Rejoice

DEVOTION

THE REVELATION

REJOICE

Rev 19:1-3

19:1 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, 2 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." 3 And again they shouted: "Hallelujah! The smoke from her goes up for ever and ever."

NIV

This sound, this roaring that resembles the sound of a great multitude in heaven is in fact a group of voices. Are they the voices of a multitude of angels or of people? It might even be both together, as both would be rejoicing that salvation and glory and power belong to our God, for true and just are his judgments. If it is angels along then that would mean we the people of God are not there in heaven, but still here and experiencing this great judgement of God upon the earth. But if it is both of us, which we can be sure it is, as the true and just judgements of God, have been poured out upon the great prostitute and all the people who have drunk her wine, being intoxicated by this worldly ideology and not on us, because we are already in heaven. This sound that John records hearing is our voices mingled with the voices of the angels. We will rejoice because God has vindicated us. The world now knows we were right in our consideration of the truth of God. All those who persecuted believers in any way will know they made a terrible mistake not only refusing to accept the truth about God but making fun of us for believing. At some point in time we will be avenged. We will be in heaven with God rejoicing, giving him all the glory for what he is doing, because he is true and just in his judgments. This smoke that goes up for ever and ever is simply the everlasting result of the collapse of the world economy. There is no rebound, there is no recovery, it is over, and it is finished forever. The people of the world have been plunged into darkness. The same kind of darkness they have been living in their minds and spirits. They refused the Light of the world, Jesus, and now they have darkness. The door of the ark of safety, the door of salvation has been shut. The people who worshipped money instead of God have been judged and found guilty of adultery. Although Jesus forgave the woman when he was hear the truth in his words were about who that is without sin, cast the first stone. We just saw God order and angel to throw a large boulder into the sea, causing all this final chaos in the world. God cast the first stone on the people catch in adultery, having an affair with money, with wealth, putting their trust in gold, in the world economy. There is more rejoicing to follow as well. We are going to hear from the twenty-four elders again. We are also going to find out about the wedding feast of the Lamb. We are the bride of Christ and we are going to see our joining with Christ. A celebration of the greatest magnitude. But for now let us understand that we can live this life, here on earth, already rejoicing because we know the truth. We know our fate, as believers. We know what is to come. We can rejoice because we are saved, we are his, we are the family of God and we will be with him for all eternity. There is no reason to live with a downcast continence, with a gloomy disposition or discouraged about our situation in life, when we go through a little rough patch or two. We are children of God and he will never forsake us, he will always provide for us, and his best provision is for our eternal life with him, Jesus. Let us live a life full of rejoicing for we are already in his presence. Rejoice!