And after these things I heard a great voice, &c.— Instead of I am thy fellow-servant, &c. Revelation 19:10. Doddridge renders it, I am a fellow-servant with thee, and with thy brethren, who keep the testimony. Here the whole church, agreeably to the exhortation of the angels, ch. Revelation 18:20 join in praises and thanksgivings to almightyGod for his truth and righteousness, in judging this idolatrous city; (Revelation 19:1-2.) his truth, in fulfilling his promises and threatenings; and his righteousness, in proportioning her punishment to her crimes. And her smoke rose up for ever and ever; (Revelation 19:3.) which intimates, that she should be made as signal a monument of divine vengeance, as Sodom and Gomorrah. Isaiah has said much the same thing of Edom, ch. Isaiah 34:9-10.—And the streams thereof shall be turned into pitch: in the genuine editions of the Chaldee paraphrase it is, And the rivers of Rome shall be turned into pitch, and the dust thereof into brimstone, and the land thereof shall become burning pitch:—it shall not be quenched night nor day; the smoke thereof shall go up for ever. The Jews, by Edom, understand Rome; and the tradition of their rabbins may receive some confirmation from these words of the apostle. Such an event too may appear the more probable, because the adjacent countries are known to be of a sulphureous and bituminous soil; there have, even at Rome, been eruptions of subterraneous fire; so that the fuel seems to be prepared, and waits only for the breath of the Lord to kindle it. But God is praised not only for the destruction of the great seat of idolatry, but also, Revelation 19:5-8 for the manifestation of his kingdom, as in ch. Revelation 11:17 and for the happy and glorious state of the reformed Christian Church. She is now no longer an harlot tainted with idolatry, but a spouse, prepared for her Lord Christ: and she is no longer arrayed, like an harlot, in purple and scarlet colour; but, like a decent bride, in fine linen, clean and white, as the properest emblem of her purity and sanctity. Christ has now, as St. Paul expresses it, Ephesians 5:26-27 sanctified and cleansed his church, &c. So great is the felicity of this period, that the angel orders it to be particularly noted, Revelation 19:9 and blessed and happy are they who shall be living at that time, and be worthy to partake of this marriage-feast! St. John was in such a rapture and extasy at these discoveries, that, not knowing or not considering what he did, he fell down at the angel's feet, to worship him, (Revelation 19:10.) See what has been said on the subject of prostration, Acts 10:26. The case of St. John's throwing himself at the feet of the angel here, and ch. Revelation 22:9 is to be viewed in a somewhat different light from the transaction referred to in the Acts: St. John did nothing at all but what was conformable to the usages in his own country, when the people of it designed innocently to express great reverence and gratitude. It is astonishing therefore that so many learned men should have looked upon it as an idolatrous prostration. That they should not at all consider the Eastern usages, is no wonder; they have been, in common, unhappily neglected; but the attempt of the apostle to repeat the prostration (for he would have done it a second time,) sufficiently shewed, one would imagine, that the apostle did not think the angel rejected it as an idolatrous piece of respect. What a strange interpretation must that be, which supposes that St. John,—a Jew by descent,—that is, a mortal enemy by birth to all idolatry;—a zealous preacher against it, through a very long life; who finished one of his Epistles with these very words, Little children, keep yourselves from idols,as desirous to have this perpetually fixed on their memories, whatever else they forgot,—should, when suffering in Patmos for the Lord Jesus, and when blessed with the influences of the prophetic spirit, attempt to commit an idolatrous action, and to repeat that attempt, in opposition to the checks of a celestial teacher.—Nothing, surely, can be more inconceivable; at the same time, nothing is easier than the true interpretation. Smitten with veneration for his angelic instructor, and full of gratitude towards him for what he had shewn him, he fell, according to the custom of his nation, at his feet, to do him reverence. "See thou do it not, said the angel; it is not to me these thanks are due: I have in this been only fulfilling the orders of him, who is my Lord, as well as yours. Worship God, therefore, to whom in justice you ought to ascribe these illuminations."
Revelation 19:1-10
1 And after these things I heard a great voice of much people in heaven, saying, Alleluia; Salvation, and glory, and honour, and power, unto the Lord our God:
2 For true and righteous are his judgments: for he hath judged the great whore, which did corrupt the earth with her fornication, and hath avenged the blood of his servants at her hand.
3 And again they said, Alleluia. And her smoke rose up for ever and ever.
4 And the four and twenty elders and the four beasts fell down and worshipped God that sat on the throne, saying, Amen; Alleluia.
5 And a voice came out of the throne, saying, Praise our God, all ye his servants, and ye that fear him, both small and great.
6 And I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude, and as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of mighty thunderings, saying, Alleluia: for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth.
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:a for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints.
9 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.
10 And I fell at his feet to worship him. And he said unto me, See thou do it not: I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren that have the testimony of Jesus: worship God: for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.