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                                                                                    DECEMBER 29
                     11 Now I saw heaven opened, and behold, a
                   white horse. And He who sat on him  was
                   called Faithful and True, and in righteousness
                                        12
                   He judges and makes war.  His eyes were like  19:20 beast was captured, and…the false
                   a flame of fire, and on His head  were many  prophet. In an instant, the world’s armies are
                   crowns. He had a name written that no one  without their leaders. The beast is Antichrist
                   knew except Himself.  He was clothed with a  (13:1–4); the false prophet is his religious
                                     13
                   robe dipped in blood, and His name is called  cohort (13:11–17). cast alive. The bodies of
                   The Word of God.  And the armies in heaven,  the beast and the false prophet will be trans-
                                 14
                   clothed in fine linen, white and clean, followed  formed, and they will be banished directly to
                   Him on white horses.  Now out of His mouth  the lake of fire (Dan. 7:11)—the first of count-
                                    15
                   goes a sharp sword, that with it He should  less millions of unregenerate men (20:15) and
                   strike the nations. And He Himself will rule  fallen angels (Matt. 25:41) to arrive in that
                                                           dreadful place. That these two still appear
                   them with a rod of iron. He Himself treads the  there 1,000 years later (20:10) refutes the false
                   winepress of the fierceness and wrath of  doctrine of annihilationism. lake of fire. The
                               16
                   Almighty God.  And He has on His robe and  final hell, the place of eternal punishment for
                   on His thigh a name written:            all unrepentant rebels, angelic or human
                                                           (20:10,15).
                    KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.
                     17 Then I saw an angel standing in the sun;  war against Him who sat on the horse and
                                                                         20
                   and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the  against His army.  Then the beast was cap-
                   birds that fly in the midst of heaven, “Come  tured, and with him the false prophet who
                   and gather together for the supper of the great  worked signs in his presence, by which he
                       18
                   God,  that you may eat the flesh of kings, the  deceived those who received the mark of the
                   flesh of captains, the flesh of mighty men, the  beast and those who worshiped his image.
                   flesh of horses and of those who sit on them,  These two were cast alive into the lake of fire
                                                                              21
                   and the flesh of all people, free and slave, both  burning with brimstone.  And the rest were
                   small and great.”                      killed with the sword which proceeded from
                     19 And I saw the beast, the kings of the earth,  the mouth of Him who sat on the horse. And
                   and their armies, gathered together to make  all the birds were filled with their flesh.



                            DAY 29:What is the “marriage of the Lamb”in Revelation 19:7–9 about?
                         Hebrew weddings consisted of 3 phases: 1) betrothal (often when the couple were children);
                      2) presentation (the festivities, often lasting several days, that preceded the ceremony); and 3) the
                      ceremony (the exchanging of vows).The church was betrothed to Christ by His sovereign choice in
                      eternity past (Eph.1:4;Heb.13:20) and will be presented to Him at the Rapture (John 14:1–3;1 Thess.
                      4:13–18).The final supper will signify the end of the ceremony.This symbolic meal will take place at
                      the establishment of the millennial kingdom and last throughout that 1,000-year period (21:2).
                      While the term “bride”often refers to the church, and does so here (2 Cor.11:2; Eph.5:22–24), it ulti-
                      mately expands to include all the redeemed of all ages.
                         “And to her it was granted to be arrayed in fine linen,…the righteous acts of the saints”(v. 8).
                      Not Christ’s imputed righteousness granted to believers at salvation,but the practical results of that
                      righteousness in believers’lives, i.e., the outward manifestation of inward virtue.
                         “‘Blessed are those who are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb!” (v. 9). This is not the
                      bride (the church) but the guests. The bride doesn’t get invited; she invites. These are those saved
                      before Pentecost,all the faithful believers saved by grace through faith up to the birth of the church
                      (Acts 2:1ff.).Though they are not the bride,they still are glorified and reign with Christ in the millen-
                      nial kingdom. It is really differing imagery rather than differing reality. The guests also will include
                      tribulation saints and believers alive in earthly bodies in the kingdom.The church is the bride, pure
                      and faithful—never a harlot, like Israel was (see Hos. 2). So the church is the bride during the pres-
                      entation feast in heaven, then comes to earth for the celebration of the final meal (the Millennium).
                      After that event, the new order comes and the marriage is consummated (21:1,2).




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