The Song of the Redeemed - Revelation 19:1-8

The Song of the Redeemed

Revelation 19:1-10

©Copyright December 23, 2019 by Rev. Bruce Goettsche

During this Christmas season we have looked at the songs (or better the song-like words) of the people of Christmas. We looked at the song of Mary, the song of Zechariah, the song of the Angels, and the song of Simeon. This evening we look at one more song: the song of the redeemed, or those who have embraced Christ as their Savior and Lord.

This song is almost at the end of the Bible, in the book of Revelation, chapter 19:1-10. If you have ever tried to read the book of Revelation, you know it is not easy to understand. There are symbols and strange things happening. There are many different ways of interpreting the book. Much of it leaves me a little confused and tentative. But this is a passage that is clear.

The book of Revelation tells us about God's final Judgment on the world and the glories of Heaven. God will send plagues and other warnings to those living on the earth, but most people will only become more antagonistic toward God. Finally, the Lord Jesus will return. This time it won't be as a baby. He will return as the Judge and as Redeemer of his people.

In Revelation 18 we read about the fierce Judgment and destruction of "Babylon." This may not be the actual city where the city of Babylon used to sit. It may be a present city that is called Babylon because the people being judged are like those of ancient and barbaric Babylon. Or it may be a reference to a world system or worldview. In other words, all who have embraced this system will be judged. After the destruction of Babylon, we move to chapter 19 where we read these words,

Jesus is the One who Vindicates the Righteous

After this, I heard what sounded like a vast crowd in heaven shouting,

“Praise the Lord!

Salvation and glory and power belong to our God.

2His judgments are true and just.

He has punished the great prostitute

who corrupted the earth with her immorality.

He has avenged the murder of his servants.”

3And again their voices rang out:

“Praise the Lord!

The smoke from that city ascends forever and ever!”

4Then the twenty-four elders and the four living beings fell down and worshiped God, who was sitting on the throne. They cried out, “Amen! Praise the Lord!”

5And from the throne came a voice that said,

“Praise our God,

all his servants,

all who fear him,

from the least to the greatest.”

About this time, you may be wondering, "What kind of a Christmas message is this?" Perhaps you think I am sounding a bit like Scrooge, putting a damper on the celebration. But, I contend this passage helps us see the nature and wonder of the baby that was born in Bethlehem. A right understanding will enhance our celebration of Christmas. Jesus was more than a cute baby, a profound teacher, or even a noteworthy martyr or saint. He was the Ruler of the Universe who came to save His people and will someday come back to vindicate us and He will vindicate His own name and reputation and destroy all enemies

Perhaps you think, why would we cheer for one who comes back and destroys people and sends them to Hell? To answer that question let me ask you a question: Why do you cheer for the Avengers and others who defeat the evil empire? Why are some of you more eager to see the new Star Wars movie than you are for Christmas itself? Why do you watch war movies and cheer for the enemy to be destroyed? Why do you always root for the villain to be discovered in a movie? I contend it is because we want to see justice. We want to see good triumph over evil.

This is why the vast crowd in Heaven and the twenty-four elders cheer. Jesus came to destroy the evil that was destroying us. These people hated God. They refused to submit to Him. They delighted in perverting His design and slandering His character. The Lord will put all these people far away from His creation and love.

Practically we too, should cheer. This is a reminder that wrongs will be made right. Slanderous words will be exposed for the lies they are. Injustice will be rectified. False charges will be forever cleared. The bullies of life will be taught an eternal lesson!

Be honest, isn't there a part of you that wants to cheer at this prospect? Because of Jesus, there is coming a day when,

the abused spouse will no longer believe they are no good or unworthy of love

the individual who was victimized by lies will stand glorious in the truth

the child who was helpless at the hands of an abuser will be healed of their wounds and the abuser will be destroyed.

the scam artist who made a living taking what belonged to others with false promises, will be destroyed by the One who is True

the ones who treated the lives of others with callous disregard, stealing individuals from their families with senseless acts of violence, will finally and permanently be stopped.

the arrogant will finally be put in their place

the people who lived only for themselves and who did not care about others (other than in terms of what they could do for them) will reap the judgment of God for their callousness

The highly educated who believe they are too smart to believe in God, will be shown dramatically that they weren't smart at all. They were foolish and blind!

Isn't there a part of you that wants to cheer a little yourself?

The notion in the world seems to be that those who have the most power are the ones that excel and find happiness in life. The song of the masses reminds us that those who put their trust in Christ will be the ones who live even though they die.

It is difficult to convince unbelievers that God will judge the world for their sin. Because people do not immediately experience the consequences for their sin they believe there will be NO consequence. The Bible is clear. Sin will be punished. It will either be punished in Christ as their substitute or they themselves will face that judgment when he returns.

Let me quote the appropriate comments by one commentary,

If our thoughts and feelings about God’s final judgment differ from this song of praise above, it calls for us to ask how worldly ideas have shaped our thoughts concerning sin, God’s holiness, salvation, and judgment. When we think of people—perhaps those we love—having to suffer such eternal torment, we ought to resent not the justice of a holy God, but rather the evil of sin. The Bible will not compromise the truth of God’s righteous wrath on the wicked. Instead, Christians should resolve to speak more boldly of the salvation that this same God so lovingly offers to the world through the blood of his Son. If we are not yet believers, we must urgently consider our own peril of eternal judgment for our sins. How great is the need of every sinner to be delivered from God’s righteous, holy, and glorious wrath by embracing God’s gracious provision of salvation through faith in Jesus, our Savior and Lord![1]

We are told to praise Him as servants who fear and respect him. The word used for servant is a word that is best translated as "slave.' It is not only that we are to serve God, we are to serve Him as those who are His possessions.

This truth is illustrated by a boy who longed for a model sailboat. He spent weeks building one from a kit. When it was finally complete, he took the boat to the lake, where it sailed so beautifully that it kept going, right out of sight. Despite all his efforts, the boy could not find the boat. Several weeks later he was walking past a store window when to his amazement he saw his own boat, with an expensive price tag on it. He went into the store and explained to the shopkeeper, but the owner said, “I’m sorry, but I paid a great deal of money for this toy boat and I cannot give it to you for free.” So the boy took up jobs and worked until he had the money to buy back his boat. Finally, he walked out of the store with the precious toy in his hand. He said, “Now you are twice mine—once because I made you and once because I bought you.” So it is with God. He created us, and then when we were lost in sin he purchased us with the precious blood of Jesus. How wonderful it is to be twice his and thus to be God’s willing servant forever![2]

There is a second part to the song of this vast chorus. This song declares Christ the bridegroom has come to His bride.

He Has Come to Make Us His Own

6Then I heard again what sounded like the shout of a vast crowd or the roar of mighty ocean waves or the crash of loud thunder:

“Praise the Lord!

For the Lord our God, the Almighty, reigns.

7Let us be glad and rejoice,

and let us give honor to him.

For the time has come for the wedding feast of the Lamb,

and his bride has prepared herself.

8She has been given the finest of pure white linen to wear.”

For the fine linen represents the good deeds of God’s holy people.

9And the angel said to me, “Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding feast of the Lamb.” And he added, “These are true words that come from God.”

We are not merely servants. We are also His bride.

In Jewish tradition, a wedding had three stages. First, the two families would agree to the union and negotiate a dowry, or an appropriate payment. They would make a public announcement which would serve as the official beginning of the engagement period. This was so binding that it could be negated through either death or divorce. This engagement lasted for at least a year. During that time the groom would prepare a place for the bride. The bride would prepare herself for her groom.

Today a bride works hard to present herself in maximum beauty for her groom. She may diet, buy a flattering dress, spend a small fortune on makeup, perfume and hairstyling. She may enlist a team of bridesmaids whose sole purpose is to make the bride look her most beautiful for this day. She does all of this to see the delight in the eyes of her groom.

In the Old Testament we see God's desire to take those who believe as His bride. In that sense, every believer (or the church) is the bride of Christ and the groom is our Lord Jesus Christ. He wants us for His own. The cross was the price He paid to make the marriage possible.

During this time of waiting (or betrothal) we are to prepare ourselves. We should be working to eliminate sin from our lives so we might stand before Him as faithful as possible.

The song declares: She has been given the finest of pure white linen to wear.” This reminds us that we are made right with God not because of what we have done but because of what He has done IN us. He gives us the pure garments to wear! Our right standing before God is something HE makes possible. We look beautiful because He has made us beautiful! God gives us His Spirit and it changes us.

You may not feel attractive today. You may feel scarred by your past, bruised by circumstances, mutilated by foolish choices. You may be plagued by emotional baggage, deeply rooted addictions, or an anger that seems out of control. You may have been told you were worthless so often, that you believe it must be true.

The Lord sees you differently. He sees what He made you to be. He sees you forgiven and cleansed through the love and sacrifice of Jesus. He wants you to be His forever. It may be hard to believe but it is true. He wants you to be His forevermore. When you see yourself reflected in His eyes you are radiant and special.

I think God uses the image of marriage to describe our relationship to Him because it is the highest form of relationship we have on earth. The "marriage" to the Lamb of God is far superior to our earthly marriages. So superior there are no words to describe it. As we celebrate Christmas, we should be reminded of the reality that when we come to Christ it is the beginning of a relationship of love that will last for all eternity. It is a love deeper, broader and more committed than anything we can even imagine. We should celebrate this day in light of that day.

Seeing the Depth of Christmas

Is it any wonder the multitudes of Heaven worshipped and praised the Lord? Shouldn't we likewise worship and praise Him this Christmas?

Our challenge is to look past the presents, the celebrations and the jolly man in the red suit. We must see who Jesus is and WHY He came. He saw our deep need and became a man to rescue us. He did this because He wants to spend eternity with us. He is not turned away by your past. He sees in you what you cannot even see in yourself. He wants to give you a life you never dreamed was possible.

He has told us what He desires. He has shown His incredible love. Now it is up to each of us to make a choice. We can embrace Him as our Lord and King, or we can spurn His love. We can choose to say yes to His proposal, or we can say no. We can meet Him at the wedding feast, or on the battlefield. There is no in between.

If you want to say "yes" to His invitation you can do so rather simply. You can turn to Him right now and say something like this:

Lord, I have made many foolish choices in life. I know I have rebelled against you in the past. I don't want to turn away from you any longer. I embrace Jesus as my rescuer and as my Leader in life. I ask you to build your life into me and help me to live in a way that honors you.

Such a simple prayer, prayed sincerely, will make a profound and eternal difference in your life.

The rest of your life will be spent preparing for THAT day.

As we celebrate another Christmas it is my hope that can see past the presents, the family gatherings and even the manger. It is my prayer that you focus on that which is to come. See the One who will come in power to rescue and vindicate His people and Judge those who spurn and reject Him. Remember who that little baby grew up to be.

There is coming a day when we shall see Him in all His power and splendor and join our voices with the voices of the multitudes from every tribe and nation of the world as we sing, "Hallelujah, King of Kings and Lord of Lords."

[1] Richard D. Phillips, Revelation, ed. Richard D. Phillips, Philip Graham Ryken, and Daniel M. Doriani, Reformed Expository Commentary (Phillipsburg, NJ: P&R Publishing, 2017), 527.

[2]ibid, 527–528.