Worthy is the Lamb

One of the most breathtaking passages on the second coming is Revelation chapter 5. The scene in chapter 5 is the same as chapter 4. The scene is heaven, in the center is the throne of God. Lightning and thunder and glorious worship from the hosts of heaven.

Chapter 4 and chapter 5 anticipate the tribulation. Chapters 6 to 19 is the record of the exploding judgment of God in the world. And it comes through seven seals that are unrolled, seven trumpets that are blown, and seven bowls that are poured out on the earth.

At the same time judgment is being poured out, salvation is taking place to a degree never before known I the history of redemption. So many are saved from every tongue and tribe and people and nation they can’t even be numbered. The nation Israel is saved, and 144,000 of them are sealed as ministers and missionaries and witnesses. Angels are preaching the gospel as they’re flying across heaven. Two witnesses are raised from the dead to preach the gospel so that the city of Jerusalem repents.

It’s an incredible time described in chapters 6 to 19. It is ultimately going to be the victory of our Lord Jesus Christ. Many people have attempted to define and decode these visions. There is an erroneous belief that buried in these visions are coded messages that require a special medium to decode.

In order to fully understand this, you don’t need some super-spiritual guide. All you need is the Holy Spirit, the Bible, and some understanding of history. The first spiritual truth we must understand is that history is a as much a record of the spiritual conflicts transpiring through the ages as much as events of man. Once you begin to understand and perceive the world through spiritual eyes, things become more clear. History begins to make more sense and you begin to see both God’s eternal plan that started with His confrontation with man in the Garden, but also Satan’s plan and patterns to deceive and defeat God’s people.

History is wrought with many have desired to rule the world and be the ultimate monarch. Certainly there was Lucifer, son of the morning, the anointed cherub who is now known as Satan, is the prince of this prideful desire he puts in the hearts and minds of men. He desires to rule the world and the universe.

Humanly speaking, there were men that are recorded in the Bible and the annals of history that burned with this continual desire to overtake everything they possibly could. Nebuchadnezzar was the Babylonian ruler who reigned over much of the civilized world in 604-562 BCE. Nebuchadnezzar is notorious for decimating the Jewish presence in the Land of Israel, exiling the vast majority of its denizens to Babylon, and destroying the first Holy Temple.

There was Darius, commonly known as Darius the Great, a Persian ruler who served as the third King of Kings of the Achaemenid Empire. Xerxes, the eldest son of Darius and Atossa, succeeded to the throne as Xerxes I. With Xerxes' accession, the empire was again ruled by a member of the house of Cyrus.

There was Alexander the Great, Genghis Khan, Napoleon. There was Hitler who envisioned an eternal reign of the Third Reich. Under Hitler, 12 million people were killed, including 6 million Jews. There was Marx, Lenin, and Stalin where untold millions of people were oppressed and killed throughout the world. And someday there will be Antichrist who will be the most powerful human, who will subdue all rulers and nations of the world under the influence of Satan. All of these rulers follow the same demonic pattern with a will to control and dominate world-wide power, dethrone God, and destroy God’s people.

Today, more than ever in the history of the world, do we see world events, including the world’s response to COVID-19, geo-political alignments, cultural events, and demonic forces at work to bring in the powers and events that will be seen during the Great Tribulation. The Bible is clear about these things and these events and he has not hidden these things from the world, but revealed it through this book, including Revelation. Sadly, there are pastors and churches that refuse to come near this or any prophetic writings in the Bible.

The reason is many churches are afraid of offending culture with the truth of God’s Word. We have too many woke pastors today that are afraid or unwilling to preach the truth. When they do that, they are not being “loving” as they claim, but are following along the plan of Satan. They are afraid of the spiritual implications of preaching through the Book of Revelation. The gospel has feet and calls us to stand in protest to the deceptions of the world’s systems. The way we do that is by preaching the truth in love.

God gave the Church this Word. The Bible told us in advance that the things that are happening today would be on the world stage. He entrusted it to us that it would not be hidden under a basket but be show brightly to the entire world. When pastors and teachers attempt to decorate worldly systems and teachings with a little bit of Jesus in order to be more appealing to our culture we are undermining the authority of God’s Word. I come across so many people today who say to me, “Pastor, we are hungry for the truth. We are hungry to hear sound, biblical teaching again. Our pastor and our church are compromising.”

With that we looked at Chapter 4 the last few weeks. chapter 4, verse 1, there was a door standing open in heaven and John was taken up there and he’s still there as he writes in chapter 5. I want you to remember that the vision John saw was the Throne Room of Heaven with the Almighty on the Throne. That has never changed nor will it ever change. And it is critical for us to understand Who it is on that throne. His nature, his character, his holiness, his power, his judgement. There is no one who is able to stand before God and live. We are unclean and unholy without God’s intervention we have no hope.

Additionally, there is worship in heaven. There is continual, ongoing worship from everyone around that throne. The four living creatures, the 24 elders, and everyone in heaven is directing their eternal worship in Heaven toward Him. We will be joining them eternally. That is what we found in Chapter 4 and that continues now into Chapter 5:

Revelation 5:1–14 ESV

1 Then I saw in the right hand of him who was seated on the throne a scroll written within and on the back, sealed with seven seals. 2 And I saw a mighty angel proclaiming with a loud voice, “Who is worthy to open the scroll and break its seals?” 3 And no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll or to look into it, 4 and I began to weep loudly because no one was found worthy to open the scroll or to look into it. 5 And one of the elders said to me, “Weep no more; behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered, so that he can open the scroll and its seven seals.” 6 And between the throne and the four living creatures and among the elders I saw a Lamb standing, as though it had been slain, with seven horns and with seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth. 7 And he went and took the scroll from the right hand of him who was seated on the throne. 8 And when he had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each holding a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. 9 And they sang a new song, saying, “Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation, 10 and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God, and they shall reign on the earth.” 11 Then I looked, and I heard around the throne and the living creatures and the elders the voice of many angels, numbering myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands, 12 saying with a loud voice, “Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing!” 13 And I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all that is in them, saying, “To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever!” 14 And the four living creatures said, “Amen!” and the elders fell down and worshiped.

The Lamb and the Scroll

God begins to move. He is about to unleash His wrath, about to ignite the tribulation and the time when the Lord takes back the universe, and paradise is regained. At the center of all of this the One who leads the redemption of the world. He is the One who is the rightful heir to the throne of Heaven and Earth. The One who is and will be seated on the Throne that Satan has deceived the world belongs to a man in tribute to the counterfeit rule of Satan. This is the moment that we’ve been waiting for. This is the moment that every Christian should anticipate. This is the moment when the redemption, according to Ephesians will take place:

“who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.” Ephesians 1:14

“For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now.” Romans 8:22

And what does John see in verse 1? Revelation 5:1 “1 Then I saw in the right hand of him who was seated on the throne a scroll written within and on the back, sealed with seven seals.”

In ancient times they didn’t have books or codex, they had scrolls, that were usually rolled up from both ends into the middle. The scroll would have been made possibly out of papyrus or parchment, some form of paper product. “It was written inside and on the back, and it was sealed up with seven seals.” (Verse 1).

First the fact that there was writing on both sides is unusual. This means that whatever information was on this scroll, there was a lot of it – almost more than the scroll can contain. When a roll was finished, it was fastened with strings and the strings were sealed with wax at the knots. This scroll was sealed with seven seals; there were seven strings around the scroll, each string sealed with wax.

There are a number of ideas about what could be written on this scroll. First, some believe it could be the last will and testament of Jesus. 1 Peter 1:4 describes“an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you,” Others suggest it is the Book of Life. The problem with this theory is that when Jesus opens the scroll, it reveals Christ’s wrath on the earth instead of his blessings on the redeemed. Another idea is that this is the Old Testament. Nothing in the Scriptures suggest this, however. Fourth this could be God’s will for history and the proclaimation of his judgements. I want to suggest this is the best fitting idea with a bit more explanation.

This scroll described in Revelation 5 was typical of a contract in the ancient world. This kind of contract was known all over the Middle East in ancient times and was used by the Romans from the time of Nero on. The full contract would be written on the inner pages and then sealed with seven seals; not just a will, but various kinds of contracts. Then the content of the contract would be described briefly on the outside.” (Dr. Robert Thomas) All kinds of transactions were consummated this way, including marriage contracts, rental and lease agreements, release of slaves, contract, bills, and even bonds.”

In Hebrew culture, the document most closely resembling this scroll was a title deed, which was folded and signed, requiring at least three witnesses. A portion of text would be written and then sealed with a different witness signing at each sealing. The larger the number of witnesses, the more important was the document.

What Jesus is holding is a title deed to all creation. The earth and the universe came under captivity in the fall. However, the scroll documents who really owns it. God has had it in His possession all the time. He authored it and He alone has rightful claim to it. And so in claiming His authority over all things, it contains detailed descriptions of His judgments, of His attacks, of His wrath, of His vengeance, and of His repossession of what is rightfully His.

The details of this begin to be revealed in chapter 6, the first seal is broken, and there is a bloodless coup or a war. The second seal and you have pestilence. In the third seal and you have famine. In the fourth seal and you have death. The fifth seal reveals those who were martyred during the tribulation. The sixth seal, we see a devastating earthquake. Finally, when the seventh seal is opened and that introduces the seven trumpets. When the seventh trumpet which is blown is described as seven bowls poured out, at the end of which time Jesus comes to establish His kingdom and the establishment of the new heavens and the new earth.

Interestingly in Daniel 12:4 we find God gives Daniel an interesting command concerning his prophesies: Daniel 12:4

Daniel 12:4 ESV

4 But you, Daniel, shut up the words and seal the book, until the time of the end. Many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall increase.”

Throughout Daniel’s prophecy he has been receiving revelations and visions about the future. Particularly from chapter 10 on, he has been receiving prophecies of future judgment at the end of the age, about the Antichrist, and what his battle plan and operation is like. And now the vision is done. The vision of the future time of tribulation, the career of Antichrist and his operation is done. And so the Lord says to Daniel, “Roll it up and seal it until the end of time.”

Daniel 12:5–10 ESV

5 Then I, Daniel, looked, and behold, two others stood, one on this bank of the stream and one on that bank of the stream. 6 And someone said to the man clothed in linen, who was above the waters of the stream, “How long shall it be till the end of these wonders?” 7 And I heard the man clothed in linen, who was above the waters of the stream; he raised his right hand and his left hand toward heaven and swore by him who lives forever that it would be for a time, times, and half a time, and that when the shattering of the power of the holy people comes to an end all these things would be finished. 8 I heard, but I did not understand. Then I said, “O my lord, what shall be the outcome of these things?” 9 He said, “Go your way, Daniel, for the words are shut up and sealed until the time of the end. 10 Many shall purify themselves and make themselves white and be refined, but the wicked shall act wickedly. And none of the wicked shall understand, but those who are wise shall understand.

So, this scroll we see here in verse 1 is going to play a significant role in the rest of the Book of Revelation.

Who is Worthy to Open the Scroll

Revelation 5:2–5 ESV

2 And I saw a mighty angel proclaiming with a loud voice, “Who is worthy to open the scroll and break its seals?” 3 And no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll or to look into it, 4 and I began to weep loudly because no one was found worthy to open the scroll or to look into it. 5 And one of the elders said to me, “Weep no more; behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered, so that he can open the scroll and its seven seals.”

The first point I want you to see is the search for the Worthy One. The glorified spirits, the saints in heaven, the holy angels don’t stir. Verse 3 says, “And no one in heaven or on the earth or under the earth was able to open the book or to look into it.” Oudeis, means “not even one.” No one in heaven, no one on earth, no one under the earth. Anywhere and everywhere in the entire universe and there was no one. From hell to heaven and all parts in between there was no one. No one who had the legal right to open it or to look and examine its contents. (MacArthur)

And John’s reaction is really amazing. In verse 4 he says, “I began to weep greatly because no one was found worthy to open the book or look into it.” There aren’t supposed to be any tears in heaven. When it says, “I began to weep greatly,” he uses the same verb that’s used in Luke 19:41 of Jesus weeping over Jerusalem; unrestrained emotion. This is the only time we see in the Bible when there are tears in heaven.

W. A. Criswell writes, “These represent the tears of all God’s people through all the centuries. Those tears of the apostle John are the tears of Adam and Eve driven out of the Garden of Eden as they bowed over the first grave, as they watered the dust of the ground with their tears over the silent still form of their son Abel. Those are the tears of the children of Israel in bondage as they cried unto God in their affliction and slavery. They are the tears of God’s elect through the centuries as they cried unto heaven. They are the sobs and the tears that have been wrung from the heart and soul of God’s people as they looked on their silent dead, as they stand beside their open graves, as the experience and the trials and sufferings of life, heartaches and disappointments indescribable.

“Such is the curse that sin has laid on God’s beautiful creation. And this is the damnation of the hand of him who holds it: that usurper, that interloper, that intruder, that alien, that stranger, that dragon, that serpent, that Satan-devil. And John wept audibly for the failure to find a redeemer, because it meant that this earth and its curse is consigned forever to death. It meant that death and sin and damnation and hell should reign forever and ever, and the sovereignty of God’s earth should remain forever in the hands of Satan.”

There is a Biblical illustration of this and why.

Luke 8:49–55 ESV

49 While he was still speaking, someone from the ruler’s house came and said, “Your daughter is dead; do not trouble the Teacher any more.” 50 But Jesus on hearing this answered him, “Do not fear; only believe, and she will be well.” 51 And when he came to the house, he allowed no one to enter with him, except Peter and John and James, and the father and mother of the child. 52 And all were weeping and mourning for her, but he said, “Do not weep, for she is not dead but sleeping.” 53 And they laughed at him, knowing that she was dead. 54 But taking her by the hand he called, saying, “Child, arise.” 55 And her spirit returned, and she got up at once. And he directed that something should be given her to eat.

John is focused on the situation before him and not understanding the culmination of everything about to take place. That’s the way many believers view the world today. John knew that Jerusalem had been destroyed in 70 A.D., this is at least twenty-five years later. John knew that Judaism had killed the Messiah. John knew the Jews had been massacred and scattered. John knew that the new young church was being severely persecuted. John knew that there was no king to defend them on earth or to redeem Israel. And so he wept. (MacArthur)

Everything seemed to be going badly. Jesus is saying, “Your tears are inappropriate because of what I am about to do.” That is what is happening in Heaven in Revelation 5. Don’t weep over this because the answer and the one who can open the scroll is about to do just that.

Behold the Lamb

Revelation 5:5–8 ESV

5 And one of the elders said to me, “Weep no more; behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered, so that he can open the scroll and its seven seals.” 6 And between the throne and the four living creatures and among the elders I saw a Lamb standing, as though it had been slain, with seven horns and with seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth. 7 And he went and took the scroll from the right hand of him who was seated on the throne. 8 And when he had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each holding a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints.

One of the Elders enthroned around God calls John’s attention to an emerging person on the scene. “Look, the Lion. Look, the Root of David.” No elder or heavenly being or angel or king on the earth could redeem the universe. “Look,” the Elder says, and he points to the Lion that is from the tribe of Judah. That is the command we all need to hear: “Look!”

The Lion of the Tribe of Judah is a reference to Genesis 49:8 “8 “Judah, your brothers shall praise you; your hand shall be on the neck of your enemies; your father’s sons shall bow down before you.” Judah is a lion. And Judah will produce a lion who will have the scepter and who will bring about the rule that shall cause all the nations to bow down. The Messiah then became known as the lion that would come from the tribe of Judah.

Isaiah 31:4 ESV

4 For thus the Lord said to me, “As a lion or a young lion growls over his prey, and when a band of shepherds is called out against him he is not terrified by their shouting or daunted at their noise, so the Lord of hosts will come down to fight on Mount Zion and on its hill.

Hosea 11:10 ESV

10 They shall go after the Lord; he will roar like a lion; when he roars, his children shall come trembling from the west;

The title Root of David comes from Isaiah 11:10 and is repeated in Revelation 22:16.

Isaiah 11:10 ESV

10 In that day the root of Jesse, who shall stand as a signal for the peoples—of him shall the nations inquire, and his resting place shall be glorious.

Matthew 1:1 ESV

1 The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.

Matthew 21:9 ESV

9 And the crowds that went before him and that followed him were shouting, “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!”

Romans 1:3 ESV

3 concerning his Son, who was descended from David according to the flesh

Because of the elder’s announcement, John expected to see a Lion, but saw a Lamb instead. John even used the specific word for “a little lamb.” (Guzik). But this term “lamb” then is only used concerning Christ about six times throughout Scripture, until you get to Revelation. In the book of Revelation alone it is used twenty-eight times, twenty-eight times. It’s really a very key title for the Son of God in this letter. (MacArthur). It is significant that John saw the “Lamb standing, as though it had been slain.” The idea is that he endured death but emerged victorious. He stands with emblems of his spiritual equipping: “with seven horns and with seven eyes” (Rev. 5:6). (Ryken).

Jesus has the marks of omnipotence (seven horns) and omniscience (seven eyes). Eyes suggest knowledge and wisdom, and horns suggest power. What a figure! A slain Lamb, who has the marks of omniscience and omnipotence! He is also has the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is not only the Spirit of God, but also the Spirit of Christ.

Acts 16:7 ESV

7 And when they had come up to Mysia, they attempted to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus did not allow them.

Romans 8:9 ESV

9 You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him.

The first thing Christ had to do before He conquered the nations of the world, was defeat Satan, death, and the grave once and for all. Because of that he is able to open the seven seals

Genesis 3:15 ESV

15 I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.”

John 14:30 ESV

30 I will no longer talk much with you, for the ruler of this world is coming. He has no claim on me,

Colossians 1:13 ESV

13 He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son,

John 1:36 ESV

36 and he looked at Jesus as he walked by and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God!”

Verse 7 says, “He came and took it out of the right hand of Him who sat on the throne.” This is a triumphant moment. This ought to somehow rise out of your Bible to become a mountain peak of relief. The final monumental act in the heavenly scene is the great culminating act in history. This is the exaltation of Christ to the seat of authority in heaven with the Father, after his atoning death and victorious resurrection from the grave. (Phillips) This is what precipitates the second coming. The goal of redemption is about to be reached. Paradise is to be regained. The ungodly are to be destroyed. The godly are to be taken into the glory of an eternal kingdom. Christ is coming back. Satan is defeated!

Daniel 7:13 ESV

13 “I saw in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven there came one like a son of man, and he came to the Ancient of Days and was presented before him.

Since it is Jesus and Jesus alone who defeated Satan and death, then it must be through Him and him alone through faith that we receive his saving and conquering work over sin and death in our life.

Revelation Conquering through the Lamb

Corrie ten Boom was one who learned to trust Jesus as both Lion and Lamb. When the army of Nazi Germany swept through western Europe in 1940 and its swastika-wearing tyrants took over Holland, Corrie’s family faced a situation not unlike the one looming before the churches of Asia in the time of the apostle John. As caring followers of Jesus, the ten Booms risked their lives to harbor Jews from the German Gestapo, until an informer notified the Nazis and Corrie’s family was arrested and sent to a concentration camp.

In the brutal Ravensbruck camp, Corrie and her sister Betsie learned to rely on Christ the Lion, whose power protected and saved them. At one point Betsie became ill and could be sustained only with drops from a small vitamin bottle. There was only a few days’ worth of serum in the bottle, but Corrie found that it never ran out. She was tempted to hoard the precious medicine for her failing sister, but decided to trust Christ by sharing with everyone in need and then to pray. She later recalled that “every time I tilted the little bottle, a drop appeared at the tip of the glass stopper.” The bottle lasted far beyond what was physically possible, until Betsie improved. Toward the end of the war, Corrie heard her name called out during a roll call. Certain that she was being summoned for execution, she instead received a card marked “Released.” She was given back her possessions along with a railway pass to Holland. She later learned that it had been an administrative mistake and that a week afterward all the women in her cell had been put to death. In these and other ways, she witnessed the power of the Lion of Judah to overcome evil and save.

It was after the war, however, that Corrie fully learned of the conquest of Jesus the Lamb. Because of her remarkable story, she became a popular speaker and often shared the gospel with her hearers. On one occasion after speaking of Christ’s forgiveness, she was met at the back by one of the former SS guards at the Ravensbruck camp. He had been a brutal man, who mocked and tormented Corrie and the other women prisoners. Now he came up to her after the service, bowed, and said, “How grateful I am for your message, Fraulein. To think that, as you say, He has washed my sins away!” It was at this moment that Corrie fully learned to conquer in the steps of the Lamb who had been slain, the Savior who had died for those who sinned against him. She related what happened:

His hand was thrust out to shake mine. And I, who had preached so often … the need to forgive, kept my hand at my side. Even as the angry, vengeful thoughts boiled through me, I saw the sin of them. Jesus Christ had died for this man; was I going to ask for more? Lord Jesus, I prayed, forgive me and help me to forgive him.…

As I took his hand the most incredible thing happened. From my shoulder along my arm and through my hand a current seemed to pass from me to him, while into my heart sprang a love for this stranger that almost overwhelmed me.

John rejoiced to see Jesus as the Lion who conquered as Lamb. Through faith in him, Christians conquer in many ways. We repent of sin, we uphold biblical truth, we witness and lead others to salvation. The power of the Lion upholds us through many trials. But we are most like Jesus when we conquer through the mercy and sacrificial love by which he took up the cross as the Lamb, forgiving those who sin against us and reaching out with grace for those who are lost. Surely it was especially for those who follow in the meek submission of the Lamb who was slain that Jesus promised: “The one who conquers, I will grant him to sit with me on my throne, as I also conquered and sat down with my Father on his throne” (Rev. 3:21).

Worship of the Lamb

Revelation 5:8–14 ESV

8 And when he had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each holding a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. 9 And they sang a new song, saying, “Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation, 10 and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God, and they shall reign on the earth.” 11 Then I looked, and I heard around the throne and the living creatures and the elders the voice of many angels, numbering myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands, 12 saying with a loud voice, “Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing!” 13 And I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all that is in them, saying, “To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever!” 14 And the four living creatures said, “Amen!” and the elders fell down and worshiped.

When the Lamb took the scroll, the response was immediate. High-ranking angels and redeemed man joined to worship the Lamb. I want you to first understand that in the Throne Room God in Heaven all high ranking elders, angels, creatures, people, tribes, nations, officials fall down and worship Jesus. If there was ever a question as to Jesus’ divine authority, nature, and eternal being, it should unequivocally resolved here.

God demands without exception a shared throne of worship:

Exodus 20:3 ESV

3 “You shall have no other gods before me.

Deuteronomy 6:14 ESV

14 You shall not go after other gods, the gods of the peoples who are around you—

2 Kings 17:35 ESV

35 The Lord made a covenant with them and commanded them, “You shall not fear other gods or bow yourselves to them or serve them or sacrifice to them,

Matthew 4:10 ESV

10 Then Jesus said to him, “Be gone, Satan! For it is written, “ ‘You shall worship the Lord your God and him only shall you serve.’ ”

Notice that there is no rejection from the Lamb of the worship nor is there judgement from the Throne. That’s because they are one and the same. Here we see the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit in perfect unity and operating in the Throne Room of Heaven in perfect Unity.

We also see a harp. What is it there for? The harp is associated generally with music and with praise. It was the traditional musical instrument used in praise, and you can see that through the Psalms and 1 Chronicles and various places in the Old Testament.Not only to accompany worship, but to symbolize all of prophecy, all the revelation that God had given, promising and describing the great events about to take place, the building of the kingdom, the judgment of the ungodly, all that Scripture had ever said about the end.

In addition to the harps, notice in verse 8 that the twenty-four elders were also holding golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. These golden bowls symbolized the priestly work of intercession for the people. They were symbols of the priestly function. Notice, they were full of incense. The Old Testament priests burned incense because it symbolized prayer rising to God fragrantly. As the incense went up and the smoke carried the fragrance up, it symbolized the offering of fragrant prayers to God. Normally the priests would stand before the inner veil in the Holy Place before the Holy of Holies, and they would offer incense before the presence of God, so that it would be wafted into the Holy of Holies, and there, as it were, to be swept into the very nostrils of God as a symbol of prayer rising for the people. (MacArthur)

Psalm 141:2 ESV

2 Let my prayer be counted as incense before you, and the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice!

And it says, “They sang a new song.” Music is created by God for worship of him alone. All other music that does not glorify God is false worship. Dr. Criswell writes, “Music is made up of major chords and minor chords. The minor chords speak of the wretchedness, death, and sorrow of the fallen creation. Most of nature moans and groans in a plaintive and minor key. The sound of the wind through the forest, the sound of the storm, the sound of the wind around the house is always in a minor key; it wails. The sound of the ocean moans in its restlessness; it is speechless trouble. Even the nightingale’s song, the sweetest song of the birds, is the saddest.

“Most of the sounds of nature are in a minor key. It reflects the wretchedness, the despair, the hurt, the agony, the travail of the fallen creation. But an angel knows nothing about that. An angel knows nothing of the wretchedness, nothing of the despair, nothing of the fall of the lost race.The major key and the major chords are chords of triumph and victory. Surely, God has taken us out of the miry clay, He has taken us out of the horrible pit, He has set our feet upon the rock; and He’s put a new song in our souls, and new praises on our lips.

Now Angels know nothing of this, but God’s redeemed - you and me - have an amazing and powerful understanding of God that the Angels do not know. And so the twenty-four elders most likely sing this new song. It’s a new day, and it’s a song of redemption. It’s a song that they know personally, because they have been redeemed.

Then this oratory grows from the elders to, to the living creatures, angels, myriads upon myriads. Every living creature in heaven is worshiping at the feet of Jesus. Now can you imagine what this meant to John? He’s on the Isle of Patmos. The church is a little over fifty years old; the church has been battered and abused. His friends, the apostles, have died as martyrs. He might well conclude that things were disastrous. He has just received seven letters, five of which indicated the churches that were the primary churches in the development and expansion of Christianity had defected from the faith.

Can you imagine the wonderful, thrilling exhilaration of John as he hears the twenty-four elders saying through this new song in melody and word that there will be a gathering together of redeemed people from every tribe and tongue and people and nation on the globe?

1 Timothy 2:5 ESV

5 For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus,

Notice that in Revelation 4, the emphasis of worship was on God’s work of creation. Here, the emphasis is on His work of redemption.

The song honors the price of redemption: for You were slain.

The song honors the worker of redemption: have redeemed us.

The song honors the destination of redemption: have redeemed us to God.

The song honors the payment of redemption: by Your blood.

The song honors the scope of redemption: every tribe and tongue and people and nation.

The song honors the length of redemption: have made us kings and priests to our God.

The song honors the result of redemption: and we shall reign on the earth.

Chapter 5 concludes with the 24 elders falling down and worshipping Him: The ancient Greek word for worship is “to prostrate” or “to lay before another in complete submission.” The scene may be that the elders fell down to their knees, then laid themselves before Him who lives forever and ever as an expression of their total submission and worship.

This is the scene in heaven as the Lamb reigns. Now we witness the opening of the seals starting in Chapter 6.