"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:  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.   And again they said, Alleluia. And her smoke rose up for ever and ever.  And the four and twenty elders and the four beasts fell down and worshipped God that sat on the throne, saying.  Amen; Alleluia.  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.  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." Revelation 19:1-6.

    These first few verses of this chapter takes us forward, even to after the 1000 years in heaven.  After the Holy City comes down to this earth, after every person who has ever lived on this earth meet face to face.  The wicked, their number is as the "sands of the sea," are outside the City (New Jerusalem).  The righteous  who are inside the city, their number is small compared to the wicked.   That group in the city have a song on their lips, but they must wait before they can sing it.  The earth needs to be cleansed and purified by fire, before that song can be sung.

    "The wicked receive their recompense in the earth. Proverbs 11:31. They shall be stubble: and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the Lord of hosts. Malachi 4:1. Some are destroyed as in a moment, while others suffer many days. All are punished according to their deeds. The sins of the righteous having been transferred to Satan, he is made to suffer not only for his own rebellion, but for all the sins which he has caused God's people to commit. His punishment is to be far greater than that of those whom he has deceived. After all have perished who fell by his deceptions, he is still to live and suffer on. In the cleansing flames the wicked are at last destroyed, root and branch--Satan the root, his followers the branches. The full penalty of the law has been visited; the demands of justice have been met; and heaven and earth, beholding, declare the righteousness of Jehovah." Great Controversy 673.

    Isaiah briefly mentioned this singing, after the whole universe is pure once again.  "The whole earth is at rest, and is quiet: they (the righteous) break forth into singing."  Isaiah 14.7.  After the redeemed have sung their song of praise, the whole Universe has a declaration to make.  We just read about it here in verse six.  "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." Revelation 19:6.

    "Clearly, then, the bride represents the HOLY CITY, and the virgins that go out to meet the bridegroom are a symbol of the church.  In the Revelation the people of God are said to be the guests at the marriage supper.  Revelation 19:9.  If guest, they cannot be represented also as the bride."  Great Controversy 427.

    We who are alive in 1998 should never forget, that the redeemed who will attend this marriage are there  by "the blood of the Lamb and the word of their testimony." Everyone has a testimony about something, but on that special occasion everyone and everything must be pure and white, even as "fine linen." (verse 8)  This "fine linen" is the character of Christ, that we should now receive today.  (See Education. 249).

     This sewing together of fig leaves to cover ones nakedness (ones sinfulness) is not a proper garment at that wedding ceremony.  The required garment is "woven in the loom of heaven, it has in it not one thread of human devising.  Christ in His humanity wrought out a perfect character, and this character He offers to impart to us. . . When we submit ourselves to Christ, the heart is united with His heart.  The will merged in His will, the mind becomes one with His mind, the thoughts are brought into captivity to him; we live His life.  This is what it means to be clothed with the garments of His righteousness.  Then as the Lord looks upon us He sees, not the fig leaf garment, not the nakedness and deformity of sin, but His own robe of righteousness, which is perfect obedience to the law of Jehovah." Christ's Object Lessons 211-212.

    Friend, let me caution you, there is a conference President out there, holding tight to a view, different than this "perfect obedience" route.  This route he has chosen years ago, is wrong, dead wrong.  You can read of this error in everything he writes, in his sermons, and even in his prayers.  Many people heard his prayer up in Canada years ago and warned him then.  He sees no reason today to alter that prayer at all.  Here was a portion of that prayer at that Campmeeting.  "My behavior has nothing to do with my salvation."  Sir, your feelings are not reliable, they never were reliable.  Even Martin Luther told us correctly years ago, that "feelings come, and feelings go, but feelings are deceiving, I trust alone in the Word of God, nothing else is worth believing."  But the English speaking Prophet said it best with this heavenly instruction, "Obedience is the test of discipleship." Thoughts From the Mount of Blessing 210.

    "And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war.  His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself.  And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God.  And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean.  And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.  And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS."  Revelation 19:11-16.

    The scene now changes and the reader is now instructed to backup a 1000 years, it is time for Jesus to return the second time.  These verses depict just another glorious portrayal of our Lord and Saviours return, the one who has promised the faithful so many wonderful things.  It is hard to choose, which promise is the most outstanding to each of His people.  So we need to choose just one promise, that every child should know and love to repeat.  "Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.  And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there  ye may be also." John 14:1-3.

    Is everyone aware that there are a few things that limit God the Father, Jesus and the Holy Spirit?  Yes, they are limited when it comes to lying, they cannot do that.  So which ever promise is special to you, one of those three dignitaries in heaven, will see to it that it will be fulfilled to the very letter.

    "The King of kings descends upon the cloud, wrapped in flaming fire. The heavens are rolled together as a scroll, the earth trembles before Him, and every mountain and island is moved out of its place. 'Our God shall come, and shall not keep silence: a fire shall devour before Him, and it shall be very tempestuous round about Him. He shall call to the heavens from above, and to the earth, that He may judge His people.' Psalms 50:3,4.

    'And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every freeman, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains; and said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of Him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb: for the great day of His wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?'" Revelation 6:15-17. Great Controversy 641-642.

    Verse 14 mentioned "the armys which were in heaven," they are the angels.  Those angels are eager to come with Jesus for the redeemed.  Your guarding angel will be that white cloud to escort Jesus down to this earth.  The very angels who have been by your side all your life.  They have been there to witness our determined will to stand aside, and watch our foolishness on a grand scale.  Even when we were behaving like the "father of lies" in every detail, he still protected us from harm and danger.  He will not be absent on this trip, all the angels are on this cloud with Jesus.  That white cloud  just gets bigger, brighter and more glorious on its approach to earth.

    But, what has been happening on the earth since the cloud first appeared?  Remember now, the saints have already been delivered by the Voice of  God.  The 144,000 were rescued on the midnight hour when the death decree was about to strike.  All of the faithful since 1844 are on the earth, in a glorified body having the wicked especially the false shepherds worship at their feet.  See Rev. 3:9.  They haven't seen Jesus yet, but they know exactly when He will appear.  Why they were told personally, by God the Father, when He spoke from Heaven, from His Throne.  He not only told them the day, but also the hour.  They know they can trust this Voice to them, it is not the voice of a stranger.

    The wicked begin killing each other, especially are they enraged at the false shepherds.  Please read this for yourselves in 4 Bible Commentary 1158, don't trust me with those crucial words. For those who do not have the book Early Writings, let me put in print here similar words scattered throughout the Bible and the Spirit of Prophecy.  See Ezekiel 38:21-22, 4 Bible Commentary 1158. "The wicked had been destroyed, and their dead bodies were lying upon its surface. The wrath of God in the seven last plagues had been visited upon the inhabitants of the earth, causing them to gnaw their tongues from pain and to curse God. The false shepherds had been the signal objects of Jehovah's wrath. Their eyes had consumed away in their holes, and their tongues in their mouths, while they stood upon their feet. After the saints had been delivered by the voice of God, the wicked multitude turned their rage upon one another. The earth seemed to be deluged with blood, and dead bodies were from one end of it to the other.  The earth looked like a desolate wilderness. Cities and villages, shaken down by the earthquake, lay in heaps. Mountains had been moved out of their places, leaving large caverns. Ragged rocks, thrown out by the sea, or torn out of the earth itself, were scattered all over its surface. Large trees had been uprooted and were strewn over the land. Here is to be the home of Satan with his evil angels for a thousand years. Here he will be confined, to wander up and down over the broken surface of the earth and see the effects of his rebellion against God's law. For a thousand years he can enjoy the fruit of the curse which he has caused.  Early Writings 289-290.

    Do you now have a better description of a certain group, who during the fifth trumpet and fifth plague will seek death and not find it until later?   "And in those days shall man seek death, and shall not find it; and shall desire to die, and death shall flee from them."  Revelation 9:6.

    "And I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the fowls that fly in the midst of heaven, Come and gather yourselves together unto the supper of the great God;  That ye may eat the flesh of kings, and the flesh of captains, and the flesh of mighty men, and the flesh of horses, and of them that sit on them, and the flesh of all men, both free and bond, both small and great."  Revelation 19:17-18.

    There will be no one left to bury the dead, the righteous and resurrected saints are all on the way to heaven.  Now it is the time for the feast of the birds.  Yes, the wild beast of the earth and the fowls of the heavens are there, to devour all the dead bodies.

    Then verses 19 & 20 take us forward again, to after the 1000 years.  The lake of fire burning with brimstone is where all sin and every sinner is forever destroyed.  Verse 21 is a flashback to verse 18 to give us a completed picture of events connected with the second coming of Jesus.

    A few paragraphs back the singing of the redeemed and angels were mentioned.  I think of the hymn writer who penned the following words.  Words that have encouraged thousands and thousands of God's people over many years.  If perchance you have never seen these words in print, the whole effort of this book would be accomplished.