One again after we see the wrath of God being poured out on Babylon, the wayward church known as the Harlot and the economical system of the entire world, our eyes turn to heaven to see great worship. Wrath and Worship has continued to be a core theme throughout the book of Revelation as much as Judgment and Love is throughout the bible. They are two sides of the same coin. You cannot have one without the other. It is because of God’s great and perfect love that judgment of sin must come for all sin is a failure to love God and others as we were created and called to love God and others. Instead we love creation and created things more than the Creator and worship them instead. It is because of this the wrath of God comes, because men are absolutely corrupt and sinful in nature and without hope. We are constantly failing to love God and others. We are continually rebelling against God and committing adultery against Him through our idol worship. Through our preference of depending on created things, instead of our Creator. We have sinned against God.
1. And after these things I heard a great voice of much people in heaven…
After John had seen the judgment of the great prostitute described in Revelation chapter 17 and after the angel declared the fall of Babylon in chapter 18, John hears another great voice from heaven. This voice is the voice of “much people” or “many people” in heaven, a great throng of people. I imagine that is sounds like a voice of a great multitude, like the roar of many waters and like the sound of mighty peals of thunder as John describes later in this chapter in verse 6.
These are the saints. These are the Old Testament Saints, the Martyrs and those who have come out of the Tribulation. We still see no mention of the Church yet, the bride of Christ, she is still hidden away. But we will soon as we talk about the Wedding Supper of the Lamb.
saying, Alleluia;
Alleluia is a universal word that is the same in all languages. Here it is the Greek translation of the Hebrew word Hallelujah which means “Praise the Lord” or “Praise Yah”. Halleul is an exhortation to praise, to shout, sing and boast in God, usually addressed to several people. Yah is the short form for the name of God the Father, YHWH, Yahweh or Jehovah. Together it is an exhortation to shout and sing praises to God the Father.
Hallelujah is used multiple times throughout the Psalms, especially in reference to God’s judgment on the wicked and sinners as in Psa. 104:3:.
Let the sinners be consumed out of the earth, and let the wicked be no more. Bless thou the Lord, O my soul. Praise ye the Lord. (Psa. 104:35)
The only place the term “Hallelujah” is used in the New Testament is right here in Revelations chapter 19, where it is used four times in verses, 1, 3, 4 and 6.
The Hebrew word hallelu can also mean to shine, to flash forth light or to make a fool of, to act madly like a madman. This brings to mind the story of King David in 2 Samuel 6 as he was returning with the Arc of God bringing it back after it had been captured and returned by the Philistines. David danced before the Lord with all his might in the streets wearing a linen ephod. David’s wife Michal was standing in by the window watching David leap and dance before the Lord and it says she despised him in her heart. She met him when he came in and told him how vulgar he had behaved by dancing in such a manner in front of the people and slave girls. David responded that it was before the Lord he had danced and that he would become even more undignified than this, and he would be humiliated in his own eyes in his praise of the Lord.
Have you ever seen how wild people can get in a crowd at a football game, at a concert or even at a bar? When a certain song is sang or when a certain move in a sports game is played, they go absolutely wild with praise and excitement boasting in their team. It’s insane. They act like a madman in their excitement and boasts. They are out of their mind in their excitement. They do all sorts of things to stand out intentionally and non-intentionally in their excitement. It’s in this sense that the term hallelu can also have the meaning to act like a madly or to shine with God’s favor.
Such will be the excitement and the level of joy when we stand in heaven and are able to say, “Hallelujah! For the Lord our God the Almighty reigns!” Our joy and excitement will be so great that there will be no consciousness of self, but only of Jesus Christ and his victory and we will sing and praise great boasts in our God and his goodness and his works.
Salvation, and glory, and honor, and power, unto the Lord our God:
Here is the first of four great Hallelujahs that are found here in chapter 19! Four great boasts about our God that will fill our hearts and our lips. The first is in regards to his salvation. Salvation belongs to the Lord! This is an echo of Revelation 7:10:
And they cried out in a loud voice: “Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb. (Rev. 7:10)
It was the great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!” And all the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures, and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshipped God, saying. “Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever and ever! Amen.” (Rev. 7:9-12)
All this praise broke out in Revelations 7 after the opening of the sixth seal when the sun turned black, the earth shook, all the islands fled away and all the kings of the earth, and the great ones and the generals and the rich and the powerful, and everyone, slave and free hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains, pleading with creation instead of the Creator for salvation, calling out to the mountains and the rocks to “Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who is seated on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb, for the great day of their wrath has come and who can stand?” (Rev. 6:12-17)
You cannot read the book of Revelation in a linear fashion. In Revelation 7 we see a glimpse of Revelation 19. We had come to the end and to heaven again. There was great worship in heaven as wrath was being poured out on earth.
Notice the great praise that is being given to God in Revelation 7:12:
Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever and ever! Amen.” (Revelation 7:12)
It’s in the same style that we hear the great length of praise in Revelation 19:1
Salvation and glory and power belong to our God. (Rev. 19:1)
All Salvation and glory and power belong to our God. There is no salvation apart from God’s salvation which he has made available to us in Jesus Christ. We have no claim in our being saved. God did all the work. He did all the planning. Like anyone in need of a Savior, we were completely helpless. Dead in our sins and without hope until God saved us because of his mercy and through grace by faith. Glory belongs to God. We have nothing to boast about as Ephesians 2 says:
As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins… But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved…. For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast. (Eph. 2:1, 4, 8-9)
There is nothing for us to boast about. All our boasts, all our Alleluias! will be directed to God the Father and the Lamb for all glory and power belongs to our God.
2 For true and righteous are his judgments:
Not only will we be praising and boasting in God for such a great salvation that was solely about his glory and power. We will also be praising and boasting in God in regards to the justice of our God and his righteous judgments.
No one on earth is able to make perfect judgments. Because of our limited knowledge, our finite nature, our sin nature, we are unable to judge righteously and perfectly. The only one who is able to give 100% just and righteous judgments 100% of the time is God. He is the perfect judge. He is the righteous judge. He is the true judge before whom all men must give an account.
Not one of his rulings are unfair because God is just. Not one of them are based on limited information or false information because God is all knowing. Not one of them are too severe or not severe enough because God is merciful yet just. Not one of God’s rulings are unloving, because God is love. There is no need for an appeal because there is no one greater or more perfect in judgment than our God. True and righteous are his judgments.
for he hath judged the great whore, which did corrupt the earth with her fornication, and hath avenged the blood of his servants at her hand.
Here is a sample of his judgments. He has judged the great whore, the false bride, the wayward church who has disguised herself as God’s beloved to usurp her position, to gain her power and to destroy her offspring. This great whore did corrupt the earth with her fornication, her sexual immortality, her sensuality, her intemperance and indulgences. She was anything but faithful. She led kings’ astray, churches astray with her errors and false doctrines and caused them to drink from her cup of abominations and the impurities of her sexual immorality.
God’s judgment of her is true and righteous. God avenged the blood of his servants at her hand. As Revelation 16:4-6 says with the pouring out of the third bowl of God’s wrath:
“Just are you, O Holy One, who is and who was, for you brought these judgments. For they have shed the blood of the saints and the prophets, and you have given them blood to drink. It is what they deserve!”(Rev. 16:4-6)
3 And again they said, Alleluia
Again we see the multitude cry, Alleluia! as they speak of the righteous nature of God’s judgments. They are so righteous and true that we can boast of their righteousness.
And her smoke rose up forever and ever.
Babylon’s people mourned her fall, here we see God’s people celebrating it. Her smoke goes up forever and ever. It will serve as an eternal memorial of the righteous judgment of God. Here is a reminder to us of the eternal nature of the punishment that the wicked will suffer. They will burn in a fire that never goes out, never diminishes. Does it seem severe? It mustn’t for God’s judgments and his punishments are true and just. They are never too severe or too weak. If they seem too severe it is only because our own inability to judge righteously, to know things in full and in truth that make them appear so. God’s judgment is righteous and perfect 100% of the time.
4 And the four and twenty elders and the four beasts fell down and worshipped God that sat on the throne, saying, Amen; Alleluia.
In verse four we see the twenty-four elders and the four living creatures from Revelation chapter four falling down prostrate and worshipping God who sat on his throne in response to the multitudes cries of Alleluia praising God for his great salvation and for his righteous judgment. As they say Amen and say their own Alleluia you can see that they are in complete agreement with the righteous judgment of God and it inspires and stirs up their own worship.
5 And a voice came out of the throne, saying, Praise our God, all ye his servants, and ye that fear him, both small and great.
The text tells us that the voice came out of the throne, out of the midst of the throne but it does not tell us whose voice it was that spoke. It would not be God’s voice for it says, “Praise our God.” For the same reason it probably would not be the Lambs voice because He is also being praised with God. It is a voice that comes from those near to the throne and in its midst, a heavenly voice that calls to all to Praise our God. Perhaps it could be the voice of the Elders or of the 4 Living Creatures or of the Seven Mighty Angels. It is not defined and so we are not intended to know exactly. We are only to know that it is a heavenly voice that calls us to joint worship of our God.
6 And I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude, and as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of mighty thunderings, saying, Alleluia: for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth.
Once again we see that the throng of people, the multitude of voices has the sound of many waters. Have you ever been in a large convention or assembly where all you could hear was the sound of voices just blended together. You have to yell to be heard over them. The voices of a large multitude really do sound like many waters when compared to standing nearby a large waterfall or a restless sea. You can see the symbolizing from chapter 17 when the many waters that the Harlot sat upon represented a large people when the angel said:
“The waters that you saw, where the prostitute is seated, are peoples, and multitudes and nations and languages.” (Rev. 17:15)
All these peoples that according to John in Revelation7, that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, who were standing before the throne and before the Lamb, had a voice not only like that of many waters but also a mighty thundering as they shouted:
‘Alleluia: for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth!
The KJV text doesn’t say shout and it doesn’t have an exclamation point but I am pretty sure they are there. There is no way to be heard above this multitude except to shout and this is praise and a boast in God that he is all powerful and reigns. No one will ever try to usurp his authority again, except for after the 1000 years when Satan is let loose for a little while to try those who are on earth.
7 Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honor to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready.
The praise continues and encourages the multitude and themselves, “Let us” to be glad and to rejoice and to give honor to Christ. Why? Because the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready. Who is the bride? The church. The church has made herself ready.
The picture of a marriage is used all throughout bible. In the Old Testament, Israel was often pictured as God’s wife who is often unfaithful in her covenant relationship with God. God accuses her of committing adultery with foreign gods as we looked at a couple of weeks ago when we talked about the Harlot Church.
I will betroth you to me forever;
I will betroth you in righteousness and justice,
in love and compassion.
I will betroth you in faithfulness,
and you will acknowledge the Lord.
(Hosea 2:19-20)
For your Maker is your husband—
the Lord Almighty is his name—
the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer;
he is called the God of all the earth
(Isa. 54:5)
32 “‘You adulterous wife! You prefer strangers to your own husband! 33 All prostitutes receive gifts, but you give gifts to all your lovers, bribing them to come to you from everywhere for your illicit favors. 34 So in your prostitution you are the opposite of others; no one runs after you for your favors. You are the very opposite, for you give payment and none is given to you. (Eze. 16:32-34)
The church in the New Testament is presented as the bride of Christ, the betrothed of Christ, waiting and preparing for his return for her and the great wedding day that we see here.
I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy. I promised you to one husband, to Christ, so that I might present you as a pure virgin to him. (2 Co. 11:2)
25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her 26 to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, 27 and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless. 28 In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. 29 After all, no one ever hated their own body, but they feed and care for their body, just as Christ does the church— 30 for we are members of his body. 31 “For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.”This is a profound mystery—but I am talking about Christ and the church. (Eph. 5:25-32)
In order to understand this picture better, it is helpful to understand the ancient Oriental wedding culture. It’s not like today’s wedding or engagements for there were several differences. The first is that there were two parts to an Oriental wedding, the betrothal period and the actual wedding. We would call the betrothal period the engagement period today. Today two people meet, date and get to know one another “fall in love” and the man usually proposes and if the woman is in agreement they mutually enter into an engagement period which lasts from a period of only a few months to a few years. Their relationship is not legally binding until they actually get married. In the ancient oriental culture, a spouse was chosen by the parents, not by the wedding couple. It was based on many factors; it was a mutually beneficial relationship for the families for financial gain, property or to gain peace. Many times it was chosen out a manner of character. The parents were more mature and wise and suited to choosing and deciding on a bride or a bridegroom for their son or daughter then their children were. They would look at the bridegroom’s ability to provide, protect and the principles he held for qualifications. They would look at the bride, at her demeanor, her heritage, her abilities, her reputation, her beauty, her child bearing ability in being a suitable wife for the bridegroom. Many times these matches or betrothal contracts would be made in childhood on the basis of the parents, the in-laws being in agreement and they were legally binding.
You see this illustrated in the birth of Jesus. Jesus’ mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph and Joseph was looking to put her away and to divorce her quietly when he learned that she was pregnant. Then an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph and tells him,
“Thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost. And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name Jesus: for he shall save his people from their sins. (Matt. 1:20-21)
In a sense Mary was already Joseph’s wife since she was promised to him by her parents. They were legally betrothed to one another and obligated to faithfulness to one another just as if they were married. In the same way, we are legally betrothed to Christ. God the Father has chosen us for him before we were even born and we are obligated to faithfulness to Jesus Christ whom we are promised to.
3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. 4 For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. (Eph. 1:3-4)
I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy. I promised you to one husband, to Christ, so that I might present you as a pure virgin to him. (2 Co. 11:2)
During this time of betrothal, once the betrothed couples were older and at the age for marriage, usually in their teenage years, they would begin to prepare for their upcoming marriage. The bride would prepare by making her own wedding dress. Can you imagine? There was no David’s Bridal back then. I’m sure she had some help from her bridesmaids and if you can sew your own wedding dress, then you are prepared for marriage. The bridegroom would prepare for the upcoming wedding by preparing a place for them both to live. Since they were both young and still dependent upon their parents, the tradition was to build a room off the bridegroom’s father’s house. Once this was prepared and he was ready, the bridegroom’s father would inspect it and make sure it was suitable so to ensure he did not get into too much of a hurry and do a bad job. Once the Father approved, and everything was ready and prepared, the bridegroom was allowed to go and get his betrothed and to bring her back to his Father’s house. The bridegroom did not know when that day would be and neither did the bride. They knew the time was getting close and they would keep preparing but neither one knew the exact day and hour when the bridegroom would appear.
This tradition aligns with several scriptures:
In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also. (John 14:2-3)
But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only. (Matt. 24:36)
3 Do not let your adorning be external—the braiding of hair and the putting on of gold jewelry, or the clothing you wear— 4 but let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God’s sight is very precious. 5 For this is how the holy women who hoped in God used to adorn themselves, by submitting to their own husbands, (1 Peter 3:3-5)
My son, let not them depart from thine eyes: keep sound wisdom and discretion: So shall they be life unto thy soul, and grace to thy neck. (Prov. 3:21-22)
I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see. (Rev. 3:18)
8 And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints.
Christ has provided us with our wedding garments. It is up to us to put them on. Clean and white, represents purity, sinlessness, faithfulness and righteousness. As Christ’s betrothed we too should be earnestly preparing and adorning ourselves for our wedding. Not that we are saved by good works or are working to be saved. We are already saved and because we are saved we seek to please Christ and to adorn ourselves and to look our best when he returns, not outwardly but inwardly seeking a pure heart, practicing righteousness as 1 John 3 says:
Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appearswe shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. 3 And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure. (1 John 3:2-3)
We are God’s adopted children, and God has betrothed us, promising us to Christ as his bride. Once the room is prepared and passes the father’s inspection, the father gives permission for the son to fetch and bring home his bride. There is a great joyous wedding procession going forth from the father’s house all the way to the bride’s home where he will claim her. The bridegroom is often accompanied by friends, neighbors, musicians and singers.
The parable of the 10 virgin bridesmaids, waiting for the bridegroom in Matt 25 is a picture of this. In the parable, they all took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom. Five were wise and five were foolish. The foolish ones took no oil with them for their lamps. The wise ones remembered to grab some oil. If you have a lamp you must have oil. The bridegroom was delayed and all ten fell asleep. They were all awoken by a midnight cry: “Here is the bridegroom! Come out to meet Him!” The wise virgins got up and simply trimmed their lamps and went out to meet him. The foolish ones realized they were empty and had brought no oil to light their lamps with and began to panic. They weren’t ready! They begged the wise virgins to share but they would not knowing they had only brought enough oil for themselves. They told them to find a dealer and to buy some. While they left to go buy some, the bridegroom came and the five prepared virgins went in to the marriage feast and the door was shut behind them. The five foolish virgins came running back and banged on the door saying, “Lord, lord, open to us’ But the bridegroom answers, “Truly, I say to you, I do not know you.” And we are told the lesson of this story is to, “Watch therefore, for you do not know neither the day nor the hour.”
We do not know the day or the hour when Christ our bridesgroom will return to us. Will he find us preparing? I don’t think any of us feels completely prepared on her wedding day. We are always fidgeting with adjusting our makeup, dress, hair, trying to look perfect. In the say way, we should be fidgeting with our heart, preparing trying to clean and prepare this part through the Holy Spirit so that when he comes we will not be ashamed.
The bridegroom would then make a great procession back to his home and the bride’s family, friends and neighbors would join the joyous procession for the great celebration and it would grow. Once they arrived at the bridegroom’s father’s house the great celebration would often last seven days which is a picture of the church being raptured away in heaven during the tribulation period.
9 And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he saith unto me, These are the true sayings of God.
In the Jewish culture, it is said that the marriage supper was the best party and banquet that anyone knew. It is during this great celebration and wedding that the bride is presented to the world.
On that day, everyone will see the church for what she really is: the precious bride of Jesus. “The Bride of Christ is a sort of Cinderella now, sitting among the ashes. She is like her Lord, ‘despised and rejected of men’; the watchmen smite her, and take away her veil from her; for they know her not, even as they knew not her Lord. But when he shall appear, then shall she appear also, and in his glorious manifestation she also shall shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of the Father.” (Spurgeon)
It is a joyous occasion and John is told to write, “Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb.” To be blessed means to be happy or joyful. Those who are invited and called to the wedding are blessed. If the church is the bride, who is attending the wedding? These would be the Old Testament saints and those who are coming out of the tribulation. The bride is not invited to her own wedding. John the Baptist, referred to himself as being the friend of the Bridegroom in John 3:29.
What a joyous position it is that we are called in being as the bride! That is the position that God has called us to as the church. It may not seem fair that everyone is not the bride but it is God’s election, his will, his purposes. God chose Israel and not the Gentiles. Just as God has a special purpose and a plan for the nation of Israel so God has a special purpose and a plan for the Church.
The Wedding Feast was often used in Jesus’ parables. In these parables an invitation is given to the nation of Israel to prepare themselves to attend the wedding feast. Matt. 22:1-14 is one parable.
And again Jesus spoke to them in parables, saying, 2 “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a wedding feast for his son, 3 and sent his servantsto call those who were invited to the wedding feast, but they would not come. 4 Again he sent other servants, saying, ‘Tell those who are invited, “See, I have prepared my dinner, my oxen and my fat calves have been slaughtered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding feast.”’ 5 But they paid no attention and went off, one to his farm, another to his business, 6 while the rest seized his servants, treated them shamefully, and killed them. 7 The king was angry, and he sent his troops and destroyed those murderers and burned their city. 8 Then he said to his servants, ‘The wedding feast is ready, but those invited were not worthy. 9 Go therefore to the main roads and invite to the wedding feast as many as you find.’ 10 And those servants went out into the roads and gathered all whom they found, both bad and good. So the wedding hall was filled with guests.
11 “But when the king came in to look at the guests, he saw there a man who had no wedding garment. 12 And he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you get in here without a wedding garment?’ And he was speechless. 13 Then the king said to the attendants, ‘Bind him hand and foot and cast him into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ 14 For many are called, but few are chosen.” (Matt. 22:1-14)
It seems insane that someone would turn down the wedding invitation of a King to attend a wedding feast for his son. Just to be invited to such a feast is a great privilege and normally a hard to come by invite. Can you imagine receiving an invitation to attend Prince Williams and Princess Kate’s wedding in Britain? It was one of the most watched weddings on television in history. I don’t think anyone of us would turn it down if we received an invite and the ability provided to us to get there. How much more so when the King of Kings and Lord of Lords invites us to a wedding ceremony? Yet, the ones who were originally invited were not interested in attending. Everyone goes off about their business spurning the King. The King in his wrath burns the city and compels others who normally would not receive invitations to come in and they come. One is found without wedding garments and is absolutely speechless when questioned in how he came to attend without putting on a wedding garment and he is thrown out to wear there is much weeping and gnashing of teeth. Just like with the five foolish virgins. But unlike the five foolish virgins, the virgins were interested in attending the wedding feast, they made some preparations to go out and meet the bridegroom but they brought no oil. This is representative of the Holy Spirit. Without the Holy Spirit, we do not belong to Christ, we are not born again. It is the Holy Spirit that lights our lamps.
You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. (Romans 8:9)
In contrast those guests who received invites, showed no intention of attending the wedding. They went about their business. They made no preparations. Put on no wedding garments. Once again we are reminded that those who put their hope in him, purify themselves as he is pure.
Unlike today’s modern marriages, that center around the bride, ancient oriental weddings and this heavenly wedding will center on the bridegroom. Jesus Christ will be the center of attention as he displays his bride. So the text says, “Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honor to him.”
And he saith unto me, These are the true sayings of God.
This is to remind us that this may sound like a fairy tale, this may sound too good to be true and usually if something is too good to be true, it’s not true. But this fairy tale is true. The reality of all fairy tales come to life in one person, Jesus Christ who will rescue his unworthy bride from the ashes, he will exalt her, he will be riding a white horse, and they will live happily ever after forever and ever and ever. This consummation will take place. It may seem too good to be true but it is true and we are to play an important role.
How are your wedding preparations coming along? Are you waiting and watching? Are you adorning yourself with inner beauty? Are you putting on Christ’s righteous garments in place of your own filthy rags?
10 And I fell at his feet to worship him. And he said unto me, See thou do it not: I am thy fellow servant, and of thy brethren that have the testimony of Jesus: worship God: for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.
After all this John, falls down and worships the angel. It’s hard to imagine John making such a blunder but I imagine at this point he is probably overwhelmed by all he has seen and heard. The angel rebukes him and tells him, “See that you do not do that! I am your fellow servant” Angels although glorious, holy and mysterious in nature, are not to be worshipped. They are created beings like us and we are not to worship creation but the Creator. They serve the same Lord like us as fellow servants accomplishing the Lords work and will as directed.
We should be the same way not receiving the worship of man but pointing them to the Creator. I have never had anyone fall at my feet but in small ways others can think of us higher then we ought and we always ought to be on watch for ways to point people to God and to Christ.
The true spirit of prophecy always bears witness to Jesus and to who he is. All teaching, all sermons, all devotions should bear witness to Jesus revealing the salvation, glory, honor and power that is due to his name alone.
“Any teaching of prophecy that takes our minds and hearts away from Him is not being properly communicated.” (Hocking)
“This means that prophecy at its very heart is designed to unfold the beauty and loveliness of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.” (Walvoord)
