Revelation 19:9

19:1-10 Praising God for what we have, is praying for what is yet further to be done for us. There is harmony between the angels and the saints in this triumphant song. Christ is the Bridegroom of his ransomed church. This second union will be completed in heaven; but the beginning of the glorious millennium (by which is meant a reign of Christ, or a state of happiness, for a thousand years on earth) may be considered as the celebration of his espousals on earth. Then the church of Christ, being purified from errors, divisions, and corruptions, in doctrine, discipline, worship, and practice, will be made ready to be publicly owned by him as his delight and his beloved. The church appeared; not in the gay, gaudy dress of the mother of harlots, but in fine linen, clean and white. In the robes of Christ's righteousness, imputed for justification, and imparted for sanctification. The promises of the gospel, the true sayings of God, opened, applied, and sealed by the Spirit of God, in holy ordinances, are the marriage-feast. This seems to refer to the abundant grace and consolation Christians will receive in the happy days which are to come. The apostle offered honour to the angel. The angel refused it. He directed the apostle to the true and only object of religious worship; to worship God, and him alone.

This plainly condemns the practice of those who worship the elements of bread and wine, and saints, and angels; and of those who do not believe that Christ is truly and by nature God, yet pay him a sort of worship. They stand convicted of idolatry by a messenger from heaven. These are the true sayings of God; of Him who is to be worshipped, as one with the Father and the Holy Spirit.

Revelation 19:9-10 . And he (the angel) saith unto me, Write — Record this as an important truth, in which all that read this book in future ages will be greatly concerned; Blessed — Μακαριοι , happy; are they which are called unto the marriage-supper of the Lamb — Who shall be living at this time, and shall obey the invitation to this marriage-feast, and partake of all the privileges and blessings belonging to it. And he saith unto me, after a little pause, These are the true sayings of God — They are to be regarded by thee, and all that read them, as declarations infallibly true, and infinitely momentous. And — While he was speaking to me in this kind and condescending manner, being overawed by his majestic appearance, and in such a rapture and ecstasy at these discoveries that I knew not, or did not consider, what I did; I fell at his feet — Prostrated myself before him; to worship him — Or to do him homage, as though I had owed all these discoveries to him. And he said, See thou do it not — Greek, ωρα μη , See not, with a beautiful abruptness. It does not appear that St. John intended to pay religious worship to this angel; for he could not but know that he was only a creature, and that religiously to worship any creature, however exalted, would be flat idolatry.

He seems only to have intended such civil respect and reverence as the Asiatics were wont to pay to superiors, and especially to persons in high rank; which indeed is frequently all that is meant by the word προσκυνεω , here rendered to worship. Thus Ruth complimented Boaz with this kind of honour, when she fell on her face, and bowed herself to the ground, Ruth 2:10 . Thus Abigail also showed her respect for David: she fell before him on her face, and bowed herself to the ground, 1 Samuel 25:23 . Indeed, the reason for which the angel forbids this high act of respect, seems to intimate that he did not understand it as an act of religious honour, for he mentions nothing concerning the sin or danger of idolatry, as implied in it: he only shows that it was improper the apostle should pay such respect to him, which he does, not by showing that it was unlawful to give such respect to any created being whatsoever, but because he was only a fellow-servant with the apostle, and a servant of his brethren, that had the testimony of Jesus. As if he had said, I am now employed as your fellow-servant, to testify of the Lord Jesus by the same Spirit which inspired the prophets of old. Worship God — Pay thine homage, in such expressions of it, to God alone, to whom alone thou owest these revelations.

9 . And he saith ] Who speaks? Plainly an angel (see Revelation 19:10 ), presumably the angel of Revelation 17:1 . Blessed are they , &c.] St John, and “they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein” ( Revelation 1:3 ) are made to realise heartily what our Lord’s fellow-guest (St Luke 14:15 ) said without seeing the full force of his own words. Of course, when we reduce the image to plain prose, “they that are called” are the same as the Bride: while St Paul again speaks of them as her children. These are the true sayings of God ] More literally, These words are [some add “the”] true (words) of God .

And he saith unto me, Write; write it, as a business of moment, of which a record is fit to be kept. Blessed are they which are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb; that is, (say those who understand by the marriage of the Lamb the Jews’ conversion), who live in this happy period of time when the Jews shall be converted, and with the Gentiles make one gospel church. But this seems to me not sufficient. The marriage is one thing, the supper another, and (ordinarily) consequential to the marriage itself. The kingdom of glory seems to me rather intended, and those are called to it, who are made meet for the inheritance of the saints in light. These are the true sayings of God; that is, these are the undoubted truths of God, and therefore to be called into question by none.

Revelation 19:9 . Γράψον ) The Apparatus makes mention of the MSS. which omit this word. Among them are the first editions of Erasmus, which Luther followed: whence the suspicion of a typographical error in the German Bibles is removed. The more recent editors of the German Bibles have inserted that word.— ἀληθινοὶ , true ) A remarkable epithet. It is used by itself in this one passage only of the Apocalypse, as πιστὸς , faithful , of the Witness, ch. Revelation 1:5 . In other places both are joined. The faithful and true witness , ch. Revelation 3:14 Faithful and true , put absolutely, ch. Revelation 19:11 . Then, Faithful and true words , ch. Revelation 21:5 , Revelation 22:6 . In other places another epithet is added. Jesus, Holy and true , ch. Revelation 3:7 . God, the Lord Holy and true , ch. Revelation 6:10 . Just and true are the ways of God: true and just are His judgments , ch. Revelation 15:3 , Revelation 16:7 , Revelation 19:2 . Where these epithets are used conjointly, God is called Holy , with reference to Himself: faithful and just , with reference to His people, and in the word given to His people: He is called true , in His work, the issue of which, especially in this place, answers to the word which has preceded. Where one epithet only is used, as Faithful , at the beginning of the book, and True , here, about the end, the force of the other is to be understood. And as He Himself is, so are His words, and ways, and judgments.

Revelation 19:9 . The saints are the Bride, but—by a confusion inevitable when the the two cognate figures, apocalyptic and synoptic ( Matthew 22:2 f.), are combined—they are also the guests at the wedding. (The bliss of the next world is termed “the Banquet” in rabbinic writings, which interpret Exodus 24:11 as though the sight of God were meat and drink to the beholders). Like the Greek πόλις , the church is composed of members who are ideally distinguishable from her, just as in En. xxxviii. 1 the congregation of the righteous is equivalent to the new Jerusalem. With the idea of 7–9, cf. Pirke Aboth, iv. 23: This world is like a vestibule before the world to come; prepare thyself at the vestibule that thou mayest be admitted into the τρικλίνιον .— ἀληθ . either “real” as opposed to fanciful and delusive revelations, or (if ἀληθ . = ἀληθής ) “trustworthy words of God” ( Daniel 2:9 ) emphasising the previous beatitude (like ναί , λέγει τὸ πνεῦμα Revelation 14:13 ). Originally the words (see above) gravely corroborated all the preceding threats and promises ( cf. Revelation 17:17 ), despite their occasionally strange and doubtful look. It is a common reiteration in apocc. ( cf. reff.), underlining as it were the solemn statements of a given passage. See, e.g. , Herm. Vis. iii. 4, “that God’s name may be glorified, hath this been revealed to thee, for the sake of those who are of doubtful mind, questioning in their hearts whether this is so or not.

(9) And he saith unto me . . . —Who is the speaker? The general and simplest opinion is that it is the angel mentioned in Revelation 17:1 who speaks. The speaker bids the seer write: “ Blessed are they who are bidden to the supper of the marriage of the Lamb.” This is one of the six benedictions of the Apocalypse (Rev. Revelation 1:3 ; Revelation 14:13 ; Revelation 20:6 ; Revelation 22:7 ; Revelation 22:14 ): it is founded on our Lord’s parables ( Matthew 22:1 ; Matthew 25:1 ; comp. also Revelation 3:20 ): the blessing of the call to the marriage supper is more clearly realised now that the day of joy is at hand. We must not draw too sharp distinctions, as some have done, between the bride and the guests: the imagery is varied to give fulness and force to the truths which no emblems can adequately express. The Church of Christ will rest, and feast, and reign with her Lord; and in all the peace, gladness, and triumph of that joy-time God’s servants will share. A solemn confirmation of this follows, as in Revelation 21:5 ; Revelation 22:6 : “these words are true (sayings) of God.”