Sermon Tone Analysis

HEAVEN'S HALLELUJAH CHORUS based on Rev. 19:1-10

By Pastor Glenn Pease

It is a good thing God enjoys laughter because some of life's funniest moments happen in church.

Carolyn Crane tells about how her husband Dan stood up for the final hymn one Sunday, and his foot had gone to sleep; it buckled under him, and he fell sideways into the aisle.

Two men came quickly to his aid, and they got him back into the pew on his one good leg.

A third man would have helped too, but he was laughing so hard, he was of no use.

Dan stood through the closing hymn on one leg, like a stork, or the crane that he was.

His wife could tell by the many different versions of the song that people were having a hard time concentrating.

But by the end of the hymn things seemed just about back under control.

Then the pastor stood up and dismissed the congregation with the benediction--"And now unto Him who is able to keep us from falling...."

Even the most solemn and pious could not restrain their laughter.

It may seem like an inappropriate way to end a service, but in the light of Revelation 19, it may not be at all, for hilarity seems to be commonplace in heaven.

This chapter is loaded with extreme excitement and exuberance in the very presence of God.

The entire population of the redeemed of all time, plus the innumerable angelic host, and every being in the universe capable of making sound, joined in the wildest and loudest display of emotion that we have on record.

The apostle John is an old man as he is having this heavenly vision, but he has no problem hearing the song.

He says it was like a roar, and the great multitude was shouting.

They were joined by another vast choir who cried out, and then another multitude joined in like a roar of rushing waters, and like loud peals of thunder.

One thing is for sure, nobody will ever go to sleep in a heavenly praise service.

Thank God we will have new bodies that will not get headaches when the volume reaches thunder levels.

What we have here in Rev.19 is the heartiest, happiest, holiest, heavenliest Hallelujah Chorus of all times.

The whole universe of beings is roaring with rejoicing, and shouting with a song of supreme satisfaction, because of the battle of good and evil has been won, and good is the victor.

The forces of darkness and evil have been defeated, and the winners are celebrating.

They have won the gold in the universal Olympics, and they are compelled to praise God at the top of their voices for this ultimate victory.

Thus, we have a song like no other in the entire Bible.

This heavenly Hallelujah Chorus stands alone as--

1.

The loudest song in the Bible.

2. The most universal song in the Bible.

3. The song most full of Hallelujah in the Bible.

Four

times in verses 1-6.

This is the only place in the New Testament

where the word is used.

4. It is the happiest song in the Bible, for it celebrates

the victory over evil, and the wedding of Christ and His Bride.

God gave John this vision and that is why we have this record of the heavenly Hallelujah Chorus.

The famous earthly Hallelujah Chorus by George Frederic Handel also had it's origin in a God given vision.

Handel was in a severe state of depression in 1741.

He was 57 years old, deeply in debt, and going nowhere.

He began to read a Sacred Oratorio, where the words of Isaiah caught his attention--"Wonderful, Counselor, the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace."

He was inspired to compose, and for 24 days he remained in seclusion to write.

He sometimes would not eat his food.

At times he would jump up and wave his hands in the air shouting Hallelujah.

Later he reported, "I think I did see all heaven before me, and the great God Himself."

His Messiah was first performed in Dublin, Ireland in 1742, and it was an immediate success.

It circled the globe as one of the musical masterpieces of all times.

Newman Flower said, "Considering the immensity of the work, and the short time involved in putting it to paper, it will remain, perhaps forever, the greatest feat in the whole history of musical composition."

I don't think it is a mere coincidence that the great song on earth and the great song in heaven are both Hallelujah Choruses.

Hallelujah means praise the Lord, or praise Jehovah, and it will be a major word in our vocabulary for all eternity.

It is the main word in the chorus of The Battle Hymn Of The Republic--"Glory! glory!

hallelujah!

Glory! glory!

hallelujah!

Glory! glory!

hallelujah!

His truth is marching on!"

It is the same for the popular revival hymn, Revive Us Again.

"Hallelujah, Thine the glory!

Hallelujah, Amen! Hallelujah, Thine the glory!

Revive us again."

In other hymns the word is Alleluia, which is just another form of hallelujah.

It is found in numerous songs that we sing, and it will be a key word in our praises forever.

It is a feeling word that comes to the lips from a mind and heart filled with joyful gratitude to God.

It is a victory shout for the good news that history has a happy ending.

The good guys win, and the bad guys are toppled from power.

All the rotten deals of history are rectified and made right.

Babylon the great has fallen.

She represents all the forces of evil in the world that have made life miserable for God's people.

Not one in justice will escape.

All will be made right.

Life is not fair, but God is, and in the end we will praise Him, for we will see everything work out just as it should.

As one author said,

"The angels rejoiced here because for centuries they have

been watching from heaven unpunished in justices,

prospering wickedness, triumphing evil, and unchecked

immorality.

Meanwhile, the righteous suffer, good causes

go begging, and honor and honesty go unrewarded.

Now

the accounts are settled.

Every drop of blood shed in

unjustice will be avenged.

The scales of eternal justice

will be in perfect balance!

God will have settled the score.

When the hosts of heaven see the world system, the

prostitute, gets what is coming to her, they shout with

joy, "Hallelujah!"

Author unknown

History ends like most every good book and movie does.

The bad guys, who have thrown a monkey wrench into the machinery of life, robbing people of freedom, joy, love, and romance are removed from the stage, so life can go on as God intended, with pleasures forevermore at His right hand.

What an encouragement this chapter was to the Christians going through terrible times of persecution, and what an encouragement to all who get weary of this fallen world with all of its corruption and injustice.

There is so much that is rotten and wrong with this world, but in the end we will be singing a victory song--"Hallelujah! for the Lord God Almighty reigns!"

We look beyond the present evil to the glorious future, for that is how Jesus faced the cross, and that is how we can face a fallen world.

The world may beat us, the world may bore us,

But in the end we will sing this chorus,

Hallelujah Amen!

God will judge all that's wrong,

And we will ever sing this song,

Hallelujah Amen!

History is filled with the sad and the gory.