Revelation 5:8-14 as the Lamb takes the scroll praise breaks forth with still another doxology. This praise and worship comes from the realization that sin, death, and Satan is about to be defeated at last and that the Lord Jesus is going to return to earth to establish His millennial kingdom. The curse will be reversed, the believing remnant of Israel will be saved, and the church will be honored, and begin their reign with Messiah.
Once again the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fall down before the Lamb to worship Him proving still again that Yeshua is Lord (Ephesians 1:20-22). This is the time that Psalm 2 speaks.
Dr. Donald Gray Barnhouse observed that there are four things out of place in the universe:
-the church, which should be in heaven;
-Israel, which should be living in peace occupying all the land promised to her;
-Satan, who belongs in the lake of fire; and
-Jesus, who should be seated on His throne reigning.
All four of those anomalies will be set right when the Lord takes the scroll from His Father’s hand. This is what happens in chapter 6.
John notes that each 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 (2 Samuel 6:5; 1 Chronicles 15:16, 20,28; Psalm 33:2; 71:22; 92:1-4), harps also were related to prophecy (1 Samuel 10:5; 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.
The golden bowls full of incense were used in the tabernacle and the temple (1 Kings 7:40, 45, 50;2 Kings 12:13-14; Jeremiah 52:19; Zechariah 14:20).
They symbolized the priests ministry of intercession for the people. Scripture elsewhere 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.
The new song is a song of redemption (Psalm 40:3; 98:1; Revelation 14:3) and affirms that Yeshua is worthy … to take the book and to break its seals. He is worthy because He is the Lamb who was slain, and purchased for God with His blood men from every tribe and tongue and people and nation. The word “purchased” in the Greek was a word used for purchasing slaves from the marketplace. He purchased them to be a kingdom and priests to our God who will reign on the earth under God’s sovereign rule.
The veil of the temple was torn when Jesus died, and the way is opened to God (Hebrews 10:19-25). In Genesis 22, a ram was substituted for Isaac, a picture of Messiah giving His life for the individual (Galatians 2:20). At Passover, the lamb was slain for each family (Exodus 12:3). Isaiah states that Jesus died for the nation of Israel (Isaiah 53:8; John 11:49-52).
John affirms that the Lamb died for the whole world! (John 1:29) The more we meditate on the power and scope of Messiah’s work on the cross, the more humbled and worshipful we become. All creation praises God the Father and God the Son (John 5:23). Many people say that they worship God, but not Jesus the Messiah. To ignore Jesus is to insult the Father. In heaven, every angel and every saint will honor the Father and the Son and praise them.
In Revelation 5:11, John says for the fourth time in the chapter that he saw something. John also heard the voice of many angels around the throne and the number of them was myriads of myriads, and thousands of thousands (Daniel 7:10). Myriad means ” ten thousand, ” apparently the highest number for which the Greeks had a word. The phrase myriads and myriads describes an uncountable number.
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 (demons) according to Revelation 12:3-4. The angels join with all that has been created in the chorus of praise as well. This is reminiscent of Psalm 69:34; Psalm 150:6.
