John cried in heaven! Later he will tell us that there will be no more mourning or crying or pain in heaven (21:4). But for the moment, John is overwhelmed because somebody needs to open a scroll and nobody could open it. An elder spoke interrupting John’s pity party, by showing him a Lion who was also a Lamb. Remember that the book of Revelation is a different type of literature than the gospels or the epistles. In Apocalyptic literature, rich images offer symbolic meaning. First century readers had a little more insight than we because they knew what was going on in their world. What did the Lion of Judah and a Lamb that was slain mean to them? John tells us that Jesus was standing at the center of the throne, surrounded by the elders who had bowls full of the prayers of God’s people.
“And they sang a new song . . .” Here we have clear evidence that they sing choruses in heaven! Actually again, many of our hymns and songs of the Spirit (Colossians 3:16), were written based upon these texts. In chapter four, yesterday we heard the angels praise God as Creator. Here we see them praise the slain and risen Lamb as Savior who redeemed people from every tribe, language, people and nation. After Jesus redeemed us, he also made us to be a Kingdom and priests to reign on earth. The elders singing made all the angels sing, “The Lamb is worthy.”
What are we going to do about what they are doing in heaven? We can join them. I remember in college attending a tent revival and singing these words in a round, led by a group appropriately named Gabriel, “the Lamb is worthy . . . the Lamb is worthy . . . the Lamb who was slain . . . the Lamb who was slain. . . He is worthy . . .” Then in consecutive years, Richard Jackson and Dan Yeary preached. But always we sang those songs. In heaven they worship Jesus for his infinite worth. What will we do on earth? As part of his eternal Kingdom, let us sing and serve because someday we will reign with him.
