Verse-by-Verse Commentary
The Book of Revelation
Chapter 19: King of Kings, and Lord of Lords
Revelation 19 turns from the fall of Babylon to the shout of heaven's joy. Four times the cry 'Alleluia' rings out, praising the one true God for His righteous judgments, 'for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth.' Then comes the moment the whole book has awaited: 'the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready,' arrayed in fine linen, 'the righteousness of saints.' Blessed are they called to the marriage supper. Then heaven opens, and the King rides out on a white horse: 'Faithful and True,' His eyes 'as a flame of fire,' clothed in 'a vesture dipped in blood,' and 'his name is called The Word of God.' On His robe and thigh is written, 'KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.' He treads 'the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God,' the beast and false prophet are cast into the lake of fire, and the enemies of God are overthrown. The Lamb who was slain returns as the conquering Word of God.
About This Commentary
This is a verse-by-verse study of Revelation chapter 19. For each section you will find the KJV text, the Greek words that sharpen the meaning, plain explanation, and a Gospel Focus. Here heaven rejoices with fourfold Alleluia over God's righteous judgments, the marriage supper of the Lamb is announced, and the King of kings rides out as the Word of God to conquer His enemies. Every Scripture quotation is from the King James Version.
Setting the Stage
The Lord God Reigneth
Heaven praises God's true and righteous judgments.
The Supper of the Lamb
The bride made ready in the righteousness of saints.
The Word of God
Faithful and True, coming in righteousness to judge.
King of Kings
The beast and false prophet cast into the lake of fire.
The Marriage Supper of the Lamb (Revelation 19:1-10)
Heaven erupts in fourfold Alleluia over God's righteous judgment of Babylon and His reign; then the marriage of the Lamb is announced, and the bride, made ready in the righteousness of saints, is called blessed.
The Lord God Omnipotent Reigneth
"And after these things I heard a great voice of much people in heaven, saying, Alleluia; Salvation, and glory, and honour, and power, unto the Lord our God: For true and righteous are his judgments: for he hath judged the great whore, which did corrupt the earth with her fornication, and hath avenged the blood of his servants at her hand. And again they said, Alleluia. And her smoke rose up for ever and ever. And the four and twenty elders and the four beasts fell down and worshipped God that sat on the throne, saying, Amen; Alleluia. And a voice came out of the throne, saying, Praise our God, all ye his servants, and ye that fear him, both small and great. And I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude, and as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of mighty thunderings, saying, Alleluia: for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth. Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready. And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints. And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he saith unto me, These are the true sayings of God. And I fell at his feet to worship him. And he said unto me, See thou do it not: I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren that have the testimony of Jesus: worship God: for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy."
Word Study
"Alleluia," Greek allelouia (ἀλληλούϊα), from Hebrew hallelu-Yah. The word is a transliteration of the Hebrew "Hallelujah," which means "Praise ye Yah", praise the LORD, for "Yah" is the shortened form of the covenant name of God, YHWH. It is the great worship-word of the Psalms (especially Psalms 146-150), and here, remarkably, it rings out four times in Revelation, the only place the word appears in the entire New Testament. Heaven reserves its "Alleluia" for this moment: the fall of Babylon and the reign of God. "Alleluia... for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth." The praise is directed wholly to "the Lord our God," the one true God, whose "judgments" are "true and righteous," who has "avenged the blood of his servants," and who "omnipotent reigneth." This is the Apostolic center of all worship: the one Lord God, almighty, righteous, and reigning. And note that the same God who is praised here is the Lamb whose marriage immediately follows, for the Lamb is God our Saviour, the LORD manifest in flesh. Heaven's fourfold Alleluia is not scattered among many deities; it rises to the one omnipotent Lord God, who has judged evil, avenged His people, and taken His reign. So allelouia gathers all heaven's joy into a single cry of praise to the one God, and calls His servants, "small and great," to join: Praise ye the LORD, for He reigns.
Explanation
Heaven erupts in "Alleluia" -- the only place the word appears in the New Testament -- rejoicing that God has judged Babylon and "the Lord God omnipotent reigneth." The scene turns to joy: "the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready," clothed in fine linen, "the righteousness of saints." The long story of redemption reaches its wedding day -- Christ and His church united forever. When John falls to worship the angel, he is forbidden -- "worship God" -- for angels refuse the honor due God alone, a pointed contrast to the Lamb who rightly received it (5:12-14). The blessed are "they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb."
Gospel Focus
The judgment of Babylon draws from heaven a mighty burst of praise, four Alleluias in ten verses. The first two rejoice that God's "judgments" are "true and righteous," for He "hath judged the great whore" and "avenged the blood of his servants." God's justice, so long awaited, is cause for worship. The elders and living creatures add their "Amen; Alleluia," and a voice from the throne calls all God's servants to "Praise our God... both small and great." Then the great multitude thunders the climactic Alleluia: "the Lord God omnipotent reigneth." Here is the settled joy of the redeemed: God reigns, almighty and unopposed. And at once the tone turns from judgment to joy of another kind: "the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready." Against the great whore Babylon stands the pure bride of Christ, the faithful people of God. She is "arrayed in fine linen, clean and white," and John is told plainly what it means: "the fine linen is the righteousness of saints." The bride's beauty is not her own achievement but the righteous life granted to her by grace, holiness worked in the saints by God. "Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb": the goal of redemption is not merely rescue from wrath but eternal, intimate union with Christ, the wedding feast of the Lamb and His people. Then John, overwhelmed, falls to worship the angel who shows him these things, and is sharply corrected: "See thou do it not: I am thy fellowservant... worship God." This is a vital Apostolic truth: worship belongs to God alone, never to angels or men. Yet throughout Revelation the Lamb is worshiped freely and rightly, for the Lamb is God, the one Lord manifest in flesh. The angel adds a beautiful line: "the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy", all true prophecy points to and testifies of Jesus. So heaven's joy centers on the reigning God and the coming marriage of the Lamb, and its worship is reserved for God alone, who is revealed in Christ.
The Word of God, King of Kings (Revelation 19:11-21)
Heaven opens and the King rides forth, Faithful and True, the Word of God, King of kings and Lord of lords, to judge and make war, and the beast and false prophet are cast into the lake of fire.
His Name Is Called The Word of God
"And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war. His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself. And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God. And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean. And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS. And I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the fowls that fly in the midst of heaven, Come and gather yourselves together unto the supper of the great God; That ye may eat the flesh of kings, and the flesh of captains, and the flesh of mighty men, and the flesh of horses, and of them that sit on them, and the flesh of all men, both free and bond, both small and great. And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse, and against his army. And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone. And the remnant were slain with the sword of him that sat upon the horse, which sword proceeded out of his mouth: and all the fowls were filled with their flesh."
Word Study
"The Word of God," Greek ho Logos tou Theou (ὁ λόγος τοῦ θεοῦ). The rider's name, "his name is called The Word of God," is the very title John gives to Christ at the opening of his Gospel: "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God... And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us" (John 1:1, 14). The Logos is the eternal self-expression of God, God's own Word by which He created all things and by which He reveals Himself, and that Word "was God" and "was made flesh" in Jesus Christ. So the conquering rider is none other than Jesus, God's eternal Word made flesh, now returning in glory. And the titles heaped upon Him are titles of full deity: He is "Faithful and True" (compare 3:14); "his eyes were as a flame of fire" (the vision of 1:14); He judges and makes war "in righteousness"; He is "clothed with a vesture dipped in blood," for He treads "the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God," executing the divine wrath as the LORD Himself does in Isaiah 63:1-6; and on His robe and thigh is written "KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS," the title of the Most High God (Deuteronomy 10:17; 1 Timothy 6:15). His weapon is "a sharp sword" that "goeth out of his mouth," the word of His power, for the same Word that created and saves now judges. For the Apostolic reader this is a mountain-peak of the deity of Christ: the returning King is "The Word of God," the eternal Logos who "was God" and "was made flesh," the one Lord God Almighty revealed in Jesus, King of kings and Lord of lords. So ho Logos tou Theou declares that the Jesus who came once as the slain Lamb is the very Word of God, and He comes again as the almighty, conquering King.
Explanation
Heaven opens and the King returns on a white horse -- "Faithful and True," who "in righteousness doth judge and make war." His name is "The Word of God," the same Word who was God and became flesh (John 1:1,14), now coming in glory; and on His robe is written "KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS." The gentle Lamb is also the conquering King, and with the sword of His mouth -- His word -- He strikes the nations. The beast and the false prophet are cast alive into the lake of fire, and the armies of rebellion are destroyed. The Rider is Jesus Christ, God manifest in flesh, returning to reign; every earthly power bows before the King of kings.
Gospel Focus
"I saw heaven opened," and the Lamb who was slain returns as the conquering King. The rider on the white horse is "called Faithful and True," for He keeps every promise, and "in righteousness he doth judge and make war", His warfare, unlike the world's, is perfectly just. Every detail proclaims who He is: "his eyes... as a flame of fire" (the glorified Christ of chapter 1), "many crowns" (all dominion is His), "a name written, that no man knew, but he himself" (the unfathomable mystery of His being), "a vesture dipped in blood" (the blood of His enemies in judgment, and behind it the blood of His own cross), and, decisively, "his name is called The Word of God", the eternal Word of John 1, God made flesh. The armies of heaven, the redeemed and the holy angels, follow Him "clothed in fine linen, white and clean," the same righteousness that adorned the bride, but they do not fight; the victory is His alone. "Out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword": He conquers by the word of His power, not by carnal weapons. He "treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God," and on His robe and thigh blazes the title "KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS." Then the so-called battle is over almost before it begins. The beast and the kings gather "to make war against him," but there is no contest: "the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet," and "these both were cast alive into a lake of fire." The two great deceivers who demanded the world's worship meet their doom, and their followers are slain "with the sword" of His mouth. The counterfeit is destroyed; the true King reigns. For the Apostolic believer this scene is the answer to every fear and the vindication of every faith. The Jesus who came in humility as the Lamb is the Word of God, the almighty Lord, and He will return in unmistakable glory to judge the world in righteousness and destroy every enemy. He is King of kings and Lord of lords, and His victory is certain and complete. We wait for Him not as a defeated people but as the bride of the coming King, arrayed in His righteousness, longing for the day heaven opens and the Word of God rides forth.
Chapter 19 in Review
Revelation 19 moves from heaven's praise to the return of the King. Four times heaven cries "Alleluia," rejoicing that God's "judgments" are "true and righteous," that He has "avenged the blood of his servants," and that "the Lord God omnipotent reigneth." Then "the marriage of the Lamb is come," and the bride is "arrayed in fine linen... the righteousness of saints"; "Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb." When John would worship the angel, he is told, "worship God." Then "heaven opened," and the King rides forth on a white horse, "Faithful and True," "his name... called The Word of God," clothed in a blood-dipped vesture, treading "the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God," and bearing the name "KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS." The beast and false prophet are "cast alive into a lake of fire," and their armies are slain by "the sword... out of his mouth."
For the Apostolic reader this chapter is a summit of hope and of the deity of Christ. Heaven's worship, its only fourfold "Alleluia," rises to the one omnipotent Lord God, whose reign and justice are the joy of the redeemed. And the goal of salvation is unveiled as the marriage of the Lamb: not merely escape from Babylon's doom, but eternal union with Christ, the bride adorned in a righteousness granted by grace. Then the returning King is named "The Word of God," the eternal Logos of John 1 who "was God" and "was made flesh," now coming in glory. Every title, Faithful and True, eyes of flame, King of kings and Lord of lords, the treader of the winepress of Almighty God, declares that Jesus is the one Lord God manifest in flesh, returning to judge and reign. Worship belongs to God alone, and the Lamb receives it, for the Lamb is God. And the outcome is never in doubt: the beast, the false prophet, and every enemy are overthrown by the word of His mouth. So we live as the waiting bride, clothed in His righteousness, worshiping the one reigning Lord, and longing for the day heaven opens and the Word of God, King of kings and Lord of lords, rides forth in triumph.
- Heaven's only fourfold "Alleluia" praises the one Lord God whose judgments are true and righteous (19:1-6).
- "The Lord God omnipotent reigneth", the settled joy of the redeemed (19:6).
- The marriage of the Lamb: the bride adorned in "the righteousness of saints" by grace (19:7-9).
- "Worship God", worship belongs to God alone, yet the Lamb is worshiped, for He is God (19:10).
- The returning King's name is "The Word of God," the eternal Logos made flesh (19:13; John 1:1, 14).
- He is "KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS"; the beast and false prophet are cast into the lake of fire (19:16, 20).
Questions for Reflection
- Does your heart join heaven's "Alleluia" that "the Lord God omnipotent reigneth"?
- Are you being made ready as the bride, clothed in the righteousness God grants?
- What does it mean to you that the returning King is "The Word of God" made flesh?
- Do you worship God alone, refusing every lesser object of worship?
References & Sources
Scripture is quoted from the King James Version (KJV). Supporting passages are listed so every claim can be verified in its own setting. The fourfold Alleluia; God's righteous judgments; His reign: Revelation 19:1-6; Psalms 146-150; Revelation 15:3; 18:20; Psalm 97:1; Exodus 15:18. The marriage of the Lamb; the bride's righteousness: Revelation 19:7-9; Isaiah 61:10; 2 Corinthians 11:2; Ephesians 5:25-27; Matthew 22:2-14; Revelation 21:2, 9. Worship God alone; the testimony of Jesus: Revelation 19:10; Revelation 22:8-9; Exodus 20:3-5; Colossians 2:18; John 5:39. The rider, the Word of God, King of kings: Revelation 19:11-16; John 1:1, 14; Revelation 1:14; 3:14; Isaiah 63:1-6; Psalm 2:9; Deuteronomy 10:17; 1 Timothy 6:15; Hebrews 4:12. The defeat of the beast and false prophet: Revelation 19:17-21; Ezekiel 39:17-20; Daniel 7:11; 2 Thessalonians 2:8; Revelation 20:10. If anything here does not look right, a verse, a reference, or a wording, please tell us at info@FruitBearers.net. Thank you for helping us keep Bible Learning error free.
- Heaven's fourfold Alleluia; "the Lord God omnipotent reigneth": Revelation 19:1-6; Psalms 146-150; Revelation 15:3.
- The marriage of the Lamb; the bride in the righteousness of saints: Revelation 19:7-9; Isaiah 61:10; Ephesians 5:25-27.
- The rider is "The Word of God," King of kings and Lord of lords: Revelation 19:11-16; John 1:1, 14; Deuteronomy 10:17.
- The beast and false prophet cast into the lake of fire: Revelation 19:17-21; Daniel 7:11; 2 Thessalonians 2:8.