Forever and Ever!
And a second time they said, “Hallelujah! Her smoke rises forever and ever.” And the twenty-four elders and the four living creatures fell down and worshiped God who sits on the throne, saying, “Amen. Hallelujah!” And a voice came from the throne, saying, “Give praise to our God, all you His bondservants, you who fear Him, the small and the great.” Then I heard something like the voice of a great multitude and like the sound of many waters, and like the sound of mighty peals of thunder, saying, “Hallelujah! For the Lord our God, the Almighty, reigns… – Revelation 19:3 – 6. NASB
Notice the phrase “her smoke ascends for ever and ever.” Yet Babylon is destroyed and is no more. This is the same phrase applied to the unsaved, they have suffered the punishment of eternal destruction (2Thess 1:9) and the smoke of their torment ascends forever and ever as. described in Revelation 14:11. This is the same image that comes from Isaiah 34:10 that refers to the destruction of Edom (Known today as the tourist site of Petra.) Isaiah 34 parallels the destruction of the wicked(unsaved) in the last days. Petra was once the capital of Edom, but it is all now desolate. A barren rock for tourists. The Edomites descended from Esau the brother of Jacob. At the Exodus, Moses requested permission from the king of Edom for the Israelites to pass through this region. Access was denied, and then later, the Edomites came against Israel. We read, “So Edom came out against them with many men and with a strong hand” (Numbers 20:20,) Edom’s history is one of opposition to the people of God and so came their demise.
The prophecy about the destruction of Edom is primarily found in the Book of Obadiah in the Old Testament, where it is stated that God will bring judgment upon Edom due to their pride and cruelty towards the Israelites, ultimately leading to their complete destruction and desolation; other prophetic passages in Ezekiel also detail God’s wrath against Edom for their actions against Judah.
Beyond that distraction, “the smoke” image speaks to us of destruction not everlasting burning, which was one of the false teachings of the harlot and her off spring.
In the end-time setting of Revelation 15-19, God acts in judgment on Babylon, the great power that (in its various forms) has oppressed His people. It is interesting, however, to note that God calls His people “bondservants.” They are not Babylon’s slaves, but God’s slaves. Though they have been redeemed by the blood of the Lamb (Rev 5:6, 9-10) there is a sense in which they remain “slaves” in this life.
In Christ, all human beings have been set free. The story of Revelation is full of carnage and anguish because the battle is joined to implement what Christ has already done. No matter what you are going through now, the decisive event has already taken place. In Revelation 19 the day has come. For us, it is still in the future.
V:3 – Heavenly beings worshiping? So what! How easy it must be to worship God when you are face to face with dazzling glory! Flashes of lightning, thunderous sounds, and blazing torches almost force you to fall on your face and worship the One who possesses such glory and such power. But does it really take thunder and lightning and dazzling jewels to inspire people to worship God? Or is it more about being attuned to His presence wherever we are?
May God give you a glimpse of Himself amidst your daily distractions of today May you be awed by His mighty works for you. May He ready us for the ceaseless ages of eternity!
The worship in this text is grounded in God’s marvellous deliverance of His people from End-time Babylon (Rev 19:1-2). In Revelation 4 and 5, worship takes place in response to creation and the cross. In the Old Testament, worship was grounded on God’s mighty acts in the Exodus. True worship is always about an awareness of the mighty things that God has done for you. And the result of true worship is tangible. When we remember and recite what God has done, His mighty power is rekindled in us and our lives are changed. C.f. 2 Chron 20:1-23