Revelation 19:1–5 (NKJV)
1 After these things I heard a loud voice of a great multitude in heaven, saying, “Alleluia! Salvation and glory and honor and power belong to the Lord our God! 2 For true and righteous are His judgments, because He has judged the great harlot who corrupted the earth with her fornication; and He has avenged on her the blood of His servants shed by her.” 3 Again they said, “Alleluia! Her smoke rises up forever and ever!” 4 And the twenty-four elders and the four living creatures fell down and worshiped God who sat on the throne, saying, “Amen! Alleluia!” 5 Then a voice came from the throne, saying, “Praise our God, all you His servants and those who fear Him, both small and great!”
“After these things I heard a loud voice of a great multitude in heaven, saying, ‘Alleluia! Salvation and glory and honor and power belong to the Lord our God!’” (1). The great multitude of the saints of God have been praying, “Thine is the Kingdom and the power and the glory”; and once they are in glory, as the Church triumphant, they joyfully proclaim the salvation that is now theirs—secured by Christ and received through faith in Him. That proclamation will be ours as well when we are transferred from the Church militant to the Church triumphant.
That proclamation also refers to the “true and righteous” judgments of God, who at the end of time, will judge the impenitent for their sins and avenge His servants. The good news of the book of Revelation is that no matter how dark our times may appear on this earth, God does in fact Rule all things behind the scenes, and He will ultimately bring all things under His direct control.
Smoke from the incense of the prayers of the saints previously ascended to God pleading for our salvation from the oppression of those who oppose God, and now we see that in the end this smoke will be replaced by the smoke from their destruction which “rises up forever and ever!” (3).
Thus, we may look forward to our joining the heavenly choir, singing the praise of God for saving us and completing justice on the impenitent who had oppressed us in this life. Christ ultimately shares His victory in heaven with those of us who have shared His suffering here on earth. For this reason, we can praise Him even now as we look forward to praising Him forever!
Let us pray: Almighty and eternal God, show your mercy to your humble servants. We put no trust in our own merits. Do not deal with us with your judgment, but with your forgiveness; through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
