TOPIC:“The Return of Christ and Armageddon”
by Rev. Dr. Reg Dunlap
TEXT:Revelation 19:1-21
“And I saw heaven opened and, behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him
was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he does judge and make war”
(19:11).
With the series of earth judgments completed, Jesus Christ, the warrior Prince, who shares the throne of God, is about to return in glory to consummate all things. God in Christ is ready to finish His sovereign plan. The chapter before us is a combination of joy and judgment of happiness and holocaust, of brightness and blackness as it sets forth the glory of Christ's return and the catastrophic judgment upon Antichrist and his armies. Let us try to capture some of the great truths of this chapter.
I.
Consider, to begin with, the REJOICING of the SAINTS. Listen to John's words in verse 1: “And after these things I heard a great voice of many people in heaven, saying, Hallelujah; Salvation, and glory, and honor, and power, unto the Lord, our God” (19:1).
After the destruction of Babylon both as a religious system and political city, John hears a great voice of many people in Heaven. The words “many people” have already been described in 7:9 as “a great multitude” which have been identified as the martyred saints of the Tribulation. This vast crowd in Heaven is heard saying, “Hallelujah” which means, “Praise the Lord.” Here is the hallelujah section of the New Testament as this is the only place in the New Testament where the word is found. It is here repeated four times in verses 1, 3, 4, and 6. Think of the motive behind these four successive hallelujahs.
The first hallelujah is for the SALVATION of God. In verse 1 it states: “Salvation, and glory, and honor, and power, unto the Lord, our God.” This is a scene of triumph, joy and praise to God for His Son is about to return in glory. The day of deliverance has come and the heavenly host joins together in one great hallelujah chorus in praise to God for His great deliverance. The term “honor” is not found in some manuscripts, while the article occurs before each word giving this literal rendering of these words: “the salvation, and the glory, and the power of our God” being what is actually proclaimed by the Tribulation saints in Heaven.
The second Hallelujah is for the SENTENCES of God. In verses 2 and 3 we read: “For true and righteous . . .