Having read earlier chapters about plagues, God’s wrath, and judgment, the last thing I expected to read in Chapter 19 was “Hallelujah!”…but there it was, not once but four times in six verses. Hallelujah is Hebrew for “Praise the Lord” and I’m told this is the only place it’s found in the New Testament. After this celebration about the end of the city of Babylon (“the great prostitute who corrupted the earth”), events we’ve all heard about are the next topics: the wedding of the Lamb, the defeat and judgment of Satan, and the great white throne judgment. People with a lot more education than I’ll ever have, disagree over the meanings of what’s contained in Revelation. I suggest that it’s not important for us to understand the details. I agree with my Study Bible that Revelation encourages us to “stand firm against persecution and compromise in light of the imminent return of Christ to deliver the righteous and judge the wicked.” “Amen, Hallelujah!” Elsie Shepherd