As to that, as an Amil what moment in time do you envision that happening? Because according to your position, that follows the time of the great white throne judgment. Obviously when Christ initially returns, not everyone back on earth are even phyically dead yet, in regards to the lost. Obviously the great white throne judgment can't precede Revelation 19:21. Yet at that point the 2nd coming, and the rapture of the church, would now be in the past.
Revelation 19:7 Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready.
8 And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints.
According to this though, even before the time of Revelation 19:21, this indicates the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready. How can that not be part of the same event we see in the following in Revelation 21?
Revelation 21:2 And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.
Wouldn't that place the timing of Revelation 21:2, not after the great white throne judgment, but prior to it instead, if this is connected with Revelation 19:7-9, and that those events precede the events in Revelation 19:21, where, until Revelation 19:21 is fulfilled first, there cannot yet be the time of the great white throne judgment?
Do me a favor if you could, assuming you address any of this. Don't give me a lame answer as other Amils have done in the past, such as all of these events happen in a twinkling of an eye, thus no actual chronology of events involved.
I appreciate your thoughts!
Revelation 19
Scripture has a habit of concentrating on different aspects of the Lord’s coming. Sometimes the focus is Christ. Sometimes the focus is man. Sometimes the focus is the fate of the universe. Sometimes the focus is the wicked. Sometimes the focus is a righteous. Sometimes the subject is humans. Sometimes it is angels. Sometimes it is the visible realm and sometimes it is the invisible realm. Sometimes the subject is the living, sometimes the subject is the dead. Sometimes the subject is heaven. Sometimes the subject is earth. Sometimes the subject is hell. Sometimes it is the beast. Sometimes it is Satan. This does not negate the fact that many simultaneous things can be happening at the one time. Remember, Scripture can only talk about one subject at a time.
Revelation is full of 7 recaps. In my opinion, Revelation 17-19 is the 6th of 7 parallels. It is a record of God's dealing with Babylon. It culminates with the climatic coming of Christ. The wicked are all destroyed in that recapitulation, this agrees with every other Second Coming passage. It is the end.
Revelation 19:11-16 mirrors this passage,
“And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war. His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself. And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God. And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean. And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall shepherd them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.”
A plain reading of the passage before us reveals that Christ is coming back with wrath to execute judgment and destroy all those left behind. He is not going to reward men for their rebellion by leading them unto the glorified new earth. Neither is Christ coming to engage in some ill-fated war against evil for a thousand years – that is not remotely in the text. The King of kings and Lord of lords will not have to fight for victory. He already won that decisively at the cross.
Christ is seen pouring out His wrath without mixture upon the nations as He smites them in His fury with “
a sharp sword” that comes “
out of his mouth.” What is the result of this act? It shall
“smite the nations” that have missed the catching away. This is what awaits the nations. They are going to be smitten. The word for “smite” in this text is the Greek word
patasso, which means to strike with a weapon or
to smite fatally. It means
to smite down, cut down, to kill, slay.
Let us be clear: He is Coming to smite down the nations, not corral them into some sin-cursed, goat-infested, death-blighted millennial age. It says that “
he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.” This is not a pretty sight. This is not loose talk by God. This is not something that the nations should look forward to. What awaits the nations that have rejected Christ is utter destruction and devastation. The nations left behind are totally destroyed. Christ destroys them by the very utterance of His mouth.
The two words interpreted “fierceness” and “wrath” here are
thumos and
orge which are regularly employed in the New Testament to mean ‘fierceness, indignation, wrath and vengeance’. The word orge carries the additional meaning of ‘violent passion’. Clearly the Lord is not happy with those left behind. Like those left behind in Noah’s day and Sodom they face an awful end, as they receive the reward of their rejection of Christ.
Verses 17-18 says,
“I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the fowls that fly in the midst of heaven, Come and gather yourselves together unto the supper of the great God; That ye may eat the flesh of kings, and the flesh of captains, and the flesh of mighty men, and the flesh of horses, and of them that sit on them, and the flesh of all men, both free and bond, both small and great. And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse, and against his army. And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone. The loipoy (or
remaining ones)
those left behind were slain with the sword of him that sat upon the horse, which sword proceeded out of his mouth: and all the fowls were filled with their flesh.”
This is complete wholesale total destruction - for those left behind. There are no survivors!
The feasting part of the marriage supper of the Lamb is a symbolism depicted the destruction of the wicked. Why can this not be a symbolic depiction of the return of Christ and the events that accompany it (including the destruction of the wicked)?
The first part of the narrative outlines a detailed account of the assignment given to “the fowls that fly in the midst of heaven” by the heavenly messenger. The “fowls” are instructed to “come and gather” themselves “together unto the supper of the great God” in order that they would “eat”:
1. The flesh of kings,
2. The flesh of captains,
3. The flesh of mighty men,
4. The flesh of horses, them that sit on them,
5. The flesh of all men, both free and bond, both small and great.
Revelation 20
Revelation 20 goes right back to Christ glorious (first) resurrection. It is a record of God's dealing with the devil. It is a different subject matter. It culminates with the climatic coming of Christ. The wicked are all destroyed in that recapitulation, this agrees with every other Second Coming passage. It is the end.
Revelation 20:11-15 – 21:1-5:
“And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire. And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away (or departed);
and there was no more sea. And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away (or departed).
And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful.”
Here is Christ returning enthroned, whereupon the general judgment occurs. This lines up with multiple Scripture of a general judgment at the second coming.
