- Re 19:1 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.
After these things
The phrase after these things refers to the events of chapters 17 and 18 and especially the fall of Babylon. Here in verses 1-10, we’re taken to heaven in that interval between the destruction of Babylon and the Second Coming of Jesus Christ.
I heard a great voice of much people in heaven, saying, Alleluia
The word Alleluia comes from two Hebrew words. The first is allelu, meaning “give praise.” The second is the Hebrew name of God in the shortened form, Yah. It means “praise Yahweh,” or “praise the Lord”.
This is the only chapter that we find this word in the NT, but it is a title for Psalm 111; Psalm 112; and Psalm 113, which are part of the Hallel Psalms. The Hallel Psalms were sung in association with the Feast of Passover, which was a covenant celebration of Israel’s deliverance out of Egypt. The word Hallelujah is a word that was either spoken or sung by the people of God to describe the joy of their being delivered from their enemies by the mighty hand of God.
If you have repented of your sin and trusted in Him as full atonement for you sin debt, than you can declare a hearty Alleluia right now! For God Himself has delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son (Col 1.13).
This Alleluia is the four-fold declaration that salvation and glory and honor and power belong to our God. This anthem of praise reminds us of 1 Chronicles 29:11.
- “Thine, O Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty. Indeed, everything that is in the heavens and the earth, Thine is the dominion, O Lord, and Thou dost exalt Thyself as head over all. Both riches and honor come from Thee and Thou dost rule over all. And in Thy hand is power and might. It lies in Thy hand to make great and to strengthen. Now therefore, our God, we thank Thee and praise Thy glorious name.”
Salvation belongs unto our God
- Ps 3:8 Salvation belongeth unto the LORD
- Jonah 3.9 Salvation is of the LORD.
Glory and honor belongs unto our God
The Psalmist put it this way:
- Ps 115:1 Not unto us, O LORD, not unto us, but unto Thy Name give glory, for thy mercy, and for thy truth’s sake.
- Ro 11:36 For of him, and through him, and to him, are all things: to whom be glory for ever. Amen.
Power belongs unto our God
Before Jesus ascended up into heaven, He said, “All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.” (Matthew 28:18) Heaven confirms that sound theology will always be God and Christ centered and not man centered. As glorious and wonderful as the redemption of man is, the major theme of Scripture is not the redemption of man, but The Redeemer of Man.
- Isa 44:6 Thus saith the LORD the King of Israel, and his redeemer the LORD of hosts; I am the first, and I am the last; and beside me there is no God.
- Rev. 19:2 For true and righteous are his judgments: for he hath judged the great whore (religious Babylon and all that belong to her), which did corrupt the earth with her fornication, and hath avenged the blood of his servants at her hand.
Back in Revelation 7:9-14, we saw a great multitude which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. In Revelation 6:9,10, we know that a part of this great multitude who were martyred at the hand of Antichrist during the Great Tribulation cried out for God’s righteous judgment. Here, their prayer is answered.
Please observe that there is no questioning the wisdom and ways of God in heaven. The proclamation of the people in heaven to the events that are taking place on earth judgment is a resounding true and righteous are His judgments.
In a world that is reeling out of control because of their rebellion against The Living God, we must not lose heart beloved.
- Dan 4.35 And all the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing: and he doeth according to his will in the army of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth: and none can stay his hand, or say unto him, What doest thou?
- Psalm 115.3 our God is in the heavens He hath done whatsoever He hath pleased.
One sure way to lose your peace and become anxious and overwhelmed is by listening to squawk radio and worrying about government conspiracies that are infringing upon our “rights”. Beloved,
- Isa 26. 3 Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee. 4 Trust ye in the Lord for ever: for in the Lord Jehovah is everlasting strength.
- John 14.27 Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. 28 Ye have heard how I said unto you, I go away, and come again unto you. If ye loved me, ye would rejoice, because I said, I go unto the Father: for my Father is greater than I.
How I need to remember biblical truth about the character of God when I am in the midst of a serious trial in my life and I find myself doubting the fairness of love of God for me. In the middle of his great trial Job made the statement:
- Job 23:3 Oh that I knew where I might find him! that I might come even to his seat! 4 I would order my cause before him, and fill my mouth with arguments.
When Job got his request answered and he stood before The Lord, we read:
- Job 40:1 Moreover the LORD answered Job, and said, 2 Shall he that contendeth with the Almighty instruct him? he that reproveth God, let him answer it. 3 Then Job answered the LORD, and said, 4 Behold, I am vile; what shall I answer thee? I will lay mine hand upon my mouth.5 Once have I spoken; but I will not answer: yea, twice; but I will proceed no further.
Like Asaph in Psalm 73, there are times in this age when the “bad guys” are doing great and the follower of Jesus is getting hammered to the proverbial wall. But know this beloved, the Bible tells us that this cannot and will not always be the case because the character of God is that He is Just and True. In order to keep our spiritual sanity in an unjust world, it is vital for us to maintain a divine perspective in our lives.
- Rev . 19:3 And again they said, Alleluia. And her smoke rose up for ever and ever.
Heaven rejoices not because of the damnation of the unjust, for the prophet Ezekiel declares that :
- God has no pleasure in the death of the wicked (Ezek 18.23, 32).
- 2 Peter 3.9 The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.
The atonement of Jesus Christ is a full atonement to any and every sinner who will come to Him in repentance and faith.
Remember the 3 R’s of the Gospel
- Ruin by the Fall
- Redemption by grace through faith in The Lord Jesus Christ
- Regeneration by the power of The Holy Spirit
- Rev. 19:4 And the four and twenty elders and the four beasts fell down and worshipped God that sat on the throne, saying, Amen; Alleluia.
The Greek says, “and they worshipped the God, the One who sits continually upon the throne.” Oh, how we need to capture this picture of our God who sits on the throne deep within our hearts today beloved, for it emphasizes the permanent sovereignty of God.
When John was taken up into heaven, the first thing that he saw was a throne was set in heaven, and One sat on the throne (Rev 4.2). There is only One Sovereign Ruler of this universe.
There is no act of man, nor of the nations, nor problem, which comes up in our lives, which overrules the sovereignty of God.
- Ps 103:19 ¶ The LORD hath prepared his throne in the heavens; and his kingdom ruleth over all.
- Dan 4:35 And all the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing: and he doeth according to his will in the army of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth: and none can stay his hand, or say unto him, What doest thou?
- 1Pe 3:22 Who (The Lord Jesus Christ) is gone into heaven, and is on the right hand of God; angels and authorities and powers being made subject unto him. Amen
Amen means, “so be it.” In other words, as far as the judgment of this fallen world system goes, the verdict of the saints in heaven is Amen! This Amen agrees with one of the initial statements of John in the Revelation as it relates to the Second Coming of Jesus Christ to judge the world in righteousness.
- Re 1:7 Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen.
- Rev. 19:5 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.
Notice who the inhabitants of heaven consists of: His servants and ye that fear Him. Jesus said,
- Lu 16:13 No servant can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.
One of the titles of Jesus Himself is Isa 42:1 Behold my servant, whom I uphold; mine elect, in whom my soul delighteth. Our example of being a servant is The Lord Jesus Christ Who served His Father and others in humility and grace.
- John 13. 12 So after he had washed their feet, and had taken his garments, and was set down again, he said unto them, Know ye what I have done to you? 13 Ye call me Master and Lord: and ye say well; for so I am. 14 If I then, your Lord and Master, have washed your feet; ye also ought to wash one another’s feet. 15 For I have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done to you. 16 Verily, verily, I say unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord; neither he that is sent greater than he that sent him. 17 If ye know these things, happy are ye if ye do them.
- Phil 2.5Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: 6 Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: 7 But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant.
To be a follower of The Lord Jesus Christ my dear church family means that we collectively make the choice to deny ourselves and prefer others above ourselves just like our Lord did in the upper room in John 13 when He washed the disciples’ feet.
- Then said Jesus unto His disciples, If any man will come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. Matthew 16:24
Some people think denying themselves is doing without certain kinds of food, going without sleep, or doing without certain pleasures. They think maybe if they go live in a monastery they’ll be denying themselves.
But Jesus didn’t say deny yourself things. It’s not denying yourself things; it’s denying yourself. Simon Peter forsook his nets, but it was a long time before Simon Peter forsook Simon Peter. God is not going to superimpose His mighty, dynamic power on your old self-life.
- Mr 10:42-45 But Jesus called them to him, and saith unto them, Ye know that they which are accounted to rule over the Gentiles exercise lordship over them; and their great ones exercise authority upon them. But so shall it not be among you: but whosoever will be great among you, shall be your minister (diakonos): And whosoever of you will be the chiefest, shall be servant (doulos) of all. For even the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.
The worldly spirit of loving preeminence and being superior over others is contrary to the teaching and example of Jesus Christ and has no place within His church. Arrogance, pride, self-exalting attitudes are not the fruit of a born again child of God.
- Rev 19;6 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:
Hendel’s Hallelujah chorus was inspired by this text of Scripture.
Beloved, please note the language that is used to describe the workings of God from the throne and the volume of praise that is continually brought before Him. I really hope that you are not expecting heaven to be like the public library!
While there is something precious and irreplaceable about our quiet times alone with God, there is also something absolutely thrilling about a large number of Christians worshipping God with sincere enthusiasm.
- for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth.
The word omnipotent here in Greek is Pantokrator (Gk.) almighty; absolute and universal sovereign. God alone is all-powerful, invincible, unstoppable, and supreme. Psalm 93.1, 97.1 & 99.1 all declare that The Lord reigns. Your God is reigning in your life right now beloved. Just like Job that I mentioned earlier. Joseph told his brothers that they very same things that they meant for his evil, God used for good and His glory. God reigns beloved!
- Rev 19:7 Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour (glory) to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready.
Giving glory to God is the language of the redeemed, whether they are in heaven or on earth.
- 1Ti 1:17 Now unto the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God, be honour and glory for ever and ever. Amen.
- Jude 1:25 To the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen.
- 1Co 10:31 Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.
Throughout the New Testament, the figure of a husband and wife is used to depict the relationship of Christ to His church, particularly in Ephesians 5. Paul said to the Corinthians that I have espoused you unto the husband, unto Jesus Christ, and I have a godly jealously over you because my desire is to present you as a chased virgin unto Him. In other words, we are to be fully and completely devoted unto our husband Jesus Christ. We are not married to any particular denomination, we are married to Jesus Christ. Our worship is to be directed to Him. We know from Jesus’ answer to the “what is the great commandment” question as well as His condition for discipleship in Luke 14 that our love for The Lord God must exceed all other loves. And if there develops in our life a love for something or some experience that exceeds our love for the Lord, we are committing adultery, because our first love is to be to Him and for Him.
- Rev. 19:8 And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints (righteous acts of the saints).
Many of the newer translation translate the latter part of verse 8 something like this. The fine linen is the righteous deeds (ESV) or righteous acts (NKJV) or good deeds of God’s holy people (NLT).
Does this mean that we are saved by our good deeds? No, our righteousness before God is not based upon our performance. Our righteousness before God is not something that we earn by observing particular rules or rituals, thus making us a part of our salvation. It is not our righteousness that saves us for our righteousness is as flighty rags in the sight of God. Our righteousness is an imputed righteousness that comes by embracing what Jesus Christ has already done for us by grace through faith.
What we see in the totality of Scripture is the reoccurring theme of the balance between salvation by grace apart from works (Rom. 1:17; 3:21, 22, 24-26; 10:4; 1 Cor. 1:30; 2 Cor. 5:21; Phil. 3:9 ), and the corresponding fruit of works of faith as the evidence of that salvation (1 Thess. 1:3; 1 Tim. 1:5; James 2:14, 19, 20,26; 2 Peter 1:5-8).
So, on the divine side, salvation is all of God who “grants” us the righteousness of Christ through faith. On the practical side, we see that the fine linen, which will be worn by Christ’s bride, is made up of the “righteous acts of the Saints which were done out of a pure love for Him and for His glory and honor.
- Rev. 19;9 And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he saith unto me, These are the true sayings of God.
Jesus Himself eagerly anticipates this marriage supper. He spoke longingly of the day when He will drink of the fruit of the vine again, with His disciples in the kingdom (Matthew 26:29).
- Lu 14:16 Then said he unto him, A certain man made a great supper, and bade many: 17 And sent his servant at supper time to say to them that were bidden, Come; for all things are now ready.18 And they all with one consent began to make excuse.
Blessed are those who are called unto the marriage supper of The Lamb. Woe unto those who refuse the invitation to come. Note that some people who were bidden to come to the supper began to make excuses. What is your excuse for surrendering your life totally to Jesus Christ today my friend? Your unsaved spouse? Your friends? Your career? Your “pet sins”?
- Rev. 19:10 And I fell at his feet to worship him. And he said unto me, See thou do it not: I am thy fellow servant, and of thy brethren that have the testimony of Jesus: worship God: for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.
In this passage and in Re 22:7,8, the apostle offers worship to a fellow creature, an angel. In each place the prohibition is prompt. This episode is introduced in order to teach the sinfulness of all creature worship.
Worship God.
Jesus tells us how to worship God:
- John 4.20-26 Our fathers worshipped in this mountain; and ye say, that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship. Jesus saith unto her, Woman, believe me, the hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father. Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews. But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth. The woman saith unto him, I know that Messias cometh, which is called Christ: when he is come, he will tell us all things. Jesus saith unto her, I that speak unto thee am he.
The only way to worship God in Spirit and In truth is by coming to Him by grace through faith in His Son Jesus Christ. No man comes unto The Father apart from faith in Jesus Christ (John 14.6). No man comes to The Father except The Father draws him (John 6.44).
How does The Father draw a sinner to His Son?
- Romans 10.11-17 For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed. For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him. For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things! But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Esaias saith, Lord, who hath believed our report? So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
