A PREVIEW OF REVELATION 19, 20, 21, 22 (Source: William Barclay)
Before we begin to study the last four chapters of the Revelation in detail, it will be well to set out their general program of events.
1. They begin with a universal rejoicing at the destruction of Babylon, the power of Rome.
2. There follows a description of the emergence of a white horse and on it him who is Faithful and True.
3. Next comes the assembling of hostile powers against the conquering Christ; then the defeat of the opposing forces, the casting of the beast and of the false prophet into the lake of fire, and the slaughter of the rest.
4. Revelation 20:1-15 opens with the binding of the devil in the abyss for a period of a thousand years.
5. There follows the resurrection of the martyrs to reign with Christ for a thousand years, although the rest of the dead are not yet resurrected.
6. At the end of the thousand years Satan is again loosed for a brief space; there is
final conflict with the enemies of Christ who are destroyed with fire from heaven while Satan is cast for ever into the lake of fire and brimstone.
7. Then comes the general resurrection and the general judgment
8. and finally the description of the new heaven and the new earth to take the place of the things which have passed away.
Revelation 19:19:1-2 “After these things I heard what sounded like a great voice of a vast multitude in heaven. “Hallelujah!” they were saying. “Salvation and glory and power belong to our God, because his judgments are true and just, for he judged the great harlot who corrupted the earth with her fornication, and has avenged upon her the blood of his servants.”
“Hallelujah” literally means “praise God!” Salvation and glory and power belong to God! Salvation – only God can save fallen mankind. We are saved by the blood sacrifice of Jesus Christ and His blood has paid the price for our sins. All glory belongs to God. There is nobody else so worthy of praise. Only God truly has glory. The Romans had a phrase “Sic transit gloria mundi,” “so passes the glory of the world.” 1 John 2:15 – 17 says that “Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh, the desires of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not from the Father but from the world. The world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God remains forever.”
God’s judgments are true and righteous. We live in an age in which leaders in all spheres are failing, having sold themselves to the highest bidder. There are those who attempt to argue that there are no moral absolutes and that each situation must be judged on its own merits; however, if there are no moral absolutes, what parameters will you use to assess a given situation? You are left with nothing more than shifting moral sand.
God has judged the great harlot who corrupted the earth with her fornication. For eons, God has withheld judgment but now the time has come to make an end to all corruption. Although those who murdered believers have rejoiced in their foul deeds, God has been watching. Now God is avenging every drop of blood that has been spilled. The same God who has every hair of each person’s head numbered certainly knows the names of the martyrs, the manner in which they have suffered, and those who have made them suffer and who have failed to repent. Judgment is the inescapable consequence of sin.
The Creator of the Universe has called all the stars by name; how much more will He treasure those who have loved Him so much that they have laid down their lives rather than compromise? Make no mistake! God is NOT Santa Claus; neither is He some distant figure on Mount Olympus as the Greeks imagined. Barclay comments, “There is one other reason for the rejoicing. The judgment on Rome is the guarantee that God never in the end abandons his own.”
PRAYER: Father God, thank you that you are TRULY the Lord of the Universe! Thank you that you are true, just, perfect, and glorious! Lord, help us to praise you and to value you as we should. In the mighty and precious Name of Jesus. Amen.
Burunche's Blog 
Leave a comment