REVELATION 5:8-10
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.
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."
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, 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."
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."
And the four living creatures kept
saying, "Amen." And the elders fell down and worshiped (NASB).
INTRODUCTION
Little Billy, caught in mischief, was asked by his mother,
“How do you expect to get into heaven?” He thought for a moment and then said,
“Well, I’ll just run in and out and keep slamming the door until they say, ‘For
heaven’s sake, either come in or stay out.’ Then I’ll go in.”
I.
A HYMN OF PRAISE TO THE LAMB VV. 8-10
Chapter four of the Book of Revelation, which we have
examined, a couple of weeks ago is about a vision of God the Creator. Chapter
five, which is the focus of our message today explores the vision of God the
Redeemer, the Lamb who has conquered through His death on the cross. Chapter
four ends with the worship of the Creator and chapter five ends with the
worship of the Redeemer. These two chapters are crucial to the understanding of
the Book of Revelation. There are mysteries in life that we cannot unravel on
our own. We feel ourselves caught up in the world’s evil and misery and we are incapable
of breaking free. Right now, nobody, no nation, and no leader have the solution
to the quagmire in which we find ourselves in Iraq, Syria, and Libya with ISIS.
Some of us become rigid determinists, and we all at times feel a sense of
hopelessness and helplessness in the grip of forces stronger than we do. The
world's troubles and agonies are real. And the world’s inability to break free
from the consequences of its own guilt is real. This chapter that portrays the
seals that no one can break emphasizes human inability and powerlessness.
However, it does not stop there. More important is the fact that through the
Lamb of God the victory is won.
In verse four of this chapter, we find John weeping because
nobody is found worthy to open the book or to look into it. Among the myriads
of saints who have gone ahead of us, none of them was worthy to open the book
and its seven seals. Abraham that God called His friend could not open the
book. Moses who talked with God face to face, as one talked with his friend
could not open the book. Enoch who walked with God and did not taste death
could not open the book. Elijah that God carried him home with chariots of fire
could not open the book. David who God called a friend of My own heart could
not open the book. Solomon the wisest King of all time could not open the book.
Peter the rock the leader of the apostolic band could not open the book. Paul
the apostle and missionary par excellence could not open the book, and John
himself, the one who reclined on Jesus’ shoulders during the Last Supper; John
who was dubbed “The one Jesus loved.” John who was confined to the island of Patmos and the recipient of this vision
could not open the book. This is the stark truth that all of us have the feet
of clay. Every saint from Abraham to you and me has our shortcomings. Not even
Michael and Gabriel, God’s favorite messengers and leaders of the angelic hosts
could open the book. There is only one person who is worthy to open the scroll
and His name is the Lamb—Jesus Christ. He alone is worthy to open the book and
its seals. When He takes the book, the four living creatures and the
twenty-four elders fall down before Him. Nobody knows the contents of the
scroll but in opening it the Lamb is about to disclose what the scroll
contains. For those of you who were not with us at the beginning of the series
in Revelation, the Lamb is a reference to the exalted and glorified Jesus
Christ. If you recall, in the Gospel of John 1:29 when John the Baptist saw Jesus coming he shouted, “Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the
sin of the world.”
The fact that Jesus opens the scroll reveals that He does
not change the divine plan; rather, He unfolds its eternal and unchangeable
nature by His obedience, even unto death on the cross. Sometimes when you see
things that are happening if you are not careful, you might join the skeptics
and the detractors and say where is God? However, the truth of the matter is
that God is sovereign. He is still in complete control. His purpose has not
changed. God has not changed His divine and redemptive agenda.
As soon as the four living creatures and the twenty-four
elders see that the Lamb has taken the book, they fall down in worship and
adoration. The text goes on to state that each of them was holding a harp and
golden bowls full of incense. Let us talk about the harp and the golden bowls
full of incense. The harp is an instrument of worship. Even today, some
churches continue to use the harp as part of their worship. The Bible says that
David was a harp player. His song of Psalms through the harp brought sanity to
the demonic afflicted King Saul. Today there are some denominations that
continue to raise controversy about whether we should use musical instruments
in our worship. Such people are contentious for nothing. Even in heaven, the
church triumphant continues to use the harp as an instrument of worship. If the
church triumphant uses musical instruments in their worship in heaven, why
can’t the church militant use musical instrument in our worship on earth? John
catches a glimpse of how the Lamb of God is praised in heaven. As I have said,
praise is the language of heaven. Therefore, when we praise God here on earth
we are having a rehearsal of what we would be doing in heaven together with the
twenty-four elders and the angelic choir.
The four living creatures and the twenty-four elders were
also holding golden bowls full of incense. John goes on to explain to us the
meaning of the golden bowls of incense. He says they are the prayers of the saints. I think when John saw that the golden
bowls were the prayers of the saints, he was overwhelmed with joy. The reason
is that on earth the saints are despised and accounted as of no importance. The
apostle Paul states that some regarded them as the scum of the earth. Some
people still look down upon Christians today. In the days of John, some thought
that Christians were cannibals. Some too regarded Christians as uncouth and
foolish. However, in heaven the prayers of the saints are carried in a golden
bowl. This is a rebuke to many Christians today who do not pray on consistent
basis. Some people are cynical about prayer. There are some ungodly scientists
who conclude that prayer does not mean anything and prayers do not change
anything or make any difference. But here in the Book of Revelation the Bible
proves them wrong. This is my question: “How can scientists test prayer in a
science lab?” In prayer, we are connecting with the supernatural God. When you
pray do you think that you are talking to the wind? When you pray do you think
that it is an exercise in futility? When you pray do you think that you are
speaking to a thin air? Or do you believe that when you pray you are having a
conversation with your heavenly Father? Do you believe that when you pray you
are having a conference with the Father in heaven and you have His undivided
attention? Someone has said that prayer is the walkie-talkie between the Father
and His children. I like that. Prayer is a two-way conversation between a child
and His heavenly Father who does not sleep nor slumber. How is your prayer
life? Have you given up praying because you think your prayer is not making any
difference? It is the prayer of Elijah that brought fire from heaven to consume
his sacrifice that resulted in the death of the prophets of Baal. It is the
prayer of Elijah that withheld the rain in Israel for three-and-a half years.
It is the same prayer of Elijah that brought the rain after the years of
drought. It is the prayer of Elisha that restored the life of the son of the
widow. It is the prayer of Elijah that sustained the oil of the widow so that
she could pay her debtors. I cannot enumerate everything that the prayers of
the saints have done in this world. It was the prayers of the saints that
brought down the Berlin
wall in November 1989. It was the prayers of the saints that dismantled the
atheistic Soviet Union. God considers the
prayers of the saints serious. The prayers of the saints are precious in the
sight of God. God treasures the prayers of the saints. It was through the
prayers of the saints that the Roman Empire
collapsed from within. If you are a Christian and you are not praying, then you
do not know what you are missing. This passage shows us that our prayers are
the incense carried in a golden bowl. If you recall, in the temple in Jerusalem there was bowl
of incense that was used as part of worship. The incense rises up like a
flagrant aroma in the nostrils of God. Our prayers that we offer here on earth
are preserved in heaven. Therefore, prayer is not an exercise in futility. The prayers
of every saint are important and special to God in heaven. That is why Jesus
Himself prayed and taught us how to pray.
The four living creatures and the twenty-four elders sang a
new song. I have news for those who want us to reject the contemporary praise
and worship songs because they are not laden with deep theology. These people
want us to use only the old and traditional hymns. In this passage, they sang a
new song. There are many new songs we need to learn today, because God has
gifted His church with musicians who can write and compose beautiful spiritual
songs for use in authentic worship. If you don’t know the new songs learn them
and sing along. Read the lyrics and make a joyful noise unto the Lord. The Lord
is not concerned whether you can carry a tune or not. All He is concerned is
for you to make a joyful noise unto Him. God inhabits the praise of His people.
The new song is sung to the Lamb as the Redeemer, who is worthy to break the
seals and open the book. Here the worthiness of the Lamb is not based in
particular of His deity; upon His relation to God the Father; upon His
incarnation; or His perfect human life, but upon His sacrificial death. Redemption
is not aimless. We are bought so that we may belong to God. He was the only One
who was worthy to die to pay for our sins. Christ purchased us with His
precious blood. Does the atoning death of Jesus motivate you to praise Him? Before
we proceed, I want to say that the word "new" appears in
several places in the Book of Revelation. For instance it applies to the new name (Rev. 2:17; 3:12),
to the New Jerusalem (3:12; 21:2), to the new heaven and the new earth (21:1), and finally there is the resounding declaration
that God makes all things new (21:5).
The word "new" signifies
fresh as opposed to recent. It is concerned with quality rather than date.
The song was new because it was not about the baby Jesus
born in Bethlehem.
It was not a song about His death on the cross; neither was it about His
resurrection from the dead. The new song is about Christ’s rightful claim to
rule the world because He alone is worthy in the eyes of the Father. The Greek
word translated "slain" is used for the death of Jesus Christ
only in the Book of Revelation (The Apocalypse), but it is an echo of Isaiah
53:7, where the same root is found; “He was led to the slaughter.” The word is
also used of the martyrdom of believers in Asia
(Rev. 6:9; 18:24).
Salvation is pictured here as ransom
(purchase). It is one of the favorite words of the Apostle Paul. It connotes
the idea of a slave purchasing his freedom from bondage by a huge sum of money.
We were all slaves to sin and Satan and Jesus redeemed us from sin by the
shedding of His own blood on the cross. Christ paid for the penalty of our sin.
A slave could not pay for his own freedom from bondage. He/she had to be
ransomed by someone else. Christ has purchased men for God “from the earth” (Rev. 14:3) so that they become the possession
of God and find release from the bondage of sin and death, evil and suffering
that has plagued earthly existence. The cost of the purchase is Christ’s blood. The objects purchased are persons
from "every tribe and tongue and
people and nation." Here
John’s vision extends beyond his own horizon to include the entire world—people
to whom the gospel has not yet reached. For those who think that Jesus was a
white man’s god or western god, for those who resist the efforts to share the
gospel with other cultures, nations, and religions one day their voices will be
drown out by the praise of the One who is the King and Lord of the universe. The
courts of heaven will ring with united and universal praise of the Redeemer.
There will never be any trace of prejudice; there will not be any form of
racial discrimination. All nations, tongues, peoples, and tribes will worship
and live in harmony. The segregated hour that we experience here from Sunday to
Sunday will be a thing of the past.
In verse 10 the result of Christ’s ransom is a people who
have been made a "kingdom and
priests to our God, who shall reign
on earth." The idea of priesthood means immediate and full access into
the presence of God for the purpose of praise and worship. The idea of a
kingdom means that the redeemed will not merely be the people over whom God
reigns but also means people who will share in God’s reign. In the Beatitudes
Jesus promised that the meek would inherit the world. The Apostle Paul
proclaimed that one day the saints would reign (1 Cor. 4:8). The song looks for
the vindication and ultimate triumph of the suffering saints of God. No matter
how your circumstances in life may be today, if you are a genuine believer in
Jesus Christ, one day you will reign with Him. When Emperor Domitian was
brutally persecuting the Christians for their refusal to worship him, he
thought he was in charge, but he wasn’t. His reign was temporary like those who
had preceded him, but the reign of Christ is eternal. The Christians that
Domitian put to death will one day reign with Christ, and that day will be pay
back day.
What Christ did on the cross of Calvary
remains unfinished until the redeemed enter into our kingly reign with Christ
and until faith is changed to sight when God comes to dwell in the midst of His
people (Rev. 21:3). The prayers of Christians here on earth are mingled with
the worship of angels and archangels and all the host of heaven, in adoration
of God and the Lamb.
Therefore, do not allow the circumstances of life, the
suffering, and killings of Christians by terrorists today hamper your worship
and praise of Christ. A day of retribution for sinners is on the horizon, and a
day of vindication of the saints is approaching. The risen Christ will balance
the scale of justice. Jesus Christ has won the ultimate victory.
