Pr Joshua Yong

Revelation 19:6 – “And I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude, and as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of mighty thunderings, saying, Alleluia: for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth.”

How do you define “power?” The Cambridge dictionary defines power as the “ability to control people and events.” This control may come in the form of military or political power. Hence, there are powerful countries that are identified to be the “superpowers” of our time.

The dictionary also defines power as “strength.” This describes the ability of a person or an object to accomplish certain incredible feats. For example, weightlifters have such power in their arms and legs that they are able to lift weights that are more than twice their body weight.

Power is also defined as “energy.” Such energy is often displayed in nature. So powerful are natural forces that, after harnessing some of them and converting them into energy, mankind is able to use them to power our buildings and vehicles. God’s power is all these powers defined but without limit! He is all powerful!

Note that Revelation 19:6 describes the omnipotence of God in relation to His sovereignty. The Bible says that God who is omnipotent “reigneth.” The end of the world is nigh. At the end of Revelation 19, the battle of Armageddon will begin, which will mark the beginning of the end! The Antichrist and the False Prophet will be cast alive into the Lake of Fire! The Devil will be cast into the Bottomless Pit at the beginning of Revelation 20. The absolute nature of God’s omnipotent power will be displayed in all its destructive power as revealed in the Book of Revelation in the form of the seven trumpet judgments and the seven vial judgments!

This same power was displayed by Jesus Christ when He walked on earth! The omnipotent power displayed by Christ was all beneficial in contrast to the omnipotent power that is absolutely destructive in the Book of Revelation. Jesus healed all diseases. He cast out all who were demon possessed. He calmed the wind and the waves. He healed the blind and the lame at will. Everything that requires power to do, Christ had the power to do them all!

The omnipotence of God describes God’s infinite and absolute power, might and strength. His omnipotence is also immutable.

1)   Praising the Omnipotent God

The context of Revelation 19:6 is the Lord Jesus Christ calling all His servants to praise our Heavenly Father. Revelation 19:5, “And a voice came out of the throne, saying, Praise our God, all ye his servants, and ye that fear him, both small and great.”

Notice how the Lord Jesus Christ says to praise “our” God! All born again believers are part of Christ’s family as God’s servants! The word “servants” used here by Christ does not include the angels. These servants refer only to believers in the glorified bodies as the word used is “slaves.” The united one voice of millions if not billions of glorified saints sing “Alleluia: for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth.” The sound of all the saints is like “the voice of a great multitude, and as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of mighty thundering.” It will be something that has never been heard before in heaven!

The cries of the saints to the Lord for divine justice and for God’s will to be done on earth as it is in heaven will become a reality! The battle of Armageddon will show forth God's omnipotent reign! At the end of Christ’s final omnipotent judgment, the reigns of every nation, king, queen, president, prime minister and ruler on earth will be destroyed forever. Christ alone will rule with all His saints in the Millennium.

2)   Resting in the Omnipotent God

How wonderful and assuring it is to view everything that will unfold in this world in light of God’s omnipotence. There may be powerful people or powerful forces that seem to have control over our affairs, and at times we feel so powerless and helpless when we face them. But we must hide ourselves in the shadow of the Almighty, for in the arms of our omnipotent God, nothing can befall us without God’s permission and purpose.

When we read in the news of how Afghanistan so quickly fell to the Taliban in the wake of American’s withdrawal, it is a stark reminder that it is foolish to place our trust in man. The so-called superpowers of the world are limited in their might. But are you troubled when you read of these things unfolding? What about the rise in the number of Covid cases in Singapore? Are you afraid that things may soon spiral out of control and that it might overwhelm our healthcare system?

In the midst of such times we must remember that the Lord God omnipotent reigneth and He is our God. God cares for us and He loves us and He will continue to sustain, direct and order all things according to His sovereign purposes and which is always for our good. Psalm 91:1-6 – “He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. 2 I will say of the LORD, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust. 3 Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence. 4 He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler. 5 Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night; nor for the arrow that flieth by day; 6 Nor for the pestilence that walketh in darkness; nor for the destruction that wasteth at noonday.”

The truth of God’s omnipotence must cause us to bow down humbly before God and to praise Him. It must also cause us to run to God to find in Him our true place of safety, provision and rest. Let there be no sense of pride when we come before the almighty. Let there be trust and rest when we approach Him. Let our lips be filled with praise for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth.