Revelation 19:3 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Once more they cried out, “Hallelujah! The smoke from her goes up forever and ever.”

NIV: And again they shouted: 'Hallelujah! The smoke from her goes up for ever and ever.'

NASB: And a second time they said, 'Hallelujah! HER SMOKE RISES FOREVER AND EVER.'

CSB: A second time they said, Hallelujah! Her smoke ascends forever and ever!

NLT: And again their voices rang out: 'Praise the Lord! The smoke from that city ascends forever and ever!'

KJV: And again they said, Alleluia. And her smoke rose up for ever and ever.

NKJV: Again they said, “Alleluia! Her smoke rises up forever and ever!”

This verse reports that the heavenly multitude shouted another "hallelujah," which translates to "praise the Lord!" The residents of heaven declare that Babylon's smoke ascends "forever and ever." We should not interpret this declaration to mean the physical smoke from God's judgment on Babylon is eternal. The statement is a hyperbole: a figure of speech. The language simply indicates that God's destruction of Babylon was complete once and for all.

Babylon had marked God's people as fools, and she had indulged herself in luxuries, as though things would endure forever. But, like the destruction of Sodom when God burned the city to the ground, everything Babylon considered valuable went up in smoke. The things she considered so valuable and worthwhile ended up as piles of ashes.

Jesus warned, "Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions" (Luke 12:15). Jesus labeled as a fool, "the one who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God" (Luke 12:21). Babylon was foolish, and her foolishness led to her judgment.

Revelation 19:1–5 records praise which rises to God from a great multitude in heaven. The praise follows the fall of Babylon recorded in chapters 17 and 18. Similar praise is reported in Revelation 4:10–11; 5:9–10, 12–13; 7:11–12, and 11:16–18. The praise precedes the marriage supper of the Lamb, as well as the second coming of Christ in glory and the judgment of the nations.

Revelation 19 begins with a multitude in heaven singing a doxology to God. He is praised for judging religious Babylon and avenging the martyrs. They are joined by the twenty-four elders (Revelation 4). Voices cry out joyfully that the Lord reigns and the marriage supper of the Lamb is ready. Then, John sees heaven open and observes Jesus—now coming as the glorious and invincible King of kings and Lord of lords—as He descends from heaven to execute judgment. The armies of earth gather to battle the Lord. The battle concludes with the Antichrist and False Prophet being thrown into the lake of fire and the graphic slaughter of their followers.

This chapter describes the victorious second coming of Christ, His victory over the Antichrist and the False Prophet after the fall of Babylon (Revelation 17—18). Christ's first arrival on earth was to redeem (Matthew 2; Luke 2:1–21; John 1:1–14; Galatians 4:1–5). The purpose of His second coming is judgment and the establishment of His reign on earth (Psalm 2). This is separate from the rapture (1 Thessalonians 4:13–17), the event in which Jesus returns in the air to take Christians from earth to be with Him. Jesus' second coming begins the millennial kingdom, leading up to the final judgments and the appearance of the New Jerusalem.

The word ''revelation'' means ''an unveiling or disclosure.'' This writing unveils future events such as the rapture, three series of judgments that will fall on the earth during the tribulation, the emergence of the Antichrist, the persecution of Israel and her amazing revival, as well as Jesus' second coming with His saints to the earth, the judgment of Satan and his followers, and finally, the eternal state. This content, combined with the original Greek term apokalypsis, is why we now refer to an end-of-the-world scenario as ''an apocalypse.''