“And the twenty-four elders and the four living creatures fell down and worshiped God who sat on the throne, saying, ‘Amen! Alleluia!’ Then a voice came from the throne, saying, “Praise our God, all you His servants and those who fear Him, both small and great!” And I heard, as it were, the voice of a great multitude, as the sound of many waters and as the sound of mighty thunderings, saying, ‘Alleluia! For the Lord God Omnipotent reigns! “Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready‘”
19:4
And the twenty-four elders and the four living creatures fell down and worshiped God who sat on the throne, saying, “Amen! Alleluia!”
A second group-the 24 elders and the 4 living creatures, give praise for the defeat of Babylonianism (vv.4-5). They concur with the previous group by affirming an “Amen” and “Alleluia.” “Amen” means so be it, or it is true. They say in effect, “We believe it too!”
God sitting on the throne is a picture of His sovereign reign. No evil system such as that of Babylonianism will unseat God’s sovereignty. There is no problem we might face that is out of God’s control (Psalm 103:19).
19:5
Then a voice came from the throne, saying, “Praise our God, all you His servants and those who fear Him, both small and great!”
Third praise comes from a voice from the throne. This may be an angel. He enjoins all servants of God to experience the awe of God. God wants people of all social and economic levels to stand in awe of Him. God does not honor human distinctions.
19:6
And I heard, as it were, the voice of a great multitude, as the sound of many waters and as the sound of mighty thunderings, saying, “Alleluia! For the Lord God Omnipotent reigns!
The fourth and final hallelujah sounds imposing like roaring waters and booming thunder. This anticipates the Second Coming of Christ and establishment of His Kingdom. The establishment of this Kingdom is the answer to the prayer “Your kingdom come on earth, as it is in heaven.”
The word “Omnipotent” occurs eight times in Revelation (in Re 1:8; 4:8; 11:17; 15:3; 16:7, 14; 19:15; 21:22). When under great duress, Christians need to get a good grasp of God’s omnipotence and His ability to control any circumstance. The “Lord God” here is the Lord Jesus Christ.
19:7
“Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory,
The voice commands three things:
1) We are to be “glad.” This is the normal word for joy.
2) The second word, “rejoice,” means to exult. This is overt rejoicing. We are to make known to others our joy.
3) We are then to “give Him glory.” When God does the doing, He receives the glory.
Principle:
We need to put the priority on the things of greatest value.
Application:
Christians are to rejoice in the Lord, exult in that to others and give God the glory. Many Christians seek happiness in success, status symbols, and wealth. Others seek happiness in friends, social life, and loved loves. Still, others find fulfillment in sex and pleasures. None of these things is wrong in themselves, but when we make them the main purpose of our lives, they become wrong in God’s economy. God’s purpose for our lives is to Glorify God and enjoy Him forever. If we put anything in place of that, we commit idolatry.
True joy comes from knowing God on a personal basis. Some people think that they will find joy in being single again. “Marriage is such a miserable institution. I wish I were single again.” Others think that they will find happiness in being married. “Oh, if I could find romance, then I would be happy.” Both assumptions are wrong. It is always greener on the other side of the fence.
We can enjoy these things better if we put the priority on the thing of greatest value—the glory of God our first priority. Only then can we have success and enjoy it. Otherwise, success will make us miserable.
