“After these things I heard something like a loud voice of a great multitude in heaven, saying, ‘Hallelujah! Salvation and glory and honor and power belong to the Lord our God!’” (Revelation 19:1). After what things? After the seven bowl judgments where God gave Babylon the cup of His fierce wrath; and every island fled away, the mountains were not found, and the false church and Babylon are destroyed (Revelation 16:1-21, Revelation 17-18). The voices are all those in heaven including the voices of the Church, having been taken into heaven before the tribulation, the voices of the tribulation saints, many of whom were martyred and the voices of various ranks of angels. They sing in unison as one mighty, thunderous voice. “Hallelujah” means “Praise Jehovah” and is only used in Revelation 19 in the New Testament. Their praise recognizes the salvation that is provided by God through faith in Jesus Christ. God’s glory, honor, and power are praised because He is the creator and ruler of His universe.
“For true and righteous are His judgments, because He has judged the great harlot who corrupted the earth with her fornication; and He has avenged on her the blood of His servants shed by her” (Revelation 19:2). When we read about the slaughter of millions of believers in Jesus Christ during the Tribulation (Revelation 6:9-11, 13:7), we recognize that God has every right to bring His righteous judgment and punishment upon the ungodly religious and commercial systems that will corrupt the earth with immorality and corruption. The severity of the judgments described in the book of Revelation are not evidence of God’s unfairness; these judgments demonstrates God’s hatred of sin, and is a testimony to His perfect righteousness—for only He knows the full breadth and depth of the sin which He will judge. “The judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether” (Psalm 19:9). God’s judgments answers the prayer of the martyred believers in Revelation 6:10, that said, “How long, O Lord, holy and true, until You judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth.”
“Again they said, ‘Hallelujah! Her smoke rises up forever and ever!’ And the twenty-four elders and the four living creatures fell down and worshiped God who sat on the throne, saying, ‘Amen! Hallelujah!’” (Revelation 19:3-4). The first and second Hallelujah are in response to God’s judgment of the false religion, the third Hallelujah is because the smoke of Babylon is rising forever. The unbelievers who die in the destruction of Babylon will burn forever in the lake of fire (Matthew 25:41, Revelation 20:11-14). The twenty four elders represent the church of Jesus Christ that is taken into heaven before the Great Tribulation begins (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18, Revelation 4:1-4). The four living creatures give praise to the Lord in Revelation chapters 4, 5, and 11. “Amen” expresses agreement with God’s judgment and destruction of Babylon, and the destruction of Babylon’s ungodly religious, political, financial, and commercial systems.
“Then a voice came from the throne, saying, ‘Praise our God, all you His servants and those who fear Him, both small and great!’ And I heard, as it were, the voice of a great multitude, as the sound of many waters and as the sound of mighty thunderings, saying, ‘Alleluia! For the Lord God Omnipotent reigns’” (Revelation 19:5-6). This could be God or an angel speaking from the throne; the message is the same either way. It appears that all of heaven is saying “Hallelujah.” True and spiritual worship is reverential, with a peaceful heart and rejoicing spirit, that occupies the heart and mind of the worshiper with God Himself. Jesus said, “God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth” (John 4:24). God is absolutely perfect; He cannot improve or deteriorate. God knows everything; He knows all the past, present and future of His universe and everyone and everything in it (Isaiah 46:9-10). God is in total control of His universe without any help from humanity!
“Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready. And to her it was granted to be arrayed in fine linen, clean and bright, for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints” (Revelation 19:7-8). Jesus refers to Himself as the bridegroom (Matthew 9:15 Mark 2:19, Luke 5:34). Jesus Christ is called the Lamb several times in Revelation. Paul wrote, “For I have betrothed you to one Husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ” (2 Corinthians 11:2). The bride of Christ made herself ready by trusting in Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior (Ephesians 2:8-9). Jesus tells all believers to lay up treasures for ourselves in heaven (Matthew 6:20). Christians will appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad (2 Corinthians 5:10). God made Jesus Christ who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him (2 Corinthians 5:21).
Then he said to me, “Write, ‘Blessed are those who are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb!’” And he said to me, “These are the true sayings of God” (Revelation 19:9). Jesus’ church is the bride of Jesus Christ. The guests are all the Jew and Gentile believers of the Old Testament, and all the Jews and Gentiles saved during the tribulation. Everything in the Bible is inspired by the Holy Spirit, and is God’s word! (2 Timothy 3:16-17, 2 Peter 1:21).
“And I fell at his feet to worship him. But he said to me, ‘See that you do not do that! I am your fellow servant, and of your brethren who have the testimony of Jesus. Worship God! For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy’” (Revelation 19:10). Angels are servants of God, and Paul tells Christians that we will lose eternal rewards if we worship angels (Colossians 2:18). Peter, Paul and Barnabas, refused the worship of people (Acts 10:25, 14:14-18). The entire Bible testifies about Jesus Christ (John 5:39).
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