Revelation Chapter 19 Verses 1-2

1 After this I heard what seemed to be the loud voice of a great multitude in heaven, crying, “Hallelujah! Salvation and glory and power belong to our God, 2 for his judgments are true and just; he has judged the great harlot who corrupted the earth with her fornication, and he has avenged on her the blood of his servants.”

God’s people were told to rejoice in Chapter 18, and that is what we see them doing in Chapter 19. They rejoice over the fall of the great city and the victory of the church.

The great joy of those who overcame and conquered is compared here to the joy that accompanies a great wedding feast. The picture is one of victory and unrestrained joy.

The battle at Armageddon (that was first portrayed in Chapter 16) is considered again in this chapter. The two beasts are defeated and cast into a lake of fire. This chapter provides some of the details that were omitted when the battle was first described.

A great multitude in heaven rejoices over the judgment of the harlot. This great multitude (which we first saw in 7:9) represents all of God’s people both living and dead. Although they are pictured in heaven, this book has consistently divided the godly from the ungodly by describing the former as being in heaven while describing the latter as those that dwell on the earth.

Verse 2 reminds us that God’s judgments are true and just. God’s greatness rests not just on his power but on his character. His judgments are always true and just, and this judgment of Rome is no exception.

In judging Rome, God avenged the blood of his martyrs as they had requested him to do in 6:10 where they cried with a loud voice, “O Sovereign Lord, holy and true, how long before thou wilt judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell upon the earth.” That prayer set events into motion, and verse 2 tells us that prayer has been answered.

Verse 2 also provides an important focus for what is about to be described. Verse 2 tells us that the focus of this joy and the focus of the judgment is the great harlot — and that great harlot is Rome. We should keep that context in mind if we are tempted at times to leap ahead 1000’s of years (and possibly many more) to the final judgment at the end of time. This vision is still focused on Rome!

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