FOURFOLD HALELLUJAH (REVELATION 19)
Queen Elizabeth and her bodyguard once met an American hiker who did not recognize her in the hills near her Scottish castle at Balmoral. The hiker asked the queen, “where do you live?” to which she said, “London, but I have a holiday home just over the hill and I have been visiting the area for more than 80 years since I was a little girl.”
The hiker then asked, “Have you ever met the queen?” to which the queen replied: “I haven't, but my bodyguard here meets her regularly.'”
The hiker than asked the man what the monarch was like in person. The bodyguard answered, “Oh, she can be very cantankerous at times, but she's got a lovely sense of humor."
Delighted, the hiker then put his arm around the bodyguard's shoulder and asked if he could have a picture of the two of them together. The man then gave his camera to the queen and said, “Can you take a picture of us?'" The queen obliged, and then Griffin took the camera and took a picture of her with the pair of hikers.
Later, the queen told the bodyguard: "I'd love to be a fly on the wall when he shows those photographs to friends in America and hopefully someone tells him who I am."
https://us.yahoo.com/news/queen-elizabeth-said-asked-ever-193842166.html
(Reporting by Estelle Shirbon; Editing by Mike Collett-White)
Do recognize the Lord’s attributes, authority and activity everywhere?
I love Chapter 17-20 with the punishment of the great prostitute (Rev 17:1), the fall of Babylon the Great (Rev 18:2) and now the capture of the beast and the false prophet
(Rev 19:20). The great whore (v 2), the nations (v 15), kings, and the flesh of captains, and the flesh of mighty men (v 18), the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies (v 19), the beast and the false prophet (v 20) and the remnant (v 21, KJV) are contrasted with the Lord our God (v 1), the Lord God omnipotent (v 6), the Lamb (v 9), Faithful and True (v 11), the Word of God (v 13), Almighty God (v 15), King of Kings and Lord of Lords (v 16), and the great God (v 17). Chapter 19 is the only chapter with the convergence of people/multitude (vv 1, ), 24 elders and the four beasts (v 4), the voice (v 5) and angel (v 17).
The great whore (v 2) The Lord our God (v 1)
The nations (v 15) The Lord God omnipotent (v 6)
Kings, and the flesh of captains, and the flesh of mighty men (v 18) The Lamb (v 9)
The beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies (v 19) Faithful and True (v 11)
The false prophet (v 20) The Word of God (v 13)
The remnant (v 21, KJV) Almighty God (v 15)
King of Kings and Lord of Lords (v 16)
The great God (v 17)
What would it be like to meet our King? How would you greet the King of Kings? How would our lives be different then and even now?
PRAISE THE LORD OUR GOD
1 After this I heard what sounded like the roar of a great multitude in heaven shouting: “Hallelujah! Salvation and glory and power belong to our God, 2 for true and just are his judgments. He has condemned the great prostitute who corrupted the earth by her adulteries. He has avenged on her the blood of his servants.” 3 And again they shouted: “Hallelujah! The smoke from her goes up for ever and ever.” 4 The twenty-four elders and the four living creatures fell down and worshiped God, who was seated on the throne. And they cried: “Amen, Hallelujah!” 5 Then a voice came from the throne, saying: “Praise our God, all you his servants, you who fear him, both great and small!” 6 Then I heard what sounded like a great multitude, like the roar of rushing waters and like loud peals of thunder, shouting: “Hallelujah! For our Lord God Almighty reigns. 7 Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory! For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready. 8 Fine linen, bright and clean, was given her to wear.” (Fine linen stands for the righteous acts of God’s holy people.) 9 Then the angel said to me, “Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb!” And he added, “These are the true words of God.” 10 At this I fell at his feet to worship him. But he said to me, “Don’t do that! I am a fellow servant with you and with your brothers and sisters who hold to the testimony of Jesus. Worship God! For it is the Spirit of prophecy who bears testimony to Jesus.”
Augustine once said, “A Christian should be an alleluia from head to foot.” Yes, from top to bottom, side to side, front and back, inside and outside, from morning to night.
To say “hallelujah” is to ascribe glory, greatness and gratitude to the Lord. It is to give Him all the acclaim, admiration and applause.
First, we look at the choir. After lots of extreme fighting in the book of Revelation, we get to chapter 19, where the tone is as different as night from day. There is also a new combo of “great” (mega) plus “many/much” (polus) in verse 1 for the “great multitude” (vv 1, 6) that appears for the only and most time in the book. The adjective “great” (v 1, megas) adjective in Greek occurs 119 times in the Bible, out of which 80 times (or 67%) are in Revelation, and six times in chapter 19 (vv 1, 2, 5, 17 twice, 18).
Next, we examine the chorus. The first word in the song “hallelujah” (v 1) is repeated four times in the chapter (vv 1, 3, 4, 6) song. Hallelu-jah is of Hebrew origin; it means “praise” + “the Lord.” It might surprise or even shock you to know that this “hallelujah” declaration is a rare bird; it appears only in this chapter in the New Testament – as much as four times, three times to start a song (vv 1, 3, 6) and once to end a song (v 4).
The first “hallelujah” is in verse 1. Salvation (v 1, “Hallellujah! Salvation and glory and power belong to our God”) appears three times in the book; it is solely ascribed to our God (Rev 7:10), God, and the power of his Christ (Rev 12:10), and to the Lord our God (Rev 19:1). Salvation means redemption from sins, rescue from Satan and release from bondage. “Salvation” is different from “glory” (v 1, doxa), which is His splendor and “power” (v 1), which is His supremacy.
The main verb in verse 2 “judge” is the third of four judgments in the book, including in the latter part of the book on those who have the mark of the beast (Rev 16:5), Babylon the great (Rev 18:8), the great whore here (19:2) and, finally, the dead (Rev 20:12).
The verb “avenge” (v 2) occurs for the last time in the Bible. The blood of His servants will not be in vain or void. Every case will be heard, honored and handled. Those guilty will be pursued, prosecuted and punished.
The second “hallelujah” is in verse 3. The phrase “ever and ever” (v 3) occurs 13 times in Revelation, more than the 11 times elsewhere in the New Testament. His judgments are fierce, fearsome, frightening, and most of all, flawless and final!
The four-fold repetition of “hallelujah” to the Lord in the chapter (vv 1, 3, 4, 6) surprisingly changed to the “blessed” state of those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb (v 9).
Rejoice, glad and give (v 7) are a different form of imperatives; it is in the “let us” plus subjunctive verb equation. Rejoice is “joy,” but glad is “jump for joy,” from the root word for “leap, spring up.” Revelations if or readers’ certainty, courage and cause.
The verb “is come” (v 7, “For the wedding of the Lamb has come”) is not present tense, but in the aorist/past tense. The participants are given fine linen to wear. The “hina” subjunctive of purpose is for the verb “wear” (v 8), which is translated as arrayed like flowers of the field (Matt 6:29), clothed like garments (Matt 6:31) and put on (John 19:2). These are the people who are ready or prepared for the Lamb. These are those who are aware, able and available.
PROCLAIM THE LORD GOD ALMIGHTY
11 I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice he judges and wages war. 12 His eyes are like blazing fire, and on his head are many crowns. He has a name written on him that no one knows but he himself. 13 He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is the Word of God. 14 The armies of heaven were following him, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean. 15 Coming out of his mouth is a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations. “He will rule them with an iron scepter.” He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty. 16 On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written: king of kings and lord of lords.
I was shocked, confused, bewildered
as I entered Heaven’s door,
Not by the beauty of it all,
by the lights or its decor.
But it was the folks in Heaven
who made me sputter and gasp–
the thieves, the liars, the sinners,
the alcoholics, the trash.
There stood the kid from seventh grade
who swiped my lunch money twice.
Next to him was my old neighbor
who never said anything nice.
Herb, who I always thought
was rotting away in hell,
was sitting pretty on cloud nine,
looking incredibly well.
I nudged Jesus, “What’s the deal?
I would love to hear Your take.
How’d all these sinners get up here?
God must’ve made a mistake.
And why’s everyone so quiet,
so somber? Give me a clue.”
“Hush, child,” said He. “They’re all in shock.
No one thought they’d see you.”
https://redeeminggod.com/sermons/miscellaneous/peter-and-judas/
V 11-13 The Almighty v 14 His Army v 15 His Adversaries
V 11 Name: Faithful and True V 13 Name: The Word of God V 16 Name: King of kings and lord of lords.
V11 judges and makes war (vi) V 14 armies of heaven were following (vi, followed) him V 15 (hina) strike down the nations.
With/in (en) justice he judges and wages war out (ek) of his mouth is a sharp sword On (epi) his robe and on (epi) his thigh
The noun “army” (vv 14, 19 twice) make its most appearance in this chapter, more than any chapter in the Bible. There is war (v 11), wrath (v 12), wear (v 13), warriors (v 14) and weapon (v 15). The “hina” purpose is to strike the nations (v 15). Strike is the new translation, compared to the old translation “smite,” and my interpretation is more than just slap, but to sock, smack or smash them in the ear, head and face so that there would be no mercy, moderation and mediation. By the way, there is no such things as mercy and merciful in the book, because the words “mercy” and “merciful” are not in Revelation. What is the difference between fury and wrath (v 15)? For one, fury is masculine and wrath is feminine. Fury is passion (as in breathing hard) while wrath is anger. Fury is in the breathing, blowing and bursting), wrath is the vengeance, the vindication and the violence.
The names (vv 12, 13, 16) of our Lord are significant. There are three titles:
Faithful and True – His character (v 11 ), the Word of God (v 13) – His commands, and King OF Kings, and Lord of Lords – His conquest (v 16).
His coming will be awful, atrocious and alarming.
I have a young friend who loves the color of white because of its special place and prominence in the Bible. The color “white” (v 14) occurs 25 times in the Bible, predominantly in the book of Revelation, of which 18 times is in the book, and the most – thrice – is in chapter 3 (3:4, 5, 18) for cleansed, crowned and conquest.
PLEASE OUR GREAT GOD
17 And I saw an angel standing in the sun, who cried in a loud voice to all the birds flying in midair, “Come, gather together for the great supper of God, 18 so that you may eat the flesh of kings, generals, and the mighty, of horses and their riders, and the flesh of all people, free and slave, great and small.” 19 Then I saw the beast and the kings of the earth and their armies gathered together to wage war against the rider on the horse and his army. 20 But the beast was captured, and with it the false prophet who had performed the signs on its behalf. With these signs he had deluded those who had received the mark of the beast and worshiped its image. The two of them were thrown alive into the fiery lake of burning sulfur. 21 The rest were killed with the sword coming out of the mouth of the rider on the horse, and all the birds gorged themselves on their flesh.
A King has 10 hefty dogs in his custody so that every time a ministers or servants errs, he punishes them by throwing them to the dogs. One day, a minister challenged his opinion in which the king took for insult and he ordered the minister to be thrown to those hungry dogs. The minister said, "I have served you for 10 years, and is this how you want to repay me? Please my lord, Give me 10 days before executing this command." And the king said, "Your request is granted."
So the minister went to the caretaker of the dogs and said, "I want to look after these dogs for 10 days only." "You have your request granted." said the caretaker.
So the minister began looking after the dogs, feeding them, bathing them, and granting them all avenues of play and recreation. After 10 days came the day of sentencing, and the minister was thrown into the prison containing dogs by the king.
The king and all the people who had gathered looked through, to see how the dogs would devour and what an astonishment! The dogs had come to his feet, barking, panting and awaiting. "What have you done with the dogs?!" the king asked.
The minister replied, "I served these dogs for 10 days only, and they did not forget that kindness. But I served you for 10 years, and you have forgotten all of that."
The devil is disloyal, despicable and depraved but he’s defeated, defenseless and damned.
The imperative is the verb “gather” (v 17, the birds). Gather together (sun-ago) is syn (sum) + lead, or sometimes translated as took in (Matt 25:35), assembled together (Matt 26:3) and came together (Matt 27:62). The hina subjunctive purpose clause is “so that you may EAT,” beginning from the top -kings, generals, and the mighty – to the flesh of all people, and from kings to the small (v 18), from great to small. Birds are voracious eaters. I can attest for that. Every week on my day off I eat my breakfast by the pier. Small robins would quickly surround my bench for the crumbs from my tuna sandwich. It’s so serious lately they put up a “don’t feed the birds” sign. I was surprised to know from internet videos that birds can swallow rats, rabbit, snakes, squirrel, and even deer and turtles.
The verb “capture” (v 20, piazo “But the beast was captured, and with it the false prophet”) is also translated as take (John 7:30), catch (John 21:3) and apprehend (Acts 12:4). It is actually seize, squeeze, squash, smother and suffocate. Three groups were thrown into the lake of fire - beast, prophet and their worshippers and fans. The beast, the false prophet and their fans (v 20) are the first to be cast into the lake of fire, followed by the devil (20:10), death and hell (Rev 20:10) in the next chapter but the difference is that the beast and the false prophet will be cast and chucked alive into the lake of fire.
Sulfur or brimstone has been mentioned before (Rev 9:17, 9:18, 14:10, 20:10), but burning the last few times (Rev 21:8). The Bible warns about being cast into a furnace of fire (Matt 13:42), being cast into everlasting fire (Matt 18:8) and being cast into hell fire (Matt 18:9), but being cast into the lake of fire is introduced in the Bible for the first time. The two participles are alive and burning (v 20). The lake of fire is always “the,” not “a” lake of fire in the Bible. A lake is calm, contained and circular, just right for steam, sauna and soup. The only time “burning sulfur” – baking, boiling and brewing - appears in the Bible outside of Revelation tells of the destruction of Sodom where fire and sulfur rained down from heaven and destroyed the city and her citizens (Luke 17:29). Notes from Wikipedia reveal that sulfur is the tenth most abundant element by mass in the universe. It is the element in rotting eggs, volcano eruptions and one of the oldest fungicides and pesticides. The smell of skunks, stink bombs and summer armpits, plus of durians for the king of fruit haters! A person may breathe increasing quantities of it without noticing until severe symptoms cause death.
AMEN:
Direct your praise
Devote your praise
Demonstrate your praise
