Revelation 19:1; The First Song (2)

Revelation 19:1 (KJV)  And after these things I heard a great voice of much people in heaven, saying, Alleluia; Salvation, and glory, and honour, and power, unto the Lord our God: 

The first song celebrates God’s judgment of the harlot – And after these things I heard a great voice of much people in heaven, saying, Alleluia; Salvation, and glory, and honour, and power, unto the Lord our God: 

The call to praise comes first in v1, 3, 6 as it usually does, but in v4 it is responsive as in Psalms 104, 105, 116, 117.

Revelation 20:4 (KJV)  And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years. 

In evoking praise to God for the ruin of the sinners, Revelation 19 resembles Psalm 104:35 that includes words about both judgment and praise to the Lord.

Psalm 104:35 (KJV)  Let the sinners be consumed out of the earth, and let the wicked be no more. Bless thou the LORD, O my soul. Praise ye the LORD. 

The song first celebrates the arrival of God’s salvation, glory and power. Two earlier songs have celebrated the note of victory based on divine justice that “the salvation” suggest (Revelation 7:10; 12:10).

Revelation 7:10 (KJV)  And cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb. 

Revelation 12:10 (KJV)  And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night.

The victory that results in God’s kingdom coming on earth coincides with the removal of all that stands in its way, including the beast and Babylon (Ladd). This is the first motive for praise to the Lord.

The second motive “the glory”. The glory of God is awesome (Revelation 15:8), so much so that evil like that connected with the city of Babylon cannot coexist with it (Kiddle).

“The power” earlier joins with “the salvation” in Revelation 12:10 with “the glory” in Revelation 4:11 and Revelation 7:12.

Revelation 4:11 (KJV)  Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created. 

Revelation 7:12 (KJV)  Saying, Amen: Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honour, and power, and might, be unto our God for ever and ever. Amen. 

God’s power exerts itself on behalf of the loyal and the righteous. Truth and justice will in the end prevail because “the power” is God’s and not Babylon’s. The combination of salvation, glory and power is a vivid reminder of David’s prayer in 1 Chronicles 29:11.

1 Chronicles 29:11 (KJV)  Thine, O LORD, is the greatness, and the power, and the glory, and the victory, and the majesty: for all that is in the heaven and in the earth is thine; thine is the kingdom, O LORD, and thou art exalted as head above all. 

[Robert L. Thomas, Revelation 8-22 – An Exegetical Commentary, Moody Press, 1995, 356-357]