Revelation 19:12 Kommentar

In this chapter we have, I. A further account of the triumphant song of angels and saints for the fall of Babylon (Rev 19:1-4). II. The marriage between Christ and the church proclaimed and perfected (Rev 19:5-10). III. Another warlike expedition of the glorious head and husband of the church, with the success of it (Rev 19:10, etc.).

INTRODUCTION TO REVELATION 19 This chapter contains the triumph of the saints over Babylon, and their thanksgiving to God because of his judgments on her; the marriage of Christ and his church, and a battle between him and his and her enemies, with the success of it. The congratulations are first of a promiscuous multitude in the church, ascribing salvation, praise, honour, glory, and power to God, because of the righteousness of his judgments, and because of the perpetuity of them, Rev 19:1 and then of the four and twenty elders and four living creatures, who worship God, assent to what had been before said, and join in praising the Lord, Rev 19:4 and then another voice out of the throne is heard, calling upon all the servants of the Lord, and those that fear him, whether small or great, to praise our God, Rev 19:5 after which is heard the voice of a great multitude, stirring up one another to praise, because of the reign of the Lord God Almighty, and to rejoice and be glad because the time of the Lamb's marriage with his bride was come; who is described by her dress, the righteousness of the saints, comparable to fine linen, clean and white, Rev 19:6 upon which an angel bids John write those persons happy who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb, and affirms these to be the true sayings of God; wherefore John, in a transport of joy, was just going to worship the angel, had he not been forbidden by him; from which he dissuades him, by observing that he was his fellow servant, that God only is the object of worship, and that the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy, Rev 19:9 next follows a vision of a battle between Christ and his enemies; and first he the General is described, by the horse he sat upon, a white one; by the characters he bears, faithful and true; by what he did, judging and making war in righteousness; by his eyes, which were as a flame of fire; by his having many crowns on his head; by having a name, or names unknown, and particularly one, which is the Word of God; by his habit, a vesture dipped in blood; by the armies he was at the head of, riding on white horses, and clothed in fine linen; by a sharp sword coming out of his mouth, with which he should utterly destroy the nations; and by having a name on his vesture and thigh, King of kings, and Lord of lords, Rev 19:11 upon which an angel is seen standing in the sun, and calling to all the fowls of the heaven to come to the supper of the great God, and to eat the flesh of kings, captains, mighty men, horses and horsemen, of all ranks, and degrees, Rev 19:17 and next an account is given of the armies of the beast, and of the kings of the earth, that came to make war with the above warrior, Rev 19:19 the issue and success of which follow; the beast and false prophet are taken, and cast alive into a lake of fire and brimstone; and the rest are killed by the sword of the above General, and the fowls have a feast of their flesh, Rev 19:20.

His eyes were as a flame of fire,.... Which denotes the perspicuity and penetration of them, the omniscience of Christ to look into and discover the secret machinations, schemes, and devices of his enemies against his people, and his exercise of it in favour of them, his eyes, like a flame of fire, running to and fro on their behalf; and also this may signify the fierceness of his anger against the enemies of his people, the eyes of his glory being provoked by their cruelty and wickedness; and likewise the suddenness of their destruction, and the inevitableness of it. And on his head were many crowns; for he has not only a crown, as the Creator and Governor of the universe, in right of nature, but he has one which his Father has put upon his head, when he set him as King over his holy hill of Zion, Psa 21:3 and there is another which his mother, the church, crowned him with in the day of his espousals, Sol 3:11 and besides these, every believer puts a crown on his head, gives him the glory of their salvation, and all of them cast their crowns at his feet: to which may be added, that the crowns of all the kings of the earth are his; they reign by him, and are accountable to him. This part of the description may be expressive of that all power in heaven and earth, given to Christ at his resurrection, and exercised by him ever since; and particularly of the extensiveness of his kingdom at the time this vision refers to, when the kingdoms of this world shall be his, Rev 11:15 for this vision, and the seventh trumpet, are contemporary; and it may be a symbol of the many victories obtained by him, and of the last and closing one that should now be obtained by him. And he had a name written that no man knew but he himself; which seems to be his name, the Son of God, as the unknown name of the overcomer, in Rev 2:17 is a child of God; and the sense is, that his divine nature, in which he is the Son of God, is incomprehensible, and that the begetting or generation of him, as such, is ineffable, Pro 30:4 and that without a divine revelation the name itself could not be known; or it could not be known that God had a Son, and that Christ is he, and bears that name, Mat 11:27 or else his name Immanuel. The incarnate God may be intended, which is a secret and wonderful name, and contains in it, without controversy, a great mystery, which cannot be comprehended by finite minds; or his name, "wonderful, secret", Isa 9:6. This name is said to be "written"; that is, in the Scriptures of truth, in which it is revealed that Christ is the Son of God, and Immanuel. In Rev 19:16 the name of King of kings, &c. is said to be written on his vesture, and on his thigh; and the Ethiopic version makes this to be written on his crown or diadem, reading the words thus; "and upon his head a crown, and there was written in his diadem a name, and no man knew it, but he himself only"; as the high priest had "holiness to the Lord" written on his mitre. The Syriac version inserts a clause between the two last, "having names written", and then follows, "and a name written", &c. and so the Complutensian edition.

As the flame is bright and at the same time illuminating, and further also has a nature that is fiery and consumes the more material elements, so the eyes of the Word, if I may speak in this way, with which he sees, and everyone who participates in him, destroy and obliterate the more material and gross elements of thoughts by grasping them by means of the spiritual powers inherent in him. Everything false, in any way whatsoever, has fled the subtlety and precision of the truth.… If the lie were one and simple against which the Word who is “faithful and true” prevailed, who received the crown when the lie was overcome, the Word who became master of God’s opponents would also reasonably have been recorded to wear one diadem. But now, since the lies that profess the truth are many against which the Word has fought and is crowned, there are many diadems surrounding the head of him who has conquered them all.

The living Word alone understands some things because of the natural inferiority in those who came into existence after him. None of them can contemplate all the things that he grasps. And perhaps also only those who share in the Word, in contradistinction to those who do not, know what the others are missing.

-testify that He was born of God. His name is known to none, except to Himself and the Father, as John teaches in the Revelation.

In him “in whom we shall perform great deeds,” in him the multitude of the saints are said to have the beauty of crowns.

And his eyes, he says, are a flame of fire. The wrath against the enemies, he shows by the burning of the eyes. And on his head he says many crowns, as many certainly as there are orders reigning in heaven and on earth. He says he had a name written, that no man knew but himself. God says in the Exodus of the seventh day to the prophetic Moses: "I am the Lord who appeared to Abraham and Isaac and Jacob being their God; and I did not declare to them my name, the Lord," (Ex. 6:2-3) as clearer than or capable of being conveyed by human hearing. Therefore, and as the Lord instructed the apostles to baptize those returning to the knowledge of God, he said, "baptizing them into the name," and by saying "name" he did not hand over the proper names; for he did not have the strength to sustain their proclamation, but instead he delivered it in relational and nominative terms in place of the proper names, relational when saying "into the name of the Father and of the Son," and nominative when also invoking "and of the Holy Spirit." (Matt. 28:19) Therefore, very securely and in the Revelation the divine name of the Only-Begotten is allowed to be unknown to all.

Perfect knowledge of the Word of God is revealed to those who are worthy to be the body of Christ and members [of him], since the Head especially gives knowledge of himself to the body, and he knows what the church is worthy to know in him. The apostle says, “He who is united to the Lord is one spirit, for the two shall be one flesh.” Neither the Jews nor the foreigners nor the heretics will ever know this name, for “if they had [known], they would not have crucified the Lord of glory,” and again, “The world has not known you.” And the Lord said again to his disciples, “You will see me; because I live, you will live also. In that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you.” And the disciples answered, “Lord, how is it that you will manifest yourself to us and not to the world?” Concerning the heretics, the Lord said, “To you it has been given to know the secret of the kingdom of God, but for those outside everything is in parables, so that they may indeed see but not perceive.” He has a great name inscribed that no one knows except himself. However, we must beware lest by a purely carnal wisdom we think that the name of the Son is unknown to the Father or to the Holy Spirit.… If the Son alone is said to know something, the whole Trinity is also regarded as knowing it. Similarly, if the Father alone is said to know something, he is without doubt thought to know it together with his Wisdom, who is Christ, and with his Spirit, who is believed to be the Spirit of the Father and of the Son. For when the Father alone was said to know the day of judgment, certainly it was not denied that the Son and the Spirit also knew it. So also, when the Holy Spirit alone is said to know something, and the names of the Father and of the Son are unspoken, nevertheless it is declared that they know in the same manner. When the apostle says, “What person knows the thoughts of a man except the spirit of the man that is in him? So also no one comprehends the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God,” it would be foolish to separate the Father and the Son from such knowledge. When he says elsewhere, “Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, in whom you were sealed for the day of redemption,” she is not excluding the persons of the Father and of the Son from the work of our redemption, even though he does not mention their names. For through the undivided power of the one nature, we teach that the works of the Trinity are inseparable.

As fire penetrates everything which contains it and leaves no portion untouched by the force of its burning heat, so the eyes of the Lord cannot be avoided, for they are everywhere and pervade all things, and seeing all things which people do, they investigate them with a holy scrutiny.… There are many [diadems] because he brings to God, who gathers all, all the glory of the saints and all the honor of the blessed. And these do not remain quiet, but bring forth praise and thanksgiving.

The flames of fire come forth from his eyes, that is, from his all-seeing power. For those who are righteous, this fire does no harm but illumines and makes bright. However, for the sinners this fire burns but does not make bright. The multiple diadems symbolize either his kingdom, which is over all things in heaven and on earth—as many as there are ranks of angels and kingdoms upon the earth and assemblies among holy people—or they signify the victory against the sinners that was won for us by all of his acts of mercy, as a certain holy person said, “And you will gain victory when you are judged.”

That his name is unknown signifies the incomprehensibility of his essence. By virtue of his works he is known by many names, such as Good, Shepherd, Sun, Light, Life, Righteousness, Holiness, Redemption. Similarly, he is called by terms of negation, such as Incorruptible, Invisible, Immortal, Unchangeable. However, according to his essence he is without name and is unapproachable, being known by himself alone with the Father and the Spirit.

His eyes are like a flame of fire. Sometimes the eyes of God are called his commandments, sometimes the spirit. Your word is a lamp to my feet, O Lord (Psalm 119). And of the Spirit: I came to cast fire on the earth (Luke 12).

And on his head are many diadems. In him we find our strength; in him, the multitude of saints is said to be adorned with a crown.

He has a name written that no one knows but himself. He says, no one knows but himself, because all the Church is in him. The perfect knowledge of the Word of God is revealed to those who have deserved to be the body and members of Christ. In the same way, the Lord says: No one has ascended into heaven except he who descended from heaven, the Son of Man (John 3).

The whole heavenly host give glory to God, because he has judged the great whore, and avenged the blood of his saints, Rev 19:1-6. The marriage of the Lamb and his bride, Rev 19:7-9. John offers to worship the angel, but is prevented, Rev 19:10. Heaven is opened, and Jesus the Word of God appears on a white horse; he and his armies described, Rev 19:11-16. An angel in the sun invites all the fowls of heaven to come to the supper of the great God, Rev 19:17, Rev 19:18. The beast, the false prophet, and the kings of the earth, gather together to make war with him who sits on the white horse; but they are all discomfited, and utterly destroyed, Rev 19:19-21.

His eyes were as a flame of fire - To denote the piercing and all-penetrating nature of his wisdom. On his head were many crowns - To denote the multitude of his conquests, and the extent of his dominion. A name written, that no man knew - This is a reference to what the rabbins call the shem hammephorash, or tetragrammaton, יהוה Yhvh; or what we call Jehovah. This name the Jews never attempt to pronounce: when they meet with it in the Bible, they read אדני Adonai for it; but, to a man, they all declare that no man can pronounce it; and that the true pronunciation has been lost, at least since the Babylonish captivity; and that God alone knows its true interpretation and pronunciation. This, therefore, is the name which no man knew but he himself.

THE CHURCH'S THANKSGIVING IN HEAVEN FOR THE JUDGMENT ON THE HARLOT. THE MARRIAGE OF THE LAMB: THE SUPPER: THE BRIDE'S PREPARATION: JOHN IS FORBIDDEN TO WORSHIP THE ANGEL: THE LORD AND HIS HOSTS COME FORTH FOR WAR: THE BEAST AND THE FALSE PROPHET CAST INTO THE LAKE OF FIRE: THE KINGS AND THEIR FOLLOWERS SLAIN BY THE SWORD OUT OF CHRIST'S MOUTH. (Rev. 19:1-21) As in the case of the opening of the prophecy, Rev 4:8; Rev 5:9, &c.; so now, at one of the great closing events seen in vision, the judgment on the harlot (described in Rev. 18:1-24), there is a song of praise in heaven to God: compare Rev 7:10, &c., toward the close of the seals, and Rev 11:15-18, at the close of the trumpets: Rev 15:3, at the saints' victory over the beast. And--so ANDREAS. But A, B, C, Vulgate, Syriac, and Coptic omit. a great voice--A, B, C, Vulgate, Coptic, and ANDREAS read, "as it were a great voice." What a contrast to the lamentations Rev. 18:1-24! Compare Jer 51:48. The great manifestation of God's power in destroying Babylon calls forth a great voice of praise in heaven. people--Greek, "multitude." Alleluia--Hebrew, "Praise ye JAH," or JEHOVAH: here first used in Revelation, whence ELLICOTT infers the Jews bear a prominent part in this thanksgiving. JAH is not a contraction of "JEHOVAH," as it sometimes occurs jointly with the latter. It means "He who Is": whereas Jehovah is "He who will be, is, and was." It implies God experienced as a PRESENT help; so that "Hallelujah," says KIMCHI in BENGEL, is found first in the Psalms on the destruction of the ungodly. "Hallelu-Jah" occurs four times in this passage. Compare Psa 149:4-9, which is plainly parallel, and indeed identical in many of the phrases, as well as the general idea. Israel, especially, will join in the Hallelujah, when "her warfare is accomplished" and her foe destroyed. Salvation, &c.--Greek, "The salvation . . . the glory . . . the power." and honour--so Coptic. But A, B, C, and Syriac omit. unto the Lord our God--so ANDREAS. But A, B, C, and Coptic read, "(Is) of our God," that is, belongs to Him.

Identifying Him with the Son of man similarly described, Rev 1:14. many crowns--Greek, "diadems": not merely (Greek, "stephanoi") garlands of victory, but royal crowns, as KING OF KINGS. Christ's diadem comprises all the diadems of the earth and of heavenly powers too. Contrast the papal tiara composed of three diadems. Compare also the little horn (Antichrist) that overcomes the three horns or kingdoms, Dan 7:8, Dan 7:24 (QuÃ&brvbrre, the Papacy? or some three kingdoms that succeed the papacy, which itself, as a temporal kingdom, was made up at first of three kingdoms, the exarchate of Ravenna, the kingdom of the Lombards, and the state of Rome, obtained by Pope Zachary and Stephen II from Pepin, the usurper of the French dominion). Also, the seven crowns (diadems) on the seven heads of the dragon (Rev 12:3), and ten diadems on the ten heads of the beast. These usurpers claim the diadems which belong to Christ alone. he had a name written--B and Syriac insert, "He had names written, and a name written," &c., meaning that the names of the dominion which each diadem indicated were written on them severally. But A, Vulgate, ORIGEN, and CYPRIAN omits the words, as English Version. name . . . that no man knew but . . . himself-- (Jdg 13:18; Co1 2:9, Co1 2:11; Jo1 3:2). The same is said of the "new name" of believers. In this, as in all other respects, the disciple is made like his Lord. The Lord's own "new name" is to be theirs, and to be "in their foreheads"; whence we may infer that His as yet unknown name also is written on His forehead; as the high priest had "Holiness to the Lord" inscribed on the miter on his brow. John saw it as "written," but knew not its meaning. It is, therefore, a name which in all its glorious significancy can be only understood when the union of His saints with Him, and His and their joint triumph and reign, shall be perfectly manifested at the final consummation.