Lesson 40: Rejoicing in Heaven

Revelation 19:1-5
1 After this I heard what seemed to be the loud voice of a great multitude in heaven, crying out, “Hallelujah! Salvation and glory and power belong to our God,
2 for His judgments are true and just; for He has judged the great prostitute who corrupted the earth with her immorality, and has avenged on her the blood of His servants.”
3 Once more they cried out, “Hallelujah! The smoke from her goes up forever and ever.”
4 And the twenty-four elders and the four living creatures fell down and worshiped God who was seated on the throne, saying, “Amen. Hallelujah!”
5 And from the throne came a voice saying, “Praise our God, all you His servants, you who fear Him, small and great.”

A question that is often asked by someone who has just buried a loved one who did not know Jesus as their Savior is, “How will I not cry when I still miss my loved one in Heaven?” The best answer I know for this question is found in Romans 8:18; our joy and glory in Heaven, in Jesus’ presence, will be so great that our sorrow and suffering will no longer be an issue. Think of trying to compare the weight of a finch’s breast-feather against that of a fully loaded aircraft carrier ship. You might be able to define those two weights in numbers, but there is no scale ever created that can weigh both! Just as Jesus will complete our glory in His presence, so He will also complete our joy there (see John 16:24).


Think of a time when you did not receive justice for a wrong done here on earth, how you cried and suffered under this injustice. You may even have been angry with God over what happened. Now imagine your joy if you would receive perfect justice for that event. This is the scene in Heaven in our verses above. God’s perfect justice has been given to all who have been hurt and damaged by the consequences of sin. The one who was robbed - all is repaid. The one who was abused – all is healed. The one who was lied about and their reputation was destroyed – all truth is revealed. God’s glory, which has been hated and lied about and rejected over the thousands of years by people here on earth, has been demonstrated as being true! The antichrist, who claimed he was God, has been defeated and his religious, governmental, and economic systems have been completely destroyed.

For those who were killed because of their faith in Jesus, salvation has come (verse 1). For those who were forced to choose between the evil religious system of the antichrist and Jesus, justice has come (verse 2). This is a shout of praise to God because He has been shown to be right and righteous, that He truly has been in control of all things, and that His way is the only way that provides good for everyone.

*If you believe God’s justice is real and will eventually happen, how does this set you free today?