The Original Hallelujah Chorus
Revelation 19:1-6
April 30, 2017
Well if you’ve been following the book of Revelation with us
Then you know that we have just journeyed through
A very dark time for the world.
The last 7 years (as revealed in the Revelation) is a time like the earth has never experienced.
• We’ve seen wars and famine and pestilence
• We’ve seen asteroids and comets and earthquakes and hail stones
• We’ve seen demonic invasions and unprecedented death
God’s wrath has been no laughing matter.
He is judging the world for its iniquity.
Most recently this wrath has been focused on the city called “Babylon”.
It will be the capitol city of the Antichrist.
It will be the most immoral and defiling city the world has ever known.
Full of sexual immorality, greed, idolatry,
And void of any form of righteousness whatsoever.
The only thing in that city that is said to be righteous is the blood that flows through the streets which came from the saints they martyred.
It is a horrific place,
And we have just witnessed God’s destruction of that city.
The RESPONSE OF THE WORLD to that destruction was total grief.
• We saw kings…
• We heard merchants…
• We heard tourists…
• All crying “Woe, Woe!” regarding the fall of the great city.
That city represented their source of all their sinful pleasures.
And they grieve extensively when it falls.
But in the middle of the destruction and in the middle of the wailing there was ONE VERSE that seemed to stand out a little.
Revelation 18:20 “Rejoice over her, O heaven, and you saints and apostles and prophets, because God has pronounced judgment for you against her.”
In the midst of the judgment…
In the midst of the slaughter…
Heaven issues a command and that command is to “rejoice”.
The command is to rejoice over this judgment.
And I just want to take a second here and bring to your attention that
IF YOU ARE PROGRAMMED TO THINK LIKE THE WORLD
THEN THAT COMMAND SEEMS WRONG.
Our society has made a universal decision that judgment is wrong.
I read a post on Facebook this week by a person who was mourning the realities of abortion (and rightly so).
• But on their post someone commented that we don’t know the life
circumstances of people who have abortions and we should refrain from
judgment.
• To which the person who originally posted the article apologized and agreed.
• Here we have people who kill innocent babies and yet the person left feeling
guilty was the person who said it was wrong. That means that our society
thinks judgment is worse than abortion.
I saw another story this week about a man who chained a cross in a city street in New York that is known for homosexuality. Instead of removing the cross the citizens of the street changed the lock so it couldn’t be moved and painted the cross rainbow.
• The response to the story was: “Love Wins” And it praised the person who
painted the cross for “turning the cross into a symbol of love and acceptance.”
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/love-cross-nyc_us_58ff5447e4b0b6f6014ac24e
My point is that our world sees judgment
As the most awful thing imaginable.
Our society doesn’t see any reason
Why sinners should even be confronted, let alone punished for their sin.
And yet, here we have a command issued that as God is judging sinners “saints and apostles and prophets” are commanded to “rejoice”
WELL, IF THAT VERSE SEEMED TO HIT YOU SIDEWAYS
Then I promise you won’t have any answer
For the one we are about to study this morning.
It is THE ORIGINAL HALLELUJAH CHORUS.
• You know the song you’ve heard so many times, usually at Christmas time.
• I am convinced that 99% of the people who sing it or listen to it have no clue
about the circumstances under which it was revealed.
The “Hallelujah Chorus” is heavens response
To the destruction of the world.
• We just saw God throw that corrupt city Babylon to the ground, burn her with
fire and then promise that she will never rise again.
• And in the middle of the earth’s mourning, heaven interrupts with one
deafening word: HALLELJUAH!
Incidentally the world HALLELUJAH is a Hebrew word.
It comes from two words, HALEL which means “to praise”
And “YAH” which is a reference to Yahweh or “The LORD”
The word literally means “Praise the Lord”
This passage is not only the LAST TIME it is used in Scripture, but also the ONLY TIME it is used in the New Testament.
The FIRST TIME the word is ever used is:
Psalms 104:35 “Let sinners be consumed from the earth And let the wicked be no more. Bless the LORD, O my soul. Praise the LORD!”
That is the first time this word is used,
And that is the same reason it is used the last time.
God is annihilating sinners and heaven is crying out: HALLELUJAH!
Isaiah 5:16 “But the LORD of hosts will be exalted in judgment, And the holy God will show Himself holy in righteousness.”
Psalms 58:10-11 “The righteous will rejoice when he sees the vengeance; He will wash his feet in the blood of the wicked. And men will say, “Surely there is a reward for the righteous; Surely there is a God who judges on earth!”
That is the same reality we are witnessing here.
God has just dealt a death blow the world and heaven is here responding.
And as we study this passage, I think it opens up for us
A WHOLE NEW UNDERSTANDING ABOUT OUR WORSHIP OF GOD.
Many times in life we evaluate a person’s actions by our own standards
• If those actions measure up then we give them a little praise.
• If those actions don’t measure up then we either withhold praise or even give a
reprimand.
The tragedy is when we do the same to God.
GOD IS WORTHY OF PRAISE.
If what God does doesn’t appear praiseworthy to you
Then it means you have a faulty understanding
Of what is in fact praiseworthy.
This morning as we witness
Heaven praising God in the midst of His judgment,
We learn some valuable truths about praising God and giving Him glory.
So…Regarding God’s Glory (or God’s deserved praise)
#1 HEAVEN DECLARES IT
Revelation 19:1
“After these things” indicates the immediate response after Babylon was destroyed and that angel threw that large stone into the sea.
As soon as that was over John says, “I heard something like a loud voice of a great multitude in heaven, saying, “Hallelujah! Salvation and glory and power belong to our God;”
I love this statement.
It carries with such important doctrine and understanding.
The “multitude” themselves are not specifically identified,
Namely because it doesn’t matter.
It is the substance of the song, not the source of it which matters.
We can however quickly deduce that it must be an angelic multitude
Since in a moment the redeemed are told to join them.
Regardless of who is singing here, the song is an absolute masterpiece.
“Hallelujah!” That is praise the Lord!
“Salvation and glory and power belong to our God”
Here the choir attributes three things to God.
In fact they say these things “belong to our God”
That is to say HE IS THE RIGHTFUL OWNER of them all.
Now, why would they say that?
Because for the last 3 ½ years there has been some real confusion on earth as exactly who the Savior really was.
• The earth thought the Savior was the Antichrist.
• They saw him as the one who would save them from God’s judgments.
• They worshiped him and cried “Who is like the beast and who is able to wage war with him?”
• They saw him as their provider of food and pleasure and commodity.
• They saw him as the conqueror of death since it was his fatal wound which was healed.
He was also the one claiming to have all the “glory”
• It was his statue that was talking
• It was his mark that men were forced to take
• It was his regime that crushed all false religion (the harlot) and demanded that no other name be worshiped but his own
Not only that, but they also ascribed all “power” to the Antichrist for this time period since it was he who was working all manner of wonders.
• It was Antichrist who was shaking his fist at heaven and killing God’s saints and declaring himself to be the all-powerful god of the universe.
I can only imagine that for the past 3 ½ years
The angelic host were fit to be tied.
• Who is this peon in the world who fancies himself to be the savior of the world?
• Who is this insignificant worm who would dare steal God’s glory?
• Who is this filthy human who would claim power like that of God’s?
I’m sure the angels were ready to puke!
(I thought this week about the day in Africa when we visited that male lion cage to watch the lions eat, and Ronnie got down and started looking that one lion in the eyes. I remember how badly that lion wanted Ronnie to come over into the pen with him. I liken that passion to the passion of the angels in heaven over what they’ve had to witness for the past 3 /12 years)
Well, IN ONE SWIFT SHOT (literally one hour) God vindicated His name
And demonstrated who the real Savior is, who really deserves the glory,
And who really has the power.
And as Babylon is burning the angelic host cry out.
“Hallelujah! Salvation and glory and power belong to our God”
AND LET ME JUST REMIND YOU OF WHY.
When we say that “Salvation” belongs to God; that is no insignificant statement.
That it is to say that salvation is totally and 100% His prerogative.
I know we live in a day where the multitudes seem to think
That salvation is a decision of sinners, but nothing could be further from the truth.
Listen to Paul talk about salvation:
1 Corinthians 1:26-31 “For consider your calling, brethren, that there were not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble; but God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong, and the base things of the world and the despised God has chosen, the things that are not, so that He may nullify the things that are, so that no man may boast before God. But by His doing you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption, so that, just as it is written, “LET HIM WHO BOASTS, BOAST IN THE LORD.”
So who does salvation belong to?
You?
• Because you were smarter than lost people?
• Because you are stronger than lost people?
• Because you are more noble than lost people?
HARDLY! God did it according to His prerogative.
Listen to Paul in Romans 9
Romans 9:14-16 “What shall we say then? There is no injustice with God, is there? May it never be! For He says to Moses, “I WILL HAVE MERCY ON WHOM I HAVE MERCY, AND I WILL HAVE COMPASSION ON WHOM I HAVE COMPASSION.” So then it does not depend on the man who wills or the man who runs, but on God who has mercy.”
Salvation most certainly isn’t up to the prerogative or choice of the sinner.
Salvation belongs to God and God alone.
And that is certainly proven true during the tribulation.
YOU REMEMBER that during that time period you have Antichrist on earth and he is forcing everyone to worship him and take his mark.
Do you remember who the only people are who won’t take that mark?
Revelation 13:7-8 “It was also given to him to make war with the saints and to overcome them, and authority over every tribe and people and tongue and nation was given to him. All who dwell on the earth will worship him, everyone whose name has not been written from the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb who has been slain.”
• The only people who will be saved…
• The only people who won’t worship Antichrist…
• Are not those who stronger than everyone at the time, but rather those who
had been chosen by the Lord “from the foundation of the world”
Jesus said the same thing regarding the tribulation
Matthew 24:22 “Unless those days had been cut short, no life would have been saved; but for the sake of the elect those days will be cut short.”
When this angelic choir sings that “Salvation…belong[s] to our God”
It is not just some idle statement.
For 3 ½ years Antichrist has claimed to be the savior,
On this day, it is evident who the real and only Savior is.
THIS ANGELIC CHOIR ALSO ATTRIBUTES “GLORY” TO “OUR GOD”
And let’s be honest here.
After watching God destroy the world and make such short work of the Antichrist and his kingdom, who else would you ascribe glory to?
That is to say, who else would you fear?
You certainly shouldn’t fear Antichrist any more…
Glory belongs to God alone.
• He doesn’t share it with men…
• He doesn’t share it with nature…
• He doesn’t share it with false deities…
Isaiah 42:8 “I am the LORD, that is My name; I will not give My glory to another, Nor My praise to graven images.”
Isaiah 48:11 “For My own sake, for My own sake, I will act; For how can My name be profaned? And My glory I will not give to another.”
God’s glory is solely and uniquely His.
It belongs to no one else.
That is even one of the reasons why this world is judged.
They were confused about where to ascribe the glory for all things.
Romans 1:24-25 “Therefore God gave them over in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, so that their bodies would be dishonored among them. For they exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.”
Man has continually dishonored God by reason of
Ascribing His glory to other things, but not after this day.
The angelic choir sings hallelujah because on this day
There is no longer any doubt who the Savior is and who gets the glory.
The angelic choir also ascribes “power” to “our God.”
For 3 ½ years the earth had been mesmerized by the power of the Antichrist…buy my how weak he proved to be.
If you want to know where the real power is; it just fell from heaven.
Only God gets credit for power after this day.
Psalms 115:3 “But our God is in the heavens; He does whatever He pleases.”
God is what we call ALMIGHTY
That is to say that there is nothing He desires that He cannot perform.
He has power equal to desire.
God alone deserves praise and glory
And Heaven is making sure the world knows it.
Heaven declares God’s glory.
Let me tell you another thing about God’s glory.
#2 JUDGMENT DEMONSTRATES IT
Revelation 19:2-3
Today people want to give God glory when He “blesses” them.
• If God will give me what I desire…
• If God will not treat me as I deserve…
• If God will spare me some pain…
• If God will deliver me from some danger…
Then I will ascribe glory to God.
But Scripture says that God is also glorified in wrath and judgment.
Listen to WHY the angels ascribe glory to God here.
(2-3) “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.” And a second time they said, “Hallelujah! HER SMOKE RISES UP FOREVER AND EVER.”
Heaven is actually singing Hallelujah here
Because they can see the smoke of the harlot rising.
And not just rising, but rising “up forever and ever”
That is to say, she’ll never return.
Revelation 14:9-11 “Then another angel, a third one, followed them, saying with a loud voice, “If anyone worships the beast and his image, and receives a mark on his forehead or on his hand, he also will drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is mixed in full strength in the cup of His anger; and he will be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb. “And the smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever; they have no rest day and night, those who worship the beast and his image, and whoever receives the mark of his name.”
God demonstrates His glory through His judgment of immorality.
And through the vindication of His bond-servants.
2 Thessalonians 1:6-8 “For after all it is only just for God to repay with affliction those who afflict you, and to give relief to you who are afflicted and to us as well when the Lord Jesus will be revealed from heaven with His mighty angels in flaming fire, dealing out retribution to those who do not know God and to those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus.”
This judgment of God is fitting and it demonstrates His glory.
1 Chronicles 16:31-33 “Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice; And let them say among the nations, “The LORD reigns.” Let the sea roar, and all it contains; Let the field exult, and all that is in it. Then the trees of the forest will sing for joy before the LORD; For He is coming to judge the earth.”
HEAVEN CERTAINLY UNDERSTANDS THIS.
They don’t just glorify God for the salvation of sinners,
But they also glorify God for the destruction of sinners.
Do you understand that?
At the end of the day God will be glorified either way.
He will be glorified by the redeemed saints around His throne,
And He will be glorified by the tormented sinners in hell.
My point is simply this.
You were created to bring glory to God, and you will.
Some people seem to think
We do God this great favor when we get saved
Because now we have decided to be those who will glorify God.
Ha! Friend you’re going to bring glory to God
Regardless of whether or not you are saved.
We don’t do God any favors in this area.
THE BENEFIT IS ALL OURS.
We are those who gain the privilege of giving God glory
From a position of redemption instead of a position of judgment.
But the reality is that God will be glorified even in judgment.
So, when we are talking about the glory of God we learn:
Heaven Declares It, Judgment Demonstrates it
#3 GOD DESERVES IT
Revelation 19:4
In the first 3 verses it is the angelic choir singing PRAISE THE LORD!
But in verse 4 we notice two more groups chime into the song.
• They are “the twenty-four elders” whom we said long ago we believe to be the raptured church.
• And they are “the four living creatures” who we know to be cherubim who surround the throne and guard the glory of God.
Well, here they join in the angelic chorus, and I love what they say.
“Amen. Hallelujah!”
I love that they don’t just say “Hallelujah!” but that they first say “Amen”
WHY?
“Amen” is a word that means “So be it”
The fact that this word is stated first
Brings with it an indication that this group first listened to the reasons of the angels before they joined the song.
They heard the angels immediately break out in “Hallelujah” Chorus.
• And the angels definitively said that God deserved praise because He judged the great harlot.
• And they definitively said that God deserved praise because He avenged His bond-servants.
• And they definitively said that God deserved praise because He continues to torment in fire and smoke.
And it as though the “twenty-four elders” and the “four living creatures”
Listened to what they said, pondered what they said,
And then came to the conclusion that they were absolutely right.
They say, “Amen”.
They say, “You’re right, God does deserved glory for this. God does deserve praise for judging that harlot.”
And then these two groups also join with a hearty “Hallelujah!”
They saw what God did.
They saw why God did it.
And they agreed, God does in fact deserve glory.
And friend this is something you certainly must see.
We live in a day where society is more and more
Refusing the authority under which they exist.
We saw a massive group of people just this past November boldly proclaim “NOT MY PRESIDENT” after President Trump was elected.
And that same sentiment is seen all the time in various areas.
• I’m not going to obey my boss because he’s an idiot and doesn’t deserve it.
• I’m not going to obey my parents because they’re dumb and don’t know
nothing.
• I’m not going to submit to my husband because he doesn’t do anything worthy
of my submission.
• I’m not going to “honor the king” or “submit to the governing authorities”
because they don’t deserve my honor
You get the idea…
But the fact is when talking about the God of the universe,
We are not just talking about what He has commanded,
But also what He deserves.
Jeremiah 10:6-7 “There is none like You, O LORD; You are great, and great is Your name in might. Who would not fear You, O King of the nations? Indeed it is Your due! For among all the wise men of the nations And in all their kingdoms, There is none like You.”
Jeremiah 10:11-16 “Thus you shall say to them, “The gods that did not make the heavens and the earth will perish from the earth and from under the heavens.” It is He who made the earth by His power, Who established the world by His wisdom; And by His understanding He has stretched out the heavens. When He utters His voice, there is a tumult of waters in the heavens, And He causes the clouds to ascend from the end of the earth; He makes lightning for the rain, And brings out the wind from His storehouses. Every man is stupid, devoid of knowledge; Every goldsmith is put to shame by his idols; For his molten images are deceitful, And there is no breath in them. They are worthless, a work of mockery; In the time of their punishment they will perish. The portion of Jacob is not like these; For the Maker of all is He, And Israel is the tribe of His inheritance; The LORD of hosts is His name.”
It’s not just that heaven declares God’s glory…
It’s not just that judgment demonstrates God’s glory…
It is that GOD DESERVES GLORY
That means that when we refuse to give Him the glory He deserves, it is we who are in the wrong.
When talking about God’s glory:
Heaven Declares It, Judgment Demonstrates It, God Deserves It
#4 REDEMPTION DEMANDS IT
Revelation 19:5-6
Did you pick up what is happening here?
There is actually a command issued.
“And a voice came from the throne, saying, “Give praise to our God, all you His bond-servants, you who fear Him, the small and the great.”
• The angels immediately responded in Hallelujah’s of praise to God.
• The twenty-four elders and the 4 living creatures discerned the scene and quickly decided that the angels were right, God did deserve glory.
And now it is almost like those two groups look at the massive host
Of the redeemed who have been delivered from the great tribulation.
These would have had to have been a little shell-shocked
At what they have just witnessed.
But heaven wastes no time telling them what their responsibility is.
They MUST join the heavenly song of Hallelujah to God.
• God had just redeemed them from the world He destroyed…
• God had just rescued them from the kingdom of Antichrist…
• God had just enacted vengeance on the earth for them…
They owe it to God to give Him glory.
And that is exactly what they do.
(6) “Then I heard something like the voice of a great multitude and like the sound of many waters and like the sound of mighty peals of thunder, saying, “Hallelujah! For the Lord our God, the Almighty, reigns.”
Psalms 106:48 “Blessed be the LORD, the God of Israel, From everlasting even to everlasting. And let all the people say, “Amen.” Praise the LORD!”
And I think this is a really simple point.
God deserves glory in all things
And it is our responsibility to give it to Him.
• He deserves glory for judging sinners…
• He deserves glory for vindicating saints…
• He deserves glory for saving you…
He deserves glory simply for who He is.
THERE IS NEVER A TIME NOR SITUATION
THAT DOES NOT WARRANT FOR GOD TO BE GLORIFIED.
And that includes the judgment of the wicked.
I want to close this morning by having you
Turn To: Psalms 146
The last 5 chapters of the book of Psalms seem to capture and understand
The idea of praising God more than any other section of Scripture.
They remind us of our absolute responsibility to PRAISE THE LORD
