Revelation 19

Bible study with Dr. Chuck Missler
http://www.god.tv/node/2609


THE RETURN OF THE KING

The Christmas Story (Luke 1:31-33)
"You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end."

The Throne of David did not exist during Jesus’s ministry. Jesus has never sat on the throne of David. He is on His Father’s throne today.

This is what Revelation 19 is about: Jesus coming to sit on the Throne of David!

God's Promise about the Throne of David
- The Davidic Covenant (2 Samuel 7:11-16)
- God promised David a royal dynasty (Isaiah 7:13)
- An eternal throne (2 Samuel 7:13, 16, 19; 1 Chronicles 17:12; 22:10; Isaiah 55:3; Ezekiel 37:25)
- A political kingdom (Genesis 17:2-8)
- It was even confirmed by oath (Psalm 132:11; 89:3, 4, 34)
- This cannot be applied to the Church; the Church has not replaced Israel! (Ezekiel 37:21-28)
- It was this future throne that was recognized by the First Church Council in Acts 16 (Acts 15: 16-18, quoting Amos 9:11-12, Cf. Jeremiah 30:7, 11, 18).

The oldest prophecy in the Bible is about the second coming of Jesus (Jude 1:14-15)
"It was also about these that Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied, saying, 'Behold, the Lord comes with ten thousands of his holy ones, to execute judgment on all and to convict all the ungodly of all their deeds of ungodliness that they have committed in such an ungodly way, and of all the harsh things that ungodly sinners have spoken against him.'"


PRAISE GOD FOR HIS JUSTICE AND RIGHTEOUSNESS (Revelation 19:1-8)
The 24 Elders is no longer mentioned when the Church as the Bride is introduced. Why? Possibly because the 24 Elders join the Church as the Bride. This would support the theory that the 24 Elders are representatives of the Church.


THE WEDDING SUPPER OF THE LAMB (Revelation 19:9)

The Bride of Jesus is the Church
- The Church is the Bride (2 Corinthians 11:2)
- The Church is a chaste virgin (Ephesians 5:22-23) – Is she really chaste? Of course not. She has plenty of blemishes. However, the blood of Christ washes her of all her sins.
- Jesus is the Bridegroom (John 3:22; Matthew 9:15; 22:1-13; 2 Corinthians 11:2; Ephesians 5:23-32)
- Jesus’s promise to His Bride (John 14:2-3)
- John the Baptist is the Friend of the Bridegroom, not the Bride (John 3:29; Luke 16:16; Matthew 11:11-13)
- The Bride enjoys a unique relationship with the Bridegroom (John 17:23-26)

Israel is not the Bride of Jesus
- Israel is presented as the “Wife of Yahweh” (Isaiah 54:1, 5)
- Israel has been described as a Harlot (Ezekiel 16:35)
- Hosea was told to love a woman who was pictured as a type of Israel – The Idolatrous Wife (Hosea 2:14-23): This woman was a wife from whoredoms; gifts were given to lovers to prevent want; she was bought at slave market but Hosea was to lover her anyway
- Hosea’s three children were named with prophetic meaning: Jezreel = cast away; sowed for later harvest; Lo-Ruhamah = unpitied; without mercy (Hosea 1:6); Lo-Ammi = not my people (vs. Romans 11:1)
- That is, through Hosea, God is telling the Israelites that He is disowning them. However, Israel is not permanently cast away: Hosea 1:11, 2:23; Romans 9-11; Zechariah 12:10; Isaiah 62:5 – God will one day restore Israel in Him!
- A priest, by God’s Law, may not marry a divorced woman – Jesus is our High Priest, therefore He cannot be the “groom” of Israel

The Jewish Wedding

Stage I: The Ketubah (Betrothal)
- Payment of the purchase price is established
- The bride is set apart (sanctified) (Isaiah 61:10; Judges 14:10-11; Jeremiah 2:32; Isaiah 49:18; Psalm 45:8-15)

Stage II: Preparations
- The Bridegroom departs to the Father’s house, leaving the Bride to be sanctified.
- The Bridegroom then goes back to the Father’s house to add a room to that house for him and his bride.
- The Bride prepares for his imminent return – She does not know the day or the hour of his return but is expected to always be ready for his return.

Stage III: The Huppah (Wedding)
- The Bridegroom usually comes for his Bride at night, as a surprise. Hence, the Bridegroom is busy preparing a place for his bride, while his Bride is expected to wait patiently. (Jeremiah 7:34; 16:9; 25:10; Psalm 45:8-15; Matthew 25:1-13)
- This surprise gathering leads to the wedding

Stage IV: 7-Day Marriage Supper Feast
Judges 14:12; Matthew 9:15; 22:11-14; John 2:1

The marriage between Jesus and the Church is fulfilled
- The Covenant is established (1 Corinthians 11:25)
- The Purchase Price has been paid (1 Corinthians 6:19-20)
- The Bride has been set apart (Ephesians 5:25-27; 1 Corinthians 1:2; 6:11; Hebrews 10:10; 13:12)
- The Bride has been reminded of the Covenant (1 Corinthians 11:25-26)
- The Bridegroom (Jesus) has left for the Father’s House
- Jesus will have an escort to accompany Him upon His return to gather His Bride (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17)
- There will be a great wedding supper/banquet (Isaiah 25:6-10; 26:1-4, 19; Cf. Luke 22:15-16; Matthew 26:39)

At the marriage supper, Jesus will finally drink from the Last Cup
“And he said to them, ‘I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. For I tell you, I will not eat it again until it finds fulfillment in the kingdom of God.’ After taking the cup, he gave thanks and said, ‘Take this and divide it among you. For I tell you I will not drink again of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.’” (Luke 22:15-18; Cf. Mark 14:25; Matthew 26:29)


EVERY PROPHECY POINTS TO JESUS (Revelation 19:10)
- Angels do not allow themselves to be worshipped


THE COMING KING ARRIVES ON A WHITE HORSE (Revelation 19:11)
Psalm 2; 45; 46; 47; 50:1-6; 68; Isaiah 11, 24:19-25, 26:20-21; 63:1-6; 65:6-16; Daniel 2:44-45; 7:9-14; Joel 3; Habakkuk 3; Zechariah 14


JESUS COMES WITH BLOOD-STAINED GARMENT (Revelation 19:13-15)
Jesus comes the second time not as a Lamb but as a Lion, a King who has come to judge the world. He first goes to Petra to redeem the faithful and fights all the way to Magiddo before ending on the Mount of Olives (Isaiah 63:1-6).


JESUS’S SECOND COMING
- This is not the Rapture but the Revelation of Jesus as the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.
- Jesus is not in the air but coming to the earth.
- Jesus is not coming for the saints but WITH the saints.
- Jesus is coming not to comfort but to conquer.
- Jesus is coming not to protect us in Heaven but to rule with us on Earth.


MAN DARES TO MAKE WAR WITH GOD BUT WILL FAIL (Revelation 19:19-21)
Cf. Psalm 2:1-12; Zechariah 14:2-4