Revelation 19:6; The Lord God Omnipotent Reigneth

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Revelation 19:6 (KJV) And I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude, and as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of mighty thunderings, saying, Alleluia: for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth.

John listened to a hymn that sounded as if it were sung by a vast multitude. He does not identify this throng, but because the wording is the same as in verse 1, it appears that the multitude has the same identity. They sing both the opening and the concluding hymns in this chapter; in both they sing the same notes of praise and adulation. Here are inconspicuous echoes of the hymns the multitudes sang in both chapters 5 and 7.

The voice that John hears he compares with sounds taken from nature: the sounds of many waters and of mighty peals of thunder. John describes the voice of Jesus’ appearance on the isle of Patmos as a rushing sound coming from many waters (Revelation 1:15; Revelation 14:2; Ezekiel 1:24; 43:2).

Revelation 1:15 (KJV)  And his feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace; and his voice as the sound of many waters. 

Revelation 14:2 (KJV)  And I heard a voice from heaven, as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of a great thunder: and I heard the voice of harpers harping with their harps: 

Ezekiel 1:24 (KJV)  And when they went, I heard the noise of their wings, like the noise of great waters, as the voice of the Almighty, the voice of speech, as the noise of an host: when they stood, they let down their wings. 

Ezekiel 43:2 (KJV)  And, behold, the glory of the God of Israel came from the way of the east: and his voice was like a noise of many waters: and the earth shined with his glory. 

And the phrase mighty peals of thunder conveys the idea of loudness that can be heard everywhere (Revelation 6:1; 14:2).

Revelation 6:1 (KJV)  And I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals, and I heard, as it were the noise of thunder, one of the four beasts saying, Come and see. 

Revelation 14:2 (KJV)  And I heard a voice from heaven, as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of a great thunder: and I heard the voice of harpers harping with their harps: 

These two phrases indeed point to God’s power, majesty, and glory. And the mighty voice of the countless multitude attests to expressions of joy and thankfulness for the privilege of being the bride of Christ.

This voice, conveying the sound of a multitude of people talking at the same time, rises from the pleasing tones of bubbling water and then swells to the crashing crescendo of thunderclaps. These sounds are like people who begin singing softly but then culminate their hymn in resounding overtones. The first word of the song is Hallelujah, which has now occurred four times in these hymns. It is followed by a clause that gives the reason for this note of jubilation, “because our Lord God Almighty rules.” The verb in this clause can be interpreted to read that the Lord “has begun to rule.” The Lord God, as the descriptive label Almighty indicates, has always been the ruler over his great creation. But now the kingdom of the Antichrist has come to its anticipated end, and the Lord God is the supreme ruler in the vast universe he has created. In Revelation, the term the Lord God Almighty appears seven times and characterizes God’s sovereignty. While on earth Domitian was honored as dominus et deus (Lord and God), the heavenly chorus sings in triumph that God occupies the true seat of power in the world (Psalm 93:1; 97:1; 99:1; 1 Chronicles 16:31; Zechariah 14:9).

Psalm 93:1 (KJV)  The LORD reigneth, he is clothed with majesty; the LORD is clothed with strength, wherewith he hath girded himself: the world also is stablished, that it cannot be moved. 

Psalm 97:1 (KJV)  The LORD reigneth; let the earth rejoice; let the multitude of isles be glad thereof. 

Psalm 99:1 (KJV)  The LORD reigneth; let the people tremble: he sitteth between the cherubims; let the earth be moved. 

1 Chronicles 16:31 (KJV)  Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice: and let men say among the nations, The LORD reigneth. 

Zechariah 14:9 (KJV)  And the LORD shall be king over all the earth: in that day shall there be one LORD, and his name one. 

Last, the possessive personal pronoun our in “our Lord God omnipotent reigneth” makes the chorus inclusive: the saints in heaven and on earth are one.

 Kistemaker, S. J., & Hendriksen, W. (1953–2001). Exposition of the Book of Revelation (Vol. 20, pp. 512–513). Grand Rapids: Baker Book House.