Title: Hymn of Victory / Revelation 19:1-21
Content hymn of victory / Revelation 19:1-21
It is said that the chief purpose of man is "to glorify God and to enjoy him." One of the things that saints glorify God is singing. And a life that delights in God is also a hymn. Praise is to exalt and please God by proclaiming God's wisdom, power, and power to all nations. This is what glorifies God. And hymns are expressions of the saints who rejoice and thank God for His amazing grace and great love.
That is why God delights in praise and the devil hates it the most. Therefore, when we sing, God is present and the Holy Spirit works with power. On the other hand, the devil trembles and comes along one road and then runs away in seven ways. In 1 Samuel 16:23 we read, “When an evil spirit from God came upon Saul, David took the harp and played it with his hand, and Saul was refreshed and healed, and the evil spirit departed from him.”
As an evil spirit, or Satan, entered Saul's heart, he hated David and became jealous. In the end, he tried to kill the spear first. But as David sang hymns on the harp in front of him, the evil spirit immediately departed. And Saul comes to his senses. Today, many people lose their minds because of evil spirits.
Often people say things like this after doing something. 'Oh, why am I doing this, I must be out of my mind' When an evil spirit enters any person, he or she becomes extremely arrogant without knowing himself or becomes vicious like an animal without controlling his emotions. And when it gets worse, they lose their minds and gibberish. Psychopaths are nothing special. If the work of evil spirits appears overtly, you become a psychopath. So, becoming extremely arrogant or becoming violent without controlling your emotions is the beginning of mental illness.
The devil makes us unaware of our own fractions and prevents us from being temperamental. But the Holy Spirit makes self-knowledge and self-control. So, the saints who are filled with the Holy Spirit know their fractions, are always humble, and achieve righteousness by controlling their emotions.
That's why the Bible says, "Be sober, awake, sober, and pray." If we do not keep our minds up while singing and praying all the time, the devil will come in and cause us to lose our minds.
Praise is always a weapon against Satan. Therefore, when we sing, our fear disappears. hate disappears. Dirty and ugly hearts go away. And it comes into our hearts with love and peace. The song of joy and thanks will be changed into a song of powerful victory.
Let's go back to the main text. Chapter 19 can be divided into three parts. The first is a hymn that rejoices in the destruction of Babylon, and the second is a revelation about Christ coming on a white horse. And the third is about the victory over the Antichrist and his army.
1. It is a hymn of joy.
In verses 1-10, the word “Hallelujah” appears four times. What does that mean? As we all know, it means 'Praise the Lord'.
In verse 1, it says, “a great voice of a great multitude.” The hymn here is truly a powerful hymn filled with gratitude, emotion, and joy. A chorus of loud and majestic crowds. Such hymns are true hymns that glorify God. It is not a reluctant hymn. There is no emotion and no joy in singing along to the hymn that we can't help but sing along to. Rather, it only hurts my throat and makes me tired. Because it is a song that has nothing to do with God. Therefore, a true hymn is a living song that is made in the relationship between God and the saints who have received his grace. And it shows us what reason to praise.
It is first of all salvation, glory, and power.
In verse 1, the second half, it says, "Hallelujah, salvation and glory and power belong to our God." Only God can save us from sin and destruction. He alone has glory, and only he has authority and power. That's why David sang in Psalm 19:1, "The heavens declare the glory of God, and the firmament shows the works of his hands."
The episcopal theologian Gredanus put it this way: It is said that it is a hymn sung in anticipation of the completion of God's saving work at the end of the world and the full manifestation of His revelatory splendor and power. The heavens and the firmament show us to some extent the glory and power of God, but now, in the last days, they will be realized in earnest, with certainty, clearly, and for everyone to recognize.
And secondly, God's judgments are true and righteous.
At the beginning of verse 2 it says, “His judgments are true and just.” There is an act of providential judgment of God that appears in ordinary times. However, because human beings are stupid, they cannot clearly understand God's recompense character. However, God's act of final judgment reveals the retaliatory color of God's nakedness.
Verse 3 shows that the wicked world, including Babylon, will be completely judged and will never rise again. "The smoke rose for ever and ever" This is a symbolic representation of the fact that Babylon is in a state of destruction for all eternity. In this way, God's judgments are true and righteous, so they are worthy of praise.
Third is the reign of God.
The second half of verse 6 says, "Hallelujah, the Lord our God Almighty reigns." It means that God has ruled over all things in the universe and will fully fulfill that rule at the end of the world. Humans have rejected God's rule and have committed themselves to this day. The result is a chaotic, painful and sinful world reminiscent of hell. That is why all mankind is struggling with groaning, sorrow, and pain. But now that the reign of God, the blessing of heaven overflowing with joy, praise and glory, has come, we cannot but give the praise of 'Hallelujah' to God.
Verse 7 says, “The covenant of the marriage of the Lamb has come.” Just as the groom welcomes the bride and enters into a joyful wedding feast, the church participates in the heavenly feast prepared by the Lord and enjoys endless rest and glory in the next world.
What does verse 9 say? "The angel said to me, Write, Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb." And he said to me, "This is the true word of God." The truly blessed are those of faith who can participate in the wedding feast. do you believe
And when it is said, “His wife has prepared it,” what does that mean? In the original Greek it is said, "His wife has prepared herself." It is the most important thing to prepare as the bride of Christ. That's a clean semaphore.
In verse 8, it says, "And he gave him to put on a bright and clean linen linen, which is the right conduct of the saints." The most important things that the saints need to prepare are the clothes of righteousness and right deeds.
But what is even more grateful is that even this is all given by the grace of God. He has justified us by the gift of faith and enabled us to do good by the righteousness of Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit. Therefore, all the saints are by the grace of God. So, we cannot help but praise God's grace.
2. The Second Coming of Christ.
Today's text clearly shows how the Lord will return.
One). It is a figure of a white horse and a rider.
Verse 11 says, “And I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse and a man riding on it, whose name was Faithful and True, who judged and fought with justice.” Here, the white horse is a symbol of victory. Abraham Kuyper said, 'When Christ returns, he will not come in mercy with the Lamb, but as a manifestation of the glory of God....He now does not come to reconcile, but to fight against every unholy thing on the earth. You're coming,' he said. And the name of the Lord is "Faith and Truth." As its name suggests, it means that He completes our salvation and that He is the true Lord our saints have been waiting for.
2). It is the appearance of power and glory.
Verse 12 says, "His eyes were like flames, and he had many crowns on his head, and he had a name written on it, which no one knows but himself." The first advent of Christ came in the form of the Lamb, a sinner, as a substitute, but here as a conqueror. The 'flame-like eyes' and the 'crown-wearing figure' are all-powerful and omnipotent figures who have the power of kings over all kings.
And 'wearing clothes dipped in blood' is the figure of a conqueror victorious in battle. The principle that the Lord judges is the Word of God. No one has any excuses because he judges just as he foretold and warned through the prophets and apostles. God's judgment is a victory of joy and joy for the saints, and for those who do not believe and disobey to the end, it is a dreadful and terrifying horror and pain like a mace being struck by the power of a spear. In a word, it shows that the grapes will be wretched and miserable, as if they were crushed in a winepress.
3. Final victory.
Verses 17-21 show this well. It speaks of being destroyed by the majestic Lord, and their corpses abandoned and eaten by birds, which, while telling a parable of how terrible and terrible the destruction of unbelievers and false prophets is, shows how perfect and thorough retribution. that is giving How many times have the saints been ignored and ridiculed, tempted and persecuted? But, believing in God's promises to the end, persevering and persevering to taste the ultimate victory, we cannot help but sing a hymn of emotion. What we should note here are the false prophets who will be destroyed along with the unbelievers.
Verse 20 says, “The beast was taken, and the false prophet who worked miracles before him was taken with him, who miraculously deceived those who had received the mark of the beast and worshiped his image. . There are several characteristics of false prophets, Mann emphasized here as "those who miraculously deceived those who worshiped idols." Even though the sin of worshiping idols should be taught, it is rather promoted, interpreting their parables and performing miracles to deceive them like servants of God and lead them astray. Of course, a miracle is a precious thing. However, it is a problem when the Lord is hidden because of miracles and we seek miracles rather than the Word. That is why Satan uses miracles as a bait to eventually lead them away from the truth.
Dear saints, I pray in the name of the Lord that all of us will keep the fidelity of our faith until the final victory and obey the word to enter the wedding feast as a bride dressed in linen cloths.