The final song recorded for us in the Bible is found in Revelation 19. It is the great show stopper, the finale, the masterpiece which until this point has never been able to have been sung, because in the outworking of God’s Eternal Plan there remains just a few final pages to be turned. But there will come a time, when history will reach its climax, like the final chapter of a good book, in which everything comes together in a glorious ending where the villains are apprehended and the hero conquers all. This is where we find this final song, as it bridges the gap between the old dispensation and the new, and it’s key is ‘Alleluia’
The first Alleluia is in verse 1 which reads “After these things I heard a loud voice of a great multitude in heaven, saying, “Alleluia! Salvation and glory and honour and power belong to the Lord our God!” For me this multitude represents those saved from all nations, tribes, peoples and tongues. We have here an early glimpse of the Bride, not yet fully revealed but her praise is loud and exuberant. John refers to this multitude previously in Rev 7:9,10 who also say “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!” Her song of praise continues in verses 2 and 3 saying “For true and righteous are His judgments, because He has judged the great harlot who corrupted the earth with her fornication; and He has avenged on her the blood of His servants shed by her. Again they said, “Alleluia! Her smoke rises up forever and ever!” This second ‘Alleluia’ celebrates the fall of Babylon as previously instructed in chapter 18:20 “Rejoice over her, you heavens! Rejoice, you people of God! Rejoice, apostles and prophets! For God has judged her with the judgment she imposed on you.” As in chapter 7:12 so also here in chapter 19, we find it is the Bride in waiting who leads the Alleluia chorus which is then affirmed with the third ‘Alleluia’ in verse 4 “And the twenty-four elders and the four living creatures fell down and worshiped God who sat on the throne, saying, ‘Amen! Alleluia!’” All this praise builds to a great climax and fourth ‘Alleluia’ in verses 6 and 7. Verse 6 reads “And I heard, as it were, the voice of a great multitude, as the sound of many waters and as the sound of mighty thunder, saying, “Alleluia! For the Lord God Omnipotent reigns!” Here we have also a great multitude similar to those in verse 1 only here we are given a definition of them in the preceding verse which describes them as “all you His servants and those who fear Him, both small and great”. Like the build up of a song in a choir, when at last on the final chorus, all members join together to bring a unified expression at the highest volume possible, so now it is time for all God’s servants, both small and great to participate. O how the angels have longed for this moment, having served Almighty God through the ages, having been His servants and carried out His commands, having witnessed Satan and a third of their number fall like lightning, should now join the chorus with the ultimate expression of highest praise saying “Alleluia! For the Lord God Omnipotent reigns!”
It is of no coincidence that this unifying and repeated word ‘Alleluia’ is transliterated from the Hebrew language and means “praise the Lord”. Alleluia is only found four times in the New Testament and each occurrence is found here. This is the praise language of Israel, and Heaven and Earth shall join together to sing her song of the Lord when she finally comes into her salvation and destiny. That’s why the final line of this most wonderful song ends with these words in verse 7 “Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready.”
