Click to see the "Door Opened to Heaven" picture

"After these things I looked, and behold, a door standing open in heaven. And the first voice which I heard was like a trumpet speaking with me, saying, "Come up here, and I will show you things which must take place after this. Immediately I was in the Spirit; and behold, a throne set in heaven, and One sat on the throne. And He who sat there was like a jasper and a sardius stone in appearance; and there was a rainbow around the throne, in appearance like an emerald. Around the throne were twenty-four thrones, and on the thrones I saw twenty-four elders sitting, clothed in white robes; [NU omits "and they had"] with crowns of gold on their heads. And from the throne proceeded lightnings, thunderings, and voices. Seven lamps of fire were burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God."

Now we begin the study of the major section of the book of Revelation, THE VISION OF JESUS CHRIST IN JUDGMENT (Chapters 4-18). As you can see, it is the lion's share of the book.

4:1

Suddenly, John saw a door standing open in Heaven and the Trumpet-voiced One said, "Come up here, and I will show you things which must take place after this". The two Greek words "after this" are meta touta (meta touta). They are the same words that were used back in 1:19. This tells us that from this point on Christ is revealing future things. Immediately, John was transported through the door in Heaven by means of the powerful voice that came from above. This reminds one of the Rapture of the Church, does it not? One day, all believers will hear this trumpet-voice call to us and we too will be immediately transported up and out of this world. As you have it in First Thessalonians 4:16-17...

Upon arriving above, John's senses were flooded with stimuli. Heaven is a real place you know, even more real than where you and are right now. John was confronted with real substance, colors, noises, voices, angels, people and thrones. And, he quickly discovered that, in Heaven, God is the center attraction. Immediately, John's eyes were riveted on a great throne upon which sat an awesome Throne Sitter.

He exclaims, "behold, a throne set in heaven, and One sat on the throne." The Throne Sitter was a visible manifestation of the Father. We know this to be the case because Jesus will approach him in chapter 5.

Click to see the "Throne and Twenty Four Elders" picture

The Throne Sitter’s appearance was like the crystal sparkling luminescence of a jasper stone combined with the blood-red of a sardius (a stone named after Sardis, the area around which it is found). There is a wonderful significance to these two colors that emanated from the Father. In Old Testament times, there were twelve stones sewn on the High Priest’s vest, one for each of the twelve tribes of Israel. The jasper and sardius stones were the first and last stones on the vest. The jasper stone stood for the tribe of Ruben whose name meant, "behold a son". The sardius stone stood for the tribe of Benjamin whose name meant "son of my right hand". The fact that the Father is emanating the colors of these two stones is significant. We need to understand that both the Father and the Son reflect one another. They are truly one, you know. For example, the Lord Jesus exactly and perfectly reflected his Father when he was on Earth. As you have it in Hebrews 1:3...

And again, in John 1:18 we read…

In John 14:9, when Philip asked to see the Father, Jesus replied...

In this heavenly scene we discover that the reverse is also true. He that has seen the Father has also seen the Son! Doubtless, this is why the Father is reflecting the colors that are associated with him. This speaks of the fact that in divine essence the Father and the Son are truly one.

Next, John’s eyes lifted upward to behold a magnificent emerald rainbow that encompassed the throne. You will recall that God designated the first rainbow ever seen on Earth as the sign of the Noahic Covenant in which he promised never again to destroy the Earth by water (Genesis 9:8-13). Every rainbow that occurs from that day to this is a reminder of that covenant and that God is a God who keeps his promises. I believe this particular rainbow that surrounds the throne of God in Heaven is there as permanent reminder that the God who sits on this throne is a covenant and promise keeping God.

Now, I want to pose a question to you about this scene. Where is Jesus? Shouldn't he be seated at the right hand of this Majesty on high? But he isn't, is he? Where do you think he is, then? To answer the question, let’s begin by asking ourselves, "where is he right now, at this very minute?" Why, he is seated on this very throne that John saw, is he not? As you have it in Hebrews 1:3...

And again, as we had it back in 3:21...

The fact that Christ was not seated on this throne suggests that there is something very unusual about this scene indeed. May I suggest to you that he was not there at the point and time when John arrived in Heaven because he had left his Father's throne? In the future, Jesus will leave his seat upon the Father’s throne for one of two reasons. First, he will temporarily leave it to go and personally fetch his Church from off the earth and bring it back with him to Heaven (First Thessalonians 4:16). Or, second, he will leave his Father's throne to come to Earth at his Second Coming to rule and reign here for a thousand years (Zecharaih 14:3-4). Then, he will be seated at Jerusalem. It will become apparent as we gather more of the details about this scene that Jesus is not seated with the Father upon his throne because of the first reason. Time-wise, John had arrived in Heaven just after the Rapture of the Church.

Next, John sees that, "Around the throne were twenty-four thrones, and on the thrones were twenty-four elders sitting". Can you identify these men? Let's take a moment to look a bit closer at these twenty-four throne-sitters.

The above scripture may help us to speculate as to who the twenty-four elders are. I don’t think we would be far from wrong if we said that twelve of them are the Lord’s Apostles, fulfilling Matthew19:28 above and representing the Jewish side of the Church. That being the case, it would make sense that the other twelve would be elders who represent the Gentile side of the Church. If this is the case, we should also find seated there the major founders and nurturers of the Gentile side of the Church, such men as Barnabas, Timothy, Silas, Luke, Mark, Titus, Aquila, Gaius, Aristarchus, Epaphroditus or Sopater.

So, this scene contains a great deal of evidence that suggests the Church, at the point and time where John had arrived, had already been raptured and rewarded and was present in Heaven in total. Therefore, the time and the event at which John found himself standing was future, after the Rapture of the Church. This is in agreement with the words of the One who called John up there in the first place saying, "Come up here, and I will show you things which must take place after this".

Having observed the elders and their thrones, next John was confronted by sudden ominous sounds coming from the throne. Like a summer storm bearing down unexpectedly on a countryside, God's throne rumbled to life with thunderings, lightnings and voices. John's attention, now being drawn back to the throne by these noises, sees "Seven lamps of fire were burning before the throne, which are the Seven spirits of God". This reminds me of that verse over in Hebrews 1:7 which says...

These are the same spirits that greeted us back in chapter 1. Now, John sees them burning before the throne of God. What a sight! It is becoming apparent from these descriptions that this throne is preparing for judgment. The one who sat upon the throne is about to intervene upon the earth. At long last, he is about to step in and do something about evil and wickedness and unbelief. These ominous rumbling sounds of thunder and flashes of lightening speak of the fact that this is a throne that is coming to the end of its patience and long-suffering. Like a nuclear reactor approaching critical mass, it was becoming unstable. The balance between long-suffering and justice was tilting toward an overwhelming demand for justice. If that is the case, I believe the voices that John heard also emanating from the throne would be the stored up cries of countless thousands of God's people who, down through the ages, had cried out to God for help and justice as they were being beaten, robbed, raped, tortured, abused and murdered ... and then cast off like garbage. I can assure you that our God has not forgotten such a single cry. Proverbs 15:3 says...

At long last, God was about to take action and his seven avenging angels were flaming before his throne ready to carry it out! John was standing on the very brink of the fulfillment of the words of Romans 12:19b...

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"Before the throne there was [NU adds] something like a sea of glass, like crystal. And in the midst of the throne, and around the throne, were four living creatures full of eyes in front and in back. The first living creature was like a lion, the second living creature like a calf, the third living creature had a face like a man, and the fourth living creature was like a flying eagle. The four living creatures, each having six wings, were full of eyes around and within. And they do not rest day or night, saying: "Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, Who was and is and is to come!"

As John's attention continues to be rivoted upon the throne, he now observes there are four living creatures, zwh (zoa), there as well. In scripture, these awesome and magnificent beings are almost exclusively found in association with the throne of God. The one exception being when one of them was placed at the entrance of the garden of Eden to guard the way to the Tree of Life (Genesis 3:24). Ezekiel 1-3, and 10, are the key chapters for a more detailed study of these creatures and their throne functions. You would do well to take some time out and read those chapters to get a full picture of them. When Ezekiel first saw them, they were coming out of the wilderness carrying this same throne of Almighty God. We learn from Ezekiel's account that they not only bear the throne of God when it is moved but they also are its protectors flashing around it like lightning with wings that roar with deafening sound (Ezek.1:14,24).

John's perspective of the living creatures was one-dimensional. That is, he saw each of them from only one angle. Therefore, each one seemed to have a different face. Ezekiel however, tells us that each one of the creatures is four sided and bears all four faces. Standing together, they are always situated so that anyone who approaches the throne will see all four faces of the living creatures regardless from what angle they might be approaching. Therefore, the living creatures look in all directions at all times with all four faces! Now, as the colors of the Father represented something of the Son, so also do aspects of the living creatures who surround he and his Father's throne. Let's study them for a minute.

The lion faces of the living creatures emphasizes that the one who's throne they bear and protect is a King. The Lord who's throne this is is the Lion of the Tribe of Judah. This is the theme of Matthew's gospel. Matthew’s argument is that Jesus is the King of the Jews, the Lion of the tribe of Judah. That is why, for example, Matthew's genealogy traces Christ's royal lineage back to King David establishing Christ's legal right to the throne of Israel.

The calf faces emphasizes the fact that the Lord who's throne this is ... is a servant, God's prophesied and beloved Servant. A calf or ox is a serving beast, you see. In Isaiah, God said of his coming Son...

The theme Mark's gospel is that Jesus is God's Servant. As Jesus said in Mark 10:45...

There is no genealogy of Christ in Mark's gospel. Who would care about the lineage of a servant?

The man faces of the creatures emphasize the fact that the Lord who's throne this is ... is a human. He is the one who became flesh and dwelt among us. He was and is "the man, Christ Jesus" (I Timothy 2:5). Ever since our Lord’s return to Heaven, a man has been seated upon God's throne! Luke's gospel emphasizes Christ's humanity. This is why Luke gives us such detail about the birth of Jesus and traces his genealogy all the way back to Adam. Over and over again in Luke, Jesus refers to himself as the son of Man.

The eagle faces of the creatures emphasizes the fact that the Lord who's throne this is ... is God. He is deity, God of very God! In the Old Testament, Jehovah is often likened unto an eagle. Boas used this analogy when he said to Ruth...

Psalm 91:4 (KJV) says of him...

The theme of John’s gospel is the in your face proposition ... Jesus is God. He takes it up with the very first verse.

And, in verse 14, he says...

4:8

"But he knew their thoughts..." (KJV)

So, before us here ... is a throne set for judgment and as it rumbles like a volcano, four living creatures surrounding it are ceaselessly thundering, "Holy, Holy, Holy" while seven angelic spirits are aflame before it. What a sight, aye? And, what a day and sight it will be when the long delayed justice and retribution of God is about to be unleashed upon the earth.

Let's step aside here for a moment. Jesus came into the world to save sinners. He came to save poor lost sinners from the wrath of God to come (First Thessalonians 1:10). For that reason, he shed his precious blood on the cross. This was absolutely necessary because the holiness of God demanded a payment for sin. God's holy character demands that sin be punished, you see. That is where Jesus came in. As you have it in Romans 3:25 -26, (speaking of Jesus)...

Make no mistake about it, it was the holiness of God that sent Jesus to the cross and it was at the cross where God's just demands against sin was satisfied and met. Jesus paid it all. He experienced and absorbed God's wrath against sin for us all and then, and only then, was Holy God propitiated. Propitiation is a good Bible word that is not used much in our modern vocabulary. It simply means that when God's wrath against sin fell on his Son at the cross, God became satisfied. Christ Jesus alone had the infinite capacity to absorb his Father's wrath on our behalf, by the way. His wrath should have been poured out on us. We were the offenders, but it was poured out on God's substitutianary Lamb instead. Christ bled and died on the cross in our place. He paid the penalty of death for every one of your sins and mine ... the penalty that Holy God demanded. As you have it in Romans 6:23a...

Only after that sacrifice could God freely justify and forgive sinners their debt. Only then could he remain entirely holy and just in doing so (Romans 3:25-26). Amazing plan, amazing grace! We need to keep in mind that it will be the holiness of God that will be the eternal undoing of all who turn away in unbelief from his great gifts of forgiveness and salvation he has provided so abundantly in his Son Jesus Christ. The awful results of spurning Christ, God’s provision for our sin, will be set before us in the pages to follow.

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"Whenever the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to him who sits on the throne, who lives forever and ever, the twenty-four elders fall down before him who sits on the throne and worship him who lives forever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying: You are worthy, [NU omits "O" and adds] our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power; For you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created."

After observing God’s throne set for judgment, John was then caught up in a great worship service. It began as the four living creatures cried, "Holy, Holy, Holy". Then, the twenty-four elders left their thrones and fell down before the Throne Sitter casting their crowns at his feet. The NIV says that they "lay their crowns before the throne..." but, Dr. Zodhiates says that the Greek verb cast used here, "in all its applications retains the idea of impulse". What uninhibited worship takes place in Heaven! What a contrast it must be to so much that purports to be worship down here. Real uninhibited and spontaneous worship is a rare and precious thing but, praise God, it is the norm up there. I'm looking forward to that, aren’t you?

Again, keep in mind this event John witnessed was a real one from the future but it is yet to take place in history. You and I, dear believer, are going to actually be there when this takes place. On that day, we will be participants in this very worship that we are reading about here! I suspect that it will be worship so complete and so sublime that presently it is almost beyond our comprehension. We will really worship on that day, dear brother or sister. We will speak to our dear Lord with utter abandonment and adoration confessing to him with all our hearts about who he is to us, what he has done for us and what he means to us. He loved us, he saved us and he kept us. It was his plan, his grace, his mercy, his Son, his Spirit and his Word by which he rescued us to himself and on that day we will spontaneously cast our crowns at his feet with abandon.

John heard the elders cry, "You are worthy O Lord to receive glory and honor and power for you created all things". Our Father is worthy of worship simply because he us our Creator. It is fundamental to a creature to praise its Creator. May I ask you a question? Are you glad that God created you? Are you thankful to him for your existence? Isn't it wonderful that he called you and me into being? Life ... the gift of existence ... is a priceless treasure. Thank you, Jesus! My, how we will worship our wonderful Creator on that day!

In conclusion, let me suggest a helpful way to remember the content of a chapter in the Bible. Just assign a key word to it. Here in chapter 4, a good key word would be Holy. This is the central theme of the chapter. God’s holiness is at the core of his nature and fundamental to the judgments of the Tribulation that are about to unfold before us.

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"And I saw in the right hand of him who sat on the throne a scroll written inside and on the back, sealed with seven seals. Then I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, ‘Who is worthy to open the scroll and to loose its seals?’. And no one in heaven or on the earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll, or to look at it. So I wept much, because no one was found worthy to open [NU omits "and read"] the scroll, or to look at it."

Although this is a new chapter, the words "And I saw" tell us that we are still at the same scene which began in 4:1. John is continuing his record of this yet future and incredible day. In fact, here in chapter 5, we will discover the key to the entire event. Now, John’s attention is drawn to a mysterious scroll in the Throne Sitter’s right hand. As he looks more closely, he sees that it is full of writing both on its front and its back. There was no room left upon it for more writing. In this regard, it was exactly like the book found in Ezekiel 2:9-10...

However, these are two different scrolls (books) altogether. Ezekiel’s scroll contained a prophecy of impending judgments on Israel. This one, we will learn, contains the prophecy of impending judgments on the whole world. Ezekiel was instructed to preach the contents of his scroll to Israel warning them that if they did not repent judgment would come. This scroll also contains warnings of judgment to come. Its judgments will unfold before us as its seals begin to be broken by Christ in chapter 6.

5:2-4

But, there is something more than judgment about this scroll. John heard a strong angel with a loud voice cry, "Who is worthy to open the scroll and to loose its seals?" John says, "no one was found worthy to open the scroll, or to look at it". It was a unique book indeed. You might say that it was for "one’s eyes only"... a man who was worthy. It belonged to only one man. Its judgments would bring the defeat of all of his enemies and usher in his long awaited kingdom and everlasting dominion. It was Christ’s title deed to the Earth and all its inhabitants!

The strong angel's call was met with silence. No one was found. The awful realization of the consequences came crashing down on John's mind and heart. If the Worthy One did not come forth to take the scroll, evil would continue and the world would go on its endless cycles of sin, violence, chaos, war, pain, bitterness, injustice and death. No wonder John, "wept much". This deeply emotional response is evidence that he had recognized the scroll and its unsurpassed importance to the event at which he stood . I believe the Holy Spirit had revealed it to him. The light may have come on when he first saw the book in the Throne Sitter's hand. You see, this whole scene was the exact same one that Daniel saw concerning the momentous day when the Son of Man would receive his kingdom and authority and dominion from the hand of the Ancient of Days. As you have it in Daniel 7:13-14...

Revelation 4 and 5, are no more nor no less than the expanded account of that future momentous day of Christ's coronation and commissioning, the thumbnail of which Daniel saw. John was standing in the middle of it and he knew it! The scroll in the Throne Sitter’s hand contained Christ’s authority, title and right to dominion over all the earth. It was his legal and authoritative right to rule and reign over all peoples and nations. It contained the detailed agenda, judgments and events that would put all of his enemies under his feet. This was the most significant and crucial document of all time and John was standing at the most crucial and significant event of all time. That's why the angel's call for the man who was worthy to open the scroll. No doubt his call echoed in every nook and cranny of the universe before it was answered, emphasizing that among men there is only One to whom this scroll belongs ... only One ... who was worthy and qualified to receive it and to carry out all that was written within it. One solitary man possesses the moral quality and precise credentials to open and carry out the judgments and program that were contained in this document. He is a perfect and righteous man for he who enforces holiness must himself be Holy. He who will judge sinners must himself be without sin. In John 8, when a woman who was caught in the act of adultery was dragged before Jesus by the Pharisees, he said to them, "He that is without sin let him cast the first stone". Do you remember what happened next? All her accusers slunk away, didn’t they? No one could judge her because no one was any better than she. The scripture says, "all have sinned and come short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23). All but One ... the One who will one day do the stone-casting, for in that he is sinless, he is worthy to do so. The one who opens this scroll will unleash the judgments of God upon the Earth. The only one worthy to do that is the sinless Lord Jesus Christ who himself died for the sins of the world and by his own blood has for centuries offered it a way out!

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"But one of the elders said to me, "Do not weep. Behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has prevailed to open the scroll and [NU omits "to loose"] its seven seals. And I looked, and behold, in the midst of the throne and of the four living creatures, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as though it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent out into all the earth. Then he came and took the scroll out of the right hand of him who sat on the throne."

Click here to see "Worthy is the Lamb" picture

Finally, someone approached the weeping John and told him he could dry his tears. He gladly pronounced that One had been found who is qualified to take and to open the scroll. Then, as John was drying his tears, suddenly there He was. A Lamb appeared in the midst of the throne. This was his rightful place, by the way. An elder cried out, "Behold, the Lion of the Tribe of Judah, the Root of David has prevailed to open the scroll and to loose its seven seals". Won't that be cool when we hear these words for ourselves on that future day!? These two Old Testament titles of Messiah that are linked here speak of the fact that the kingdom that Jesus will establish on Earth will be a Jewish kingdom presided over by the King of Israel. Let's look at them.

Because of Jacob's prophesy, the Lion became the symbol of the tribe of Judah. Jesus was born of that tribe and Shiloh is one of his names. It means rest. One of the great blessings of Christ's Millennial reign on Earth is that he will provide rest to the Earth and to its people. There is a great need for it today, is there not? Our world is in such great turmoil. It will not experience rest until Shiloh comes. Peter, preaching to the Jews in Acts 3:19-21, said...

When the angel Gabriel announced Jesus’ birth to the virgin Mary, he said...

Next, John says, "in the midst of the throne" ... "stood a Lamb as it had been slain". What a paradox, the great conquering King of Kings appears as a Lamb... slain ... ! He is a Lamb first, you see. Later, he will become King. Here standing on the throne in full view of his entire Church was Christ the Lamb. What a moment that will be. To us, by the way, he will ever be our dear and precious sacrificed Lamb. In Heaven, I believe that he will forever bear the marks of his sacrificial death for us and we will forever be reminded by them of what he did for us ... and we will forever love him for it. Let’s take a moment here to look to a few verses that speak about our wonderful Lamb.

Now, coming back to the text, notice that the Lamb had returned to the throne. He suddenly appeared there, standing in the midst of it. It was his rightful place. Here's his description:

That’s POWER, brother. This Lamb is the Omnipotent One himself!

Then, the Lamb took the scroll from the Throne-sitter's hand. I can almost hear the low gasp of all those who saw it that day, can't you? Words fail me to describe the profound significance of this moment in Heaven. We'll just have to see it for ourselves one day.

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"Now when he had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each having a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. And they sang a new song, saying: "You are worthy to take the scroll, and to open its seals; for you were slain, and have redeemed us to God by your blood out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation, and have made [NU changes "us kings"] them a kingdom and priests to our God; and [NU omits "we"] they shall reign on the earth. Then I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels around the throne, the living creatures, and the elders; and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands, saying with a loud voice: "Worthy is the Lamb who was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom, and strength and honor and glory and blessing! And every creature which is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, I heard saying: "Blessing and honor and glory and power be to him who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb, forever and ever! Then the four living creatures said, "Amen!" And the [NU omits "twenty-four"] elders fell down and worshipped [NU omits "him who lives forever and ever"].

When Jesus receives this commission to subdue the earth and to establish his eternal kingdom here, it will be the greatest turning point in all human history! It can't happen too soon, Amen? Threrfore, when Jesus took the book from his Father’s hand, the greatest praise and worship session Heaven has likely ever seen burst forth. First, the Church, represented by the twenty four elders, fell before the Lamb and began to sing to him. Then, the living creatures joined by a myriad of angels exuberantly began to speak their praises. Then, all of God’s created creatures joined in in a mounting thunder of praise. It was then topped off by the biggest and loudest Amen ever uttered from the combined voices of the four living creatures. Handel’s Hallelujah Chorus will not be able to hold a candle to the crescendo of praise that will break forth in Heaven the day the Lamb takes his scroll from his Father's hand! Because this event is so important, it is worth our while to examine it even more closely.

1. It began when the elders "fell down before the Lamb". They fell before the Throne Sitter in chapter 4, but now they fall before the Lamb. As they are falling, they are seen to be holding two things. They had:

2. It continued as the Church began to sing to their Lamb. These verses continue to nail down the Lamb's identity beyond question. The song that the elders sang was about the redemption that their precious Lamb had provided for them. They sang, "...you were slain and have redeemed us to God by your blood out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation". I can’t wait to put that to melody with the rest of the saints on that day, can you?. This word, Redeemed, means to be purchased out of the slave market of sin in order to be set free. As you have it in Titus 2:13-14...

Because of him, you and I have been pruchased with his own blood and set free! Glory to God.

3. Then, innumerable angels joined in, speaking their praises. The NIV says the angels "sang". But, they didn't. The Greek word here is "saying", legontos (legontos). Old traditions are hard to break, I guess. Angels however, are never found singing in scripture. "Not even when the Shepherds heard them that night in Bethlehem?" I'm afraid so. Apparently, of all of God’s created beings, only you and I have that privilege.

May we step aside here for a moment? Music is an amazing and wonderful thing, wouldn’t you agree? I love all kinds of music from classical to jazz, from country to gospel, from rock to blues. I like it all. But I love instrumentals the best. Maybe that is because when man puts words to a melody or rhythm he all too often just fouls it up!

Now, where do you think music came from in the first place? What was it’s original source? I mean … ultimately … where has music come from? The obvious answer is that it came from the Creator, the Source of all things.. our Lord Jesus Christ. Am I right? Music finds its origin and nature in God himself. Did you know the scripture says that God will sing to his people one day? You find it in Zephaniah 3:17...

God himself is musical! Man, having been made in the image of God, is musical as well. Problem is … fallen man’s music, as I have already eluded to, is all too often centered upon himself and therefore found to be perverted and foul. Nevertheless, even man’s worst music has elements of the image of God in it. I wish the Church would utilize a broader spectrum of music in its worship and praise. A good Bluegrass instrumental, for example, with its guitars, banjos and mandolins can really make your heart sing! Take it for what its worth, all music has a divine element to it.

Now, I believe that this is why you never find angel’s singing in the Bible. They can’t. They were not made in the image of God you see. So, it says here that the angels began, "saying with a loud voice" "Worthy is the Lamb who was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and blessing". Notice also, that they do not speak about redemption. That is because they cannot experience it. Christ Jesus did not die for angels, you see. But, they do know worthy when they see it. So they speak loud and clear about that to their great Sovereign Lord.

4. Next, all the living creatures chimed in. "Do you think that every creature will actually speak praises to the Lamb on that day?" you say. Yes, I believe they will. Didn’t Jesus say, at his triumphal entry, that if his disciples stopped praising him as the Pharisees demanded that "these very stones would cry out" (Luke 19:40)? John heard all the creatures saying, "Blessing and honor and glory and power be to him that sits on the Throne and to the Lamb for ever and ever". The animal kingdom will play a significant role in our Lord’s future kingdom, by the way. They are mentioned in many Old Testament prophesies of it. Romans 8:19-22 speaks of them as well.

5. Finally, the four living creatures cap it all off with a thundering Amen. Then the scene closes with the Church still worshipping. At long long last, their precious Lamb was about to reign.

A good key word to help remember the content of chapter 5 is Worthy. Jesus is the only man worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals. Sinners who choose to reject him and his great salvation must one day face him as Judge. He died for them and has done everything possible to save them. Therefore, he is worthy to judge them. The Lion, not the Lamb, is the one who those who persist in unbelief will have to face one day. Furthermore, it is this Lion who new generations of sinners will have to obey during his 1000 year reign on Earth.

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