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The Revelation · New Testament

Revelation 19

Revelation 19: Alleluia in heaven and the rider on the white horse

General context

A great voice of much people in heaven says Alleluia and gives the reason, that God has judged the great whore and avenged the blood of his servants. The word is said again, the elders and the four beasts fall down and add Amen, a voice from the throne calls for praise, and a sound like a multitude, like many waters and like thunderings says Alleluia once more, announcing the marriage of the Lamb. The fine linen granted to his wife is explained in the text as the righteousness of saints, and John is told to write a blessing on those called to the marriage supper. John falls to worship the one speaking and is stopped and told to worship God. Heaven then opens and a rider on a white horse appears, called Faithful and True, with eyes as a flame of fire, many crowns, a name no one knew, a vesture dipped in blood, and a name on his vesture and thigh. Armies in heaven follow on white horses. An angel standing in the sun calls the birds to a supper of flesh; the beast and the kings gather for war, the beast and the false prophet are taken and cast into a lake of fire, and the rest are slain.

Cited passages: Revelation 19:1, Revelation 19:2, Revelation 19:3, Revelation 19:4, Revelation 19:5, Revelation 19:6, Revelation 19:7, Revelation 19:8, Revelation 19:9, Revelation 19:10, Revelation 19:11, Revelation 19:12, Revelation 19:13, Revelation 19:14, Revelation 19:15, Revelation 19:16, Revelation 19:17, Revelation 19:18, Revelation 19:19, Revelation 19:20, Revelation 19:21

Revelation 19 (KJV)

1And after these things I heard a great voice of much people in heaven, saying, Alleluia; Salvation, and glory, and honour, and power, unto the Lord our God:

2For true and righteous are his judgments: for he hath judged the great whore, which did corrupt the earth with her fornication, and hath avenged the blood of his servants at her hand.

3And again they said, Alleluia. And her smoke rose up for ever and ever.

4And the four and twenty elders and the four beasts fell down and worshipped God that sat on the throne, saying, Amen; Alleluia.

5And a voice came out of the throne, saying, Praise our God, all ye his servants, and ye that fear him, both small and great.

6And I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude, and as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of mighty thunderings, saying, Alleluia: for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth.

7Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready.

8And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints.

9And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he saith unto me, These are the true sayings of God.

10And I fell at his feet to worship him. And he said unto me, See thou do it not: I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren that have the testimony of Jesus: worship God: for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.

11And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war.

12His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself.

13And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God.

14And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean.

15And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.

16And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.

17And I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the fowls that fly in the midst of heaven, Come and gather yourselves together unto the supper of the great God;

18That ye may eat the flesh of kings, and the flesh of captains, and the flesh of mighty men, and the flesh of horses, and of them that sit on them, and the flesh of all men, both free and bond, both small and great.

19And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse, and against his army.

20And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone.

21And the remnant were slain with the sword of him that sat upon the horse, which sword proceeded out of his mouth: and all the fowls were filled with their flesh.

This page shows the King James Version. In the app, reading opens in the Berean Standard Bible unless you have chosen another translation. The reader includes five translations: the Berean Standard Bible (BSB), the King James Version (KJV), the World English Bible (WEB), the Bible in Basic English (BBE), and the American Standard Version (ASV). Search covers three of them: Berean Standard, King James, and World English. Basic English and American Standard readers search the King James words.

Historical context

The rider is given three names by the text and one that is withheld from everyone. He "was called Faithful and True"; "he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself"; "his name is called The Word of God"; and on his vesture and thigh stands "KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS". The text supplies one explanation of its own in this chapter: "the fine linen is the righteousness of saints". The armies following him are described only as "the armies which were in heaven" and are not named or counted. The false prophet appears here beside the beast, as at 16:13, and is identified only by what he did, that he "wrought miracles before him". The angel refuses worship at verse 10 and states his reason, calling himself a fellowservant. The killing is reported plainly, including the birds eating the flesh of kings, captains and all men, and two figures cast alive into the lake of fire.

Cited passages: Revelation 19:8, Revelation 19:10, Revelation 19:11, Revelation 19:12, Revelation 19:13, Revelation 19:14, Revelation 19:16, Revelation 19:18, Revelation 19:20, Revelation 16:13

Literary context

The chapter falls into two halves with very different textures. The first is made of voices, with Alleluia four times in six verses and almost nothing done, and it ends with a moment of correction when John kneels and is told "See thou do it not". The second half is all sight and movement. The rider is presented by names rather than by likeness, which reverses the method of the opening vision, where almost everything arrived as a comparison. Two suppers are set against each other in the same chapter and the contrast is left standing: "the marriage supper of the Lamb", which comes with a blessing, and "the supper of the great God", at which birds eat flesh. The sword that smites the nations comes out of the rider's mouth, the same image used of the figure in the opening vision at 1:16, so the weapon is speech.

Cited passages: Revelation 19:1, Revelation 19:3, Revelation 19:4, Revelation 19:6, Revelation 19:9, Revelation 19:10, Revelation 19:11, Revelation 19:15, Revelation 19:17, Revelation 19:21, Revelation 1:16

Key moments

  1. Alleluia in heaven (Revelation 19:3). The voices repeat Alleluia as the smoke of the city rises.
  2. The marriage of the Lamb (Revelation 19:7). A voice announces the marriage and says his wife has made herself ready.
  3. Worship refused (Revelation 19:10). John kneels before the speaker and is told to worship God instead.
  4. Heaven opened (Revelation 19:11). A rider on a white horse appears, called Faithful and True.
  5. The Word of God (Revelation 19:13). His vesture is dipped in blood and his name is given.
  6. Birds called to a supper (Revelation 19:17). An angel in the sun summons the fowls to eat the flesh of the fallen.
  7. The beast taken (Revelation 19:20). The beast and the false prophet are cast alive into the lake of fire.

For reflection

The same chapter blesses those called to a wedding supper and describes birds gathering to eat the flesh of the fallen. What happens when you read those two meals as the text places them, one after the other?

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