Praise Him Because He’s Coming Back For Us
If God has never done anything for you, you have nothing to praise Him for. But if He’s ever answered your desperate plea…If He has ever heard your faintest cry and responded in His omnipotent power…if He has ever rescued you and redeemed you from impossible circumstances, then you will understand the crescendo of praise that goes up before the Most High God in Revelation 19:1-8. If you have ever gone through something that led you to experience the salvation and grace of God, then you too will want to join in with the great multitudes, the 24 elders, the angels and the four living creatures in the greatest praise gathering that the world will ever know. Babylon has fallen, the antichrist is defeated and the final doxology of praise in the book of Revelation begins in heaven for the Lord our King. This week, my prayer is simply this… Amen and Hallelujah!!!
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,
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.”
And again they shouted:
“Hallelujah!
The smoke from her goes up for ever and ever.”
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!”
Then a voice came from the throne, saying:
“Praise our God,
all you his servants,
you who fear him,
both great and small!”
(Revelation 19:1-5). Chapter 19 of the book of Revelation begins with the words “after this…”. The “this” that is referred to is the fall of Babylon and the end of the rule of the antichrist. And it is in the aftermath of those significant events that there is a great praise celebration that will occur in heaven. John sees shouts of praise given to God in a chorus of hallelujahs for His salvation, glory, honor and power. Four times in this scripture (vv 1-8) there are shouts of hallelujah. Hallelujah is the highest praise and it is shouted by all of heaven in praise of God. The 25 elders and the four living creatures joined the multitude in the hallelujah praise, falling down and worshiping God on His throne. A voice (probably that of one of the angels) tells everyone who serves and reverences God to join in and praise Him. Do you get the sense that heaven will be filled with exuberant rejoicing, celebrating and praising God? Maybe you should start practicing now!
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.
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.
Fine linen, bright and clean,
was given her to wear.”
(Fine linen stands for the righteous acts of God’s holy people.) (Revelation 19:6-9) John notes a great sound of praise and celebration being made again. He described it as sounding like a great multitude, like the roar of rushing water and like loud peals of thunder. They are once again shouting “Hallelujah” in heaven, but this time it is not for what has already happened, it is in anticipation of what is to come. The anticipation is for the reign of almighty God and the coming (second advent) of the Lamb to claim His bride (the church) who is being made ready for Him. Christ’s great love for the church is intimated here, and the fall of Babylon clears the way for Him to come and claim her. Jesus will come back for His bride (Church) and He expects her to be ready. Are you?
Psalm 34:1 says “I will bless the Lord at all times: His praise shall continually be in my mouth”. Certainly the Lord has done great things for those who love Him and are called by His name. And we have so many things to praise Him for. He has done all of them because of His great love for us. But our greatest praise will be around Jesus’ coming back for us, His church, to be united with Him forever. Our trials and tribulations will all come to an end and the Lord will reign in righteousness and justice. Even after 37 years of marriage, whenever I look back at pictures of our wedding day, I see my bride and say “wow!”. That’s what I want Jesus to say about me when He comes back for His church. As a bride prepares herself for her wedding day, let us prepare ourselves so that when Jesus comes, we are ready to receive Him and love Him the way that He loves us, with an eternal love. And to that we should all shout….Hallelujah and amen!
Blessings,
Rev. Glenn
Listen to this classic Hallelujah praise in song from the New Jerusalem Baptist Church Choir “Revelation 19:1”
