Celebration of the Fall of Babylon

Chapter 19 continues the chapters about Babylon. She has been defeated and we now see Heaven celebrating her fall.

¹ After this I heard what sounded like the roar of a great multitude in heaven shouting:
   “Hallelujah!
Salvation and glory and power belong to our God,
 ² for true and just are his judgments.
He has condemned the great prostitute
   who corrupted the earth by her adulteries.
He has avenged on her the blood of his servants.”
 ³ And again they shouted:
   “Hallelujah!
The smoke from her goes up for ever and ever.”
 ⁴ The twenty-four elders and the four living creatures fell down and worshiped God, who was seated on the throne. And they cried:
   “Amen, Hallelujah!”
 ⁵ Then a voice came from the throne, saying:
   “Praise our God,
   all you his servants,
you who fear him,
   both great and small!”
 ⁶ Then I heard what sounded like a great multitude, like the roar of rushing waters and like loud peals of thunder, shouting:
   “Hallelujah!
   For our Lord God Almighty reigns.
⁷ Let us rejoice and be glad
   and give him glory!
For the wedding of the Lamb has come,
   and his bride has made herself ready.
⁸ Fine linen, bright and clean,
   was given her to wear.”
   (Fine linen stands for the righteous acts of God’s holy people.)
 ⁹ Then the angel said to me, “Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb!” And he added, “These are the true words of God.”
 ¹⁰ At this I fell at his feet to worship him. But he said to me, “Don’t do that! I am a fellow servant with you and with your brothers and sisters who hold to the testimony of Jesus. Worship God! For it is the Spirit of prophecy who bears testimony to Jesus.”


There is a celebration in heaven at the fall of Babylon. Those in heaven praise God for His judgment of Babylon. Her sins are announced and her judgment pronounced. All those in heaven praise God, calling out Hallelujah! for they know that the wedding of the lamb is about to happen and the bride is ready. She is dressed in fine linen, she has been made righteous. The bride is the church. The angel tells John to write that Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the lamb. All those who have become believers since the rapture are invited to the celebration. They have been made righteous and are blessed. John is overwhelmed and falls at the angels feet to worship him, the angel admonished him and tells him to worship only God.

The Heavenly Warrior Defeats the Beast

 ¹¹ I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice he judges and wages war. ¹² His eyes are like blazing fire, and on his head are many crowns. He has a name written on him that no one knows but he himself. ¹³ He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is the Word of God. ¹⁴ The armies of heaven were following him, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean.¹⁵ Coming out of his mouth is a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations. “He will rule them with an iron scepter.”^[a] He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty. ¹⁶ On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written:   KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.
 ¹⁷ And I saw an angel standing in the sun, who cried in a loud voice to all the birds flying in midair, “Come, gather together for the great supper of God, ¹⁸ so that you may eat the flesh of kings, generals, and the mighty, of horses and their riders, and the flesh of all people, free and slave, great and small.”
 ¹⁹ Then I saw the beast and the kings of the earth and their armies gathered together to wage war against the rider on the horse and his army. ²⁰ But the beast was captured, and with it the false prophet who had performed the signs on its behalf. With these signs he had deluded those who had received the mark of the beast and worshiped its image. The two of them were thrown alive into the fiery lake of burning sulfur. ²¹ The rest were killed with the sword coming out of the mouth of the rider on the horse, and all the birds gorged themselves on their flesh.


Now heaven is opened, the final battle is about to begin. We see a white horse similar to Revelation 6:2 ( I looked, and there before me was a white horse! Its rider held a bow, and he was given a crown, and he rode out as a conqueror bent on conquest.) The previous horse represented the Beast, this horse stands in contrast to the first horse, the rider of this horse comes to fight the Beast. The name of the rider is Faithful and True, which identifies Him as Jesus. (¹⁴ “To the angel of the church in Laodicea write:
   These are the words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the ruler of God’s creation. Revelation 3:14) He judges and wages war with justice, He is the judge of all the earth. 
His eyes are like blazing fire (⁴ The hair on his head was white like wool, as white as snow, and his eyes were like blazing fire.  Revelation 1:14)
On His head are many crowns, signifying that He is the King of Kings.
There is a name written on Him that no one knows but Himself. 
He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood ( ¹ Who is this coming from Edom, 
   from Bozrah, with his garments stained crimson?
Who is this, robed in splendor,
   striding forward in the greatness of his strength?   “It is I, proclaiming victory,
   mighty to save.”
 ² Why are your garments red,
   like those of one treading the winepress?
 ³ “I have trodden the winepress alone;
   from the nations no one was with me.
I trampled them in my anger
   and trod them down in my wrath;
their blood spattered my garments,
   and I stained all my clothing.  Isaiah 63:1-3)
This signifies that the rider is no stranger to battle.
His name is the Word of God, referring to the revealed will of God. Christ returning to fight the enemies of God will now be fulfilling the gospel.
Behind this rider are the armies of heaven, clothed in linen on white horses. The plural being used for armies would indicate that there is more than one army following Jesus at this time. The first army would be the raptured believers. (14 They will make war against the Lamb, but the Lamb will overcome them because he is Lord of lords and King of kings--and with him will be his called, chosen and faithful followers." Revelation 17:14)
The second army will be God's angels ( ⁶ God is just: He will pay back trouble to those who trouble you ⁷ and give relief to you who are troubled, and to us as well. This will happen when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven in blazing fire with his powerful angels. 2 Thessalonians 1:6-7)
Out of His mouth comes a sharp sword (¹² For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. Hebrews 4:12) so He may strike down nations and rule them with a rod of iron. He treads the winepress of the wrath of God. (
 ¹⁷ Another angel came out of the temple in heaven, and he too had a sharp sickle. ¹⁸ Still another angel, who had charge of the fire, came from the altar and called in a loud voice to him who had the sharp sickle, “Take your sharp sickle and gather the clusters of grapes from the earth’s vine, because its grapes are ripe.” ¹⁹ The angel swung his sickle on the earth, gathered its grapes and threw them into the great winepress of God’s wrath. ²⁰ They were trampled in the winepress outside the city, and blood flowed out of the press, rising as high as the horses’ bridles for a distance of 1,600 stadia.^{[c] Revelation 14:17-20)
On His robe and thigh are written King of Kings and Lord of Lords. This is another title that is given to the rider. 
Now an angel standing in the sun calls the birds of the earth to gather to eat the flesh of men and horses. The birds are told they will eat the flesh of kings, commanders, mighty men, horses, riders  and all men. This signifies that no one will be left out. When the nations gather for the final battle, all will be there and will be defeated. 
Then John sees the Beast and the armies of the earth ready to make war against Jesus.
The Beast and his false prophet are seized and thrown alive into the lake of fire. The rest of the armies are killed by the sword, the Word of God, that comes from the rider. Those that are killed must await their judgment at a later time. And we see the birds of the earth feasting on the remains of the battle.}