January 23 - 29

Revelation 19:1-7

19:1 After these things I heard what sounded like the loud noise from a large crowd in heaven, saying, "Hallelujah! Salvation, glory, and power belong to our God.

The chapter begins with the phrase, "After these things," which signifies that what is about to be explained chronologically follows that which has just taken place-namely, the judgment of Babylon. After the fall of Babylon, John heard the voices of many people in heaven. This was likely the entire multitude of heaven, including the angels, the twenty-four leaders, the four beasts, and the countless believers that now constituted a host of glorified saints. They all worshipped the Lord with shouts of praise, saying, "Hallelujah! Salvation, glory, and power belong to our God!" Before praising the Lord for what He had does, they praised Him for Who He is.

Interestingly, this chapter is the only passage in the New Testament where the word Hallelujah appears, and it seems quite appropriate that such distinctive praise and adoration should come upon the heels of Almighty God's thorough destruction of that city which embodied the greatest concentration of evil the world would ever know.

19:2 His judgments are true and fair. He has condemned the notorious prostitute who corrupted the world with her sexual sins. He has taken revenge on her for the blood of his servants."

The heavenly multitude continued to praise God Almighty in uni- son. After praising Him for Who He is, they praised Him for what He had done in pouring out His wrath against Babylon, and immedi- ately, they acknowledged that these judgments were "true and fair." In His wrath could be found no fault or sense of unfairness. Fairness is a human design used to determine the appropriateness of a deci- sion, but it is not an attribute of God. Justice, however, is. God did not judge according to anyone else's standards but His own, which are perfect. There may be many standards, but God Almighty has only one, which is eternally true, unchangeable, absolute, and per- fect, and all His judgment is meted out according to His ever-pres- ent, righteous, consistent standard.

Babylon, the great harlot, received God's wrath for her decep- tion and fornication, and her destruction was well deserved. For this reason, the heavenly multitude rejoiced. Our great and powerful Lord God Almighty carried out the vengeance of the saints upon Babylon and repaid her for the enormous spilling of the blood of "His servants."

19:3 A second time they said, "Hallelujah! The smoke goes up from her forever and ever."

The heavenly multitude concluded its praise with another heart- felt, "Hallelujah!" Another clear indication that this progression occurred chronologically was the vision of smoke rising from the ruins of Babylon, as introduced in the previous chapter. John told us that this smoke rose up forever and ever, meaning either that it was a fire that continually smoldered or that the smoke did not dissipate as it rose toward Heaven and beyond.

⁸The Lord will have a day of vengeance, a year of revenge in defense of Zion.
⁹Edom's streams will be turned to tar.
Its soil will be turned to burning sulfur. Its land will become blazing tar.
^10aThey will not be extinguished day or night,
and smoke will always go up from them. (Isaiah 34:8-10)

Some scholars have theorized that this eternal burning is a poetic metaphor to illustrate the absolute devastation of the city. Whatever the actual meaning of the statement, Babylon's annihila- tion would forever serve as a reminder of the great significance and eternal consequence of God's judgment.

19:4 The 24 leaders and the 4 living creatures bowed and wor- shiped God, who was sitting on the throne. They said, "Amen! Hallelujah!"

John then saw the twenty-four leaders and four creatures that were seated around God's throne fall prostrate in adoration and worship. The leaders and beasts praised God, again saying, "Amen!" and "Hallelujah!" As previously discussed, it seems that the twenty-four leaders and four creatures existed solely for the purpose of praising and worshiping God Almighty on the throne (Revelation 4:8-11).

19:5 A voice came from the throne. It said, "Praise our God, all who serve and fear him, no matter who you are."

A voice emerged from the throne in heaven commanding all God's servants to praise the Lord. The believers were further addressed as those that fear him. This mandate to both small and great to praise God indicates that all believers throughout history, regardless of earthly status or importance, were included among this group.

The voice of the one speaking might be that of Almighty God, based upon the source of the voice being "from the throne." However, the use of pronouns, as in "Praise our God" and "all who. . . fear Him" suggests that this was more likely the voice of one of the twenty-four leaders or of the four beasts near the throne. Again, the source of the voice is not as important as the message. This is the third of four identities that offered praise to the Lord in the first seven verses of this chapter.

19:6 I heard what sounded like the noise from a large crowd, like the noise of raging waters, like the noise of loud thunder, saying, "Hallelujah! The Lord our God, the Almighty, has become king.

The next two verses express the fourth statement of praise that was given by yet another identity in heaven. Despite a pronoun use resembling the declaration of praise given in verse five, many schol- ars contend that the description of this voice suggests that it was the voice of God Almighty Himself. It is described as a voice "like the noise from a large crowd, like the noise of raging waters, like the noise of loud thunder." Similar descriptions are given throughout Scripture to describe the voice of the Lord. "The voice of the Lord rolls over the water. The God of glory thunders. The Lord shouts over raging water" (Psalm 29:3). "He speaks, and the water in the sky produces a storm" (Jeremiah 10:13). "His voice was like the sound of rushing water, and the earth was shining because of his glory" (Ezekiel 43:2). "When he spoke, his voice sounded like the roar of a crowd" (Daniel 10:6).

Though such arguments are very persuasive, we are led to believe by surrounding verses and the use of a second-person pronoun that this was not the voice of the Lord but the voice of a special being chosen by God to deliver this last and very important message. Most convincing support for this objection is that the angel adamantly rejected John's worship and identified himself as "a coworker of the Christians who hold on to the testimony of Jesus" (verse 10).

This person further praised the omnipotence of God, which, like almighty and sovereign, is an attribute exclusive to God. No other being possesses this trait, for it is the very essence of God alone. Like the multitude before him who praised God first for Who He is and then for what He had done (verses 1, 2), this voice also praises God first for Who He is before praising Him for what was about to take place.

19:7 Let us rejoice, be happy, and give him glory because it's time for the marriage of the lamb. His bride has made herself ready.

The great cause for rejoicing and celebration was revealed. The mar- riage of the Lamb had come, and the bride was ready. The bride, comprised of God's elect from the dawn of creation, were all present with the Lamb in heaven. The total sum of those who would live for- ever in God's presence as His bride were present and accounted for. The word marriage describes the relationship between Christ and His church to demonstrate an eternal union that is intimate, loving, and faithful. "I'm as protective of you as God is. After all, you're a virgin whom I promised in marriage to one man-Christ" (2 Corinthians 11:2).

This correlation is beautifully illustrated in the Book of Hosea, where the loyal husband remained faithful to his adulterous wife until she was eventually restored unto him.

¹⁶"On that day she will call me her husband," declares the Lord. "She will no longer call me her master. . . .
¹⁹Israel, I will make you my wife forever. I will be honest and faithful to you. I will show you my love and compassion. ²⁰I will be true to you, my wife. Then you will know the Lord. ²¹On that day I will answer your prayers," declares the Lord. "I will speak to the sky, it will speak to the earth, ²²and the earth will produce grain, new wine, and olive oil. You will produce many crops, Jezreel. ²³I will plant my people in the land. Those who are not loved I will call my loved ones. Those who are not my people I will call my people. Then they will say, 'You are our God!' " (Hosea 2:16, 19-23)

Notes/Applications
What distinguishes us as members of the human race from the rest of creation is that the Creator has crafted us in His own image and offered us a unique relationship, one of being saved by His grace and, thereby, joined with Him for all eternity! The above verses compare this intimate relationship to the privately tender yet publicly binding covenant between a groom and his bride (John 3:29; Matthew 9:15; Ephesians 5:25-33; Revelation 21:2). It is through the Lamb's redemp- tion that we may enter a covenant relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ the Bridegroom.
According to biblical tradition, the process of finalizing a mar- riage union consisted of several steps. First, the familial parties had to agree upon the price paid to the potential bride's father for his daughter's hand in marriage. Once the parties reached an agree- ment, the couple entered the relationship's engagement phase, also known as betrothal. At this time, the young girl was set apart for marriage and was no longer available to participate in a relation- ship with another man. Essentially, she belonged to the bridegroom, promised to him until their oaths could be consummated on a glori- ous wedding day filled with feasts and celebration.

Generally speaking, during this engagement period, the bride- groom took great measures to make the necessary arrangements for his maiden to join him in his father's house, and the bride, too, pre- pared herself for married life. She would diligently fashion herself for the wedding day ceremonies. She would bathe and dress herself in white robes, which were often richly embroidered. She would wrap a bridal girdle around her waist, cover her face with a veil, and place a garland on her head.3 "Let us rejoice, be happy, and give him glory because it's time for the marriage of the lamb. His bride has made herself ready" (Revelation 19:7). After all of her efforts to appear beautiful before her groom and the wedding guests, she must have rejoiced when she espied how her groom gazed lovingly upon her with pride emanat- ing from his eyes, for on this day, the two would be joined in a holy, spiritual union that no man could separate. "As a bridegroom rejoices over his bride, so your God will rejoice over you" (Isaiah 62:5b).

Have we made ourselves ready for the Bridegroom's return and the consummation of our eternal matrimony with Him? He has been preparing us and our eternal home for His return.

I will find joy in the Lord. I will delight in my God.
He has dressed me in the clothes of salvation. He has wrapped me in the robe of righteousness
like a bridegroom with a priest's turban,
like a bride with her jewels. (Isaiah 61:10)

Surely, at the Lord's appearing, we, as His bride, will not eye our garments but our dear Bridegroom's face, and we will not be trans- fixed by glory itself but upon our king of grace.

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