Revelation 19: Hallelujah! The Unveiling of the Queen

Bible Study Series: Revealing Jesus in Revelation

Revelation Chapter 19:1-10 Hallelujah! The Unveiling of the Queen 

by I Gordon

Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. 
When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory (Col 3:2-4)
For our momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison (2Co 4:17)

Do you want to make heaven happy? Have you considered what it is that puts a smile on the face of those who call heaven home? As we approach Revelation 19 we are going to hear a lot of rejoicing and quite a few 'hallelujahs' coming from heaven. Listen closely and you might even hear a 'whoop whoop!' coming from above. You see this chapter focuses on several joy-filled events. But one event definitely exceeds them all. Today we'll look at:

• The reason for the 4 halleluiahs and joy in this passage. 
• Heaven's "big day"! Here comes the bride... a queen to sit with her King!
• How is this coming royal bride and Queen pictured in types and prophecy in the Old Testament?
• And what are some applications for our life today? Why do we lose our joy... and how is it restored?

Alright... it is...

Hallelujah Time! - Time to Rejoice

Rev 19:1-5 After this I heard what sounded like the roar of a great multitude in heaven shouting: "Hallelujah! Salvation and glory and power belong to our God, (2) for true and just are his judgments. He has condemned the great prostitute who corrupted the earth by her adulteries. He has avenged on her the blood of his servants." (3) And again they shouted: "Hallelujah! The smoke from her goes up for ever and ever." (4) The twenty-four elders and the four living creatures fell down and worshiped God, who was seated on the throne. And they cried: "Amen, Hallelujah!" (5) Then a voice came from the throne, saying: "Praise our God, all you his servants, you who fear him, both small and great!"

Our passage starts with the phrase 'after this' which in the Greek is 'meta tauta'. So it is noting that the events of Revelation 19 come after the fall of Babylon just seen in Revelation 18. And we should note straight away that there is a lot of rejoicing in heaven going on. As the spotlight moves from earth to heaven, we hear the roar of a great multitude... I don't want to say there is a party going on up there but they are certainly happy and it is celebration time! This may be the same great multitude we saw in Revelation chapter 7 which were saints that were martyred and came out of the Great Tribulation. Or it could be all the saints in heaven rejoicing. One thing is clear and the reason for their rejoicing is the downfall of Babylon. You see, as mentioned in the last two studies, Babylon goes all the way back to the book of Genesis and the saints of all ages will be pleased to see her end! So why specifically are they rejoicing? Well, think of all the times that you are frustrated when evil prevails. Think of all the times when the wicked prosper with seemingly no justice. This troubled many saints in the Bible and still troubles people today. 

• Jeremiah struggled with this specifically asking God about His justice: 'You are always righteous, O LORD, when I bring a case before you. Yet I would speak with you about your justice: Why does the way of the wicked prosper? Why do all the faithless live at ease?' (Jer 12:1)
• The Psalmist Asaph struggled as he saw the way of the wicked saying 'This is what the wicked are like-- always carefree, they increase in wealth. Surely in vain have I kept my heart pure; in vain have I washed my hands in innocence.' (Ps 73:12-13)
• In the days of the prophet Malachi the people called 'the arrogant blessed' saying 'Certainly the evildoers prosper, and even those who challenge God escape.' (Mal 3:15)

Now each was given an answer¹ and as God spoke to Malachi 'in the day when I make up my treasured possession... you will again see the distinction between the righteous and the wicked, between those who serve God and those who do not.' And as Proverbs says 'Wealth is worthless in the day of wrath, but righteousness delivers from death.' (Pro 11:4)

Well, the day of recompense has come in Revelation 19. Babylon has been judged and the world is about to see the rider on the white horse with His eyes of fire! But before that there are four 'hallelujahs' in this passage we need to explore. This Hebrew word 'hallelujah' is found nowhere else in the New Testament. Why is that you ask? Because we will fully rejoice when this corrupt religious and worldly system is taken down and the time for Jesus' reign on earth has come! Hallelujah means 'Praise the Lord' and to put it simply, when evil is finally put down, heaven is happy. Oh so happy! But it is not just the judgment that is making heaven happy - it is what comes next! Here are the reasons behind the four hallelujahs :

1. First hallelujah: The judgement of God has come upon the harlot Babylon, ending her reign and He has avenged the blood of the saints that she took (vs 1)
2. Second hallelujah: Her destruction is everlasting. Her smoke goes up forever meaning she will never rise again. (vs 3)
3. Third hallelujah: In her place the Lord shall reign so all His people, both small and great, should worship and fear God. (vs 4)
4. Fourth hallelujah: Instead of the harlot, the true bride is ready and the wedding of the Lamb is announced! (vs 6)

And as Handel wrote in his epic 'Messiah'²:
And He shall reign forever and ever. King of kings (Forever and ever)
And He shall reign (Hallelujah! Hallelujah!). And He shall reign forever and ever
King of kings! and Lord of lords! King of kings! and Lord of lords!
And He shall reign forever and ever Forever and ever, Forever and ever
Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah!  

The Real Avenger

Now note also what heaven says about God's judgment:

1. True and just are his judgments
2. He has avenged on her the blood of his servants

It is worth noting that it is God who avenges, not us. We are actually not allowed to. Often we may want to pay someone back who has offended us, but that is not our right. God does not call us to act that way. When we try to take judgment into our own hands we no longer walk by faith but by human wisdom and reasoning. So He asks us to commit judgment into His hands. His judgment is always just and true. Ours, well, it can be unjust, disproportionate or just simply based on misunderstandings! He sees and knows all and takes everything into account before judgment. Us? Well we can give someone a tongue lashing based on a bad case of Chinese whispers! God's word says:

Rom 12:17-21 Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody. (18) If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. (19) Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God's wrath, for it is written: "It is mine to avenge; I will repay," says the Lord. (20) On the contrary: "If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head." (21) Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

You may remember how Joseph replied when his brothers thought he would bear a grudge and repay their evil with evil - He said 'Don't be afraid. Am I in the place of God?' (Gen 50:19). He had God in the right place! Now in the Old Testament there was a concept called 'the avenger of blood'. This was a person who was legally responsible to carry out vengeance on behalf of a family member who had been unlawfully killed or murdered (Deut 19:11–12). God setup various 'cities of refuge' that the one who did the killing, if unintentional, could find safety in. So let's be clear: Jesus is the avenger of blood and he will repay for the shed blood of His brethren, the saints. He is also the city of refuge that people flee to and by Revelation 19, if the sinner has not found their refuge in Him, there will be no city to run to. God has said that He will repay and so He will.  

So along with the great multitude in heaven, we also see the twenty four elders and the living creatures singing hallelujah. J. Vernon McGee writes: "The elders we believe to be the church (see Rev. 4). This is the last time the elders appear as such, for the figure changes now, and the church is to become the bride of Christ. The word church means "called out." Here on the earth we are the church, the called-out ones, but after we leave the earth we are the bride." 

The Joy Destroyer and Restorer

So we see a lot of rejoicing in heaven in this chapter. As an application for our lives right now, it is good to contrast this joy in heaven with our walk here on earth. Joy is of the Spirit but down here many things try to steal our joy. Do you remember Psalm 42? It's the one where the Psalmist says 'why are you downcast oh my soul? Hope in God again!' As I read the Psalm recently I noticed both that which steals our joy and what the Psalmist did to restore it. See if you can relate to any of these struggles that the Psalmist faced. He was:  

1. Struggling under the taunts of men: Psa 42:3 My tears have been my food day and night, while men say to me all day long, "Where is your God?"
2. Struggling with the thoughts of 'the good old days': Psa 42:4 These things I remember as I pour out my soul: how I used to go with the multitude, leading the procession to the house of God, with shouts of joy...
3. Struggling under the hand of God: Psa 42:7 Deep calls to deep at the sound of Your waterfalls; All Your breakers and Your waves have rolled over me.
4. Struggling with the seemingly absence of God: Psa 42:9 I say to God my Rock, "Why have you forgotten me? 
5. Struggling with the oppression of the enemy: Psa 42:9 Why must I go about mourning, oppressed by the enemy?"

All these things take our joy. So what is the answer? What did the Psalmist do... what did he focus on? And what should you do?

1. Express your desire for God and His presence: Psa 42:2 My soul thirsts for God, for the living God; When shall I come and appear before God?
2. Remember God when your heart despairs: Psa 42:6  O my God, my soul is in despair within me; Therefore I remember You from the land of the Jordan
3. Pray for His presence and for songs in the night:  Psa 42:8  The LORD will command His lovingkindness in the daytime; And His song will be with me in the night, A prayer to the God of my life.
4. Speak to your soul and don't let it speak to you! Psa 42:11 Why are you in despair, O my soul? And why have you become disturbed within me? 
5. Hope again and praise God for who He is for you right now! Psa 42:11 Hope in God, for I shall yet praise Him, The help of my countenance and my God.

The Wedding Who What When Where

Rev 19:6-9 Then I heard what sounded like a great multitude, like the roar of rushing waters and like loud peals of thunder, shouting: "Hallelujah! For our Lord God Almighty reigns. (7) Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory! For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready. (8) Fine linen, bright and clean, was given her to wear." (Fine linen stands for the righteous acts of the saints.) (9) Then the angel said to me, "Write: 'Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb!' " And he added, "These are the true words of God."

Alright... entrée over. Bring on the main course! Do you want to know what brings heaven the most joy? Do you know what the primary source of these heavenly 'whoop whoops' is? It is right here - one 'out of this world' wedding. Yes, the wedding of the Lamb! Goodness... that has been a long time in the making! This is not just the wedding of the year, or even the decade. This is the wedding of eternity! So let's investigate the who, what, when and where of this wedding. 

• Who - Who is the bride and who is at this wedding? Just as Israel in the Old Testament was said to be the wife of Yahweh (Jer 3:14, 31:31-34 Isaiah 54:5-8) so the Church is the bride of Christ (2Co 11:2, Eph 5:22-24). We are engaged to Him today, awaiting our future marriage. The Old Testament saints, as John the Baptist declared, are the 'friends of the bridegroom' (John 3:29) and will be guests at the wedding supper.
• What - What is this wedding? It is the most glorious event that all of heaven waits for! It will be the most incredible experience that the believer will ever have. It is the day when the church, in all her beauty and perfection, is presented to Jesus her husband. There will be no thought of sin, guilt or regret on that day. The Bible says that the believer will 'stand in the presence of His glory blameless with great joy,' (Jude 24) I know I can't do this justice because we simply cannot comprehend how incredible it will be. It reminds me of something I read this week about the late Dr Ed Hindson. He was known for his love and passion for Bible prophecy and often spoke about heaven and the return of Jesus. Despite this, in the last moments of his life he opened his eyes and exclaimed: “I had no idea it was so glorious!"³ And that is the truth of it. We just cannot comprehend how glorious it will be! Your understanding and imagination will only go so far. It reminds me of another on their death bed - the late great D.L Moody, who received a vision of heaven and said 'Earth recedes. Heaven opens before me. If this is death, it is sweet!... I have been within the gates. I have seen the children’s faces... This is my triumph; this is my coronation day! It is glorious!' 
• When - When does it take place? It takes place after the overthrow of Babylon and before the second coming of Jesus to earth. For believers it will occur after the bema seat of Christ when all of the old is burnt up and all rewards are given forth. It is after that the bride will forever be seen in the utter perfection of her husband. 
• Where - Where does this wedding take place? It is in Heaven. But note carefully that in Revelation 19 there are two announcements. Firstly, it is announced that the wedding has come. Secondly, it is announced that blessed are those that are invited to the wedding supper. Clearly this is not the bride, as she doesn't need an invite to her own wedding! So there is a wedding, which takes place in heaven between Christ and His Church, followed by a wedding supper or feast that is likely on earth⁴, with all the saints of all ages, at the beginning of the Messianic Kingdom.   

Pictures of the Coming Marriage

In the eye of God the bride was seen before the foundation of the earth when Jesus was willing to be the Lamb slain to purify a bride for Himself. She incorporates people from every nation, tribe and race. And here now is the event that heaven and earth have waited thousands of years for. It has been spoken about and pictured in scripture through various earthly marriages in scripture including:

• Adam and Eve - In the original marriage, Eve is a picture of the bride of Christ. She was 'hidden' in Adam just as the bride is 'hidden in Christ' before being revealed in her beauty and brought to Adam in marriage.
• Isaac and Rebekah - After Abraham was willing to offer Isaac as a sacrifice, Isaac is not seen again until coming to meet his bride that has been chosen for him, taking her to his home. This pictures Jesus being offered as a sacrifice and not seen again until the time of His marriage is at hand, when He too will come to meet His bride and take her to His home.
• Joseph and Asenath - Upon being exalted to the right hand of Pharaoh, Joseph took a Gentile bride. This pictures Jesus taking a Gentile bride after His resurrection and ascension into Heaven.
• Moses and Zipporah - After his rejection by his fellow Israelites, Moses went to Midian and took a Gentile bride. This pictures Jesus, after His rejection by His fellow Jewish brothers, receiving a bride from amongst the Gentiles. And yet like Moses and also Joseph, He shall return to deliver His Israelite brothers in their time of need!  
• Boaz and Ruth - Boaz was the kinsman-redeemer who was willing to pay the price to redeem and marry the Gentile Ruth. This pictures the price that the great redeemer, Jesus, was willing to pay to purchase a bride for Himself.  

And so we see that Revelation rejoices in the day when the wedding has come and the bride is ready. In this day, like Eve who was hidden in Adam as mentioned, so the glory of the church is currently hidden in Christ (Col 3:3). But she will be revealed in the glory and likeness of Christ as a willing, desirable counterpart and Queen to this King of kings!

Are these individual or collective garments? 

Rev 19:8 Fine linen, bright and clean, was given her to wear." (Fine linen stands for the righteous acts of the saints.) 

Now the Bible says that at the wedding of the Lamb, the bride has made herself ready and also that fine linen, bright and clean was given her to wear. And the fine linen, it says, is the righteous acts of the saints. The Greek is specific here that it is speaking of the righteous acts of the saints. This expresses the fact that our garments are given by God but are also the result of the acts or works we have done in the Lord since becoming Christians. We are rewarded and arrayed in the works done which were based upon the will and empowering of God. As it says in Ephesians:

Eph 2:10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.

Now you may have heard this passage in Revelation 19:8 preached something like this:

"Now, the wedding garments are the righteous acts of the saints. Each act you do adds to your garments. So I hope you have done righteous acts and are preparing for that day. Otherwise your garments will be awfully thin and possibly embarrassing on your wedding day!"

The fact is that when we read a passage like this we tend to think of it as individuals. We often think 'have I done enough?' 'Are my individual garments going to be bright and clean on that day?' But this is not speaking of individuals and there are no individual garments at the wedding. It is speaking collectively of one bride and all righteous spirit-led acts of any church member of any age adds to the collective garments in which she, as a whole, will be seen. I like what William Newell writes on this:

Now, although for our service each one in the kingdom will “receive his own reward according to his own labor,” yet all the works wrought through Jesus Christ by the Holy Spirit in and by the saints of the Bride will all belong alike to that holy Bride: for the whole Church is the Bride. Linen represents manifested righteousness, and this is “fine linen, bright and pure.” It has that same “exceeding white and glistering” appearance as her Lord’s raiment had on the transfiguration mount-of glory as well as purity. In other words, the Church will appear, all of it, in raiment wholly befitting Christ, her glorious Bridegroom. She herself had no righteousness; Christ Himself is her righteousness and her standing. She is one with Him. But now all those blessed Spirit-led works, those “righteous acts” of the saints while on earth, are wrought to produce an array manifestly befitting the Bride, herself, without “spot, blemish or any such thing”-in this unspeakable scene!
William Newell, Revelation, A Complete Commentary 

The Queen - An Old Testament Glimpse

Let's focus a little more on this bride, this coming queen. Like I have said throughout the studies of this book, there are always pictures and prophecies of the events in Revelation in the Old Testament. We have seen some types of the bride of Christ already but I want to focus briefly on a prophecy about the coming queen. There is a great picture of this coming day in Psalm 45. Let's quickly examine verses 6-17:

The Coming King

Psa 45:6-8 Your throne, O God, will last for ever and ever; a scepter of justice will be the scepter of your kingdom. (7) You love righteousness and hate wickedness; therefore God, your God, has set you above your companions by anointing you with the oil of joy. (8)  All your robes are fragrant with myrrh and aloes and cassia; from palaces adorned with ivory the music of the strings makes you glad.

Here is a prophecy about One whose throne will last forever. And the odd thing about this prophecy is that this One is called God... but He also has a God! The mystery is solved when we look at Hebrews 1:8-9 and find that the Psalm is recording a conversation between the Father and the Son! It is God the Father, telling the Son, Jesus, that His throne will last forever. And because Jesus loved righteousness and hated wickedness, the Father has anointed Him with the oil of joy. His robes are also fragrant with myrrh and aloes. You may remember that Jesus' body was anointed with these in His burial (Joh 19:39). But this scene in Psalm 45, like Revelation 19, is a wedding scene. So why would the myrrh and aloes, which were often burial spices. be seen here? Because it is a reminder of the love which Jesus had for His bride so that He was even willing to die for her. This love is described by the Apostle Paul in Ephesians 5 saying:

Eph 5:25-27 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.

The Coming Queen

Psa 45:9-11 Daughters of kings are among your honored women; at your right hand is the royal bride in gold of Ophir. (10) Listen, O daughter, consider and give ear: Forget your people and your father's house. (11) The king is enthralled by your beauty; honor him, for he is your lord.

Verse 9 introduces a new very important person. We have seen the Lord Jesus described previously, anointed and reigning as King. Now we learn of someone at His right hand. It is His royal bride! Or, as other versions state, 'At Your right hand stands the queen in gold from Ophir'. This is picturing the bride that we have seen in Revelation 19 and you'll note that it says that the King is enthralled at the beauty of His queen! We should always remember that for the 'joy set before Him, Jesus endured the cross.' There was something that He saw that made everything that He had to go through worth it. It was, as I mentioned earlier, someone seen in the eye of God even before the foundation of the world. It was His bride. His counterpart. The glorious queen, with her King. And note that she is told to forget her people and home and seek the King's home and honor. As Rebekah left her home without yet having seen Isaac, so believers today set their hearts on that above, their heavenly home, and are willing to follow and be wed to the One with whom they have not yet seen! Because of this, great glory will be poured out on the Church - His bride. 

The Queen's Glory

Psa 45:12-15 The Daughter of Tyre will come with a gift, men of wealth will seek your favor. (13) All glorious is the princess within her chamber; her gown is interwoven with gold. (14) In embroidered garments she is led to the king; her virgin companions follow her and are brought to you. (15) They are led in with joy and gladness; they enter the palace of the king.

This Psalm continues telling us that the world will bring gifts to this beautiful bride of the King. This gives a picture of her position during the Messianic Kingdom. As she rules in the glory of her King, the Lord Jesus, the nations will come to behold her, and her husband's, glory. And she will be beautiful, in the most glorious garments, interwoven with gold. The gold in her garments picture that she is of God, having His nature. Now, it can be a strange thought that we, the bride of Christ, would be included here for such honor. We know from the prophetic scriptures that the nations will come to honor and give gifts to the King during His kingdom (Isa 60:3-6). But that they are coming to see and honor His bride as well? Truly believers, the bride of Christ, will be something glorious to behold in that day! This is the day that all creation desires, 'For the anxious longing of the creation waits eagerly for the revealing of the sons of God.' (Rom 8:19)   

The King's Honor

Psa 45:16-17 Your sons will take the place of your fathers; you will make them princes throughout the land. I will perpetuate your memory through all generations; therefore the nations will praise you for ever and ever.

The last two verses are addressed back to the King. All generations from that day forth will think of, honor, and praise the King for ever and ever. Here we see the eternal honor that will be the Lord Jesus'. This is expressed in the book of Philippians saying Php 2:8-11 Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus EVERY KNEE WILL BOW, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. 

That day is coming folks! His name will be the only name forever! Zec 14:9 And the LORD will be king over all the earth; in that day the LORD will be the only one, and His name the only one. 

It is all about Jesus! 

Rev 19:10 At this I fell at his feet to worship him. But he said to me, "Do not do it! I am a fellow servant with you and with your brothers who hold to the testimony of Jesus. Worship God! For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy."

Coming back to Revelation 19, in this last verse for today. we see that John was completely overwhelmed by what he saw coming, and in a moment of both awe and some confusion, he fell down to worship the angel. Well that angel wasn't having any of that! He basically says 'Don't even think about it buddy!' Thankfully angels know their place and they don't want praise. In fact they won't allow it for it is for Jesus alone. So he stops this great, but aged disciple, straight in his tracks saying that worship is for God alone⁵ and the spirit of prophecy is the testimony of Jesus. Now that last phrase may sound a little strange but what the angel is saying is that the purpose, heart and intended outcome of all prophecy is to glorify and testify to the greatness of Jesus Christ. To that we would say 'Amen!' It is all about Him. Jesus plus nothing! 

Conclusion 

As I touch on the events portrayed in this chapter, and this certainly applies for the next message on Jesus' return as well, I am perfectly aware that I can't even begin to do them justice. I certainly can't do the marriage of the Lamb justice. We just simply can't begin to grasp how incredible and glorious it will be. Do you remember what I said Dr. Ed Hindson spoke as he passed from this life? Here is a man who spoke about the things to come all the time - it was his passion. Yet as he was passing from this life he said 'I had no idea it was so glorious!'. We can't comprehend what God has prepared. Truly 'no eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him.' But as much as we can grasp, through the Spirit's insight, we should praise God and be joyful for! It will truly be something else! The Son of God is soon coming for His bride. And she shall rule as Queen with her King in the days ahead. As we have seen, nations shall go up to see and honor the King... but also to see this one, who through the miracles of miracles, is in His image... His glorious bride. 

Jesus loves His bride with an overwhelming love and, in return, He said that the greatest commandment was to 'love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.' 

So may He be first in our lives. And may we remember, in all that we go through as believers, that

Our momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison.

God bless you!

FOOTNOTES