A Hallelujah Chorus

MEMORY VERSE: “The Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.” —John 1:14

I JOHN 1:1-4; REVELATION 15:3,4; 11:15

THE word “hallelujah” means praise to God, or “Praise ye the Lord!” When the Logos, or Word, was made flesh there was great cause for praising the Heavenly Father, for it meant that his foretold plan to send a Savior and a Messiah to redeem the world from death and ultimately to restore humanity to the perfection and life lost in Eden had taken a step forward—that promises had begun to be fulfilled.

How wonderful was the announcement of the angel to the shepherds that holy night nearly two thousand years ago: “Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord.” “And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.”—Luke 2:10,11,13,14

The “multitude of the heavenly host” that praised God for the birth of Jesus saw in this miraculous event an expression of God’s good will toward men. Perhaps the angels at that time did not comprehend the full implication of what was taking place, but they did know that the long-promised Savior and Messiah was now born; and they knew that this was an expression of the Creator’s love toward his fallen human creatures, and that in due time all his promises would be fulfilled, resulting in the restoration of paradise world-wide.

“The Word was made flesh,” our memory verse states. It was necessary that the Word be made flesh, else he could not have provided redemption through the sacrifice of his humanity. He gave his flesh for the life of the world—his perfect humanity, that is—and thereby became a substitute in death for the condemned Adam and the dying race which sprang from him. (John 6:51) In no other way could the fallen race have been redeemed from death.

In John’s first epistle (1:1-4) he affirms that the Word, or Logos, truly was made flesh. He and the other apostles had seen and heard Him. They had been in close touch with Him. He knew, especially since the coming of the Holy Spirit, that eternal life was being made available through Jesus on the basis of his sacrificial death on Calvary.

This, John explains, is the true basis of our fellowship as followers of the Master—our fellowship with the Father, with the Son, and with one another. The word “fellowship,” in the Greek, denotes partnership, and one of the great truths brought to light by the coming of Jesus was that his faithful followers are invited to be co-workers in the divine plan of redemption and restoration. John added, “These things write we unto you, that your joy may be full.”

In Revelation 15:3,4 John speaks of “the song of Moses the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, Great and marvelous are thy works, Lord God Almighty; just and true are thy ways, thou King of saints [margin, ‘nations, or ages’] Who shall not fear [reverence] thee, O Lord, and glorify thy name? for thou only art holy: for all nations shall come and worship before thee; for thy judgments are made manifest “

Here is another hallelujah chorus, a song of praise and rejoicing to God, that eventually all nations will come and worship before him. That is when “the kingdoms of this world” come under the rulership of Christ and his glorified church. (Rev. 11:15) Verse 17 speaks of the time when the Lord takes unto himself his great power and reigns. Verse 18 explains that because of this the nations first of all become angry. We think this anger of the nations has been manifested since the outbreak of the First World War in 1914.

But following this time of distress of nations will come the blessings of the long-promised messianic kingdom. The dead will be raised and tried; reward will be given to the prophets and the saints; and the incorrigibly wicked will be destroyed. Praise God for the consummation of his plan!

QUESTIONS

What is the meaning of the word “hallelujah”?

Why was it necessary for Jesus to be made flesh?

What is the true basis of our fellowship?

When will all nations worship the Lord?

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