Gems in the book of Revelation
Part 136 - Revelation 5:9 – 15
The great praise and worship
The effect of the death of the Lamb, who came to life again, is clear. It was a huge chorus of praise, described by John in three parts. In the first the symbols of all of creation and especially of all humans prepared to worship the Lamb join together in a rapturous song of praise of the Lamb; the emphasis is on the human aspect of what had happened. A countless number of people had been purchased (who they were bought from is not a question ever considered in scripture). We must simply accept that it is the best way of describing what had happened to all believers - to you and me. We have been purchased, redeemed, ransomed from the natural life that all mankind are born into.
Now they were expressing their thanks for that wonderful event. The twenty-four elders that represented them were carrying golden bowls of incense which represented the prayers of God’s people. I don’t know how it is where you are but everywhere I have been and heard the prayers of God’s people they have been too concerned with themselves and not sufficiently with what the Lamb has done for them, oh dear. But we are who we are and fortunately we have the ultimate loving and forgiving God! The other thing the elders were carrying was harps. That surely is to encourage us to sing his praise as often as we gather together. Our songs will not be as full of joy and melody as theirs will have been, but, no matter, the PA systems of heaven will be able to translate them into the most beautiful melodies ever heard.
Not only has the death of the Lamb secured our salvations he has, by that act, established that he is the one who was worthy to open the scroll and thus enable the onward march of the purposes of God to continue. As a result, we, from all round the world, anyone who has access to the Internet, are by reading this brought to the knowledge that we are or can be members of the Kingdom and able to serve the Creator God. That is the significance of when John talks about ‘a kingdom and priests’. In practical terms it means that we are not lacking in anything worth having. We are probably not rich in the financial terms this world craves, not significant as the world counts significance, but content. We have what we need to live a fulfilling life.
The second great swelling surge of praise comes from angels numbering at least one hundred million. John probably did not have any way of easily talking about any other numbers, which will be why ‘billions’ do not come into it. They formed a great crowd circled round the symbols of human and creation praise. And it was the thunderous sound of their praise that so excited all creation that it formed the outer circle of praise and worship. Quite how it is that the creation worships in the super heat of a tropical day in a desert area, or a winter’s day in the arctic regions we will never know. But still the thought serves as a warning for those of us who have to live in great cities and urban conurbations not to get so drawn into the excitements of the human, concrete environment that we lose sight of the countryside where the role of the creation is so much more obvious.
Pray, praise, worship, sing to the Lamb to the summit of your ability. All will be well received in heaven.
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