A Kingdom of Priest

Revelation 5:6

Revelation 5:6-10 “And I saw between the throne (with the four living creatures) and the elders a Lamb standing, as if slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God, sent out into all the earth.

And He came and took the book out of the right hand of Him who sat on the throne.

When He had taken the book, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each one holding a harp and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints.

And they sang a new song, saying, “Worthy are You to take the book and to break its seals; for You were slain, and purchased for God with Your blood men from every tribe and tongue and people and nation. “You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to our God; and they will reign upon the earth.””

“And I saw between the throne (with the four living creatures) and the elders a Lamb standing, as if slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God, sent out into all the earth.

a Lamb

“When John turned, he saw, not a Lion, according to the Elder’s announcement, but a Lamb, according to the prior historical fact.”40 For the Lion of Judah must first be the Lamb of God in order to purchase redemption and earn the right to go forth as a Lion in judgment. Here we see the character of God—grace and mercy preceding judgment. “In one brilliant stroke John portrays the central theme of NT revelation—victory through sacrifice.

[Arnion], originally meant little lamb or young sheep. “The imagery derives from the Passover, when Jewish families were required to keep the sacrificial lamb as a household pet for four days before sacrificing it (Ex. 12:3-6)

The only other occurrence of arnion in the entire NT is John’s gospel, where it is used of the Christian community (John 21:15). This is another indication that the same author wrote the book of John and the book of Revelation.

In Revelation the name ‘Lamb’ (arnion, literally, ‘little lamb’) is used more often than any other name or title of Christ. John called Him the Lamb twenty-eight times.”Twice in John’s gospel, John the Baptist refers to Jesus as “the Lamb of God,” referring to His impending sacrifice which will atone for the sins of the world (John 1:29, 36). Isaiah also described the Messiah as a sacrificial lamb, a passage which Philip explained to the Ethiopian eunuch (Isa. 53:7; Acts 8:32-35). Peter describes the precious, sinless blood of Christ “as of a lamb without blemish and spot,” an allusion to the Passover lamb whose blood “covered” the Israelites from the destroying angel in the plague which took the firstborn of Egypt (1Pe. 1:19 cf. Ex. 11:5-6; 12:3-13). In fulfillment of the requirement that no bones of the lamb may be broken (Ex. 12:46; Ps. 34:20), the Roman soldiers found Jesus already dead and did not break his legs as they did those of the thieves crucified beside him (John 19:33-36). Paul clearly understood Jesus to be the Passover lamb. “For indeed Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed for us” (1Cor. 5:7). It is by “the blood of the Lamb” that believers overcome the diabolos who “throws-against” them accusations (Rev. 12:11+), for it is the blood which cleanses them of sin and provides their white robes. It is the blood of Christ which provides for their eternal life as those who are written in the “Book of Life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world” (Rev. 13:8+).The Lamb is to be contrasted with the beast throughout this book.48 The second beast who “had two horns like a lamb” may be mistaken as this lamb by those who are deceived, but he speaks “like a dragon” (Rev. 13:11+).

“And I saw between the throne (with the four living creatures) and the elders a Lamb standing, as if slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God, sent out into all the earth.

as though it had been slain

ἐσφαγμένον [esphagmenon - see sphragizo], perfect passive participle: “of animals, especially when killed as a sacrifice slaughter, slay; metaphorically, of Jesus’ atoning death as the Lamb of God.”49 By His one-time sacrifice, sin was rendered powerless to prevent those who trust in Him from right-standing before God (Heb. 9:26). It has been said, “the only man-made thing in heaven will be the scars of the Savior.” Isaiah informs us, “His visage was marred more than any man, and His form more than the sons of men” (Isa. 52:14). Heaven and earth will pass away and the former things will pass (Rev. 21:1+, 4+), but will the scars of Messiah ever be erased? For they serve as a testimony of His love, His resurrection from death (John 20:20, 27), and His identity as Redeemer (Luke 24:30-31).The slaying of God’s own Son was not an afterthought in response to an unexpected rebellion. He was “slain from the foundation of the world” (Rev. 13:8+).50 Peter informs us that He was “foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times” (1Pe. 1:20). It was known from all eternity that Christ would come to die for the sin of the world: there is nothing which God has not seen and provided for in advance (Isa. 45:21). Even as early as Abraham, God provided a detailed picture of the atonement of the cross when Abraham was told to offer Isaac as a picture of another Father’s offering of another Son on the same mountain years yet future. As Abraham observed, “God will provide for Himself the lamb” (Gen. 22:8) and so He has! This is the pierced Lamb which “every eye will see,” “even they who pierced him” (Rev. 1:7+ cf. Zec. 12:10+). Are you trusting in the slain Lamb, Who was foreordained for your redemption?

“And I saw between the throne (with the four living creatures) and the elders a Lamb standing, as if slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God, sent out into all the earth.

seven horns

“Here is the intimation that something more than sacrifice and intercession is now to be His business.”51 The horn is a biblical symbol denoting power or government (1Sa 2:10; 2Sa 22:3; Ps. 132:13-17). The seven horns indicate the complete power of Christ and the finality (completeness) of His kingdom. “As a horn is the emblem of power, and seven the number of perfection, the seven horns may denote the almighty power of Jesus Christ.”52 His is the only “everlasting dominion” and kingdom “which shall not be destroyed” (Da 7:14+). Other “horns” have risen and fallen on the world stage (Da 7:7-8, 11, 20, 21, 24; 8:3-12, 20-22; Rev. 12:3+; 13:1+, 11+; 17:3+, 7+, 12+, 16+), but the “stone cut without hands” will strike all previous horns and smash them to pieces (Da. 2:34, 45-46+; Da 7:14+). Christ is the horn of salvation from the lineage of the house of David (Luke 1:67-73):

And in the days of these kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed; and the kingdom shall not be left to other people; it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever. Inasmuch as you saw that the stone was cut out of the mountain without hands, and that it broke in pieces the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver, and the gold-the great God has made known to the king what will come to pass after this. The dream is certain, and its interpretation is sure. (Dan. 2:44-45+)

Then to Him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and His kingdom the one Which shall not be destroyed. (Dan. 7:14+)

Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, 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 should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. (Php 2:9-11+)

The seven horns may also allude to the conquest of Jericho by Joshua (his Hebrew name is Yehoshua meaning “YHWH saves,” corresponding to Jesus in Greek):

When the children of Israel first entered the land of Canaan to claim it for their own as God had promised, they encountered a wicked city barring their way. When in accord with God’s command, the priests took “seven trumpets of ram’s horns,” the walls of Jericho tumbled down and the city and its alien inhabitants were destroyed. Thus, these “seven horns” on the Lamb may well have recalled to John the seven ram’s horns of Joshua, and their effectiveness in enabling the people of God to enter on their inheritance in God’s land of promise.53

Another similarity with the Book of Joshua is found in the pouring forth of the seventh bowl—subsumed within the sounding of the seventh trumpet—when the mighty city of Babylon is destroyed (Rev. 16:17-19+).

“And I saw between the throne (with the four living creatures) and the elders a Lamb standing, as if slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God, sent out into all the earth.

seven eyes

As the text says, these are the seven Spirits of God. Commenting on the related passage in Zec. 3:9, Baron explains:

The manifold intelligence or omniscience of this “Living Stone”—the seven reminding us of the sevenfold plenitude of the One Spirit of Jehovah, “the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Jehovah,” which should rest upon Him (Isa 11:2), and which was so wonderfully fulfilled in Him Whom the New Testament seer beheld as the Lamb which had been slain [Rev. 5:6+]

Isa 11:2 “The Spirit of the Lord will rest on Him, The spirit of wisdom and understanding, The spirit of counsel and strength, The spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord.”

Is 11:3 “And He will delight in the fear of the Lord, And He will not judge by what His eyes see, Nor make a decision by what His ears hear;”

sent out

ἀπεσταλμένοι [apestalmenoi], perfect passive participle: having been sent out. They were sent in the past and by now have already seen all (Zec. 4:2-10). The eyes indicate omniscience and the complete knowledge of all that is hidden for perfect judgment. There is no secret which these eyes have not viewed (Ecc. 12:14; Isa. 29:15; 40:27; Mat. 10:26; Mark 4:22; Luke 8:17; 12:2; Rom. 2:16; 1Cor. 4:5)

Rev 5:7 “And He came and took the book out of the right hand of Him who sat on the throne.”

The Lamb Becomes a Lion . . . in the scene before us Christ is not on the Father’s throne; the age of His intercession has come to a close. We shall see Him acting in an entirely new character. . . . The age of the Church is over. This is now prophecy of the future

Only the Crucifixion has more importance than this event -

The Crucifixion - Chris the Lamb of God suffered

Time of trouble for the world and His enemies is at hand - they are going to suffer. Because He is now the LION of Judah, and He is going to judge the unbelieving world without

Rev 5:8 “When He had taken the book, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each one holding a harp and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints.”

harp

Harps are played by the 144,000 from the twelve tribes of Israel (Rev. 14:1-3+) and all those who have victory over the beast by refusing to take the mark and worship him (Rev. 15:2+). The Levites used harps as part of their priestly service ministering to God (2Chr. 5:12; 29:25), as did the psalmist (Ps. 33:2; 43:4; 71:22; 92:3; 149:3; 150:3).

golden bowls full of incense which are the prayers of the saints

It was at the hour of incense that the people were praying when the angel of the Lord appeared to Zacharias announcing the birth of John the Baptist (Luke 1:10). The prayers of the saints—many of which have remained without answer for thousands of years— will find their fulfillment in the events to come (Rev. 19:1-2+). Later, similar bowls will contain the wrath of God (Rev. 15:7+). It seems we are to see a correlation between the prayers of the saints offered up to God as incense and the resulting vengeance poured forth as God’s wrath. Prior to the sounding of the seven trumpets, an angel offers the prayers of the saints with incense on an altar before God. He then exchanges the contents of the censer for fire from the altar and throws it to the earth resulting in “thunderings, lightnings, and an earthquake”—all sounds of impending judgment (Rev. 8:3-5+).The continual cries of God’s elect throughout history are like the fragrance of incense which rises to God (Ps. 141:1-2). “And shall God not avenge His own elect who cry out day and night to Him, though He bears long with them?” (Luke 18:7). Malachi spoke of a time when incense would be offered to God, not just in the Temple, but across the entire world. Not just by the priests of Israel, but by all the Gentiles. This offering pictures the global prayer which even now ascends from the saints as a memorial to His throne (Mal. 1:11; Acts 10:4). When on our knees we are contributing to the contents of these bowls. “And who can reckon up the volumes and oceans of such entreaties, which remain to this day unanswered? But, not one of them is lost. They are carefully treasured in golden bowls

Rev 5:9 “And they sang a new song, saying, “Worthy are You to take the book and to break its seals; for You were slain, and purchased for God with Your blood men from every tribe and tongue and people and nation.”

they sang

ᾳ῎δουσιν [adousin], present tense: they are singing. A historical present which describes an event which has already transpired using the present tense for heightened vividness which transports the reader to the time of the action. In the OT, the tribe of Judah (meaning “praise,” Gen. 29:35) led the way into battle and so it is here (Jdg. 20:18). These scenes of ecstatic heavenly worship are as lofty as the judgments which follow are severe.Both the living creatures and the elders sing this song.

a new song

New is καινὴν [kainēn], new in quality. The new aspect of the song may be worship motivated by the impending opening of the scroll which for so many years has remained untouched. The words of this song record the unique initiation by the Lamb of the events which rapidly lead to the climax of history and the establishment of His kingdom.

you . . . redeemed us

ἠγόρασας [ēgorasas]: “Literally buy, purchase, do business in the marketplace (Mat. 13.44); figuratively, as being no longer controlled by sin set free; from the analogy of buying a slave’s freedom for a price paid by a benefactor redeem (1Cor. 6:20).”68 Redemption involves a purchase and those who are purchased are no longer their own (1Cor. 6:20; 7:23; 2Pe. 2:1). The purchased price for those redeemed was not made with corruptible things like silver and gold (1Pe. 1:18), but by the life of the Son of Man Who gave “His life a ransom for many” (Mat. 20:28). The redemption in view is both soteriological (individual souls are reconciled to God) and eschatological (the original creation will be restored at last).

Redemption has its roots and foundations in the past, but its true realization lies in the future, and connects directly with the period and transactions to which our text relates. The Scriptures everywhere point forward to Christ’s Apocalypse, as the time when first the mystery shall be finished, and the long process reach its proper consummation.69

This is similar to Boaz’s redemption of land for Naomi (Ru. 4:1-11). Like Boaz, Jesus is the Goel. The term Goel describes the person who is next of kin and his respective duties as kinsman-redeemer: to buy back what his poor brother has sold and cannot himself regain (Lev. 25:25-26); to avenge any wrong done to a next of kin, particularly murder (Num. 35:12-27); to purchase land belonging to one deceased who was next of kin and to marry his widow and to raise up children for the deceased (Ru. 2:20; 4:14).There are small variations in the manuscript evidence for verses 9 and 10 which impinge on a significant theological issue: the identity of the twenty-four elders. Are the elders included among the redeemed or not? The TR text for these two verses (reflected in the KJV and NKJV) is shown below. We have marked the places where other manuscripts differ.

. . . For you were slain and have redeemed usA to God by Your blood out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation, and have made usB kings and priests to our God; and weC shall reign on the earth. (Rev. 5:9-10+, NKJV)

by your blood

A bloodless gospel is no gospel. Without the shedding of blood there is no remission of sin. The redeemed of this age are “the church of God which He purchased with His own blood” [emphasis added] (Acts 20:28). Redemption provides for the forgiveness of sin—that which separates man from God—and was made possible “through His blood” [emphasis added] (Col. 1:14). This is the reason why Christ’s blood is said to be “precious” (1Pe. 1:19).84 See commentary on Revelation 1:5.

every tribe and tongue and people and nation

The global emphasis of this book is seen in this phrase and similar. The redeemed come out of “all nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues” (Rev. 7:9+). John is told to prophesy about many “peoples, nations, tongues, and kings” (Rev. 10:11+). The earth dwellers, who rejoice over the death of the two witnesses, represent the “peoples, tribes, tongues, and nations” (Rev. 11:9+). The worldwide scope of the Antichrist’s power is seen in that he is granted authority over “every tribe, tongue, and nation” (Rev. 13:7+). The gospel is preached by an angel to “every nation, tribe, tongue, and people” (Rev. 14:6+). The waters upon which the harlot sits “are peoples, multitudes, nations, and tongues” (Rev. 17:1+, 15+). The work of the Church is to reach these global peoples with the message of the gospel (Mark 16:15) and results in a global harvest of incredible diversity. The four categories denote global extent.

Rev 5:10 ““You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to our God; and they will reign upon the earth.””

kings and priests

As priests, believers are ministers of the new covenant—not of the letter, but of the Spirit (2Cor. 3:6). They offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God (1Pe. 2:5) while proclaiming His praises (1Pe. 2:9). They minister to God as priests and share His reign as kings (Dan. 7:27; Rev. 2:26-27+; Rev. 3:21+; Rev. 20:6+). “Though believers are currently viewed as a royal priesthood (1Pe. 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

we shall reign on the earth

This is the same promise made earlier to the overcomer in Thyatira and Laodicea. The saints will be given power over the nations and will co-rule with Christ (Rev. 2:26-27+). They will sit with Him on His throne (Rev. 3:21+). They shall reign (future tense) on the earth in fulfillment of the familiar petition within the “Lord’s Prayer”: Your kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven (Mat. 6:10). The rule will be upon His throne, not upon the throne of the Father where He currently is seated. This occurs at the Millennial Kingdom following His appearing (2Ti. 4:1; Rev. 20:4-6+). The psalm writer said, “those who wait on the LORD, they shall inherit the earth” [emphasis added] (Ps. 37:9b). Jesus said, “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth” [emphasis added] (Mat. 5:5). There is real, physical land involved in the redemption which pours forth from this book. The taking back of man’s dominion over the earth which was lost by Adam (Gen. 1:26, 28), and the restoration of Israel to the Promised Land (Amos 9:13-15)