We all make promises—far more than we imagine. We take a job and effectively promise to show up and work; we sign a mortgage and promise to make payments. We have every intention of keeping our promises, but we cannot control all the circumstances of life. Financial setbacks, health issues, even death might prevent us from following through.

But God does not have those limitations. When He makes a promise, it is as good as done. His promises will never fail.

Now think about this: for every biblical reference to the promise of the Lord’s first coming as a babe in Bethlehem, there are eight references to His second coming?[1] God’s clear and repeated promise is that Jesus is coming again. We can count on it!

As we set sail today into Revelation 19, John begins to describe the return of Christ. But first, he hears a “great multitude in heaven,” praising the Lord and shouting “Hallelujah!” (verse 1).

Verse 2 tells us that they are praising God for His judgment of the great prostitute, religious Babylon. This false, anti-Christian religion, had martyred tens of thousands of people who had become followers of Christ during the tribulation.

In verse 4 the twenty-four elders, representing the raptured church, begin singing their hallelujahs along with the four “living creatures,” or angels.

All this praise and worship in heaven increases with the great multitude’s anticipation of a special event called the marriage of the Lamb:

“Let us rejoice and exult and give him the glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and his Bride has made herself ready; it was granted her to clothe herself with fine linen, bright and pure.” (verses 7-8)

The Lamb here is Jesus Christ. The “Bride” is the church. From the perspective of John’s vision, the church has been taken to heaven at the rapture, and now the church is about to be “married” to Christ, our Bridegroom (John 3:29).

John then explains at the end of verse 8, “The fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints.” God is going to reflect your service to Christ in your wedding garments—much like a graduate might wear a special ribbon on his or her gown. Your good works for Christ do not earn your salvation, but they will earn special recognition.

The marriage of the Lamb involves the Lord’s unique union in covenant with His bride, the church. And by the way, this marriage ceremony is seen taking place in heaven during the tribulation—another key point that supports the rapture of the church to heaven before the tribulation begins.

In fact, the Lord’s treatment of the church follows the stages of a first-century Jewish wedding. The first stage is the betrothal. Today, the church is in the betrothal period.

The second stage in a Jewish wedding is the presentation. That is when the groom arrives to take his bride back to his father’s house, where he has added on a dwelling place. This corresponds to the rapture, when Christ come and takes His church back to His Father’s house in heaven.

Next comes the wedding ceremony, which involves the exchange of gifts and the legal joining of the couple. This ceremony follows the judgment seat of Christ, where the Lord rewards His followers (1 Corinthians 3:11-15; 2 Corinthians 5:10). So, we see here the bride at this ceremony wearing garments that represent her “righteous deeds.” Since the judgment seat immediately follows the rapture, the wedding ceremony will also take place in heaven during the tribulation period.

Following all this is the wedding feast, which John mentions in Revelation 19:9. An angel offers a unique blessing, saying, “Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.” And who is on the invitation list? Well, it cannot be the church, because the church is the bride. We would hope the bride has been invited! These invited guests will include all the Old Testament believers.

I agree with those who place the wedding feast at the beginning of the millennial kingdom when Christ returns, so that every Old Testament and New Testament and tribulation believer can enjoy this wedding celebration feast.

This scene is so joyful and glorious and magnificent that John is overwhelmed. He falls down to worship at the angel’s feet. But the angel says to John, “You must not do that! I am a fellow servant with you and your brothers who hold to the testimony of Jesus” (verse 10).

The apostle’s attention then is riveted on the powerful return of Christ to earth. He records the scene, no doubt breathlessly:

Then I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse! The one sitting on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he judges and makes war. (verse 11)

Christ is not just a happy bridegroom, returning with His bride, the church, and all the redeemed. He is coming as conquering King and Judge of all the earth.

He is described in verse 12: “His eyes are like a flame of fire, and on his head are many diadems.” A diadem was not a solid crown but a cloth headband, about two inches wide. Royal jewels were normally attached to it, along with other insignia.

We know from history that after the pharaoh of Egypt defeated Antioch 160 years before the birth of Christ, he began wearing two diadems on his head; one represented his rule over Egypt and the other his rule over Asia. The fact that Christ is wearing “many diadems” points to His being Ruler over all the kingdoms of the world.

He is also seen clothed in “a robe dipped in blood” (verse 13). This portrays the battle of Armageddon where Christ is victorious. The blood of His enemies is literally splattered on His garments.

John also tells us who is accompanying Christ in His victorious return: “The armies of heaven, arrayed in fine linen, white and pure, were following him on white horses” (verse 14). That is you and me, beloved! We are not riding with the Lord to secure His victory, of course. He will merely speak a word, verse 15 indicates, and it will be over.

So here comes the King of Kings on His white stallion. And we are pictured riding on white horses with Him. There is no need to spiritualize this scene away. Frankly, I am looking forward to riding a white horse on that great day. The last time I rode a horse, it threw me off. Actually, I fell off, but it sounds more heroic the other way around. Well, not here; you and I are galloping from heaven in this descent to wage war on earth.

Even before the battle of Armageddon begins, Jesus calls in verse 17 “to all the birds that fly directly overhead, ‘Come, gather for the great supper of God, to eat the flesh’” of this vast army led by the Antichrist. The Lord knows already who is going to win.

But what tragic irony, beloved! Those who attend the Lord’s wedding feast—believers—will be at the supper; those who march against the Lord will become the supper.[2]

Somewhere between verses 19 and 20—in that little white space between those two verses—the battle begins and ends, and all the Lord’s enemies are killed. We know from Luke 16 that their spirits go to Hades to await their final punishment, which will be described later in Revelation 20.

But there are two exceptions. The Beast, the Antichrist, along with the False Prophet, are “thrown alive into the lake of fire that burns with sulfur” (verse 20). This is the place of everlasting torment.

For the believer the timeline is now complete: a rapture/resurrection, a reunion in heaven, a return with Christ, and now the reign of Christ on earth begins.[3] For the church, her days of conflict, rejection, and persecution are over forever.

No wonder the great choir in heaven is already singing here in chapter 19, “Hallelujah! Salvation and glory and power belong to our God.”