Hallelujah!
The Smoke From Her Goes Up Forever and Ever
19: 1-5
Hallelujah! The smoke from her goes up forever and ever DIG: In contrast to the silence after the fall of Babylon (18:22), what characterizes the new scene in heaven? Who participates in this praise? What do you learn about God’s character?
REFLECT: What are three things for which you are extremely grateful to God? How do you usually express your gratitude to Him about these? How does seeing Babylon defeated (and condemned), and Jesus triumphant (and glorious) affect your overall view of your problems here and now? What is one problem you plan on managing more confidently and joyfully as a result of your study of Revelation?
After the destruction of Babylon and the worldwide reaction that will follow, the roar of a great multitude will be heard in heaven. This great multitude will consist of Tribulation martyrs, the righteous of the TaNaKh, and New Covenant believers, and the angels. The Ruach HaKodesh gives us five reasons for heaven’s joy.
First, because full salvation will have come. After this I heard what sounded like the roar of a great multitude in heaven shouting: Hallelujah! The chorus opens with the important word Hallelujah, an exclamation of praise to God. The Greek word Allelouia is a transliteration of a Hebrew phrase made up of the verb halal, meaning to praise, and the noun Yah, or God. So it simply means praise the Lord. It appears only here in the New Covenant. Heaven will rejoice because salvation will have come for those who believe in Yeshua as the Messiah. They will cry out: Glory and power belong to our God (19:1).405 In days of old, the Shechinah glory of God, El HaKavod, appeared in the cloud as a raging fire on Mount Sinai. Just as His glory filled the Temple in heaven, it also appears through us who believe today.
Secondly, because justice will have been given out. Those praising ADONAI in heaven will declare His truth and justice because He will have condemned the great prostitute who corrupted the earth by her adulteries (Jeremiah 51:48). Throughout history God’s people have been distressed by the injustice of the world and have longed for His justice to come (Isaiah 9:6-7). But the wicked will not get away with their sin forever. When He comes back again, Jesus will personally avenge on her the blood of His servants (Revelation 19:2; Deuteronomy 32:43; Second Thessalonians 1:6-8). His judgments are true and just because He gives people what they deserve (Psalm 119:137).
Thirdly, because Babylon will have been destroyed. The judgment of Babylon caused the first outburst of heavenly rejoicing; however, her destruction will prompt the great multitude to again shout out: Hallelujah! The smoke from her goes up forever and ever (19:3). The language here is similar to that of the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah (Genesis 19:28), and Edom (Isaiah 34:10). Jeremiah looked forward to that great day when he said: then heaven and earth and all that is in them will shout for joy over Babylon, for out of the north destroyers will attack her (see Jeremiah, to see link click Fh – The Fall of Babylon and Assurance to the Exiles).
Fourthly, because God is in control. The twenty-four elders, who represent all New Covenant believers from Pentecost to the Rapture, and the four living creatures fell down and worshiped God, who was seated on the throne. And they cried out: Amen, Hallelujah (19:4). This phrase comes from Psalm 106:48 and points to their intense agreement with the rejoicing over Babylon’s destruction.
Then a voice came from the throne, saying: Praise our God, all you His servants, you who fear Him, both small and great (19:5)! The Bible does not identify who this is, but it is likely an angel, since he refers to the LORD as our God. All of the redeemed of all time praise God. The Psalter looked forward to the day when all could say: You who fear ADONAI, praise Him! Revere Him, all you descendants of Israel (Psalm 22:23).
Fifthly, because of the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. How would you feel if you were a part of this great multitude? Obviously, you’d be saying to yourself, “What an incredible occasion!” All the celebrations you had attended during your earthly life would be nothing compared to this. For the holy ones will be cheering the fact that their mortal enemy, Satan, is no more. All of the devastation caused by sin, all the havoc wreaked by the powers of darkness will be undone. The battle will be over, and the joyous celebration will continue for all eternity!
But while you might be contemplating how joyful you’ll be in heaven praising God with all the other believers, don’t forget about how much joy heaven has over you right now! Think back for a moment to when you first came to the Lord. You may not have noticed it, but the angels were celebrating. According to Yeshua’s parable of the lost sheep, there can be no doubt about it: I tell you that in the same way, there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent (Luke 15:7).
Great, Mighty and Loving Heavenly Father, So many big and important things are happening in this world that is hard to grasp that someday soon, time on earth will be over – and decisions made now will determine our destiny forever. Help us to focus on eternity and loving You, for You are so wonderful! For I consider the sufferings of this present time not worthy to be compared with the coming glory to be revealed to us (Romans 8:18). Some day time will be no more and we will be in our eternal destiny – heaven or hell. Many people who save up greatly for retirement on earth will either be in hell or if they do make it into heaven they won’t have many rewards. That is foolish. We don’t know when You are returning; but hopefully, it will be soon and we need to use all You have given us for Your glory.
May our acts of service and giving of finances, be done out of hearts that love to worship You, so then we will hear you say: Well done, good and faithful servant! You were faithful with a little, so I’ll put you in charge of much. Enter into your master’s joy (Matthew 25:2:11 and 23)! Please open the eyes of family and friends to turn from selfish ways and to follow You so that they will not hear: Throw the worthless servant out, into the outer darkness where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth (Matthew 25:30). You are worthy of all our love and worship! In Your holy Son’s name and power of His resurrection. Amen
If we are walking in God’s grace, He is very pleased with us. But he knows we stumble, and he’s even more pleased with us when we return to Him (First John 1:9). He is intimately aware of every move we make and every thought we think; but He’s not waiting like the Pharisees, ready to trip us up every time we make a mistake. He gives us the Counselor, the Holy Spirit to correct us when we fall and teach us all things (John 14:26). When we resist temptation and grow in the knowledge of the truth (First Timothy 2:4), He’s there to cheer us on – along with a great cloud of witnesses (Hebrews 12:1)!
If heaven is trying so hard to encourage us, we can be a little more encouraging to ourselves. We don’t have to wait until we’re at the gates of heaven to see the kind of progress we have made. Every time we hold our temper, forgive a neighbor, or restrain from any kind of sin, we have achieved something. When we endure suffering with joy, we have won another battle. When we entrust God with a difficult situation and He pulls us through it, we have grown in our faith. This is all a part of our process of sanctification, or being conformed to the likeness of Christ (Romans 8:29). It is not merely a superficial conformity, but an internal change. We never reach perfection, but we can become more and more like Messiah every day.
The bottom line is that our spiritual life should not consist of concentrating on our failures! While we are always to remember that it’s God who wins our victories, we should rejoice in them, however small, for they are fulfilling His promise to us, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus (Philippians 1:6).
Thank You, Lord, for the gift of Your grace at work in my life. Help me to see how I can do better, but also show me how far I have come. May I never forget that Your Holy Spirit is truly alive in me.406
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