Teachinghearts	The Rescue of the Church (Revelation 19) "Explore the Word. Change the World"	Lesson 25: Time: 45 minutes Print: 9 pages

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Revelation 19

Symbols
This section of Revelation introduces God in the Feast of Tabernacles and enlarges on the events of the seventh plague. He comes to rescue the church. The symbols used are the agricultural symbols from the feast of tabernacles and the marriage ceremony. God separates the harvest. The fruit is gathered into the barn and the weeds are gathered and burned. He marries His bride during the harvest festival. Christ also obeyed or fulfilled many Jewish laws.

• Vengeance. As our blood avenger, Jesus rescues us and kills our oppressors.
• The Honeymoon Year. Christ rests for one year (1000 years) as the bridegroom.
• Sowing and Reaping. He reaps the harvest at the appointed time.

Background

Revelation		16	17	18	19
Mark of the Beast	Plagues	World Judged	Beast Judged	Harlot Judged	Armageddon	Jesus Comes	Feast of Birds
	Plagues	1 - 4	5	6		7
Judgment		Wrath	Destroy those who destroy the earth			Reward	1000 Years
The Seventh Trumpet

In Revelation 16 to 18, Christ has just judged and punished the world, the beast and the harlot and now Revelation 19 records the response in heaven. All of heaven has agreed and now they are ready to receive the saints. Revelation 19 expands on the events from the sixth plague and also the period of the Seventh Trumpet described in Revelation 11: 15-19.

The Seventh Trumpet. And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, the kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of His Christ; and He shall reign for ever and ever. And the four and twenty elders, which sat before God on their seats, fell upon their faces, and worshipped God, saying, We give you thanks, O Lord God Almighty, which are, and was, and are to come; because You have taken to You Your great power, and have reigned. And the nations were angry, and Your wrath is come, and the time of the dead, that they should be judged, and that You should give reward to Your servants the prophets, and to the saints, and them that fear Your name, small and great; and should destroy them which destroy the earth. And the temple of God was opened in heaven, and there was seen in His temple the ark of His testament: and there were lightnings, and voices, and thunderings, and an earthquake, and great hail. (Revelation 11: 15 - 19)

The Last Hours and The Second Coming

The Judgment and the Vengeance for the Righteous is Over
After these things I heard something like a loud voice of a great multitude in heaven, saying, "Hallelujah! Salvation and glory and power belong to our God; Because His judgments are true and righteous; for He has judged the great harlot who was corrupting the earth with her immorality, and He has avenged the blood of His bond-servants on her." And a second time they said, "Hallelujah! Her smoke rises up forever and ever." (Revelation 19: 1-3)

Papacy Falls	Judgment		Transition		Vengeance			Punished
	1844	Harlot Corrupts the World		Persecutes	Seven Last Plagues	Second Coming	Feast of Birds	Judged
1798	Papacy and Beast Rises				Babylon Falls		Millennium	Hell

Judgment: The Whore is Judged and Babylon Falls
The judgment already found the harlot guilty in 1844. She has been living on borrowed time and has used the opportunity to corrupt and persecute again.

• Criminal: He has Judged the Great Whore (Verse 2). Judgment has been given in favor of the saints and against the little horn (the great whore) since 1844. As Daniel describes, this is the time for the saints to possess the kingdom.
  I looked, and the same horn made war with the saints, and prevailed against them; Until the Ancient of days came, and judgment was given to the saints of the most High; and the time came that the saints possessed the kingdom." (Daniel 7: 21-22.)
• Crime: Corrupt the Earth with her Fornication (Verse 2). Babylon corrupts and destroys the earth with her doctrine, idolatry and adultery. She unites with the state and is herself corrupted by the state as she corrupts the world. This is a forbidden union that is spiritual idolatry. Revelation 18 compares it to an act that is as revolting as bestiality.
• Punishment: Her Smoke Ascends Forever (Verse 3).
  This is the same result that describes those who reject the "Third Angel's Message". They suffer the eternal burnings.
  "... and the smoke of their torment ascends up for ever and ever". (Revelation 14: 11 )

Vengeance: The Whore is Punished by the Plagues
The seven last plagues are the vengeance that God sends. Notice that God gives them two types of punishment. He takes vengeance in the plagues and after the millennium He sends them to the lake of fire for their destruction.

The plagues are their time of contemplation. They will not be conscious in the millennium when Satan suffers his time of contemplation. They both contemplate their sins for one symbolic day. The people suffer the plagues for one prophetic day, or one year. Satan suffers confinement for one day in the Great Week, or one thousand years.

The Issue of Fairness. You might ask when do the dead suffer their time of contemplation? After all, people like Hitler should go through this punishment. The answer is that they might all go through this after their resurrection. However, prophecy is indicating that the coming persecution is so horrible that any previous historical event is insignificant in comparison. Therefore, this final generation, which should have learned from the past, is guilty of the sins of all their ancestors and is worthy of the punishment. They are not punished because of the sins of their ancestors. They are punished because they did not learn from it.
Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! because you build the tombs of the prophets, and garnish the sepulchres of the righteous, And say, If we had been in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets. Therefore you be witnesses to yourselves, that you are the children of them which killed the prophets. Fill up then the measure of your fathers. ... Truly I say to you, All these things shall come upon this generation. (Matthew 23: 29-32, 36)

Judgment in Favor of the Saints	Group	Begins	Pause. (Time for Contemplation)	Reaction	Punishment
	Saints	1844	Three Angel's Message ( 1844 - End of Time)	Repentance	Salvation
	World	1844		Rebellion	Rejection
	Little Horn	1844		Persecution	Plagues
	Satan	Crucifixion	Millennium	Armageddon	Hell Fire

In the time given for contemplation and choosing sides, the wicked decided to wage war against the righteous. The message of the three angels warns us to choose the right side. Join the saints.

Agreement
And the twenty-four elders and the four living creatures fell down and worshiped God who sits on the throne saying, "Amen. Hallelujah!" And a voice came from the throne, saying, "Give praise to our God, all you His bond-servants, you who fear Him, the small and the great." Then I heard something like the voice of a great multitude and like the sound of many waters and like the sound of mighty peals of thunder, saying, "Hallelujah! For the Lord our God, the Almighty, reigns. (Revelation 19: 4-6)

True and righteous are his judgments (Verse 2) . The universe has seen the judgments of God upon the beast and those that follow the beast, who persecuted God's people. The universe says that the "judgments" (the seven last plagues) are "true and righteous".

• True. God is a covenant keeping God. He had said that certain plagues and judgments would come upon "Israel" if they failed to follow Him or if they become apostate. (Leviticus 26). So God has done what He prophesied that He would do.
  If you will not observe to do all the words of this law that are written in this book, that you may fear this glorious and fearful name, the Lord your God; Then the Lord will make your plagues wonderful, and the plagues of your seed, even great plagues, and of long continuance, and sore sicknesses, and of long continuance. Moreover he will bring upon you all the diseases of Egypt, which you were afraid of; and they shall cling to you. Also every sickness, and every plague, which is not written in the book of this law, them will the Lord bring upon you, until you are destroyed. (Deuteronomy 28: 58-61)
• Righteous. These are a statement of the Character Of God. He is righteous (just) and true!
  For what if some did not believe? Shall their unbelief make the faith of God without effect? God forbid: yes, let God be true, but every man a liar; as it is written, That you might be justified in your sayings, and might overcome when you are judged. (Romans 3: 3-4 )
  This statement also teaches that God will be judged.

This scene is also captured in Revelation 11: 16-19. The entire universe agrees with God. The twenty four Elders, the servants and saints of God and those who love Him. In 1844, only the people of heaven could really agree with Him, but now the servants on earth can join in this agreement because they have experienced the corruption, the injustice and wrath of the beast against the innocent.

These verses describe the transition between the "time of the Judgment" and the return of Christ at His second advent. It calls to those who hear the message of the first angel who have learned to fear or love God down to those who do not deserve the punishment of the third angel.
But the judgment shall sit, and they shall take away his dominion, to consume and to destroy it to the end. And the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people of the saints of the most High, whose kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey him. (Daniel 7: 26-27)

The Marriage
"Let us rejoice and be glad and give the glory to Him, for the marriage of the Lamb has come and His bride has made herself ready." It was given to her to clothe herself in fine linen, bright and clean; for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints. Then he said to me, "Write, Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb." And he said to me, "These are true words of God." Then I fell at his feet to worship him. But he said to me, "Do not do that; I am a fellow servant of yours and your brethren who hold the testimony of Jesus; worship God. For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy." (Revelation 19: 7-10)
It is now time for Christ to join Himself with His church.

• For the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife has made herself ready.
  God uses many symbols to describe the joyous face to face meeting between Him and His church. The most beautiful of these is the picture of a groom coming for His bride on the wedding day.
  
  Revelation 21: 2 says that the "Bride of Christ" is a city. This is the new Jerusalem at the Third Coming. So this city, whose foundation is the church, is transformed to become the bride because the bride lives there.
• The Bride (Verse 8) . The bride made herself ready by receiving the gift of Christ's righteousness which resulted in righteous deeds and victorious living through Christ. We know that we are not saved through our works. But we know that those who are saved will do good works. It is their natural fruit.
  For by grace are you saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to good works, which God has before ordained that we should walk in them. (Ephesians 2: 8-10)
  
  And I heard a voice from heaven saying to me, Write, Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth: Yes, said the Spirit, that they may rest from their labors; and their works do follow them. (Revelation 14: 13)
• The Invitation (Verse 9) . We are called to attend the wedding feast. We must both accept the invitation and wait for the groom. The marriage supper celebration occurred "After the marriage". It was a time of celebration of the joining together. The celebration will occur after Christ's return to claim His bride. Just like the ten virgins in Matthew 25, five were ready for Christ's return, and were able to go into the wedding feast. Five were not, and were left outside.
• Worship God Only (Verse 10) . John, in error, started to worship the angel. The messenger gives John and us a clear message, Worship God. This is an indictment against those who would bow down before mere mortal men and dumb idols. This superior being forbid John to give him any recognition. He is also a creature sent to serve those who understand prophecy. This spirit of prophecy is the testimony of Jesus. In other words, prophecy is the witness that Jesus has left with the church.

The Second Coming
And I saw heaven opened, and saw, a white horse, and He who sat on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and wages war. His eyes are a flame of fire, and on His head are many diadems; and He has a name written on Him which no one knows except Himself. He is clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God. And the armies which are in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, were following Him on white horses. From His mouth comes a sharp sword, so that with it He may strike down the nations, and He will rule them with a rod of iron; and He treads the wine press of the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty. And on His robe and on His thigh He has a name written, "King Of Kings, And Lord Of Lords." (Revelation 19: 11-16)
In Revelation 19: 7-8, we saw that the bride has prepared herself for the return of Christ, and that the marriage time had come. Now we see the scenes of that second coming. And the groom is dressed for war.

Christ: The Bridegroom. Christ became the bridegroom at the crucifixion. He became engaged to the church, made the marriage contract, gave a gift to His bride and went to heaven to prepare a home for her.

• Faithful and True (Verse 11) . The Groom and the host of heaven come dressed for a wedding and dressed for war! Why? There is a usurper, a whore who is ready to take His crown and take the life of His bride. Jacob was tricked on his wedding day. He did not get the bride that he had worked for. We see in Revelation 19: 11, a picture of Christ, ready to lead the army's of heaven back to make war upon those that had made war upon His bride, upon His Church. We see Christ's response to what has happened and is happening to His true Church.
  
  This scene refers to the stage of Armageddon when Christ returns to rescue His people. The nations had gathered for war against His beloved. When it seems that the church is about to be destroyed by the final persecutions the Groom comes with an army.
• Crown. He wears a kingly crown of authority.
• His Name. The ancient belief was that if a man knew the name of the deity, he had power over it. So, the symbolism here is that no one has power over the victorious Christ. Our God is not a God that man can dictate to, control, or order around. (We do not "command" God to do something. This is contrary to what some today's charismatic preachers and televangelists may say or imply.) Verse 12 says that no one knows His name and then verses 13 and 16 give us two names. Either these are the previously unknown name or He has an additional name. The other names are the titles which give Him the authority to judge and to rule.
  • The Word of God. With this name He created this world and with this name He judges with the sword.
    In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. (John 1: 1)
  • King of Kings and Lord of Lords. This name or title is written on His robe and thigh.
  • Unknown Name. We can speculate. From the lesson on the colors of God we can see that the first two names are taken from the roles of two colors. Green and Purple. He has no name for the Orange Fire. This is the characteristic of the groom. The comforter, teacher and companion. It is the name under which He rides to save His bride. It is the name on His forehead. It is the name on His crown. It is the unknown family name by which His bride will be known.
    
    Revelation 17: 5 also describes the great harlot as having a mystery name on her forehead. "Babylon the Great, the Mother of Harlots and of the Abominations of the Earth". This is both a family name and a name which describes what she has created. She gave birth to other whores and to filth.
    If the unknown name of Christ is also a description of His creative acts, then He created pure virgins and righteousness. Again this is the role of the Holy Spirit. This third attribute.

The Law of The Honeymoon
When a man takes a new wife, he shall not go out with the army nor be charged with any duty; he shall be free at home one year and shall give happiness to the wife whom he has taken. (Deuteronomy 24: 5)
As the Bridegroom Christ, adheres to this law. Although He rescues His bride with an army from the wicked who have gathered for Armageddon, He stops the war for a thousand years so that He can be with His bride in Heaven. They take a thousand year Sabbath rest, a long honeymoon. After the honeymoon, He is free to resume His duties as Judge and to go to war in the Battle of Armageddon.
This time period is synonymous with the theory of the Great Week and the Sabbathical years that must be given back to the land.

History		6000 Years			Gather For Armageddon	Second Coming		Millennium		Armageddon
Great Week		Day 1 - 6						Sabbath Rest
Land Used		Planting				Harvest		Land Sabbaths
Covenant		Curses				Desolation (Wicked Exiled)
Wedding		Wooing	Engaged	Gift	War	Bridegroom Returns	Wedding	Honeymoon Year	Bridegroom Goes To War
		Contract		Prepares a Home			Marriage

The Two Armies
The Army of Christ Comes to defend the church in the seventh trumpet
The Satanic Army assembles in the sixth trumpet and they are defeated in the seventh trumpet

Christ: The Warrior. Christ returns to take His bride to begin their new life together, but He returns to find a bride under siege anxiously waiting for Him to return.

• Blood Stained Clothes (Verse 13).
  He has stained the hem of His garment because of the war. He will stomp on the grapes in His anger.
  Look, the Lord has proclaimed to the end of the world, Say you to the daughter of Zion, Look, your salvation comes; Look, his reward is with him, and his work before him. And they shall call them, The holy people, The redeemed of the Lord: and you shall be called, Sought out, A city not forsaken. Who is this that comes from Edom, with dyed garments from Bozrah? that is glorious in his apparel, travelling in the greatness of his strength? I that speak in righteousness, mighty to save. Therefore you are red in your apparel, and your garments like him that treads in the wine vat? I have trodden the winepress alone; and of the people there was none with me: for I will tread them in my anger, and trample them in my fury; and their blood shall be sprinkled upon my garments, and I will stain all my clothes. For the day of vengeance is in my heart, and the year of my redeemed is come. (Isaiah 62: 11 - 63: 4)
• Armies in Heaven (Verse 14) . Since this is the Second Coming, this righteous army must be from Heaven. Notice that they are also dressed in robes of righteousness. This is not the righteous saints because, except for the first fruits, they are not in heaven. All of His creation will be righteous, not just humans. Heaven comes to see the wisdom of God demonstrated in the church.
  And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men (creation) to me. (John 12: 32)
  
  To me, who am less than the least of all saints, is this grace given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ; And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world has been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ: To the intent that now to the principalities and powers in heavenly places might be known by the church the manifold wisdom of God. (Ephesians 3: 8-10)
• The Righteousness of the Seed: Clothed in Linen (Verse 14) .
  A priest who enters the sanctuary should only wear linen and since we will be priests of God we should also wear linen.
  It shall be that when they enter at the gates of the inner court, they shall be clothed in linen garments; and wool shall not be on them while they are ministering in the gates of the inner court in the house. Linen turbans shall be on their heads and linen undergarments shall be on their loins; they shall not gird themselves with anything which makes them sweat. (Ezekiel 44: 17-18)
  
  This prohibition is part of this strange law.
  You shall not wear a material of wool and linen mixed together. (Deuteronomy 22: 11)
  Both wool and linen are from sources that are used to represent the death of Christ.
  • Plant (Seed). Linen is a natural material made from the flax plant. Christ is the seed that died and came back to life. White represents righteousness and the linen seed represents that which died and came back to life. So the white linen represents the fact that we are clothed with righteousness and clothed with eternal life.
    
    The Signs of life at the Throne of God. The inherent eternal life symbols are from the plant kingdom (the tree of life, the bread of life, the water of life). They have all the elements of life within themselves.
    The derived eternal life symbols are the white color and the feeding from the inherent life symbols.
    One who does not have inherent life is symbolized by the animal kingdom. They have no life within them but must feed on a source of life. The righteous are the clean animals that are dependent on God.
    Eternal Life. The righteous nation is symbolized by a clean, white animal feeding at the throne of God.
  • Lamb (Wool). Christ is also the Lamb of God who died for the sins of the world. It only represents the death of the innocent. But a dead animal does not come back to life. In fact, life returning from a dead animal is only symbolized in the seed that a clean animal eats. Clean animals regurgitate their food and that represents the seed coming back out of the bowels of the earth. So it is the seed that represents life that is born again. And Christ is the Lamb that has the seeds of eternal life within Him.
    
    Wool represents a covering of dead works. It also causes sweating which represents the curse of working hard for a living or working for life. We cannot work for our eternal life with our own efforts.
    By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread ... (Genesis 3: 19)

  What this means is that we must be clothed in the righteousness of the Seed who was promised to Eve. (Genesis 3: 15). Since wool causes sweat, it is symbolic of our own works of righteousness and we cannot enter the sanctuary clothed in our own works because they have no power to give life. But we must be clothed in the righteousness of the Seed who died and gave life to us. The lamb needs to be saved, but the Seed has life within Itself so that It can rise from the dead and give life to others. We are not seeds, we are lambs.
  Truly, truly I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone. But if it dies it bears much fruit. (John 12: 24)

• Sword (Verse 15) . The wicked will perish because of the word of God. They have been disobedient. With His title as the Word, He can judge and punish.
  "And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:" (Ephesians 6: 17)
• Tread the Winepress. He smashes the grapes with His feet. This is the same scene described in Revelation 14: 20.

War and Punishment
Revelation 14 also describes this time and the major events that occur at the Second Coming.

1. Harvest Ripens. Time for the Second Coming with an army.
2. Reaping. He gathers the saints and rescues them from the armies of the wicked. The dead are left unburied for the birds to eat.
3. The Winepress. He destroys the trash in His anger.

The Second Coming. Then I looked, and saw, a white cloud, and sitting on the cloud was one like a son of man, having a golden crown on His head and a sharp sickle in His hand.
The Reaping of the Harvest. And another angel came out of the temple, crying out with a loud voice to Him who sat on the cloud, "Put in your sickle and reap, for the hour to reap has come, because the harvest of the earth is ripe." Then He who sat on the cloud swung His sickle over the earth, and the earth was reaped.
The Grapes of Wrath. And another angel came out of the temple which is in heaven, and he also had a sharp sickle. Then another angel, the one who has power over fire, came out from the altar; and he called with a loud voice to him who had the sharp sickle, saying, "Put in your sharp sickle and gather the clusters from the vine of the earth, because her grapes are ripe." So the angel swung his sickle to the earth and gathered the clusters from the vine of the earth, and threw them into the great wine press of the wrath of God. And the wine press was trodden outside the city, and blood came out from the wine press, up to the horses' bridles, for a distance of two hundred miles. (Revelation 14: 14-20)

The Law of Sowing and Reaping
You shall not sow your vineyard with two kinds of seeds, or all the produce of the seed which you have sown and the increase of the vineyard will become defiled. (Deuteronomy 22: 9)
Every aspect of the life of Israel was meant to represent Christ and the Plan of Salvation. This law represents God's ideal situation at the end of time when the righteous will be separated from the wicked.

Good Seeds. Even good seeds should not be sown together. Sometimes they have different seasons of harvest and one would risk harvesting a good seed before its time. The barley harvest was in the spring season. This represented the harvest of Christ and the first fruits. The fruit harvest is in the autumn. This represents the general resurrection.
It is also based on the wisdom of not having two women in charge of a home. Notice that Israel and the Church were not called together. After Israel rejected the Messiah the church was called to give the testimony of God to the world. At the end of time, when the fruit harvest is ready, God will merge both groups into one because they are now spiritually mature.

Good and Bad Seeds. Different seeds should not be sown together because the good plant might be harvested before it is ready or accidentally thrown away as garbage. But Satan corrupted the Garden of Eden and children of Israel by mixing his error with the truth of God. Now the world is mixed with many ideas, most of which are evil.
The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field. But while his men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat and went away. (Matthew 13: 24-25)

Since God does not want to lose any good plant His solution is to let them grow to the time of harvest when it will be easier to tell them apart.
Allow both to grow together until the harvest and in the time of the harvest I will say to the reapers, "First gather up the weeds and bind them in bundles to burn them up; but gather the wheat into my barn."
and the field is the world; and as for the good seed, these are the sons of the kingdom; and the weeds are the sons of the evil one. and the enemy who sews them is the devil, and the harvest is the end of the age; and the reapers are the angels. So just as the weeds are gathered up and burned with fire, so shall it be at the end of the age. (Matthew 13: 30, 38-40)
Look at the sequence of events as God separates the righteous from the wicked.

• Gather the Weeds in Bundles. This is the time of the Seven Last Plagues when a clear separation begins.
• Gather the Wheat in His Barn. This is the Feast of Booths. The barn is the booth where the righteous wait for God. They are under His protection while the wicked try to destroy them because God is pouring out His wrath on them.
• Burn the Weeds with Fire. The wicked are killed at the Second and Third Coming.

The Feast of Birds

The War: The Reaping
Then I saw an angel standing in the sun, and he cried out with a loud voice, saying to all the birds which fly in midheaven, "Come, assemble for the great supper of God, so that you may eat the flesh of kings and the flesh of commanders and 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 men and slaves, and small and great." (Revelation 19: 17-18)

• The Feast of Birds (Verses 17-18). Here, we have the destruction of the wicked when Christ returns to rescue his people. After the wicked are killed, there is no one to bury the dead bodies. Billions of carcasses of humans and animals litter the surface of the earth. They provide a feast for the scavengers.
  
  They also provide an environment in which Satan will be punished. As one of two covering cherubs with great honor, he used to walk among the stones of fire at the holy throne of God. Now he defiles himself by being forced to live among the dead. The results of his rebellion assault all his senses.
  For, Look, the day comes, that shall burn as an oven; and all the proud, yes, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble: and the day that comes shall burn them up, says the Lord of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch. But to you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings; and you shall go forth, and grow up as calves of the stall. And you shall tread down the wicked; for they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet in the day that I shall do this, says the Lord of hosts. (Malachi 4: 1-3)
  
  And your carcass shall be meat to all fowls of the air, and to the beasts of the earth, and no man shall chase them away. (Deuteronomy 28: 26)
  
  And, you son of man, this says the Lord God; Speak to every feathered fowl, and to every beast of the field, Assemble yourselves, and come; gather yourselves on every side to my sacrifice that I do sacrifice for you, a great sacrifice upon the mountains of Israel, that you may eat flesh, and drink blood." ... "And I will set my glory among the heathen, and all the heathen shall see my judgment that I have executed, and my hand that I have laid upon them. So the house of Israel shall know that I am the Lord their God from that day and forward. (Ezekiel 39: 17, 21-22)
• Gathered for War (Verse 19). And I saw the beast and the kings of the earth and their armies assembled to make war against Him who sat on the horse and against His army. (Revelation 19: 19).
  This is the Battle of Armageddon referred to in the sixth plague that occurs just before the seventh plague and the Second Coming. It is clear that all nations will be against God at the end. There will be no righteous nations left. Revelation 13 implies that the last righteous, Christian nation will become the worst of all.
  And he gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon. And the seventh angel poured out his vial into the air; and there came a great voice out of the temple of heaven, from the throne, saying, It is done. (Revelation 16: 16-17)
  
  The final plague occurs on those that did not come out of Babylon. Those who spurned the proposal of the bridegroom and refused the invitation to the royal wedding. So instead of eating a wedding feast, their carcasses become the feast of vultures.

The Punishment: The Winepress of Wrath
And the beast was seized, and with him the false prophet who performed the signs in his presence, by 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 which burns with brimstone. And the rest were killed with the sword which came from the mouth of Him who sat on the horse, and all the birds were filled with their flesh. (Revelation 19: 20-21)
This verse spans a thousand years. After the wicked are killed, Satan is seized and bound. A thousand years later Satan and the wicked are thrown into the lake of fire. It appears that Satan is alive while the people are dead when they are given to the flames of the second death.

• Beast and False Prophet. The adulterous marriage and union of the church and state are destroyed. Instead Christ chooses His faithful bride who did not submit to this union. This is why Revelation 14 calls them virgins.
• Lake of Fire. The lake of fire is used after the millenium in the last judgment. (Revelation 20: 10-15)
• Sword. This is the curse applied to the wicked. They lost the war that they started with God.

Repetition and Enlargement
Revelation 19 presents a prophetic picture of the last days of earth's history just before the Second Coming of Christ - up through the actual Second Advent. We see the completion of the Investigative Judgment phase, which began in 1844; The final judgment of the Babylon, the Beast and the False Prophet; The description of Christ and the armies of Heaven preparing to return; and, the return of Christ (the final plague for those that did not "come out of Babylon").

Invitation and Warning of the Three Angels				Wrath (Invitation Ends)		Second Coming
Judgment	Wicked	Condemnation	Mark of the Beast	Seven Last Plagues	Armageddon		Feast of Birds
	Righteous	Preparation of the Bride (Sealing)		Protection (White Robes)	Army (Bridegroom)		Marriage Feast

Daniel 7: 9-14 and 26-27, Revelation 11: 15-19, Revelation 5, 7, 14 and 15 also repeats and enlarges this time period. It now becomes obvious that the sealing of Revelation 7 is the bride preparing for her marriage. Let us take a look.

The Time of the End
Revelation 19		Revelation 11	Daniel 7	Revelation 14
Invitation	24 Elders and cherubim (4)	24 Elders (16)	Thousands standing before Him (10)	24 Elders and cherubim (3)
	Great Multitude (1)			144,000 (1)
	Voice of thunder like many waters (6)	Loud voices in heaven (15). Seventh Trumpet	River of fire (10)	Voice of thunder like many waters (2)
	All who fear Him, praise Him (5)	Those who fear His name (18)	Thousands attend Him (10)	First Angel	Fear God and give Him glory (7)
Judgment	Judgments are true (2)	Time to judge the dead (18)	Court sat, the books were opened (10)		Judgment has come (7)
	Guilty of the blood of the righteous (2)			Second Angel	Babylon has fallen (8)
	Harlot corrupted the earth with immorality (2)		Little horn (21, 25)		Nations drank wine of immorality (8)
	Her smoke rises forever (3)	Christ reigns forever and ever (15)	Destroyed forever (26)	Third Angel	Third Angel. Her smoke rises and have no rest day or night (11)
	Winepress of wrath (15)	Wrath came (18)	Beast slain and given to the burning fire (11)		Those who worship image and beast will drink wine of wrath (10)
	Mark of the Beast (20)				Mark on forehead and hand (9)
Marriage (Sealing)	Bride prepares (7-9)	Reward prophets and saints (18)	All people serve Him (14)	Virgins (4-5)
	Given white linen clothes (8)			No lie in their mouths, blameless (5)
	(Revelation 7) The church is sealed and given white robes and palm branches as they go through a great ordeal. This persecution is recorded in Revelation 13
	Bridegroom comes (11-16)	Took power and began to reign (17)	Son of Man came to the Ancient of days (13-14, 26)	Son of man comes (14)
	Sitting on a white horse (11)			Sitting on a white cloud (14)
	Armies in heaven in white linen follow Him on white horses (14)		Clouds of Heaven (13)	Follow the Lamb where ever He goes (4)
	His Name is "The Word of God" (13)		Son of Man (13)	144,000 have name of the Father on forehead (1)
	Unknown name (11)		-	Unknown new song (3)
	(Revelation 5) The victorious Lamb breaks the seals and opens the book			A new song of the Lamb
	(Revelation 15) The victorious church on the sea of glass			Song of Moses and the Lamb
Wrath	(Revelation 16) The wrath of God is the Seven Last Plagues			Messages end
	Armies in white (14)	Nations enraged (18)	Son of Man given dominion and a kingdom of all nations and languages (14, 27)	Revelation 17: 14. Nations wage war with the Lamb
	Name on Robe and Thigh, "King of Kings and Lord of Lords" (16)	Took power and began to reign (17)		The Lamb is the king of kings and Lord of Lords (Revelation 17: 14)
	Many crowns (12)			Crown and sickle (14)
	Sharp sword from His mouth (15)	Nations enraged (18)	Court sits for judgment and dominion taken away and destroyed (26)	Sharp sickle (14)
	Strikes down the nations (15)			Reap, the harvest is ripe (15)
	Treads the winepress of wrath (15)	Wrath came (18) Time to judge the dead (18)		Treads winepress (20)
Punished	Winepress (15)		Beast slain and given to the burning fire (11)	Winepress (20)
	Angel stands in the sun (17)			Angel with power over fire (18)
	Gathered for War (19)	Armies of horsemen (9: 16)		Gather clusters of grape (17)
	Leaders killed (20)	Destroy those who destroy the earth (18)	Kingdom of the little horn forever destroyed (26)	Gather clusters of grape (17)
	Others killed (21)			Blood for 200 miles outside the city (20)

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Study to show yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth.   2 Timothy 2: 15 Copyright   Updated : January 30, 2005 Credits: Author: Laverna Patterson. Editor: Patterson (January 2008) All images were created by Laverna Patterson and are the property of teachinghearts