[00:00:00] Speaker A: I now can sing Since I've been redeemed I'm on the everlasting, everlasting rock I faith in Christ my redeemer King I'm on the everlasting, everlasting rock Then roll, roll, billows roll I'm on the everlasting rock of ages Roll, roll, billows roll I'm on the everlasting rock.
[00:00:34] Speaker B: Welcome to the Voice of Hope. I'm your host, Anthony High.
Today we return to the Book of Revelation and a scene that draws our attention to the center of Heaven's worship.
The apostle John is shown in a moment of deep tension and great hope, no one is found worthy to open the scroll that's in the right hand of the one on the throne. Until the Lamb steps forward.
In Revelation, chapter 5, verses 8 to 14, the focus shifts away from sorrows to praise.
Heaven responds as Christ takes the scroll and worship rises from every direction.
What follows is this wonderful picture of who Jesus is and why he alone is worthy of honor and glory.
Join our Bible teacher, J. Mark Horst, for his message. Worthy is the lamb.
[00:01:55] Speaker A: Christ.
Christ.
We do all the door.
[00:03:00] Speaker C: What does it mean to adore something?
I see pictures of adorable puppies, and some people tell me they adore pecan pie.
Some ladies say they adore shopping in all the different boutiques.
Is that what the choir was singing about?
No. Our culture has cheapened many words by using them so carelessly.
Adoring Christ means to give him honor and reverence and worship.
And we do this not only because of what he has done, but simply because of who he is.
To adore someone implies love, and it emphasizes that there is an individual and personal attachment.
How can we not love Christ after all he has done for us?
In this episode, we are turning our attention to Revelation, chapter 5 and verses 8 to 14.
In our previous episode, we looked at John's vision of the sealed scroll.
If you were with me, you may remember the scroll was in the hand of the one who sits on the throne.
However, after the angel's announcement that rang throughout the universe, no one was found worthy to open the book.
And of course, John, not knowing the future, began weeping loudly. He was afraid that what was in the scroll would remain forever hidden.
And then, as John was weeping, One of the 24 elders addresses him.
Stop weeping. Behold the lion of the tribe of Judah. The root of David has prevailed to open the scroll and to break its seven seals.
So, with those words of comfort ringing in his ears, John looks. And behold, in the midst of the throne and of the Four living creatures. And in the midst of the elders stood a lamb, as though it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth.
Then he came and took the scroll out of the right hand of him who sat on the throne.
That brings us to our text for today. Revelation 5:8, 14.
This is the record of what happened when the Lamb stepped forward and and took the scroll from the hand of the one who sat on the throne.
Here is John's description of the incredible scene. Revelation 5:8.
Now, when he had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the 24 elders fell down before the Lamb, each having a harp and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints.
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, and have made us kings and priests to our God, and we shall reign on the earth.
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 10,000 times 10,000 and thousands of thousands, 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.
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 honour and glory and power be to him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb forever and ever.
Then the four living creatures said Amen, and the 24 elders fell down and worshiped him who lives forever and ever.
As we follow the progression of events in this text, we observe three choirs, each of them with unique expressions of praise and worship to the worthy Lamb.
The first unique choir is the choir of elders.
As the Lamb takes the book out of the hand of the one seated on the throne, the four living creatures and the 24 elders fall before him in worship. These acts of adoration are rendered by the four living creatures and the elders. And according to the explanation we are given in Revelation 4:4,7, they are emblematic of the honor done to the Redeemer by his church.
Now, a casual reading of the text implies that both the creatures and the elders each had a harp and a censer. But Marvin Vincent and some others that I've read say the grammar shows us that only the elders were holding these two items and that makes a lot of sense, as we'll see in a moment. So we'll come back to that.
Unlike the harps that we have today, biblical harps were more like a lute or a guitar. The ancient ones had seven strings, and later on, some of them had 11.
But you may recall the harp was the traditional instrument of the Psalms, and along with the trumpet, those were the two main instruments of Israel's worship.
In addition, the elders were holding golden bowls full of incense.
Now, your translation of the Scriptures might say vials, but Thayer's Greek dictionary says they were broad, shallow bowls or deep saucers.
And the incense in these bowls, according to verse 8, represents the prayers of the saints.
The imagery that John is using here is from the tabernacle and temple services.
In Psalm chapter 141, verse 1 and 2, the Psalmist says, lord, I cry out to you, make haste to me. Give ear to my voice when I cry out to you, Let my prayer be set before you as incense. The lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice.
The experience of Zacharias in Luke chapter one further illuminates this picture that's being given here in our text. And so I encourage you to read that in that setting, as the presiding priest gave the word of command that the time of the incense had come, then the whole multitude of the people that were outside withdrew from the inner court, and they fell before the Lord, spreading their hands out in silent prayer.
It is this most solemn period when throughout the vast temple buildings, deep silence rested on the worshiping multitude. At the same time, within the sanctuary itself, the priest was laying the incense on the golden altar, and the clouds of odors rose before the Lord.
This serves as the image of heavenly things in the book of Revelation.
So now, returning to the idea that only the elders have harps and bowls, not the four living creatures, it suggests that the elders are the representatives of the church in heaven. They are spoken of as priests in verse 10, and they are described as officiating in the heavenly temple.
Furthermore, their song is a song of redemption, and the seraphim have no need of redemption.
Verse 9 tells us that this choir is singing a new song.
Well, what kind of a new song? One that is new in nature, not new in time. It's a fresh song for fresh mercies.
In Isaiah 42:10, in the context of the Gentiles being invited into God's kingdom, here's what the prophet sing to the Lord. A new song and his praise from the ends of the earth.
This song is in praise of redemption through Christ.
It's like the new name in Revelation 3:12, the new Jerusalem in Revelation 21:1, the new heaven and the new earth.
This is not the old song of creation that we read back in chapter four and verse 11.
Let's turn now to focus on the worship of the elders.
They praise the Lamb as worthy to take the book and open its seals because you were slain and you have redeemed us.
Notice that's past tense.
Galatians 3:13 says, Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law having become a curse for us. For it is written, cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree.
That redemption was purchased by Jesus Blood, verse nine and rescued some from all nations and races.
Revelation chapter seven and verse nine.
You know, the blood of Christ as the price of our redemption is a theme that runs all through the Apocalypse.
And this is the reason why Christ is worthy to take the book and open the seals.
That is, he is deserving of receiving adoration and worship as the Father does. In Revelation chapter 4, verse 11, the beautiful worship of the elders highlights Jesus priestly and sacrificial functions.
And then their praise continues. You have redeemed us out of every tribe and tongue and people and nations, and made us a kingdom and priests to our God.
They are simply echoing the words of the Lord to Moses in Exodus chapter 19 and verse 6, where God said, 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. And then Isaiah echoes that same idea in chapter 61 and verse 6.
The last part of their song is and we shall reign on the earth.
These elders who represent the redeemed church evidently anticipate Revelation chapter 24:6.
And I saw Thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was committed to them.
Then I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their witness to Jesus, and for the word of God, who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received his mark on their foreheads or on their hands. And they lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. But the rest of the dead did not live again until the thousand years were finished.
This is the first resurrection.
Blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection. Over such the second death has no power.
But they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.
What a glorious song of worship and a statement of both our position in Christ now and our future reign with him.
Let's move on then the next unique choir is the choir of angels. And so the scope of John's vision expands.
There's a new feature introduced by the outer vaster circle of angels. So picture the throne of God in the center and all of these worshipers arrayed around it.
These angels catch up the new song of redemption antiphonally, and they answer the song of the 24 elders.
Now, the angels are represented here, as they are everywhere in the Scriptures, as taking a deep interest in in all that pertains to the redemption of people.
1 Peter, chapter 1 and verse 12 tells us that the angels long to look into the details of the plan of salvation.
So it's not surprising that they are here described as uniting with the representatives of the church in rendering honor and worship to the Lamb of God.
Now look at their number. It is myriad and myriad and thousands of thousands.
That's very similar to Daniel chapter 9 in verse 10.
And I see this as a divine effort to give a number to us finite human beings so that our minds can maybe begin to grasp what this is all about.
In reality, it's an innumerable host of angels.
You could turn to Hebrews chapter 12 and verse 22, and Jude chapter 1 and verse 14 to find similar attempts to describe a vast host of these heavenly beings.
And this angel choir has a worship song too. But you'll notice it's different from the choir of the elders.
Worthy is the Lamb, the slain to receive power and riches and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and blessing.
So while the angel choir proclaims the worth of the Lamb, they cannot echo the song of the Redeemed. And so what do they do instead? They focus on seven of his attributes.
God, the Father, that is the one who is sitting on the throne, already has these attributes from time immemorial.
And he grants them to the Lamb, who is worthy to receive them. Why?
Because, as we learn in Philippians chapter two, he did not selfishly grasp them. They henceforth belong to him and to his Father forever and ever.
Now, before we look at the seven attributes of the Lamb, I want you to know that there is one definite article for all seven reasons of praise given to the Lamb.
A definite article is a word placed before singular and plural nouns, and it refers to a specific or a particular thing or person.
Let me give you an example. We could say Vladimir Putin is the president of Russia. He is the specific person, the only one who is currently holding that office.
And so Christ, being one with the Father, singularly holds these attributes.
The list begins with power.
And this is not delegated power. This is inherent power, power that resides in the person or thing by the virtue of its nature.
It is that which a person or thing exerts or puts forth.
It has a whole range of meanings in the Scripture, from authority to omnipotence.
The writer of Hebrews tells us, God has in these last days spoken unto us by His Son, who being the brightness of his glory and the express image of his person, and and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the majesty on high.
Next is wealth, riches, opulence.
God is the source of all spiritual and material blessings. James reminds us of that in James 1:17.
His resources are unlimited.
And then wisdom is the following attribute. It is superior knowledge and enlightenment in his omniscience. The Lamb never needs to guess.
He never needs multiple plans in case the first one doesn't work out.
As Paul says in 1 Corinthians, the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.
Now, did you notice that in that quote Paul mentions both wisdom and strength?
And that's what the choir praises the Lamb for His strength.
Are strength and power the same thing? We sometimes use them interchangeably, don't we?
They are closely related, but in human terms, strength refers to the body's ability to overcome resistance, and power refers to the speed of that ability.
A biblical example is in Ephesians 6:10.
Finally, grow strong in the Lord and in the strength of his power.
And then honor.
The original word is time, and it has a variety of meanings. Things like price, sum, proceeds from a sale.
What that conveys to me is that honor comes as a result of assigning value to something or to someone.
And that value is demonstrated through our obedience, our respect and our service, not simply verbal acclaim. A considerable part of the value or honor we should have for Christ is the price that he paid for our redemption.
And then glory is the sixth attribute. It is magnificence, splendor, exaltation, praise and renown.
We have seen this in John's descriptions of the eternal throne room in the New Testament. It is always a pleasant opinion concerning a person that results in praise and honor.
The final attribute in this song of praise is blessing.
The original word is the one from which we get our English word eulogy.
In Scripture, it is the pronouncement of good.
It is the exaltation of character and the acknowledgment of generosity.
And so truly we have ample things for which we can bless the Lamb who was slain.
This doxology recognizes the infinite, incalculable and intrinsic power that Christ eternally possesses within himself.
Incidentally, this list is very similar to the one in Daniel chapter 7 and verse 14, showing us once again the connection between the prophetic Scriptures.
Let's move then to the final unique choir in our text. It is the choir of all creatures.
Now the scope of John's vision expands even wider.
Every creature in the universe, without exception, will ultimately acknowledge the universal rule of the Lamb.
However, I would say this only the redeemed will enjoy its benefits as they're spelled out for us in Revelation chapter 2011. 15.
Listen to what Paul wrote in Philippians 2, 8, 11.
And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.
Therefore God also has highly exalted him and and given him the name which is above every name. Now listen 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, and that every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
You know, as I meditated on this scene, my mind went to Romans chapter 8 and verses 20:22.
For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it in hope. Because the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.
For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now.
So think about it. It's no wonder that all creation praises the Lamb.
What an incredible contrast between the brokenness of the present world and the glory that awaits us.
Praise and worship are rendered to the Lamb precisely as to God on the throne.
And then in response to this universe wide acclamation, the four living creatures keep repeating Amen.
And the elders fall down and worship him who lives forever and ever.
The amens of the four living creatures acknowledge that what was attributed to Christ was certainly his due.
As in Revelation 4:10, so here the representatives of the redeemed bow in silent adoration that closes the whole service of praise to the one upon the throne and to the Lamb.
The Book of Revelation literally identifies the lion Lamb, Messiah with ultimate truth and stability.
You can see that in Revelation chapter 3 and verse 14, on him rests the existence and the fate of the entire universe. And this is why at the beginning of this chapter, John was stopped from weeping by one of the elders. That's in verse five.
However, when John looked, expecting to see the lion, he saw instead the Lamb.
Yes, the time is coming when the Lamb will rule and reign as the lion.
Today you must choose putting your sins under the blood of the slain lamb or waiting to experience his divine judgment as the lion.
The first choice is guarantees your place in the heavenly choir that is represented by those 24 elders. The second experience will not be a choice.
Worship will be compelled.
Jesus said, whoever falls on this stone, and he was speaking about himself, whoever falls on this stone will be broken, but on whomever it falls, it will grind him to powder.
What will your choice be?
How and when will you worship the worthy lamb?
[00:24:53] Speaker B: Thank you, J. Mark Truly, Jesus stands alone in worthiness.
When the scroll could not be opened, it was the Lamb who stepped forward.
What John sees in this chapter is more than just a future scene. It's the present truth.
Christ is worthy of worship today, not only in heaven, but also in the lives of those who belong to Him.
If you've been encouraged by this study in Revelation, we invite you to listen to more of our bible
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Join us for our next episode as we observe the events that follow after Revelation chapter 5, verses 8 to 14.
Until then, keep tuning in for more Bible teaching and encouragement.
Right here on the Voice of Hope.
[00:27:06] Speaker A: Immortal invisible God only wise in light Inaccessible hid from our eyes Most blessed, Most glorious, the ancient of days Almighty, victorious, Thy great name we praise Unresting, unhasty and silent as light Nor wanting nor waste now rulers in might Thy justice Like mountains high, Soaring above Thy clouds which are fountains of good, goodness and love Great Father of Glory, Pure Father of Light, Thine angels adore Thee all hailing this night.
All praise we would O, help us to see.
Tis only the splendour of light hideth thee Great Father of glory.
Thy gracious name, we pray, Ra.
