number of Trinity.

Question: In verse 2, why are God's judgments "true and righteous," and how has the petition of the Saints and Prophets been fulfilled? See Rev 6:10.
Answer: He has judged the Prostitute city, found her guilty and answered the prayers of the Saints who cried out for justice and vengeance: "Holy, true Master, how much longer will you wait before you pass sentence and take vengeance (retribution) for our death on the inhabitants of the earth (on those who dwell on the land)?"

If the "Prostitute City" is first-century AD Jerusalem, then the city's destruction in AD 70 is the demonstration of God's righteous justice. God's holy honor could not endure the blasphemy of the name of His Son, which was the outcome of Old Covenant Jerusalem's rebellion against the Messiah and God's plan for humanity. See Romans 2:23-24, where St. Paul wrote concerning the Jews: If, while you are boasting of the Law, you disobey it, then you are bringing God into contempt. As scripture says: It is your fault that the name of God is held in contempt among the nations. What the Saints and Prophets are saying in this passage is that the very fact that God has avenged Himself upon His own covenant people is proof that His judgments are true and righteous. God is not arbitrary in His judgments. Yahweh judged the False Bride Prostitute City, found her guilty, and avenged the blood of His servants at her hand (see 19:2)!

Question: If this city is first-century AD Jerusalem, what prophecy that Jesus made concerning Jerusalem was fulfilled in her destruction? See Matthew 23:33-37.
Answer: His last week in Jerusalem, Jesus condemned the religious authorities, saying: "You serpents, brood of vipers, how can you escape being condemned to hell? ... and so you will draw down on yourselves the blood of every upright person that has been shed on earth.... In truth I tell you, it will all recoil on this generation. Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you that kill the prophets and stone those who are sent to you!" (verses 35-37).

In Revelation 19:2, there is also a connection to the Old Testament Queen Jezebel, who murdered God's prophets: and he has condemned the great prostitute who corrupted the earth with her prostitution; he has avenged the blood of his servants which she shed (by her hand). You may remember an earlier symbolic reference to a woman Jesus referred to symbolically as "Jezebel" in Revelation 2:20. Jezebel was a Sidonian Queen of Israel who persecuted and murdered God's faithful servants (1 Kng 18:4, 13), and she used false witnesses to slander them (1 Kng 21:1-16) just as the Jerusalem authorities used false witnesses to slander Christ (Mt 26:59-61). God's judgment on Jezebel came through his agent, Jebu. Revelation 19:2 echoes Jehu's judgment against Jezebel in 2 Kings 9:7 when he said, "that I may avenge the blood of my servants the prophets, and the blood of all the servants of Yahweh by the hand of Jezebel" compare with "he has avenged the blood of his servants which she shed (by her hand)."

Like the Harlot Queen of Israel, the Harlot City refused to repent (Rev 16:9 & 11). Just as Jezebel "painted her eyes and adorned her head" to flaunt her position of authority in an attempt to ward off her destruction, Israel is described in the same way before her destruction in 587 BC (see Jeremiah 4:30 and Ezekiel 23:40) as an apostate city dressed in the garments of Old Covenant liturgy. What has fallen on the Prostitute City is what Jesus prophesied in Luke 21:22 when He said, "These are the days of (vengeance) retribution in order that all things that are written may be fulfilled."

Reading or hearing the song of victory in this chapter would also have reminded the 1^st century AD Christians of the last passage of The Song of Witness that God commanded Moses and Joshua to teach God's covenant people Israel in Deuteronomy Chapter 32. The Song of Witness was especially familiar to Jewish Christians since the congregation sang it in the Sabbath liturgy in the Synagogue and the Temple in Jerusalem: Heavens, rejoice with him, let all the children of God pay him homage! Nations, rejoice with his people, let God's envoys tell of his power! For he will avenge the blood of his servants, he will return vengeance to my foes, he will repay those who hate him and purify his people's country (Dt 32:43).

3 And again they sang, "Alleluia! The smoke of her will rise forever and ever." 4 Then the twenty-four elders and the four living creatures threw themselves down and worshipped God seated on his throne, and they cried, "Amen, Alleluia."
In part two of the victory hymn, the multitude repeats "Alleluia/Hallelujah" as the twenty-four elders and four living creatures (the ministerial authority and the angels who represent the forces of nature) bow down before the throne of God. John last saw the elders in 14:3, singing a "new song."

In addition to "Alleluia," which appears only four times in the New Testament in Revelation 19:1, 3, 4, and 6, the saints and angels cry out "Amen," a word that appears nine times in the Book of Revelation 1:6, 7; 3:14; 5:14; 7:12 (twice); 19:4; and 22:20. Amen is an acrostic formed from the letters of three Hebrew words: El melech ne'eman, which means, "God is a trustworthy king."

Question: From where does the smoke rise in verse 3? What are its symbolic names (see Rev 11:8; 14:8; 16:19; 17:5; 18:2, 10, 21), and what city is it according to 11:8?
Answer: From the "Great City" symbolized as Sodom, Egypt, and Babylon, "where our Lord was crucified," Jerusalem.

Question: What did the rising of smoke symbolize in the Old Covenant's liturgy? How is that linked to the destruction of the city? See Gen 8:21; Ex 29:18; Lev 1:9; and Num 28:2.
Answer: The smoke from the burning offerings rose from the Temple's altar, signifying God's acceptance of the sacrifices. The city destroyed by fire reminds us of the destruction of Sodom in the Old Testament, but the burning city is also a sacrificial offering to Yahweh.

In the ritual of sacrifice on Yahweh's altar, the offering became assimilated into the smoke as it ascended to heaven, where Yahweh accepted it "as a pleasing smell" from the essence of the smoke. This rising smoke from the city symbolized the sacrifice ascending to Yahweh called the olah.

Interestingly, the specific wording here comes from Isaiah's description of the punishment of Edom in Isaiah 34:10, its smoke rising forever. The flames of the Prostitute City burned out long ago, but the phrase "forever and ever" indicates that her punishment is eternal! She will never be resurrected to her former spiritual state! Old Covenant Israel is gone forever!

Notice the posture of the worshippers in verse 4: Then the twenty-four elders and the four living creatures threw themselves down and worshipped God seated on his throne, and they cried, "Amen, Alleluia." The Hebrew translation of "Amen, Alleluia" is "God is a trustworthy King, praise You, Yahweh!"

Question: In the third division of the hymn (verse 4), who answers in response to the singing of the multitude?
Answer: The response is from the twenty-four elders and the four living creatures.

The twenty-four elders and four Living Creatures represent the Church in Heaven united with all earthly creation in offering worship to God. They fall on their knees or prostrate themselves in adoration before Him. Once again, John witnesses the expression of worship through the posture of the Saints and angels.

Is it essential in our liturgy that we observe a worshipful spiritual and physical attitude. Do you bless yourself with holy water before entering the Sanctuary as a reminder of your baptismal vows? Do you reverence God's holy altar and the Tabernacle if present upon entering? Do you maintain a worshipful and respectful attitude in God's presence by not letting your mind drift away from the liturgy of worship? Do you see the modern Church's casual approach to conforming to a spiritual as well as a physical expression of adoration for God as laziness or lack of formal training and catechesis? What has been your experience in the instruction of the correct posture?

5 Then a voice came from the throne; it said, "Praise our God, you servants of his and those who fear him, small and great alike."
Question: Whose voice do you think announces the 4^th part of the liturgical hymn? From where does it come?
Answer: The voice is from the throne of God and, therefore, it is probably the voice of God the Father Himself or the Christ.

The voice could belong to Christ, who calls on the redeemed to praise God (see Rev 16:17; Rom 8:29; Heb 2:11-12). Most commentators favor the voice as Christ because it takes the part of the officiant in the liturgical assembly. The voice addresses the Church as a whole, His "servants, those who fear Him, the small and the great." Do you see any connection to the liturgy of the Mass here?

6 And I heard what seemed to be the voices of a huge crowd, like the sound of the ocean (polus hydra = many waters) or the great roar of thunder, answering, Alleluia! The reign of the Lord our God Almighty has begun; 7 let us be glad and joyful and give glory to God because this is the time for the marriage of the Lamb. 8 His bride is ready, and she has been able to dress herself in dazzling white linen because her linen is made of the good deeds of the saints.'
In this last part of the victory hymn, all Heaven responds to the officiant's invitation!

Question: What is the symbolic imagery in this passage?
Answer: The imagery identifies the Church as the Bride of Christ, the Bridegroom.

Question: How is the Bride dressed, and what is the symbolic significance?
Answer: Her wedding garment is white (the symbol of ritual purity), and the texture of her clothing is the good deeds of the saints. She is the sinless Bride of Christ, the sinless Bridegroom.

Notice the significance of the keywords and phrases: voices of a huge crowd (multitude) like the sound of the ocean (polus hydra), and the great roar of thunder. It is imagery associated with the Glory-Cloud that has assumed the Church/Bride into itself to consummate the marriage!

Did you notice that the True Bride does not appear for the marriage ceremony until the destruction of the False Bride? Some commentators see this as the symbolic divorce of the Old Covenant Bride (Israel) before the establishment of the New Covenant Bride (the Universal Church). However, with the statements Jesus made about forbidding divorce in a covenantal union (Mt 19:1-9), perhaps the death of the Old Covenant Bride (symbolized by the destruction of the Temple) had to take place before the Bridegroom can welcome the new Bride to the marriage feast. In any event, the Old must pass away before the New can take its place. It is as the inspired writer stated in Hebrews 9:8 ~ as long as the old tent stands, the way into the holy place is not opened up.

The appearance of the Bride ready for the marriage covenant is the "opening up" of the New Covenant Church. Under the Old Covenant, the people of God had no way opened for them to full union with the Father, but now, under the New Covenant, Christ Himself is the way to the Father, as He said in John 14:6 ~ "I AM the way; IAM Truth and Life. No one can come to the Father except through me." And we are told in the Letter to the Hebrews 10:19, We have then, brothers, complete confidence through the blood of Jesus in entering the sanctuary, by a new way which he has opened for us, a living opening through the curtain, that is to say, his flesh.

In Revelation 19:6-8, we have the fifth portion of the liturgy. The first Hallelujah of the great heavenly multitude (verse 1) praised God for His sovereignty in the judgment of the Great Prostitute City. Then, the "Alleluia/Hallelujah" of all the angels and saints praises God again for His sovereignty. However, this time the praise is for the marriage supper of the Lamb and His Bride, the New Covenant Church. Once again, this contrast only makes sense if the False Bride-Prostitute City is the Old Covenant Church. This action marks an entirely new epoch in Salvation History. God is not just taking Gentile believers into the Covenant (He did this even in the Old Covenant when Gentiles had the opportunity to convert and become active members of the Old Covenant Church), but now He is bringing in "the age/world to come" promised in the Letter to the Hebrews:

• It was not under angels that he put the world to come, about which we are speaking (Heb 2:5).
• As for those people who were once brought into the light, and tasted the gift from heaven, and received a share of the Holy Spirit, and tasted the goodness of God's message and the powers of the world to come (Heb 6:4-5).

8 His bride is ready, and she has been able to dress herself in dazzling white linen, because her linen is made of the good deeds of the saints.
The voice from the throne announces: "His Bride is ready." The Bride's linen gown is glowing white because the good deeds of the saints give glory to Christ and His Kingdom of the Church!

For more on the necessity of faith and works, see James 2:14-26. In James 2:14, St. James wrote: How does it help, my brothers, when someone who has never done a single good act claims to have faith? Will that faith bring salvation? Then, James answers his question when he writes in verse 17, In the same way faith, if good deeds do not go with it, it is quite dead. And then in verse 26, James writes: As a body without a spirit is dead, so is faith without deeds. There can be no separation between the faith of the Church and her works/deeds! The gift of faith remains in one who has not sinned against it, but faith apart from works is dead (Jam 2:26). Faith deprived of hope and love does not fully unite the believer to Jesus and does not make him/her a living member of Christ's Body (see CCC 162, 2447, 1814, and 1815).

St. Paul wrote that Christ's sacrifice on the cross was the redemption of the Bride: Christ loved the Church and sacrificed himself for her to make her holy by washing her in cleansing water with a form of words, so that when he took the church to himself she would be glorious, with no speck or wrinkle or anything like that, but holy and faultless (Eph 5:25-27).
Question: Whose duty was it during the "Last Days" of the Old Covenant to prepare the Bride for her nuptials? See 2 Cor 11:2-3.
Answer: The Twelve Apostles and their evangelist apostles like St. Paul. As Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians: The jealousy that I feel for you is, you see, God's own jealousy: I gave you all in marriage to a single husband, a virgin pure for presentation to Christ.

9 The angel said, "Write this, Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding feast of the Lamb," and he added, "These words of God are true"
Verse 9 is the fourth of the seven blessings or beatitudes in the Book of Revelation.

Question: What is the Wedding Feast of the Lamb mentioned in 19:9? Why is it finally taking place?
Answer: It is the Most Holy Eucharist, the sacred meal that established communion with God. With the end of the old Temple liturgy and the establishment of the New Covenant Bride of Christ, the communion celebration of the Church is fully revealed in its true form and nature as "the Marriage Supper of the Lamb."

In the Old Covenant, the Todah ("thanksgiving" in Hebrew) was the sacred communion meal of the faithful. Now, the New Covenant Todah/Eucharist (the Greek word Eucharistia means "thansgaiving") is the center and the summit of Christian worship. It is what we do when we come together on the Lord's Day as Jesus commanded at the Last Supper, saying: "DO THIS in remembrance of Me" (Lk 22:19). He commands us to take part in the heart of Christian worship and receive the Sacrament of the Body and Blood of our Lord. We can see this reflected in the New Testament in Acts 20:7 that records: On the first day of the week, we met for the breaking of bread (also see 1 Cor 10:16-17 and 11:20-34).

The first catechism of the Catholic Church, written sometime between AD 50 and 120, known as the Teaching of the Twelve Apostles or the Didache (teaching), describes the Eucharistic banquet: "But every Lord's Day gather yourselves together and break bread, and give thanksgiving after having confessed your transgressions, that your sacrifice may be pure." St. Justin the Martyr's explanation of Christian practices to Roman Emperor Antonius Pius (circa AD 155) is the oldest surviving account of the celebration of the Eucharist. St. Justin wrote: "On the day called Sunday, all who live in cities or in the country gather together to one place, and the memoirs of the apostles (the Gospels & Epistles) or the writings of the prophets (Old Testament) are read, as long as time permits; then when the reader has ceased, the president verbally instructs and exhorts to the imitation of these good things (the homily or sermon). Then we all rise and pray, and as we before said, when our prayer is ended, bread and wine and water are brought, and the president in like manner offers prayers and thanksgivings, according to his ability, and the people assent, saying, Amen'; there is a distribution to each and a participation of that over which thanks has been given, and to those who are absent a portion is sent by the deacons."

The greatest privilege of the Church in the past and today is her weekly celebration and participation in the Eucharistic meal, the Marriage Supper of the Lamb on earth and in Heaven. The heavenly assembly celebrates Eucharist as we join with them on earth in "lifting up our hearts." John's vision in Revelation Chapter 19 is the Eucharistic liturgy in Heaven!

10 Then I knelt at his feet to worship him, but he said to me "Never do that: I am your fellow-servant and the fellow-servant of all your brothers who have in themselves the witness of Jesus. God alone you must worship." The witness of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.
The most obvious interpretation of the angel's rebuke in verse 10 is a warning against the worship of heavenly powers. We worship only God, as the angel tells John (see Col 2:18; Heb 1:14; 2:5). But Dr. Scott Hahn (Franciscan University of Steubenville) has another suggestion. The Greek word for "worship"' in this passage is proskyneo, which means "to prostrate oneself." It is one of several Greek words translated as "worship' in the New Testament. Dr. Hahn suggests a better translation might be "do homage" since to prostrate oneself was the typical sign of respect one gave to someone in authority (to God as well as to governors or kings). Dr. Hahn's point is that the angel is telling John that he is not in authority over John; their relationship with one another is one of fellow servants of the Most Holy Trinity.

Question: With the establishment of the New Covenant, what would be the sudden change in the relationship of believers to angels possibly reflected in the angel's statement? How does the angel characterize his relationship with John and other believers?
Answer: With Christ's sacrifice on the Cross, opening the "gates of heaven" to believers through the forgiveness of their sins, for the first time, human beings, "in spirit," have access to God just as the angels have the same access. We are now "fellow-servants" and "fellow witnesses" to Christ along with heavenly beings.

The phrase, the witness of Jesus, at the end of verse 10, is the word of God, which Jesus testifies the Holy Spirit implants in every person "reborn from above" in the Sacrament of Baptism. It is Holy Spirit generated belief that inspired the prophets down through Salvation History (see Rev 1:2; 6:9; 12:17).

Yahweh came in judgment on His fallen covenant people throughout Salvation History. Israel was His Bride, but she fell under Divine Judgment in the Assyrian conquest of 722 BC, the Babylonian conquest of 587 BC, and by the Romans in AD 67-70. So too shall we all be judged at the end of time in the earthly Temples of our bodies. Divine Judgment will also come to the New Covenant Church and all humanity at the Second Advent of Christ.

Revelation 19:11-21 ~ The Beginning of the Last Seven Visions: Rider on the White Horse
11 And now I saw [And I saw = kai edion] heaven open and a white horse appear; its rider was called Trustworthy and True; in uprightness he judges and makes war. 12 His eyes were flames of fire, and he was crowned with many coronets; the name written on him was known only to himself,13 his cloak was soaked in blood. He is known by the name, The Word of God. 14 Behind him, dressed in linen of dazzling white, rode the armies of heaven on white horses. 15 From his mouth came a sharp sword with which to strike the unbelievers; he is the one who will rule them with an iron scepter, and tread out the wine(press) of Almighty God's fierce retribution. 16 On his cloak on and his thigh a name was written: King of kings and Lord of lords. [...] = IBGE, vol. IV, page 693.

Verse 11 begins the first of the final series of seven visions, each of which begins with the phrase kai eidon = and I saw:

*In the sixth vision, the phrase "And I saw" [kai eidon] appears twice in 20:11 and 12.

The scholars who wrote the translation of these passages have varied the beginning of each vision to avoid repetition. This may be more pleasing in modern literary construction, but, unfortunately, it loses the significance of the repeated phrase that identifies each vision. There are seven visions, but eight uses of kai eidon that appears twice in 20:11 and 12. The number 8 is associated with salvation, resurrection and regeneration (i.e., Israelite boy babies were circumcised on the 8^th day after birth, symbolizing their rebirth into the covenant with Yahweh; Jesus' resurrection was on the day after the 7^th day Jewish Sabbath = the 8^th day, and the gematria of Jesus' name in Greek is 888). John will use the phrase kai eidon the 8^th time with the seventh vision (Rev 21:1), which is the vision of the new Heaven and earth = regeneration.

Question: Can you identify the heroic figure on the white horse? What name written on his cloak and thigh and the statement of his authority in verse 15b help to identify this mysterious figure? See Rev 12:5, 15:3, 17:14, 19:13 and 16.
Answer: He is Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the name that is above all other names, who is "King of kings and Lord of lords" destined "to rule all nations with an iron scepter."

Verse 11 introduces a pivotal moment in Salvation history. After receiving the revelation of the Marriage Supper of the Lamb (Most Holy Eucharist), John suddenly experiences Heaven opening wide and discovers that every barrier between Christ and himself removed. John sees Christ as the victorious King. His description of Christ in verse 11 recalls Revelation 1:5 and 3:14, and His eyes were flames of fire (verse 12) is the same description of Christ that John gave in Revelation 1:14. His many crowns further identify him as the sovereign ruler of the entire earth. John's invitation to Communion with Christ is the same invitation that we receive every Lord's Day when Heaven opens, and our Lord and Savior, the Divine Bridegroom, reveals Himself to us, the Bride.

Question: What are the two titles of Christ in 19:11? What is His mission, and what is the symbolism of the white horse? See Rev 3:14.
Answer:

1. Christ is called "Trustworthy and True" (some translations will have "Trustworthy and Faithful").
2. The white horse is symbolic of Christ's victory and dominion over the earth.

He rides forth to victory as "the faithful and true Witness," anticipated in Revelation 3:14, as He judges humanity and wages war against sin and Satan.

Scholars disagree if Christ is riding forth in judgment at His Second Advent at the end of time, or if John is witnessing the victorious progress of the Gospel throughout the world in the universal proclamation of the message of salvation which follows Christ's First Advent and the destruction of the False Bride of the Old Covenant Church. There may be a connection between this vision and Christ's message to the church at Laodicea, where He is also identified as "the trustworthy, the true witness" (Rev 3:14). Then, in 3:19-21, He says, "I reprove and train those whom I love: so repent in real earnest. Look, I am standing at the door, knocking. If one of you hears me calling and opens the door, I will come in the share a meal at that person's side. Anyone who proves victorious I will allow to share my throne, just as I have myself overcome and have taken my seat with my Father on his throne." Perhaps the answer is that in righteousness, Christ judges and makes war by riding to do battle against the forces of evil on the earth as He rules and defends His Bride. However, Jesus will also reveal Himself to us (as He revealed Himself to John) when the Archangel shouts and the shofar sounds. Then He will come to bring judgment on the world at the End of the Age that marks the end of time as we know it (1 Thess 4:16).

After commenting on Christ's many crowns, John sees that there is a name written, but the name written on him was known only to himself. Then, in verse 13, John seems to be contradicting himself when he tells us the name. The correct interpretation of this passage may lie in understanding the use of the words for "to know," in Greek ginosko and oida. In this case, the word is oida. The difficulty may be that once again, we could be confused by the fact that John is writing in Greek but thinking in Hebrew. In Hebrew, the word "to know" is influenced by a Hebrew idiom which, in the verb form, acquires related meanings: to have intimate knowledge (as in sexual knowledge or in the intimacy of a covenant relationship), or to acknowledge, to acknowledge as one's own, or to own. In other New Testament passages the Greek word that indicates knowing in the sense of covenant is ginosko, not the word in this verse. In this verse, using the word oida, it isn't that no one can "know" (have knowledge of) the name's meaning but that He alone properly owns the name; in other words, it belongs only to Christ. John gives us an indication the "Jewishness" of his thought process in the chiastic structure of this passage:

The Chiastic Pattern of Revelation 19:12-16

• A-1. He has a name written which no one knows' (owns) except Himself (verse.12b)
  • B-1. He wears a robe dipped in blood (verse 13a)
    • C-1.His name is called the Word of God (verse 13b)
    • C-2.From His mouth comes a sharp two-edged sword (verse 15a)
  • B-2.He treads the wine (press) of God's fierce retribution (verse 15b)
• A-2. On His robe and on His thigh He has a name written: King of Kings, Lord of Lords (verse 16)

The chiastic pattern answers other questions. Look at the pattern and answer these questions:

Question: What is the sharp sword of verse 15a? See Heb 4:12, Rev 1:16 and 19:13b.
Answer: The Word of God is sharper than any two-edged sword (Heb 4:12), which John saw in his first vision of Jesus in Revelation 1:16. The sword of 15a answers to 13b's characterization of Christ as the Word of God.

In verse 13, his cloak was soaked with blood. The answer as to how Christ's cloak becomes bloody is in Revelation 19:15b and Isaiah 63:2-4. His cloak became bloody treading the wine of God's fierce retribution (Rev 19:15b). The prophet Isaiah writes in Is 63:2-4, Why are your garments red, your clothes like someone treading the winepress? I have trodden the winepress alone; of my people, not one was with me. So I trod them down in my anger, I trampled on them in my wrath. Their blood squirted over my garments and all my clothes are stained. For I have decided on a day of vengeance, my year of retribution has come. The blood from the winepress is that of Christ's enemies, the recipients of God "grapes of wrath" in Chapter 18, and also as we saw in Revelation 14:19-20, there is a sense in which the blood is also from Christ's own sacrifice.

Scholar David Chilton points out that Revelation 19:11-16 is a replay of the Incarnation and Ascension, drawing on John's imagery from his Gospel:

• Christ, the "Word," came down from Heaven to become flesh
• He taught the word of God only to be assailed by His enemies
• His blood atoned for the sins of man
• In His bloody crucifixion and resurrection, He was victorious over sin and death
• He ascended to Heaven to be enthroned as King of kings.

Revelation 19:11-16 repeats the same imagery:

• The heavens open and He descends to earth (19:11)
• He is the "Word" (19:13)
• He does battle with His enemies (19:13-15)
• He wears a cloak soaked in blood (19:13)
• He is the victorious King of kings and Lord of lords (19:16)

Question: What is the name that verse 12b says Christ uniquely owns in verse 16, and what words are on His cloak and His thigh?
Answer: "The Word of God" and "King of kings and Lord of lords." They are the same in identifying Jesus Christ.

He IS the WORD of God, and therefore He IS the "King of kings and the Lord of lords." Interestingly, John tells us in Revelation 19:16 that "a name is written" (present tense). The gematria for Lord of lords, King of kings in Aramaic, excluding the "and" to make it a single "name" is the number 777. Christ is a trinity of perfection, while the Beast (666) and his followers will always fall short of it (see Massyngberde-Ford quoting P.W. Skehanpage page 324).

The name written in blood on His cloak is probably His blood, but why is it written on His thigh? It is on His thigh because that is where He carries His sword, which is "The Word of God," the mighty Holy Spirit-Sword of God. It is this "Word," which judges.

• John 12:48 ~ anyone who rejects me and refuses my words has his judge already: the Word itself that I have spoken will be his judge on the last day.
• Hebrews 4:12 ~ The word of God is something alive and active: it cuts more incisively than any two-edged sword: it can seek out the place where soul is divided from spirit, or joints from marrow; it can pass judgment on secret emotions and thoughts.

Revelation 19:17-21 ~ The Second Vision: The Scavenger's Feast
17 I saw [And I saw = kai eidon] an angel standing in the sun, and he shouted aloud to all the birds that were flying high overhead in the sky, "Come here. Gather together at God's great feast. 18 You will eat the flesh of kings, and the flesh of great generals and heroes, the flesh of horses and their riders and of all kinds of people, citizens, and slaves, small and great alike." [...] = IBGE, vol. IV, page 693.

Verses 17-18 describe the second of the final seven visions. In this vision, an angel standing in the sun proclaims another "great feast." Like the "angel of the covenant" in Malachi Chapter 3, he stands in the reflected glory of God and calls out the Day of Yahweh: Look, I shall send my messenger to clear a way before me. And suddenly the Lord whom you seek will come to his Temple; yes, the angel of the covenant for whom you long, is on his way, says Yahweh Sabaoth. Who will be able to resist the day of his coming? Who will remain standing when he appears? For he will be like a refiner's fire, like fullers' alkai (Mal 3:1-2). Christ is the "Sun of Righteousness" whose face was like the sun shining with all its force (Rev 1:16). He called His Bride to the Eucharistic banquet and issues an invitation to all the birds that were flying high overhead in the sky, or more literally, "all the birds that fly in midheaven."

Question: Do you remember where we have seen this reference to midheaven two other times? See Rev 8:13 and 14:6.
Answer: In Revelation 8:13, midheaven was where the Eagle/cherubim warned of approaching disaster, and in 14:6, when an angel stood and invited the rulers of the earth to embrace the eternal Gospel.

Now an angel invites the birds of prey to the "Great Supper of God" where they can glut themselves on the flesh of Christ's enemies.
Question: Who are the birds of prey invited to feast upon?
Answer: Kings, commanders, mighty men, horses and their riders, all men both free and slaves, and small and great. There are nine classifications; 9 is the number of judgment.

These verses recall the curse in Deuteronomy 28:26 and Ezekiel 39:17-18 for those who rejected the Covenant of Yahweh:

• Deuteronomy 28:26 ~ Your carcass will be carrion for all wild birds and all wild animals with no one to scare them away.
• Ezekiel 39:17-20 ~ Say to the birds of every kind and to all the wild animals: Muster, come, gather from everywhere around for the sacrifice I am making for you, a great sacrifice on the mountains of Israel, so that you can eat flesh and drink blood. You will eat the flesh of heroes, you will drink the blood of the princes of the world. They are all rams and lambs, goats and fat bulls of Bashan. You will glut yourselves on fat and drink yourselves drunk on blood at this sacrifice I am making for you. You will glut yourselves at my table on horses and chargers, on heroes and every kind of warrior, declares the Lord Yahweh.

The horror of this passage is that this is a negative sacrament! The message is either you drink the blood and eat the flesh of the Son of God as He promised in John Chapter 6 and offered at the Last Supper, or you will find yourself consumed as a sacrifice to your sin and rejection of Christ as Israel had become a sacrificial corpse, and there will be no one to drive the scavengers away. Those nations that refuse to submit to the lordship of Christ will be utterly destroyed/consumed by their sins.

This is not only a sacrifice but also perhaps a cleansing. Birds of prey help to clean the land of dead carrion. Those who refuse Christ are dead spiritually. The reference to the birds of prey not only emphasizes the totality of the judgment but may also point to the desired result that is both cleansing and redemptive.

Revelation 19:19-21 ~ The Third Vision: The Destruction of the Beast
19 Then I saw [And I saw = kai eidon] the beast, with all the kings of the earth and their armies, gathered to fight the Rider and his army. 20 But the beast was taken prisoner, together with the false prophet who had worked miracles [signs] on the beast's behalf and by them had deceived those who had accepted the branding with the mark of the beast and those who had worshipped his statue. These two were hurled alive into the fiery lake of burning sulphur. 21 All the rest were killed by the sword of the Rider, which came out of his mouth, and all the birds glutted themselves with their flesh. [...] = IBGE, vol. IV, page 693.

Verses 19-21 reveal the third of the seven last visions with the defeat of the mission of the Satan-inspired sea beast and the land beast known as the false prophet. Christ the King, together with His army of the Church glorified (in Heaven) and the Church militant (on earth) are in open warfare against Satan and his forces. The agents of Satan suffer defeat and are thrown into Gehenna, the Lake of Fire that is the Hell of the damned. Rome, the sea beast, the fourth Kingdom that devoured all other kingdoms (Dan 2:40), also falls under divine judgment. Like Sodom and Babylonia, pagan Rome and her vassal kings will one day be conquered and destroyed, and Israel/Judea, the false prophet, suffers the fate of the false prophets like Korah, Dathan, and Abiram (in Num 16:31-33) who were "swallowed up alive" when they stood in opposition to God's representatives (Moses and Aaron).
Question: But there is a notable contrast between the destruction of the sea beast and the false prophet and the beast's followers. What is the difference?

Answer: The slaying of kings of the earth with the sword that comes out of Christ's mouth.

Question: What is the sword that comes from Christ's mouth, and what does this mean in the judgment of the followers of the beast and the false prophet? See Heb 4:12-13.
Answer: The sword is the Word of God from the mouth of Christ. The Gospel, the Word-sword of the Holy Spirit, will destroy His enemies by conquering them either by converting them or by judging them: seeking out the place where soul is divided from spirit or joints from marrow; it can pass judgment on secret emotions and thoughts. No created thing is hidden from him; everything is uncovered and stretched fully open to the eyes of the one to whom we must give account of ourselves (Heb 4:12-13).

In the next chapter, we will be looking forward in time to the Second Advent of Christ. Chapter 20 is the most challenging chapter of the most difficult book in the Bible. Next week: The Thousand Year Reign of Christ!

Catechism references for this lesson (* indicates Scripture quoted or paraphrased in the citation):
Rev 19:1-8 (CCC 2642*); 19:1-9 (CCC 677*); 19:6 (CCC 865*); 19:7 (CCC 757*, 1602, 1612); 19:9 (CCC 1329*, 1602, 1612)

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