Revelation Chapter 19

Shouts of Hallelujah and the Marriage Supper of the Lamb

Revelation 19:1-10 

 

Scripture Reading and Insights

Begin by reading Revelation 19:1-10 in your favorite Bible. As you read, stop and meditate on any verses that speak to your heart (Psalm 1:1-3; Joshua 1:8). In the previous two readings, we witnessed the destruction of commercial Babylon and its effect on the entire earth. In today’s reading, we focus on an outbreak of praise in heaven. With your Bible still accessible, consider the following insights on the biblical text, verse by verse.

 Revelation 19:1-3

After this I heard…a great multitude in heaven, crying out, “Hallelujah” (19:1): The phrase “after this” tells us that what now takes place follows the destruction of Babylon, just prior to the second coming of Christ. John hears a “loud voice” of a great multitude offering praise in heaven (see Revelation 7:9-10). The imminent second coming of Christ may be among the reasons for this eruption of praise. “His judgments are true and just” (19:2): This is another reason for the outbreak of praise in heaven. God’s people yearn for God’s holy and true judgments against sin and rebellion. Recall that in Revelation 6:10 the souls of the martyrs that were under God’s altar cried out with a loud voice, “O Sovereign Lord, holy and true, how long before you will judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?”Now that God has brought about this just judgment, praise erupts in heaven. Once more they cried out, “Hallelujah!” (19:3): The multitude exclaims again, for Babylon has justly been destroyed. The rising smoke represents the effects of the fire that will destroy Babylon (Revelation 17:16; 18:8-9, 18). This smoke “goes up forever and ever,” symbolizing that Babylon’s destruction will be permanent. One of the more sobering aspects of Scripture is that the enemies of God will be punished forever and ever.

 

Revelation 19:4-5

The twenty-four elders and the four living creatures fell down and worshiped God (19:4): Recall that the 24 elders apparently represent the church. The four living creatures are apparently cherubim. Both groups now fall down and worship God on the throne. Cherubim often seem to be associated with worship in the book of Revelation (4:8, 11; 5:9-12, 14; 11:16-18). From the throne came a voice saying, “Praise our God” (19:5): It is apparently the voice of an angel that calls out, inviting all who serve God—regardless of their rank, position, or heavenly status (“small or great”)—to participate in praising God (compare with Psalms 113:1; 115:13).

Revelation 19:6-8

The voice of a great multitude, like the roar of many waters and like the sound of mighty peals of thunder (19:6): The proclamation sounds like Niagara Falls and a Texas thunderstorm. “Hallelujah! For the Lord our God the Almighty reigns” (19:6): The term “Almighty” is a common title for God in the book of Revelation (1:8; 4:8; 11:17; 15:3; 16:7, 14; 21:22). The acclamation that God reigns should not be taken to mean that He has just started to reign. The verse simply means that God is now about to actively and sovereignly overthrow the thrones of earthly kings, the antichrist, and Satan.God’s sovereign kingship is about to kick into high gear. God’s will is now going to be done on earth as it has been in heaven! Of course, a new aspect of God’s reign will soon be established on earth. In Christ’s millennial reign, He will rule from the actual throne of David in Jerusalem, in fulfillment of the Davidic covenant (2 Samuel 7:12-13).

The whole planet will become a theocracy. “Let us rejoice and exult…the marriage of the Lamb has come” (19:7): Heaven’s inhabitants are now invited to rejoice and exult over the imminent marriage of the Lamb. Scripture often refers to the relationship between Christ and the church as a marriage (see Matthew 9:15; 22:2-14; 25:1-13; Mark 2:19-20; Luke 5:34-35; 14:15-24; John 3:29). The church is pictured as a virgin bride awaiting the coming of her heavenly Bridegroom (2 Corinthians 11:2; Ephesians 5:22-33). While she waits, she keeps herself faithful and pure, unstained from the world. This wedding metaphor plays out in three parts. First, the Hebrew bride is betrothed to the bridegroom.

This is certainly true of the church’s relationship to Jesus Christ. As individuals come to salvation today, they become a part of the church, the bride of Christ, betrothed to Christ the Bridegroom. In the second part of the wedding metaphor, the Hebrew bridegroom comes to claim his bride. Jesus the Bridegroom will come to claim his bride at the rapture, at which time.

 He takes His bride to heaven, the Father’s house, where He has prepared a place to live (John 14:1-3). The marriage of Christ and the church will take place in heaven sometime after the church has been raptured, prior to the second coming. (I will discuss the third part of the wedding metaphor shortly.) “It was granted her to clothe herself with fine linen” (19:8):

 Arnold Fruchtenbaum Suggests that the marriage ceremony takes place after the judgment seat of Christ, for the bride is portrayed as wearing white linen. The marriage…must take place after the judgment seat of Messiah…for the bride is viewed as being dressed in white linen… Thus, following the rapture of the church in which the Bridegroom brings the bride with Him to His home, and following the judgment seat of Messiah which results in the bride having the white linen garments, the Wedding Ceremony takes place.1 The brightness of the fine linen indicates divine glory. Its purity indicates that all remnants of sin are now gone. The bride is utterly pure. Believers in their glorified resurrection bodies will no longer have a sin nature, so the church is dressed appropriately in “fine linen, bright and pure.” The garment will be positively dazzling.

 “The fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints” (19:8): This does not refer to the imputed righteousness of Christ that is given to Christians at the moment of conversion (Romans 3:28; 5:1-2; Galatians 2:16). Rather, it refers to the acts that grow out of that imputed righteousness (Ephesians 2:10; 2 Corinthians 5:10; James 2:17-18). That is, believers on earth will engage in external righteous acts that reflect an inner transformation. The white garments thus signify that the church faithfully and habitually does righteous works in dependence on the Holy Spirit (see Galatians 5:22-23) and thus is worthy of reward at the judgment seat of Christ.

 Revelation 19:9-10

 Blessed are those invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb” (19:9): The third part of the Hebrew wedding metaphor is the marriage supper, which was a feast that lasted several days. The marriage supper of the Lamb—yet future from the vantage point of this verse—apparently takes place on earth after the tribulation period but before the millennial kingdom. (Daniel 12:11 reveals that there will be a 75-day the interim period between the end of the tribulation period and the beginning of the millennial kingdom.)The guests of the marriage supper of the Lamb are blessed. What a wondrous privilege it will be. The guests will include all believers who were saved prior to the day of Pentecost (the day the church was born). Like the church (the bride of Christ), these believers will be given glorified resurrection bodies and will participate in Christ’s millennial rule. Also included among the guests are those who become believers during the tribulation and were not killed. They will enter into Christ’s millennial kingdom in their mortal bodies. (These will be given resurrection bodies following the millennial kingdom.) “These are the true words of God” (19:9): Biblical prophecy can be trusted! Whatever is recorded in the pages of the Bible will surely come to pass. The Bible is the Word of God, so what the Bible says, God says.“Worship God” (19:10): John was so overwhelmed by the glorious angel that spoke to him, his natural inclination was to bow down and worship it. The angel promptly instructed John not to worship him. To worship any person or object other than God is a form of idolatry (Exodus 20:3-5). The angel told John to worship God alone. Angels are indeed glorious and awesome-looking creatures, far more so than anything humans are accustomed to seeing on earth. When Daniel saw an angel, he was left without strength (Daniel 10:8). Zechariah was gripped with fear when an angel appeared to him while he was in the temple (Luke 1:12).The shepherds in the field were very afraid when an angel appeared to them (Luke 2:9). The Roman soldiers trembled with fear and became as dead men when an angel appeared and rolled back the stone blocking Jesus’ tomb (Matthew 28:2-4).

 Angelic appearances in biblical times were so awesome and so glorious, people naturally responded with fear, trembling, and sometimes even worship. However, Scripture consistently emphasizes that humans are never to worship God’s angels. Apparently, the church at Colossae had fallen into this error, because when the apostle Paul wrote to them, he included a prohibition against the worship of angels (Colossians 2:18). God’s holy angels themselves refuse to worship and affirm that God alone is worthy of such honor (see Revelation 22:8-9). Of course, God explicitly commands that only He is to be worshiped. The testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy (19:10):

 The verse indicates that the very nature or purpose of prophecy is to testify of Jesus Christ and to bring glory to Him. The Bible is a Jesus book. The entire Old Testament prophetically anticipates Jesus Christ. The four Gospels speak of the actual manifestation of Jesus Christ. The epistles speak of how the church is to live in view of Jesus Christ. The book of Revelation prophesies of the second coming and reign of Jesus Christ. The Spirit of Christ is involved in the actual proclamation of prophecy (see 1 Peter 1:12).

 Major Themes

 1. Praise. Like the redeemed humans and angels in heaven, we should always have praise for God on our lips (Psalm 34:1). We should praise God in the depths of our heart (Psalm 103:1-5,20-22) and continually “offer up a sacrifice of praise to God” (Hebrews 13:15). One means of praising God is through spiritual songs (Psalm 69:30).

 2. Worship. We ought to always bow down in worship before the Lord our Maker (Psalm 95:6). We are to “worship him who made the heaven and earth, the sea and the springs of water” (Revelation 14:7). We should worship Him with “reverence and awe” (Hebrews 12:28) and worship Him alone (Deuteronomy 5:7).

 Digging Deeper with Cross-References

Praise in the book of Revelation—Revelation 4:8,11; 5:9-14; 7:10-17; 11:15-18; 15:3-4; 16:5-7. God’s judgments and believers’ petitions—Revelation 5:8; 6:9-11; 8:3-5; 14:18; 16:7; 19:2. The bride purifies herself—Matthew 25:14-23; 2 Corinthians 7:1; 1 John 3:3; Jude 21.

Life Lessons

1. Betrothed to Christ. Today, the church is betrothed, or engaged, to Jesus Christ. Just as Betrothed brides in Bible times kept themselves pure and faithful until the marriage ceremony, so you and I as members of the church ought to seek purity and faithfulness as we await our divine Bridegroom from heaven (see Titus 2:11 14; see John 14:1–6; 1 Thessalonians 4:13- 18).

 2. Hallelujah. “Hallelujah” literally means “praise Yahweh.” It is an exclamation of exuberant praise to the one true God (see the first verse of Psalms 106; 111; 112; 113; 117; 135; 146). The word often occurs in contexts where God delivers His people from their enemies, when God is meting out justice, and when God judges rebellion. Its appearance in the book of Revelation is thus appropriate.

Questions for Reflection and Discussion

 1. Is your lifestyle befitting a bride who is awaiting the soon appearance of her Bridegroom?

 

 

2. Is the word “hallelujah” a part of your daily vocabulary? If not, what’s holding you?