“Heavenly Praise”
(Revelation 19:1-10)
Series: Understanding The Book Of Revelation
Rev. Todd A. Linn, PhD
First Baptist Church Henderson, Kentucky
12-10-06 (AM)
- Please open your Bibles to Revelation, chapter 19.
If you’re visiting with us, we began a series of messages some months ago verse-by-verse through the book of Revelation. For the past several weeks we have been learning about a future time period known as the Tribulation. We have read about a series of judgments upon the earth during this time, which culminate into the destruction of a world system known as Babylon or “the great harlot.” In chapter 18, God brings this world system to an end and we read about that last time. With the destruction of this “great harlot,” this ungodly religious and political machine that runs in opposition to Christ, we read now of praise breaking out in heaven. The first few verses in chapter 19 are filled with praise as heaven celebrates the end of the influence of the Antichrist’s reign. Note the words of praise as we read the text.
- Please stand in honor of the reading of the Word of God.
1After these things I heard a loud voice of a great multitude in heaven, saying, “Alleluia! Salvation and glory and honor and power belong to the Lord our God!
2 “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.”
3 Again they said, “Alleluia! Her smoke rises up forever and ever!”
4 And the twenty-four elders and the four living creatures fell down and worshiped God who sat on the throne, saying, “Amen! Alleluia!”
5 Then a voice came from the throne, saying, “Praise our God, all you His servants and those who fear Him, both small and great!”
6 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!
7 “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.”
8 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.
9 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.”
10 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.”
- Pray.
Introduction:
With Christmas coming in just 15 days, we may remember a television commercial from a couple Christmas’s ago. Did you see the one where a man gets his wife a Lexus SUV for Christmas? She gets up on Christmas morning and parked there in the living room next to the Christmas tree is a full-sized luxury SUV. The vehicle is even wrapped with a big red ribbon. With a look of wonder and amazement the woman turns to her husband and asks the question that few anticipate. She turns to him and asks, “Where did you get a bow that big?!” Her question illustrates the silliness of focusing upon the incidentals and missing the big picture.
Some people study the book of Revelation and focus upon the incidentals. They spend hours focusing upon the minute details and miss the big picture. I don’t want to be too simplistic, here, but in one sense you and I can think of the 22 chapters of the book of Revelation as a big red ribbon that wonderfully wraps the gift of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Chapter 19 reminds us that we are to be God-focused and Christ-centered as we study this book. We are reminded of the many things for which we should be praising God. In fact, the word “Alleluia,” which occurs four times in these verses, is a word that simply means, “Praise the Lord.” Interestingly, while the word occurs often in the psalms of the Old Testament, it occurs only here in the New Testament, only here and yet four times in just a few verses! It’s as though God is calling us back to focus upon the big picture, to see why we should be praising Him. For what should we be praising God? First, we should praise God for:
1. The Work of His Salvation (1-4)
1After these things (that is, after the destruction of the ungodly religious and political system known as Babylon, or “the great harlot) I heard a loud voice of a great multitude in heaven (probably angels), saying, “Alleluia! (Which means what?—Praise the Lord. Why?) Salvation and glory and honor and power belong to the Lord our God!
We should praise God for the work of His salvation. In context the word salvation there refers to praising of God for His saving deliverance from the evil system of Babylon. That is borne out as we continue reading.
2 “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.”
So salvation and glory and honor and power belong to the Lord our God because He has judged the great harlot of Babylon. God has brought an end to the evil world system of religious and political popular culture. In His “true and righteous” justice, God has judged this world system that corrupted the earth and avenged the blood of His servants shed by her. That is, God has avenged the deaths of Christians who have died during the Tribulation period, those who have died for their faith, dying a martyr’s death.
So again we see that in order for God to be a loving God He must also be a just God. He must judge evil. Think about it: You can’t have God’s love, grace, or mercy without God’s justice. You can’t. Without justice, love means nothing. Without justice, grace is meaningless. Without justice, mercy is not possible. Praise God for the work of His salvation, a work that culminates in the judgment upon God’s enemies. The angels remind us to praise God.
3 Again they said, “Alleluia! (which means praise the Lord) Her smoke rises up forever and ever!”
That is, the smoke of Babylon’s destruction. Her smoke rises up forever and ever. In other words, the smoke never stops rising, a symbolic picture of the utter destruction and complete end of this religious and political culture that stands against Christ. The angels remind us to praise God and so do the 24 elders and the 4 living creatures. Remember them from back in chapter 4?
4 And the twenty-four elders and the four living creatures fell down and worshiped God who sat on the throne, saying, “Amen! Alleluia!”
The 24 elders, which are heavenly beings of some kind that may represent the redeemed, they fall down and worship God and so do the four living creatures around the throne. Everyone falls down and worships God saying, “Amen! Alleluia!” The word amen simply means, “It is true.” So they are saying, “Yes, it is true! Praise the Lord!”
We should praise God for the work of His salvation. While the text has in mind the salvation from the future evil world system of Babylon, you and I can praise God for the work of His salvation in our own lives, too. These verses remind us that we should be saying regularly, “Alleluia,” Praise the Lord, praise God for what He has done.
We really shouldn’t get out of our beds in the morning without praising God for a new day of life. Alleluia, praise the Lord. And if we’re Christians, if God has graced us with salvation, not a single day should go by where we don’t thank God for saving our souls. Remember where you were without Christ. You were unsaved. You were lost. You were destined to hell as just judgment for sin in your life. Never get over the fact that God has saved you from the penalty of your sins.
Our lives should be a constant “Alleluia” as we think, act, and breathe praise for God. No matter what bad stuff you face right now or you face next week, praise God for the work of His salvation. Well not only should we praise God for the work of His salvation, but secondly, we should praise God for:
2. The Wonder of His Sovereignty (5-6)
5 Then a voice came from the throne, saying, “Praise our God, all you His servants and those who fear Him, both small and great!”
Note that, “Praise our God.” God is “our” God and we are “His.” We belong to one another. Who is to praise God? “All you His servants.” All—everyone—His servants—everyone: moms, dads, little boys, little girls, senior adults, the sick, the healthy, the rich, the poor—all who are identified as “His servants.” Everyone serves somebody. You either serve God or you serve someone else. You may serve a false god, you may serve money, you may serve yourself. God created us to serve Him ultimately because He is the Sovereign God Who alone is worthy of our service.
Verse 5 adds, “those who fear Him, both small and great.” Everyone is to worship God, included both small and great. We read of great people and we think of the “big-time spiritual people” we see on TV or in the movies or we read about in books. But the “small” fear God, too. Think of how God uses the many “small” people, people you don’t see on TV, or in the movies, or read about in books—people like the volunteers here at First Baptist who change diapers in the nursery, telling Bible stories to the little ones; people like the deacons or Sunday school members who make visits no one else knows about; people like the anonymous givers who bless the church with sacrificial gifts above their tithes—“small people” in the sense that few see them and know or appreciate what they’re doing, small in the eyes of man, big in the eyes of God. Someone wisely said, “All that really matters in life is whether you please God.”
6 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 (which means what?—Praise the Lord)! For the Lord God Omnipotent reigns!
The Lord God Omnipotent reigns. That phrase speaks of the wonder of God’s sovereignty. The Lord God is omnipotent. That is, He is all-powerful and all-in control. He reigns. He is on His throne. He is always on His throne. He’s never off His throne. He never takes a break. Do you see the encouragement in that? The great multitude in heaven reminds us that we have every reason to be encouraged because the Lord God Omnipotent reigns. He continually reigns, never taking a break, continually ruling over His creation. So He knows what challenges you face right now. He hears your prayers. And He is going to answer your prayers in the wisest way possible. Trust Him to do that and praise God for the work of His salvation and the wonder of His sovereignty. Thirdly, we should praise God for:
3. The Wedding of His Saints (7-9)
7 “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.”
Now we read that we should praise God for a wedding. Let us be glad and rejoice, why?—for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready. The “Lamb,” a word occurring 29 times in the book of Revelation, is a word, of course, that refers to the Lord Jesus Christ. The “wife” is a reference to the church. When Jesus Christ comes again, He will come for His bride, the church. We will join Him, and be permanently wedded to Him in a match made in heaven!
In the meantime, before our Groom Jesus comes, what are we to do? The last part of verse 7 says we are to make ourselves “ready.” When we do weddings here the bride makes herself ready downstairs in the parlor room. She’s putting on the makeup, getting the hair just right, she is making herself ready. I’ve told you about my pastor back home in Georgia. He used to say, “In all the weddings I’ve performed I’ve never seen an ugly bride.” Then he’d smile and say, “I’ve seen some who came pretty close!”
The bride “makes herself ready” for her groom. Well the bride is the church and the church is to make herself ready for the coming of her Groom, the Lord Jesus. This refers to our sanctification, our living the lives God has called us to live till He comes again, living lives of purity and righteousness. God wants His church to be a pure bride, a holy bride, a clean bride.
Now our sanctification is something that we do and something that God does. Verse 7 says we are to “make ourselves ready.” We are to live pure holy lives. So sanctification is something we do. But sanctification is also something God does. Verse 8:
8 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.
The bride, the church, is able to “make herself ready” specifically because “to her it was granted” by God to get ready. This is a bit like what Paul has in mind in Philippians 2:12-13 where he says, “Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.”
So we see the blending together here of God’s sovereignty and man’s responsibility. God gives us the ability to live the lives He has called us to live. He frees our will from the bondage of sin. This is why it may be best for the Christian to speak not so much of “free will” as the “freed will.” God frees up our will from the bondage and slavery to sin, giving us the ability to live the pure lives He calls us to live. To her “it was granted” to be arrayed in fine linen; God does that. He makes our righteous acts possible.
Now this imagery of a wedding is very appropriate as we think of our relationship to God. Jewish marriage consisted of a time known as the betrothal period. The betrothal was a bit like our engagement, but it was much more meaningful. It was a bit like marriage itself. A person was legally bound to his or her spouse. By the way, go see the movie, “The Nativity.” Our family saw it last week and it is really good. But you see in the movie the biblical teaching of how Mary was betrothed to her husband Joseph. When Joseph finds out Mary is pregnant, he at first decides to dissolve the betrothal, “to put her away secretly” as the text puts it. This is before he realizes that the Child in her womb is there by the Spirit of God.
As the church, as Christ’s bride, we are now in the betrothal period. We are to be pure and righteous as we await the coming of our Groom, the Lord Jesus. I suppose this imagery is lost in our day with people living together out of wedlock, or sleeping around until they are married. It is a shame. Not only is living together out of wedlock and sleeping around until marriage a sin, but it robs people of the blessing of what marriage is intended to be. It just cheapens it.
The Jewish betrothal period ended on the day of marriage when the groom left his home and walked to the home of his bride. He came for his bride, coming to get her and to then be with her forever. And so one day the Lord Jesus Christ, our Groom, will come for His bride, the church. We are to remain pure until He comes.
9 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.”
The marriage supper occurred after the wedding of the bride and groom. Depending on how wealthy the couple was, the marriage supper could last for several days. Jewish people really know how to party! So here’s the picture: the Lord Jesus Christ, the Groom, will come one day for His bride, the church. In the meantime we are to make ourselves ready, living the pure lives God has called us to live, not compromising our convictions by following some other belief system, or by doubting or otherwise being unfaithful and untrue to our Groom. When our Groom Jesus comes we will rise to meet Him in the air and we will be with Him forever. After we are permanently wed to Him, we will party big time! Because of the wealth of His riches, we will have a marriage supper to last through the millennium. I’m looking forward to that.
Praise God for the work of His salvation, the wonder of His sovereignty, and the wedding of His saints. Fourthly, praise God for:
4. The Worth of His Son (10)
10 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.”
John is overwhelmed by the vision and he falls at his feet to worship the angel who is speaking to him. But the angel tells him, “See that you do not do that!” Why? “I am your fellow servant, and of your brethren who have the testimony of Jesus.”
Angels are our servants. Did you know that? The writer of Hebrews says in Hebrews 1:14, that all angels are “ministering spirits sent forth to minister for those who will inherit salvation.” The angels minister or serve Christians. So we’re not to worship them. The word worship means “worth-ship” to “ascribe worth.” We don’t worship angels because they’re not “worth” it. We don’t worship the servants, we worship the Son. We don’t worship the messengers, we worship the Messiah. We worship God, the Son, the Lord Jesus Christ.
The angel further explains: “For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.” The New Living Translation has, “For the essence of prophecy is to give a clear witness to Jesus.” That is, the theme, or essence, or focal point of prophecy is Jesus Christ. Remember that the book of Revelation is a “Him book,” it’s about Him, it’s about Jesus.
You remember when the resurrected Jesus was walking with two of His disciples on the road to Emmaus. The Bible says in Luke 24:27 that Jesus demonstrated that that He is the focal point of prophecy. It says in Luke 24:27, “beginning at Moses and all the Prophets, He expounded to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself.”
So we end as we begin. Worship God! Praise God! That’s the point of the book. That’s the point of the Bible. That’s the point of our lives.
Conclusion / Invitation: Are you making yourself ready for the Groom? How do your “wedding garments” look right now? In the words of the hymn-writer: Are your garments spotless, are they white as snow, are you washed in the blood of the Lamb? Come to Christ. Live for Him.
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