Revelation 19:6–10

19:6 On the one hand there is a call to joy and praise because of the judgment of Babylon. But there is also thunderous praise because the kingdom has come—God has begun to reign (cf. 1 Chron. 16:31; Pss. 93:1; 97:1; 99:1; 118:24; Zech. 14:9; Rev. 11:15, 17). The reign of God cannot, of course, be separated from the judgment of Babylon. The sound—like a multitude, the roar of a waterfall, and peals of thunder—demonstrates we have arrived at the climax of history (cf. Dan. 10:6; Rev. 1:15; 14:2). The awesome joy is comparable to the roar of the crowd in a stadium today.

19:7 Believers are told to rejoice and exult and glorify God because the wedding of the Lamb is at hand (cf. Isa. 61:10). One of the remarkable features of this section is the irrepressible gladness bursting through the text. It is hard to imagine anything more joyful than a wedding, and this is the wedding of all weddings. Indeed, all other marriages are modeled after Christ’s relationship with the church (Eph. 5:22–33, esp. v. 32). We have been prepared for this, for Yahweh’s relationship to Israel is also explained in terms of bride and groom (e.g., Isa. 49:18; 50:1; 54:5; 62:4–5; Jer. 2:2, 32; 3:20; Ezekiel 16; Hos. 1:1–3:5). The wedding of the Lamb represents the consummation of God’s purpose in history, signifying his desire to be in relationship with human beings. The bride must be ready to marry the Lamb, as is further explained in the next verse.

19:8 The bride is prepared for her wedding to the Lamb, wearing the proper clothing (cf. Isa. 61:10). Her adornment consists of “fine linen, bright and pure.” In Ezekiel we read of the Lord caring for Jerusalem and adorning her with linen and silk (Ezek. 16:10, 13), but the context there demonstrates that she was an unworthy wife. Another anticipation of the wedding scene in Revelation is the marriage of the Davidic king to a foreign bride in Psalm 45, in which the bride approaches the king in beautiful robes (Ps. 45:13–14). Two things are said about the bride’s adornment here in Revelation 19. First, the fine linen is given to her by God. The goodness of the bride is a gift of God, not a result of the inherent virtue or wealth of the bride. Second, the adornment of the bride stands for the goodness actualized in her life. The fine linen of the bride in Revelation, John explains, represents the “righteous deeds of the saints.” Here the bride’s apparel stands in contrast to the fine linen of Babylon (18:16), which signified Babylon’s luxury and debauchery. The bride is ready because she has lived a holy life, has done what is pleasing to God, has not followed the pathway carved out by Babylon. Still, the righteous deeds of the bride are the result of God’s work in her life.

19:9 One of the seven blessings is now written down for posterity (cf. comment on 1:3) so that it will not be forgotten. Those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb are blessed by God (cf. Luke 14:15). No feast compares to this feast, and the joy at this supper is incomparable to any joy on earth. We see anticipation of this feast in the messianic feast promised in Isaiah, which also includes the hope of the resurrection:

On this mountain the LORD of hosts will make for all peoples

a feast of rich food, a feast of well-aged wine,

of rich food full of marrow, of aged wine well refined.

And he will swallow up on this mountain

the covering that is cast over all peoples,

the veil that is spread over all nations.

He will swallow up death forever;

and the Lord GOD will wipe away tears from all faces. (Isa. 25:6–8; cf. also Matt. 8:11–12; Mark 14:25; Luke 13:28–29)

The angel also affirms that his words are the true words of God (cf. Rev. 21:5; 22:6). The promises are so great and stunning and so different from life on earth, with its sorrows and sufferings, that we need to be assured they are true; they will become a reality.

19:10 The words and appearance of the “angel” (cf. v. 9) are striking, and John responds by falling on his face in worship before the angel (cf. 22:8). But the angel rebuffs John, saying that he is merely a fellow servant of John and of those who subscribe to the testimony of Jesus. The angel commands John to worship God alone. The starkness and brevity of the command to “Worship God” reminds us of the God-centered vision of the book of Revelation. God is the center and circumference of John’s visions, but the next words demonstrate that the centrality of God also includes the preeminence of Jesus. The command to worship God does not exclude the worship of Jesus, as the entire book teaches repeatedly. Hence, we have the fascinating words that follow, stating that “the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.” The saying is tantalizingly ambiguous and has provoked a number of different interpretations. John probably means that Spirit-inspired prophecy focuses on the testimony given by and about Jesus Christ. Christians are to worship God and be God-centered, but prophecy also points us to the centrality of Jesus and his majesty and greatness.