Hallelujah!

The Hallelujah chorus, often sung at Christmastime, is one of the most recognizable pieces in history. George Handel’s stunning music is accompanied by text drawn from the King James Version of the Bible. The chorus begins “Hallelujah! For the Lord God Omnipotent Reigneth.” These words come from Revelation chapter 19. The term Hallelujah is a Hebrew expression typically translated into English as “Praise the LORD.” Readers might be surprised to learn that Revelation 19 is the only place in the entire New Testament where the word Hallelujah can be found.

So why exactly did the writer of Revelation choose to use this unusual expression at just this moment? Let’s look at the broader passage: “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, 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.” And again they shouted, “Hallelujah! The smoke from her goes up forever and ever.”

God is here being praised precisely because of his judgment unleashed against “the great prostitute.” In the book of Revelation, this term most directly applies to the city of Rome. In the first century, the mighty city of Rome presided over the vast Roman empire. John the Seer, the author of Revelation, refers to the Roman empire as “the beast.” In Revelation chapter 13, John pens a scathing critique of the empire. Rather than acknowledging the sovereignty of the one true God, the Roman emperors blasphemously claimed that they were the true authority over all the world. Even worse, the empire demanded the worship of all the earth’s inhabitants.

Indeed, not long after the book of Revelation was written, legislation was passed which required every Roman citizen to appear before the local authorities and publicly declare “Caesar is Lord.” Brutal persecutions were launched against those who refused to submit. Thousands of Christians were killed, tortured or enslaved because of their faithfulness to the Lord Jesus.

In chapters 17 and 18, John turns his prophetic judgment against the city of Rome itself. He refers to Rome as “the mother of prostitutes and of the abominations of the earth.” Like the empire at large, the city of Rome was guilty of murdering the early Christians. She “was drunk with the blood of God’s holy people and with the blood of the witnesses of Jesus.” But John’s critique goes far beyond specifically Christian persecution. The prophet also launches into an extended condemnation of the corruption which results when human beings turn away from the worship of the one true God.

John’s symbol of Rome as a prostitute is entirely appropriate. Just as prostitution generally involves marital unfaithfulness, so the symbol of the prostitute reflects the posture of unfaithful humanity, living in rebellion against the good and wise purposes of the creator. In Revelation chapter 17, John portrays Rome as a prostitute riding upon the beast. This image demonstrates how the wickedness of the city was supported by her imperial military power. “In her hand she was holding a golden goblet, full of abominations and the impurities of her adulteries.”

Rome’s prostitution was not merely metaphorical, but reality. Again and again, the scriptures describe sexual immorality as a key consequence of human rebellion. God has decreed that sex must be limited to the marriage relationship between one man and one woman, where it can be a source of goodness, intimacy, pleasure, and new life. But the pagan Romans – not unlike the modern world – engaged in all kinds of destructive sexual practices, including extra-marital heterosexual intercourse, homosexuality, pedophilia, and bestiality.

John the prophet was equally eager to denounce Rome’s idolatrous greed. When the Roman legions conquered new lands, their armies carried away vast amount of gold and valuables. The Romans would then continue to despoil their new provinces through confiscatory taxes. In this way, the wealth of the empire flowed back to the city of Rome itself, where the people lived in obsequious luxury even while they impoverished their subjects abroad.

John’s denunciation of Rome was not limited to sexual immorality and greed, even though those vices received special mention. The prophet sees that Roman society was thoroughly corrupted. “Her sins are piled up to the sky, and God has remembered her wickedness.”

All this is not simply a matter of ancient history. The book of Revelation is highly relevant to the modern world. In John’s vision, the symbols of the beast and the prostitute clearly refer to the Roman empire and the city of Rome itself. Yet like all great prophetic literature, these symbols have much wider application. Of course, the Roman empire is no longer with us. Yet the beast and the prostitute remain active in the world. These dark figures find expression anywhere humans turn away from the worship and wisdom of the creator God and instead embrace idolatry, violence, sexual immorality, greed and lies.

Now at last we can fully understand Revelation chapter 19, where the cry of “Hallelujah” rings out. Here John is not merely celebrating God’s judgement upon the evils of the Roman empire. Rather, the prophet is peering forward to a future moment when God will destroy all the dark forces which threaten his good and lovely world.

One key lesson we ought to take from this passage: God’s salvation and judgement are two sides of the same coin. Note how the passage begins by celebrating salvation, but immediately praises God for the justice of his judgments and the condemnation he has brought down upon human rebellion. Many Christians are eager to rejoice over God’s deliverance but would rather not speak about his wrath. Yet the Bible holds these realities side by side. Why is that?

God is full of love for his creation. He desires to see the world flourish in the way that he intended. Tragically, depraved human beings have instead corrupted the earth with their wickedness. (“The great prostitute who corrupted the earth with her adulteries.”) God longs for wayward people to turn away from their iniquity. He waits patiently, giving sinners the opportunity to turn to him in proper worship and obedience so that they might receive his forgiveness and blessing.

But God will not wait forever. He will not allow the wicked to go on persecuting the righteous and ruining his world. Yet in order for God to bring about salvation for his loyal people, he must eradicate the dark powers which threaten the creation. Thus, the deliverance of God’s people and the destruction of God’s enemies are one and the same thing.

This week, disturbing news rolled across our TV screens and twitter feeds. President Biden signed the so-called “Respect for Marriage Act,” which codifies same sex “marriage” into federal law. To celebrate the occasion, the President invited a drag queen to the ceremony. The White House was bathed in rainbow-colored lights. It could not be more obvious that the current Administration not only approves but delights in promoting exactly the kind of sexual immorality condemned by the scriptures. Meanwhile, Christians who speak on behalf of the truth are attacked as hateful bigots. Many left-wing activists demand that Christians who fail to celebrate their depravity lose their jobs and businesses.

Greed has been in the news lately too. Many readers have come to recognize a shaggy haired young man named Sam Bankman-Fried; the CEO of a cryptocurrency firm called FTX. FTX attracted well over a billion dollars from investors. Apparently, Bankman-Fried siphoned off much of the company’s funds for his own personal gain. Even more alarming, Sam Bankman-Fried was one of the nation’s largest political donors. His donations to the Democratic Party were exceeded only by George Soros. Meanwhile, those who invested in FTX have lost many millions of dollars. It’s a sad tale of deception and fraud.

In the face of such wickedness, the book of Revelation reminds us that God is implacably opposed to evil. There is coming a time when the Lord of all the earth will act decisively to exterminate the evil which now afflicts the world. It is quite true that our God is full of mercy, patiently waiting for sinful humans to come to repentance. It is equally true that God is utterly committed to justice. There are many people in our world who stubbornly refuse God’s grace; they eagerly insist on polluting the creation with their immorality, violence and greed. Those who persist in rebellion will certainly be destroyed by God’s anger.

Some Christians are uncomfortable with this reality. But in the Bible, judgment is never a matter of regret or embarrassment. Quite the opposite. The destruction of the wicked is an occasion for rejoicing and celebration, because it shall bring about the redemption of creation. Then at last God’s loyal people will enjoy justice, peace and joy forever. Hallelujah!