The Revelation of Jesus Christ
“Heavenly Worship”
Heaven Worships the Redeemer
NOTE: these notes contain additional information for extended study not discussed in the sermon due to lack of time.
There are four things out of place in the universe today.
The church – which should be at the side of Jesus as His glorious bride.
Israel – which should be occupying the full territory in peace deeded to them by Yahweh.
Satan – who, along with his rebellions comrades, should be burning in the lake of fire
Jesus – who should be seated on the ruling in righteousness
Revelation records the process by which all things will be set in their rightful place.
OUTLINE
I. PROLOGUE 1:1-20 (Things you have seen)
II. Messages to the Seven churches 2-3 (Things with are)
III. Last Days 4-22 (Things which are about to take place)
A. Heavenly worship around the throne 4-5
Heavenly worship focuses on the person and work of the Trinity.
Holiness, Power, Eternality, Love as expressed in the sacrifice of the Lamb for mankind.
How interesting that it is completely opposite of humanity’s sinfulness, helplessness, finiteness and selfishness.
1. Worship the Creator sitting on the Throne 4
2. Worship the Redeemer before the Throne 5
John introduced the praise team in chapter four; four living beings & 24 elders. John continued to record what he saw and heard going on in the throne room. He recorded ten events for us to prayerfully ponder.
1. John saw a sealed scroll in the right hand of God 5:1
I saw in the right hand of Him who sat on the throne a book written inside and on the back, sealed up with seven seals.
The first thing that catches John's attention is a “Scroll” in the right hand of the one sitting on the throne. The concept of single pages bound in a book had not yet been practiced by this time. They wrote on material made of papyrus or animals skins. The longer the message, the longer the scroll. I.e. Romans (11.5 feet) Philemon (1 foot)
This rolled up scroll had been previously inscribed on both sides indicating a considerable amount of material. This is probably symbolic of the fact that nothing is missing. Nothing needs to be added or taken away. Perhaps it had to do with God’s plan of redemption conceived before the foundation of the earth including details of the final stage or maybe this is the title be too man's inheritance "reserved in heaven for us". In this scroll is the means whereby earth would again be given back to the authority of the ones for whom it was created.
The fact that it was sealed indicated the sensitive nature or even mystery of its contents. The seven seals, the number of perfection, probably indicated the fact that it was impervious. During that day, seals were used to keep the contents of a document secret until one who had the proper authority broke the seal and reveal the contents. It is thought that the seals might have been on the edge of the scroll that allowed it to be unrolled only a certain distance until the second seal which needed to be broken to unroll the scroll further. It is a thought that it might be related to the scroll that Daniel was told to seal up until the end times. (Dan 12:4,9)
John saw the scroll in God's right hand. The right hand was symbolic of divine power and authority.
“What simpler and more sublime way of picturing God’s ultimate sovereignty over all history could be found than this picture of the scroll resting in the hand of God? However strong evil becomes, however fierce be the satanic evils that assail God’s people on earth, history still rests in God’s hand.”226
2. John saw and heard the impassioned plea of a mighty angel 5:2-4
And I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, "Who is worthy to open the book and to break its seals?"
3 And no one in heaven or on the earth or under the earth was able to open the book or to look into it.
4 Then I began to weep greatly because no one was found worthy to open the book or to look into it;
This mighty angel or another angel of stature shows up in chapter 10:1 and again 18:21
It was a call to action. (Continuous tense participle)
The loud voice perhaps indicated the power of the angel and authority given to him. The voice was loud enough to elicit help from any among all creation to step up to the task. His powerful voice reverberated throughout the whole universe. He issues this call over a period of time (continuous tense verb) for a qualified person to open the book by breaking its seals. He called for one who was both noble and able. He sought for one who was worthy and able to carry out the judgments written on the scroll. Breaking of the seals indicated one able to enact its judgments on the earth. Not just any man, but no one; no creature, no human being or mighty angel could be found to take on the task. This phrase could be translated "open the book even to break its seals?"
This was not a matter of ability but spiritual qualifications or credentials. A frightening silence fell over the universe. No takers. No one possessed the credentials to open the book or to look into it.
No one can understand the mystery of God’s plan.
8 "For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways," declares the LORD. 9 "For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways And My thoughts than your thoughts. Isaiah 55:8-9
9 God made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His kind intention which He purposed in Him with a view to an administration suitable to the fullness of the times, that is, the summing up of all things in Christ, things in the heavens and things on the earth. In Him Ephesians 1:9-10
Even the angelic beings lacked sufficient understanding of God’s plan; they were still learning.
10 As to this salvation, the prophets who prophesied of the grace that would come to you made careful searches and inquiries, 11 seeking to know what person or time the Spirit of Christ within them was indicating as He predicted the sufferings of Christ and the glories to follow. 12 It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves, but you, in these things which now have been announced to you through those who preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven—things into which angels long to look. 1 Peter 1:10-12
John reacted to the lack of response with strong emotion
John probably had no idea what is in the scrolls. He probably did sense it was a critical element in the fulfillment of God’s great redemptive plan and it caused him great concern that no one could be found to take it to the next level. He was grieved over the fact that the promise is that so many have longed to see fulfilled would be further postponed. The word used here indicates a strong unrestrained emotion.
Note: this is the only time tears are seen in heaven.
W. A. Criswell explains why John wept:
[John’s tears] represent the tears of all God’s people through all the centuries. Those tears of the Apostle John are the tears of Adam and Eve, driven out of the Garden of Eden, as they bowed over the first grave, as they watered the dust of the ground with their tears over the silent, still form of their son, Abel. Those are the tears of the children of Israel in bondage as they cried unto God in their affliction and slavery. They are the tears of God’s elect through the centuries as they cried unto heaven. They are the sobs and tears that have been wrung from the heart and soul of God’s people as they looked on their silent dead, as they stand beside their open graves, as they experience in the trials and sufferings of life, heartaches and disappointments indescribable. Such is the curse that sin has laid upon God’s beautiful creation; and this is the damnation of the hand of him who holds it, that usurper, that interloper, that intruder, that alien, that stranger, that dragon, that serpent, that Satan-devil. “And I wept audibly,” for the failure to find a Redeemer meant that this earth in its curse is consigned forever to death. It meant that death, sin, damnation and hell should reign forever and ever and the sovereignty of God’s earth should remain forever in the hands of Satan. (Expository Sermons on Revelation [Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1969], 3:69–70)
John’s promised look into the future appears to have been sucked into a black hole; a glitch in the works. How much longer would the information be sealed up? How much longer would the questions concerning the meaning and ultimate purpose of life be concealed? Even we who long for the culmination of God’s redemptive plan feel deeply about the state of our world. How much more John on the brink of final judgment anxiously awaited the next step to unfold?
18 For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us. 19 For the anxious longing of the creation waits eagerly for the revealing of the sons of God. 20 For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it, in hope 21 that the creation itself also will be set free from its slavery to corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God. 22 For we know that the whole creation groans and suffers the pains of childbirth together until now. 23 And not only this, but also we ourselves, having the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our body. Romans 8:18-23
3. One of the elders encourage John to focus on Jesus 5:5
and one of (or one from among) the elders said to me, "Stop weeping; behold, the Lion that is from the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has overcome so as to open the book and its seven seals."
One of the elders instructed John to quit crying and look at the conquering Lion (most often named animal in the Bible), Promised Messiah, Redeemer. Tears of grief dry up after a trusting look on the One who promised to wipe away all tears. The elder pointed to the fulfillment to all the Old Testament promises of the coming of a Redeemer, a savior from the tribe of Judah and the root of David.
Tribe of Judah
9 "Judah is a lion's whelp; From the prey, my son, you have gone up. He couches, he lies down as a lion, And as a lion, who dares rouse him up? 10 "The scepter shall not depart from Judah, Nor the ruler's staff from between his feet, Until Shiloh comes, And to him shall be the obedience of the peoples. Genesis 49:9-10
Root of David
1 Then a shoot will spring from the stem of Jesse, And a branch from his roots will bear fruit. 2 The Spirit of the LORD will rest on Him, The spirit of wisdom and understanding, The spirit of counsel and strength, The spirit of knowledge and the fear of the LORD. 3 And He will delight in the fear of the LORD, And He will not judge by what His eyes see, Nor make a decision by what His ears hear; 4 But with righteousness He will judge the poor, And decide with fairness for the afflicted of the earth; And He will strike the earth with the rod of His mouth, And with the breath of His lips He will slay the wicked. 5 Also righteousness will be the belt about His loins, And faithfulness the belt about His waist. 6 And the wolf will dwell with the lamb, And the leopard will lie down with the young goat, And the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; And a little boy will lead them. 7 Also the cow and the bear will graze, Their young will lie down together, And the lion will eat straw like the ox. 8 The nursing child will play by the hole of the cobra, And the weaned child will put his hand on the viper's den. 9 They will not hurt or destroy in all My holy mountain, For the earth will be full of the knowledge of the LORD As the waters cover the sea. 10 Then in that day The nations will resort to the root of Jesse, Who will stand as a signal for the peoples; And His resting place will be glorious. Isaiah 11:1-10
Jesus is worthy because of what He is, who He is and what He has done. He has already overcome. The power over Satan and disease and sin that was briefly illustrated in the Gospels will find its ultimate demonstration at the end of the age to the lab who has overcome sin and death. He has the credentials and the competence to complete the redemptive plan. He holds the keys to death and hell. He holds the keys to the kingdom. He has all the credentials.
He alone possesses the credentials. He alone can represent both the human and divine interests.
As God’s ultimate Anointed One, Jesus alone possessed the authority (and ability) necessary for this task. He overcame Satan, sin, and death so He could implement God’s purposes for the future that this scroll revealed.
4. The slain Lamb among the thrones took the scroll 5:6-7
And I saw between the throne (with the four living creatures) and the elders a Lamb standing, as if slain (throat slit), having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God, sent out into all the earth. And He came and took out of the right hand of Him who sat on the throne.
When John stopped crying and looked in the center of the entire crowd around the throne, there he saw not a conquering Lion or great King David look-alike, but a Slain Lamb (29 times in Rev). Mortally wounded yet now alive and well and the center of human history.
He made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His kind intention which He purposed in Him with a view to an administration suitable to the fullness of the times, that is, the summing up of all things in Christ, things in the heavens and things on the earth. In Him Ephesians 1:9-10
It is interesting that John uses the diminutive form of the word lamb. He sees a "little lamb" rather than an adult Lamb. It was the word used to refer to the Passover Lamb. Jesus is only referred to a lamb once in the Old Testament (Isa 53), four times in the New Testament outside of Revelation but 31 times in Revelation.
His scars were clearly visible. It bore the clear marks of suffering and death. The contrast between lion and Lamb is vast. The power of the lion and the meekness of the Lamb seem incompatible and yet it is the exact picture and image of our Savior. This little lamb is about to take on the hordes of Satan and the dragon and the antichrist and all the godless kingdoms of this world. But this Lamb is the Lamb before and upon the throne. He shares the throne with the Father. (7:17; 22:1) The point of the universe is the Father and the Son on the throne along with the Holy Spirit.
In this picture, the Lamb is not sitting but standing ready to carry out the judgments written on the scroll. This is not a weak cowering Lamb but a conquering Lamb with courage and power of a Lion. (Save us from the wrath of the fierce and mighty Lamb 6:16). Many forget that the image of Jesus in the Gospels is only part of the picture. Only with the addition of the image of Jesus as portrayed in the book of Revelation as the conquering roaring lion will we have a full picture.
The prophecies concerning the conquering king and suffering servant converge at the throne in the lamb upon the throne. The Slain lamb was the symbol of deliverance and redemption and forgiveness and substitutionary sacrifice. From the time of the Passover to the death of Jesus on the cross the image of the slain Lamb of God has been deeply imbedded into the hearts and minds of true believers.
“In one brilliant stroke John portrays the central theme of NT revelation—victory through sacrifice.”23 1
Peter instructed his readers to remember the Lamb.
The Lamb who bore the marks of death also bore the marks of omnipotence and omniscience.
“seven” = completeness, perfection in contrast to the horns of the antichrist later described.
“Seven Horns” = symbol of might and power. (all powerful)
(Num. 23:22; Deut. 33:17; 1 Sam. 2:1; 2 Sam. 22:3; 1 Kings 22:11; Ps. 75:4; 132:17; Dan. 7:20–21; 8:5)
“seven eyes” = all knowing and seeing ability through the Holy Spirit dispatched to minister and still ministering to all mankind.
John then observed the Lamb take the scroll from the One sitting on the throne who willing entrusted what was in His right hand to the Lamb. Perfect tense = took and now Himself possesses the scroll. This was a dramatic ceremonial act to pass the last phase document to Jesus. Jesus said all authority has been given to me.
18 And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Matt 28:18
Jesus spoke many times of the fact that the responsibility of world judgment would be given to him.
"For not even the Father judges anyone, but He has given all judgment to the Son, 23 so that all will honor the Son even as they honor the Father. He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him. 24 "Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life. 25 "Truly, truly, I say to you, an hour is coming and now is, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live. 26 "For just as the Father has life in Himself, even so He gave to the Son also to have life in Himself; 27 and He gave Him authority to execute judgment, because He is the Son of Man. 28 "Do not marvel at this; for an hour is coming, in which all who are in the tombs will hear His voice, 29 and will come forth; those who did the good deeds to a resurrection of life, those who committed the evil deeds to a resurrection of judgment. John 5:22-29
5. The four angelic beings and 24 elders fell down and worshiped the Lamb 5:8
When He had taken the book, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each one holding a harp and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints.
The moment Jesus received the scroll (willing entrusted by the Father symbolized by His open hand) the celestial praise team spontaneously fell down in reverence before the Lamb and broke out in praise. Similar reverence was given to Jesus as to the One sitting on the throne indicating equal deity and worth. Jesus as the second Adam, stands to take back what is rightfully His. Satan tried to offer Him by concession what He now takes back through conquering.
Each elder held a harp and a golden bowl full of incense – the cumulative prayers of the saints.
The Lamb stands ready to unveil the final phase of redemption’s plan all to see. It was cause for great rejoicing.
“Harp”
The harp was a tradition accompaniment instrument to praise songs. (Guitar?) The harp would on occasion signal and accompany prophetic utterances. (1 Sa 10:5; 2 Kin 3:15; 1 Chron 25:1)
These harps illustrate the sum total of the prophecies ever made about to be fulfilled.
“Golden bowls of incense”
Fortunately, John interprets the symbolism of the bowls of incense for us.
Incense represented prayers of petition rising up to God as a sweet fragrance.
1 O LORD, I call upon You; hasten to me! Give ear to my voice when I call to You! 2 May my prayer be counted as incense before You; the lifting up of my hands as the evening offering. Psalms 141:1-2
3 Another angel came and stood at the altar, holding a golden censer; and much incense was given to him, so that he might add it to the prayers of all the saints on the golden altar which was before the throne. Rev 8:3
The golden bowls contain the a sum total of the prayers of the saints throughout all the centuries including the prayer for God's kingdom to come and his will to be done on earth as it is in heaven. They are prayers for justice and restoration of righteousness on the earth.
We observe four major elements of worship; music, prayer, physical demonstration of respect and expressing praise.
6. The angelic beings and elders sing to the Lamb 5:9-10
And they sang a new song, saying, "Worthy are You to take the book and to break its seals; for You were slain, and purchased for God with Your blood men from every tribe and tongue and people and nation. You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to our God; and they will reign upon the earth."
These guys are fully aware of the monumental meaning of this moment in history. Having had to watch the rebellious attitudes and acts of man and fallen Angel against God over the centuries and having been restrained from intervening at the horrific treatment of their Lord and Creator on the cross and having been caretakers of the passionate prayers of millions of saints to do something about the evil in the world, they now burst into joyous praise as the Lamb takes the scroll in preparation to execute His final righteous judgments and enforce righteousness throughout all the earth. The action of the Lamb inspires a new song from the celestial praise team.
Many places in the Old Testament call for a new song; a fresh song; a sound distinctive in quality.
1 O sing to the LORD a new song, For He has done wonderful things, His right hand and His holy arm have gained the victory for Him. 2 The LORD has made known His salvation; He has revealed His righteousness in the sight of the nations. 3 He has remembered His lovingkindness and His faithfulness to the house of Israel; All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God. 4 Shout joyfully to the LORD, all the earth; Break forth and sing for joy and sing praises. 5 Sing praises to the LORD with the lyre, With the lyre and the sound of melody. 6 With trumpets and the sound of the horn Shout joyfully before the King, the LORD. 7 Let the sea roar and all it contains, The world and those who dwell in it. 8 Let the rivers clap their hands, Let the mountains sing together for joy 9 Before the LORD, for He is coming to judge the earth; He will judge the world with righteousness And the peoples with equity. Psalms 98:1-9
Notice the similar themes of love, righteousness, salvation of the nations, praise judgment.
This is the same scene described by Daniel in Daniel 7:13–14, although Daniel does not mention the scroll:
I kept looking in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven One like a Son of Man was coming, and He came up to the Ancient of Days and was presented before Him. And to Him was given dominion, glory and a kingdom, that all the peoples, nations and men of every language might serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion which will not pass away; and His kingdom is one which will not be destroyed.
Up to this point they have been chanting or speaking their praise. This praise breaks out in the form of a song whose lyrics have been recorded for us. The celestial praise team focuses on the worthiness of the Lamb to break the final orders of the end time judgment due to His selfless sacrifice and subsequent redemption of people from every people group on earth.
To “be worthy” means to “be deserving”; You are deserving.
Some translations insert the personal pronoun “redeemed us to God”. Although some of the manuscripts add the pronoun, it creates a problem as a song of praise sung by angelic beings who were not redeemed by His blood. The lyrics of this song and its use of the third person leads me to think that both the four beings and the 24 elders are angelic beings offering praise to the Lamb (their commander and chief) for giving His life for humans. Literally it reads “purchases ones (second person singular)” indicating the purchase of individuals not a group.
The emphasis is on the redemption of individuals at great cost; His own blood (1 peter 3).
It was a personal act for individuals. He purchased me as an individual. There will be individuals from every corner of the globe, every people group from the beginning of time.
The all inclusive phrase appears repeatedly in Revelation. (7:9; 10:11; 11:9; 13:7; 14:6; 17:15)
It must be noted that he does not say that everyone will be saved but only individuals from every people group who have responded by faith.
The phrase “out of every tribe and language and people and nation” occurs repeatedly in Revelation with variations in word order (7:9; 10:11; 11:9; 13:7; 14:6; 17:15). The word tribe conveys the meaning of physical ties and descent, while the term language has a much broader connotation and points to linguistic communication. The word that I have translated as people relates to an ethnic group of common descent; and the expression nation refers to a political entity with distinct geographic boundaries. But because of the frequent appearance of these four categories in Revelation, it is better to interpret them as an all-encompassing idiom. Jesus calls his followers, both Jews and Gentiles, from every possible place on the face of this earth, so that his people are the church universal.
“Purchased” from whom and at what cost and for what purpose?
This term has the idea of to purchase a slave from the slave market of sin and set free. To set free by the payment of a price.
Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body. 1 Corinthians 6:19-20
Christ redeemed us from the curse of the Law, having become a curse for us—for it is written, "CURSED IS EVERYONE WHO HANGS ON A TREE"— Galatians 3:13
If you address as Father the One who impartially judges according to each one's work, conduct yourselves in fear during the time of your stay on earth; 18 knowing that you were not redeemed with perishable things like silver or gold from your futile way of life inherited from your forefathers, 19 but with precious blood, as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ. 1 Peter 1:17-19
He also not only purchased them but promoted them!
“Made them” past tense – already accomplished
They are citizens of a new kingdom; God’s kingdom, the kingdom of God’s beloved Son.
They are inspirers of worship (priests).
They will (future) rule on earth during the Millennial period and the eternal renewed earth to follow.
The angels think this is a powerful point of praise and so should we even more, for we are its recipients. It is a theme repeated all through the book – 1:5; 5:12; 7:14; 12:11; 13:8; 14:4; 15:3; 19:7; 21:9,23; 22:3. They praised the Lamb for His role in the redemptive plan which they have eagerly followed since the fall. They praised the Lamb for His transforming work and the establishment of Kingdom of followers.
• He deserves praise and worship because He lived a perfect life.
He deserves praise and worship because He gave that life for sinners.
He is not a vengeful judge who has only contempt for His enemies.
He is a merciful judge who provided escape from the final wrath by giving his own life.
• Judgment will fall on those who refuse to take that way of escape.
• He deserves praise and worship because He transformed a sinful people into a holy people.
What a thrill for John who only knew the beginnings of the growth of the church and lived long enough to witness the deterioration of the church even in his day demonstrated by some of the corrections he had already transcribed from Jesus, to now see representative believers from every people group on the earth before the throne praising the Lamb.
7. A massive, innumerable multitude of angels joined the ensemble 5:11-12
Then I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels around the throne and the living creatures and the elders; and the number of them was myriads of myriads, and thousands of thousands, saying with a loud voice, "Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing."
John’s senses are soon overwhelmed by the appearance of an innumerable host of angelic beings surrounding the throne. The phrase myriads of myriads (ten thousands of ten thousands) and thousands of thousands is intended to express the fact that there were too many to count. The construction is arranged in such a way as to discourage any kind of exact count. The intent is to express a number far beyond our imagination.
We know from later in Revelation that the elect angels outnumber the evil angels two to one. 12:3-4
Daniel tried to describe this massive angelic mass.
9 I beheld till the thrones were cast down, and the Ancient of days did sit, whose garment was white as snow, and the hair of his head like the pure wool: his throne was like the fiery flame, and his wheels as burning fire. 10 A fiery stream issued and came forth from before him: thousand thousands ministered unto him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him: the judgment was set, and the books were opened. Daniel 7:9-10
“The word order is deliberate and the resultant anticlimax brings even more emphasis to the expression. When ten thousand is multiplied by itself, even this does not match the number of angels involved. The leftover still comes to a figure amounting to a thousand multiplied by itself. This is an apocalyptic symbol for countless thousands of angels who lift their voices in this great doxology.”241
This innumerable then joined the group of 28 already worshipping. They shouted their praise of the Lamb’s worth for sacrificing His life for the sheep. The Father loves the Son because He gave up his life for the sheep.
"For this reason the Father loves Me, because I lay down My life so that I may take it again. John 10:17
The rising of the final “beast” later in Revelation attempts to mimic the sacrifice of the Lamb.
He rises from a fatal blow not to bring freedom and give life, but to enslave. Jesus rose and lives forevermore. The beast will be consigned to the lake of fire where he will be tormented day and night forever and ever. The angels have enjoyed an integral part in the unfolding of this most glorious plan of redeeming fallen man. They have been active in communicating God’s message, protecting God’s people, announcing Messiah’s incarnation, doing God’s bidding, ministering to the saints, resisting God’s enemy.
He deserves everything for the ultimate sacrifice and demonstration of love and grace.
This hymn is reminiscent of Old Testament praise.
So David blessed the LORD in the sight of all the assembly; and David said, "Blessed are You, O LORD God of Israel our father, forever and ever. 11 "Yours, O LORD, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty, indeed everything that is in the heavens and the earth; Yours is the dominion, O LORD, and You exalt Yourself as head over all. 12 "Both riches and honor come from You, and You rule over all, and in Your hand is power and might; and it lies in Your hand to make great and to strengthen everyone. 13 "Now therefore, our God, we thank You, and praise Your glorious name. 1 Chronicles 29:10-13
Some of the same qualities ascribed to the Father, the one sitting on the throne, are also attributed to the Lamb.
In this second hymn to the Lamb, the angelic ensemble highlights seven qualities indicating absolute perfection. The repetition of “and” in between each quality draws attention to each one individually. In fact "and" is found throughout the final three hymns that heap up statement after statement to a grand tower of praise; like the ringing of giant steeple bells tolling praise throughout the county side.
8. Every created thing joins the might praise choir praising God and the Lamb 5:13
And every created thing which is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all things in them, I heard saying, "To Him who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb, be blessing and honor and glory and dominion forever and ever."
Finally, all of redeemed man and restored creation joins the praise gathering. Every created thing in the world; human, angelic, animal shout praise to both the One on the throne and to the Lamb standing before the throne. Not only will believers give praise to the Lamb but even unbelievers will be forced to acknowledge the amazing sacrifice of the Lamb for all mankind.
This is an unimaginable event both for the eyes as well as the ears stirring the depths of the soul. Later we are told that even the unbelievers will be compelled to offer their praise.
And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. Revelation 13:8
Paul affirmed that because of His willingness to die for our sins, Jesus would be exalted and every knee would bow in all creation. Phil 4
9. The Four being repeatedly affirm the praise with “Amens” 5:14a
And the four living creatures kept saying, "Amen."
Imperfect tense indicates a string of “amens” offered in response to this praise. Like a continuous echo reverberating through the scene. Their verbal affirmation is accompanied by the response of the elders. They started the praise gathering with their first Hymn and end it with the Amen.
10. The 24 elders fall down again and worship 5:14b
And the elders fell down and worshiped.
They fall down and worship.
We must not forget this grand praise gathering as we encounter the events of the rest of the book of Revelation. We run the danger of becoming like Elisha's servant who lost all hope and confidence in the face of an overwhelming enemy. It was then that Elisha prayed that his servant’s eyes were opened to a dimension beyond his comprehension. He became aware of the vast unseen celestial army that far outnumbered the enemy.
We have been privileged to a tour of the Divine war room.
We have seen the commander-in-chief standing ready to execute justice and vengeance.
We have seen the innumerable army poised to war and worship.
We have seen the Lamb who has already overcome the enemy.
In spite of how horrible things are and will become, we know the end of the story. We are citizens, priests and rulers of his eternal kingdom having been redeemed by the sacrifice of the Lamb.
Let us join in worship before the Holy, almighty, eternal One who sits on the throne of heaven who is worthy to receive glory and honor and power as the creator.
Let us fall on our face in gratitude and worship before the Lamb who stands before the throne who is worthy of praise for having given his life for people from every people group and worthy to receive power and riches and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing.
So to him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb, blessing and honor and glory and dominion forever and ever.
