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Revelation chapter 19 highlights quite the epic moment to come! This chapter marks the official collapse of Satan's empire as well as the official end of what is known as “the tribulation period”, which was full of all kinds of judgements - namely the seal judgements described in Revelation 5-8, the trumpet judgements descriptive in Revelation 8-11, and the bowl judgements described in Revelation 12-16. The last two chapters (Revelation 17 & 18) took a bit of a poetic turn, describing the fall of “Babylon”, both as a corrupt religious system as well as the political empire of the Antichrist.
Now here, in chapter 19, John describes hearing “the loud voice of a great multitude in heaven, crying out” and praising God - proclaiming God’s justice and celebrating the defeat of “the great prostitute”, which we read about in chapter 17, as well as thanking God for avenging those who have been martyred for their faith in Christ. This time of celebration and praise continues with what ia known as a “marriage supper”, which is something we read about way back in Matthew chapters 22 and 25.
And then, in verses 11-21, we reach the moment of most excitement and rejoicing as John begins to describe the long awaited second coming of Jesus Christ. And what an incredible and triumphant moment it will be! Where Jesus’ first arrival on earth was as a humble baby (Luke 2:7) and involved His brutal and sacrificial death on the cross for our sins (Philippians 2:8), His second coming is not humble nor meek. Instead, He comes riding in as a triumphant conqueror, wearing a robe dipped in the blood of His enemies, leading the charge of the armies of heaven.
Now, as Jesus bursts on the scene as King of Kings and Lord of Lords, He will single-handedly obliterate the enemy, resulting in the damnation of the Antichrist and False Prophet. And with that we see a page turn in - we see the script flip, if you will - as we see the destruction of the tribulation officially come to an end and stage being set for the beginning of the millennial kingdom. A thousand-year reign of Christ on earth. Friends, the story is about to go from good to great! I hope you are on the edge of your seat! I hope you feel the same excitement and eagerness that I do, to continue on in this journey through the New Testament and dive deeper into the book of Revelation, receiving a glimpse into the future the Lord has promised as well as the majesty, hope, and promise we have in Him.