"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, heard I saying, Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever."
Revelation 5:13
A very interesting pattern appears as the songs of Revelation 4 and 5 are compared. In order to do the comparison, let's look at who is singing and what the theme of the song seems to be as we identify each outburst of worship.
1. Revelation 4:8 "And the four beasts had each of them six wings about him; and they were full of eyes within: and they rest not day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come."
A. Who is singing? Angels
B. What is their focus? God the holy and eternal one
2. Revelation 4:10-11 "The four and twenty elders fall down before him that sat on the throne, and worship him that liveth for ever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying, Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created."
A. Who is singing? Angels and the 24 elders
B. What is their focus? God the Creator who is worthy of praise
3. Revelation 5:8-10 "And when he had taken the book, the four beasts and four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps, and golden vials full of odours, which are the prayers of saints. And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation; And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.
A. Who is singing? Angels, the 24 elders who are offering the prayers of the saints
B. What is their focus? Christ, the Lamb of God has redeemed us
4. Revelation 5:11-12 "And I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne and the beasts and the elders: and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands; Saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing."
A. Who is singing? The angels, the 24 elders, and an innumerable host of those redeemed
B. What is their focus? Christ, who by His sacrifice, is worthy of exaltation
5. Revelation 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, heard I saying, Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever. And the four beasts said, Amen. And the four and twenty elders fell down and worshipped him that liveth for ever and ever. "
A. Who is singing? Every creature in the universe
B. What is their theme? Jesus Christ is LORD reigning forever! C. He is then worshiped forever by the 24 elders
Overall, these songs are spelling out the Revelation of Jesus Christ and God's plan for the ages. We start with a brief picture of God worshiped in eternity by the angels. Yet, notice the angel's description. They are the face of a lion, ox, man, and eagle. These are the shadows of the gospels. More on this later.
From there we are joined by the 24 elders as representatives of creation and God the creator is honored and praised. However, things change at the beginning of chapter 5 as we see an interruption to the worship of God. What has happened? The creation has fallen from God and no redeemer who can reconcile God and man can be found. What a tragedy! John is seen weeping in Heaven at this time as he considers this tragic scenario. However, he doesn't weep long nor are the prayers of those who would seek God's righteousness ignored. Christ our King has prevailed as the imperishable lamb of God!
After this, those who love Him, the Redeemed, sing a song of praise and proclaim Jesus to be worshiped above all. He is the Ascended, Exalted, and Glorified sole Redeemer of Mt. Calvary.
Finally, all creation joins in as the crowd has steadily built to include every knee, even those under the earth, as every tongue confesses that Jesus Christ is LORD. This is the crescendo of praise as all join in. Won't it be glorious to see satan bow and confess Jesus Christ as LORD and King. It's coming! but only the redeemed will be left to sing His praise for eternity. Christ Wins! He is the Amen and last word! Glory to the LAMB who is a LION! Of course what began in eternity ends in eternity. Remember the angels of the 1st song? God purposed salvation before the foundation of the earth. And Christ the eternal one has brought that plan to fruition!
5 songs--the number and story of grace! Blessings
Revelation 5:13
A very interesting pattern appears as the songs of Revelation 4 and 5 are compared. In order to do the comparison, let's look at who is singing and what the theme of the song seems to be as we identify each outburst of worship.
1. Revelation 4:8 "And the four beasts had each of them six wings about him; and they were full of eyes within: and they rest not day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come."
A. Who is singing? Angels
B. What is their focus? God the holy and eternal one
2. Revelation 4:10-11 "The four and twenty elders fall down before him that sat on the throne, and worship him that liveth for ever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying, Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created."
A. Who is singing? Angels and the 24 elders
B. What is their focus? God the Creator who is worthy of praise
3. Revelation 5:8-10 "And when he had taken the book, the four beasts and four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps, and golden vials full of odours, which are the prayers of saints. And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation; And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.
A. Who is singing? Angels, the 24 elders who are offering the prayers of the saints
B. What is their focus? Christ, the Lamb of God has redeemed us
4. Revelation 5:11-12 "And I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne and the beasts and the elders: and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands; Saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing."
A. Who is singing? The angels, the 24 elders, and an innumerable host of those redeemed
B. What is their focus? Christ, who by His sacrifice, is worthy of exaltation
5. Revelation 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, heard I saying, Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever. And the four beasts said, Amen. And the four and twenty elders fell down and worshipped him that liveth for ever and ever. "
A. Who is singing? Every creature in the universe
B. What is their theme? Jesus Christ is LORD reigning forever! C. He is then worshiped forever by the 24 elders
Overall, these songs are spelling out the Revelation of Jesus Christ and God's plan for the ages. We start with a brief picture of God worshiped in eternity by the angels. Yet, notice the angel's description. They are the face of a lion, ox, man, and eagle. These are the shadows of the gospels. More on this later.
From there we are joined by the 24 elders as representatives of creation and God the creator is honored and praised. However, things change at the beginning of chapter 5 as we see an interruption to the worship of God. What has happened? The creation has fallen from God and no redeemer who can reconcile God and man can be found. What a tragedy! John is seen weeping in Heaven at this time as he considers this tragic scenario. However, he doesn't weep long nor are the prayers of those who would seek God's righteousness ignored. Christ our King has prevailed as the imperishable lamb of God!
After this, those who love Him, the Redeemed, sing a song of praise and proclaim Jesus to be worshiped above all. He is the Ascended, Exalted, and Glorified sole Redeemer of Mt. Calvary.
Finally, all creation joins in as the crowd has steadily built to include every knee, even those under the earth, as every tongue confesses that Jesus Christ is LORD. This is the crescendo of praise as all join in. Won't it be glorious to see satan bow and confess Jesus Christ as LORD and King. It's coming! but only the redeemed will be left to sing His praise for eternity. Christ Wins! He is the Amen and last word! Glory to the LAMB who is a LION! Of course what began in eternity ends in eternity. Remember the angels of the 1st song? God purposed salvation before the foundation of the earth. And Christ the eternal one has brought that plan to fruition!
5 songs--the number and story of grace! Blessings
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