Victory Praise in Heaven
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Brief Background
Brief Background
We have worked our way through the book of Revelation and are now almost to the end. John the son of Zebedee was in exile on the isle of Patmos, and Yeshua revealed Himself to John there. John was commanded to write to seven communities in Asia Minor (modern day Turkey).
Last week we covered the specifics of the Judgement of Babylon the Great in Revelation 18. Today we will cover the responsive praise and worship in Heaven because of Adonai’s great justice and salvation.
Purpose of Revelation
Purpose of Revelation
When we started Revelation, we saw that John stated Rev. 1:1-3
The revelation of Yeshua the Messiah, which God gave Him to show to His servants the things that must soon take place. He made it known by sending His angel to His servant John, who testified to the word of God and to the testimony of Yeshua the Messiah—to everything he saw. How fortunate is the one who reads the words of this prophecy, and those who hear and keep what has been written in it—for the time is near.
So the purpose of Revelation is to show us what must take place in the future, however when I think of all that we have read through, I see a few other objectives.
Take Courage
Take Courage
Obviously, Yeshua is prophesying the end from the beginning so that when we see these things happening, we will take heart. This is what he told his Talmidim during his last night. John 16:33 “These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have shalom. In the world you will have trouble, but take heart! I have overcome the world!””
So Yeshua is trying to encourage us to have courage in the middle of the turmoil that we see around us. Just as Yeshua told the Talmidim on the Mount of Olives, Matt. 24:4-6 “Yeshua answered them, “Be careful that no one leads you astray! For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Messiah,’ and will lead many astray. You will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not alarmed, for this must happen but it is not yet the end.”
So, we are to be encouraged because Yeshua has overcome the world! Also we are to be aware that people will come in Yeshua’s name, claiming to be the anointed one, just as we have seen with the False Prophet and the City of Babylon the Great. Yeshua warned his followers to judge people by the fruit of their lives, especially those who claim to be a messiah. John would write later, 1 Jn. 2:22-23
Who is the liar, if not the one who denies that Yeshua is the Messiah? This one is the anti-messiah—the one who denies the Father and the Son. No one who denies the Son has the Father; the one who acknowledges the Son also has the Father.
Worship Always
Worship Always
Another purpose of Revelation is to teach us to worship and praise Adonai always as Paul wrote to the believes in Ephesus, Eph. 5:20
always giving thanks for everything to God the Father, in the name of the Lord Yeshua the Messiah.
I am astounded just how much of Revelation is devoted to worshiping and praising Adonai. For instance in Rev 4:8 we see the four living creatures chanting, “Kadosh, kadosh, kadosh Adonai Elohei-Tzva’ot, asher haya v’hoveh v’yavo! Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God of Hosts, who was and who is and who is to come!””
This is followed up by the twenty-four elders saying, Rev. 4:11 ““Worthy are You, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, For You created all things, and because of Your will they existed and were created!””
Then in Chapter 5 there are several declarations of praise. Particularly we see myriads of angels shouting Rev. 5:12 “Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and riches and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing!” Followed by every creature on the earth, under the earth and in the sea responding Rev. 5:13 “To the One seated on the throne and to the Lamb be blessing and honor and glory and power forever and ever!”
Then just before the Seventh Seal, the 144,000 Jewish believers, and countless Gentile believers declare Rev. 7:10 “Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!” Then the 4 creatures, the 24 elders respond by saying, Rev. 7:12 “Amen, blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might belong to our God forever and ever. Amen!”
Immediately after the seventh angel trumpeted there is another declaration of praise to Adonai. Rev. 11:15 “Then the seventh angel trumpeted, and there were loud voices in heaven saying, “The kingdom of this world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Anointed One. And He shall reign forever and ever!”” This is once again followed by a responce fsom the 24 elders. Rev. 11:17-18 “saying, “We thank you, Adonai Elohei-Tzva’ot, who is and who was, because You have taken Your great power and begun to reign. The nations were enraged, but Your wrath has come and the time for the dead to be judged— to reward Your servants, the prophets and kedoshim, and those who fear Your name, the small and the great, and to destroy the destroyers of the earth.””
The entire chapter 15 refers to the Song of Moses and the Song of the Lamb, and declares, Rev. 15:3-4
And they are singing the song of Moses the servant of God and the song of the Lamb, saying, “Great and wonderful are Your deeds, Adonai Elohei-Tzva’ot! Just and true are Your ways, O King of the nations! Who shall not fear and glorify Your name, O Lord? For You alone are Holy. All the nations shall come and worship before You, for Your righteous acts have been revealed!”
Then chapter 16 rounds out with a declaration from the altar of Adonai stating, “Rev. 16:7 “Yes, Adonai Elohei-Tzva’ot, true and righteous are Your judgments!”
I have gone through all of these passages for a reason. Again and again we see that people are praising Adonai through all of these difficult times. There is a recognition that Adonai is good, just and true. There is and understanding that He is ultimately answering the question of, “How can a good God allow so much evil in the world.” The answer is that he is patient, but that that day of justice is coming. Peter puts it this way, 2 Pet. 3:9
The Lord is not slow in keeping His promise, as some consider slowness. Rather, He is being patient toward you—not wanting anyone to perish, but for all to come to repentance.
Victory in Heaven
Victory in Heaven
This brings us to Rev. 19:1-10 which includes the last of the praise songs in Revelation.
After these things, I heard something like the loud voice of a great multitude in heaven, shouting: “Halleluyah! Salvation and glory and power belong to our God. For His judgments are true and just. For He has judged the great prostitute who corrupted the earth with her whoring, and has avenged the blood of His servants caused by her hand.” And a second time they shouted, “Halleluyah! The smoke from her goes up forever and ever!” Then the twenty-four elders and the four living creatures fell down and worshiped God who is seated on the throne, saying, “Amen! Halleluyah!” Then a voice came from the throne, saying: “Praise our God, all you His servants and all who fear Him, both the small and the great!” Then I heard something like the voice of a great multitude—like the roar of rushing waters or like the rumbling of powerful thunder—saying, “Halleluyah! For Adonai Elohei-Tzva’ot reigns! Let us rejoice and be glad and give the glory to Him! For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and His bride has made herself ready, She was given fine linen to wear, bright and clean! For the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the kedoshim.” Then the angel tells me, “Write: How fortunate are those who have been invited to the wedding banquet of the Lamb!” He also tells me, “These are the true words of God.” Then I fell down at his feet and worshiped him. But he said to me, “See that you do not do that—for I am only a fellow servant with you and your brothers and sisters who hold to the testimony of Yeshua. Worship God! For the testimony of Yeshua is the Spirit of Prophesy.”
The first declares that salvation, glory, power, justice, truth all belong to God. These attributes form part of His character. Adonai spoke through the pagan prophet Balaam, Num. 23:19 “God is not a man who lies, or a son of man who changes his mind! Does He speak and then not do it, or promise and not fulfill it?”
Adonai does not simply speak one thing and do another. On the contrary, Adonai’s character is defined by His actions. Salvation is part of his character, because He saves us; glory is part of who He is, because He has substance; Adonai is truth because he always does what He says He will do, and Adonai is just, because he will ultimately bring about a righteous judgement against all who are corrupt, sinful and lawless.
The declaration of this first starts with Halleluyah or “Praise the Lord”, because of the justice He has just measured out upon the immoral city Babylon the Great, and the entire world system that has been corrupted by its immorality. All the wickedness in the worlds system, that causes us to stumble, that persecutes us, and that ultimately martyrs us will be judged! That is worth praising God!
When the 4 living creatures and the 24 elders call for praise, there is spontaneous eruption of worship, praise and thanksgiving. Rev. 19:6-8 “Halleluyah! For Adonai Elohei-Tzva’ot reigns! Let us rejoice and be glad and give the glory to Him! For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and His bride has made herself ready, She was given fine linen to wear, bright and clean! For the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the kedoshim.”
We are so blessed that we have been invited to the wedding banquet of the Lamb!
Application for Today
Application for Today
Here at this point in Revelation, after the great city of Babylon is burned with fire, after the praise and declaration has resounded in the heaven, Yeshua rides in to save the day! Literally, He will split the sky from the east to the west, and will ride a white horse, and will lead legions of armies of heaven to bring about the 1000 year reign.
This is the revealing of Yeshua to the world, this is the time when every eye shall see and every tongue will confess that Yeshua is Lord.
For those of us who are waiting for His return, it will be a day of extreme joy. For those who are not expecting Him, it will be a day of darkness and terror. I want to close with a parable that Yeshua told his Talmidim on the Mount of Olives: Matt. 24:45-51
“Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom the master put in charge of his household to give them food at the proper time? Blessed is that servant whose master finds him so doing when he comes. Amen, I tell you, his master will put him in charge of all his possessions. But if that wicked servant says in his heart, ‘My master is taking a long time,’ and he begins to beat his fellow servants, and he eats and drinks with drunkards, the master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he does not know. And he will cut him in two and assign his place with the hypocrites, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”
Let us then remain faithful to do what he has called us to do.