Revelation 19:5 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And from the throne came a voice saying, “Praise our God, all you his servants, you who fear him, small and great.”

NIV: Then a voice came from the throne, saying: 'Praise our God, all you his servants, you who fear him, both great and small!'

NASB: And a voice came from the throne, saying, 'Give praise to our God, all you His bond-servants, you who fear Him, the small and the great.'

CSB: A voice came from the throne, saying, Praise our God, all his servants, and the ones who fear him, both small and great!

NLT: And from the throne came a voice that said, 'Praise our God, all his servants, all who fear him, from the least to the greatest.'

KJV: 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.

NKJV: Then a voice came from the throne, saying, “Praise our God, all you His servants and those who fear Him, both small and great!”

Suddenly, a voice emanates from the throne and summons all God's servants to praise God. No servant of God is omitted from the summons. It extends to all who reverence him, regardless of their rank or station in life.

The word, "servants" in this verse is the Greek douloi, meaning "bond slaves." The apostle Paul often used this word to refer to himself as God's servant. A bond slave belonged to his master for life and did what pleased his master. His will was subservient to the master's will. Christians have been born into a spiritual form of bond-service: a willing, joyful "slavery" to our master, the Lord Jesus Christ. When Paul became a believer, he ceased to do his own will and turned his will over to the Lord. He told the Philippian church, "For to me to live is Christ" (Philippians 1:21). As the Lord's servants, we ought to praise Him instead of seeking to boost our own egos.

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.''

Accessed 4/28/2024 4:15:10 PM