1After these things I heard something like a loud voice of a great multitude in heaven, saying, “Hallelujah! Salvation, power, and glory belong to our God; 2for his judgments are true and righteous. For he has judged the great prostitute who corrupted the earth with her sexual immorality, and he has avenged the blood of his servants at her hand.”
3A second said, “Hallelujah! Her smoke goes up forever and ever.” 4The twenty-four elders and the four living creatures fell down and worshiped God who sits on the throne, saying, “Amen! Hallelujah!”
5A voice came from the throne, saying, “Give praise to our God, all you his servants, you who fear him, the small and the great!”
6I heard something like the voice of a great multitude, and like the voice of many waters, and like the voice of mighty thunders, saying, “Hallelujah! For the Lord our God, the Almighty, reigns! 7Let’s rejoice and be exceedingly glad, and let’s give the glory to him. For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and his wife has made herself ready.” 8It was given to her that she would array herself in bright, pure, fine linen, for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints.
9He said to me, “Write, ‘Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb.’” He said to me, “These are true words of God.”
10I fell down before his feet to worship him. He said to me, “Look! Don’t do it! I am a fellow bondservant with you and with your brothers who hold the testimony of Jesus. Worship God, for the testimony of Jesus is the Spirit of Prophecy.”
11I saw the heaven opened, and behold, a white horse, and he who sat on it is called Faithful and True. In righteousness he judges and makes war. 12His eyes are a flame of fire, and on his head are many crowns. He has names written and a name written which no one knows but he himself. 13He is clothed in a garment sprinkled with blood. His name is called “The Word of God.” 14The armies which are in heaven, clothed in white, pure, fine linen, followed him on white horses. 15Out of his mouth proceeds a sharp, double-edged sword that with it he should strike the nations. He will rule them with an iron rod. He treads the wine press of the fierceness of the wrath of God, the Almighty. 16He has on his garment and on his thigh a name written, “KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.”
17I saw an angel standing in the sun. He cried with a loud voice, saying to all the birds that fly in the sky, “Come! Be gathered together to the great supper of God, 18that you may eat the flesh of kings, the flesh of captains, the flesh of mighty men, and the flesh of horses and of those who sit on them, and the flesh of all men, both free and slave, small and great.” 19I saw the beast, the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against him who sat on the horse and against his army. 20The beast was taken, and with him the false prophet who worked the signs in his sight, with which he deceived those who had received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image. These two were thrown alive into the lake of fire that burns with sulfur. 21The rest were killed with the sword of him who sat on the horse, the sword which came out of his mouth. So all the birds were filled with their flesh.
3:1 Sardis, located 30 miles southeast of Thyatira, had been the capital of Lydia. The worship of the Roman Caesar and of Artemis, goddess of fertility, were active here. The seven Spirits may be the Holy Spirit, or perhaps seven angels ( 1:4 ). The seven stars are “the angels of the seven churches” ( 1:20 ).
3:2 No one’s works are completely perfect before God (see Rom 3:23 ). Unbelievers, those whose names are not “written in the Book of Life” ( Rev 20:15 ), will be judged solely according to their works ( 20:12 , 13 ).
3:3 Christ’s warning that He will come unexpectedly as a thief echoes His repeated emphasis in Matt 24:36-25:13 : Be alert and ready for My coming ( Rev 16:15 ).
3:4 Those who have not defiled their garments are those who have remained faithful to Christ. Unlike some of the believers, they have had victory over sin and have demonstrated a practical righteousness. The Lord promises those who have not defiled their garments that they will walk with Him in white, for they are worthy. This image probably describes righteous acts, not the imputed righteousness of Christ ( 19:8 ).
3:5 The white garments probably symbolize the Lord’s recognition of godly character and faithful service in this life (v. 4 ; 6:11 ; 19:7 , 8 ). White is the color of the garments the redeemed will wear in the Lord’s presence ( 7:13 , 14 ). The Book of Life is the list of the eternally redeemed ( 20:12 , 15 ). To not blot out is a figure of speech, affirming a positive by negating its opposite. Thus it means “I will include their names.” Blot out likely alludes to Exod 32:32 , 33 , where God says He will blot out sinners, but not faithful ones like Moses, from His Book. Christ will make sure the faithful believer’s name and works are not erased, but remembered and honored. Confess his name before My Father and before His angels: The text does not state that any believer will have his name blotted out of the Book of Life (see Luke 10:20 ). Rather, the faithful believer will be resoundingly confessed before the saints, the angels, and the Father by the Son (see Matt 10:32 , 33 ; 2 Tim 2:12 ). To have the Lord publicly confess one’s name is to have the Lord’s approval of one’s character and service (see Matt 10:32 , 33 ; 1 Tim 2:12 , 13 ).
NKJV Study Bible.