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Revelation

About this book
Chapter 19

1 After these things I heard what sounded like the loud voice of a vast throng in heaven, saying, “Hallelujah! Salvation and glory and power belong to our God, 2 because his judgments are true and just. For he has judged the great prostitutewho corrupted the earth with her sexual immorality, and has avenged the blood of his servants poured out by her own hands!” 3 Then a second time the crowd shouted, “Hallelujah!” The smoke rises from her forever and ever. 4 The twenty-four elders and the four living creatures threw themselves to the ground and worshiped God, who was seated on the throne, saying: “Amen! Hallelujah!” 5 Then a voice came from the throne, saying: “Praise our Godall you his servants, and all you who fear him, both the small and the great!” 6 Then I heard what sounded like the voice of a vast throng, like the roar of many waters and like loud crashes of thunder. They were shouting: “Hallelujah! For the Lord our God, the All-Powerful, reigns! 7 Let us rejoice and exult and give him glory, because the wedding celebration of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready.⁠ 8 She was permitted to be dressed in bright, clean, fine linen” (for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints). 9 Then the angel said to me, “Write the following: Blessed are those who are invited to the banquet at the wedding celebration of the Lamb!” He also said to me, “These are the true words of God.” 10 So I threw myself down at his feet to worship him, but he said, “Do not do this! I am only a fellow servant with you and your brothers and sisters who hold to the testimony about Jesus. Worship God, for the testimony about Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.” 11 Then I saw heaven opened and here came a white horse!⁠ The one riding it was called “Faithful” and “True,” and with justice he judges and goes to war.⁠ 12 His eyes are like a fiery flame and there are many diadem crowns on his head.⁠ He has a name written that no one knows except himself.⁠ 13 He is dressed in clothing dipped in blood, and he is called the Word of God.⁠ 14 The armies that are in heaven, dressed in white, clean, fine linen, were following him on white horses. 15 From his mouth extends a sharp sword so that with it he can strike the nations.⁠ He will rule them with an iron rod, and he stomps the winepress of the furious wrath of God, the All-Powerful.⁠ 16 He has a name written on his clothing and on his thigh: “King of kings and Lord of lords.”⁠ 17 Then I saw one angel standing in the sun, and he shouted in a loud voice to all the birds flying high in the sky: “Come, gather around for the great banquet of God, 18 to eat your fill of the flesh of kings, the flesh of generals, the flesh of powerful people, the flesh of horses and those who ride them, and the flesh of all people, both free and slave, and small and great!” 19 Then I saw the beast and the kings of the earth and their armies assembled to do battle with the one who rode the horse and with his army. 20 Now the beast was seized, and along with him the false prophet who had performed the signs on his behalf—signs by which he deceived those who had received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image. Both of them were thrown alive into the lake of fire burning with sulfur.⁠ 21 The others were killed by the sword that extended from the mouth of the one who rode the horse, and all the birds gorged themselves with their flesh.

Texts in conversation

Compare Isaiah 30:33 and Revelation 19:20

Hebrew Bible · New Testament

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Summary

Revelation’s description of a fiery lake resembles Isaiah’s description of Tophet, a place lit by God’s breath. Isaiah applies this to Assyria’s judgment, while Revelation expands it into the final judgment.

Passages

Isaiah 30:33

Hebrew Bible
31 Indeed, the Lord’s shout will shatter Assyria; he will beat them with a club. 32 Every blow from his punishing cudgel with which the Lord will beat them will be accompanied by music from the tambourine and harp, and he will attack them with his weapons. 33 For the burial place is already prepared; it has been made deep and wide for the king. The firewood is piled high on it. The Lord’s breath, like a stream flowing with brimstone, will ignite it.
740–450 BCE (scholarly estimate) Read in Isaiah

Revelation 19:20

New Testament
18 to eat your fill of the flesh of kings, the flesh of generals, the flesh of powerful people, the flesh of horses and those who ride them, and the flesh of all people, both free and slave, and small and great!” 19 Then I saw the beast and the kings of the earth and their armies assembled to do battle with the one who rode the horse and with his army. 20 Now the beast was seized, and along with him the false prophet who had performed the signs on his behalf—signs by which he deceived those who had received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image. Both of them were thrown alive into the lake of fire burning with sulfur. 21 The others were killed by the sword that extended from the mouth of the one who rode the horse, and all the birds gorged themselves with their flesh.
92–96 CE (scholarly estimate) Read in Revelation

References

"... Both Old and New Testaments use other terminology, such as Hades, Sheol, the Pit, the Grave, and so on. By the time of early Christianity they seem to have more or less coalesced in meaning, though they will have had slightly different shades of meaning. While Gehenna occurs 10 times in the gospels (Matthew 5:22. 29,10:28, 18:9, 23:15. 33; Mark 9:43, 45. 47; Luke 12:5 and also in James 3:6), Hades occurs 11 times (Matthew 11:23, 16:18; Luke 10:15, 16:23; Acts 2:27, 31; 1 Corinthians 15:55; Revelation 1:18, 6:8, 20:13, 14). This suggests a conception, probably still fairly fluid, which shares elements of contemporary Greek and Roman cosmology, themselves heirs to the Mediterranean koine, together with Jewish elements, which themselves seem to have absorbed earlier Egyptian or even Zoroastrian ideas (such as the Lake of Fire). The latter is certainly a good candidate though it is hard to quantify the debt. At all events, there is no certain corroboration of Iranian influence, even if it was perhaps catalytic, and the old Judahite cultic associations give an independent source for the fiery image ... An important recurrent key term in these passages is "tophet," the term also used in the Punic context. It has so far defied satisfactory etymological clarification. Heider ( 1985:349) appealed to Isaiah 30:33,26 which at least gave a description of it, even if it left certain details unexplained. This has a bearing on our broader discussion ..."
N. Wyatt, “The Concept and Purpose of Hell: Its Nature and Development in West Semitic Thought,” Numen 56.2 (2009): 161–184.

References are not endorsements of their contents. Read each reference in full to understand its author's intentions in using these texts.

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Isaiah 30:33 and Revelation 19:20

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