Revelation Chapter 19

UNIVERSAL REJOICING (Rev 19:1-10)

Brother Shallieu’s thoughts on Verses 9 and 10

“And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he saith unto me, these are the true sayings of God. And I fell at his feet to worship him. And he said unto me, see thou do it not: I am thy fellow servant, and of thy brethren that have the testimony of Jesus: worship God: for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.”

The pronoun “he” in “he saith unto me” abruptly intrudes into the narrative with no explanation as to what symbolism or personal identity is involved. The exact antecedent of “he” is unclear. It does not even state that this was an “angel.” The “he” could not be Jesus acting in the role of an angel because the one speaking later says (Verse 10) he is “of thy brethren that have the testimony of Jesus.” Nor is there a connecting link with the angel of Revelation 17:1, which conducted John on an extended historical itinerary leading up to the judgment of the great whore. For that matter, two other unrelated angels intervene and make their appearance between the angel of Revelation 17 and the “he” of Revelation 19:9.

Verse 10 identifies the speaker as a fellow servant and as one of Jesus’ followers. The historical fulfillment suggests this could be none other than the seventh messenger to the Church, Pastor C. T. Russell (Rev. 3:14; 11:15). Perhaps no prior biblical expositor (other than the Lord, the apostles, and the prophets) has pointed out, with such depth and clarity, the prophetic behavioral characteristics and the destiny of this secondary class, (The Great Company) Also, both during his earthly ministry and in the years since, some have inordinately revered him for his writings and his works.

It should not be construed that John’s falling down to worship the one addressing him is an indicator of who the John class are. Indeed, the very opposite lesson is to be drawn. This episode is a warning of the ever-present danger of improper “voluntary humility” to worship the one through whom great enlightenment comes rather than the Creator, the source of light (Col. 2:18).

One is to put trust not in leaders but in the Lord. This does not signify that leaders are not to be acknowledged, however, for all the history of the Lord’s dealings with His people—the typical as well as the antitypical dealings—shows He is pleased to use human agencies as His representatives to teach and lead His people from grace to grace and from knowledge to knowledge. The lesson is that the Lord is thoroughly competent to manage His own work and that while his leading may come through human agencies, the trust of the consecrated is not in them, their wisdom, their strength, but in the Lord’s wisdom and strength guiding them and His people THROUGH THEM, “for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.”

In other words, the Master’s filial spirit of alert deference, of eager obedience, and of reverential awe of the Heavenly Father—his looking for God’s leadings— was ever manifest during Jesus’ earthly ministry; and now that he is the risen Lord, the same spirit pervades the Apocalypse, where he frequently, of his own volition, portrays himself symbolically to John as a servant or angelic messenger. This attitude of heart and mind, “the spirit of prophecy,” greatly assists in the understanding of dispensational truth.

Back to Verse 9. There is a difference between being at the marriage and partaking of the marriage supper. When the door is shut, the wise virgins will go in to the marriage, but the marriage supper will not take place until after the wedding. Obviously, the Great Company will not be at the wedding but will join the nuptial feast later, after they have washed their robes in the blood of the Lamb and made them white (Rev. 7:14).”