Revelation 19:6-10 (NKJV) And I heard, as it were, the voice of a great multitude, as the sound of many waters and as the sound of mighty thunderings, saying, “Alleluia! For the Lord God Omnipotent reigns! 7 Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready.” 8 And to her it was granted to be arrayed in fine linen, clean and bright, for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints.
9 Then he said to me, “Write: Blessed are those who are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb!” And he said to me, “These are the true sayings of God.” 10 And I fell at his feet to worship him. But he said to me, “See that you do not do that! I am your fellow servant, and of your brethren who have the testimony of Jesus. Worship God! For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.”
V6 “And I heard, as it were, the voice of a great multitude, as the sound of many waters and as the sound of mighty thunderings, saying, “Alleluia! For the Lord God Omnipotent reigns!” The sound of millions upon millions praising God sounds like ocean waves crashing on the seashore and loud thunder. This is an official recognition that Jesus starts to reign. He has been rewarded this for his faithfulness in ministry as our Passover Lamb, Savior, Conqueror of Death, Ascension into Heaven, etc. The Greek word for “omnipotent” is (G3841) παντοκράτωρ pantokrátōr, which means all strength, that is, complete and no weakness in any way. God’s omnipotence is physical, emotional, and spiritual. He is over all. He is stronger than death—Acts 2:24 and Luke 24:3-8.
V7 “Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready.” Three things to do: 1) be glad, 2) rejoice, and 3) give Him glory. Why? The time of the marriage of the church (all believers from Pentecost in Acts 2 until the Rapture) has arrived. The wife is the church (believers). The wife (2 Corinthians 11:2, Ephesians 5:25-32, Revelation 21:9, and Revelation 22:17) is prepared for the Wedding.
V8 “And to her it was granted to be arrayed in fine linen, clean and bright, for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints.” Fine linen represents the righteous acts of believers. All believers in Jesus are saints. It is spotless, thus, holy (2 Corinthians 11:2 and Revelation 15:6).
V9 “Then he said to me, “Write: Blessed are those who are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb!” Who are those who are called/invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb? Most understand that those invited to this supper are all believers from Adam until the Day of Pentecost and those after the Rapture. All people are called, but most refuse and make excuses. They refuse to believe in Jesus. Compare Luke 14:12-24.
V10 “And I fell at his feet to worship him. But he said to me, “See that you do not do that! I am your fellow servant, and of your brethren who have the testimony of Jesus. Worship God! For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.” John was so overwhelmed by all that he saw and heard that he dropped down before the angel. It was more of an automatic reflex. Nevertheless, it was wrong, and the angel stopped him by rebuking him. Compare Revelation 22:8-9 and Acts 10:25-26.
Some comments:
Defenders Study Bible: “This verse is the only place where the phrase “the testimony of Jesus” (i.e., about Jesus) appears in the Bible, and also the only place where the phrase “the Spirit of prophecy” appears. Thus a true prophet, inspired by the Holy Spirit, will testify that God was indeed incarnate in the man Jesus (1Jn 2:22; 1Jn 4:1-3). Therefore Jesus is God, and is to be worshipped, but He alone.”
Constable, after reviewing 3 common interpretations, comments: “If the genitive is subjective, the angel meant that the testimony that Jesus has given is the essence of prophetic proclamation. [Note: Mounce, p. 342; Beasley-Murray, p. 276.] This last view seems preferable since it affords the best explanation of why John should not worship the angel: Jesus is the source of revelation, and angels just communicate it. Moreover, the phrase “of Jesus” in the preceding clause also seems to be subjective.” I agree with this.
We learn:
- The time is coming when Jesus begins the functions of king. The King of kings is now beginning to clean up the mess of those who had destroyed the Earth.
- The church (believers) are the Bride of Christ.
- There is a wedding feast for church-age believers.
- An example of being overwhelmed causing sin.
Questions: - Are we going to be among those in heaven?
- How can we wear fine linen today by our lives? Start thinking about moral purity.