Hallelujah & Vengeance in Revelation 19:1-8

In Revelation 19: 1-8 the Lord is praised by "a great multitude in heaven" for a very specific reason. The reason is underlined by the word "salvation" also found in 7:10 and 12:10. In the setting of the Apocalypse, salvation means that the will of God have come to earth to start something new. But this action of deliverance is connected with a terrible judgment -the condemnation of Babylon ( v. 2b). As in 16:7, God's judgements are welcomed and acknowledged as "true and just" (v. 2a). In verses 3 to 8 follows a response of joy, represented by celestial shouts of "Hallelujah", "Praise" and "Let us rejoice". If this is true, how can we rejoice in the will of God? How can we celebrate the Lord's salvation? In this text, John understands that God's salvific intervention is not complete until God executes his judgment on the Babylonian system that has "corrupted the earth by her adulteries", and until God has "avenged on her the blood of his servants". The longing of the angelic world is to see the earth under the rule of the Lord. The dilemma for Christian is how to connect the "Hallelujah" with the judgment of God. How do we do this? First, we should avoid the error of assuming that God's enemies must be treated as our enemies. The worshipping community is called to pray and to witness to God's enemies (Matthew 5:11 -12). Second, the text call us to recognise that God has a right to judge. Third, the church needs to remember that we are called to live in holiness, and this necessary implies opposing evil and the forces of evil that oppose God. Lastly, we need to remember that vengeance belongs to the Lord. He will do it righteously and perfectly. This is the motivation behind the “Amen” and “Hallelujah” of verse 4. We want to see all the earth under the rule of God. Christian communities, therefore, need to learn how to long for justice and the reign of God. The people of God are never interested in vengeance, or retaliation. Their concern is the full establishment of God’s kingdom.The NT categorically rejects the use of violence as a way of life. Lord, your kingdom come!