Hallelujah! Revelation 19:1
If you were asked to guess roughly how often the word “Hallelujah” appears in the New Testament, I wonder what your answer would be. Perhaps a couple of dozen times? Given the way it has become almost a spontaneous cry of praise throughout the Christian church, you would certainly think so.
In fact, the answer is - just four. Even more remarkable, all those four instances are grouped in a single short passage - Revelation 19:1-6.
Hallelujah is a Hebrew word, occurring frequently in the Old Testament, especially in the psalms (the last few psalms all begin and end with it). But in most translations you won’t actually find the word as we now know it, because it is translated into its literal English equivalent, “Praise the Lord!”. It is, quite simply, an excited exclamation of worship to God.
So what’s so special about Revelation 19?
It’s a turning point in the book, when the spotlight moves from the darkness of sin, wickedness and evil, and when John begins to see the light of the final victory of God over that darkness.
Look at the four hallelujahs, “shouted” (in the NIV translation) by the heavenly host.
The first two are closely linked to divine judgment: “Hallelujah! Salvation and glory and power belong to our God, for true and just are his judgments” (verses 1-2); and then: “Hallelujah! The smoke from her goes up for ever and ever” (verse 3), where “smoke” implies destruction, and “her” refers to “the great prostitute who corrupted the earth by her adulteries” (verse 2).
If you go back to chapters 17 and 18 you find that the prostitute is “Babylon”, one of Israel’s greatest historic enemies. In turn, Babylon almost certainly stands for Rome, the heart of the godless empire under which God’s people were suffering as John wrote. And, for us today, Babylon/Rome together stand for worldly society in general turned against God, with all its materialism, corruption and vice.
There is a beautiful contrast between the prostitute and another woman we meet in a moment.
The prostitute is “dressed in purple and scarlet... glittering with gold, precious stones and pearls...” She holds in her hand “a golden cup, filled with abominable things and the filth of her adulteries. The name written on her forehead was a mystery: Babylon the great, the mother of prostitutes and of the abominations of the earth...” To cap it all, she is “drunk with the blood of God’s holy people...” (Revelation 17:4-6).
Gross, gaudy, vulgar. The sexual imagery isn’t only to do with literal sex, but is a metaphor for total moral rottenness. Could you imagine a more devastating condemnation of humankind in rebellion against God?
This means that, for God’s people, his judgment is... good news, not primarily something frightening, for such rottenness needs to be dealt with. Just as, in the days of Noah, God lost patience with sinful humankind and cleansed the earth with water, so at the end of time he will bring all sin into judgment and it will be burned up by his holy wrath. This isn’t angry vengeance; it is perfect, just judgment.
And the other woman? She is “the bride of the Lamb”, and she is dressed simply in “fine linen, bright and clean” (19:8). What a contrast! - all purity and innocence. And who is she...? Well, of course, the church, God’s cleansed and holy people. You and me...
The third hallelujah is in verse 4, and is linked with another Hebrew word: “Amen! Hallelujah!” Amen means something like “Yes! Truly! Let it be so”. No wonder that to this day we still use it to endorse a prayer uttered by someone else. Putting the two words together, the heavenly host are crying out, “Let it be so! Praise the Lord!”
The fourth hallelujah is in verse 6: “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!...’”.
The darkness is gone. The book now builds, in chapters 19-22, to its triumphant climax.
No wonder that over the centuries the persecuted church has found such hope and comfort in this book that we often find strange and puzzling. However much there is that is difficult to understand, you can’t be in much doubt about what this wonderful vision means, can you?
Perhaps, like me, you’re not a very shouty type of Christian - a bit buttoned up, perhaps? Well, that’s no sin, as long as our hearts are right.
But if these things are true, make no mistake, there’s going to be some shouting done one day! Oh yes, some serious shouting! And what is it we will shout? “Hallelujah! For the Lord our God the Almighty reigns.”
Praise be to God! Amen!
Heavenly Father, I am weak and often fail. My life is still disfigured by sin. But thank you that you have washed me in the blood of the Lamb. So bring me to that day when even I will be numbered in the crowd before your throne, shouting “Hallelujah” with all my heart. Amen!
If you were asked to guess roughly how often the word “Hallelujah” appears in the New Testament, I wonder what your answer would be. Perhaps a couple of dozen times? Given the way it has become almost a spontaneous cry of praise throughout the Christian church, you would certainly think so.
In fact, the answer is - just four. Even more remarkable, all those four instances are grouped in a single short passage - Revelation 19:1-6.
Hallelujah is a Hebrew word, occurring frequently in the Old Testament, especially in the psalms (the last few psalms all begin and end with it). But in most translations you won’t actually find the word as we now know it, because it is translated into its literal English equivalent, “Praise the Lord!”. It is, quite simply, an excited exclamation of worship to God.
So what’s so special about Revelation 19?
It’s a turning point in the book, when the spotlight moves from the darkness of sin, wickedness and evil, and when John begins to see the light of the final victory of God over that darkness.
Look at the four hallelujahs, “shouted” (in the NIV translation) by the heavenly host.
The first two are closely linked to divine judgment: “Hallelujah! Salvation and glory and power belong to our God, for true and just are his judgments” (verses 1-2); and then: “Hallelujah! The smoke from her goes up for ever and ever” (verse 3), where “smoke” implies destruction, and “her” refers to “the great prostitute who corrupted the earth by her adulteries” (verse 2).
If you go back to chapters 17 and 18 you find that the prostitute is “Babylon”, one of Israel’s greatest historic enemies. In turn, Babylon almost certainly stands for Rome, the heart of the godless empire under which God’s people were suffering as John wrote. And, for us today, Babylon/Rome together stand for worldly society in general turned against God, with all its materialism, corruption and vice.
There is a beautiful contrast between the prostitute and another woman we meet in a moment.
The prostitute is “dressed in purple and scarlet... glittering with gold, precious stones and pearls...” She holds in her hand “a golden cup, filled with abominable things and the filth of her adulteries. The name written on her forehead was a mystery: Babylon the great, the mother of prostitutes and of the abominations of the earth...” To cap it all, she is “drunk with the blood of God’s holy people...” (Revelation 17:4-6).
Gross, gaudy, vulgar. The sexual imagery isn’t only to do with literal sex, but is a metaphor for total moral rottenness. Could you imagine a more devastating condemnation of humankind in rebellion against God?
This means that, for God’s people, his judgment is... good news, not primarily something frightening, for such rottenness needs to be dealt with. Just as, in the days of Noah, God lost patience with sinful humankind and cleansed the earth with water, so at the end of time he will bring all sin into judgment and it will be burned up by his holy wrath. This isn’t angry vengeance; it is perfect, just judgment.
And the other woman? She is “the bride of the Lamb”, and she is dressed simply in “fine linen, bright and clean” (19:8). What a contrast! - all purity and innocence. And who is she...? Well, of course, the church, God’s cleansed and holy people. You and me...
The third hallelujah is in verse 4, and is linked with another Hebrew word: “Amen! Hallelujah!” Amen means something like “Yes! Truly! Let it be so”. No wonder that to this day we still use it to endorse a prayer uttered by someone else. Putting the two words together, the heavenly host are crying out, “Let it be so! Praise the Lord!”
The fourth hallelujah is in verse 6: “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!...’”.
The darkness is gone. The book now builds, in chapters 19-22, to its triumphant climax.
No wonder that over the centuries the persecuted church has found such hope and comfort in this book that we often find strange and puzzling. However much there is that is difficult to understand, you can’t be in much doubt about what this wonderful vision means, can you?
Perhaps, like me, you’re not a very shouty type of Christian - a bit buttoned up, perhaps? Well, that’s no sin, as long as our hearts are right.
But if these things are true, make no mistake, there’s going to be some shouting done one day! Oh yes, some serious shouting! And what is it we will shout? “Hallelujah! For the Lord our God the Almighty reigns.”
Praise be to God! Amen!
Heavenly Father, I am weak and often fail. My life is still disfigured by sin. But thank you that you have washed me in the blood of the Lamb. So bring me to that day when even I will be numbered in the crowd before your throne, shouting “Hallelujah” with all my heart. Amen!
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