Hallelujah, Amen, Part 1

Babylon is corrupting her man, glorifying, nature exalting, animal worshipping, Christian murdering, promiscuous philandering, false teaching, ego promoting, money loving, sexually deviant, pseudo spiritual Christ denying, demonically bound, spiritually blind world system, and that's just the beginning of the profile of the man's city. When you open your Bible and read a book like Revelation, you're not reading stories of make believe events.

Some of the things you read are astounding, even hard to believe. However, when God gives us a prophecy, God is making a promise. He's telling us that these events will happen. Just because they're in the future, doesn't make them any less certain than past events. We're looking at some of those future promises today.

This is wisdom for the heart. Stephen Davey continues through his series called Thy Kingdom Come with this lesson entitled Hallelujah, Amen. On Saturday, August 8, 1914, Sir Ernest Shackleton set sail from Plymouth, England with 29 men. Their quest was to become the first to cross Antarctica on foot. In a recent publication, I read that Shackleton had recruited these fellow pioneers with an advertisement that read, Men wanted for hazardous journey, small wages, bitter cold, long months of complete darkness, constant danger, a safe return, doubtful, honor and success.

Men signed on. They would experience everything he promised. Shackleton would, along with them, work as hard as they did.

He would eventually become their hero. As they got closer to the continent on that ship they had embarked upon, disaster struck the expedition and their ship became trapped in pack ice and was slowly crushed by the freezing water before they could ever land. Most of the men became literally stranded on a huge ice floe that is a flat, free-floating mass of ice. Shackleton kept his crew busy by day as they endured the coming winter.

They played ice soccer, had nightly song fests and sled dog races. It was during this camp that he proved himself a self-sacrificing leader. He willingly exchanged his warmer sleeping bag with one of his crew members.

He personally served hot milk to his men every morning in an attempt to buoy their spirit. In the spring when they realized that their ice floe was thinning and would break apart, they got into a flimsy raft and made it to a nearby remote island called Elephant Island. Knowing now that their rescue from this desolate island was even more unlikely, Shackleton decided to risk his life with five other men, cross 800 miles of open Antarctic sea and make it home and bring back a rescue party in their little lifeboat.

They made it. Two different times he attempted to return to his men and rescue them, but he had to turn back. On his third attempt, which took 105 days, he kept his word, reached his men, and rescued them.

Now you may be familiar with that part of the story in this recent publication introduced me to another side of the story, and that was life for these men on that desolate island as they waited. Shackleton had left a man named Frank Wild in charge, his second in command. Wild would maintain the routine that had already been established by Shackleton. He assigned daily duties, served meals, held sing-along times, athletic competitions. He also worked hard to keep their morale up in a situation that was seemingly utterly hopeless. And because the camp was in constant danger of literally being buried in the snow that just kept falling, Frank kept his men busy shoveling away drifts of fallen snow. They wondered if they would ever be rescued and make it home. Barely four days worth of rations remained in the camp, and Shackleton arrived. He came in an ice-breaking ship.

He personally made several trips through the icy waters between that ship and land to ferry members of his crew to safety aboard the ship. The news media, of course, would turn this into an international legend of perseverance and hope and a promise kept. Shackleton later learned from the men how each morning, every single morning as they rolled up their bedding, Frank Wild would say to them all these words, and I quote, Be ready, boys. The boss may come today. Now, you know where I'm going with that. You can be half asleep and know where I'm going with that.

In fact, you could get up here and do just as good a job with where I'm going to go with that. We have been given a promise, have we not? Our great leader has made some promises and they will come true. He has promised the church and we await the fulfillment of that promise to be raptured away. He's made promises for devastation to take planet Earth by storm and they will come true. And he has promised that he will return and set up his kingdom and that will come true.

All of it. And when he comes, his second coming to set up his kingdom, we, his bride, will be with him, coming with him in the clouds in splendor. And the majesty of the scene is breathtaking. He is coming in person. He's coming to rule and reign. Before his crucifixion, the disciples asked Jesus about that return. There were questions on their minds about what would be the signs to his coming. This isn't a question about the rapture, but about the prophecies of his return to Earth to set up his kingdom. The first time he came, all the prophecies were fulfilled that he would be born of a virgin, suffer rejection, crucifixion, resurrection and ascension. Now they ask him, Lord, what are the signs going to be for you to return and set up your kingdom?

And Christ answered them, describing these cosmic disturbances that we've studied, describing the natural disasters that have already pummeled Earth. Then the Lord said to his disciples in Matthew 24 these words, After the days of tribulation, the Son of Man will appear in the sky. Later on in chapter 25, our Lord says that he will return in all his glory and will sit upon his glorious throne.

Matthew 25, 31. The king is coming. He will keep his word.

He will fulfill his promise. He will set the record straight as he returns with the church and the hosts of heaven, his bride. For the church, the bride of Christ, will be described in all her wedding day beauty in the next paragraph. Now Revelation 19, if you're not there yet, opens with this stunning epic in human history when Jesus Christ is about to come back with his bride to set up the glorious kingdom and his throne on Earth, a kingdom as the Gettys have penned wonderfully with emerald courts and sapphire skies. Is it any wonder, as we'll discover, that as Christ returns, everyone and everything related is about to burst into song.

The atmosphere is absolutely electrifying. We're about to study the capstone of redemptive history. We're given the lyrics of this grand song, the middle part of verse one. It begins with the word Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Salvation and glory and power belong to our God. Now what we have here in this amazing scene is all the redeemed and all the hosts of heaven.

They're going to be singing at the top of their lungs. This word begins it all. Hallelujah.

Now let me tell you something surprising, perhaps. This is the first time in the entire New Testament that the word Hallelujah appears. It doesn't appear in any other New Testament book. It doesn't appear in the book of Revelation up to or prior to this scene here.

Why? Well, probably because, I believe after studying this, its most common use in the Old Testament, which appears about 22 times, most often refers to the rescue of Israel and the destruction, the judgment of the wicked. And so here you have in Revelation 19 that moment where Israel is restored and Christ the judge comes back to vindicate his name. The word Hallelujah is a wonderful Hebrew word. It's transliterated into the Greek language. In fact, it's transliterated into every language, not just English.

So wherever you go, everybody says it the same way. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Maybe you've been outside the country as I have been and you go to visit believers on different continents as I have done and after the customary shaking and hands and bowing, I don't know a word of their language, they don't know a word of my language, I'll say Hallelujah.

And they'll brighten up. He knows my language and they'll say Hallelujah. That's all we know but we just say it several times and have wonderful fellowship. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Hallelujah.

Closest I get to be in a charismatic is when I travel overseas. Hallelujah. Well, it's interesting to me, no matter where you travel, every Christian seems to know the opening lyric of praise to the coming king. Hallelujah. This word is actually a compound word, a verb and a noun squeezed together. The verb Hallelu is the imperative form of the verb which simply means to praise. And the Yah, the ending which gives us Hallelujah is simply a shortened form of Yahweh, the covenant keeping God. So Hallelujah simply means praise the Lord. I read it earlier in one of the Hallell Psalms, the Hallelujah Psalms, which is where the word appears frequently. Now we can certainly use this word now as a New Testament believer or church. We don't need to wait for the kingdom.

In fact, we ought to warm up every once in a while because we have already been rescued, haven't we? And God resides within us. It's a word we ought to get used to as we speak and sing our praise to God. Now here in Revelation chapter 19, the word appears four times.

We'll let that form for us our outline. First, why don't you just go through and circle the word if you have a pen or pencil handy. I think it's a good idea to mark your Bible well. It appears first in verse one, there halfway through, Hallelujah. It appears next in verse three where we read, And the second time they said, Hallelujah. In verse four, we hear it again, only this time they add the word to Hallelujah, Amen. Amen. That's conclusive proof that some Baptist will make it to heaven. We're not told how many.

It might be discouraging. No wonder numerous authors I've read consider chapter 19 to be heaven's Hallelujah chorus. Well, let's go through these four appearances. We'll make these stand as our four points, four stanzas. And I want you to notice why the hosts of heaven are singing effectively the Hallelujah chorus. First, they are singing Hallelujah for what God offers. Look again at verse one. Hallelujah.

Why? Because salvation and glory and power belong to our God. These are God's alone. They're qualities of his character that he alone is able to gift to those who believe. The author of the New Testament book, the Apostle Peter says, You have no idea what kind of glory you're going to experience. Another word appears for as many as received him that is Jesus Christ in John 1-12. To them he gave the power to become children of God. Paul wrote to the Thessalonians in 1 Thessalonians chapter 5 verse 9 that God has not destined us for wrath but rather for the obtaining of salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ. Salvation through him. So power and glory and salvation belong to God alone.

They are God's possessions that he gifts to those who believe. So when Bono steps out on the stage during his concert, I watched a little bit online as I read that he did this just to make sure, and he puts up on the jumbo screen the word co-exist. The letter C representing the Islamic crescent. The letter X representing the star of David.

The letter T representing the Christian cross. And then he leads the crowd in what has become the mantra for the apostate church we in our generation are beginning to call the emergent church. And here's the quote, Everything you know is wrong.

What's he referring to? Religion? But even more than that he's referring to biblical propositional truth which is the hang up. Bono then leads the crowd in chanting, Jesus, Jew, Mohammed, all true. Jesus, Jew, Mohammed, all true.

What's he saying? He's saying Christianity, Judaism, and Islam are all equally true. But think about it. Christianity believes that Jesus Christ is the Messiah who came, was crucified, buried, rose again, ascended, and is coming back. Islam doesn't believe that Jesus is God incarnate. He is not the Messiah, and he didn't even die on the cross. And Judaism believes the Messiah hasn't even yet come.

How can they all be equally true? It'd be like taking I-95 South, believing that you can go to Florida and New York and Alaska. Isn't that great?

Try it. Listen to the statesman-like spin of the same message, only this time from Tony Blair, former prime minister of Great Britain, who by the way is now being promoted by the Willow Creek Association in their simulcast leadership conferences for evangelical leaders, which happens to be an utter mystery to me as to why hundreds of churches in America primarily, in fact thousands of churches, would desire unbelievers as they've invited Bono and Blair on how they could tell the church how to act and Christian leaders to lead. Utter mystery to me. Tony Blair happens to be one of the key leaders in this global push for abandoning doctrinal convictions and somehow coming together in one unified, happy family. On his board is a Zen Buddhist, a Hindu, an Anglican, a Protestant pastor whose name I won't mention for the sake of embarrassment, and a Jewish rabbi. His attempt at coexisting.

You can go online. I found this as easily as you could. And you can listen carefully and wade through statements he makes like this one. And as I attempt to teach you to think critically, to not believe something just because you hear it, including what you hear me say, take me to the scriptures to see if those things are so.

Think critically, especially in this generation. And I want you to listen to what Blair said as I'll quote him. Listen past the Christian speak and get the core of his message. Here's what he says.

God's spirit moves through us and the world at a pace that can never be constricted by any one religion. Be very wary of people who think theirs is the only way. Now who do you think he might be talking about? He's referring to Christians who muddle it all up by believing in the gospel of Jesus Christ alone. We're the problem. Watch out for us. Peter wrote to the believing church, and listen, if you are reviled, you could translate that if you are scorned, if you are maligned for the name of Christ, you are blessed.

Because the spirit of glory and of God rests on you. But this is the message we have learned of Babylon. And the volume of Babylonian voices are growing ever louder. Pushing toward what they believe will be the panacea of hope and help. One global order. One political power. One global village.

One global economy. One religious unity. As we watch the message grow together as an assembly, we studied this book and take shape until it came to power and the tribulation under the reign of antichrist.

We watched it ultimately wage open war on God, and it was defeated, the city of man. And now here in Revelation 19, as Christ is set to return, the multitude of heaven is chanting a different tune. And did you notice, no one is singing, salvation is from whatever God you'd like to believe in. It is Hallelujah! Praise Yahweh, our covenant-keeping God. That's the first Hallelujah. Hallelujah for what God offers. The second Hallelujah is for what God settles. Look at verse 3.

And a second time they said, Hallelujah! Her smoke rises up forever and ever. Who is she referred to here? Her smoke rises up forever and ever. She, as we have come to know, is Babylon, the city of man, the world system, and the world empire city.

This is who she is. Babylon is corrupting with its arrogant defiance. Her man glorifying, nature exalting, animal worshipping, Christian murdering, promiscuous philandering, false teaching, ego promoting, money loving, sexually deviant, pseudo spiritual Christ denying, demonically bound, spiritually blind world system.

And that's just the beginning of the profile of the man's city. Of man's pride, Babylon. As we enter this paragraph and work our way through it, we can imagine as believers that all the hosts of heaven and all the redeemed would say and sing Hallelujah as it relates to God's salvation and glory and power and we can immediately get into that. But can you imagine the hosts of heaven here and the world of Christians and the resurrected saints are glorifying God for that and also now they are glorifying him for his eternal, unrelenting, terrifying judgment.

It's exactly what's happening here. We the redeemed are as thrilled over the justice of God as we are the grace of God. When God here measures out eternal punishment to the followers of the beast, to the great prostitute Babylon with its system, its false religion, who seduces the hearts of unbelieving mankind, as God is measuring out his divine justice and eternal punishment to the unredeemed, unrepentant humanity along with all the fallen angels, listen, the believer will be singing Hallelujah. We don't usually attach the word Hallelujah to the destruction of the unbelieving world, do we? This is the fulfillment of Moses' words in Deuteronomy 32-43 where he writes, Rejoice, O nations, rejoice with his people.

Why? For he will avenge the blood of his servants and will render vengeance on all his adversaries. David wrote in Psalm 96, we know this psalm, the first part well, and we forget its context. Let the heavens be glad and let the earth rejoice. Let the sea roar and all it contains. Let the field exalt and all that is in it. Then all the trees of the forest will sing for joy before the Lord. There's not a period there.

Why? For he is coming to judge the earth. He will judge the world in righteousness. Psalm 96, 11-13. Now some might think that the believer and the angelic hosts of heaven are somewhat insensitive and uncaring to rejoice in the downfall and judgment of unbelieving humanity. But that ignores the reality here and the context from which we hear them praising God. It ignores the fact that this city and her inhabitants and the world of followers of antichrist will have had the greatest opportunities to repent of any generation that ever lived. In chapter 6 and again in chapter 9 we're told that the human race at large refuses to repent even though they acknowledge the great plagues and the natural disasters are coming from the hand of whom?

God. They know it's from God and the text repeats over and over. Yet they would not repent.

Even though they have heard the most powerful preaching of the gospel in human history through the ministry of the 144,000 Jewish evangelists also recorded in chapter 6, they refuse to repent. The world at large, many will. The world will also hear. This generation will hear and watch the amazing, supernatural, death-defying testimony of the two witnesses.

Anybody attacks their testimony, fire comes out of their mouths and destroys them. And people are still going, ah, we don't think we're going to believe still. Add to that the fact that they will see and hear that angel that will go around the globe delivering the gospel. There will be many among every tongue, tribe, and nation who will believe, but the world at large says, wow, we're still not going to believe.

And they refuse to repent. And on top of that, this generation will hear and watch those who've come to believe, refuse the mark of the Antichrist, choose martyrdom over the empire of man, and walk with joy for the glory of God. We're going to end our time in God's word right here for today. When we come back next time, we'll bring you the conclusion to this lesson.

This is wisdom for the heart. Stephen Davey is working his way through a series from the book of Revelation. The series is called Thy Kingdom Come. This particular lesson from that series is called Hallelujah, Amen. We hope you'll be along for all of it as we continue to examine these future events that God has promised will come. In addition to being our Bible teacher here at Wisdom International, Stephen is the pastor of the Shepherd's Church in Cary, North Carolina. You can learn more about us if you visit our website, which is wisdomonline.org. Once you're there, you'll be able to access the complete archive of Stephen's Bible teaching ministry. We also post each day's broadcast, so if you ever miss one of these lessons, you can go to our website to keep caught up with our daily Bible teaching ministry. The archive of Stephen's teaching is available on that site free of charge, and you can access it anytime at wisdomonline.org. If you have a comment, a question, or would like more information, you can send us an email. Address it to info at wisdomonline.org. We have a special place on our website where Stephen answers questions that have come in from listeners like you. Once Stephen's answered it, we'll add it to the collection. Thanks again for joining us today. We're so glad you were with us, and I hope you'll be with us next time for more wisdom for the heart.