- And when He had taken the book, the four living creatures
and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Ram, having
each of them a harp and golden bowls full of incense, which
represent the prayers of the saints.....
A NEW SONG
“Worthy are You to take the book and break its seals;
“Because You have been slain and have purchased for God with
your own blood:
“Men out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation
And have formed them into a kingdom to be priests to our God,
“And they shall reign over the earth.”
I looked and heard:
VOICES:
1. Of many angels on every side of The Throne
2. Of Living Creatures
3. Of The Elders
- Then I heard
- Every Created Thing
In Heaven
In Earth
Under the earth
SAY:
“To Him who is seated on the throne,
And to the Lamb
Be ascribed all blessing and honor
And glory and dominion,
For ever and ever!”
Then the four living creatures said, “AMEN”,
and the elders fell down and worshiped.
5:8 Now when He had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down
before the Lamb, each having a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the
saints.
- The sealed book passes with great solemnity from the hand of the Creator into the hand of the Redeemer (MH)
- No sooner had Christ received this book out of the Father’s hand than He received the applauses and adorations
- The church begins the doxology as being more immediately concerned in it (MH)
- All – living creatures and elders – had harps and vials (AC)
- Harp – God’s songs and God’s music
- Bowl – God’s prayers imparted into heart of the saints; intercession
- The bowl was a flat, shallow cup. Incense was a normal feature of Hebrew ritual (NIV)
- Incense – the frankincense and odors offered at the Tabernacle were emblems of the prayers and praises of the
- Their own employment is praise; ours is prayer (JFB)
- The elders perform priestly function sin heaven (Z)
References: Revelation 4:8-10; 19:4; 8:3; Psalm 141:2 (Let my prayer be set before You as incense, the lifting up of my hands as the evening
sacrifice); SOS 4:6 (Until the day breaks and the shadows flee away, I will go my way to the mountain of myrrh and to the hill of frankincense);
John 1:29 (The next day he saw Jesus coming to him, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!)
5:9 And they sang a new song, saying:
“You are worthy to take the scroll,
And to open its seals;
For You were slain,
And have redeemed us to God by Your blood
Out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation,
- New in comparison with the ancient song of creation (Z)
- In the OT a new song celebrated a new act of divine deliverance or blessing. (NIV)
- They mention the grounds of this worthiness, yet they chiefly insist upon the merit of His sufferings; these more
- Only three times in New Testament are worthy songs unfolded – declare to God His worth and glory. It’s only in
value, and your importance. When they gaze on beauty they say worthy – only three in the New Testament because its
Your worth Father – His replacement value if you want to go there. What it would be if He weren’t there – what his worth is?
- There is only one other place in the Bible where the worthy realm is addressed - 1 Chronicles 16 – when David’s
throne are gripped by God’s value – highest realm of praise.
- Then 5:8-14 – three songs as created order responds to the ultimate drama. So five songs in two chapters are
and the angels see how fiercely the Father, Son and Holy Spirit contended for the glorification of humans and not the
abandonment of them, they are overwhelmed. The angels and the redeemed overwhelmed. Father, Son and Holy Spirit
and contend for glorification of human beings in intimate fellowship with God and we see that in fullness on the last day.
- New song – composed on the matters and blessings of the gospel which was just now opened on earth. The gospel
- These themes of these five songs – God fiercely contending – so much will be traced back to them that have their
judgments are just removing everything that hinders love – removing things that hinder things that remove love.
- Redeemed us – the partakers with Christ of the first resurrection, who co-jointly with Him reign over the redeemed
the kingdom of the Father—the court of heaven will be transferred to earth, and the ‘tabernacle of God shall be with men’,
and the whole world will be subject to a never-ending theocracy. (JFB)
- The number four marks world-wide extension: the four quarters of the world. (JFB)
- Kindred – tribe – usually refers to Israel
- Tongue and nation - Gentiles
References: Revelation 14:3; 4:11; John 1:29; Hebrews 9:12 (Not with the blood of goats and calves, but with His own blood He entered the
Most Holy Place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption); Psalm 96:1 (Oh, sing to the Lord a new song! Sing to the Lord, all the earth);
1 Chronicles 16:23 (Sing to the Lord, all the earth; proclaim the good news of His salvation from day to day); Psalm 40:3 (And He put a new song
in my mouth, a song of praise to our God; many will see and fear, and will trust in the Lord); 98:1 (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); 149:1 (Praise the Lord! Sing to the Lord a new song, and His
praise in the congregation of the godly ones); Isaiah 42:10; 1 Corinthians 6:20 (For you have been bought with a price; therefore glorify God in
your body); Daniel 3:4; 5:19
5:10 And have made us kings and priests to our God;
And we shall reign on the earth.”
References: Exodus 19:6 (And you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. These are the words which you shall speak to the
children of Israel); Isaiah 61:6 (But you shall be named the priests of the Lord, they shall call you the servants of our God. You shall eat the riches
of the Gentiles, and in their glory you shall boast)
5:11 Then I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels around the throne, the living creatures, and
the elders; and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands,
- The doxology is carried on by the angels (MH)
- Though the angels did not need a Savior themselves, yet they rejoice in the redemption and salvation of sinners
- Thousands – complete number 10x10x10 Holy of Holies 10x10x10
- Myriads of myriads and chiliads of chiliads – an infinite or innumerable multitude (AC)
- A rhetorical phrase for an indefinitely large number (NIV)
References: Revelation 4:4; 5:6, 8, 14; 4:6; 5:6, 14: 4:4; Daniel 7:10 (A river of fire was flowing and coming out from before Him; thousands upon
thousands were attending Him, and myriads upon myriads were standing before Him; the court sat, and the books were opened); Revelation
9:16; Hebrews 12:22 (But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to myriads of angels);
Jude 14 (And about these also Enoch, in the seventh generation from Adam, prophesied, saying, “Behold, the Lord came with many thousands
of His holy ones)
5:12 saying with a loud voice:
“Worthy is the Lamb who was slain
To receive power and riches and wisdom,
And strength and honor and glory and blessing!”
- The attributes increase from three in 4:9-11 to four in 5:13 to seven in 5:12; 7:12 (NIV)
- To receive power – to take – to have ascribed to Him (AC)
- Power – omnipotence (AC)
- Riches – beneficence (AC)
- Wisdom – omniscience (AC)
- Strength – power in prevalent exercise (AC)
- Honor – the highest reputation for what He has done (AC)
- Glory – the praise due to such actions (AC)
- Blessing – the thankful acknowledgments of the whole creation (AC)
- Here are seven different species of praise; and this is exactly agreeable to the rabbinical forms (AC)
References: Revelation 1:6; 4:11; 5:9; 5:6, 13; 13:8; John 1:29
5:13 And every creature which is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and such as are in the
sea, and all that are in them, I heard saying:
“Blessing and honor and glory and power
Be to Him who sits on the throne,
And to the Lamb, forever and ever!”
Amen
- The doxology is resounded by the whole creation (MH)
- All parts of the creation, animate and inanimate, are represented here, by that figure of speech called
gives precisely the same praise, to Jesus Christ, who is undoubtedly meant here by the Lamb just slain, as they give to God
who sits upon the throne. Now if Jesus Christ were not properly God, this would be idolatry, as it would be giving to the
creature what belongs to the Creator (AC)
- Twelve worship words in Revelation:
- o Power
o Riches
o Wisdom
o Strength
o Honor
o Glory
o Blessing
o Thanksgiving
o Might
o Thanks
o Salvation
o Honor and glory
References: Philippians 2:10 (that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under
the earth); Revelation 5:3; 1 Chronicles 29:11 (Yours, O Lord, is the greatness, the power and the glory, the victory and the majesty; for all that is in
heaven and in earth is Yours; Yours is the kingdom, O Lord, and You are exalted as head over all); Romans 9:5 (of whom are the fathers and from
whom, according to the flesh, Christ came, who is over all, the eternally blessed God. Amen); 1 Timothy 6:16 (who alone has immortality, dwelling
in unapproachable light, whom no man has seen or can see, to whom be honor and everlasting power. Amen); 1 Peter 4:11 (If anyone speaks,
let him speak as the oracles of God. If anyone ministers, let him do it as with the ability which God supplies, that in all things God may be glorified
through Jesus Christ, to whom belong the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen); Revelation 4:2, 3; 6:16; 20:11; Romans 11:36
(For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever. Amen)
5:14 Then the four living creatures said, “Amen!” And the elders fell down, and worshiped.
- Three responses to Jesus (Psalm 2:11-12)
- 1. We tremble
2. We rejoice
3. We kiss the Son as the Bridegroom God
- This is the Eastern method of adoration: first, the person worshipping fell down on his knees; and then, bowing
References: Revelation 5:6, 8, 11; 4:6; 1 Corinthians 14:16 (Otherwise if you bless in the spirit only, how will the one who fills the place of the
ungifted say the ‘Amen’ at your giving of thanks, since he does not know what you are saying?); Revelation 7:12; 19:4; 5:6, 8; 4:4; 4:10
