Saturday, June 10, 2017

John F. Walvoord on Revelation 19:6-8

Walvoord writes:

19:5-6 And a voice came out of the throne, saying, Praise our God, all ye his servants, and ye that fear him, both small and great. And I heard as it were the voice of many waters, and as the voice of mighty thunderings, saying, Alleluia: for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth.

Joining the praise of the tribulation saints, the twenty-four elders, and the four beasts, a voice is now heard coming out of the throne calling upon the servants of God to praise the Lord. It is probable that this is a voice of an angel rather than the voice of God or the voice of the saints. The occasion for the praise of God is His judgment against wicked men who have oppressed the people of God. The expression "his servants" does not refer to a particular group such as the tribulation saints, as J. B. Smith suggests, but rather as the passage itself says, to "all ye his servants." In other words, this is an occasion for every true servant of God to praise the Lord. The following expression, "ye that fear him, both small and great," is another descriptive phrase applying to the same group. This seems to be supported by the Greek text which links the phrases in apposition without a connective "and" as in the Authorized Version. Hence it reads, "Keep on praising our God, all his servants who fear him, small and great." The verb "praise" is in the present tense and is therefore a command to "keep on praising" the Lord.

In antiphonal response to this call to praise, John hears the voice of the great multitude, that is, the same as in verse 1, accompanied by the majestic sound of many waters and mighty thunderings, saying for the fourth time in this passage, "Alleluia: for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth."

See http://bible.org/seriespage/19-second-coming-christ

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