The Four-Fold Hallelujah

But Jesus would also warn His disciples in John 15:18–19 ““If the world hates you, you know that it has hated Me before it hated you. “If you were of the world, the world would love its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, because of this the world hates you.”

As we close chapter 18 and turn over to chapter 19 we are closing up one section of end time events. Chapters 4-18 have dealt with primarily the events of the Grate Tribulation. A period of seven years when God is dealing with this WORLD and the sin and evil that is on our earth.

In our final verses we give one final look at this WORLD system and its destruction… and we are instructed to rejoice: Revelation 18:20-24

Revelation 18:20–24 NASB95

“Rejoice over her, O heaven, and you saints and apostles and prophets, because God has pronounced judgment for you against her.” Then a strong angel took up a stone like a great millstone and threw it into the sea, saying, “So will Babylon, the great city, be thrown down with violence, and will not be found any longer. “And the sound of harpists and musicians and flute-players and trumpeters will not be heard in you any longer; and no craftsman of any craft will be found in you any longer; and the sound of a mill will not be heard in you any longer; and the light of a lamp will not shine in you any longer; and the voice of the bridegroom and bride will not be heard in you any longer; for your merchants were the great men of the earth, because all the nations were deceived by your sorcery. “And in her was found the blood of prophets and of saints and of all who have been slain on the earth.”

Command to Rejoice… Here is why

These verses paint a very clear portrait for us to view… IT IS OVER AND GONE! IT IS FINISHED!

Verse 20 commands us to rejoice… WHY? There is a two-fold reason given:

All nations were deceived by her sorcery verse 23

The deceptions of this world have pulled people to the very pits of hell

The people of this world have chose to follow a lie rather than believe the Truth

2. The blood of the saints and prophets… verse 24

Those that cried for God’s justice, God has heard and avenged

Even though the world may HATE you and I… God knows, cares, and will repay

The powerful, deceptive, violent Babylon will be crushed and the saints PRAISE THE LORD!!!

I appreciate how Amir Tsarfati introduces chapter 19…

Whatever you do in your services here the earth, when we get to heaven, we will all be doing a lot of shouting, bowing, praising, and lifting our hands to the One who saved us and called us to be part of the family of God. How do I know this? As we continue our end-times tour with the apostle John in this chapter, we’re going to hear the voices of a great multitude. What will they be crying out? “Alleluia…Alleluia…Alleluia…Alleluia!” (verses 1, 3, 4, 6).

Hallelujah!

This is a beautiful word… simply means: PRAISE THE LORD!

It is the ONLY time it used used in the New Testament.

Literally it is: ‘praise ye Yah’, the shortened form of Yahweh

We see it used 24 times in Psalms drawing people to Praise Yahweh or closing a song reminding of the praise due to God

How fitting it is as we are commanded to REJOICE that we see this word USED… HALLELUJAH!

Verse 1 of 19 reads “After these events” letting us know that these events are occuring in in succession. The next things cause John’s ear to be drawn as he HEARS a PRAISE like none other a FOUR-FOLD HALLELUJAH CHORUS! Revelation 19:1-9

Revelation 19:1–9 NASB95

After these things I heard something like a loud voice of a great multitude in heaven, saying, “Hallelujah! Salvation and glory and power belong to our God; because His judgments are true and righteous; for He has judged the great harlot who was corrupting the earth with her immorality, and He has avenged the blood of His bond-servants on her.” And a second time 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 sits on the throne saying, “Amen. Hallelujah!” And a voice came from the throne, saying, “Give praise to our God, all you His bond-servants, you who fear Him, the small and the great.” Then I heard something like the voice of a great multitude and like the sound of many waters and like the sound of mighty peals of thunder, saying, “Hallelujah! For the Lord our God, the Almighty, reigns. “Let us rejoice and be glad and give the glory to Him, for the marriage of the Lamb has come and His bride has made herself ready.” It was given to her to clothe herself in fine linen, bright and clean; for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints. Then he said to me, “Write, ‘Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.’ ” And he said to me, “These are true words of God.”

THREE REASONS FOR THE HALLELUJAH...

Hallelujah because… God has judged and brings salvation

I love that true worship does not point to us but to God

They describe His attributes, they HONOR Him!

Wiersbe points out: “We do not rejoice at the sinfulness of Babylon, or even the greatness of Babylon’s fall. We rejoice that God is “true and righteous”

A Holy, Righteous God is judging sin… He must… for Him not to would be wrong!

Not only is He judging sin because of His character… 18:20 declares He "pronounced judgment for you against her”

Hallelujah because… God is Reigning

The literal translation is, “The Lord God omnipotent has begun to reign.”

He is preparing to come and rule and the chorus breaks out rejoicing!

Hallelujah because… The Bride is Ready

The bride is ready and prepared herself…

There is a heavenly hallelujah chorus and as the bride is presented ready and invitation goes out for the feast!

Those are the three reasons for the Four-Fold Hallelujah… Now let’s look at the three different groups…

The Multitude In Heaven

Verses 1 & 3

A “great multitude” as if ALL heaven is declaring this praise!

First they hallelujah for God’s Salvation and Justice

We need a God of Grace… brings salvation

We need a God of Justice… shows His Holiness

Secondly The World System is no more

Her smoke is rising up forever and ever

This is a permanent act of God

Swindoll says this about these two Hallelujah’s… “One day the dominion that Adam surrendered to Satan through sin will be returned to the Perfect Man—Jesus Christ”

The Twenty-Four Elders

Verse 4 is such a great HALLELUJAH…

The twenty-four elders and four creatures give affirmation

AMEN!!! = it is true, it is so! this is strong affirmation

I love it when someone declares something of God so well stated and put that all the response can be is AMEN!

The Great Multitude

Verse 6 introduces the next sound from the group in vivid detail… Great multitude… Many waters… peals of thunder!!!

This is no other than the HEAVENLY RENDITION OF… Here comes the bride...

The bride of Christ is on her way, and she is coming with her Groom!

What a wonderful reason to have a spontaneous worship service!!!!

Historical Jewish betrothals went in a specific order

The father would choose a bride for his son

There would be the proposal, a covenant made

If agreed to there would be an engagement period

The son would go and prepare the home for his bride

Then he would come and return to take her back to his home to consummate the marriage

There would be a celebration anywhere from 3- 7 days long

The celebration would climax to the wedding feast

Now consider the Church… the Bride of Christ:

God the Father has chosen Christ bride the church from the foundation of the world

Christ as He partook at the last supper would present a covenant in His blood for her

John 1:12 declares: “But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God”

Jesus would say in John 14 that He is “going to prepare a place for His church”

Jesus also said He was coming again for His bride! 1 Thessalonians says that when He returns we will be “Caught up to Him in the clouds”

The final consummation and the wedding feast will begin as Christ and the church take their places to reign over the earth during Christ thousand year reign on earth

Amir states these two things as Christ and His Bride arrive:

The Bridegroom and the bride will both return to the earth because the guests to the feast will not be angelic beings but the people belonging to God who survive to the end of the tribulation, including the repentant nation of Israel who will recognize her Messiah!

The “marriage supper of the Lamb” refers to the wedding feast and not the marriage itself. What is to take place on the earth is the grand celebration of the Father’s perfect plan that united in matrimony His Son and those who had been promised to Him through the sealing of the Holy Spirit during the church age on earth.

Did you see how beautiful she is as she is presented!

I love how the bride will prepare herself for the groom

While her garments may be Christ imputed righteousness… it is more!

Likely all her works she has done for Christ

The righteous acts of the saints Ephesians 2:8–10 “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.”

I want to close by reading Revelation 19:10

Revelation 19:10 NASB95

Then I fell at his feet to worship him. But he said to me, “Do not do that; I am a fellow servant of yours and your brethren who hold the testimony of Jesus; worship God. For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.”