The Four Alleluias

 Temple Baptist Church - 12-5-2021

Revelation 19:1-8

 

A.  Last week, we saw that the vengeance of the Lord brought total destruction to the great city of Babylon the Great or Rome.  As it brought great weeping to the wicked, it brought great rejoicing to the martyred saints in heaven.  The world and God's people have great contrast in how they see things.

 

Revelation 18:20  Rejoice over her, thou heaven, and ye holy apostles and prophets; for God hath avenged you on her.  (Notice with me that this verse is a command to rejoice, not just some involuntary praise worked up by those involved.)

 

Luke 10:20  Notwithstanding in this rejoice not, that the spirits are subject unto you; but rather rejoice, because your names are written in heaven.  (There is also rejoicing because these who have suffered and died at the hands of the great whore are in heaven and no longer on earth to suffer anymore.)

 

B.  Verse 1.  Tonight, we see a more detailed look at the great rejoicing that will take place in heaven.  I remember well Dr. Harold Sightler's message from the text titled "The Four Hallelujahs." 

 

C.  Here we find the First Mention, Full Mention, Last Mention of Alleluia found in the Bible.  4x in 6 verses.  I do not intend to get into a Hebrew and Greek word study tonight but to know the proper meaning of Alleluia, we do need to find its Hebrew equivalent as well as its meaning in Greek.   The Hebrew word is a contraction of: "to be worthy of praise" and "Jah," the Lord most vehement.   Simply stated, "Praise Ye Jah!"  An exclamation of adoration for our powerful, majestic, almighty God!  And He is worthy of such praise.  The Greek word is not a contraction.  It is a single word meaning "Praise the Lord" and is translated into English as Halleluiah.  It has been called "a formula of praise."  "Praise ye the LORD" is found at the beginning of ten psalms which are titled "The Hallelujah Psalms."  These are the highest instances of praise.

 

D.  Now for a look at these 4 instances of highest praise found in heaven.

 

E.  Verses 1.  The First Alleluia: The Alleluia of God's Person.  A great voice of much people in heaven.  This is a multitude that cannot be numbered.  All saints that have died in the LORD from Adam's Day to this recorded day in heaven: natural death and martyrdom.  The untold billions of small children who have died in innocence along with all the aborted babies (both spontaneous miscarriages and babies murdered in the womb).  The number will be staggering to the human mind.

 

Genesis 13:16  And I will make thy seed as the dust of the earth: so that if a man can number the dust of the earth, then shall thy seed also be numbered.

 

Genesis 22:17  That in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies;

 

Dust, the stars, and the grains of sand by all seas!  Heaven will be a full place with an innumerable number of saints praising God.

 

F.  For whom the LORD is and what the LORD has done.  Salvation.  Both Old and New Testament saints fully understood that salvation was of the LORD!  From Adam and Eve in the Garden to the last of the Tribulation saints, salvation was the free gift of God to "whosoever" will come.  Glory.  All glory belongs to God.  He only is worthy to wear the crowns that will be won at the Judgment Seat of Christ.  "Crown Him with many crowns!"  All honor belongs to God.  God only is worthy to be praised both now and in eternity to come.  All power belongs to God.  Power belongeth to the LORD.  He is power, He is all power, He is omnipotent.  He is the LORD, and He is our God.  Praise ye the Lord!

 

G.  Verses 2-3.  The Second Alleluia:  The Alleluia of God's Martyrs.  The LORD hath judged the great whore and hath avenged the blood of His servants.  His people vindicated, the whore's punishment full, final, and eternal.  God's people will be rejoicing because her time had come, and God's purposes fulfilled.  The great whore will never be rebuilt and become glorious again.  The great whore will never punish, persecute, or put to death another of God's people.  And the "her smoke rose up for ever and ever."  A testament to her wickedness and equal punishment.  Praise ye the Lord!

 

The death of these precious saints of God who paid the ultimate price for their redemption will be vindicated; their deaths avenged; the systems that tormented and killed them will pay the ultimate price, the eternal price for their deaths.

 

H.  Verses 4-5.  The Third Alleluia: The Amen Alleluia.  Here we find the agreement of every person and creature in heaven.  Heaven was once noted for its rebellion by Lucifer and division as an innumerable number of angels followed his rebellion.  In Revelation, chapter 12, we saw war in heaven as Michael and his angels fought against Satan and his angels.  Michael won and Satan was cast out!  Agreement and peace were re-established in heaven.

 

Amen – let it be so.  God is righteous and just in His dealings with Babylon the Great, both religious and political.

 

J.  The four and twenty elders represent both the twelve tribes of Israel and the twelve apostles of the Lamb.

 

The Old Testament Saints that were taken "captive" at the resurrection of Christ Jesus and taken to heaven were satisfied with the great whore's judgment.  Prophets, martyrs, and saints of God from the Old Covenant cried, "Amen, Alleluia!"

 

The New Testament Saints represented by the twelve apostles of the Lamb, of which probably all but John died a martyr's death, along with every precious saint of God who died a natural death along with the martyrs from the days of Christ to the end of the Tribulation Period were satisfied with the great whore's judgment and cried, "Amen, Alleluia!"

 

K.  The four beasts who had never known persecution and death realized the greatness of the judgment of the great whore.  Though never redeemed, these holy, heavenly creatures that have spent their eternity praising God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit cried, "Amen, Alleluia!"

 

L.  Verses 6-8.  The Fourth Alleluia:  The Alleluia of the Bride.  Now, all the voices of the martyrs, Old Testament saints, New Testament saints, and four beasts cried in unison, "Alleluia!"  As the voice of a great multitude, as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of mighty thunderings, they cried with a crescendo that would shake the foundation of the universe with their praise for almighty God!

 

M.  The marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready!  Now, the Lord God is proud of His Bride that will become His wife because she had made herself ready.

 

Ephesians 5:25-27  Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;  (26)  That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word,  (27)  That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.

 

God gave her His Word and she, through her love and obedience, washed herself in it as a bride would bathe before her wedding.  It is God's way and will that His children keep themselves pure (without spot, or wrinkle, of any such thing … holy and without blemish").  Alleluia!  Hallelujah!