Lesson 8
4:4 Round the throne were twenty-four thrones, and
seated on the thrones were twenty-four elders, clad in
white garments, with golden crowns upon their heads.
These 24 elders appear in a number of places in
Revelation. Here in chapter 4 and later in chapter 14 they
sit around the throne of God. In chapters 4, 5, 7, 11, 14,
and 19, they worship and praise God. Who are they? Let’s
consider the clues.
The 24 elders wearing golden crowns and sitting on 24
thrones before the Great Throne represent royalty in the
presence of supreme royalty. They sit on thrones
surrounding God’s throne, which indicates that their power
is given them by God. Their white garments may represent
the righteous deeds of the Saints as it does later in 19:8.
The crowns remind us of the victory crowns we saw in
2:10.
These 24 elders also represent a priesthood. Recall from
1st Chronicles 24:1–19 that there were 24 orders in the
Levitical priesthood. Each of these orders had an elder who
was sometimes called a prince or a governor (1 Chronicles
24:5). The Levites sometimes praised God with harps (1
Chronicles 25:6), and we will see harps later in 5:8, where
we will see the 24 elders performing priestly duties.
Thus, what we have in these 24 elders is a royal
priesthood. Where have we seen that before? 1 Peter 2:9
describes the church as a royal priesthood. What we are
seeing here is the church. Their white robes are the white
robes promised to the faithful in 3:4. Their crowns are the
crowns promised in 2:10. Their thrones are the thrones
promised in Matthew 19:27-29. These elders are the faithful
people of God!
The church of Christ is a royal priesthood, just as
Christ himself is both our King and our High Priest.
Zechariah 6:9–15 depicts the High Priest being crowned with
a crown, which could only happen after the Old Law had
passed away since under the Old Law the priests were from
the tribe of Levi and the kings were from the tribe of
Judah. Psalm 110 also tells us that Jesus is both king and
priest.
Why 24? One reason we have already mentioned is that 24
points us to the priesthood in 1 Chronicles. Others see 24
as combining the Old Testament (12 patriarchs) with the New
Testament (12 apostles), which would thus depict all of
God’s people from every age.
The crowns remind us of:
• 1 Peter 5:4 “And when the chief Shepherd shall appear,
ye shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not
away.”
• James 1:12 “Blessed is the man that endureth
temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the
crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that
love him.”
Jesus crowns us — not vice versa! Let’s remember that
the next time we are asked to sing a song (such as #577)
that pictures us as placing a crown on Jesus’ head! The
only crown that man ever placed on Jesus’ head was a crown
of thorns. The idea that we make Jesus Lord and we crown
Jesus king is a denominational idea and is foreign to the
Bible. (As for who made Jesus Lord, read Acts 2:36.)
5 From the throne issue flashes of lightning, and voices
and peals of thunder, and before the throne burn seven
torches of fire, which are the seven spirits of God; 6a and
before the throne there is as it were a sea of glass, like
crystal.
Thunder and lightning are commonly used to depict God’s
wrath and power to judge. Recall, for example:
• Exodus 19:16 On the morning of the third day there
were thunders and lightnings, and a thick cloud upon the
mountain, and a very loud trumpet blast, so that all the
people who were in the camp trembled.
• Psalm 18:12-14 Out of the brightness before him there
broke through his clouds hailstones and coals of fire. The
LORD also thundered in the heavens, and the Most High
uttered his voice, hailstones and coals of fire. And he
sent out his arrows, and scattered them; he flashed forth
lightnings, and routed them.
• Psalm 77:18 The crash of thy thunder was in the
whirlwind; thy lightnings lighted up the world; the earth
trembled and shook.
In this book, thunder and lightning always precede
something of unusual importance. For example, thunder and
lightning precede:
• The breaking of seventh seal in 8:5.
• The blowing of seventh trumpet in 11:19.
• The pouring of seventh bowl of wrath in 16:18.
The seven torches of fire are the seven spirits of God,
which, as we saw before, most likely represent the Holy
Spirit, with “seven” being used to denote the perfection of
the Spirit.
A torch of fire is a particularly good symbol for the
Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit appeared as “cloven tongues
like as of fire” in Acts 2:3. Like a torch of fire, the
Holy Spirit is a revealer; he makes all things clear.
This sea stresses separation. (We will see this symbol
again later in this book.) In Solomon’s temple a sea stood
between the priest and the holy place where God dwelt (2
Chronicles 4:2-6). God is transcendent. He is separate from
his creation, and his creation is called upon to remember
that! Swete wrote of “the vast distance which, even in the
case of one who stood in the door of heaven, intervened
between himself and the throne of God.” And yet, with Jesus
as our Savior, we can boldly approach that throne! (Hebrews
4:16)
John in particular knew what a separating sea meant! He
was in exile on an island. In 21:1, we will find that the
sea is no more!
6b And round the throne, on each side of the throne, are
four living creatures, full of eyes in front and behind: 7
the first living creature like a lion, the second living
creature like an ox, the third living creature with the
face of a man, and the fourth living creature like a flying
eagle. 8 And the four living creatures, each of them with
six wings, are full of eyes all round and within, and day
and night they never cease to sing, “Holy, holy, holy, is
the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come!”
As with the 24 elders, the four living creatures that we
meet here will also reappear later in the book. We will see
them again in chapters 5, 6, 7, 14, 15, and 19.
Who are the four living creatures? They may be the
cherubim. In the Old Testament, God was pictured as sitting
enthroned above the cherubim that sat atop the ark of the
covenant, and he was often addressed that way in prayer. (2
Kings 19:15, Psalm 80:1, Psalm 99:1, Isaiah 37:16)
We are also told that the cherubim are God’s chariot on
which he rides swiftly to judgment.
• Ezekiel 10:16 And when the cherubim went, the wheels
went beside them; and when the cherubim lifted up their
wings to mount up from the earth, the wheels did not turn
from beside them.
• Psalm 18:10 He rode on a cherub, and flew; he came
swiftly upon the wings of the wind.
We are also reminded of the seraphim from Isaiah
6:2-3.
Above him stood the seraphim; each had six wings: with
two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet,
and with two he flew. And one called to another and said:
“Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts; the whole earth is
full of his glory.”
The seraphim are mentioned only by Isaiah. They may be
the same as the cherubim, with the name “seraphim” being
used by Isaiah to describe their dazzling appearance.
There are differences among the descriptions of the
seraphim in Isaiah, the cherubim in Ezekiel, and the
creatures in Revelation, but they may nevertheless be
different symbolic descriptions of the same beings.
(Remember one of our interpretive principles: Dissimilarity
of symbols does not necessarily imply distinctness of
subjects.) Isaiah’s seraphim have six wings; Ezekiel’s
cherubim have four; John’s living creatures have six.
Ezekiel’s cherubim have four faces each; John’s living
creatures have one face each.
The purpose of the cherubim is to defend God’s holiness.
They kept Adam from the tree of life. They were woven into
the veil that stood between man and the presence of God in
the temple. They stood over the ark of the covenant looking
down upon the law of God. They would have demanded
immediate justice were it not for the mercy seat that
covered the transgressions because of the blood that was
sprinkled there.
These creatures are the judge of all who enter the
presence of God. They are endlessly concerned with God’s
reputation and the vindication of his character. They never
cease to say, “Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord God Almighty.”
Think of these creatures the next time you hear someone use
the name of God in vain. They are watching!
What about the lion, the ox, the man, and the eagle?
Some suggest they depict nobility (the lion), swiftness
(the eagle), strength (the ox), and wisdom (the man).
Barclay says, “the four living creatures stand for
everything that is noblest, strongest, wisest, and swiftest
in nature. Each has the pre-eminence in his own particular
sphere.”
These creatures likely depict all of nature, including
man. That is, they depict all of God’s creation worshiping
God. “The ceaseless activity of nature under the hand of
God is a ceaseless tribute of praise.” Recall Psalm
19:1-2:
The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above
proclaims his handiwork. Day to day pours out speech, and
night to night reveals knowledge.
We are also reminded of Psalm 148, which has been called
a magnificent summons for the entire creation to join
together in worship of God:
Praise the LORD from the earth, ye dragons, and all
deeps: Fire, and hail; snow, and vapour; stormy wind
fulfilling his word: Mountains, and all hills; fruitful
trees, and all cedars: Beasts, and all cattle; creeping
things, and flying fowl: Kings of the earth, and all
people; princes, and all judges of the earth: Both young
men, and maidens; old men, and children: Let them praise
the name of the LORD: for his name alone is excellent; his
glory is above the earth and heaven.
Barclay: “There is a tremendous truth here. The basic
idea behind this is that anything which is fulfilling the
function for which it was created is praising God. ...
Cannot an earthworm serve God? Do you suppose that it is
only a general who is a good soldier? Cannot the lowest
private fight his best? Happy are you, if you are serving
God and carrying out his purpose as faithfully as an
earthworm.”
Why are there four creatures? The number four confirms
our understanding that we see here all of God’s creation
worshipping him. The number four denotes the created world
— the four elements (earth, air, fire, water), the four
seasons, the four directions. Compare Mark 13:27 ― “And
then he will send out the angels and gather his elect from
the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of
heaven.” Some say that 4 being 3+1 denotes the creative
works (1) that come from God (3).
If you have seen many stained glass windows or other
religious artwork, then you have seen these four living
creatures representing the four gospel writers. The first
such identification dates all the way back to A.D. 170 with
Irenaeus. Augustine identified Matthew with the lion
because he depicted Jesus as the Lion of Judah, Mark with
the man because he showed the humanity of Christ, Luke with
the ox because he showed Jesus as the perfect sacrifice for
all, and John with the eagle because the eagle is the only
creature that can look straight into the sun. Others
identify Matthew with the man and Mark with the lion. (See,
for example, the painting of the four gospel writers by
Rubens below.)
These four living creatures are full of eyes: They miss
nothing. They proclaim God’s holiness, his separateness,
his transcendence, and his unlimited might and power.
Here is the message of these verses in a nutshell: You
think Rome is powerful and impressive? Just look at who we
have on our side! Rome does not stand a chance!
9 And whenever the living creatures give glory and honor
and thanks to him who is seated on the throne, who lives
for ever and ever, 10 the twenty-four elders fall down
before him who is seated on the throne and worship him who
lives for ever and ever; they cast their crowns before the
throne, singing, 11 “Worthy art thou, our Lord and God, to
receive glory and honor and power, for thou didst create
all things, and by thy will they existed and were
created.”
The elders fall down before God and cast their crowns
before the throne and worship God. This shows that their
authority is a delegated authority. They owe their
existence and present status to God’s power and will.
Twice we see see the phrase “who lives for ever and
ever.” This description emphasizes the eternal nature of
God, which stands in stark contrast to the supposed Roman
deities who had been created and who had an appointment
with death. It reminds me of Psalm 22:29 ― “All those who
go down to the dust shall bow before Him, even he who
cannot keep himself alive.”
The word translated “worship” is a Greek word meaning to
prostrate oneself before deity and to kiss the feet or hem
of the garment. Verse 10, in fact, explicitly tells us that
the elders fell down before God and worshipped him. If we
had more time, there is a great deal we could say here
about the proper worship of God and the improper worship of
God. (For more on that topic, see the materials and sermons
on www.ThyWordIsTruth.com.)
Notice that verse 10 in the Revised Standard Version
tells us that these 24 elders were singing while
worshipping before the throne of God. Other translations
tell us that these elders were simply saying these words.
Which is correct? The Greek word used here denotes
speaking, and particularly denotes the content of the
speech. Ephesians 5:19 does say, “Speaking to yourselves in
psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making
melody in your heart to the Lord,” but the Greek word for
“speaking” used there is different and denotes the sound of
the speech. Thus, it’s not clear at all why the RSV used
“singing” in this verse, and it appears to be incorrect. In
any event, we will hear the elders singing later in 5:9,
and we will have more to say about music at that time.
The phrases “worthy art thou” and “our Lord and God”
were also used in the worship of the emperor. The emperor
Domitian took “Lord and God” as his official title and
required all government announcements and proclamations to
begin with the phrase “Our Lord and God Domitian
commands.”
The phrase “they existed and were created” in verse 11
is interesting. Some suggest that this verse indicates we
somehow existed before we were created, perhaps, as one
puts it, “we existed in the will of god and were then
created at the appointed time.”
All of creation is the product of God’s will. Before
anything was created, it had its existence in the mind of
God. As Psalm 148:5 reminds us, “For he commanded and they
were created.” When we study God’s creation we are thinking
God’s thoughts after him.
The scene of this chapter is one of unending worship of
God by the cherubim and by the church. The creatures
worship their Creator. By contrast, Romans 1:25 depicts
sinful men worshipping the creature rather than the Creator
— and that verse from Romans described Rome perfectly!
Chapter Five
1 And I saw in the right hand of him who was seated on
the throne a scroll written within and on the back, sealed
with seven seals;
The contents of this scroll will be revealed in the
chapters that follow, but here we get a description of the
scroll. It is written within and on the back, and it is
sealed with seven seals.
What we sometimes call a “book” was really a scroll.
Scrolls of that day were typically made of single papyrus
sheets about ten by eight inches. The sheets were joined
together horizontally when a long scroll was needed. The
writing was in narrow columns about three inches long. The
roll commonly had a wooden roller at each end. It was held
in the left hand, unrolled with the right, and, as the
reading went on, the part in the left hand was rolled up
again. The book of Revelation, for example, would have
required a scroll that was about 15 feet long.
This scroll was written on the front and on the back. In
making papyrus paper, a row of papyrus strips was laid
vertically with another row of strips laid horizontally on
top of them. The whole thing was then moistened with water
and glued and pressed together. The side that ran
horizontally was known as the recto, and on that side the
writing was done because the lines of the writing ran with
the lines of the fibers. The other side was called the
verso and it was not commonly used for writing.
But papyrus was expensive. So, if you had a lot to
write, you would write both on the front and on the back. A
sheet written on the back, the verso, was called an
opisthograph.
That the scroll in God’s hand was an opisthograph
(written within and on the back) tells us that it contained
the extensive and comprehensive decrees of God. It
contained the full will of God for his people and for the
enemies of his people. That it is written tells us that
God’s will in this matter has been determined, and it will
happen. It has been decided. There will be no deliberation
and no delay.
We see similar language in the description of Ezekiel’s
book of lamentations in Ezekiel 2:10 ― “It had writing on
the front and on the back, and there were written on it
words of lamentation and mourning and woe.” And Rome will
soon find that for them the comparison with Ezekiel’s
scroll goes beyond how it was written. For them, this
scroll will also contain words of lamentation and mourning
and woe.
The seven seals on the scroll indicate that the scroll
was perfectly and completely sealed. At this point, God’s
plan had not yet been put into effect and had not yet been
revealed. The judgments within the scroll had not yet been
executed. But that is all about to change as the seals are
removed.
The use of a seal reminds us of Daniel 8:26, where
Daniel was told to “seal up the vision, for it pertains to
many days hence.” The period called “many days hence” in
Daniel 8:26 was in fact about 400 years. By contrast, the
seals are about to come off of this scroll, and in 22:10,
John will be told not to seal up his book for the time is
near! Again, we must ask on what basis some people argue
that the events in this scroll have not happened even to
this very day — 2000 years after the seals were
removed!
2 and I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud
voice, “Who is worthy to open the scroll and break its
seals?” 3 And no one in heaven or on earth or under the
earth was able to open the scroll or to look into it, 4 and
I wept much that no one was found worthy to open the scroll
or to look into it. 5 Then one of the elders said to me,
“Weep not; lo, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of
David, has conquered, so that he can open the scroll and
its seven seals.”
The question is not who is able to open the scroll and
breaks its seals, but rather who is worthy to do those
things. Whoever opens the scroll will be responsible for
what follows. The word “worthy” (axios) literally means “of
sufficient weight.” The word occurs 7 times in
Revelation.
We will see this (or perhaps another) strong angel again
in 10:1 and 18:21. In Chapter 10, the strong angel will
lift his right to Heaven and swear there will be no more
delay, so when we see this strong angel we should remember
the time frame of this book.
Even this “strong angel” was not worthy to open the
scroll. In fact, no one in heaven or on earth or under the
earth was worthy. The phrase “under the earth” likely
denotes the grave or the place of the dead. (See Ephesians
4:9 and Romans 10:7.)
Taken together, the phrase “in heaven or on earth or
under the earth” denotes the entire universe of created
beings. Recall, for example, Philippians 2:10 ― “That at
the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on
earth and under the earth.” We also see similar language in
the command of Exodus 20:4 ― “You shall not make for
yourself a graven image, or any likeness of anything that
is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or
that is in the water under the earth.”
No one in all of God’s creation was worthy to open the
scroll and loosen the seals. And John wept. Why? If the
scrolls were not opened then there would be no protection
for God’s people, there would be no judgments against the
enemies of God’s people, there would be no ultimate triumph
for believers, and there would be no new heaven and new
earth. John wept at the delay! And how would John have
reacted had he been forced to read a modern commentary that
says nothing in the book has yet been fulfilled even to
this very day? How would he have reacted to that delay?
And what was John told to do? He was told to quit crying
and look at Jesus, and that is good advice in any
circumstances! Swete, reminding us of the recurring theme
that we must view things from God’s perspective, said:
“Higher natures see that human grief is often needless,
springing from insufficient knowledge.” Barclay: “If we had
patience to wait and trust, we would see that God has his
own solutions for the situations that bring us tears.”
We see here three descriptions of Jesus: (1) the Lion of
the tribe of Judah, (2) the Root of David, (3) and we are
told that he has conquered.
The lion of the tribe of Judah is a Messianic title.
Jesus is from the tribe of Judah (Hebrews 7:14). Recall
Genesis 49:9–10 ―
Judah is a lion’s whelp; from the prey, my son, you have
gone up. He stooped down, he couched as a lion, and as a
lioness; who dares rouse him up? The scepter shall not
depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from between his
feet, until he comes to whom it belongs; and to him shall
be the obedience of the peoples.
The Root of David is also a Messianic title. We know
that Jesus descended from David according to the flesh
(Romans 1:3). Recall Isaiah 11:1, 10 speaking of David’s
father, Jesse ―
There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse,
and a branch shall grow out of his roots. ... In that day
the root of Jesse shall stand as an ensign to the peoples;
him shall the nations seek, and his dwellings shall be
glorious.
Finally, Jesus is described as the one who has (past
tense) conquered. Not that he is about to conquer, but that
he has already conquered. Jesus conquered Rome at the
cross! In fact, Jesus was conquering Rome at the very point
that Rome thought it was conquering Jesus. Once again,
things are not always what they seem!
What is the purpose of this beautiful picture of Christ?
This picture emphasizes how great a thing it is to which
Christ is here called. He will sustain the kingdom he died
to create ― and he will sustain us today. Jesus loves his
church!
Finally, it is self evident that God did not need to
search for someone to open the scroll. God did not need to
search for Christ. The searching, the waiting, and the
weeping are presented for dramatic effect. The angel in
verse 2 knew the answer to his question before he asked
it!
6 And between the throne and the four living creatures
and among the elders, I saw a Lamb standing, as though it
had been slain, with seven horns and with seven eyes, which
are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth; 7
and he went and took the scroll from the right hand of him
who was seated on the throne. 8 And when he had taken the
scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four
elders fell down before the Lamb, each holding a harp, and
with golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of
the saints;
John looks over expecting to see a lion, but what does
he see? He sees a lamb. In fact, he sees a lamb standing as
though it had been slain. Where is the power in that?
Again, things are not always as they seem.
What is meant by the phrase “as though it had been
slain”? It means that the Lamb had the marks of slaughter
upon it. It does not mean that the Lamb merely looked like
it had been slain; it means that the Lamb had been slain.
And the marks of that event were still evident upon it. And
this slain lamb is standing — a vision of victory through
sacrifice and suffering.
Three words in the New Testament are translated lamb:
aren, amnos, and arnion. The first occurs only in Luke
10:3, the second occurs four times in John, Acts, and 1
Peter. The third word for lamb occurs once in John’s gospel
(21:15) and 29 times in Revelation, 28 of which in
reference to Jesus. (The other use is in 13:11.)
This Lamb, of course, is Jesus who overcame the world
through his perfect sacrifice. He had overcome the world
(John 16:33) and defeated his foes not as a lion but as a
lamb, and by this his subjects must also now conquer.
Recall:
• John 1:29 The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him,
and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin
of the world!
• 1 Corinthians 5:7 Purge out therefore the old leaven,
that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even
Christ our passover is sacrificed for us.
• 1 Peter 1:18–19 Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not
redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from
your vain conversation received by tradition from your
fathers; But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a
lamb without blemish and without spot.
• Isaiah 53:7 He was oppressed, and he was afflicted,
yet he opened not his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the
slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is
dumb, so he opened not his mouth.
We tend to see a lamb as a docile and helpless creature,
but we will find that this Lamb is very different. Later,
we will read about the “wrath of the Lamb,” which is one of
the most remarkable and striking phrases in all of the
Bible.
One of the songs we sing quite often is “Lamb of God.”
And while the song has some worthy sentiments, it includes
the following line that has always bothered me: “Your gift
of love they crucified, They laughed and scorned Him as He
died, The humble King they named a fraud And sacrificed the
Lamb of God.” Neither the Romans nor the angry mob
sacrificed the Son of God; they murdered the son of God!
(Acts 5:30 “The God of our fathers raised up Jesus whom you
murdered by hanging on a tree.”) Jesus gave himself as a
sacrifice on our behalf. (Hebrews 9:26 “but now, once at
the end of the ages, He has appeared to put away sin by the
sacrifice of Himself.”) See also John 10:18; Galatians 1:4;
Ephesians 5:2; Titus 2:14; and 1 Corinthians 5:7. Sacrifice
is an act of worship, and neither the Jews nor the Romans
were worshiping God on that day! (I suppose it is just
poetic license, but some poets need to have their licenses
revoked!)
Why does this lamb have seven horns? Horns were used by
the Hebrews to depict power. (Deuteronomy 33:17; 1 Samuel
2:10) The seven horns here represent Jesus’ complete and
perfect power and wisdom. Later in Revelation (and also in
Daniel) we will see that horns are used to depict kings.
Thus, these seven horns likely depict the royalty of Christ
and his complete sovereignty over all things.
The Lamb also has seven eyes, which are the seven
spirits of God. Recall our earlier discussion on the seven
spirits where we identified them with the Holy Spirit. (2
Chronicles 16:9; Zechariah 3:9, 4:10)
The bowls of incense are the prayers of the saints. We
will see later that everything in this book came about as a
result of the prayers of the saints. While despised on
earth, these prayers are brought to God in golden bowls.
The picture reminds us of Psalm 141:2 ― “Let my prayer be
counted as incense before thee, and the lifting up of my
hands as an evening sacrifice.”
A major theme of this book is the power of prayer. We
will soon see that this judgment against Rome is happening
because of the prayers by God’s people. Yes, we are to love
our enemies and pray for them, but sometimes that prayer
can be that God will judge them, and perhaps in that
judgment they will finally see the errors of their
ways.
Notice that each of the elders is holding a harp. So, I
guess that means harps can be used in our worship service,
right? Wrong! We know from elsewhere in the New Testament
that God’s chosen instrument for worship in the new kingdom
is the human voice and the use of anything else is contrary
to the pattern he left for us to follow. (See much more on
this subject at www.ThyWordIstruth.com.)
Why then do we see harps in these verses? Remember that
what we are seeing here are symbols. This language is
figurative. For example, only in a vision could a lamb with
7 horns and 7 eyes take a book from someone’s hand. These
harps are symbols for praise, just as the incense is a
symbol for prayer. We will see a similar symbol in 14:2 ―
“the voice I heard was like the sound of harpers playing on
their harps.”
The Lamb takes the scroll from the right hand of God.
Jesus is worthy to open to the scroll and do what is
contained therein. What follows next has been called “one
of the greatest scenes of universal adoration anywhere
recorded.”
9 and they sang a new song, saying, “Worthy art thou to
take the scroll and to open its seals, for thou wast slain
and by thy blood didst ransom men for God from every tribe
and tongue and people and nation, 10 and hast made them a
kingdom and priests to our God, and they shall reign on
earth.”
In these verses, “Heaven is revealed to earth as the
homeland of music.” We find here the greatest chorus of
praise the universe can ever hear. This new song is a song
of redemption. It is a song about Jesus and about his
church, the ransomed from the earth.
Think for a moment about the songs we sing. Which ones
would we choose were we to find ourselves worshipping
before the throne of God? (Certainly “Worthy Art Thou”
should be on the list!) Are there any of those songs we
would not sing on such a grand occasion? If so, then why
would we ever sing them at all? Aren’t we worshipping
before the throne of God when we gather each week in our
worship assembly? Aren’t we the royal priesthood right here
and right now? Just because we, unlike John, cannot see the
throne of God doesn’t mean it’s not here. We know it’s
here! God is (present tense!) dwelling with his people!
Christ opened the door! Hebrews 4:16 ― “Let us therefore
come boldly unto the throne of grace!” (I could go further
and ask not only what we would be singing in such a
situation but also what we would be wearing and how we
would be acting in such a situation, but I’ve probably said
too much already.)
One more comment about singing: Do angels sing? Most of
us would likely answer yes. But interestingly there is a
not a single example anywhere in the Bible of an angel
singing. The closest we get is in Job 38:7 ― “The morning
stars sang together and all the angels shouted for joy."
(Hark the Herald Angels Say? It just doesn’t have the same
ring to it!) Also, did you know that God sings? See
Zephaniah 3:17. And, in my opinion, angels also sing. How
could they not?
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