Seals--Ch12-Universe Finally Understands Him - Endtime Issues October 2007

Verse 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.”

Verse 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,”

“This scene anticipates the universal acclamation to be offered at the consummation of all things. If it represents universal praise in an absolute sense, then it issues not only from God’s willing subjects but also from His opponents, who will be forced into submission (as in Phil 2:10-11; Col 1:20). Rev 5:9-12 and 5:13 are good examples.”¹

We suddenly move from a heavenly scene to a universal response. What period of time could this refer to? First Roloff provides important insights:

“At a second level, the expansion of the worship oversteps the boundaries of heaven in order to be taken up by all of creation. To its three regions of heavens, earth, and the underworld, which are customarily mentioned (v 3; Phil 2:10), a fourth appears here – the sea (cf. Exod 20:4), as the region that in Jewish thought was considered particularly threatening (cf. 13:1; 21:1). The comprehensive character of this concluding worship by all creatures is also expressed in its content. The brief hymn is directed as much to God the Creator as it is to the messianic lamb. It therefore summarizes the two scenes of worship in 4:8-11 and 5:8-12.”²

“The phrase ‘and every thing in them’ is not only redundant (Bousset [1906] 262), since it does no more than repeat the phrase ‘every created being,’ but it also indicates that all creation singing the praises of God is a metaphor simply because most creatures are not able to sing in human language.... A three-level cosmos with four sectors, essentially what we find here, encapsulates the ancient Israelite view of the universe: (1) heaven, (2) earth and sea, (3) underworld (Stadelmann, World, 37-176). This four-sectored cosmos is mentioned in Job 11:8-9 (heaven, Sheol, earth, sea) and also occurs in the Greek fragment of Jub. 2:16, ‘And he completed ... everything which is in the heavens and the earth and the seas and the depths ...’ (Denis, Fragmenta, 74).’³

Perhaps it is not “redundant” as Aune noted above. The illusion of praise coming even from evil sectors of creation suggests that everyone has finally merged into a unison of honor given to God the Father and God the Son.

“In the sea. More accurately, ‘on the sea,’ as Rev 5. Not ships, but creatures of the sea which have come up from its depths to the surface.”⁴

These include the wicked raised for the final coronation of Jesus (Revelation 20:12-13 – “And the sea gave up the dead”).

Only one time in future history will all creation – good and evil – respond to the goodness, justice and fairness of the two heavenly beings. It is here depicted that that is at the final judgment scene in Revelation 20:12. “As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God.” Isaiah 45:23. That occurs at the final coronation of Jesus after the millennium. Paul captured the remarkable setting when this occurs: “Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth.” Philippians 2:10-11. This time the acknowledgment is an “eternal” declaration. The end has come, the vindication of God’s divine character has fully occurred.

Verse 13 – “Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever.”

As noted above the motif is praise when the wonders of eternity have now come to fruition. It is a declaration of honor to victors. God and the Lamb are eulogized “for ever and ever!”

“We must have a vision of the future and of the blessedness of heaven. Stand on the threshold of eternity, and hear the gracious welcome given to those who in this life have cooperated with Christ, regarding it as a privilege and an honor to suffer for His sake. As they unite with the angels, they cast their crowns at the feet of the Redeemer, exclaiming: ‘Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honor, and glory, and blessing.... Honor, and glory, and power, be unto Him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever.’ Revelation 5:12, 13.

“There the redeemed ones greet those who directed them to the uplifted Saviour. They unite in praising Him who died that human beings might have the life that measures with the life of God. The conflict is over. All tribulation and strife are at an end.”⁵

“The Feast of Tabernacles was not only commemorative but typical. It not only pointed back to the wilderness sojourn, but, as the feast of harvest, it celebrated the ingathering of the fruits of the earth, and pointed forward to the great day of final ingathering, when the Lord of the harvest shall send forth His reapers to gather the tares together in bundles for the fire, and to gather the wheat into His garner. At that time the wicked will all be destroyed. They will become ‘as though they had not been.’ Obadiah 16. And every voice in the whole universe will unite in joyful praise to God. Says the revelator, ‘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 honor, and glory, and power, be unto Him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb forever and ever.’ Revelation 5:13.”⁶

“The climactic song is brief, but forceful: ... (to kathemeno epi tou thronou kai to arnio he eulogia kai he time kai he doxa kai to kratos eis tous aionas ton aionon, ‘To the one sitting upon the throne and to the Lamb [be] the blessing and the honor and the glory and the might forever and ever’). The conjunction of God and the Lamb as joint-objects of this doxology here and in Rev. 7:10 reflects the mature theological perspective of this book regarding the Person of Christ. The throne of both is one and the same, and worship offered to one is worship offered to the other (Charles).

“Their exaltation is not temporary. It endures infinitely as the concluding eis tous aionas ton aionon (‘forever and ever’) emphatically notes (Swete). With complete unanimity, the entire universe joins in the deserved acclamation.”⁷

“In the presence of the assembled inhabitants of earth and Heaven takes place the final coronation of the Son of God. And now, invested with supreme majesty and power, the King of kings pronounces sentence upon the rebels against his government, and executes justice upon those who have transgressed his law and oppressed his people. Says the prophet of God: ‘I saw a great white throne, and Him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened; and another book was opened, which is the book of life; and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. [Rev. 20:11, 12.]”⁸

“As if entranced, the wicked have looked upon the coronation of the Son of God.... They witness the outburst of wonder, rapture, and adoration from the saved; and as the wave of melody sweeps over the multitudes without the city, all with one voice exclaim, ‘Great and marvelous are Thy works, Thou King of saints’ (Revelation 15:3); and, falling prostrate, they worship the Prince of life.... Satan sees that his voluntary rebellion has unfitted him for heaven. He has trained his powers to war against God; the purity, peace, and harmony of heaven would be to him supreme torture. His accusations against the mercy and justice of God are now silenced. The reproach which he has endeavored to cast upon Jehovah rests wholly upon himself. And now Satan bows down and confesses the justice of his sentence.”9

Verse 14: “And the four beasts said, Amen. And the four and twenty elders fell down and worshipped him that liveth for ever and ever.”

“(kai ta tessara zoa elegon, Amen, ‘and the four living beings kept saying, ‘Amen’’). They pronounced the first doxology of 4:8 and now conclude the final one (Charles). They do not say it just once, but as the verb tense indicates, they keep repeating it over and over.”¹⁰

It is far more than the simple conclusion of a doxology. Chapters 4 and 5 present segments of end-time history. These leading living creatures will be the first administrative beings to acknowledge the grand finale of the conflict of the ages. Over and over they say “and be it so.”

“Similar liturgical responses are regularly used by the author to conclude throne scenes (see 4:9-11; 7:11b-12; 11:16-18; 19:4-8). This reads like a dramatization of the conclusion of the hymn in Phil 2:5-11, where in v 10 it is said that ‘at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth’ (cf. the enumeration of these categories of creatures in v 13a).”¹¹

Though many commentaries focus on the liturgy and antiphonal praises with “Amen” being the expectant end to the worship session, the motif as noted above, goes far beyond a simple heavenly celebration. These chapters reveal history in transition. Concluding imagery dealing with sin and final victory is presented. The four beasts, with administrative closure, say, “Amen, amen, amen.”

“It is found some ... [101 times in the New Testament with 52] of them being translated ‘verily,’ and the rest ‘amen.’ All that are found in Revelation are translated ‘amen,’ meaning at the beginning of a discourse, ‘surely, truly, of a truth;’ or at the end of a discourse, ‘so it is, so be it’ or ‘may it be fulfilled.’ With verse 14 being the end of the discourse of chapter 5, and with all the items being fulfilled, ‘so it is’ or ‘so be it’ would be the appropriate thought. So, having said ‘Amen,’ meaning ‘so it is’ or ‘so be it,’ these representatives of the celestial (and possibly the earthly) hosts acknowledge enthusiastically the Lamb’s role in vindicating the character of God when all questions about Him will so be laid to rest as the ‘book’ is opened to their examination. To them, although much is yet to be revealed, this is reality in the ‘proleptic’ sense.”¹²

Verse 14 – “And the four and twenty elders fell down and worshipped him that liveth for ever and ever.”

As was presented in 4:9-10, when the four living creatures give glory, honor and thanks to God the 24 elders fall down and worship Him who sat on the throne. The focus has just been on honor and praise to the Lamb. It is suggested that a similar sequence is now occurring with Jesus – first the beast, then the 24 elders.

Evidence mounts that the Danielic tie covers the investigation judgment all the way to the establishment of the everlasting kingdom. The Johnian vision does the same, covering differing and more detailed issues, especially of the terminal phases along with the executive judgment.

“Chapter 5 has revealed a central truth that governs the entire book of Revelation. By his sacrificial death the Lamb has taken control of the course of history and guaranteed its future. He alone was worthy to break the Seals and open the scroll of destiny.

“This vision of the grandeur of the triumphant Lamb prepares John to share with his readers the more solemn aspects of the judgments that lie in the future. A vivid portrayal of the One who has won the crucial battle against sin supplies the confidence that in the troubled times to come there remains a hope that is steadfast and sure.”¹³