Revelation Now :
Daily Devotional Bible Studies in Revelation
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Shouting Hallelujahs for God : Day 70 
After 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, for 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." And again they shouted "Hallelujah! The smoke from her goes up for ever and ever. "The twenty-four elders and the four living creatures fell down and worshipped God, who was seated on the throne. And they cried "Amen, Hallelujah! "Then a voice came from the throne, saying "Praise our God, all you his servants, you who fear him, both small and great!" Then 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." (Revelation 19.1-6)
It begins with the "roar of a great multitude in heaven." We have already come upon two vast multitudes in heaven, the martyrs (1) and the angels (2). Here, is most likely the multitude of the angels, first in the Te Deum of praise.
Hallelujahs
This shout of rejoicing begins with "Hallelujah". Hallelujah is a very common word in religious vocabulary but the only time it actually appears in Scripture is on the four occasions in this chapter. Like Hosanna it is one of the few Hebrew words which have established themselves in ordinary religious language. It probably came to be so well known to even the simplest member of the Church through its special use as a response of praise in the Easter worship.
"Hallelujah" literally means Praise God. It is derived from "halal", which means "to praise", and "Jah", which is "the name of God". Although "Hallelujah" appears only here in the Bible, it occurs in a translated form frequently. It is actually the first phrase in Psalms 106, 111, 112, 113, 117, 135, 146, 147, 148, 149, 150. A series of 6 Psalms (3) were called the "Hallel", or "Praise God", and were part of the essential education of every Jewish boy. Where "Hallelujah" occurs in the Old Testament it is translated by "Praise God", but here in this chapter, the original Hebrew form, transliterated into Greek, is retained.
God is praised because "salvation and glory and power" belong to him. Each of these three great attributes of God should awaken its own response in our hearts. The "salvation of God" should awaken our gratitude; the "glory of God" should awaken our reverence, the "power of God" is always exercised in the love of God and should, therefore, awaken our trust. Gratitude, reverence, trust are the constituent elements of real praise.
God is praised because he has exercised his "true and just judgments" on the great harlot. Judgment is the inescapable consequence of sin. "The moral law can no more be broken than the law of gravity; it can only be illustrated." (4). It is said that the judgments of God are "true and just". God alone is perfect in judgment. He alone can see our inmost thoughts and desires. He has that purity that can judge without prejudice. He alone has the wisdom to find the right judgment and the power to apply it.
The great harlot is judged because she corrupted the world. The worst of all sins is to teach others to sin. There is one other reason for the rejoicing. The judgment on Rome is the guarantee that God never in the end abandons his own.
Heartfelt Praise
Praise is the heartfelt response to God of those who love him. The more you get to know God and realize what he has done, the more you will respond with praise. Praise is at the heart of true worship. Let your praise of God flow out of your realization of who God is and how much he loves you. A great multitude in heaven initiates the chorus of praise to God for his victory with a shout. The roar of a great multitude in heaven shouting, "Hallelujah! Salvation and glory and power belong to our God." The 24 elders join the chorus and the great choir of heaven once again praises God.
Words to meditate on
How do you feel about someone shouting for God?
Words to pray
All forbidden things we've sought, All the mischief we have wrought, All the sin to others taught, Forgive for Jesus' sake.
Notes
(1) 7:9 (2) 5:11 (3) Psalms 113-118 (4) T. S. Kepler
"The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show his servants what must soon take place."
