Bible Gem 2358 – Three Woes or Three Hallelujahs; You Choose!

Three Woes

In fear of her torment, they will stand at a distance and cry out: “Woe, woe to the great city, the mighty city of Babylon! For in a single hour your judgment has come.”

Revelation 18:10

The merchants who sold these things and grew their wealth from her will stand at a distance, in fear of her torment. They will weep and mourn, saying: “Woe, woe to the great city, clothed in fine linen and purple and scarlet, adorned with gold and precious stones and pearls! For in a single hour such fabulous wealth has been destroyed!”

Revelation 18:15-17

Then they will throw dust on their heads as they weep and mourn and cry out: “Woe, woe to the great city, where all who had ships on the sea were enriched by her wealth! For in a single hour she has been destroyed.”

Revelation 18:19

Three Hallelujahs

After this I heard a sound like the roar of a great multitude in heaven, shouting: “Hallelujah! Salvation and glory and power belong to our God! For His judgments are true and just. He has judged the great prostitute who corrupted the earth with her immorality. He has avenged the blood of His servants that was poured out by her hand.” And a second time they called out: “Hallelujah! Her smoke rises forever and ever.”

Revelation 19:1-3

And the twenty-four elders and the four living creatures fell down and worshiped God who sits on the throne, saying: “Amen, Hallelujah!”

Revelation 19:4

Then a voice came from the throne, saying: “Praise our God, all you who serve Him, and those who fear Him, small and great alike!” And I heard a sound like the roar of a great multitude, like the rushing of many waters, and like a mighty rumbling of thunder, crying out: “Hallelujah! For the Lord our God the Almighty reigns.

Revelation 19:5-6

Yet another example of John’s Narrative Art. Did you spot these three repetitions repeated across the chapter boundary? What is even more telling is the comparison in Greek [οὐαὶ οὐαί] compared with [ἀλληλούϊα]. [οὐαὶ] becomes [ούϊα] when we choose God. That is the essence of it all, isn’t it? We get to choose! No one is condemned to a Christless eternity by God. It’s the result of personal choice!

Hallelujah in Hebrew breaks down into halle-lu-jah. (Praise-you plural-YHWH) Praise the LORD or curse the LORD, it’s your choice. John has woven this eighteenth chapter into a remarkable piece of poetry or verse. Those who first utter the repeated woes of 18:10 are the kings of the world. Those who utter the repeated woes of 18:16 are the merchants. Those who utter the repeated woes of 18:19 are the shipowners. How fitting! Those who sing the Hallelujah of 19:1 are the vast multitude of the redeemed. Those who shout the Hallelujah of 19:4 are the twenty-four elders and the four living beings. Those singing the Hallelujah of 19:6 are once again the vast multitude of the redeemed.

The power and the stark contrast of Revelation is remarkable. I am awed by John’s presentation of the contrasting realities and his skill in pulling the pieces together. I don’t know how to ensure all the details are included in the summary. There are just too many parts to this letter, let alone the long Greek sentence (Rev 15:3-6) to be considered as a composite combined song (See Gem 2332). John is showing us the stark difference between two inevitable outcomes. You either sing with the saints or suffer the fate of the faithless. There are two categories of people; those who have accepted God’s covering in Christ and those who stubbornly refuse to repent and accept God’s solution through the blood of Christ.

There are just too many important parts to John’s letter to combine into one summary statement or paragraph. I would suggest you do what I have done and read back through all the Gems I wrote from Revelation Chapter 6 and consider it all in the context of the two questions we were left with. These questions are the pivot point from which we need to understand the whole of John’s letter.

If you don’t want to read so many Gems [2254 to 2357, 104 Gems] then read just the following Gems:

Gem 2333 gives you the multiple pauses and delays, the references to repentance and the seven stubborn refusals.

The following Gem series are also key:

• Learning to Laugh @ Lucifer’s Lame Lies 
• Facing Death Not Afraid to Die 
• Finding Ha Makom in Revelation 

The way John has crafted this letter is nothing short of amazing. It truly is “narrative art at its finest” as Gordon Fee suggests. John has brought his warning to a close with a perfect poetic balance between 3 Woes and 3 Hallelujahs. I consider John would not have wanted the chapter break to have been put where Robert Estienne placed it. The place to divide it is clearly not where it currently is. My choice would be after 19:9.

John has gives us a hint of the coming Marriage Feast of the Lamb in the closing elements of Revelation 18.

And the light of a lamp will not still shine in you, never! And the voice of the bridegroom and bride will not be heard in you, never! 

Revelation 18:23

It’s like John has given us a reminder or segue into the coming Marriage Supper of the Lamb. However we are also aware that the Woes or the Terrors feature strongly throughout this letter. It’s like the threat hanging over the head of everyone keeps repeating.

And I saw, and I heard one angel flying in mid-heaven, saying with a great voice, Woe! Woe! Woe to those dwelling on the earth, from the rest of the voices of the trumpet of the three angels being about to trumpet!

Revelation 8:13

The first woe has departed; behold, after these things come two woes.

Revelation 9:12

The second woe departed. And, behold, the third woe is coming quickly.

Revelation 11:14

Because of this, be glad, the heavens and those tabernacling in them. Woe to the ones dwelling on the earth, and in the sea, because the devil came down to you having great anger, knowing that he has a little time!

Revelation 12:12

standing from afar because of the fear of her torment, saying, Woe! Woe to the great city, Babylon, the strong city! For in one hour your judgment came.

Revelation 18:10

and saying, Woe! Woe to the great city having been clothed in linen and purple and scarlet, and having been gilded with gold and precious stone, and pearls!

Revelation 18:16

And they threw dust on their heads, and cried out, weeping and mourning, saying, Woe! Woe to the great city, by which all those having ships in the sea were rich, from her costliness, because in one hour she was ruined.

Revelation 18:19

How does John go so easily from a three-fold set of woes to joy and praise just simply by crossing the chapter boundary? One ‘chapter’ is woeful, the next ‘chapter’ everything is marked by rejoicing and praising God. How does anyone make the transition so quickly? How are we able to rejoice over such a tragic ending? The response is called for by the voice from heaven which is accord with what Jeremiah wrote over the same situation facing Babylon in his time.

Then the heavens and earth will rejoice, for out of the north will come destroying armies against Babylon,” says the LORD.    

Jeremiah 51:48

The answer to this seemingly impossible response to a tragedy is found in a lex taliones. The law of “an eye for an eye”, founded on the principle of proportional justice, asserting that the punishment for a wrongdoing should correspond directly to the offence committed. This is of course entirely consistent with what the martyrs were requesting in Revelation 6:10.   

These woes are described as woes or terrors. Yes, they are indeed terrors, especially when you move beyond the 4th seal, the 4th trumpet or the 4th bowl. At that point the likelihood of survival diminishes beyond any realistic expectation. We are told at certain points along the way in Revelation that the ones who will experience these terrors are those who don’t have the mark of Lamb, those who belong to the world. Only those who have the mark of the Lamb can be confident of His protection. They are the ones who are able to sing songs of praise and adoration, glorious hallelujahs to the One Who has saved them from the wrath to come. Which brings me back to the curious exhortation in Revelation 18:20.

“Rejoice over her fate, O heaven and people of God and apostles and prophets! For at last God has judged her for your sakes.” Which led one reader to ask, “How can Christians, filled with the love of God, rejoice at such a tragic ending described in chapters 17 and 18? Shouldn’t we have compassion on the lost?” An entirely appropriate comment or question to ask. It is not that we rejoice in millions of people being condemned to die at the fall of a city such as Babylon, Rome or any other you might care to name. The thought is more that finally the death of those who lost their lives as martyrs have been granted justice by God; their prayers have been answered. [Revelation 6:10, 17]

Notice what follows this after the three-fold Hallelujahs have been sung. John firstly sees the unfolding vision of multitudes singing to the Lamb, followed by the 24 Elders and the 4 Living Beings, followed by the Voice from Heaven encouraging all to sing. After that:

And I heard as a sound of a numerous crowd, and as a sound of many waters, and as a sound of strong thunders, saying, Hallelujah! Because the Lord God Almighty reigned. Let us rejoice and let us exult, and we will give glory to Him, because the marriage of the Lamb came, and His Bride prepared herself. And it was given to her that she be clothed in fine linen, pure and bright; for the fine linen is the righteousness of the saints. And he says to me, Write: Blessed are the ones having been called to the supper of the marriage of the Lamb. And he says to me, These Words of God are true.

Revelation 19:6-9

Wow! What a fitting moment to introduce the Marriage Supper of the Lamb. Little wonder that the Voice from Heaven said to John, “The Words of God are true!” Is that not what it is all about? The Word of God is true, the promises of God are sure. The saints of God can rely on the fact that everything written in the Word of God will come to pass.

 I am the Way, and the Truth, and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. Jesus Christ

John 14:6

The choice between these two scenarios is a no-brainer. Wouldn’t you rather sing with the saints than cower frightened in the shadows because you haven’t taken the time or made the effort to know God?

Ian

The redeemed can sing because they have experienced His protection, even if they died and were resurrected to new life and because their faith has been proved genuine and all that God promised has come to pass. How could they not sing?

Ian

Some people ask how can God judge so harshly? My answer, “How can He not judge? To not judge is to demonstrate He is not just.”

Ian

No one is condemned to a Christless eternity by God. It’s the result of personal choice!

Ian