Happy, Happy, Happy Series

The Revelation of Jesus Christ is most often viewed as the "heaviest" of the books of the Bible, and for the most part it is a title that is deserved. We see the rise of Antichrist, Satan thrown to earth, demons released from the abyss and the death of millions if not billions of people globally. However, it is also, the book of the Bible with most celebration, the most pageantry and the triumphant entry of Jesus Christ back into the world at the Second Coming (Revelation 19).

One cannot help but be excited upon a close reading of the text. We see into the very throne room of heaven in chapters 4, 5, 7, 11, 12, 15, 19 and 20. We see the New Heavens, New Earth (new in quality; resurrected) and New Jerusalem in chapters 21 and 22.

However, to get to the Eternal State described in Revelation 21 and 22, there are times of great suffering and grief that must work out the plan of God to eradicate sin in all of creation. The Revelation is truly a book of great contrasts: God and Satan; heaven and hell; angels and demons; Christ and Antichrist; the nations of the world and Israel.

Fixed in the middle of chapter 12 we see the story of the great triumph of Michael and the holy angels over Satan and his demonic horde, and the subsequent rejoicing in heaven. In other words, we see a victory party.

I don't know about you, but I love being on the winning team. I was on losing football teams in high school, and learned some great life lessons from it. That being said, being on the winning team has it's lessons as well. I think that victory in sports, in academics, in the workplace are all a foretaste of sorts of the celebrations that we will have in heaven. In fact, those celebrations from being on the winning team, personally or by rooting for the Super Bowl, World Series, NBA, Stanley Cup or NASCAR champs and seeing them win will merely pale in comparison to the celebrations of victory and holiness in heaven.

This week, we will study the great victory party in heaven at the expulsion of Satan and his demonic hoodlums from heaven--forever.

The Peal of a Thundering Voice

Then I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, "Now salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren, who accused them before our God day and night, has been cast down. Rev 12:10

I have some great memories of a fellow that used to work for me, the late John K. Smith. We knew him as "Boose", and boy could he make us laugh. He loved a good practical joke, and made our work a lot more fun. My favorite memory of Boose was on the Fourth of July back in the late 1980's. Both of us ventured up the hill behind his home near Rogersville and Boose sent up a "quarter-stick mortar", one of those fireworks that, when launched, flew hundreds of feet up into the air went BOOM. I will never forget that loud BOOM echoing up the valleys near Rogersville, Boose's mother's panicked call to his home thinking that Boose's house had exploded, and how worried he was when the State Police parked just down the road from his home! (fireworks were illegal then too).

In the Revelation, we see the term phone megas from the Koine Greek, interpreted as loud voice, paired together about twenty times. The two terms paired together are the roots from which we get megaphone. In short, there is a booming voice that echoes throughout heaven like thunder pealing up the valleys here in Western Pennsylvania in mid summer (or the BOOM of a quarter-stick mortar on the Fourth of July!). When you see the term loud voice something of great importance or magnitude has either happened or is going to happen.

Phone megas is in plural form and describes the loud, booming voice in response to the victorious war by Michael and God's angels over Satan and his demons. Since it is in plural form, it means a collective voice--many people saying the same thing. This collective voice would be that not of an angel or angels in heaven because of the reference to "our brethren", a term used only for saved people. This victory will be a humiliating defeat for Satan, and a glorious one for God's team. I remember the last Super Bowl won by the Pittsburgh Steelers, and the victory parade and loud party that followed. That party would like a tea party compared to the rejoicing in heaven.

However, it will not be a moment to slap the angels on the back or to cheer on the victorious Archangel Michael. No, it will be a time of rejoicing in the One responsible for the salvation of men and women through His blood.