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The Seven Seals of Revelation--Commentary on Revelation 5
Twenty-four Elders Sing a New Song Chapter 10
Verse 9: “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;”
Verse 9 – “And they sung a new song,”
This phraseology is not new to the Bible. It was an Old Testament way of expressing delight over a new spiritual experience, a new relational friendship with God or a victory. “He brought me up also out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings. And He hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God: many shall see it, and fear, and shall trust in the Lord.” Psalm 40:2-3 (emphasis added). “O sing unto the Lord a new song: sing unto the Lord, all the earth, Sing unto the Lord, bless His name; shew forth His salvation from day to day. Declare His glory among the people, His wonders among all people. For the Lord is great, and greatly to be praised: He is to be feared above all gods.” Psalm 96:1-4 (emphasis added). “Praise ye the Lord. Sing unto the Lord a new song, and His praise in the congregation of saints.” Psalm 149:1 (emphasis added). “Sing unto the Lord a new song, and His praise from the end of the earth, ye that go down to the sea and all that is therein; the isles, and the inhabitants thereof” Isaiah 42:10 (emphasis added). This recalls the “new song” that the 144,000 will sing “before the throne, and before the four beasts and the elders” (Revelation 14:3) who appear to be listening instead of taking part. John then goes on to say regarding that select group “no man could learn that song but the hundred and forty and four thousand, which were also redeemed from the earth.”1 Here in Revelation 5:9 the 24 elders sing a first song in a series of three remarkable praises to the worthy Lamb. This presents a fascinating paradox. Those songs are of joy and deep gratefulness – but these redeemed leaders are concomitantly receiving the “prayers of the saints” in the “odour” of the incense (vs 8) – which is a solemn matter. This raises a stunning issue. The elders are singing a song which has never been sung before. The Lamb has come to prepare the world for its eternal destiny! The fellow saints, the 24 elders, able to enter into the passion of those still struggling on this earth, are bowing with awe and grateful reverence and relief – “The Lamb can now finish the conflict!” “The final events can now come!” This imagery is clearly an end-time motif. We are now seeing the end of the time of the end ready to start. The final fulfillment of the new covenant issues is about to begin. “The Lamb is worthy to open the book for three reasons: he was slain (a historical fact), he purchased people for God (the interpretation of that fact), and he made them to be a kingdom and priests (the result of the fact). That the same ascription of worth is directed both to the One upon the throne ( This Christocentric message is further matures as we review the “new song” concept. “The ‘new song’ (oden kainen) sung by this heavenly chorus was originally a song of praise inspired by gratitude for new mercies. A song thus named is mentioned six times in the Psalms (Pss. 33:3; 40:3; 96:1; 98:1; 144:9; 149:1), but in the ‘new song’ of Isa 42:10, the words have fuller content, corresponding to the deeper sense of‘ new things’ in Isa 42:9. That deeper sense is that however great the glories of things in the past, those will be dim in comparison to the splendor of things to come. The new song of v 9 belongs to this new cycle (Charles). This is a song composed especially for a great occasion, one celebrating the redemption of the saints (Swete). Earlier songs in Revelation 4 have celebrated God as the creator (Ladd). Now the divine cause has entered a new stage, calling for a new celebration (cf. Rev 14:3) (Beckwith). Kainen (‘new’) in the Apocalypse signals something regarding the quality of a thing, not [directly] new in reference to time (Charles). The temporal connotation would have been conveyed by veos (neos, ‘new’). This is the description of a song that is new in nature, different from the usual, impressive, better than the old, and superior in value.”3 The setting means that a new era has come and something new is about to occur. The Lamb is depicted with power. The fullness of the Holy Spirit is in evidence (seven eyes). Something dramatic is about to unfold. “The new (i.e., eschatological) song sung by the heavenly chorus interprets the full significance of the Lamb’s action in taking God’s scroll. In this sense, the song responds to the angel’s earlier question, ‘Who is worthy to break the seals and open the scroll?’ (5:2): The slain and risen Lamb is worthy to take the scroll and open its seals; he is the Messiah who is able to inaugurate the new age of God’s triumph over the Evil One.”4 When is the triumph over evil? At His second coming. He is then crowned as a King. This bleeding Lamb is about to inaugurate events which will marshal forces that forever neutralize satanic activity and ushers in the eschatological age.
Verse 9 – “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”
A trilogy is introduced as to the reason He is worthy:
He was slain He suffered He redeemed us A penalty or fee was paid He made us kings and priests He is providing rewards
Central to this worthiness is who is rewarded. There is an association between:
Receiving Sealed Scroll----------Breaking the Seals Relating Somehow To Worthy Lamb----------Worthy Saints
A release from the bondage of sin can be anticipated with the breaking of the seals and preparation to examine its contents. “The question is whether the broader context of Revelation limits this redemption to that from sin alone or expands the redemption to include also the eschatological aspects detailed later in the book. The latter appears to be the case. This is a redemption from all hostile power (Charles). The songs of redemption in 14:2-3 and 15:2-4 pertain to redemption from the forces of the beast (Swete). Furthermore, the immediate context speaks of an emancipation that results in the creation of a new people of God to rule (cf. “This deliverance [finally] comes when their persecutors ... are judged, after the seven seals of the scroll are broken. Making the redeemed kings and priests (v 10), or, as some manuscripts have it, ‘a kingdom of priests,’ implies that the original kingdom of priests, Israel (Ex 19:5-6), has been done away with and replaced by the Church (cf. Heb “The final deliverance that begins with the taking of the scroll is not just the deliverance of the redeemed – it is the final deliverance of all the created universe from the infection of sin. By revealing the contents of the scroll, Jesus declares the final judgment – a judgment of salvation for the redeemed; a judgment of final condemnation for the lost; and a judgment of the final eradication of sin from the universe. Is it predestinational to say that the book was written before time on earth began? No. It merely illustrates the foreknowledge of God. God’s Spirit pleads with all men to come to repentance. But God has always known which people will respond to His pleadings and which will not. And yet He pleads with all men equally, ‘not wishing for any to perish, but for all to come to repentance.’ – 1 Peter 3:9. Part of the evidence of this fact is that He has not disclosed the contents of the scroll to the heavenly angels. The angels do not know who will accept salvation and who will not, and so they work with equal fervor for the salvation of all. The taking of the scroll sets in motion the events that lead to the final judgment. God will not pass judgment on men without adequate warning or without giving every opportunity for repentance. God will not pronounce the final judgment and call the history of this world to a close without warning. He will also not proclaim the final judgment on sin, sinners, and the devil until the full nature of sin has been completely exposed beyond any shadow of a doubt. The calamities described by the breaking of the Seals reflect the process by which God accomplishes these two purposes. The Seals, particularly the first five, serve as a warning and a call to repentance. They also serve to harden the hearts of the wicked and to reveal the extent to which people will fall when they have rejected the Savior and given their lives over to sin. As the Lamb breaks the seventh Seal, there will remain no doubt in all the heavenly realms as to the nature of sin and Satan’s rebellion.”7 “The death of Jesus broke the stranglehold of the ‘powers and authorities’ over the creation and produced a great victory of liberation for mankind (Col Beale makes an interesting observation – “That the interpretative hymns in vv 9-14 make no explicit mention of the resurrection is astounding and underscores the ironic nature of Christ’s victorious death.”9 The reason is that it is 2000 years later. It is eschatological praise. His lamb-like presence is clearly a metaphor speaking of His resurrection. There is another profound issue that is present. As noted previously we have an irony of praise from the elders associated with petitions of the persecuted. That hymn transcends the celebration of victory. Note the “bleeding Lamb,” the worthy Lamb (because of His suffering) and the petition from the saints. The imagery is suffering! The Lamb is worthy to address the suffering saints because He suffered. What is His answer? Preparation for retributive judgments – the Seals begin the overt warning process that the end is near. For the saved – the final atonement and eradication of sin.
Verse 9 – “out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation;”
“This is not a redemption of all peoples without exception but all without distinction (people from all races), as 14:3-4, 6 makes clear. The general consensus is that this phrase is to be traced back to the almost identical expression repeated in Daniel. There the working refers generally to the inhabitants of the world. “It is probably more than coincidence that the same Dan 7:9ff. framework also has the threefold phrase ... (‘peoples’), ... (‘tribes’), and ... (‘tongues,’ Dan 7:14b). This may have sparked the association with the formula coined by the author of the Apocalypse. John repeats the Danielic formula in varying combinations elsewhere and usually in relation to other allusions to Daniel (cf. Rev 7:9; 10:11; 11:19; 13:7; 17:15; cf. also 14:6 with 14:14). There are minor changes in the subsequent repetition of the formula, which may have significance.”10 This redemptive scope stresses “... the universal nature of the church and for this purpose piles up phrases for their rhetorical impact. In contrast with the exclusivism of Judaism that prided itself on having been chosen out from among the nations, the church was genuinely ecumenical, recognizing no national, political, cultural, or racial boundaries.”11 Paul, himself a Jew, explicitly rejected this exclusive Jewish mentality. “Give none offence, neither to the Jews, nor to the Gentiles, nor to the “For I know their works and their thoughts; it shall come, that I will gather all nations and tongues, and they shall come, and see My glory.” Isaiah 66:18.
Verse 10: “And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.”
Verse 10 – “And hast made us [them – literal] unto our God kings [a kingdom] and priests:”
This redemptive goal was symbolically set in motion in the temporal theocracy given to the Israelites. The setting has changed, but the leadership roles for God’s chosen has remained unaltered. “And ye shall be unto Me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation. These are the words which thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel.” Exodus 19:6. “But ye shall be named the Priests of the Lord: men shall call you the Ministers of our God: ye shall eat the riches of the Gentiles, and in their glory shall ye boast yourselves.” Isaiah 61:6. “And hath made us kings and priests unto God and His father; to Him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.” Revelation 1:6. “Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with Him a thousand years.” Revelation 20:6. The way has been opened, through Christ, to approach God and become a royal associate on His throne. The 24 elders become a metaphor for the promised kingly and priestly roles of the redeemed. John witnesses redemptive reality through them. Because the ancient promise is fulfilled in them, it becomes another justification for the Lamb’s worthiness and their praise. Of stupendous interest is the intercessory role they play for their fellow believers not yet part of that heavenly realm. They, as leaders around the eternal throne, not only bring honor to Jesus but also intercede for the persecuted saints. “Though believers are currently viewed as a royal priesthood (1 Pet 2:5, 9; cf, Ex 19:6), this is only preliminary to the fullness of the way they will function alongside Christ in the millennial kingdom.”12 There is dialogue relative to the meaning of the word “us” in this text. “Us” is a translation error in the KJV. It actually is a third person message. There is linguistic conflict as to whether this refers to the reality of a king and priest motif for all of God’s people or the 24 elders. There appears to be no solution to this debate. Since no other “priests” are apparent to justify His worthiness than the 24 elders, the logical implication would suggest that this first phrase refers to them metaphorically because the kingdom of God has not yet been set up. Yet, they symbolize the vast group who will be around the throne with them.
Verse 10 – “and we shall reign on the earth.”
“The elders and [possibly] the living beings say in this song that the Lamb has purchased men from all the tribes of the earth with His blood and that He has made them to be a kingdom and priests to our God, and they will reign upon the earth. The salvation of the redeemed was guaranteed at Calvary. However, the promise will not be realized until after the second Coming. The kingdom is guaranteed, but Jesus has not yet taken His authority and begun to reign (see the seventh Trumpet). Now look at part of the book of Daniel. “‘I kept looking, and that horn was waging war with the saints and overpowering them until the Ancient of Days came, and judgment was passed in favor of the saints of the Highest One and the time arrived when the saints took possession of the kingdom.’ Daniel 7:21-22 (NAS). “But the court will sit {for judgment}, and his dominion will be taken away, annihilated and destroyed forever. ‘Then the sovereignty, the dominion, and the greatness of {all} the kingdoms under the whole heaven will be given to the people of the saints of the Highest One: His kingdom {will be} an ever lasting kingdom and all the dominions will serve and obey Him.’ Daniel 7:26-27 (NAS). “The kingdom is not established until final judgment is proclaimed, Christ takes His authority and begins to reign, and the saints take possession of the kingdom. Satan and the little horn power, a.k.a. the beast, will dominate and persecute God’s people until the Second Coming. The dominion of the little horn has not yet been taken away.”13 The priestly role is apparent in this visionary scene. The kingly role for them as well as all the redeemed await the destruction of the satanic dominion as the result of the imminent judgment. “The promise is that the church is to share in the eschatological reign of Christ and all that it will involve ( “The fact that believers will serve as reigning powers means that they will be the equivalent of kings (Charles; Beckwith). Spelled out more particularly in 20:4 regarding the millennial kingdom and in 22:5 regarding the eternal state, they will join with Christ in His continual reign following His second advent to the earth. This all stems from the epoch-determining redemptive work of the Lamb.”15 An apocalyptic motif occurs in Romans 5:17 when Paul says: “How much more will those who receive God’s abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ.” This kingdom comes symbolically to us today through His grace: “Behold the This “new” song will be blended by two sets of other “beings” before the Seals are opened.
References:
1 Wood, Op. cit., p. 11. 2 Mounce, Op. cit., p. 135. 3 Thomas, Op. cit., p. 399 4 Wall, Robert W.; New Internatinal Biblical Commentary (Hendrickson Publishers, Peabody, 5 Thomas, Op. cit., p. 340 6 Gregg, Op. cit., p. 98. 7 Canter, Op. cit., pp. 31-32. 8 Gaebelein, Op. cit., p. 469. 9 Beale, Op. cit., p. 359. 10 Ibid., pp. 359-360. (Danielic references include 3:4, 7, 29; 11 Mounce, Op. cit., p. 136. 12 Thomas, Op. cit., p.342. 13 Canter, Op. cit., p. 32. 14 Mounce, Op. cit., p. 137 15 Thomas, Op. cit., 342.
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