Revelation Chapter 19

UNIVERSAL REJOICING (Rev 19:1-10)

Introductory Remarks

Chapter 19 divides clearly into two sections.

The first 10 verses are an extension of Chapter 18 showing the rejoicing following the destruction of Babylon and the glorification of the Church and Great Company. Its impact would probably be more powerful had the editors of the Bible placed the chapter division after verse 10.

Verses 11-21 are significant in that they provide the LAST descriptive picture of the destruction of Churchianity — this time clearly INCLUDING Protestantism. In one sense, these verses might have a clearer impact if they formed the beginning of Chapter 20 since we would then have the destruction of beast, false prophet, and dragon ALL IN ONE CHAPTER.

Visually seeing that connection is very helpful. Not seeing it has led many to think that the dragon of Chapter 20 is the personal devil rather than the symbol which we have already encountered both in:

Rev 12:9 “So the great dragon (Pagan Rome) was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was cast to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.” (See Revelation Chapter 12)

And in:

Rev 16:13 “And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs coming out of the mouth of the dragon (civil authority, government), out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet.” (See Revelation Chapter 16, Part 18)

Believing Chapter 20 to refer to the personal devil has led many to have problems with understanding the events which open the thousand years.

CHAPTER 19, PART I, 19:1-10

—The Universal Rejoicing Following Babylon’s Total Destruction —

VERSE 1 “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!

AFTER THESE THINGS I HEARD: John again re-focuses our attention. This time he takes us away from the destruction of Rev 18:21-24 to the celebration following that destruction.

AS IT WERE: This is clumsy in English. The Greek merely says “AS.” Therefore, the phrase should read:

AS A LOUD VOICE: What John hears, he hears NOT as a subtle message; he hears it as a GREAT PROCLAMATION.

OF A GREAT MULTITUDE IN HEAVEN: This has traditionally been viewed as the Great Company class having been released from Babylon by its fall. This, however, poses great problems. Once Babylon is totally gone, it seems inconceivable that the Great Company will yet be on earth. If this were to refer to the Great Company in heaven, one would have to question why they are singled out as the ones rejoicing. This multitude is apparently THE HEAVENLY HOSTS (Church and Great Company included.)

“In heaven,” thus, is quite literal here. The OLD heaven (the religious world of the earth) is by this time PASSED AWAY.

“In heaven” cannot then refer to the religious world on earth.

SAYING, HALLELUJAH! Hallelujah is Hebrew meaning PRAISE YE JEHOVAH!

This begins a series of FOUR Hallelujahs (plus one hidden one.) There are, in one viewpoint, actually SEVEN hallelujahs if Verse 4 is counted as two groups and Verse 6 is counted as three groups. If there are only four, the symbolism is still very potent since four is a symbol of universality. The object seems to be to tell that everything and everyone, heaven and earth, will rejoice and praise the Father once Babylon is gone. The magnitude of the celebration is staggering to the imagination. (“The whole earth is at rest and quiet; They break forth into singing.” Isa. 14:7).

SALVATION: God has saved the race from its oppressors (epitomized by Babylon.)

AND GLORY: This word is so hard to define, yet we all FEEL its meaning. Everything that SHOULD be attributed to God WILL BE. This is Glory!

AND POWER: — the necessary and formerly feared ingredient which allows God to accomplish His plans.

BELONG: (This word is not in the Greek) However the thought is nice: it’s saying that these things are God’s RIGHTFULLY.

TO OUR GOD: It is no less than heartwarming to notice that in this narrative (Rev 19:1-10) all of the spoken references are PERSONAL: OUR God! While few TRULY so claimed Him in the past, ALL will be anxious to do so after Babylon’s fall.

VERSE 2 “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.”

BECAUSE HIS JUDGMENTS ARE TRUE AND RIGHTEOUS: This is the lesson for all creation — including that part of the heavenly host which has watched history as spectators.

(“For I think that God has displayed us, the apostles, last, as men condemned to death; for we have been made a spectacle to the world, both to angels and to men.” 1 Cor. 4:9)

FOR (because) HE HAS JUDGED THE GREAT HARLOT: This has had to be a question in the minds of angels for centuries — “How can God let this go on without intervening? With natural Israel He intervened.

He’s kept His silence SO long during these injustices! The destruction of Babylon demonstrates to all that God keeps His justice and His plans — but in HIS due time.

WHO WAS CORRUPTING THE EARTH WITH HER IMMORALITY: The angels saw God act against corrupting influences in the days of Noah. They waited patiently to see the same action against Babylon.

AND HE HAS AVENGED THE BLOOD OF HIS BOND-SERVANTS ON HER: This is the second of two injustices the heavenly hosts witnessed. Babylon had BOTH corrupted the earth (society) AND spilled the blood (the lives, reputations, etc.) of the saints. The vengeance was total and appropriate.

In our next post we will take a look at Brother Shallieu’s views on Verses 1 and 2