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The Feast of Passover

Feast of Passover: Redemption by Kinsman Redeemer, Lamb of God



“In (our Lord Jesus Christ) we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace…”

–  Ephesians 1: 7




Background


Israel’s first festival, known as Unleavened Bread, or the feast of Passover, lasted for a week. It consisted of three feasts: Passover, Unleavened Bread, and Firstfruits. The feast of Passover started on the afternoon of the 14th of Nisan, the first month of the religious calendar, and lasted only a few hours. It was a memorial of the night God spared his people from the wrath of the destroying angel that killed the firstborn of Egypt. The Hebrew people were delivered from this judgment by placing the blood of a sacrificial lamb on the frame of their front door. The blood of the sacrificial lamb acted as a substitute for the life of those inside the house, redeeming (purchasing) Israel’s firstborn from the judgment of death. The following morning they were delivered from their slavery to the Egyptians. 

The theme of the feast of Passover is deliverance through redemption. Redemption is a purchase of that which has been lost or sold into slavery. As the blood of the lamb of God ‘purchased’ the life of the firstborn Hebrew children and delivered Israel from bondage in Egypt, the Lamb of God purchased us with his blood from bondage to sin and death, delivering us to new spiritual life in him.

The Lord established the feast of Passover as an annual memorial of this redemption and the nation’s deliverance from physical bondage in Egypt. The sacrifice of the Passover lamb was a type, or foreshadowing, of Jesus’ sacrifice of his own blood, shed to redeem mankind from bondage to sin and death. A short review of significant events in earth’s spiritual history sheds some light on the spiritual significance of the feast of Passover. 



Spiritual Battle for the Earth


When Adam and Eve were created, The Lord gave them spiritual as well as physical life. He granted them title, or authority over the earth, giving them a commission to populate and rule his creation. They ruled their small corner of the earth in the righteousness, wisdom, and compassion of God. However, the Dragon deceived Eve and tempted Adam to disobey God. On the day they proved unfaithful to the one command God had given them, several things happened. Man would now be subject to physical death. Mankind was also subject to the knowledge and therefore the power of sin, from the day of his birth to the day of his death. Adam and Eve also died spiritually on that day, so they could no longer exercise God’s spiritual authority. Adam no longer held the spiritual title deed to the earth that God had entrusted to him.

The Dragon made plans to fill this power vacuum and rule the planet himself. Having previously lost his bid for God’s throne in heaven, he preferred a throne on earth to being a wandering star in the heavens. He had convinced a third of the angels to forsake God and follow him; this was his opportunity to get mankind to worship him as well. Although the line of Seth walked in righteousness, the prolific line of Cain provided the Dragon with the opportunity to accomplish his goal.

The Dragon knew that he could eventually control the earth if he could get enough people to turn away from God’s ways and follow him. And so began the battle for the souls of men: God calling mankind to worship him, the Dragon seeking to turn man away from God by tempting him in his thoughts, emotions, and natural appetites. The devil used temptation, deception, and fear to subvert souls and draw mankind to wealth, power, and pleasure – all the motivations that appeal to our worldly desires. During the 1600 or so years between the Fall and the Flood, the Dragon gained spiritual and physical control over the earth, exercising a squatter’s right in the absence of the spiritual authority lost by Adam. By the time of the Great Flood, the Dragon was so successful at his self-appointed task of becoming the god of this world that he had corrupted all but eight souls.

The Dragon’s plan for complete dominion of the earth came to an abrupt end when the Lord destroyed everyone except Noah and his family in a great cleansing flood. After the Flood, however, the Dragon lost no time in once again subverting mankind. Men began to abandon God’s patriarchal rule and establish monarchies that claimed rule by ‘divine right.’ When God saw his creation once again headed so quickly down the path of corruption, he confused mankind’s language. This prevented the Dragon from re-establishing global rule through a single kingdom. The Dragon’s response was to apportion his authority, establishing demonic powers and principalities to rule over the various kingdoms that developed wherever mankind scattered. After an additional twenty four hundred years of corrupting souls, the Devil could legitimately boast to Jesus that the authority and splendor of all the kingdoms of the world belonged to him (Luke 4:6).

In the fullness of time, God sent his only begotten Son to pay the price to redeem the earth from bondage to sin and death. Jesus was the Lamb of God who sacrificed his own life to deliver mankind from the Dragon’s power and authority. When we reject the power of darkness and embrace Jesus as savior and Lord, we spiritually place the blood of Christ on the doorposts of our heart, just as the Hebrews placed the lamb’s blood over their doors that fateful night in Egypt. Our sins are forgiven and the sentence of death against us is cancelled, and we are born again of God’s Spirit. Through the transforming work of the Holy Spirit we grow in the character of Christ. As we endure through the trials and tribulations of our salvation walk, we are changed into the image of Christ and prepared for a position of spiritual authority in the coming kingdom of God.

The redeeming work of Jesus as the Lamb of God was foreshadowed in the theme of deliverance through redemption that infused the feast of Passover. The theme of deliverance is associated with the altar of burnt offering, the first furnishing. The daily burnt offering provided a memorial ‘covering’ over Israel, reminding them of their deliverance from Egypt and their covenant with God.

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Revelation 4 & 5  –  The Feast of Passover

Theme: Deliverance/Redemption by the Lamb of God


To review, the prologue covered the first three chapters of Revelation, introducing the messenger (Rev. 1), and his message (Rev. 2-3). In keeping with the format of a dramatic play, Revelation 4 opens with the ‘cast’ in heaven. This chapter sets the stage for the introduction of the protagonist, or hero in Revelation 5.

Following the pattern of the feasts in Revelation, chapters 4 & 5 present the thematic fulfillment of the feast of Passover, with its deliverance through redemption by the blood of the lamb of God. Redemption always involves a purchase of something that has been lost, delivering it from the possession of another. By paying the price of death for Adam’s sin, Jesus purchased, or redeemed not just mankind, but also the spiritual title deed to earth that Adam forfeited through disobedience.

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Revelation 4


After all this I looked and saw a door in Heaven standing open, and the voice that I had previously heard, which resembled the blast of a trumpet, again spoke to me and said, “Come up here, and I will show you things which are to happen in the future.”

Immediately I found myself in the Spirit, and saw a throne in Heaven, and some One sitting on the throne. The appearance of Him who sat there was like jasper or sard; and encircling the throne was a rainbow, in appearance like an emerald. Surrounding the throne there were also twenty-four other thrones, on which sat twenty-four Elders clothed in white robes, with victors’ wreaths of gold upon their heads. Out from the throne there came flashes of lightning, and voices, and peals of thunder, while in front of the throne seven blazing lamps were burning, which are the seven Spirits of God. And in front of the throne there seemed to be a sea of glass, resembling crystal.

And midway between the throne and the Elders, and surrounding the throne, were four living creatures, full of eyes in front and behind. The first living creature resembled a lion, the second an ox, the third had a face like that of a man, and the fourth resembled an eagle flying. And each of the four living creatures had six wings, and in every direction, and within, are full of eyes; and day after day, and night after night, they never cease saying, “Holy, holy, holy, Lord God, the Ruler of all, who was and art and evermore shall be.”

And whenever the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to Him who is seated on the throne, and lives until the Ages of the Ages, the twenty-four Elders fall down before Him who sits on the throne and worship Him who lives until the Ages of the Ages, and they cast their wreaths down in front of the throne, saying, “It is fitting, O our Lord and God, That we should ascribe unto Thee the glory and the honor and the power; For Thou didst create all things, And because it was Thy will they came into existence, and were created.”


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Revelation 4 Commentary


v. 1-2  After all this I looked and saw a door in Heaven standing open, and the voice that I had previously heard, which resembled the blast of a trumpet, again spoke to me and said, “Come up here, and I will show you things which are to happen in the future.” Immediately I found myself in the Spirit, and saw a throne in Heaven, and some One sitting on the throne. This verse is often used to assign everything after this point as a future event at the end of the age, but this is not the intention here. Just because John is going to see future events, this does not mean that they will all be presented without background or context. Any good story or play provides both of these.


v. 3  The appearance of Him who sat there was like jasper or sard; and encircling the throne was a rainbow, in appearance like an emerald. For some reason John chooses not to convey the glory of heaven, supplying no adjectives in his description of God’s throne room. His description is consistent with Ezekiel’s vision of God in Babylonia (Ezek. 1), Isaiah’s vision in Samaria (Isa. 6), and Moses’ vision at Mount Sinai (Ex. 24), except these all saw God’s throne from below. It may be that John downplays the appearance of the One on the throne because the Lamb rather than the Father is the central figure in the drama about to unfold.

The rainbow above the throne is probably a memorial of the promise the Lord made to Noah never again to destroy the earth with water. The emerald hue of the rainbow may be attributed to the combination of light that emanates from the Father and his throne. Ezekiel’s account states that God’s throne had the appearance of sapphire, and the One above had the appearance of amber with flames inside it, the orange color of ‘sard’ or jasper described here. When the color of fiery amber coming from the One on the throne mixes with the translucent blue sapphire of the throne itself, the combination would make the rainbow around the throne appear to be green.


v. 4  Surrounding the throne there were also twenty-four other thrones, on which sat twenty-four Elders clothed in white robes, with victors’ wreaths [NIV, KJV – crowns] of gold upon their heads. The number of the Elders may reflect the division of the Old Covenant priests into twenty-four courses (1Chr. 24), or it may be symbolic of the twelve tribes from the Old Testament church and twelve apostles of the New Covenant. Some claim that the Elders are heavenly beings, while others believe they are a special class of the redeemed. However, it is not their origin but their purpose and function that are important.

One of the more important functions of Elders in Jewish society was to act as witnesses to the justice of every public transaction; that is also the apparent function of the twenty-four Elders here. Dressed in white robes of righteousness and wearing gold crowns of authority, they act as witnesses to God’s judgments of the earth. Their presence gives this scene the judicial atmosphere of a court. Later, the Elders act in the capacity of a jury, confirming the guilt of the accused and affirming that the Judge’s judgments are indeed justified.


v. 5-6a  Out from the throne there came flashes of lightning, and voices, and peals of thunder, while in front of the throne seven blazing lamps were burning, which are the seven Spirits (seven-fold Spirit – NIV) of God. And in front of the throne there seemed to be a sea of glass, resembling crystal. Old Testament passages indicate that the lightning, voices, and thunder are indicators of God’s Presence, conveying his power over the earth and his right to judge its people. Similar signs accompanied Moses’ meeting with God on Mount Sinai. The sea on which the throne sits may be made of solid crystalline water, the basic building block of Creation (2Pet. 3:5). It is a fitting floor for the Creator. Lacking any impurities, pure water in a solid state would have a perfect crystalline structure with translucent properties, allowing observation of everything below by the One seated on the throne.

“Thou shall be visited of the LORD of hosts with thunder, and with earthquake, and great noise, with storm and tempest, and the flame of devouring fire.”  Isa 29:6


v. 6b-8  And midway between the throne and the Elders, and surrounding the throne, were four living creatures, full of eyes in front and behind. The first living creature resembled a lion, the second an ox, the third had a face like that of a man, and the fourth resembled an eagle flying. And each of the four living creatures had six wings, and in every direction, and within, are full of eyes; and day after day, and night after night, they never cease saying, “Holy, holy, holy, Lord God, the Ruler of all, who was and art and evermore shall be.”

Closest to the throne are the awesome celestial beings called Seraphim by Isaiah and Cherubim by Ezekiel. In this context they appear to be Seraphim. Ezekiel, who saw these beings when they were below the crystal sea, describes them as Cherubim. Isaiah saw them above the throne and called them Seraphim. Here, instead of being beneath the sea they are around God’s throne. Additionally, they have six wings of Seraphim instead of the four ascribed to Cherubim.

The four faces of these creatures represent absolute dominion over Creation. The lion is king of the wild beasts; the eagle is king of the air, and the ox king of the tamed beasts, while man himself is the appointed ruler over all God’s created works. Standing closest to the throne, these beings are its guardians, with innumerable eyes vigilantly observing all that transpires at the center of universal rule. Their continual praise affirms the holy and eternal nature of God.

Ezekiel: “These were the living creatures I had seen beneath the God of Israel by the Kebar River, and I realized they were cherubim.  Each had four faces and four wings, and under the wings was what looked like the hands of a man.”  Ezek 10:20

Isaiah: “In the year that King Uziah died, I saw the Lord seated on a throne, high and exalted, and the train of his robe filled the temple. Above him were seraphs, each with six wings: with two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying. And they were calling to one another: Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory.”  Isa 6:1-3


v. 9-11  And whenever the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to Him who is seated on the throne, and lives until the Ages of the Ages, the twenty-four Elders fall down before Him who sits on the throne and worship Him who lives until the Ages of the Ages, and they cast their wreaths down in front of the throne, saying, “It is fitting, [NIV – You are worthy] O our Lord and God, That we should ascribe unto Thee the glory and the honor and the power; For Thou didst create all things, And because it was Thy will they came into existence, and were created.”  The highest form of the Elders’ worship is to lay face down on the crystal sea and place their crowns in front of the One on the throne, praising him for his work of Creation. The NTMS describes the Elder’s crowns as wreaths, since these were given to victorious athletes in Greek games. Whether described as crowns or wreaths, they are symbols of victorious living that overcomes the world.

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Revelation 5


And I saw lying in the right hand of Him who sat on the throne a book written on both sides and closely sealed with seven seals. And I saw a mighty angel who was exclaiming in a loud voice, “Who is worthy to open the book and break its seals?” But no one in Heaven, or on earth, or under the earth, was able to open the book or look into it. And while I was weeping bitterly, because no one was found worthy to open the book or look into it, one of the Elders said to me, “Do not weep. The Lion which belongs to the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has triumphed, and will open the book and break its seven seals.”

Then, midway between the throne and the four living creatures, I saw a Lamb standing among the Elders. He looked as if He had been offered in sacrifice, and He had seven horns and seven eyes. The last-named are the seven Spirits of God, and have been sent far and wide into all the earth. So He comes, and now He has taken the book out of the right hand of Him who is seated on the throne. And when He had taken the book, the four living creatures and the twenty-four Elders fell down before the Lamb, having each of them a harp and bringing golden bowls full of incense, which represent the prayers of God’s people. And now they sing a new song. “It is fitting,” they say, “that Thou shouldst be the One to take the book And break its seals; Because Thou hast been offered in sacrifice, And hast purchased for God with Thine own blood Some out of every tribe and language and people and nation, And hast formed them into a Kingdom to be priests to our God, And they reign over the earth.”

And I looked, and heard what seemed to be the voices of countless angels on every side of the throne, and of the living creatures and the Elders. Their number was myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands, and in loud voices they were singing, “It is fitting that the Lamb which has been offered in sacrifice should receive all power and riches and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing.”

And as for every created thing in Heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea, and everything that was in any of these, I heard them say, “To Him who is seated on the throne, And to the Lamb, Be ascribed all blessing and honor And glory and might, Until the Ages of the Ages!” Then the four living creatures said “Amen,” and the Elders fell down and worshipped.


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Revelation 5 Commentary


v. 1  And I saw lying in the right hand of Him who sat on the throne a book [Gr. – scroll] written on both sides and closely sealed with seven seals. God’s court is in session, much as an earthly king would convene court to hear evidence and decide matters of state. The business before the court is the scroll in God’s hand. Appreciating the significance of the scroll within the context of deliverance and redemption is central to understanding all the events that follow. Lacking this, John’s vision turns into a jumble of seals, trumpets and bowls without an underlying reason for the order of their occurrence. To appreciate the importance of the scroll, one needs to have at least a basic understanding of Jewish law, history, and culture relating to redemption. 



The Kinsman Redeemer


After the Lord delivered Abraham’s descendants from Egypt, he entered into a covenant, or contract, with them. The covenant was founded on the Law, a set of rules that governed morality as well as social and property transactions of God’s people. In the interest of maintaining an orderly transition from one generation to the next, property laws elevated possession of the land to the status of a family trust. While the Israelites’ relationship with the Lord defined them individually and as a nation, the land gave them a sense of family, community, and tribal identity.

When the Israelites finally reached Canaan, each tribe, clan and family, except for the Levites, was assigned its own geographic territory. The Jews were tenants on God’s land rather than its owners, keeping it in trust for generations to come. Individual tracts or parcels were held as an inheritance that was passed from father to firstborn son. The Lord promised that if his people obeyed the commands of the covenant they would retain the land, never again becoming captives or slaves of another nation as they had been in Egypt. The land itself was a daily reminder of the freedom and blessings God had bestowed on them. Continued possession of each family’s allotted portion of land was so important to maintaining social structure that the Lord established regulations to insure that no family would ever permanently lose its land.

Every fiftieth year, the Year of Jubilee, all the land in Israel that had been sold, leased, or lost through debt had to be returned to the family of the original owner or his heir. This provision eliminated the redistribution and consolidation of land into the hands of the rich and powerful, preventing the creation of an impoverished homeless class of society. No family would ever permanently lose their land through misfortune or the foolishness of one individual’s actions. In addition to maintaining the integrity and patrimony of the family line, this system helped maintain Israel’s traditions and agrarian way of life.

The Lord also established a means of redeeming the land on an individual basis before the year of Jubilee, as the need arose. When one’s debts exceeded the ability to repay them and no other assets existed, the land could be sold to cover the debt. The first choice was to offer it for sale to the nearest relative. Jeremiah 32 contains an account of a property sale for later redemption. As a last resort, the land could also be sold to someone outside the family line. (Lev. 25) In this case, the transaction was not really a sale but a prorated lease until Jubilee, when the land automatically reverted to its rightful family owner.

When land was sold in this manner, the parties met at the city gate, where all business transactions were conducted. An original and a copy of the title deed containing a description of the land were presented and examined in the presence of the elders. The original was rolled into a scroll, sealed in wax, and signed on the outside by the elders who acted as witnesses or notaries to the validity of the transaction. The sealed and unsealed copies of the title deed were preserved until the land was repurchased, or until it was returned at Jubilee.

This system of redemption was not limited to land; people could also be redeemed. If an individual fell into debt beyond his ability to repay, he might be sold into physical slavery to work off his debt. A relative who had the resources could redeem him, paying what was owed. There was one other circumstance in which an individual might be redeemed. If a landowner died leaving no male heirs, the nearest relative could take possession of the land. Whoever did this incurred the obligation to marry the widow and adopt any children of the family of his deceased kinsman. The story of Boaz and Ruth provides an example of a relative purchasing the land of a dead relative and gaining a wife in the transaction. Although Boaz was not the closest relative of the deceased, he was the nearest one who was willing to acquire a family.

The redemption procedures were the inverse of those involved in selling a parcel of land. The one who had acquired the land met the original owner or his nearest relative at the city gate, with the elders in attendance. If a relative was redeeming the land, he had to prove two facts before the matter could proceed. First, he must prove that he was kinsman to the original owner, thus having the right of redemption, so the property would remain within the extended family as prescribed by law. Second, he had to demonstrate that he had the full purchase price for the land, making him the purchaser or redeemer. When these facts were proven, the deed and money changed hands. The original title to the land became the property of the kinsman redeemer. He then broke the seals on the scroll and unrolled it to confirm the title description of his purchase.


v. 2 And I saw a mighty angel who was exclaiming in a loud voice, “Who is worthy to open the [scroll] and break its seals?” The angel issues his challenge in the presence of those assembled in God’s court. Only someone who could prove he was a kinsman to Adam would be eligible to claim the scroll, since Adam was the one who had forfeited the title deed to earth. Whoever claimed the deed would also have to prove he had paid the redemption price. In addition to the land, Adam’s descendants who had been sold into spiritual slavery would be included in the redemption. Like Boaz, the Kinsman Redeemer would have to be willing to acquire a bride along with spiritual title to the earth.

The angel proclaims the central question of Revelation: “Who is worthy?” The worth of the kinsman is found in his sinless character as well as his willingness to pay the purchase price. The purchase price of the earth and Adam’s descendants is not money, however. Just as the Passover lamb was sacrificed to redeem the children of Israel from death and deliver them from slavery in Egypt, as Kinsman Redeemer, Jesus had to offer his own life so Adam and his descendants could be delivered from death and slavery to sin. The principle of blood redemption was codified in the Old Covenant law of “a life for a life,” and in the value of blood sacrifice: “It is the blood that makes atonement for one’s life.” (Lev. 17:11)

None of Adam’s descendants could qualify as the kinsman redeemer, for they had all been sold into the slavery of sin. A slave cannot redeem another slave, since both are in bondage. The Redeemer would have to be a kinsman of Adam, but without sin. This impossibility could only be resolved if Adam’s Creator were willing to lay aside his divine form and be born as a man in the lineage of Adam. Since he was divine, he would be without sin; since he was human, he would be Adam’s kinsman. This required a monumental sacrifice by the Son of God. He had to give up his place with the Father in heaven and humble himself to become man, allowing himself to be crucified for sins he did not commit. In the ultimate act of love, he shed his own blood to deliver mankind from spiritual and physical death.


v. 3-4  But no one in Heaven, or on earth, or under the earth, was able to open the book [scroll] or look into it. And while I was weeping bitterly, because no one was found worthy to open the book or look into it,… The matter of the scroll is so momentous that John grieves when no one is found to open it. John understands that the scroll is the sealed title deed to the earth. If no one can be found to open the scroll, the long awaited Kingdom of God will not be established.


v. 5  …one of the Elders said to me, “Do not weep. The Lion which belongs to the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has triumphed, and will open the book and break its seven seals.” An elder announces the arrival of one who qualifies as kinsman to Adam. He is the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David. On his deathbed, Jacob prophesied that the Messiah would come from the line of Judah, and the Lord promised David that one of his descendents would sit on the throne forever, ruling from Jerusalem. As the Messiah, Jesus was both David’s ancestor and his descendant (Mt. 22:41-45). Proof of this dual fulfillment of Jesus’ lineage is traced through both David and Judah back to Adam in Matthew 1 and Luke 3.


v. 6  Then, midway between the throne and the four living creatures, I saw a Lamb standing among the Elders. He looked as if He had been offered in sacrifice, and He had seven horns and seven eyes. The last-named are the seven Spirits of God, and have been sent far and wide into all the earth. The Lion of Judah also turns out to be the Lamb of God. This is the same Lamb that was identified by John the Baptist at the River Jordan: “The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, ‘Look, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!’” (John 1:29)  Christ’s divinity, and therefore his freedom from sin, is represented by his symbolic identification with the Holy Spirit, “the seven spirits (seven-fold Spirit) of God.”

His qualification as kinsman to Adam having been established, the Lamb of God needs to prove to the court that he has paid the purchase price for the earth and its inhabitants. Most versions translate the Lamb’s appearance of having been offered in sacrifice, as “looking like [or as if] it had been slain.” In the original Greek however, the verb denotes that the Lamb had actually been butchered, as in a sacrifice. When he shed his lifeblood on the feast of Passover, Jesus paid the purchase price to redeem the earth and its people. With his identification as the Passover Lamb slain for the sins of mankind, Jesus is confirmed as both Kinsman and Redeemer.


v. 7  He came and took the scroll from the right hand of him who sat on the throne. The Lamb takes possession of the scroll, the title deed to spiritual rule over the earth lost by Adam. Since that time, the Dragon has usurped spiritual rule over the earth, setting up the world system and the demonic principalities still in effect today. By claiming the title deed, the Lamb of God now has the legal standing to return to the earth, eject the Dragon and his ‘family’ from the property, and establish the Kingdom of God. This defining moment determines the course of the events that follow.

The central event of earth’s history was Jesus’ death on the cross. His sacrifice was the price that established his right as Kinsman Redeemer to claim legal title to the earth. John witnesses the future moment when earth’s title deed is claimed by the Son of its original owner, the Creator who gave it to Adam. The remainder of Revelation describes the events leading up to Jesus’ return to take possession of the earth and enforce his rightful rule over the nations.


v. 8-9  And when he had taken it, the four living creatures and the twenty four elders fell down before the Lamb. Each one had a harp, and they were holding golden bows full of incense, which are the prayers of saints. And they sang a new song: You are worthy to take the scroll and to open the seals, because you were slain, and with your blood you purchased men for God from every tribe and language and people and nation. (NIV)  Revelation 4: 9-11 described the worship of the Elders that accompanies that of the Seraphim in praising the One seated on the throne. Here they worship the Lamb, confirming the divinity of Jesus and praising his work of Redemption.

This song, continuing through verse 14, is the first appearance of a chorus, which in Greek theater is comprised of a group singing or speaking in unison. It was a familiar concept in the first century Roman Empire. The role of the chorus was to emphasize significant events as well as to provide a trusted, objective perspective. Since this song to the Lamb is the first interaction of the chorus with an individual, according to the rules of Greek drama this makes the Lamb of God the protagonist of Revelation, its main character and hero.


v. 10  You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God, and they will reign on the earth. (NIV)  Bible versions are divided on whether to translate this passage as “kings and priests” or “a kingdom and priests.” Strong’s Concordance at G932 states the word used here is “royalty, that is (abstractly) rule or (concretely) a realm (literally or figuratively) kingdom + reign.” The question is whether resurrected believers will rule in a secular (Monarchic) or Godly (Theocratic) government. The issue is addressed in Revelation 20:6, which describes those ruling in the resurrection: “they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with Him a thousand years.” Although Christ combines both the secular kingly and religious priestly offices in himself, those who reign with him serve as his priests rather than kings. Peter succinctly captures the full sense of what this means, describing believers as “a royal priesthood.” (1Pet. 2:9) The reason why believers are a kingdom rather than kings is a simple one. A kingdom is defined by its king and its subjects, not just its geography. The mystery of the ages is that the kingdom of God is in us; as members of the ‘mystical body of Christ’ we are the spiritual kingdom of God. The kingdom consists of those who have given up their lives to follow Jesus and be trained in the way of righteousness to serve as priests in Christ’s millennial reign.


v. 11-14  And I looked, and heard what seemed to be the voices of countless angels on every side of the throne, and of the living creatures and the Elders. Their number was myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands, and in loud voices they were singing, “It is fitting that the Lamb which has been offered in sacrifice should receive all power and riches and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing.” And as for every created thing in Heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea, and everything that was in any of these, I heard them say, “To Him who is seated on the throne, And to the Lamb, Be ascribed all blessing and honor And glory and might, Until the Ages of the Ages!” Then the four living creatures said “Amen,” and the Elders fell down and worshipped. The fact that every living creature in heaven and on earth worship both the Father and the Son indicates the importance of what has just occurred. The Father loved the world so much that he sacrificed his Son to die for mankind. The Son loved us so much that he gave up his position with the Father and suffered the trials of this life, culminating in his being treated as a criminal worthy of being tortured and crucified.

Revelation 4 - 5

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