Last week we began looking at Revelation Chapter 5 and we spent most of our time examining the Scroll. We learned historically that the Egyptians, Babylonians, Greeks and Romans would seal their contracts and legal documents using a seven sealed scroll. We also looked at Jeremiah 32, which contained the story of Jeremiah redeeming his cousin Hanamel’s field before the Jews were to be taken into captivity by the Babylonians. It was a bad deal for Jeremiah because he would not be returning to the land, since their captivity would last 70 years and he would be dead before it was over. However, it was God’s will that Jeremiah redeem the land as a symbol that Jewish captivity would not be forever. After 70 years, God would keep his promise and return the Israelites to their homeland again. We then compared the scroll of Revelation 5 to the scroll of Jeremiah 32, the land title scroll of the kinsman redeemer. We talked about our own redemptive history and how because of the fall, we lost possession of our land, and our selves because of our sin nature and how we have been under the captivity of sin and of Satan for the last 6000 years. We talked about how because of the cross and resurrection of Jesus Christ we also have a promise of redemption for those who believe in him. Because of Christ, we have been set free, however we still live in a world that is under the captivity of Satan and ruled by him until Christ returns. Until then God is using our captivity to discipline us, grow our faith which is worth more than gold, test us and our love for him, teach us obedience, grow our character and prepare us for eternity.
We also talked about how Christ has been given all authority, but he has yet to exercise all his authority. Only a kinsman redeemer had the right to open a sealed scroll to claim his land in the Old Testament in the same way only Jesus our Kinsman Redeemer, who became like us, and was slain for us, is worthy and has the right to take the scroll from God’s hand and to break its seals. This scroll, represents Christ’s authority and ownership of the earth and us. It can also be seen as God’s unchangeable will and decree for the redemption of mankind and the judgment of sin. The breaking of the seals shows what is in this scroll, the outpouring of the judgment of God upon the earth and all earth dwellers. Who is worthy to pour out the judgment of God upon the earth? Let him who is without sin cast the first stone.
Now we return to the Throne Room of Heaven and enter into the dilemma of “Who is Worthy to Open the Scroll?” Although you and I already know the answer, do not let this stop us from feeling the weight of the dilemma that John is drawing us a picture of in heaven. We need to feel the weight of this dilemma in order to fully appreciate the work that Christ has done and to increase our worship of him. We need to feel this dilemma so that we understand our own utter inability and hopelessness apart from Christ. We need to meditate on the weight of this dilemma so we know there was no other way, no other person, except the sacrificial death of Christ on the cross.
2 And I saw a mighty angel proclaiming with a loud voice, “Who is worthy to open the scroll and break its seals?”
The first thing that John notices about this angel is his strength and power. The angels of God are known as “mighty ones.”
Bless the Lord, O you his angels, you mighty ones who do his word, obeying the voice of his word! (Psa. 103:20)
We may not know what angels look like exactly, however, we know they are spiritual beings that are able to take on different forms of creation. The bible tells us that it is possible to entertain angels unaware. Hebrews 3:12 says, “Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.”However, many appearances of angels in the bible appear quite intimidating, so much so that usually the first words out of their mouth is “Do not be afraid.” Or they prompt worship and they rebuke man for attempting to worship them, directing them to worship God instead. What stands out about these angels is simply their might, their strength. They are often described as bright, having shining white garments. They are known as powerful beings. Unlike us who are considerably weak beings. This makes the idea of 1 Cor. 6:3 “Do you not know that we are to judge angels?” ….quite head spinning concept to consider.
Here we see a mighty angel asking a question. It says he has a loud voice, or a voice that proclaims or heralds so that all can hear him and he asks. “Who is worthy to open the scroll and break its seals?”
The first thing we should take notice of, is that this is not a matter of strength or ability in opening this scroll and breaking its seals. Here we have a mighty angel asking and which shows, he is unable to open the scroll or break its seals. Neither is it a matter of who is willing to open the scroll but instead this is a matter of who is worthy to open the scroll and break the seals.
This is not so much a matter of virtue as it is of legal authority. This mighty angel in all his strength and power was not himself able to open the scroll or break its seals. Even though as angel he would be without sin.
Who has the authority to take this scroll from God’s possession and to open it and to break its seals? We already know what is inside this scroll if we looked ahead to chapter six and can agree with Ezekial’s description of words of, “lamentation and mourning and woe.” being written on it. Ezekial 2:10 Conquerors, War, Famine, Widespread Death, Martyrdom and Persecution, Unnatural Disasters…all the beginning of outpourings of God’s judgment and wrath on the earth dwellers. Who is worthy to let loose the seals that restrain God’s wrath without being consumed them self? Who is able to judge man’s sin? Who is able to throw the first stone? Who has authority to clean house on the earth?
Sixth Seal
15 Then the kings of the earth and the great ones and the generals and the rich and the powerful, and everyone, slave and free, hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains, 16 calling to the mountains and rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who is seated on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb, 17 for the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand?” (Rev. 6:15-17)
Only the rightful owner and ruler of the earth has the right and the authority to clean house on the earth. As Jesus said in Matthew 28:18 after his resurrection, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.”
In view of the kinsman-redeemer, having the ability and authority to claim and open a scroll for the purpose of redemption of the world and claiming the world, angels are not able. It must be a near kinsman that claims the right of redemption, and they had to be able and willing to pay the cost of redemption. There is one person in the entire world and universe who has secured the right to open the scroll and to break its seals and to send forth the judgments of God. Jesus Christ.
3 And no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll or to look into it,
A complete search had been made. This shows the moral inability and powerlessness of both man and of angels, in heaven, on the earth and even under the earth to open the scroll or even look upon it.
No angel above in heaven, No fallen angel under the earth below. No man departed. No man living. No prophets. No magicians. No wise man. No humble man. No heroes of the faith, Abraham, Isaac, Moses, Daniel, Paul, no heroes of the Christian faith were worthy to serve God let alone to take the scroll or look upon it and to execute its will.
No elder standing close to the throne. No archangel or living creature. Not even Satan himself could open the scroll or look upon its contents. The herald had gone out but everyone remained silent, even Satan, who once claimed all power and authority on the earth had been given to him to give to him to give to whom he pleased; even Satan himself remains silent because the earth and the people no longer belong to him. He is but a temporary position of reign and his reign is about over as the Master of the House is coming home.
so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, (Phil. 2:10)
A time period or at least it must have felt like a long time period to John, must have passed and the weight of the silence in heaven must have been heavy for John began to weep.
4 and I began to weep loudly because no one was found worthy to open the scroll or to look into it.
“You can tell a lot about people by three things: what makes them laugh, what makes them angry, and what makes them cry.”- Unknown
John burst into tears and began to openly weep that no one was found in all of creation to open the scroll and look into it.
Knowing what the scroll contains, the wrath and outpouring of the judgment of God against sin and all those who love lawlessness, it gives me pause to consider John’s strong reaction and I immediately wonder if I would have reacted the same way. Initially, I am afraid of feeling a little bit of relief that it can’t be opened. The outpouring of God’s judgment upon the earth is a fearful reality that if I am honest I would like to put my head in the sand and not think about it. The initial response of my fleshly nature speaks of my ignorance and selfishness. But the idea requires serious thought in order to understand John’s strong grief and to bring my own heart into alignment with him. So take a minute and seriously consider the idea, what if the judgment of God never came? What if we never had to fear facing the wrath of God?
I think it is when we begin to seriously face this question as a Christian and begin to consider its implications that would begin to weep loudly too. God’s wrath and judgment being poured out is indeed a fearsome idea to even consider, but the idea of God’s wrath and judgment never being poured out is by far a much worse thought to consider once you consider it’s implications.
There would be no redemption, no salvation, no deliverance, no judgment of sin which means there would be no end to sorrow. No end to unrighteousness. No end to injustice. No end to the reign of evil. No eternal hope. No peace. No justice. Death would reign. No lasting goodness. Man would continue to sin, disregard God, others, seeking his own interests, his own pleasure, apart from God and others at the expense of others. He would continue to seek to rule the world, by ruling others, no end to wars, manipulation, power struggles. Christ would never reign. I am barely even addressing the surface of the implications that reach far beyond my understanding. This much I do know, sin must be judged, condemned and removed from the earth, if we would have righteousness rule.
For John, it must have seemed as if the future of the world and all of creation hung up in the air. That God’s perfect and good will would not be able to be carried out
I wonder if John thought where is Jesus? Why isn’t Jesus here?
5 And one of the elders said to me, “Weep no more; behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered, so that he can open the scroll and its seven seals.”
One of the twenty four elders, one of the representatives of the church body comes to John and tells him to not weep anymore and turns his eyes to Jesus and his ability to open the scroll and its seven seals. He refers to Jesus as the Lion of the tribe of Judah. This is a messianic title of Christ taken from the Old Testament:
Judah is a lion’s cub; from the prey, my son, you have gone up. He stooped down; he crouched as a lion and as a lioness; who dares rouse him? The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, until tribute comes to him; and to him shall be the obedience of the peoples. (Gen. 49:9-10)
For thus the LORD said to me, “As a lion or a young lion growls over his prey, and when a band of shepherds is called out against him he is not terrified by their shouting or daunted at their noise, so the LORD of hosts will come down to fight on Mount Zion and on its hill. ( Isaiah 31:4)
They shall go after the LORD; he will roar like a lion; when he roars, his children shall come trembling from the west; (Hosea 11:10)
The lion is a symbol of strength and of power, of bravery, courage and kingship. It is referred to as the king of the beasts and greatly feared by all beasts and even men.
The Root of David is also a messianic title for Christ showing his descent from the line of David and his right to rule as King.
In that day the root of Jesse, who shall stand as a signal for the peoples-of him shall the nations inquire, and his resting place shall be glorious. (Isaiah 11:10)
“I, Jesus, have sent my angel to testify to you about these things for the churches. I am the root and the descendant of David, the bright morning star.” (Revelation 22:16)
Both of these messianic titles refer to Jesus’ authority and kingship. His right to open the scrolls comes from the fact that he has conquered, prevailed and overcame by the cross. He has gained the victory as King and ruler.
At this point, I imagine John begins to look up from look down in despair and begins to look for Jesus anticipating a grand victorious entry of the King of Kings and Lord of Lords who has conquered. He looks for the entry of the proud and fearsome lion…
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.
But instead of seeing a powerful ferocious lion triumphantly enter the throne room of God in a grand manner, in the midst of it all John sees a little lamb standing in the midst of the throne, four living creatures and the elders. He did not notice its entrance or how it came to be there. If the Elder had not caused him to look up and look around, he may not have ever noticed its entrance into the scene or known how long it had been standing there.
The word used for lamb here, lambkin refers to a pet lamb. It is a little lamb. This was a delicate lamb that stood in the midst of the throne. It was like the lambs used for sacrifice that the Jews would pick out and keep in their homes for four days, becoming attached to it as they would a pet before it was violently slaughtered on the eve of Passover for their sins. This was to make the sacrifice personal and to show that it was a real sacrifice for the innocent, weak and defenseless lamb to die on their behalf. Here stood a tiny lamb as though it had been slain (butchered or slaughtered). This lamb still bore the wounds of death. Not only was John taken aback by seeing a little lamb instead of a lion, it was slain lamb at that, yet all though it was slaughtered it still lived. The perfect tense of the Greek shows that the Lamb was not only slain at some point in time, but that his death is still fresh, it is still present. He is slain yet lives.
Leon Morris states:
It is striking and unexpected to have such an animal chosen to symbolize Christ. Love points out that, ‘None but an inspired composer of heavenly visions would have ever thought of it. When earth-bound men want symbols of power they conjure up mighty beasts and birds of prey. Russia elevates the bear, Britain the lion, France the tiger, the United States the spread eagle – all of them ravenous. It is only the Kingdom of Heaven that would dare to use as its symbol of might, not the Lion for which John was looking but the helpless lamb, and at that, a slain lamb.’
We were saved by a lamb, a slain lamb on the cross and not through triumphant glory and power of a lion entrance and exit. Christ did not conquer through becoming a lion, but by becoming a lamb. The Israelites did not expect a lamb for a savior, but they still wait for a lion, someone who will come and rule the world. In their preconceived notion of who they envisioned their savior to be, they missed their time of visitation. We must accept God as he is and as he reveals himself to be and not how we expect him to be or think he should be. This is one of the dangers of idols of the mind. We worship a god who is no god at all instead the one and only true and living God.
This lamb had some other distinguishing features. It had seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth. Once again we must remind ourselves that this is Apocalyptic writing meant not for us to draw pictures of but to convey to us concepts through the symbolism of the images brought before us.
Horns in the Old Testament and in ancient times always symbolized power because it was with their horns that animals fought one another. Horns were used as a weapon. It was because of their powerful horns that the ox and bull were most often worshipped in the ancient world. The pictograph symbol for the Hebrew alphabet letter ‘A’ before the more Aramaic-style script was adopted was a picture of an Ox’s head which meant strength or leadership. This same symbol was used in the ancient Phoenician alphabet as well which closely resembled the ancient Hebrew alphabet before they went into Babylonian exile and adopted the more Aramaic-style script afterword This is why in the ancient world rulers, especially Vikings, would wear hats with horns on them to symbolize their own strength and power as rulers.
This lamb had not one horn but seven horns. We already know what the number seven means. We have seen it several times already and can quickly interpret that this means perfect and or complete. This lamb has perfect and complete power. In theological terms we would say it is omnipotent, all-powerful an attribute of God having unlimited power.
In addition to these seven horns, we also see this lamb has seven eyes. The symbolization of the eyes has not changed much from ancient history to modern day; they still represent the ability to see. In the bible the eyes, the ability to see suggests knowledge and wisdom. This lamb has seven eyes along with the seven horns showing that it has the ability to see perfectly. It has perfect and complete perception and in theological terms we would call this omniscient, having all knowledge or being all knowing, infinitely wise. Don’t let this little lamb fool you. So far we see that he is all powerful and all knowing. Two attributes of God.
Omnipresent, a third attribute of God is also seen in this little lamb. These seven eyes are further defined to be the seven spirits of God sent throughout the earth. We have already seen the reference to the seven spirits of God twice already in the book of Revelation. (Rev. 1:4 and 4:5) Once again this represents the fullness, the completeness of the spirit being present with the lamb and also shows the omnipresence of God in that they are sent out into all the earth. This is in reference to Zechariah’s vision when he sees the golden lampstand with seven lamps on it
For whoever has despised the day of small things shall rejoice, and shall see the plumb line in the hand of Zerubbabel. “These seven are the eyes of the LORD, which range through the whole earth.” (Zech. 4:10)
The eyes of the Lord are in every place, keeping watch on the evil and the good. (Prov. 15:3)
7 And he went and took the scroll from the right hand of him who was seated on the throne.
Here we see the lamb take the scroll from the right hand of God the Father who was seated on the throne. This moment is momentous. It is described as the most climatic event in human history and the worship that follows confirms it. All authority in heaven and on earth was given to Christ already after his death and resurrection according to Matthew 28:18. But his work still isn’t finished. He came first as a lamb. He will come next as a lion to execute the judgment of God against all those who rejected him and chose to live their own life now instead of exchanging it for Christ’s.
“Behold, the Lord comes with ten thousands of his holy ones, to execute judgment on all and to convict all the ungodly of all their deeds of ungodliness that they have committed in such an ungodly way, and of all the harsh things that ungodly sinners have spoken against him.” (Jude 1:14-15)
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 golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints.
Here we see the response of the four living creatures and twenty-four elders after the Lamb had taken the scroll from the right hand of God. They fell down and worshipped.
It says that each held a harp, which is an instrument of worship in the Old Testament. (1 Chron 25:6) This is believed to be in reference to the Elders alone having a harp and not the living creatures because of the structure of the sentence.
These harps are not only associated with the accompaniment of worship and praise but also of prophecy. Several times throughout the Old Testament whenever prophecy is mentioned the prophet is holding a harp.
And it shall come to pass, when thou art come thither to the city, that thou shall meet a company of prophets coming down from the high place with the psaltery…with a harp before them; and they shall prophesy: And the Spirit of the Lord will come upon thee, and thou shalt prophesy with them, and thou shalt be turned into another man. 1 Samuel 10:5-6
But now bring me a harpist.”While the harpist was playing, the hand of the Lord came on Elisha and he said, “This is what the Lord says: I will fill this valley with pools of water. – 2 Kings 3:15-16
David, together with the commanders of the army, set apart some of the sons of Asaph, Heman and Jeduthun for the ministry of prophesying, accompanied by harps, lyres and cymbals. (1 Chron. 25:1)
In these verses we see the spirit move as a result of the music of the harp. This shows the prophetical ministry of these elders and the church along with their priestly ministry and function through their holding the bowls of incense, the prayers of the saints.
This imagery is taken from the golden altar of Exodus 31:1-10 on which shallow bowls were placed in which incense burned. The odors were the incense.
Let my prayer be set forth before thee as incense;” (Psa.141:2)
In Luke 1:8 we see Zechariah, whose lot it fell to in the cycle of the 24 lots of elders, offering incense, a priestly function and another parallel between the Levitical priesthood and the representatives of the church seen here.
Have you ever wondered what happened to your prayers? Or thought they did not matter? Here we see a collective gathering of the prayers of the saints, every time you and I have prayed for God’s kingdom to come and his will to be done. Every time you and I have prayed for Jesus to come quickly. Every time we have prayed for all evil and suffering to end and it seemed like our prayers were weak and unanswered, they have found their way into God’s golden bowl where he has stored them up for their time along with all the prayers of the saints. How concentrated and powerful this bowl of prayers must be. It reminds me of strong medicine stored in small vials, so are our combined prayers with God.
9 And they sang a new song, saying,
They sang a new song. Every time a new song is sung, it is because a new act has been done by God. The Israelites sang a new song immediately after crossing the Red Sea after being delivered from Egypt. The Lord loves it when we sing to him. He himself through his wonderful deeds of provision and deliverance plants that song in our hearts and gives us the spirit to sing it. Sometimes it’s an old song that he plants in our hearts that we have sung many times in our lives in empty repetition but because of current circumstances or current deliverance we are able to sing the song in a new way in truth and in spirit for this is the type of worshippers the Lord seeks.
Sing to him a new song; play skillfully on the strings, with loud shouts. (Psa. 23:3)
I will sing a new song to you, O God; upon a ten-stringed harp I will play to you, (Psa.144:9)
He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God. Many will see and fear, and put their trust in the Lord. (Psa. 40:3)
This is the only place in Revelation that uses the word sang instead of say in reference to the angels singing. This could refer to only the Elders singing and not the Living Creatures. Some believe the bible does not teach that angels sing, instead they teach that only the redeemed sing. Every reference in the bible where we often teach the host of angels sing, actually says, “say” or “saying” instead of “sing” For instance take the birth of Christ in Luke 2:13-14:
”And suddenly, there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly hosts saying, Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace”
There are only two places in the bible that come close to giving us the understanding that angels sing, here and in Job 38:7 “while the morning stars sang together and all the angels shouted for joy?” Both are kind of a stretch. Some say that this means the angels sang at the creation of the world but since the fall of creation, they never sang again, but will sing again as seen here at the end of time and the redemption of the world and man. That is a possibility, but we do not really know, we can only ponder the actuality and wait and see if angels really sing.
Always, the redeemed sing; God’s blood washed sing; God’s children sing; but angels don’t sing. About the best I can find out is this: music is made up of major chords and minor chords. And the minor chords speak of the wretchedness, and the death, and the sorrow of this God-fallen creation. And most of nature moans and groans in a plaintive and minor key. The sound of the wind through the forest; the sound of the storm; the sound of the wind around the house—always in a minor key. It wails—the sound of the ocean, moaning in its restlessness, in its ceaseless trouble. Even the nightingale, the sweetest song of the birds, is also the saddest. Most of the sounds of nature are in minor key; the wretchedness, the despair, the hurt, the agony, the travail of this fallen creation. But an angel knows nothing of it; nothing of the wretchedness, nothing of the despair, nothing of the fallen. The angels know nothing of it. The major key and the major chorus and the major chords are chords of triumph and victory. He hath taken us out of the miry pit. He hath taken us out of the stubborn clay. He hath set our feet upon the rock, and He has put a new song in our souls and new praises on our lips. An angel has never been redeemed. An angel has never been saved. An angel has never fallen and then bought back to God. That’s the only thing that I could think of or find, why angels never sing. It’s God’s people who sing
Just thinking in my mind of a stanza out of Shelley that I haven’t thought of since I was a boy. Our sweetest songs with deepest sorrows are fraught. Somehow, it is the sorrows of life, and the disappointments of life, and the despair of life that make people sing. Either in the blackness of its hour or in the glory of His deliverance; that’s why the redeemed sing and the angels just speak of it. They see it. They watch it. But they know nothing about it. For it takes a lost and fallen man who’s been bought back to God, who’s been forgiven of his sins, who’s been redeemed; it takes a saved soul to sing!. – W.A. Criswell
“Worthy are you to take the scroll
and to open its seals,
for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God
from every tribe and language and people and nation,
10 and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God,
and they shall reign on the earth.”
Why is the Lamb worthy? This song emphasis four reasons. The first reason given is because he was slain. Christ was slaughtered and butchered for our sins on the cross. He saved us from our sin, from the wrath of God, from the alienation from God, from death and hell. This makes him worthy.
The second reason given is because by his blood Christ ransomed people for God from every part of the world. He paid the ultimate price for our redemption. Most people don’t accomplish anything with their death, yet Christ’s death ransomed people from every tribe and nation by his death. The death of Christ was not meaningless or purposeless.
Not only is Christ worthy because he was slain for our sins and ransomed a people for God from every part of the world, but he also made this people whom he ransomed a kingdom and priests to God. This was according to the will of God. Take a look back at Exodus:
Now therefore, if you will indeed obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession among all peoples, for all the earth is mine; 6 and you shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. These are the words that you shall speak to the people of Israel.” (Exodus19:5-6)
If Christ had just died for our sins and ransomed us, wouldn’t that in itself be fantastic enough? Wouldn’t it be great just to serve him the rest of eternity for that alone and declare that he is worthy to be praised for ever and ever because of that? Yet, Christ does not end his work there. He went beyond being slain for our sins and redeeming us, way beyond. He made this people he redeemed a kingdom and made us priests to God. He promised us an inheritance, a shared position in his reign and a shared position in his relationship with his father, who became our own father through our position in Christ and adoption as Sons. Christ is worthy to be praised and worthy to take the scrolls for he is our King. Finally we shall reign on the earth. Sin will reign on the earth no more. All will be set right.
Jesus absorbed the wrath of God on our behalf so we would never know it and having absorbed it, Christ is worthy to pour out the wrath of God on all those who poured out and continue to pour out their wrath on him. I think once we consider all this we can praise Him as John did in Revelation chapter one:
“Unto Him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in His own blood, and hath made us kings and priests unto God and His Father; to Him be glory and dominion forever and ever” [Revelation 1:6].
11 Then I looked, and I heard around the throne and the living creatures and the elders the voice of many angels, numbering myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands,
Myriad means a large indefinite number too numerous to be counted. This means there were innumerable angels that there is no possibility of counting. Ten thousand was the highest number in the Greek language that they had a number for. Ten thousand times ten thousand means innumerable. Unaccountable. Angels as far as the eye could see.
The worship in God’s throne room crescendos as the backdrop of the angels praise complement the Elders singing.
12 saying with a loud voice,
“Worthy is the Lamb who was slain,
to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might
and honor and glory and blessing!”
Once again we see the Angels say, not sing but say. They use seven expressions to praise the Lamb, showing he is worthy to receive perfect praise. The Angels praise of the Lamb is very similar to David’s praise of God to the Assembly:
10 Therefore David blessed the Lord in the presence of all the assembly. And David said: “Blessed are you, O Lord, the 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, for all that is in the heavens and in the earth is yours. Yours is the kingdom, O Lord, and you are exalted as head above all. 12 Both riches and honor come from you, and you rule over all. In your hand are power and might, and in your hand it is to make great and to give strength to all. (1 Chron 29:10-12)
13 And I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all that is in them, saying, “To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever!”
Here once again the Lamb is linked with him who sits on the Throne and both receive praise together. Every creature in heaven, on earth, under the earth and in the sea join the angels in praising the Lamb. The number four is the number of the world, representing the four corners of the earth like a great sheet. This is to symbolize that all of creation praised the Lamb for his worthiness and triumphant victory.
The only parts of creation that you do not hear singing are those under the earth, the fallen angels or demons.
14 And the four living creatures said, “Amen!” and the elders fell down and worshiped.
Finally we see the four living creatures join in echoing, “Amen”, “Amen” “Amen” – Let it be.
It is hard to image such great jubilation before such tribulation and judgment, but when we briefly considered the idea of the scroll not being opened, God’s wrath and judgment not being poured out against sin, it changes our perspective, where we can rejoice that sin will be no more, separation will be no more, sorrow and suffering will be no more.
Tis the church triumphant singing, Worthy the Lamb. Heaven throughout with praises ringing, Worthy the Lamb. Thrones and powers before Him bending, Incense sweet and voice ascending. Swell the chorus never ending, Worthy the Lamb. Every kindred, tongue and nation, Worthy the Lamb. Join to sing the great salvation, Worthy the Lamb. Loud as mighty thunder roaring, Floods of mighty waters pouring, Prostrate at His feet adoring, Worthy the Lamb. Harps and song forever sounding, Worthy the Lamb. Mighty grace o’er sin abounding, Worthy the Lamb. By His blood He dearly bought us, Wandering from the fold He sought us, And to glory faithful brought us, Worthy the Lamb. Sing with blest anticipation, Worthy the Lamb. Through the veil of tribulation, Worthy the Lamb. Sweetest notes, all notes excelling, On the theme forever dwelling, Still untold, though ever telling, Worthy the Lamb. – Anonymous, “’Tis the Church Triumphant Singing