"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.” Then I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels around the throne and the living creatures and the elders; and the number of them was myriads of myriads, and thousands of thousands, saying with a loud voice, “Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing.” And every created thing which is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all things in them, I heard saying, “To Him who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb, be blessing and honor and glory and dominion forever and ever.” And the four living creatures kept saying, “Amen.” And the elders fell down and worshiped." (Revelation 5:8–14)
The appearance of the Lamb as He moves to take the scroll causes praise to break out from everywhere in the universe. To the two majestic praises of chapter 4 are added three more in chapter 5. The spontaneous outburst of worship results from the realization that the long-anticipated defeat of sin, death, and Satan is about to be accomplished. Christ will return to earth in triumph and establish His glorious millennial kingdom. The curse will be reversed, the believing remnant of Israel will be saved, and the church will be granted the privilege of reigning with Christ.
As they began their song of praise and worship, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb. That they offer the same worship to Christ that they did to the Father in 4:10 offers convincing proof of Christ’s deity, since only God is to be worshiped (19:10; Matthew 4:10).
As they prostrated themselves before the Lamb in worship, John noticed that each one of the twenty-four elders was “holding a harp and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints.” Harps were frequently associated in the Old Testament with worship (e.g., 2 Samuel 6:4–5; Psalms 33:2; 71:22), but they were also closely linked to prophecy (2 Kings 3:15; 1 Chronicles 25:1). The harps held by the elders probably symbolize all of prophecy, which culminates in the momentous events about to take place.
In addition to the harps, the elders were also holding “golden bowls full of incense.” These wide-mouthed bowls were used in the tabernacle and the temple (1 Kings 7:40, 45, 50; 2 Kings 12:13–14), where they were connected with the altar. They symbolized the priestly work of intercession for the people. Scripture associates the burning of incense with the prayers of the saints in Psalm 141:2, Luke 1:9–10, and Revelation 8:3–4. The incense in these bowls represents the prayers of believers through the ages. Taken together, the harps and the bowls indicate that all that the prophets ever prophesied and all that God’s children ever prayed for is finally to be fulfilled.
As the elders brought before God the desires and prayers of the saints, they “sang a new song.” That is consistent with the rest of Scripture, which pictures the redeemed singing praise to God (e.g., Acts 16:25; Ephesians 5:19) and angels speaking it (Luke 2:13–14). Throughout Scripture the new song is a song of redemption (Psalms 33:3; 40:3; 96:1; 98:1).
The song opens with a reaffirmation that Christ is “worthy … to take the book and to break its seals.” He is worthy because He is the Lamb, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, and the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. To break the book’s seals means to enact the judgments written in it.
Then, further reinforcing Christ’s worthiness, the song continues, “for You were slain, and purchased for God with Your blood men from every tribe and tongue and people and nation.” That phrase elaborates on the statement of verse 6 that the Lamb had been slain, explaining the significance of His death. “Purchased” is from a Greek word for redemption that pictures slaves purchased in the marketplace and then set free. At the cross, Jesus Christ paid the purchase price—His own blood (1 Peter 1:18–19)—to redeem from the slave market of sinful humanity those “from every tribe [descent] and tongue [language] and people [race] and nation [culture].” Those four terms appear together also in Revelation 7:9; 11:9; 13:7; and 14:6 and encompass all of humanity.
The song moves on to express the results of redemption: “You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to our God; and they will reign upon the earth.” The use of “them” instead of “us” indicates the vastness and comprehensiveness of redemption. The twenty-four elders move beyond themselves to sweep up all the saints of all the ages into praise and adoration. The redeemed are a part of God’s kingdom (1:6), a community of believers under God’s sovereign rule. They are also priests to our God (20:6), signifying their complete access to God’s presence for worship and service. The present priesthood of believers (1 Peter 2:5, 9) foreshadows that future day when we will have total access to and perfect communion with God. During the millennial kingdom, believers will reign upon the earth with Christ (20:6; 2 Timothy 2:12).
In verse 11 John says for the fourth time in the chapter that he “saw something.” To the voices of the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders are now added those of innumerable angels. Myriad means “ten thousand,” apparently the highest number the Greeks had in their language. The phrase “myriads and myriads” describes an uncountable host. Hebrews 12:1 also says that the number of holy angels cannot be counted. They number at least twice as many as the fallen angels according to Revelation 12:3–4.
The vast host began saying with a loud voice, “Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing.” Once again, the emphasis is on Christ’s death providing a perfect redemption. He is worthy to receive recognition because of His power and the spiritual and material riches He possesses (Psalm 50:10–12). He is also worthy to receive recognition because of His wisdom and omniscience. For all those things and all His other absolute perfections, Jesus Christ is worthy of all honor and glory and blessing.
As the great hymn of praise reaches a crescendo, “every created thing which is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all things in them” join together. This all-inclusive statement is reminiscent of Psalm 69:34: “Let heaven and earth praise Him, the seas and everything that moves in them,” and the concluding verse of the Psalms, “Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise the Lord!” (Psalm 150:6). This mighty chorus cries out, “To Him who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb, be blessing and honor and glory and dominion forever and ever.” Endless worship belongs to God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. The creation is unable to contain its joy over its upcoming redemption.
Lost in praise, the four living creatures could only keep saying, “Amen.” That solemn affirmation means “let it be,” “make it happen” (cf. 1:6–7).
Soon, this mighty host would march out of heaven to execute judgment, gather God’s people, and return with Christ when He sets up His earthly kingdom. The stage for God’s ultimate plan has been set in the throne room of God.
