Advent Through the Lens of Four Christmas Songs

Hallelujah Chorus

Part 2

Revelation 11.15 – 12.11

Messiah’s Message and Structure

It is apparent from Messiah‘s scope, progression, and the way it draws from Scripture that Charles Jennens was a great student of the Bible with a thorough grasp of its presentation of the Messiah and his work. From the wordbook (or script) Jennens prepared for the original audiences, we can see that he intended Messiah to tell the story of Christ in an almost opera-like fashion, with three-acts and multiple scenes in each act. (See Handel’s Messiah Libretto.)

Hallelujah Chorus

Why is Hallelujah Chorus so lastingly popular? Why does it affect people the way it does? For starters, Hallelujah Chorus is a truly great piece of music. But it has something else, something very special the modern Church has largely lost — a seismic sense of Christ’s victory in history. Hallelujah Chorus is a tsunami. Without asking our permission, it sweeps us up in its triumph and glory. Hallelujah Chorus lets us experience musically what it announces lyrically — the coronation of Christ as King of this world.

English speaking believers in the 17th and 18th centuries had a much greater understanding of and appreciation for the victory of Christ and his kingdom in history — that is, before his second advent. Note where Hallelujah Chorus appears in Messiah — not at the end, but in the middle. There is a whole third act to follow. Thus Jennens locates Christ’s victorious kingdom where Scripture does — in the middle of history (1Cor 15.20-26; Heb 10.12-13).

Part of Hallelujah Chorus‘ lyrics come from Revelation 11.15. Because that verse is surrounded by apocalyptic language, and because modern evangelicals are generally unfamiliar with how the Bible uses apocalyptic language, we tend to assume it must be referring to the second advent of Christ. However, the context itself tells us, if we have ears to hear, that Rev 11.15 is describing the first advent of Christ and its implications (see Rev 12.4-5, 9-12).

We need to recover what Jennens and Handel understood — that Christ came not to give us a Dunkirk, but a D-Day. And he did just that. Christ’s first advent was the great D-Day of history (Rev 12.10-12). Like the Allies, we still have many battles to fight and dangers to face (Rev 12.12; Eph 6.11-12; 1Pet 5.8). But the decisive victory has been won (Mat 16.18; Rom 16.20). Like the Allies, our mission is to extend that great victory. The Allies extended their victory to all of Europe; the Church shall extend Christ’s victory to the ends of the earth (Psa 2.8; Heb 10.12-13). That is what the Great Commission is all about (Mat 28.18-20). The Great Commission and the victory of Christ’s kingdom are one and the same. Christ’s and the Church’s conquest consists not in the imposition of a military regime on an unwilling world, but in the conversion of the world by the proclamation of the Word of God (Rev 19.15-16, 21).*

So what exactly do we proclaim to the nations? For one thing, we proclaim to them that Christ is their King and is reigning over them and everything else right now. We do not typically think of that as part of the gospel. But the Bible does (Mat 28.18; Rev 1.5). Psalm 96, for example, is about calling the nations to come join us in worshiping the Lord in the beauty of holiness (Psalm 96.7-9). What message does Psalm 96 tell us to proclaim? “Say among the nations, ‘The LORD reigns . . . .'” (Psalm 96.10.) Shouldn’t we say more than that? Of course, but we must say at least that. And we must say it with gladness. Indeed, we must sing it (Psalm 96 is a song after all). We must beckon all nations to come join in our confession and our song. That is exactly what Hallelujah Chorus does: “The kingdom of this world is become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever. King of kings, and Lord of lords. Hallelujah! Hallelujah!”

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* Revelation 19 is an apocalyptic description of the Great Commission. Note that the sword is in Christ’s mouth, not in his hand as it was in the book of Joshua (Rev 19.15, 21; Josh 5.13-15). The sword that slays the nations is the Sword of the Spirit, the Word of God (Eph 6.17; Heb 4.12).

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   WILMA CASWELL says:

   January 1, 2013 at 5:23 pm

   This Christmas I was looking for this memorable music to use for my special Christmas Day with my family. Its music that means so much to my religious faith and I sang in the church choir as a soprano, this wonderful piece of music that brought the congregation to their feet. I did not find a recording of this music. I will continue to search. Happy New Year.