'Hallelujah-Jehovah Is King!'

There are further reasons for rejoicing, as John goes on to tell us: "And I heard what was as a voice out of a great crowd and as a sound of many waters and as a sound of heavy thunders. They said: 'Hallelujah, because Jehovah our God, the Almighty, has begun to rule as king.' " (Revelation 19:6) This last Hallelujah is the one that makes the proclamation foursquare, or symmetrical. It is a mighty celestial sound, more magnificent than any human choir, more majestic than any earthly waterfall, and more fear-inspiring than any terrestrial thunderstorm. the myriads of heavenly voices celebrate the fact that "Jehovah our God, the Almighty, has begun to rule as king."

How is it, thought, that Jehovah begins to rule? Millenniums have passed since the psalmist declared: "God is my King from long ago." (Psalm 74:12) Jehovah's kingship was ancient even then, so how can the universal chorus sing that "Jehovah. . . . has begun to rule as king? In that when Babylon the Great is destroyed, Jehovah will no longer have that presumptuous rival to detract from obedience to him as the Universal Sovereign . No longer will false religion incite earth's rulers to oppose him. When ancient Babylon fell from world dominance, Zion heard the victorious proclamation: "Your God has become king!" (Isaiah 52:7) After the Kingdom's birth in 1914, the 24 elders proclaimed: " We thank you, Jehovah God. . . because you have taken your great power and begun ruling as king.: (Revelation 11:17) Now, after the devastation of Babylon the Great, the cry is again uttered: "Jehovah. . . has begun to rule as king." No man-made god remains to contest the sovereignty of the true God, Jehovah!

Next time: The Lamb's Marriage Is At Hand!

Revelation Its Grand Climax At Hand! Watchtower Bible And Tract Society, 1988