Salvation and glory and Honor

Help me to see You more clearly, Lord, as I study Your Word today. Amen


"After these things I heard a loud voice of a great multitude in heaven saying, "Allelula! Salvation and glory and honor and power belong to the Lord our God! ... Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come ..."


Weddings are meant to be joyful events - glorious occasions of beauty and happiness, celebrating love, promise and blessing. God chose the marvelous setting of a wedding to depict that moment when we will become one with our Lord in an even fuller sense than we are now. When we are caught up to meet Jesus face to face and are joined with Him for all eternity - God calls that the "marriage of the Lamb."


There will be magnificent music to set the tone for this wedding in the sky. It will be the "Hallelujah Chorus," for the word is exclaimed repeatedly in the first few verses of this chapter.


Sometimes it is written "alleluia", but the actual word is "hallelujah", and it carries a universal meaning of "Praise the Lord!" Originally, it comes from a two-word phrase in Hebrew: "hallelu," meaning "praise," and "Yah", meaning "Jehovah" - so literally it is "Praise Jehovah." And it is echoed here with another universal word: "amen" (v. 4). We use this word as an affirmation to say "So be it" or "It is true." If you put these two words together, you have a wonderful message that is the same in any language: "Praise the Lord! So be it!"


This is a very significant expression of praise, because this is the only place in the New Testament where the word "hallelujah" is used. Though it appears throughout the Old Testament, God does not bring this particular term back around until this very special moment. The original Hebrew meaning conveys exuberant, joyous praise; boasting in God with abandon.


With the marriage of the Lamb, we will finally be entering a time when His praise will not cease! This music sets the stage for our eternal rejoicing. It will be a jubilant celebration - and the honeymoon will never be over!


~Adrian Rogers~