REVELATION 19: ONE OR TWO UNITS?

 The main question I would like to answer here is whether this chapter constitutes a single discrete message or whether it should be better divided into two separate parts having little to do with one another. But before doing that, I should remind the reader that our present chapter divisions should not be considered as sacrosanct as the text itself since they were only formulated over 1,000 years after the writing of the New Testament. Now for the most part these divisions do a fairly good job of grouping together the separate sections of the text, but we should not by any means consider them cast in stone.

In fact, there is good reason in the present case to wonder whether Revelation 19 shouldn't be divided right down the middle into verses 1-10 and 11-21. The main reason for that possibility is that the first of those two units consists of what John “heard,” namely a series of songs or hymns. In stark contrast, the second half of the chapter concerns what the author “saw.” And confirming this sort of division, both the NIV and NRSV indicate a major break at this point. Thirdly, the two units appear to employ words and phrases which differ from one another.

Actually, noted commentators such as Beale and Ruiz have proposed that verses 1-6 or 1-8 should instead be considered as part of Revelation 18 instead. But the data below makes this possibility highly unlikely.

                                            Figure 1: Key Wording in Revelation 19:1-10

I heard what seemed to be the loud voice of a great multitude (1a)

        hallelujah (1b)

                glory (1c)

                        our God (1d)

                                true (2a)

                                        great whore (2c)

                                                his servants (2e)

        hallelujah (3)

                                                        fell down and worshiped (4a)

        hallelujah (4b)

                        our God (5a)

                                                his servants (5b)

I heard what seemed to be the voice of a great multitude (6a)

        hallelujah (6b)

                        our God (6c)

                glory (7a)

                                                                marriage of the Lamb (7b)

                                        bride (7c)  

                                                                marriage supper of the Lamb (9a)

                                true (9b)

                                                        fell down and worshiped (10a)

                                                 servant (10b)

Note that besides the parallels above, there is a deliberate contrast between the fornications of the great whore of Babylon of v. 2 and the marriage of the church, the spotless bride, with Christ in v. 7. In addition, the two units within this section (vv. 1-5 and 6-10) both begin and end with the same words.

                                           Figure 2: Key Wording in Revelation 19:11-21

white horse (11a)

        rider (11b)

                makes war (11c)

                        fire (12a)

                                crowns (12b)

                                        name written (12b)

                                                out of his mouth came a sharp sword (15)

                                        name written (16a)

                                king of kings (16b)

                                kings (18a)

horses (18b)

        riders (18c)

                                kings (19a)

                make war (19b)

        rider (19c)

horse (19d)

                        fire (20)

                                                sword (21a)

        rider (21b)

horse (21c)

                                                sword that came from his mouth (21d)

However, this is not the whole story by any means since there are also a number of verbal correspondences between the two halves which act to unify the whole chapter:

                                              Figure 3: Key Wording in Revelation 19

After this I heard (1a)

        loud voice (1)

                true (2a)

                        judged (2b)

                                blood (2c)

                                        small and great (5)

                                                marriage supper of the Lamb (7)

                                                        clothed (8a)

                                                                fine linen bright and pure (8b)

                                                                        words of God (9)

                                                                                prophecy (10)

Then I saw (11a)

                true (11a)

                        judges (11b)

                                                        clothed (13a)

                                                                        word of God (13b)

                                blood (13c)

                                                                fine linen bright and pure (14)

        loud voice (17a)

                                                supper of God (17b)

                                        small and great (18)

                                                                                prophet (20)

As in Figure 1, we see similar opening and closing words in both halves of the chapter.

This confirms what our pastor said recently in a sermon. Often in the book of Revelation, auditory revelations from God (“I heard”) are coupled together with visual ones (“I saw”). And actually, those two phrases appear roughly thirty times each in this book.

Since the above example is taken from the end of Revelation, just compare it with the first few chapters in which John first “sees” Christ walking in the midst of the candle stands representing the seven churches (Rev. 1). But then in Revelation 2-3, we “hear” the specific messages Christ reveals through John to each of these congregations. All three chapters belong together as one unit even though the basic genres differ.

We see the same thing toward the end of the book in Chapter 19 except that here the order is reversed in that the auditory revelation is given first and the visual one second. This AB...BA pattern is very typical of what is called an inclusio – a pair of bookends for the whole of Revelation.

But if the two halves of Rev.19 are closely related in thought, what are some examples? For one thing, as Morris points out, the supper of v. 17 “is in sharp contrast with the marriage supper of verse 9.” Beale echoes this thought: “The link may be that the meal in v 9 is a metaphor partly for vindication and the meal in v 17 is a metaphor for the judgment that vindicates.”

Phillips states, “Two great events are now to be described, one in heaven and one on earth. One is a wedding; the other is a war. The church and the world both come to the consummation of their ways. Joy, long delayed, is the happy portion of the one; judgment, delayed even longer, is the portion of the other. The Lord Jesus fills both scenes.”

And Beale states that verse 10 “has a transitional or interlocking function with the preceding and following sections, binding them together into one larger segment [although his personal definition of the limits of that hypothetical segment goes beyond chapter 19].”

He goes on to compare the white garments which appear in both verses 8 and 14: “Throughout the Apocalypse 'white' has represented a reward for purity or purity itself, resulting from persevering faith tested by persecution [with]..'white' garments not only representing righteousness but also as a reward of vindication for those who have persevered through persecution.”

Similarly, “the bright, pure linen” of 19:8 is associated with priestly connotations. Christ's followers [in v. 14] reflect their representative's priestly character as they accompany him when he executes judgment.” (Beale)

In addition, Beale says, “The metaphor of 'his eyes as a flame of fire' [v. 12]...evokes Christ's role as divine judge, as is clear from vv. 14-21...” But that same idea is expressed even more directly in v. 2.

A final indication of the unity of Revelation 19 is seen in the way God's enemies are totally disposed of. First it is (the harlot of) Babylon who is sent to the pit where her smoke will rise forever (v. 3). And then in the second half of the chapter it is the beast, the false prophet, and their followers who will meet a similar fate, being thrown into the lake of fire which also burns forever and ever (v. 20).

I will leave it to the reader to uncover other parallels between Revelation 19:1-10 and 11-21.