19:5 Then a voice came from the throne, saying:
“Praise our God,
all you his servants,
you who fear him,
both great and small!”
John hears a voice coming from the THRONE. It probably isn't either God's or Jesus' because of the way "GIVE PRAISE TO OUR GOD" is worded. The area around the THRONE is fairly crowded or intense (see previous verse).
“Praise our God,The THRONE is surrounded by this group of SERVANTS. To be a SERVANT by the THRONE implies someone who is totally committed to God for eternal life. Since this portion of scripture comes after the fall of Babylon, this group, more specifically, probably are those who did come out of her, Babylon (Revelation 18:4-5). The New Testament has many examples (Luke 6:20-26; Luke 8:11-15; Luke 6:19-31; Matthew 19:23-30) of how difficult is will be for people who believe they are materially independent from God to reach this position around the THRONE. Even today, they bring that same attitude within the organized church. The penetration of material independence is so great that many churches seem to function just fine without putting too much faith/trust in God.
you who fear him,This FEAR is a holy respect for God. One would think that PRAISE and FEAR do not go together, but PRAISE rises up out of respect. This is the way Psalm 112:1-6 describes this PRAISE and FEAR relationship. In fact, after all is considered (as the Preacher did in Ecclesiastes 12:13-14), all that matters is to "fear God and keep His commandments". The Preacher goes on to say that this applies to every person,
Material status is uniquely earthly and has no place around the THRONE. Around the THRONE, we all will be His SERVANTS and share equally in His blessings (Psalm 115:12-13-18). Take a moment right now as you have studied this verse and just give