January 11: CELEBRATION OF BELONGING

And I heard, as it were, the voice of a great multitude, as the sound of many waters and as the sound of mighty thunderings, saying, “Alleluia! For the Lord God Omnipotent reigns!” Revelation 19:6

All praises to God for John’s meticulously detailed account of his vision, written entirely for our benefit and encouragement in these last days. Yesterday’s opening verse brought a voice from the throne, spoken by one (or possibly all four in unison) of the four living creatures and directed to those of us who are alive on the earth. It is both a joyful command and an invitation to us to join in the heavenly praises over Babylon’s throw-down! The horrendous circumstances of earth are known completely by Our Omniscient God. In addition, His heavenly servants have a broad awareness of our situation that far exceeds human knowledge of what is happening. Some 6000 years now, the archenemy’s usurped dominion has taken way more of a toll than our limited perspective allows us to observe.

Today’s verse is what John heard, as it were, in response to the command/invitation issued in v.5. In a magnificent and stupendous flash forward, we are given assurance of a great multitude of redeemed humans that will be in heaven. A day is soon coming when they will sing and shout along with the great multitude (v.1) of heavenly beings. And just to reinforce that today’s great multitude is made up of redeemed people from earth, their sound is to John as the sound of many waters (compare to 17:5).

We have had a glimpse before of redeemed people in heaven, a great multitude which no one could number (7:9). This “flash from the future” was given in answer to the question: who is able to stand? at the return of the Lamb. This multitude consists of those who chose to receive the seal of the living God (7:2) and not the beast’s mark (14:9,11). The two are mutually exclusive, as the soon-to-be crisis of the mark of the beast will demonstrate.

Let us hear with spiritual ears what John heard as he was given today’s view of the throngs in heaven: a voice (singular) indicating perfect unison! The people, as the sound of many waters, have joined the heavenly choir, the mighty thunderings, in an unimaginably tremendous crescendo of praise. The first three “Alleluia[s]!” came from the heavenly beings, but the fourth shout of “Alleluia!” is both multitudes exuberantly combined: “Alleluia! For the Lord God Omnipotent reigns!”

Although the unhindered reign of Almighty God has yet to be realized across the world, it is within your power to give Him unhindered reign within your own heart right now, today, and from this day forward. It is His reign within you that is the fuel for living righteously. This is the key to gaining a true sense of heavenly belonging and understanding the “how” of being God’s temple and a dispenser of blessings to others.

Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? 1 Corinthians 6:19 (see also Mark 9:41)