John Wesley

Give back to her as she has done to others; pay her back double for what she has done; mix her a double portion in her own cup.

“Reward her - This God speaks to the executioners of his vengeance. Even as she hath rewarded - Others; in particular, the saints of God. And give her double - This, according to the Hebrew idiom, implies only a full retaliation.”

In fear of her torment, they will stand at a distance and cry out: “Woe, woe to the great city, the mighty city of Babylon!

“Thou strong city - Rome was anciently termed by its inhabitants, Valentia, that is, strong. And the word Rome itself, in Greek, signifies strength. This name was given it by the Greek strangers.”

Then they will throw dust on their heads as they weep and mourn and cry out: “Woe, woe to the great city, where all who had ships on the sea…

“And they cast dust on their heads - As mourners. Most of the expressions here used in describing the downfall of Babylon are taken from Ezekiel's description of the downfall of Tyre, Ezek. xxvi, 1 - Ezek. xxviii, 19.”

Rejoice over her, O heaven, O saints and apostles and prophets, because God has pronounced for you His judgment against her.

“Rejoice over her, thou heaven - That is, all the inhabitants of it; and more especially, ye saints; and among the saints still more eminently, ye apostles and prophets.”

And there was found in her the blood of prophets and saints, and of all who had been slain on the earth.

“And in her was found the blood of the prophets and saints - The same angel speaks still, yet he does not say "in thee," but in her, now so sunk as not to hear these last words.”

For His judgments are true and just. He has judged the great prostitute who corrupted the earth with her immorality.

“For true and righteous are his judgments - Thus is the cry of the souls under the altar changed into a song of praise.”

And the twenty-four elders and the four living creatures fell down and worshiped God who sits on the throne, saying: “Amen, Hallelujah!”

“Accordingly they are mentioned before them, with the praise they render to God, chap. iv, 9, 10; v, 8, 14; inasmuch as there the praise moves from the center to the circumference.”

Let us rejoice and be glad and give Him the glory. For the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His bride has made herself ready.

“The marriage of the Lamb is come - Is near at hand, to be solemnized speedily. What this implies, none of "the spirits of just men," even in paradise, yet know.”

She was given clothing of fine linen, bright and pure.” For the fine linen she wears is the righteous acts of the saints.

“And it is given to her - By God. The bride is all holy men, the whole invisible church. To be arrayed in fine linen, white and clean - This is an emblem of the righteousness of the saints - Both of their justification and…”

Then the angel told me to write, “Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.”

“And he - The angel, saith to me, Write - St. John seems to have been so amazed at these glorious sights, that he needeth to be reminded of this.”

So I fell at his feet to worship him. But he told me, “Do not do that!

“And I fell before his feet to worship him - It seems, mistaking him for the angel of the covenant. But he saith, See thou do it not - In the original, it is only, See not, with a beautiful abruptness.”

Then I saw heaven standing open, and there before me was a white horse. And its rider is called Faithful and True. With righteousness He judges and wages war.

“And behold a white horse - Many little regarded Christ, when he came meek, "riding upon an ass;" but what will they say, when he goes forth upon his white horse, with the sword of his mouth?”

He has eyes like blazing fire, and many royal crowns on His head. He has a name written on Him that only He Himself knows.

“And his eyes are a flame of fire - They were said to be as or like a flame of fire, before, chap. i, 14; an emblem of his omniscience. And upon his head are many diadems - For he is king of all nations.”

He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and His name is The Word of God.

“And he is clothed in a vesture dipped in blood - The blood of the enemies he hath already conquered.”

And from His mouth proceeds a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations, and He will rule them with an iron scepter.

“He now appears, not as a child, but as a victorious warrior. The nations have long ago felt his "iron rod," partly while the heathen Romans, after their savage persecution of the Christians, themselves groaned under numberless plagues and calamities, by his righteous vengeance; partly…”

But the beast was captured along with the false prophet, who on its behalf had performed signs deceiving those who had the mark of the beast and worshiped its image.

“There were two that went alive into heaven; perhaps there are two that go alive into hell. It may be, Enoch and Elijah entered at once into glory, without first waiting in paradise; the beast and the false prophet plunge at once into the extremest…”

Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven with the key to the Abyss, holding in his hand a great chain.

“Having the key of the bottomless pit - Mentioned before, chap. ix, 1. And a great chain in his hand - The angel of the bottomless pit was shut up therein before the beginning of the first woe.”

He seized the dragon, that ancient serpent who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years.

“The woman's bringing forth is followed by the casting of the dragon out of heaven to the earth. With this is connected the third woe, whereby the dragon through, and with, the beast, rages horribly.”

And he threw him into the Abyss, shut it, and sealed it over him, so that he could not deceive the nations until the thousand years were complete.

“These thousand years bring a new, full, and lasting immunity from all outward and inward evils, the authors of which are now removed, and an affluence of all blessings. But such time the church has never yet seen. Therefore it is still to come.”

The rest of the dead did not come back to life until the thousand years were complete. This is the first resurrection.

“There is room enough for the fulfilling of all the prophecies, and those which before seemed to clash are reconciled; particularly those which speak, on the one hand, of a most flourishing state of the church as yet to come; and, on the other, of…”

When the thousand years are complete, Satan will be released from his prison,

“And when the former thousand years are fulfilled, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison - At the same time that the first resurrection begins. There is a great resemblance between this passage and chap. xii, 12.”

and will go out to deceive the nations in the four corners of the earth—Gog and Magog—to assemble them for battle. Their number is like the sand of the seashore.

“And shall go forth to deceive the nations in the four corners of the earth - (That is, in all the earth)-the more diligently, as he hath been so long restrained, and knoweth he hath but a small time.”

And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne. And there were open books, and one of them was the Book of Life.

“And another book - Wherein are enrolled all that are accepted through the Beloved; all who lived and died in the faith that worketh by love.”

Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death—the lake of fire.

“And death and hades were cast into the lake of fire - That is, were abolished forever; for neither the righteous nor the wicked were to die any more: their souls and bodies were no more to be separated.”

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and earth had passed away, and the sea was no more.

“All these several representations follow one another in order: so the vision reaches into eternity. A new heaven and a new earth - After the resurrection and general judgment. St.”