Episode #257. Today we’ll read Revelation chapter 19 together. There’s a celebration in Heaven! The rider on the white horse appears and the beast and its armies are defeated.
Transcript
Joy: You’re listening to the Lifting Her Voice podcast, Episode #257. Today we’ll read Revelation chapter 19 together: There’s a celebration in Heaven! The rider on the white horse appears and the beast and its armies are defeated.
Welcome to the Lifting Her Voice podcast. I’m your host, Joy Miller, and I invite you to grab your Bible and join me as we simply read God’s word together. Some things require discipline and sometimes that’s just not easy to muster by yourself, no matter how badly you want to do it or how much you know you should. It’s just easier to do it with a friend. So refill your coffee or tea, get comfortable in your favorite chair and follow along as I read aloud. I’m so glad you’re here!
Welcome
My husband Mitch and I never thought we would be old enough to talk about retirement. Like most young people, we thought that aging was something that only happens to old people. We met when we were very young, at Bancroft Junior High School in Long Beach, California. Mitch sat behind me in 7th grade English class and sometime during the second semester, he managed to work up the courage to ask me to the school dance.
Sometimes it seems like that was only yesterday. But a lifetime of activities and responsibilities and hopes and dreams has come and gone since then, and now we find ourselves only a year or two away from the “R” word. Lately, it is becoming less of a distant threat and more of a pending reality. Strangely enough, we are embracing it!
Getting old is something that happens slowly, then suddenly. That’s the best way to describe it. But it’s not without its charms. The kids are all grown up and moved out years ago. Finances are in better shape than they were when we were young and we enjoy each other’s company more and more each day.
Not in Front of the TV
We have a lot of ideas about how we will spend our sunset years. Central to these conversations is how we will serve the Lord. It simply isn’t an option for us to sit around and grow old in front of the television. So, if watching Gilligan’s Island reruns is not an option, how then will we spend our time? We’ve considered volunteering for a missionary organization, perhaps overseas. We are beginning to research those groups who might need help and we are praying for guidance. Please pray with us and for us, that we will seek and do God’s will, no matter where that takes us.
Are you retired? How are you spending your senior years? Are you serving in different ways than when you were committed to the 9 to 5? Tell me all about it at Lifting Her Voice.com, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
Revelation chapter 19
Celebration in Heaven
After this I heard something like the loud voice of a vast multitude in heaven, saying,
Hallelujah!
Salvation, glory, and power belong to our God,
because his judgments are true and righteous,
because he has judged the notorious prostitute
who corrupted the earth with her sexual immorality;
and he has avenged the blood of his servants
that was on her hands.
A second time they said,
Hallelujah!
Her smoke ascends forever and ever!
Then the twenty-four elders and the four living creatures fell down and worshiped God, who is seated on the throne, saying,
Amen! Hallelujah!
A voice came from the throne, saying,
Praise our God,
all his servants, and the ones who fear him,
both small and great!
Then I heard something like the voice of a vast multitude, like the sound of cascading waters, and like the rumbling of loud thunder, saying,
Hallelujah, because our Lord God, the Almighty,
reigns!
Let us be glad, rejoice, and give him glory,
because the marriage of the Lamb has come,
and his bride has prepared herself.
She was given fine linen to wear, bright and pure.
For the fine linen represents the righteous acts of the saints.
Then he said to me, “Write: Blessed are those invited to the marriage feast of the Lamb!” He also said to me, “These words of God are true.” Then 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 your brothers and sisters who hold firmly to the testimony of Jesus. Worship God, because the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.”
The Rider on a White Horse
Then I saw heaven opened, and there was a white horse. Its rider is called Faithful and True, and with justice he judges and makes war. His eyes were like a fiery flame, and many crowns were on his head. He had a name written that no one knows except himself. He wore a robe dipped in blood, and his name is called the Word of God. The armies that were in heaven followed him on white horses, wearing pure white linen. A sharp sword came from his mouth, so that he might strike the nations with it. He will rule them with an iron rod. He will also trample the winepress of the fierce anger of God, the Almighty. And he has a name written on his robe and on his thigh: King of Kings and Lord of Lords.
The Beast and Its Armies Defeated
Then I saw an angel standing in the sun, and he called out in a loud voice, saying to all the birds flying high overhead, “Come, gather together for the great supper of God, so that you may eat the flesh of kings, the flesh of military commanders, the flesh of the mighty, the flesh of horses and of their riders, and the flesh of everyone, both free and slave, small and great.”
Then I saw the beast, the kings of the earth, and their armies gathered together to wage war against the rider on the horse and against his army. But the beast was taken prisoner, and along with it the false prophet, who had performed the signs in its presence. He deceived those who accepted the mark of the beast and those who worshiped its image with these signs. Both of them were thrown alive into the lake of fire that burns with sulfur. The rest were killed with the sword that came from the mouth of the rider on the horse, and all the birds ate their fill of their flesh.
Closing Thoughts
In Revelation chapter 6, the saints who were martyred cry out, “How long, Sovereign Lord, holy and true, until you judge the inhabitants of the earth and avenge our blood?” This chapter opens with the great multitude and heaven rejoicing over the fall of Babylon and the end of the rein of the Antichrist, praising the Lord by shouting “Alleluia” again and again. This is a stark contrast to those on earth who are mourning the fall of Babylon, as we read in the last chapter.
The Lord is finally being joined with His people. The author relates this union as “…the marriage feast of the Lamb.” There can be no greater joy than this for the body of believers.
The rider on the white horse is our Lord Jesus Christ. His appearance is powerful, and He is in complete control. He is ready and willing to do battle with the forces that oppose Him. There is no mention of any weapons or armor; only the “sword of truth” that comes from His mouth.
This is not a physical sword but a representation of the power of His word. It does not matter how well-armed the enemy is; they are no match for the power of Christ. You must stop and wonder how anyone could harbor so much anger and hatred at the notion of following Christ that they would be willing to end their lives in a suicide march against the King of Kings.
The Beast and the False Prophet are captured and thrown into the Lake of Fire; literally Hell. Their armies are vanquished on the battlefield and their remains left behind for the carrion birds. Such a terrible price to pay for having been deceived by the Antichrist! Let’s pray.
Prayer
Lord Jesus, it will be incredible and awe-inspiring to see you on that day before the Battle of Armageddon. I pray that you will guard our hearts in those final days, that we will not be deceived by the Antichrist. Keep us ever focused on the hope we have in You. Amen.
Thank you for joining me here today. I pray God will grow in you what has been planted and watered here. In this time of unprecedented struggle worldwide, we can look to God for guidance and comfort. Be sensitive to those in your circle of influence who need a word of encouragement and invite them to join us. If you like this show, it would be great if you give it a five-star review. Don’t forget to subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. See you right here tomorrow. Be well!
Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Christian Standard Bible(r), Copyright (c) 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible(r) and CSB(r) are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers.
Show Notes
- Awesome Video of Solomon’s Temple
- These will help! Overview videos of all books of the Bible
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Bible Study Resources
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- The Bible Project– Free!
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