November 28, 2014

LET ALL BELIEVERS SHOUT, "AMEN. HALLELUJAH!"

Revelation 19:1–5

Roger Haynes
Friday's Devo

November 28, 2014

Friday's Devo

November 28, 2014

Central Truth

God will be victorious over evil, and the voices of all of heaven shouting His praises will be heard throughout all creation. Knowing that God will ultimately triumph over evil should give believers a desire to shout "Hallelujah" every day and tell others why they are shouting.

Key Verse | Revelation 19:1

After this I heard what seemed to be the loud voice of a great multitude in heaven, crying out,
"Hallelujah!
Salvation and glory and power belong to our God."
(Revelation 19:1)

Revelation 19:1–5

Rejoicing in Heaven

After this I heard what seemed to be the loud voice of a great multitude in heaven, crying out,

“Hallelujah!
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 immorality,
and has avenged on her the blood of his servants.”

Once more they cried out,

“Hallelujah!
The smoke from her goes up forever and ever.”

And the twenty-four elders and the four living creatures fell down and worshiped God who was seated on the throne, saying, “Amen. Hallelujah!” And from the throne came a voice saying,

“Praise our God,
    all you his servants,
you who fear him,
    small and great.”

Dive Deeper | Revelation 19:1–5

Think for a minute about the biggest event you have ever attended in terms of numbers of people. For most of us, that would probably be a sporting event. Think about the sound of the crowd when a player hits a game-winning home run or scores a last-second touchdown -- the sound of the voices rising up together, growing to a pitch so loud that it makes your ears ring.

What if it was not just some sporting event full of people shouting, but all of heaven shouting at once, "Hallelujah!" (which means "praise the Lord"), celebrating God's victory over evil? Can you imagine the sound?

In this passage, John writes about this exact scene, describing how the word Hallelujah! is shouted three times. Twice, it is shouted by the great multitude of heaven; then John also describes the throne room of heaven where the twenty-four elders and four living creatures are bowing down and shouting, "Amen. Hallelujah!," praising God for the victory. It takes my breath away to think of the scene that John describes.

This is the moment fixed in time that will come at an hour known only to the Father (Matthew 24:36). All Christians are waiting for it with great anticipation -- the moment when sin and death are vanquished and God's people shout with joy for the beginning of the reign of Christ on earth.

Imagine if there were a person in the crowd who was rooting for the other team in such a moment. What would such a person experience? In this context, these are people who have rejected God and have not accepted His free gift of salvation. How should we as believers feel toward the ones who rejected God?

There are people all around us that will be wearing the wrong jersey unless we tell them who wins the game in the end. Wouldn't you want someone to tell you if you didn't know this truth?

Who will you tell today about the truth of the gospel and God's redeeming grace?

Discussion Questions

1. Who is this "great multitude" (verse 1)? Will you be in the "great multitude" of heaven shouting, "Hallelujah!"? You can be. See Ephesians 2:8-9.

2. Do you know anyone who will not be alongside you shouting for joy? Can you share Ephesians 2:8-9 with them?

3. Compare this passage from Revelation 19 with the scene from Revelation 4 of the twenty-four elders and the four living creatures in the throne room of heaven. What is different?

4. There are "Hallelujah" moments all around us every day. What do you praise the Lord for today?