Revelation: Hallelujah!

Intro:
The Lord of the Rings captures the epic battles seen in Revelation. The tension, the evil, the darkness, the struggle to survive, the challenge of honor, the call to stand and keep standing, the hope of winning.

In the final movie, The Return of the King, the ultimate test is upon the earth. The battle of all battles. It is as if the forces of hell are released on this weak band of warriors. There appears to be no hope. Until ...............

Until the King arrives and summons an army that none can stand against.

Tolkien didn't make this story up without help from the book of Revelation. The final scenes, full of glory and celebration, come right out of this chapter.

Celebration of the King who brought victory.

Read: Revelation 19
Hallelujah!
1After 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,
2for 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." 3And again they shouted:
"Hallelujah!
The smoke from her goes up for ever and ever."
4The twenty-four elders and the four living creatures fell down and worshiped God, who was seated on the throne. And they cried:
"Amen, Hallelujah!"

5Then a voice came from the throne, saying:
"Praise our God,
all you his servants,
you who fear him,
both small and great!"

6Then 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.
7Let us rejoice and be glad
and give him glory!
For the wedding of the Lamb has come,
and his bride has made herself ready.
8Fine linen, bright and clean,
was given her to wear." (Fine linen stands for the righteous acts of the saints.)

9Then 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."

10At 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."

The Rider on the White Horse
11I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice he judges and makes war. 12His eyes are like blazing fire, and on his head are many crowns. He has a name written on him that no one knows but he himself. 13He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is the Word of God. 14The armies of heaven were following him, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean. 15Out of his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations. "He will rule them with an iron scepter." He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty. 16On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written:
KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.
17And I saw an angel standing in the sun, who cried in a loud voice to all the birds flying in midair, "Come, gather together for the great supper of God, 18 so that you may eat the flesh of kings, generals, and mighty men, of horses and their riders, and the flesh of all people, free and slave, small and great."

19Then I saw the beast and the kings of the earth and their armies gathered together to make war against the rider on the horse and his army. 20But the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet who had performed the miraculous signs on his behalf. With these signs he had deluded those who had received the mark of the beast and worshiped his image. The two of them were thrown alive into the fiery lake of burning sulfur. 21The rest of them were killed with the sword that came out of the mouth of the rider on the horse, and all the birds gorged themselves on their flesh.

Think:
There are a couple of things that strike me in this passage. First, there is celebration of the King and His victory. There is no mistaking WHO gets the glory (v.10). The repeated word Hallelujah is really two words made into one. Hallel = to praise and Jah = the Lord (shortened form of Jehovah or YHWH).

Sometimes it is easy to slip into the matrix of living and forget that there is a real battle waging for the minds and souls of people on this middle earth. It is easy to forget what really matters and that is the glory of the King.

Second, there is a celebration of relief. The Christians have suffered greatly. Evil has owned the day. Darkness and shadow ruled the land. Hope seemed to be lost. The return of the King brings relief and justice.

The relief comes as a result of God's judgment (v. 2, 15, 18, 21). This is an uncomfortable thing for those of us that live in tolerant cultures. Making judgments, stating opinions about the actions of others is the #1 sin in American culture. We are tolerant. We are tolerant of everything except intolerance. Think of the hypocrisy of that!

It is as if the spirit of the age has so ordered things so the Christians will stay silent long enough for him to make sure people do not hear the gospel. We need to be awake. We need to be aware. We need to speak up Church. We must not sleep. The King is coming and when he does it will be over. Those not invited to the wedding of the Lamb will die for eternity.

Do:
The worship of the Lamb is amazing. Throughout this book we have seen the majesty of Jesus lifted. We have seen the worship of God as done by those without sin or limit. What does our worship look like? Are we content to sing songs about ourselves in our worship services? There is none of that here. This is all about the King. Speak his praise out loud. Read out loud verses 6-8.

Are you willing to love people enough to tell them the truth? Are you willing to break the silence? Don't go to the grave quietly! You have neighbors and friends that could wind up on the wrong side of this story if you choose to "respect" them and not tell them the truth. How do you do this? Ask spiritual questions: "Where do you go to church?" "What do you think about Michael Jackson's death, that earthquake, etc.?" "Are you and God on good terms?"

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Revelation: In One Hour

Intro:
What is one hour? 60 minutes .....

An hour is either really long or really short based on your perspective. If you are waiting to go on vacation, each hour can feel like a day! If you are on vacation, you wonder where each day went! That is how time works.

An hour at work is one thing. An hour jet skiing is another.

An hour alive is wonderful. An hour dead and unsaved is 59 minutes, 59 seconds too long .... and never going to end.

An hour is long enough to make the impossible happen ... when God is doing things!

Read: Revelation 18
1After this I saw another angel coming down from heaven. He had great authority, and the earth was illuminated by his splendor. 2With a mighty voice he shouted:
"Fallen! Fallen is Babylon the Great!
She has become a home for demons
and a haunt for every evil[a] spirit,
a haunt for every unclean and detestable bird.
3For all the nations have drunk
the maddening wine of her adulteries.
The kings of the earth committed adultery with her,
and the merchants of the earth grew rich from her excessive luxuries."

4Then I heard another voice from heaven say:
"Come out of her, my people,
so that you will not share in her sins,
so that you will not receive any of her plagues;
5for her sins are piled up to heaven,
and God has remembered her crimes.
6Give back to her as she has given;
pay her back double for what she has done.
Mix her a double portion from her own cup.
7Give her as much torture and grief
as the glory and luxury she gave herself.
In her heart she boasts,
'I sit as queen; I am not a widow,
and I will never mourn.'
8Therefore in one day her plagues will overtake her:
death, mourning and famine.
She will be consumed by fire,
for mighty is the Lord God who judges her.

9"When the kings of the earth who committed adultery with her and shared her luxury see the smoke of her burning, they will weep and mourn over her. 10Terrified at her torment, they will stand far off and cry:
" 'Woe! Woe, O great city,
O Babylon, city of power!
In one hour your doom has come!'

11"The merchants of the earth will weep and mourn over her because no one buys their cargoes any more— 12cargoes of gold, silver, precious stones and pearls; fine linen, purple, silk and scarlet cloth; every sort of citron wood, and articles of every kind made of ivory, costly wood, bronze, iron and marble; 13cargoes of cinnamon and spice, of incense, myrrh and frankincense, of wine and olive oil, of fine flour and wheat; cattle and sheep; horses and carriages; and bodies and souls of men.

14"They will say, 'The fruit you longed for is gone from you. All your riches and splendor have vanished, never to be recovered.' 15The merchants who sold these things and gained their wealth from her will stand far off, terrified at her torment. They will weep and mourn 16and cry out:
" 'Woe! Woe, O great city,
dressed in fine linen, purple and scarlet,
and glittering with gold, precious stones and pearls!
17In one hour such great wealth has been brought to ruin!'

"Every sea captain, and all who travel by ship, the sailors, and all who earn their living from the sea, will stand far off. 18When they see the smoke of her burning, they will exclaim, 'Was there ever a city like this great city?' 19They will throw dust on their heads, and with weeping and mourning cry out:
" 'Woe! Woe, O great city,
where all who had ships on the sea
became rich through her wealth!
In one hour she has been brought to ruin!
20Rejoice over her, O heaven!
Rejoice, saints and apostles and prophets!
God has judged her for the way she treated you.' "

21Then a mighty angel picked up a boulder the size of a large millstone and threw it into the sea, and said:
"With such violence
the great city of Babylon will be thrown down,
never to be found again.
22The music of harpists and musicians, flute players and trumpeters,
will never be heard in you again.
No workman of any trade
will ever be found in you again.
The sound of a millstone
will never be heard in you again.
23The light of a lamp will never shine in you again.
The voice of bridegroom and bride
will never be heard in you again.
Your merchants were the world's great men.
By your magic spell all the nations were led astray.
24In her was found the blood of prophets and of the saints,
and of all who have been killed on the earth."

Think:
This was not supposed to happen. After all, this was Babylon, the Great city of wealth and power. She was the dominant force in the world of kingdoms. Like a football dynasty (Cowboys, 49ers, etc.) that seems to never end, she enjoyed the position.

Yet they all do come to an end.

This kingdom was not supposed to end like this. In one hour, all her glory, power and wealth are destroyed. Smoke rises from her cities and castles. The kings of earth, the merchants and the sea captains mourn the loss of Babylon. They cry out in "woe" for the great loss.

In one hour. In the blink of an eye. God took the city out. The kings and merchants were doing business deals and making money. They were not concerned with the adultery and murder in the streets. As long as they were making money. They were not concerned with the murder of Christians. It wasn't their problem.

In one hour all that changed.

In the past weeks we have seen how one hour changed the lives of people. Michael Jackson is dead. Billy Mays is dead. Steve McNair is dead. A drug overdose. A heart attack. A gunshot to the head. One moment they are here enjoying life, planning concerts ... doing life. Next moment they are gone. In one hour.

Do:
Are you aware that you could be gone in any given hour? In fact, you will be gone in a given hour. You just don't know when that will be. One hour you wil be here and the next you will be gone. Are you ready? Do you know Jesus as your Savior and Lord this hour? Are you trusting Him this hour?

Are you living for money, power, position? Are you in relationship with someone that helps you make money (a partner, a boss, an organization, a customer) and yet not concerned about their well being or salvation? It is easy to get blinded by the pursuit of money and miss what is going on around us.

We do not want key people in our lives to die in any given hour and have to declare, "Woe, woe! Dressed in fine linen, purple and scarlet, and glittering with gold, precious stones and pearls! Yet, in one hour such great wealth has been brought to ruin and I loved the benefits but did not share the truth of Jesus with them. Woe, Woe!"

No regrets. Someone's hour is up!

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