We are picking up where we left off last time in Revelation 19 as we look at what some have called God’s great Hallelujah chorus - at least in the New Testament, as we do have some similar things in the Old Testament especially in the Psalms. In the first six verses of Revelation 19, four different times we have various creatures and beings crying out “Hallelujah,” because all the systems that have resisted and rebelled against God that have all come together under the antichrist have now been destroyed. The last remaining element will be the military which will be destroyed soon. So, the heavens are crying out with praise to the Lord with a “Hallelujah.”
In Revelation 19:1 it says, “After these things I heard something like a loud voice of a great multitude in heaven,” so the chorus is coming out of heaven, “saying, “Hallelujah! Salvation and glory and power belong to our God.” So, the very first reason for the Hallelujahs is because, “salvation, glory and power belong to our God.”
He presses on in Revelation 19:2 for some other reasons why the Lord is to be praised. As a matter of fact, there are three different reasons that we can see, “because His judgments are true and righteous; for He has judged the great harlot who was corrupting the earth with her immorality, and He has avenged the blood of his bond-servants on her.” So, here are three different reasons why they are praising the Lord at this time:
1. God’s judgments are true and righteous. We don’t often think in that way today, we think of judgment and justice all negatively. We do not see the very positive aspect that God’s justice and judgments are always true, never unfair, never unjust, always true, always have all the facts and evidence, and they are always righteous. They always point to holiness in doing that which is reflective of the very nature of God. No wonder the heavens are declaring the glory and the praise of God. Even His judgments are true and righteous.
2. He has judged the great harlot who has corrupted the earth with her immorality. The great harlot back in Revelation 17 was the religious system that was run by the devil himself. It is one that worked in tandem with the antichrist to corrupt the whole world in religious realms, but that has been destroyed now. Some believe the great harlot here rolls into that terminology of Babylon the great of Revelation 18 which is the economic and political system. That may be and either way we find all of this has been destroyed and it has been corrupting the earth and is now no longer.
3. He has avenged the blood of His bond-servants on her. Remember back in Revelation 6:10, some of the martyrs early on in the Tribulation Period were calling for avengement upon their martyrdom. They had been killed by the antichrist and those who opposed the Lord, and they were calling out for the Lord to do something about it? Well, now He is. So, the heavens are ringing with joy and hallelujahs and praise the Lord because He has done exactly what has been asked to be done . . .
