Hallelujah! Amen. - Revelation 19:1-9

 They say that a picture is worth a thousand words. Certain pictures are so famous that 1000 words probably aren't enough. The Mona Lisa, The Starry Night, Girl with a Pearl Earing, The Last Supper, American Gothic, The Scream, The Persistence of Memory - these paintings are famous. Not only are they famous, but more than 1000 words are used to describe them. Through history textbooks, fine arts lectures, art classes themselves, these paintings have put words into people's mouths. Sometimes, no words either. Sometimes the words don't come to a person because they are in awe of these pictures. Sometimes there are places on earth that invoke these emotions. For some the ocean shore. The Redwood Forest. The deer blind. The fishing hole on a remote lake. For me, the Grand Canyon. The picture that I have in my head sometimes evokes just one word - Wow. They say a picture is worth a thousand words. And I tend to agree. You can find so much to talk about from looking at something. But what about the other way around? How many words does it take to paint a picture in your mind? Let's try it. Ball. White. Sport. Ladies. What picture did I paint for you? Maybe four words isn't enough to paint a full picture. Court. Net. Spike. Libero. I think eight words is enough to paint a volleyball picture. How about these 10: The wedding of the Lamb, fine linen, bright and clean. 1000 words make a picture. But these 224 English words (202 in Greek) make a masterpiece. This masterpiece gives us a small glimpse into what heaven will be like. Each Hallelujah in Revelation 19 paints us a picture. A picture of finality. A picture of closure. A picture of bliss, comfort, and peace. These pictures give us a chance to say with those who have gone before us: Hallelujah. Amen, Hallelujah. John had just been shown in chapter 18, the fall of Babylon. That vision depicts the final judgment of the antichrist and the total destruction of Satan's forces on earth. The angels called the saints to rejoice in the victory over Satan. Our lesson and the whole of chapter 19 continues this same celebration. The devil has been totally defeated, and John sees what the celebration in heaven is like. A celebration full of Hallelujah's and a resounding Amen. HALLELUJAH 1 Salvation and glory and power belong to our God, for true and just are his judgments. He has condemned the great prostitute who corrupted the earth by her adulteries. He has avenged on her the blood of his servants. What do you do after a war has ended? Maybe you can picture with me V-J Day in Times Square. The sailor was so ecstatic that he didn't have to go back to war. It was over. The Allies had won. The streets were loud according to witnesses. People were celebrating all over the country, but here was one picture that has made its way into our history books. A picture of a sailor kissing a lady in the streets. Celebrations invoke great emotions. Celebrations invoke great visuals that are forever engrained into our minds. John had a picture that he couldn't help but share. Having heard the victory pronouncement over the devil's forces, the heavenly crowd couldn't hold back anymore. They made some bold claims. Claim 1: Salvation and glory and power belong to our God Claim 2: True and just are his judgments Claim 3: He has condemned the great prostitute Claim 4: He has avenged on her the blood of his servants. Salvation belongs to our God. Our heavenly Father sent his Son to this world to take away our sins. It's by Jesus' wounds that we are healed. Salvation is his right to give by what Jesus has done, and he says that it is through faith that salvation is ours. The glory is his. There is no one left to worship. There is no one worthy of it, except our God. The power is his. The devil, who thought he had the power to thwart the world to be his own, was trampled on and thrown into the great abyss forever. A chasm exists so that he never again can hurt those sainted in heaven. The Lord had promised in Genesis to send a Son to crush the serpent's head. Jesus has come and crushed the fallacy that we can earn salvation by ourselves. The preaching and teaching of his Word in its purity has condemned the heretics of the church throughout the ages. God's Word has stood the test of time. So that on this great and final day the saints who had ask, "Lord how long must we wait?" had now seen God do his great work of judgment. They had seen those who had persecuted the saints be condemned for their evil acts. This picture is of peace. The war is over. And as a result the saints, those who trusted that their clothes would be washed clean in the blood of the Lamb say Hallelujah. HALLELUJAH 2 The smoke from her goes up for ever and ever. Maybe you remember a specific Tuesday in September. Where your regular programming on CBS or ABC was replaced by an aerial view of the World Trade Center. The building smoking after a plane had crashed into the North Tower. As a second plane crashed into the South Tower more smoke and dust flooded the New York streets. For upwards of 5 months, the smoke and dust polluted the New York City air. John puts before us another great picture. That of smoke coming from a city that has been completely destroyed. Not just two large buildings, an entire empire had fallen. The lasting effects not 5 months long, but forever. New York City has never been the same since 9/11. In fact, the world has changed with its heightened security efforts. The fall of Satan's earthly empire also has a great impact on those in heaven. Rather than heightened security efforts, freedom forever. Rather than fear of another attack, assurance of eternal blessedness and peace. This is what our God showed John. Heaven is a place that cannot be attacked or destroyed because the enemy, singular, the one - Satan - has been defeated. His reign over the earth is over. And the place of his dwelling is in rubble, smoldering, smoking, shown as a sign of his defeat into eternity. This picture is of freedom. The war is over. And as a result the saints, those who trusted that their clothes would be washed clean in the blood of the Lamb say Hallelujah. HALLELUJAH 4 For our Lord God Almighty reigns. Let us rejoice and be glad and give him the glory! For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready. Fine linen, bright and clean, was given her to wear. How many of you have a favorite wedding picture? I think my parent's favorite picture was of them in front of the altar - the first picture of them as husband and wife. I say that because it's the only picture I ever saw of their wedding day throughout the house. I think my wife's favorite picture is that of the two of us walking down a brick path looking at each other lovingly. At least, I think it is because it was the first Facebook profile picture of our wedding that she chose. There is great joy looking back at wedding photos or on every anniversary watching the wedding video. It's a time of celebration! This is where we see how we come into the picture. The first two hallelujahs are all about God and rightfully so. He deserves all the praise and glory that his creation can give. But here is where we see the benefit of God's salvation, power, glory, judgment, and victory for us. It's been said that the sweetness of the gospel is in the pronouns. The pronoun to focus on is Her. "Her" here is the most special place for a Christian to belong. "Her" is that which we fight for here on earth. "Her" is the place where Jesus Christ crucified for the forgiveness of sins is preached and proclaimed. "Her" is the Church, big C. The one that we confess in our creeds "The holy Christian and apostolic Church." What makes her so important? "Husbands love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for HER to make HER holy, cleansing HER by the washing with water through the word, and to present HER to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless." Jesus did everything to show his love for her. He himself made her holy and radiant. He himself gave up his life so that the church would stand on a foundation that cannot pass away. And he says that those who believe, those who trust in what he did to set us free from sin, these are they who are part of the Church - those whom Christ has made holy. The sweetness of the gospel is in the pronouns. You are part of the Church. For YOU Christ has come to set free. It is YOU that Christ has sanctified, made clean, and made whole. Christ did that so that he could spend eternity with YOU. And for you, and you, and you. And for those who have fallen asleep in the Lord before us. Yes, for him, and her. Yes, for you and me. Christ made us his own bride. He has given us our wedding clothes. He has given us fine linens, bright and clean, washed in the blood of the Lamb. It's for you that Christ has conquered death. And as a result, you are blessed. You have been invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb. There to enjoy the finest that heaven has to offer. There to witness the splendor that God shows. There to reunite with those who have gone before us. To rejoice in the fact that the Lamb has given you his righteousness and love. This picture is of a joyous wedding. The war is over. And as a result the saints, those who trusted that their clothes would be washed clean in the blood of the Lamb say Hallelujah. HALLELUJAH 3 Amen. Hallelujah! The third Hallelujah in our section is the one I want to end with. The 24 elders, a representation of all the believers of the Old and New Testament, and the four living creatures, a representation of all creation, fall down and worship our God. What the multitude in heaven had said, they agree with. "Yes, it is true. God is to be praised for what he has done." On this day in the church year we focus on the amazing things that God has done to save his people from their sins. We rejoice in the fact that so many have gone before us to heaven. We take the greatest comfort in the fact that our loved ones who died in the Lord only die once and now live forever. But this day also brings back tough moments. The struggle of cancer for many years that ate away at one's joy. The disease that made our loved one less than or almost nothing like what we once knew. The sudden death that reminds us that life can be ended so suddenly. We feel the pain, the loss, the hole in our hearts of those who are no longer sitting with us. This is a tough day for many who have lost a dear one in the past year. We had in our bulletin five members who went to be with their Lord this past year. But that doesn't count our other family members, friends, co-workers, acquaintances. It doesn't count all the deaths we see in the news. Death is part of this world. That is because sin is part of this world. And where sin is, death reigns. It has the final say. We can live for about 70 or 80 years. Sometimes more, sometimes less. But there is a day that death reigns supreme. How awesome would it be to have Saints Triumphant Sunday, but never have anyone to mourn? How awesome would it be to have Last Judgment Sunday, but never have anyone to judge? How awesome would it be to have Christ the King Sunday, but everyone already recognized the rule of Christ as King? That day is coming. That is the day that we see in this great picture that John gives us today. A day that has no more death. A day on which all judgment is final. A day that everyone knows Christ as King. The wedding supper of the Lamb is coming. Death will itself die. And we, we shall live. This is the picture that John paints for you. A masterpiece. All the saints who have gone before us, await this day. All the saints who paved the way for you to know your Savior, await this day. All the saints on earth who will be robed in the fine linens won by Christ our Savior, await this day. A day on which we, with all the multitude in heaven - with our loved ones who have gone before us - will join to shout, "Hallelujah!" And all creation, with all the believers of every age will respond, "Amen. Hallelujah!" Amen. Pastor Rathje0Hallelujah! Amen.0Saints Triumphant Shepherd Lutheran Church Revelation 19:1-9 November 15, 2020