“And the twenty-four elders and the four living creatures fell down and worshiped God who was seated on the throne, saying, ‘Amen. Hallelujah!'” (Revelation 19:4).
Because God’s direct presence is not readily apparent to our senses, it’s often easy to take His benefits for granted. But even though God remains unseen, His provision is evident in the everyday blessings that surround us. From the air we breathe, to the food we eat, to the places we live, to the clothes we wear, God has given us a myriad of things we can thank Him for.
Our text from the opening verses of Revelation nineteen offers some other examples. For instance, Revelation 19:1 mentions salvation. The word “salvation” relates to the concept of “deliverance” when used in a spiritual sense. That act of deliverance involves God’s liberation of human beings from their state of alienation from Him. That state of alienation exists because “…all have sinned; all fall short of God’s glorious standard” (Romans 3:23 NLT).
Unfortunately, everyone has failed to live up to the perfect standard that God established for the human family. In fact, God warned the very first human being that he would be subject to a death penalty if he disregarded the law and violated that standard (see Genesis 2:16-17). And as the Biblical book of James also reminds us, “…the person who keeps every law of God but makes one little slip is just as guilty as the person who has broken every law there is” (James 2:10 TLB).
This explains why Christ died in our place. Jesus accepted the sentence imposed upon humanity and satisfied the mandatory death penalty requirement through His sacrificial death. That sacrifice bridges the gap between God’s perfection and our imperfection, and those who accept Him by faith receive salvation (or deliverance) from an eternity of retributive justice.
The Gospel of John reiterates this point when it tells us…
“For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God” (John 3:17-18).
Since Christ became our substitute (1 Peter 2:24), we can now enjoy a relationship with God by accepting His sacrifice in our place (see Romans 10:9 and 2 Corinthians 5:19). These things should inspire our praise and worship, just as we see here in Revelation 19:4.