BOOK OF REVELATION
Lesson 42 - Chapter 19 Continued
To begin we're going to review some of the complex matters we discussed last week. The first
is the issue of trying to square Daniel's interpretation of Nebuchadnezzar's dream-statue that
he said represented 4 kingdoms (3 of which were future kingdoms that were to come in
succession after Babylon) versus John's vision of a 7 headed Beast whose heads were said to
represent 7 mountains that themselves symbolize governments or kingdoms... some of them in
his past, some future to him. Part of the key to understanding how these 2 sets of kingdom lists
compare is to notice that while Daniel's begins with Nebuchadnezzar's kingdom (Babylon) and
ends with the Roman kingdom, John's vision offers a panoramic tour of history that is broader,
more inclusive, and so lists more kingdoms. Thus we can say that the primary difference
between the two lists of kingdoms is that Daniel's list is limited and incomplete as compared to
John's. However it is only incomplete because Daniel's list was centuries earlier than John's
and because it was designed to communicate one purpose, while John's list was designed to
communicate a different purpose.
John's list begins with the Egyptian Kingdom that existed more than 10 centuries before
Daniel's Babylon: why? It is because John's list deals with all the kingdoms that had, have, and
will have a direct relationship with, and impact upon, Israel. The first kingdom of history past to
directly deal with Israel was the Egyptian Kingdom. No kingdom before Egypt had any dealings
with Israel (such as the one that is called the Old Babylonian Kingdom that flourished at its
height under Hammurabi not long after the Great Flood) because Israel didn't come into
existence until well into the Egyptian Kingdom period. As we follow the progression of John's 7
kingdoms, all gentile of course, (Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, Media-Persia, Greek, Rome, and
then the Ottoman) it is clear that Israel suffered under every one of them. And an 8th kingdom
that is still in our future (the kingdom of the Anti-Christ) will again persecute Israel.
Daniel's list omits the ancient Egyptian and Assyrian kingdoms that came before Babylon that
was established late in the 7th century BC; but then his list of kingdoms continues in
agreement with John's list because after Babylon comes the Media-Persian, Greek and Roman
kingdoms. Daniel's list goes no further forward than Rome and omits the future Ottoman
Empire and the even more future kingdom of the Anti-Christ. Why? Because the specific
purpose of Daniel's kingdom list was to show King Nebuchadnezzar what was going to happen
to his empire in the future. Before beginning his interpretation of the dream Daniel says to
Nebuchadnezzar:
CJB
Daniel 2:29-30
29
"Your majesty, when you were in bed, you began thinking about
what would take place in the future; and he who reveals secrets has revealed to you
what will happen.
30
Yet this secret has not been revealed to me because I am wiser than
anyone living, but so that the meaning can be made known to your majesty, and then
you can understand the thoughts of your own mind.
1 / 9

Nebuchadnezzar's Babylon would be seized by the Media-Persians. Then the Media-Persians
would lose the kingdom to the Greeks. And then the Greeks would lose the kingdom to the
Romans. But, for the most part, the land mass and the various nations controlled by Babylon
and then each of the 3 succeeding empires or kingdoms was approximately the same. That is:
roughly the same area changed hands over the centuries and so was controlled by different
governments. And what would be the history changing event that occurred during the 4th
kingdom of Nebuchadnezzar's vision that was the Roman Empire period? The advent of Christ.
And thus in Daniel's interpretation, he can take it no further forward than when the rock
(presumably Jesus Christ) comes and symbolically smashes the entire statue that represents
the 4 kingdoms of Nebuchadnezzar's dream. So Daniel takes us from his time in exile in
Babylon (just after 600 B.C.) to the first coming of Christ (about 4 B.C.) John, however, deals
primarily with the second coming of Christ in the End Times that is still ahead of us.
The second matter I'd like to review is this issue of kingdoms versus kings. That is, Revelation
tells us that there is to be a succession of 7 kingdoms before the End Times, but there is also
to be a succession of 7 kings before the End Times. It has been assumed almost universally
that each of the 7 kings is directly attached to, and ruled over, one or another of each of the 7
kingdoms. One king to one kingdom. However, there's much ambiguity in the wording of what
Daniel says about this, as well as what John has to say about it, such that various Bible
scholars have suggested solutions ranging from these kings referring to 7 Catholic Popes, to it
referring to 7 successive Roman Emperors, all the way to trying to guess at which of the many
kings over each kingdom this might be indicating. My take is that I'm not at all convinced that
the 7 kings have a direct or sequential association with the 7 kingdoms. That is, there are 7
kingdoms that play significant roles in redemption history, and separately there are also 7 kings
who play significant roles in redemption history. And, in addition there will be an 8th kingdom in
the End Times that will coincide with the appearance of an 8th king. But as I said last week:
while it is fairly straightforward to conclude that the 8th kingdom will be ruled over by an 8th
king, the Anti-Christ, essentially that 8th kingdom is what once was the Babylon the Great of
the End Times. It's just that the Anti-Christ finds a way to put himself in charge of it by using
the several kings represented by the 10 horns of the Beast to do away with the government of
Babylon the Great.
The final matter I'd like to review is this issue of Revelation 19:6 saying that "Adonai, God of
heaven's armies, has begun his reign". This is a bit confusing because whether Jew or
Christian we've assumed that God has always reigned over His Creation. And yet there has
also been this issue of God allowing Satan to have much authority over earth's inhabitants as
the Prince of the Air. What I think is happening here is that this is speaking of a time when
history is entering into the Millennial Kingdom period. That is, after Satan has been chained up
and thrown into the abyss, after Armageddon, and after Christ has returned to claim His
Kingdom. And I especially think this proves out because of what comes next: the wedding of
the Lamb.
Let's re-read part of Revelation 19.
RE-READ REVELATION 19:6 - end
2 / 9

The scene that is unfolding is taking place mostly in Heaven; so it's important to remember that
every description of beings and objects in Heaven are fashioned after physical beings and
objects on earth to help humans get some kind of grasp on what is happening. And we have all
this rejoicing in Heaven going on because God has advanced His agenda of bringing evil
under control, and eradicating those who oppose Him, to an end. For the last few chapters in
Revelation this opposition has been symbolized by all that is Babylon the Great. Thus those
who have held on to their allegiance to God refusing to take on the mark of the Beast (even if it
meant their death) are rewarded for their perseverance.
Now we come to one of the most talked about events in Evangelical Christianity: the wedding
of the Lamb. And, says verses 7 and 8, the Lamb's bride has prepared herself in beautiful attire
that epitomizes her absolute purity. To begin verse 9 we are told that those who are invited to
the wedding feast are greatly blessed. The rather universally accepted understanding within
Christianity is that the bride of Christ is the Church, and that those invited to the wedding feast
are generally the same as the Church as well. Let's explore this by beginning with a passage
taken from Revelation 21.
CJB
Rev. 21:9-26
9
One of the seven angels having the seven bowls full of the seven last
plagues approached me and said, "Come! I will show you the Bride, the Wife of the
Lamb."
10
He carried me off in the Spirit to the top of a great, high mountain and showed
me the holy city, Yerushalayim, coming down out of heaven from God.
11
It had the
Sh'khinah of God, so that its brilliance was like that of a priceless jewel, like a crystal-
clear diamond.
12
It had a great, high wall with twelve gates; at the gates were twelve angels; and
inscribed on the gates were the names of the twelve tribes of Isra'el.
13
There were three gates to the east, three gates to the north, three gates to the south
and three gates to the west.
14
The wall of the city was built on twelve foundation-
stones, and on these were the twelve names of the twelve emissaries of the
Lamb.
15
The angel speaking with me had a gold measuring-rod with which to measure
the city, its gates and its wall.
16
The city is laid out in a square, its length equal to its
width. With his rod he measured the city at 1,500 miles, with length, width and height
the same.
17
He measured its wall at 216 feet by human standards of measurement,
which the angel was using.
18
The wall was made of diamond and the city of pure gold resembling pure glass.
19
The foundations of the city wall were decorated with all kinds of precious stones- the
first foundation stone was diamond, the second sapphire, the third chalcedony, the
fourth emerald,
20
the fifth sardonyx, the sixth carnelian, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the
ninth topaz, the tenth chrysoprase, the eleventh turquoise and the twelfth
amethyst.
21
The twelve gates were twelve pearls, with each gate made of a single pearl.
The city's main street was pure gold, transparent as glass.
3 / 9

22
I saw no Temple in the city, for ADONAI, God of heaven's armies, is its Temple, as is
the Lamb.
23
The city has no need for the sun or the moon to shine on it, because God's
Sh'khinah gives it light, and its lamp is the Lamb.
24
The nations will walk by its light,
and the kings of the earth will bring their splendor into it.
25
Its gates will never close, they stay open all day because night will not exist
there,
26
and the honor and splendor of the nations will be brought into it.
This passage specifically, clearly, unequivocally says that the new (redeemed) Jerusalem is
the Bride, the wife of the Lamb. Even more, the infrastructure of the new Jerusalem is
explained in some detail including that the city had 12 gates that were named for the 12 tribes
of Israel. Further, the city had 12 special foundation stones that were named for the 12 original
disciples of the Lamb..... who, if you'll remember..... were all Jews. So how are we to take this?
First let's discuss this accepted notion that it is the Church that is the Bride of the Lamb. Unless
one is from another planet and has just arrived on earth, it is common knowledge that to the
leadership of the institutional Church, and to the vast majority of its members, the Church is of,
by, and for gentile Believers in Christ. There are those who allow for Jews to join, but
generally only if they give up some or all of their Jewishness. There of course are what is
called Messianic Jews (Jews who trust Yeshua as Savior) who belong to Messianic
Synagogues. But the institutional Church generally does not include them in the definition of
"The Church". Actually, the institutional Church isn't quite sure what to do with Messianic Jews
since if they attend a synagogue it generally means to them that they are Jews who recognize
Christ as Savior but still depend on obedience to the Law as their means to salvation. This is
why I am most reluctant to accept the standard Christian viewpoint that the Bride of Christ is
the Church; it is because I understand what the Church means by that and also who it
excludes.
Second; are we to assume that since the bride is Jerusalem that Yeshua is marrying some
huge blocks of stone and several fabulous gates? That is; Yeshua's bride is literally the walls,
gates, and streets of the city of Jerusalem? The short answer is "no". All throughout the Bible
when Jerusalem is mentioned as being unfaithful to God, or Jerusalem is condemned for its
idolatrous ways, it is not referring to the stone blocks and paved streets; it means the
inhabitants of Jerusalem. And it means the same thing here in Revelation. So indeed, it is
redeemed people that call Jerusalem their home that are Christ's Bride. The redeemed people
consist of gentiles and Jews and yet the commemorative gates and foundation stones
memorialize Israelites and not gentiles. The city infrastructure is modeled after Israelite
Jerusalem even using the same city name. So once again Israel is front and center in God's
plan of redemption and gentile Believers need to realize that we have been graciously joined to
Israel and are neither superior to Israel nor are we Israel's replacements.
Let's flesh this out a little further. I have spoken to you in times past that the Bible tells us of 2
advents of Christ, and of 2 "latter days" or End Times that are directly connected to each of His
advents. But we also hear about 2 redemptions of Christ's people: Israel. The first was when
they were redeemed from Egypt and their oppressors were destroyed. Thereafter, at Mt. Sinai,
a covenant was agreed to between Israel and Yehoveh. From time immemorial Rabbis have
4 / 9

commented that on Mt. Sinai there was a betrothal of Israel (as the bride) to God (as the
husband). In the Old Testament Israel and Jerusalem are regularly called the bride of God.
Therefore it should be no surprise that there is a 2nd redemption of Israel in the End Times
that looks much like the 1st one, and that is at least partly what we are witnessing in
Revelation.
Marriage is a metaphor in the Bible for a covenant. I want to say this again because I'm not
sure this has ever taken hold among Believers. Marriage and covenant are very nearly one in
the same. A covenant between God and His worshippers creates an intimate and unbreakable
union. Since this occurs in the invisible spiritual sphere, God has provided a way for human
kind to better understand the force of effect of a covenant with Him by giving us the visible
institution of marriage in the physical sphere. This is why we read so much in the Bible about
weddings, brides, bridegrooms, husbands, wives, and we have several spiritual lessons given
to us by Yeshua that uses the illustration of marriage and betrothal; in fact He uses this in
some of His parables. A covenant with God is also guaranteed by God and therefore it will not
be broken.... at least on His side. It is why it breaks my heart to hear Christianity insist that God
not only broke, but discarded, His covenant with Moses that in reality is a covenant with
humanity for all those, Jew or gentile, who give their allegiance to the God of Israel and His
Son Yeshua. Such a claim is not only false and dishonest but it implies that God's covenants
are little more than typical human contracts that are regularly broken if one side has a reason
to get out it. Humans are inherently not trustworthy; but God is inherently faithful to His
covenants.
Believers are not currently married to Christ, but we are betrothed to Him. Our acceptance of
the God of Israel and His Son as our Savior enters us into this betrothal that is a covenant.
But.... the union has not been consummated such that a legal marriage is formed. This is
precisely how betrothal worked among Israel in ancient times. Betrothal is more than modern
engagement. It is closer to...but not quite... marriage. Until there was physical consummation
of the betrothed there was no marriage. In fact, officiated marriage ceremonies only came later
in Hebrew history. At first the betrothal was the highlight and then later when the agreed to
time arrived the couple would engage in physical intimacy and the new bride would present a
blood stained marriage cloth to her parents as proof of her virginity and of the consummation
(which in essence was the marriage ceremony). This marriage cloth was a prized possession
that was even kind of an ancient marriage certificate but also proof of her having never been in
union with a man before.
But here in Revelation 19 we have the actual wedding ceremony of the Lamb to His bride and
so the betrothed becomes the wife. The consummation is Yeshua's physical presence with us
forever and ever. The spiritual bond that we have with Messiah today as Believers is
strengthened to an unbreakable union at the marriage feast when He is with us physically and
spiritually. Thus we can read in verse 7 that the Bride has prepared herself, and then go to
Revelation 21:9 and see that the Bride is the new and redeemed Jerusalem that is descending
from Heaven. That is, the Bride is presented as singular..... one. However since the idea of
Jerusalem is not about the infrastructure but rather it is about the spiritual status of its
individual residents, then we can speak of this wedding feast in John's Apocalypse as it does in
verse 9 when we read that those who are invited to the wedding feast of the Lamb are blessed.
5 / 9

Those who are invited are the residents of the redeemed city of Jerusalem.... Jew and gentile
(and redeemed people are all that exists at this point in history). Together, corporately, these
many redeemed individuals of Jerusalem can be said to be the Bride of the Lamb represented
by the new Jerusalem.
The angel who had delivered this astounding oracle to John assured him that these were
God's very words. John was so overwhelmed that he fell in worship before the angel and
appropriately the angel scolded him for doing it. He says he's only a fellow servant along with
those humans who trust in Yeshua as their Lord and Savior. Then the angel says something
that has perplexed many Bible translators and teachers. He says: "For the testimony of Yeshua
is the Spirit of prophecy". There are so many explanations attempted for this verse that I'm
going to forego my usual custom of giving you 2 or 3 and just get right to what I think it is
saying. It can be rightly claimed that the Law of Moses always pointed to Christ. Christ said this
in the Gospel of John:
CJB
John 5:46
46
For if you really believed Moshe, you would believe me; because it
was about me that he wrote.
But it can be equally claimed that prophecy spoke about Yeshua as well. Therefore in this
instance the spirit of prophecy is like our speaking of the spirit of the Law. That is, the spirit
represents the overriding intent and real meaning behind the Law versus the letter of the Law,
which is the mechanical part of it. Therefore the spirit of prophecy is the overriding intent and
the real meaning behind prophecy. And Yeshua's testimony, or witness, is the realization of the
Gospel of salvation. Thus this difficult sentence means that the realization of the Gospel of
salvation through Yeshua is the overriding intent and real meaning behind all biblical prophecy.
Yes, prophecy portended real events over many centuries of history; but on a spiritual level
these portended events pointed towards, or even played a role in bringing about, the Gospel of
salvation through God's Son.
Verse 11 likely brings a new vision as John says he saw Heaven opened. In this vision he sees
a white horse. This is not the same as the white horse of the 4 horsemen of the Apocalypse
back in chapter 6. Here the white color indicates purity as its rider is called Faithful and
True. But this verse says something about the nature and character of Messiah Yeshua that
defies the overly simplistic mantra of the modern Church that says "Jesus is love". I probably
don't have to explain to most of you that the mental picture of Jesus as our best buddy, our
wish-genie, as someone who wouldn't harm a fly, and who winks and nods at our sins in the
name of love, is what is most prevalent today. And yet here in Revelation we are told that he
passes judgment (he makes a considered decision) in righteousness (He does it not in anger
or impulse but according to God's standard), and that His considered decision according to
God's standard is to wage war against the wicked. So, he goes forth and slays many. His eyes
look like a fiery flame; that is Christ's eyes burned with the passion to carry out the judicial
action of destructive vengeance that the Father has ordered. The Lamb has just taken a
backseat to the Lion. No more being the sacrifice for sins that saves people from God's wrath;
now Christ goes out as a Lion as God's wrath against sinners who refused God's free gift. The
warrior Messiah that the Jews of Yeshua's day had insisted upon finally makes His
appearance.
6 / 9

Yeshua has been know by many names over the centuries: Messiah, King, Lord, God's Son,
the Rock, Faithful and True to name a few. However in verse 12 we're told that He also has a
name that no one but Himself knows. Recall that biblically speaking names are less a means
of personal identification and more a statement of that person's attributes or character. That is
the sense we need to take it here. It is that there is another side of Yeshua that He has yet to
reveal. Some commentators say that His followers who know Him also know this name, but it
is the wicked who don't. I don't find this interpretation to be reasonable. It says ONLY Yeshua
Himself knows this special mysterious name. It allows no room for others of any ilk to know.
Verse 13 explains that He was wearing a robe dipped in blood. This is much like the verse
before this one regarding His name. That is, there are varying opinions about what it means
and whose blood is soaked into the robe; some commentators insist that it is Yeshua's own
sacrificial blood. But really I don't think it is that hard to determine. This blood soaked robe is
indicative of the countless lives of the wicked that He is taking. Listen to Isaiah 63.
CJB
Isaiah 63:1 - 4
1
Who is this, coming from Edom, from Botzrah with clothing stained
crimson, so magnificently dressed, so stately in his great strength? "It is I, who speak
victoriously, I, well able to save."
2
Why is your apparel red, your clothes like someone
treading a winepress?
3
"I have trodden the winepress alone; from the peoples, not one
was with me. So I trod them in my anger, trampled them in my fury; so their lifeblood
spurted out on my clothing, and I have stained all my garments;
4
for the day of
vengeance that was in my heart and my year of redemption have come.
There could be no clearer picture. This Isaiah passage connects directly to Revelation 19:13.
Notice in Isaiah how the rhetorical question is asked about who this person is whose clothing is
so heavily stained crimson (the color of blood). And the strange answer is that it is the war
victor who is speaking...... the same victor who is also able to save. Then the reason for the
blood stained robe is stated: "Their lifeblood spurted out on my clothing". What is the cause of
all this bloodshed? "The day of vengeance that was in my heart and my year of redemption
have come". So the question is answered: the horseman on the white horse (Christ) has a robe
stained with the blood of His enemies. Yeshua is the divine warrior carrying out divine
vengeance.
It is interesting to me that immediately, in the context of Yeshua judging and killing and wearing
a robe stained with the blood of His enemies, that we read: "He is called THE WORD OF
GOD". By what standard is Christ judging? It is by The Word of God. And this directly connects
to verse 15 that says that out of His mouth comes a sharp sword. This is not a military
instrument of war; the sharp sword is God's Word that instructs and divides. Its truth brings
eternal life to the righteous and eternal death to the wicked. And, I might add, it will be by this
same standard that Yeshua will rule over all the earth in the Millennial Kingdom age. Since He
is using this Word to judge, then it is a Word of judicial instruction. I contend it is the Torah.
And in a couple of verses we'll see another illusion to this.
Upon His white horse, Yeshua leads a huge army who is also riding upon white horses, once
again indicating purity. Now I want to stop and make a statement here that we need to
remember: these descriptions are figurative and symbolic. All of these horses and riders are
7 / 9

coming out of Heaven; therefore they can only be spiritual in nature and not physical. Thus the
description we read of them is using earthly terms as illustrations to help us understand what is
happening. I don't accept that when this day arrives that we'll look up in the sky and see a
cloud of white horses racing along the horizon. So who are these riders of the white horses?
Verse 14 is ambiguous as it uses the term "armies of heaven" that is usually reserved for
angels. And yet, we read that these riders are clothed in white linen, which has more of a
sense of these being the souls of Believers who were at one timing living human beings. I think
perhaps a good clue comes from the Gospel of Matthew. In the 25th chapter we read:
CJB
Matthew 25:31-34
31
"When the Son of Man comes in his glory, accompanied by all
the angels, he will sit on his glorious throne.
32
All the nations will be assembled before
him, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates sheep from
goats.
33
The 'sheep' he will place at his right hand and the 'goats' at his left.
34
"Then the
King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you whom my Father has blessed, take your
inheritance, the Kingdom prepared for you from the founding of the world.
This certainly sounds to me like Yeshua is explaining in Matthew what we are now reading
about in Revelation 19. When else does the Son of Man come in glory for the purpose of
assembling the nations for judgment and for assuming His seat on His throne? Clearly since
He is coming for war, and is also about to take His seat on the throne, this is taking place at
the inauguration of the Millennial Kingdom. In fact the very next verse (15) says that out of His
mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations. In earlier books of the Bible
this sharp sword is God's Word and so the idea is that His judgment of the nations is based
upon the Law of Moses. My conclusion is that the riders on the white horses are angels and
not the souls of Believers. However, I acknowledge that the riders on the white horses could be
in addition to all the angels Christ spoke about. I suppose we'll have to wait and see.
After the Lord has judged and struck down the rebellious and wicked nations, and He assumes
His seat on His throne in the Millennial Temple, we are told that He will rule them with a rod of
iron. Some believe that this connects with Psalm 2:9.
CJB
Psalm 2:9 You will break them with an iron rod, shatter them like a clay pot.'"
I am not convinced of the connection between Psalm 2 and Revelation 19. The main reason is
that Psalm 2:9 is about destroying. But the point of Revelation 19:15 is not destroying but
rather ruling. In fact, the Greek word used for ruling is poimaino and it means to feed or to
tend a flock; hardly a word that implies war or executions. But the meaning of His ruling
(tending the flock) with a rod of iron (instead of a Shepherd's staff) is unmistakable: iron is the
hardest, most unbending, unyielding metal there was in John's day. This means that Christ will
not be looking the other way at disobedience; there will be no tolerance whatsoever for sin and
evil. So by what standard will Yeshua rule? A standard which inherently has no tolerance for
sin and evil and always requires a price for bad behavior. The Torah; the Law of Moses. And in
fact when we read the final 8 chapters of Ezekiel that provides an excruciatingly detailed
blueprint of the Millennial Temple, and it calls for sacrifices at the altar and for most of the
Temple rituals to be reinstated by Levite Priests, clearly the Law Code in use at that time will
be the Law of Moses.
8 / 9

We'll conclude chapter 19 and being chapter 20 next week.
Powered by TCPDF (www.tcpdf.org)
9 / 9