Rev. # 66- 1-8 MARRIAGE OF THE LAMB 8-7-10
1And after these things I heard a great voice of much people in heaven, saying, Alleluia; Salvation, and glory, and honour, and power, unto the Lord our God:
The reference to “much people” is to the same group as in 7:9 where “a great multitude” is the same Greek words. Though the general reference may be to all people in heaven, the allusion seems to be to the martyred dead.
(after these things) is a reference to the destruction of religious & commercial Babylon that we read about in chapters17–18, and so the command in
18:20 Rejoice over her, thou heaven, and ye holy apostles and prophets; for God hath avenged you on her, is carried out.
John hears “a great voice of much people in heaven.” And so the great voice in heaven praising God follows the destruction of Babylon in all its forms, this takes place just before the second coming of Christ.
>> Notice what they’re declaring, “salvation and glory and honor and power belong to our God.”
Lets be sure and notice that they say “our God.” This means that these that are giving praise had rejected the god of this world and his false messiah, and by faith had accepted the Lord as their God and Savior.
And because of their stand for God many had died a martyr’s death, but to their God, who is also our God through Jesus Christ, belongs all true salvation, glory, honor and power.
--- Salvation to our God - means salvation belongs to God, salvation is of God, and He alone is the source and means of salvation.
This is a good witness to the fact that the apparent successes and victories of the enemies of God over His people are only for a short time.—believers might occasionally loose a battle, but just remember, there are many battles in a war, and the war has already been won, our True Commander and Chief the Lord Jesus Christ has conquered death, hell and the grave, He said in;
Matthew 16:18---in regard to what Peter had just said about Jesus being the Christ, the Son of the Living God,-- and upon this rock I will build** my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. In other words, its not hell that’s the aggressor, it’s the Church, the Church will never go down, its going up.—because Salvation is of our God.
Ø The much people continue their loud praises in verse 2--
2For true and righteous are his judgments: for he hath judged the great whore, which did corrupt the earth with her fornication, and hath avenged the blood of his servants at her hand.
Why do they make such a statement in verse 2? “Because His judgments are true and righteous.” God’s perfect and holy character, His perfect righteousness and justice, cannot act unfairly or unjustly. He has perfect knowledge (omniscient) and therefore, He has all the facts so that all His judgments are in accord with the truth. There is no hearsay evidence in the court of God. In this case, the ground of God’s judgment demonstrated in the fall of Babylon was because of the immorality by which the great harlot seduced and corrupted the earth. He doesn’t always pay off on Friday, but He always pays off.
The blood of his servants of verse 2 could well apply to the martyrs of all ages, because Babylon starts back in Gen. 10:8-10 Under Nimrod.
In the worship scenes of chapters 4 & 5 we saw the elders, that is the church, and the enumerable numbers of angels and the 4 beasts, or (4 living creatures) all worshiping God, and now a great number of tribulation saints have been added to the chorus, and they are praising God for what He has done.
The Hebrew word alleluia is the Greek equivalent of hallelujah, and means “Praise Yahweh” or “Praise the Lord”
We see this word “Hallelujah” four times in the first six verses. This is its only occurrence in the New Testament. It’s as though its been reserved for the final victory.
The word is found many times in the psalms.
The destruction of Babylon marks the end of the Great Tribulation, now the picture has completely changed from sadness to singing and praising God, The transformation from darkness to light, from dreary days of judgment to bright days of blessing.
Not only that, but the greatest happening of all, the Second Coming of Christ, His marriage to the Church and then the 1000-year reign of His Kingdom.
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3And again they said, Alleluia. And her smoke rose up for ever and ever. 4And the four and twenty elders and the four beasts fell down and worshipped God that sat on the throne, saying, Amen; Alleluia.
Let me point out that the “Elders {church} and the 4 living creatures” that we read about back in chapters 4 & 5 continually proclaim His Holiness, they were not in the great voice of verses 1 and 2, here in chapter 19:
Ø Listen as I read from chapter 4:8-11
8And the four beasts had each of them six wings about him; and they were full of eyes within: and they rest not day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come.
9And when those beasts give glory and honour and thanks to him that sat on the throne, who liveth for ever and ever, 10The four and twenty elders fall down before him that sat on the throne, and worship him that liveth for ever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying, 11Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.
So we now see them responding to the loud voice praising God and they also worship God.
4And the four and twenty elders and the four beasts fell down and worshipped God that sat on the throne, saying, Amen; Alleluia.
--- And her smoke rose up for ever and ever--
The eternal smoke symbolizes the permanence of Babylon’s destruction.
The Old Testament Martyred saints that was calling out from under the now have their request answered.
Chapter 6:9-11 And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held: 10And they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth? 11And white robes were given unto every one of them; and it was said unto them, that they should rest yet for a little season, until their fellowservants also and their brethren, that should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled.
They shout out again the praise as a witness of God’s vengeance for His saints in that the smoke from Babylon’s destruction will go up forever and ever.
Notice, they fell down and worshipped God who sat on the Throne.
PS.103:19 The LORD hath prepared his throne in the heavens; and his kingdom ruleth over all.
Our Great God Who sits on His Throne is all powerful, He is all loving, He sits permanently on His Throne. We need to recognize Who He is, may God help us to submit our hearts to Him, but I’m afraid that too often we want to be like the world, we want to be ruler in our lives instead of allowing Him His rightful place in our lives, and the sad result is we’re always the losers because of it.
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5And a voice came out of the throne, saying, Praise our God, all ye his servants, and ye that fear him, both small and great.
The praising of God by His redeemed brings the voice of an angel out of the Throne, and the reason we know that it is the voice of an angel is because of the words, “Praise our God”- “give praise to our God.”
6And I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude, and as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of mighty thunderings, saying, Alleluia: for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth--
verse 6 describes this voice as “the sound of many waters and as the sound of mighty crashes of thunder.” It is a majestic expression of praise from the hearts and mouths of the saints of God.
Then the last hallelujah states, “for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth” < present tense.
In other words, truly, He is still on the throne; He always has been, and always will be. But now the emphasis is that God is now going to finally establish His reign upon earth by the previous judgments that we read about during the tribulation, and especially by the return of the Lord, which we’ll read about in verse 11.
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--7Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready.
Ø There are 3 women that are figurative spoken of in the Bible.
#1-Israel is the unfaithful, yet to be reclaimed, wife of JEHOVAH GOD in the Old Testament.
Jeremiah 3:8 And I saw, when for all the causes whereby backsliding Israel committed adultery I had put her away, and given her a bill of divorce;--
#2- the church is the wife to be of Jesus Christ.
Ephesians 5:25 Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;
# 3- is the harlot church, the religious system that’s on hand to day that is headed by a false prophet.-The FALSE PROPHET is yet to come.
Revelation 17:3-4 So he carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness: and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet coloured beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns. 4And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet colour, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication:
In most big weddings it’s the Bride that gets most of the attention, but not so with Christ.
give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come
Colossians 1:18 And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things HE might have the preeminence.
and his wife hath made herself ready.
You’ve heard me say from time to time, that the good works we do for Him now that we’re saved, will not go unnoticed or rewarded at the judgment seat of Christ.
2 Corinthians 5:10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.
1 Corinthians 3:8-- and every man shall receive his own reward according to his own labour
2 Timothy 4:14-- the Lord reward him according to his works:
At this present time we that are saved are putting our own wedding garment together.
8And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints.
Philippians 3:9-- but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith: His righteousness has been imputed on our account, therefore when God looks on us He don’t see our own righteousness because we don’t have any of our own, He see the righteousness of Christ.
Romans 4:5--But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.- this is to do with trying to get to heaven by doing good works.
So our good deeds, our good works after we’re saved is the righteousness we’ll be arrayed in.
9And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he saith unto me, These are the true sayings of God.
The church is not who is called unto the marriage supper, the bride certainly is not called to her own wedding; this is a reference of the Old Testament saints (are they)that will be the guest, John the Baptist will be an honored guest, I suppose we could think of him as the Lords best man.
Ø Jesus said of John:
Luke 7:28 For I say unto you, Among those that are born of women there is not a greater prophet than John the Baptist: ---
Ø John said in:
John 3:28-29 Ye yourselves bear me witness, that I said, I am not the Christ, but that I am sent before him. 29He that hath the bride is the bridegroom: but the friend of the bridegroom, which standeth and heareth him, rejoiceth greatly because of the bridegroom’s voice: this my joy therefore is fulfilled.
10And I fell at his feet to worship him. And he said unto me, See thou do it not: I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren that have the testimony of Jesus: worship God: for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.
John is so overcome by the revelation of the wedding that he falls at the feet of the angel in an attitude of worship. But nothing in all creation is to receive worship; only God is worthy of worship, and John is rebuked by the angel as he says to John that he also is a “fellow servant, and of thy brethren that have the testimony of Jesus: worship God: for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.”
The word for “servant” could be translated “fellow slave.” not only men who are redeemed are bond slaves of Jesus Christ, but the angels also have a similar obligation of obedience to the Lord.
Men and angels are to bear testimony to Jesus.
The command “Worship God” means that only God should be worshiped. ’The testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.”
This means that prophesy at its very heart is designed to unfold the beauty and loveliness of our Lord and Saviour Jesus; Christ is not only the major theme of the Scriptures but also the central theme of prophecy.
