Hallelujah!
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Victory
Victory
After 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!
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.”
Again they said, “Alleluia! 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! Alleluia!”
Then a voice came from the throne, saying, “Praise our God, all you His servants and those who fear Him, both small and great!”
We come today to the victory shout of God’s redeemed!
“after these things” show us that when the judgement is final which began in Chapter 17
Remember the command in chapter 18?
“Rejoice over her, O heaven, and you holy apostles and prophets, for God has avenged you on her!”
After 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!
A stark contract painted against the wailing, crying and misery left after the destruction of Babylon!
“The great multitude in heaven” are the redeemed of the Lord!
We see the mention of salvation and the avenging of the blood of the martyrs
This is the first use of the word Hallelujah - Hebrew Hahal Jah - Praise Yahweh
Different from “Praise the Lord” The previous indicates God’s ability to preserve His redemptive program for Salvation, Glory and Power belong to God!
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.”
A repeat of the fat of God’s true and right actions
The whole “unsaved” movement is based upon the rejection of God’s judgements and standards. It implies that God is not righteous but rather vindictive and cruel!
They sing the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying: “Great and marvelous are Your works, Lord God Almighty! Just and true are Your ways, O King of the saints!
And I heard another from the altar saying, “Even so, Lord God Almighty, true and righteous are Your judgments.”
God will be 100% justifies in the execution of His judgements. There will be no “free ticket” out from His rulings!
The issue is that man’s nature conflicts with God’s requirements and so seeks to create his own standards and measurements.
Professing to be wise, they became fools,
Therefore God also gave them up to uncleanness, in the lusts of their hearts, to dishonor their bodies among themselves,
who exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.
Jesus told us
And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever—
the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you.
We were told in Chapter 11
The nations were angry, and Your wrath has come, And the time of the dead, that they should be judged, And that You should reward Your servants the prophets and the saints, And those who fear Your name, small and great, And should destroy those who destroy the earth.”
And so we see now the manifestation of this spirit as the world gathers its forces against the church
He proclaims again the reason for the judgement - the corruption of the earth, the introduction of false worship and the blood of the servants of God
Again they said, “Alleluia! 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! Alleluia!”
A second shout of agreement
A reminder of the prophecy against Edom
For it is the day of the Lord’s vengeance, The year of recompense for the cause of Zion.
Its streams shall be turned into pitch, And its dust into brimstone; Its land shall become burning pitch.
It shall not be quenched night or day; Its smoke shall ascend forever. From generation to generation it shall lie waste; No one shall pass through it forever and ever.
This is the last time we see the Elders - a reminder if the words of the Psalmist
Blessed be the Lord God of Israel From everlasting to everlasting! And let all the people say, “Amen!” Praise the Lord!
Then a voice came from the throne, saying, “Praise our God, all you His servants and those who fear Him, both small and great!”
“all you servants” indicating that all of the faithful are included echoing the Psalms
He will bless those who fear the Lord, Both small and great.
The marriage announcement
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!
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.
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.”
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.”
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!
The sound is a fitting one for the great announcement for the final fulfilment of the promisee
And this is why I am suffering as I do. Still I am not ashamed, for I know (perceive, have knowledge of, and am acquainted with) Him Whom I have believed (adhered to and trusted in and relied on), and I am [positively] persuaded that He is able to guard and keep that which has been entrusted to me and which I have committed [to Him] until that day.
What a wonderful day that will be
and the guarantee He has given us
In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will,
that we who first trusted in Christ should be to the praise of His glory.
In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise,
That is why we believe that the Holy Spirit is alive and well within us!
As we see the demonstration of the Spirit we are assured that all of this is true!
Notice the word Omnipotent - Pantokator - meaning “the ruler of all things”
Look at the promise of the Father in
“I will be a Father to you, and you shall be My sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty.”
9 times this word appears in the book of Revelation indicating and reinforcing God’s position of absolute sovereignty referring to His position of authority!
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.”
We find again a fulfilment of the words of Jesus!
Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
Glad - the emotion! Rejoice - the activity! ) literally to jump!
I love the description here with this word, it means to plume oneself!
Not in prideful boast but in joyous union with God’s victory
It indicates not the feeling of joy but the expression therein!
Our encounter with God now should reflect this kind of joy and expression
In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials,
whom having not seen you love. Though now you do not see Him, yet believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory,
Oh saint! There is nothing to be sad about today!
Here is where we are told why God considers false worship as adultery - there is coming a marriage and the bride needs to keep herself for the bride!
“I will betroth you to Me forever; Yes, I will betroth you to Me In righteousness and justice, In lovingkindness and mercy;
“The kingdom of heaven is like a certain king who arranged a marriage for his son,
In the OT there were two phases of the marriage - the betrothal and the wedding
There was usually a time of waiting between the two where they were considered legally married!
It is the picture now of the church!
We are in the betrothal phase of the engagement!
We are waiting for the call of the bridegroom to came to the wedding!
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 - white - purity Harlot purple and scarlet - pride and sin
It is thought that the garment of the bride is woven from the “acts” of the faithful obedience of the saints
It is indicating that a transformed life is an expected result of the call of the heavily bridegroom!
We should be well aware of how we are living our life!
We now arrive at # of the “be Attitudes” of Revelation
Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written in it; for the time is near.
Then I heard a voice from heaven saying to me, “Write: ‘Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.’ ” “Yes,” says the Spirit, “that they may rest from their labors, and their works follow them.”
“Behold, I am coming as a thief. Blessed is he who watches, and keeps his garments, lest he walk naked and they see his shame.”
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.”
Therefore the curse has devoured the earth, And those who dwell in it are desolate. Therefore the inhabitants of the earth are burned, And few men are left.
The new wine fails, the vine languishes, All the merry-hearted sigh.
The mirth of the tambourine ceases, The noise of the jubilant ends, The joy of the harp ceases.
And in this mountain The Lord of hosts will make for all people A feast of choice pieces, A feast of wines on the lees, Of fat things full of marrow, Of well-refined wines on the lees.
And He will destroy on this mountain The surface of the covering cast over all people, And the veil that is spread over all nations.
He will swallow up death forever, And the Lord God will wipe away tears from all faces; The rebuke of His people He will take away from all the earth; For the Lord has spoken.
And it will be said in that day: “Behold, this is our God; We have waited for Him, and He will save us. This is the Lord; We have waited for Him; We will be glad and rejoice in His salvation.”
They will come from the east and the west, from the north and the south, and sit down in the kingdom of God.
But I say to you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in My Father’s kingdom.”
What a promise confirmed again - “these are the true sayings of God!”
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.”
Mistakenly John thinks the voice is from God but then rebuked by the angel!
The worship of angels is inappropriate! They are simply fellow servants of God!
And of the angels He says: “Who makes His angels spirits And His ministers a flame of fire.”
Are they not all ministering spirits sent forth to minister for those who will inherit salvation?
It ends with the statement that “the testimony of Jesus is the Spirit of Prophecy”
Meaning that the testimony of Jesus is the common substance of prophecy and we, all of His servants are bound to that message!
Therefore I make known to you that no one speaking by the Spirit of God calls Jesus accursed, and no one can say that Jesus is Lord except by the Holy Spirit.