Revelation 5: 10
"And hast made us unto our God Kings and
priests: and we shall reign on the earth."
Here is the truth that heaven and earth, and all that is within them is designed for the praise of Jesus Christ; and it is our privilege to lend our voices and our lives to this vast chorus of praise, for that chorus is necessarily incomplete so long as there is one voice missing from it. Here is the greatest chorus of praise the universe can ever hear. It comes in three waves. First, there is the praise of the four living creatures and of the twenty-four elders. Here we see all nature and all the Church combining to praise the Lamb. Second, there is the praise of many angels. Here is the picture of all the inhabitants of heaven lifting up their voices in praise. Third, John sees every created creature, in every part of the universe, to its deepest depth and its farthest corner, singing praise. The first section in the chorus of praise is the song of the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders; and, as we have seen, they represent all that is in nature and in the universal Church.
The picture of the elders is interesting. They have harps. The harp was the traditional instrument to which the Psalms were sung. "Praise the Lord with harp," says the Psalmist (Ps. 33:2). The elders also have golden bowls full of incense; and the incense is the prayers of God's dedicated people. The likening of prayers to incense comes also from the Psalms. "Let my prayer be before thee counted as incense; and the lifting up of my hands as an evening sacrifice" (Ps. 141:2).
"Praise ye the Lord. Sing unto the Lord a new song, and his praise in the congregation of saints." (Ps. 149:1). The nearest parallel in the Old Testament comes from Isaiah. There God declares new things and the prophet calls upon men to sing to the Lord a new song "Behold, the former things are come to pass, and new things do I declare: before they spring forth I tell you of them. 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" (Is. 42:9-10).
The new song is always a song for new mercies of God; and it will be noblest of all when it is a song for the mercies of God in Jesus Christ. The significance of this is that Jesus Christ brings into life a quality which has never existed before, new joy, new thrill, new strength, new peace. That is why the supreme quality of the Christian life is a kind of sheen. It has been said that "the opposite of a Christian world is a world grown old and sad."
The praise rendered to the Lamb by the four living creatures and the elders is rendered because He died. In this song there is summed up the results of the death of Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ opened the way for all men to God. Every man becomes a priest in the sense that he has the right of access to God. When we think of what the death and life of Jesus Christ have done for men, it is no wonder that the living creatures and the elders burst into praise of Him.
The chorus of praise is taken up by the unnumbered hosts of the angels of heaven. They stand in a great outer circle round the throne and the living creatures and the elders and they begin their song. We have repeatedly seen how John takes his language from the Old Testament; and here in his memory are phrases from David's great thanksgiving to God: To Him belongs the power. To Him belongs the riches. To Him belongs the wisdom. To Him belongs the strength. To Him belongs the honor. To Him belongs the glory. To Him belongs the blessing.
Here is the climax of it all. All these things Jesus Christ possesses, and every one of them He uses in the service of the men for whom He lived and died; He does not clutch them to Himself. Therefore, there rises to Him from all the redeemed thanksgiving for all that He has done. And that thanksgiving is the one gift that we who have nothing can give to Him who possesses all.
The creatures which are in the heaven add their praise. Who are they? It has been suggested that the phrase gathers up every possible being in heaven--the living creatures, the elders, the myriads of angels and every other heavenly being. The creatures which are beneath the earth add their praise. That can only mean the dead who are in Hades, "For in death there is no remembrance of thee: in the grave who shall give thee thanks"? (Ps. 5:6). "What profit is there in my blood, when I go down to the pit? Shall the dust praise thee? shall it declare thy truth?" (Ps. 30:9). "Wilt thou shew wonders to the dead? shall the dead arise and praise thee? "Shall thy lovingkindness be declared in the grave? or thy faithfulness in destruction? "Shall thy wonders be known in the dark? and thy righteousness in the land of forgetfulness? ( Ps. 88:10-12).
I am sure some would say, How can souls in hell, Praise the Risen Christ? Hell from beneath is moved for thee to meet thee at thy coming: it stirreth up the dead for thee, even all the chief ones of the earth; it hath raised up from their thrones all the kings of the nations" (Is. 14:9). Now that is a vision that displays Christ Power, Honor, and His Glory. Not even the land of the dead is beyond the reign of the Risen Christ. Even from beyond death the chorus of praise rises to Him.
Amen!!
Reading: (Rev. 5:8-14)
Ref: (HGSB; BSB)
May God Bless You
And Your Family
Minister Robert A. Lail Sr.
The Cross Life Ministry
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