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The four Alleluias

REVELATION 19:1-10

The destruction of Babylon, the capital of the Beast's kingdom, marked the end of the Great Tribulation. Now we come back to the thrilling events that concern us, as members of the Church of Christ.

Chapter 19 contains a drastic change in the tone of Revelation: the sombre gives way to song, darkness to light, dreary days of judgment to bright days of blessing. It is the bridge between the Great Tribulation and the millennial kingdom that Christ will establish, the greatest event on this earth. The two central features are:

1. the rejoicing in heaven with the four alleluias, and the marriage supper of the Lamb.

2. the return of Christ to the earth, the opening of the lake of fire and the feast of carrion at the end of the war.

Following the voice of command (Rev.18:20), there is great rejoicing in heaven, taking the form of what is known as the four alleluias. This word, meaning praise the Lord in Hebrew, is only used here in all of the New Testament. It appears seven times in the original Hebrew Old Testament (Book of Psalms), but there it is translated to its English meaning in our Bibles.

The first two alleluias are probably the expression of heavenly beings in jubilation for the judgment and punishment of the focus of humankind's rebellion, Mystery Babylon the Great.

After this the twenty-four elders and the four living creatures (this is the last time these two categories are mentioned in the Bible) fall down and worship God, in confirmation saying amen.

Finally, in obedience to the voice which again comes from the throne, all who fear God and serve Him, small and great, proclaim loudly (sounding like a big waterfall and a succession of great thunder claps) that the all-powerful God reigns, and that the marriage supper (or feast) of the Lamb is about to take place: this is motive for rejoicing and glory to be given to Him (comments on The Marriage of the Lamb were given on the page entitled The Church in Heaven).

The bride in the marriage ceremony, already called wife in verse 7, for the equivalent of the wedding ceremony will already have taken place, is made up of the Church saints only.

The Old Testament and Tribulation saints (dead and living) will be present at the marriage supper, or feast, the last phase of the marriage to take place on earth, after the end of the first resurrection, at the beginning of the millennium (Dan.12:2, John 3:27-30, Rev.20:4-5). They are the ones called blessed in verse 9.

The angel again tells John to write what he is about to say (in this way giving special stress to his words), adding that they are the true sayings of God - of whom he is the messenger.

Confused and driven perhaps by his emotion, John impetuously falls at the feet of the angel to worship him, but is immediately rebuked, for only God is to be worshipped! The spirit of prophecy is the theme, or substance, of the testimony of Jesus, in which John and his brethren in the faith were engaged.

 

 

Heaven Exults over Babylon

1 After these things I heard a loud voice of a great multitude in heaven, saying, "Alleluia! Salvation and glory and honour and power belong to the Lord our God!
2 "For true and righteous are His judgements, 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."
3 Again they said, "Alleluia! Her smoke rises up forever and ever!"
4 And the twenty-four elders and the four living creatures fell down and worshiped God who sat on the throne, saying, "Amen! Alleluia!"
5 Then a voice came from the throne, saying, "Praise our God, all you His servants and those who fear Him, both small and great!"
6 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!
7 "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."
8 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.
9 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."
10 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."
Rev 19:1-10 (NKJV)