Chapter 19:
| Darby
| Geneva
| Gill
| Jamieson Faussett Brown
| Johnson
| Matthew Henry
| Matthew Henry Concise
| McGee
| Wesley
| Index
| Bible Gateway |
Introduction 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 Jude Genesis
Revelation 19
Verse 1. I heard a loud voice of a great multitude - Whose blood the
great whore had shed. Saying, Hallelujah - This Hebrew word
signifies, Praise ye Jah, or Him that is. God named himself to
Moses, EHEIEH, that is, I will be, Exod. iii, 14; and at the same
time, "Jehovah," that is, "He that is, and was, and is to come:"
during the trumpet of the seventh angel, he is styled, "He that is
and was," chap. xvi, 5; and not "He that is to come;" because his
long-expected coming is under this trumpet actually present. At
length he is styled, "Jah," "He that is;" the past together with the
future being swallowed up in the present, the former things being
no more mentioned, for the greatness of those that now are. This
title is of all others the most peculiar to the everlasting God. The
salvation - Is opposed to the destruction which the great whore
had brought upon the earth. His power and glory - Appear from
the judgment executed on her, and from the setting up his
kingdom to endure through all ages.
Verse
2. For true and righteous are his judgments - Thus is the cry of the
souls under the altar changed into a song of praise.
Verse
4. And the four and twenty elders, and the four living creatures
felt down - The living creatures are nearer the throne than the
elders. Accordingly they are mentioned before them, with the
praise they render to God, chap. iv, 9, 10; v, 8, 14; inasmuch as
there the praise moves from the center to the circumference. But
here, when God's judgments are fulfilled, it moves back from the
circumference to the center. Here, therefore, the four and twenty
elders are named before the living creatures.
Verse
5. And a voice came forth from the throne - Probably from the
four living creatures, saying, Praise our God - The occasion and
matter of this song of praise follow immediately after, verses 6,
&c.; God was praised before, for his judgment of the great whore,
verses 1-4. chap. xix, 1-4 Now for that which follows it: for that
the Lord God, the Almighty, takes the kingdom to himself, and
avenges himself on the rest of his enemies. Were all these
inhabitants of heaven mistaken? If not, there is real, yea, and
terrible anger in God.
Verse
6. And I heard the voice of a great multitude. So all his servants
did praise him. The Almighty reigneth - More eminently and
gloriously than ever before.
Verse
7. The marriage of the Lamb is come - Is near at hand, to be
solemnized speedily. What this implies, none of "the spirits of just
men," even in paradise, yet know. O what things are those which
are yet behind! And what purity of heart should there be, to
meditate upon them! And his wife hath made herself ready - Even
upon earth; but in a far higher sense, in that world. After a time
allowed for this, the new Jerusalem comes down, both made ready
and adorned, chap. xxi, 2.
Verse
8. And it is given to her - By God. The bride is all holy men, the
whole invisible church. To be arrayed in fine linen, white and
clean - This is an emblem of the righteousness of the saints - Both
of their justification and sanctification.
Verse
9. And he - The angel, saith to me, Write - St. John seems to have
been so amazed at these glorious sights, that he needeth to be
reminded of this. Happy are they who are invited to the marriage
supper of the Lamb - Called to glory. And he saith - After a little
pause.
Verse
10. And I fell before his feet to worship him - It seems, mistaking
him for the angel of the covenant. But he saith, See thou do it not
- In the original, it is only, See not, with a beautiful abruptness. To
pray to or worship the highest creature is flat idolatry. I am thy
fellowservant and of thy brethren that have the testimony of Jesus
- I am now employed as your fellowservant, to testify of the Lord
Jesus, by the same Spirit which inspired the prophets of old.
Verse
11. And I saw the heaven opened - This is a new and peculiar
opening of it, in order to show the magnificent expedition of
Christ and his attendants, against his great adversary. And behold
a white horse - Many little regarded Christ, when he came meek,
"riding upon an ass;" but what will they say, when he goes forth
upon his white horse, with the sword of his mouth? White - Such
as generals use in solemn triumph. And he that sitteth on him,
called Faithful - In performing all his promises. And True - In
executing all his threatenings. And in righteousness - With the
utmost justice. He judgeth and maketh war - Often the sentence
and execution go together.
Verse
12. And his eyes are a flame of fire - They were said to be as or
like a flame of fire, before, chap. i, 14; an emblem of his
omniscience. And upon his head are many diadems - For he is
king of all nations. And he hath a name written, which none
knoweth but himself - As God he is incomprehensible to every
creature.
Verse
13. And he is clothed in a vesture dipped in blood - The blood of
the enemies he hath already conquered. Isaiah lxiii, 1, &c.
Verse
15. And he shall rule them - Who are not slain by his sword. With
a rod of iron - That is, if they will not submit to his golden
scepter. And he treadeth the wine press of the wrath of God - That
is, he executes his judgments on the ungodly. This ruler of the
nations was born (or appeared as such) immediately after the
seventh angel began to sound. He now appears, not as a child, but
as a victorious warrior. The nations have long ago felt his "iron
rod," partly while the heathen Romans, after their savage
persecution of the Christians, themselves groaned under
numberless plagues and calamities, by his righteous vengeance;
partly, while other heathens have been broken in pieces by those
who bore the Christian name. For although the cruelty, for
example, of the Spaniards in America, was unrighteous and
detestable, yet did God therein execute his righteous judgment on
the unbelieving nations; but they shall experience his iron rod as
they never did yet, and then will they all return to their rightful
Lord.
Verse
16. And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh - That is, on the
part of his vesture which is upon his thigh. A name written - It
was usual of old, for great personages in the eastern countries, to
have magnificent titles affixed to their garments.
Verse
17. Gather yourselves together to the great supper of God - As to
a great feast, which the vengeance of God will soon provide; a
strongly figurative expression, (taken from Ezek. xxxix, 17,)
denoting the vastness of the ensuing slaughter.
Verse
19. And I saw the kings of the earth - The ten kings mentioned
chap. xvii, 12; who had now drawn the other kings of the earth to
them, whether Popish, Mahometan, or pagan. Gathered together
to make war with him that sat upon the horse - All beings, good
and evil, visible and invisible, will be concerned in this grand
contest. See Zech. xiv, 1, &c.
Verse
20. The false prophet, who had wrought the miracles before him -
And therefore shared in his punishment; these two ungodly men
were cast alive - Without undergoing bodily death. Into the lake
of fire - And that before the devil himself, chap. xx, 10. Here is
the last of the beast. After several repeated strokes of
omnipotence, he is gone alive into hell. There were two that went
alive into heaven; perhaps there are two that go alive into hell. It
may be, Enoch and Elijah entered at once into glory, without first
waiting in paradise; the beast and the false prophet plunge at once
into the extremest degree of torment, without being reserved in
chains of darkness till the judgment of the great day. Surely, none
but the beast of Rome would have hardened himself thus against
the God he pretended to adore, or refused to have repented under
such dreadful, repeated visitations! Well is he styled a beast, from
his carnal and vile affections; a wild beast, from his savage and
cruel spirit! The rest were slain - A like difference is afterwards
made between the devil, and Gog and Magog, chap. xx, 9, 10.
Verse
21. Here is a most magnificent description of the overthrow of the
beast and his adherents. It has, in particular, one exquisite beauty;
that, after exhibiting the two opposite armies, and all the
apparatus for a battle, verses 11-19; chap. xix, 11-19 then follows
immediately, verse 20, xix, 20 the account of the victory, without
one word of an engagement or fighting. Here is the most exact
propriety; for what struggle can there be between omnipotence,
and the power of all the creation united against it! Every
description must have fallen short of this admirable silence.
Chapter 19:
| Darby
| Geneva
| Gill
| Jamieson Faussett Brown
| Johnson
| Matthew Henry
| Matthew Henry Concise
| McGee
| Wesley
| Index
| Bible Gateway |
Introduction 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 Jude Genesis
This version of Wesley's Notes on the Bible is a derivative of an electronic version, Copyright 1997, by Sulu D. Kelley. All rights reserved. Used by permission. It may not be modified or used commercially without permission of Wesleyan Heritage Publishing and Sulu Kelley. A special thanks to Mr. Kelley and Wesleyan Heritage Publishing for permission to create and post this version of Wesley's Notes on the Bible.
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