Commentary - Revelation 19:1-6

Bird's-eye view

In Revelation 19:1-6, the scene shifts dramatically from the fall of the great harlot, Babylon, to the uproarious worship of Heaven. This is not a quiet, somber memorial service; it is a raucous, thunderous celebration of righteous judgment. The previous chapters detailed the corruption and final destruction of the apostate covenant community, which I take to be first-century Jerusalem, the city that had become a whore. Now, with her judgment executed, Heaven erupts in praise. This passage is the hinge between the judgment of the harlot and the marriage supper of the Lamb that follows. The smoke of the torment of the unfaithful bride goes up forever, and this is the necessary prelude to the presentation of the true, pure bride, the Church. The central theme here is that true worship delights in all of God's attributes, including His justice and His wrath. The saints in Heaven are not squeamish about the damnation of the wicked; they see it as a vindication of God's holiness and a righting of cosmic wrongs.

The passage is structured around a series of four "Hallelujahs," a Hebrew phrase meaning "Praise Yahweh." This is the great crescendo of heavenly worship, a multi-layered anthem sung by a great multitude, then by the twenty-four elders and four living creatures, and finally by a voice from the throne that summons all of creation to join in. The sound is overwhelming, like a massive crowd, like roaring waters, like mighty thunder. This is the sound of victory. God has judged the great prostitute who corrupted the earth and has avenged the blood of His servants. The final Hallelujah declares the central truth of all history: "the Lord our God, the Almighty, reigns." This is the foundation of our postmillennial confidence; the gospel is victorious because God is on His throne, and His judgments are true and righteous.

Outline

Context In Revelation

Revelation 19 follows immediately on the heels of the detailed depiction of Babylon's fall in chapters 17 and 18. The "great harlot," who I take to be apostate Jerusalem, has been judged. She was the unfaithful wife of Jehovah who, instead of maintaining her covenant purity, committed spiritual fornication with the pagan powers of the earth, chief among them being Rome (the beast she rides). Her sin was not just idolatry, but also the persecution of the saints, being "drunk with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus" (Rev. 17:6). The previous chapter ended with a lament from the kings and merchants of the earth over her destruction. They weep because their source of corrupt wealth and power is gone.

This chapter provides the divine counterpoint. While the earth mourns, Heaven rejoices. This is not vindictive gloating, but rather righteous celebration. God's justice, which seemed so long delayed to the martyrs under the altar (Rev. 6:10), has now been executed swiftly and publicly. The structure of Revelation often presents these stark contrasts between the earthly perspective and the heavenly reality. What happens in Heaven drives what happens on earth. The worship in Heaven is not a detached, ethereal affair; it is the engine room of history. The praises of the saints in this chapter are the divine verdict on the events of the previous chapters, and they set the stage for the final victory to come: the marriage of the Lamb (Rev. 19:7-9) and the final defeat of the beast (Rev. 19:11-21).

Key Issues

Clause-by-Clause Commentary

v. 1 After these things I heard something like a loud voice of a great crowd in heaven, saying, “Hallelujah! Salvation and glory and power belong to our God;

John begins with "After these things," connecting this scene directly to the destruction of Babylon he has just witnessed. The silence of the desolate city on earth is now shattered by the sound of Heaven. What John hears is not just a voice, but a "loud voice of a great crowd." This is the sound of the redeemed, the church triumphant. This isn't a smattering of polite applause; it is a stadium roar. And what are they shouting? "Hallelujah!" This is the first of four occurrences in this chapter, and remarkably, these are the only times the word appears in the New Testament. It is a transliteration of a Hebrew phrase, "Praise Yahweh." It is fitting that this Old Covenant expression of praise is used here to celebrate the judgment of the unfaithful Old Covenant people. They are praising God for three things specifically: salvation, glory, and power. These attributes belong to our God. Salvation is His because He has rescued His people. Glory is His because His character has been put on display. And power is His because He has demonstrated His ability to crush His enemies.

v. 2 BECAUSE HIS JUDGMENTS ARE TRUE AND RIGHTEOUS; for He has judged the great harlot who was corrupting the earth with her sexual immorality, and HE HAS AVENGED THE BLOOD OF HIS SLAVES shed BY HER HAND.”

The praise is not groundless. The crowd gives the reason for their Hallelujah: God's judgments are true and righteous. "True" means they correspond to reality; the harlot was genuinely guilty. "Righteous" means they are morally perfect; the punishment fits the crime. God is no tyrant; His wrath is always just. The specific judgment being celebrated is that of "the great harlot." Her crime was twofold. First, she was "corrupting the earth with her sexual immorality." This refers to her spiritual adultery, her idolatry, and how she led the nations astray. An apostate church is far more dangerous than a pagan nation, because she corrupts the very concept of truth. Second, God has "avenged the blood of His slaves." This is a direct answer to the prayer of the martyrs in Revelation 6:10, who cried out, "How long, O Lord... until You judge and avenge our blood?" God's timetable is not ours, but it is perfect. Vengeance is not a sinful human passion for God; it is the execution of perfect justice. He is settling accounts, and Heaven roars its approval.

v. 3 And a second time they said, “Hallelujah! HER SMOKE RISES UP FOREVER AND EVER.”

The praise is repeated, which intensifies it. A second "Hallelujah" rings out. And this time, the focus is on the finality and permanence of the judgment. "Her smoke rises up forever and ever." This is an image of complete and utter destruction, drawn from the Old Testament's description of Edom's judgment (Isaiah 34:10). This is not a temporary setback for the harlot; it is an eternal ruin. The smoke is the visible evidence of the fire of God's wrath. For this to ascend "forever and ever" means the judgment is irreversible and its lesson is eternal. This should be a sobering thought for any person or church that trifles with the covenant. God's judgments are not only true and righteous, but they are also final.

v. 4 And the twenty-four elders and the four living creatures fell down and worshiped God who sits on the throne saying, “Amen. Hallelujah!”

Now the leaders of heavenly worship join the chorus. The twenty-four elders, representing the redeemed people of God from both Old and New Covenants, and the four living creatures, representing all of creation, fall down in worship. This is the posture of true worship: utter prostration before the sovereign God "who sits on the throne." Their worship is concise but profound. They say, "Amen," which means "So be it," or "This is true." They are adding their solemn affirmation to the praise of the great multitude. They are in complete agreement with the verdict. Then they add their own "Hallelujah!" This is the third one. The entire created order, through its representatives, is in unanimous agreement that God is right to judge the wicked and that He is worthy of all praise for doing so.

v. 5 And a voice came from the throne, saying, “Give praise to our God, all you His slaves, you who fear Him, the small and the great.”

The worship continues to build. A voice comes "from the throne." We are not told whose voice it is, perhaps an angel commissioned for the task, but its origin gives it ultimate authority. It issues a command, a call to worship. The praise is to be given by "all you His slaves." This is a title of honor, not degradation. We are His bond-servants, bought with a price, and our greatest freedom is in His service. The call goes out to all "who fear Him," which is the biblical definition of a true worshiper. And this call is universal in its scope, including "the small and the great." In God's kingdom, there are no distinctions of earthly status. The janitor and the king, the child and the theologian, are all summoned to the same task: give praise to our God.

v. 6 Then I heard something like the voice of a great crowd and like the sound of many waters and like the sound of mighty peals of thunder, saying, “Hallelujah! For the Lord our God, the Almighty, reigns.

In response to the call from the throne, the praise reaches its zenith. John struggles to describe the sound, piling up similes. It is like a great crowd, like the roar of a massive waterfall, like the crash of a powerful thunderstorm. This is not the sound of a God who is distant or weak. This is the sound of absolute power and authority. And what do they shout? The fourth and final "Hallelujah!" The reason for this ultimate praise is the ultimate reality: "For the Lord our God, the Almighty, reigns." The verb is in the present tense. He is reigning now. The fall of Jerusalem in A.D. 70, which is the historical event behind the fall of Babylon, was a decisive demonstration of this reign. Christ has been given all authority in heaven and on earth (Matt. 28:18), and He is currently in the process of putting all His enemies under His feet. This is the bedrock of Christian hope and the engine of gospel victory in history. He reigns, and therefore we praise.

Application

First, we must learn to worship God for all that He is, not just the parts of His character that are fashionable. Our sentimental age is squeamish about judgment, wrath, and vengeance. But Heaven is not. The saints in glory praise God enthusiastically for His righteous judgments. If our worship does not have room for this, then our worship is defective and our god is too small. We must see that God's justice in condemning sin is just as praiseworthy as His mercy in forgiving it. Both flow from His perfect holiness.

Second, we should take great comfort in the fact that God is a God who avenges His people. When we suffer for the sake of the gospel, we are not forgotten. The martyrs' blood cries out from the ground, and God hears it. This does not give us license to take up personal vengeance, for vengeance belongs to God. But it does give us the confidence to endure persecution, knowing that our vindication is certain and our cause is righteous. God will settle all accounts.

Finally, the central truth of this passage, and indeed all of Scripture, is that "the Lord our God, the Almighty, reigns." This is not a future hope, but a present reality. Christ is on the throne now. This truth should govern how we live, how we engage the culture, and how we face the future. We are not on the losing side of history. We do not fight for victory; we fight from victory. Because He reigns, our task is to live out the implications of His rule in every area of life, joyfully and confidently, until His kingdom comes on earth as it is in heaven. Our response to the chaos and rebellion of the world should be the same as the response of Heaven: Hallelujah!