The Word of God

Chapter 19 answers the fall of Babylon with joy in heaven. John hears the voice of a great multitude: Hallelujah! Salvation, power, and glory belong to our God; for his judgments are true and righteous. This is the only chapter in the New Testament where the word Hallelujah appears, a Hebrew word meaning Praise the Lord, familiar from the Psalms. The elders and living creatures join in, and a voice from the throne invites all God’s servants, small and great, to praise.

The multitude then announces, the wedding of the Lamb has come, and his wife has made herself ready. The Old Testament prophets often pictured God’s people as his bride, and Christians have read this as the fulfillment of that picture. The bride wears fine linen, bright and pure, for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints. The angel declares, Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb. When John falls at the angel’s feet, the angel refuses: he is only a fellow servant, and John must worship God.

Heaven opens and a rider on a white horse appears, called Faithful and True, who judges and makes war in righteousness. His eyes are a flame of fire, and on his head are many crowns. He is clothed in a garment sprinkled with blood, and his name is The Word of God, the same title John’s Gospel gives to Jesus. The armies of heaven follow him in white linen. The sword from his mouth suggests that he conquers by his word. The beast and the false prophet are captured and thrown into the lake of fire, showing that every power opposed to God will finally be defeated.