The first verses of chapter 19 deal with the judgement of Babylon, or the whore, and in verse 3 it says that her smoke rose up for ever and ever. Language like this, indicating eternal punishment (e.g. Jude 7), does not mean that the smoke never ceases, but instead that the punishment is never reversed. Like the punishment of Sodom and Gomorrah, the judgement on the Babylon of Revelation will never be revoked.

Verse 3 contains a reference to Isaiah 34 v 10 �and smoke rose up for ever�. It would be useful to re-cap on the references to Isaiah chapter 34 in the Book of Revelation.
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One� similarity between Revelation chapter 14 and 19 has been noted, however several more can be found, indicating in some cases that these chapters describe the same events, and in others that God does not discriminate between the wicked of Israel and the nations when inflicting punishment.
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These verses describe the marriage of Christ (the lamb) and his wife (the ekklesia). She is clothed �in fine linen, clean ... (v 8)�, which is the appearance of the armies which follow him (v 14). [The wife is also termed New Jerusalem (Revelation 21 v 2, 9, 10), a place where there is no more death, sorrow, crying or pain (21 v 4). The wife of Christ is made up of his immortal followers.]

In verses 6 - 7 �the voice of a great multitude, as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of mighty thunderings� speaks. From Revelation 14 v 2 it is seen that this describes the voice of the redeemed. However there is a distinction, because in Revelation 14 v 2 it is just the redeemed from Israel who are heard, whereas in Revelation 19 v 6, 7 it is the bride in totality (Jews and Gentiles) who are heard. These verses also quote 1 Chronicles 16 v 31 �The Lord God omnipotent reigneth ... let us be glad and rejoice�. The context of 1 Chronicles 16 is instructive:

v 14���������� God�s judgement is in all the earth/land
v 15 - 18��� The covenant to Abraham and to his seed
v 21���������� Reproving of kings
v 22���������� Do not harm prophets (a similarity with the two witnesses of Revelation 11 v 3)
v 35���������� Deliver us from the heathen (a similarity with the beast).
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Verses 11/16���� These verses describe Christ and the saints fighting against the nations of the earth.

Verse 11 contains a reference to a white horse, like the one in Revelation 6 v 2. In this earlier passage, it symbolised Christ�s word going forth to the jews before the fall of Jerusalem in AD 70. In Revelation 19 v 11 it bears Christ himself, a more powerful manifestation of the word of God.

Revelation 19 v 11 quotes Isaiah 11 v 4 �in righteousness he judges�, as does v 15 �he should smite the nations�. Isaiah chapter 11 describes the Branch, the seed of David destroying his enemies, along with the setting up of the kingdom and the gathering of the outcasts of Israel (the timing of Revelation chapter 19 suggests that the gathering would include those who are described as being taken captive in Zechariah 14 v 2 - see notes on chapter 16).

Verse 13 quotes Isaiah 63 v 3 when it says that the lamb�s vesture was dipped in blood. This verse is also quoted in Revelation 14 v 20 (�winepress trodden�). In turn, Isaiah 63 can be considered to describe the same time as Joel 3 (quoted in Revelation 14) and Isaiah 34 (Isaiah 34 v 5 - Idumea = Edom of Isaiah 63 v 1; Isaiah 34 v 6 - Bozrah = Isaiah 63 v 1). The references to Isaiah 34 in the Book of Revelation are listed earlier in the notes on this chapter.

Christ is followed by �the armies in heaven� (v 14). These are clothed in �fine linen ... and clean�, just like the bride in v 8, leading to the conclusion that the saints are with Christ when he fights against the armies of the beast (see also e.g. Psalm 149).

Verse 15 contains quotations from 4 passages:

Isaiah 49 v 2 �out of his mouth goes a sharp sword�
Isaiah 11 v 4 �he should smite the nations�
Psalm 2 v 9�� �he shall rule them with a rod of iron�
Isaiah 63 v 3 �he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath�.

Isaiah 49 v 2 and Psalm 2 v 9 are quoted in the early chapters of the Book of Revelation (Isaiah 49 v 2 in Revelation 1 v 16, 2 v 16; Psalm 2 v 9 in Revelation 2 v 27). Revelation 19 describes when these statements in the early part of the book are fulfilled. (Note also that Christ�s eyes are as a �flame of fire� (v 12) - see Revelation 1 v 14, and that he is described as being �faithful and true� (v 11) - see Revelation 3 v 14).
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The context of Psalm 2 v 9 is of� �the kings of the earth� setting themselves (lit �make themselves stand�) and the rulers taking counsel (lit �putting down a foundation�) against Yahweh and against his anointed (v 2). They say �Let us break their bands (heb �moseroth� - a related word to prisoner in Isaiah 24 v 22 [see notes on chapter 20]) asunder, and cast away their cords from us� (v 3).� This indicates a time of subjugation to Yahweh and Jesus which leads ultimately to rebellion. This pattern is confirmed by the sequence of events that is described in Revelation chapters 19 and 20.

Verses 17/21

These verses describe the end of the beast (Revelation 13 v 1), the false prophet (13 v 11), those who receive the mark of the beast (13 v 17) and a group called �the remnant�. These activities take place both at the beginning and the end of the 1000 year reign of Christ and the saints.

The quotation of Ezekiel 39 v 17 - 21 in Revelation 19 v 17 - 21 presents a potential difficulty. The quotations are as follows:
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In Ezekiel 37 it speaks of a time when David (i.e. Christ, the son of David) shall be king over the people of Israel (vs 24 - 25) and when they shall be obedient to him. If Ezekiel chapters 38 and 39 are considered to be describing events that follow this then they must be at some time after his return. This view is supported by the expression �dwelling safely�, that occurs in Ezekiel 38 v 8, which describes how Israel live at the time when Gog invades. It occurs again in Ezekiel 34 v 25, where the context is of David being among Israel to feed them (vs 23 - 24). (Note also other uses of the hebrew expression in Zechariah 14 v 11 [translated �safely inhabited�], Jeremiah 32 v 37 and 33 v 16 [the context is of the Branch of David ruling over Israel - see vs 15, 17]).

If the Gogian invasion occurs at the end of the 1000 years, why is the language of Ezekiel 39 used to describe the destruction of God�s enemies at the end of Revelation chapter 19, which seems to describe events at the beginning of this era?

One reason could be that the language of Ezekiel 39 is a general pattern for describing God�s destruction of his enemies. For example, Ezekiel 29 v 5 describes the destruction of Egypt in similar terms:

�I have given thee for meat to the beasts of the field and to the fowls of heaven�.

However, a more likely possibility is that there is a break in time between verses 20 and 21, similar to the one between Revelation 12 verses 5 and 6. Verse 20 describes the punishment of the beast and the false prophet at the start of the kingdom age, and v 21 the punishment of the kings of the earth at the end of it. As was seen earlier, the punishment of the kings of the earth following a period of subjection is in accordance with the teaching of Psalm 2. The quotation of Ezekiel 39 v 17 - 20, which describes the birds and beasts eating the remains of Gog, Magog and their allies can be considered to describe the final eradication of the people who Revelation calls �the kings of the earth�.

This view is dependant on the �remnant� in v 21� referring to the kings of the earth. Certainly, the kings of the earth are not mentioned in the list of those punished in v 20 (which includes the beast), although they are mentioned in v 19 as making war against Jesus Christ. So it could be argued that they are part of the remnant who are punished in v 21.

The notes on chapter 20 will suggest that Revelation 20 v 3 alludes to Isaiah 24 v 22 and that this link supports the view that the kings of the earth are the remnant who are destroyed at the end of the thousand years.

This remnant who ultimately rebel can be equated to �the rest of the beasts� in Daniel 7 v 12, who �had their dominion taken away: yet their lives were prolonged for a season and a time� following the destruction of the beast (Daniel 7 v 11).
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The kings of the earth are mentioned nine times in the Book of Revelation (1 v 5, 6 v 15, 16 v 14, 17 v 2, 17 v 8, 18 v 3, 18 v 9, 19 v 19, 21 v 24). The following tries to identify who they are, or at least where they are likely to arise from.

They are mentioned in Joshua 12 v 1, 7 (translated �kings of the land� and �kings of the country�) and describe kings of the land that Joshua captured.

They are mentioned in Ezekiel 27 v 33, as opposed to v 35 (�kings of the isles�). The isles aredescribed in Gen 10 v 4 - 5 (Javan, Elishah, Tarshish, Chittim, Dodanim - see Ezek 27 v 6, 7, 12, 13, 15 (sons of Dedan = Dodanim?).

So does this mean that the other places in Ezekiel 27 are �the earth�? (Senir, Lebanon (v 5), Bashan, Ashurites (v 6), Egyptians (v 7), Zidon, Arvad (v 8), Gebal (v 9), Persia, Lud, Phut (v 10), Gammadims (v 11), Tubal, Meshech (v 13), Togarmah (v 14), Syria (v 16), Judah (v 17), Damascus (v 18), Dan (v 19), Dedan (v 20), Arabia, Kedar (v 21), Sheba, Raamah (v 22), Haran, Canneh, Eden, Chilmad (v 23)).

The earth seems to describe the land of Israel and surrounding countries, as opposed to the isles, which seems to describe areas on the other side of the Mediterranean (Turkey, Greece, Spain etc).

This possible definition of� the earth needs to be compared with the �earth� promised to Abraham in Genesis 15 v 18 (from the river of Egypt unto the great river, the river Euphrates). The only time this approached fulfilment was in the days of Solomon, who reigned from Tiphsah (on the Euphrates) to Azzah (Gaza). Note at this time Judah and Israel �dwelt safely� (v 25 - compare Ezekiel 38 v 8) �under his vine and under his fig tree� (v 25 - symbolic of the kingdom - Micah 4 v 4), and that the �kings of the earth� came to hear the wisdom of Solomon (v 35). This foreshadowed the subjection of the �kings of the earth� in the kingdom age (Psalm 89 v 20 - 28, especially v 27).

One other definition of the earth comes from 2 Chronicles 36 v 23, where king Cyrus of Persia says "All the kingdoms of the earth hath the Lord God of heaven given me".

In summary, the earth seems to be an area consisting of Israel and the nations around it. Although the definitions in Joshua 12, Ezekiel 27, Genesis 15 and 2 Chronicles 36 are slightly different, there is a considerable degree of overlap. What is clear is that it does not include the area of Western Europe, which seems to be labelled "the isles".

Two more points about the �kings of the earth� can be mentioned at this stage, as they will have a bearing on understanding Revelation 20:

a)� They suffer when God dwells in Zion and sends forth judgement (Ps 76 v 1 - 3, 8 - 9, 12 ; Ps 102 v 13 - 16).

b)� The kings of the earth will rebel against the rule of God and his son (Ps 2 v 2 - 3).

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