Revelation 5:11-14

Quotation picture above is from Fancyquote.

What is the third take away from this passage?

III. All of God’s creation will eventually worship Him.

13 And I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all that is in them, saying, “To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb
be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever!”

This scene is anticipatory of the end of this age.

Then I heard every creature…singing — ‘Creature’ is ktisma in Greek — the –ma ending of the word indicates the result of creative action. This litany of praise comes from everything that has life and breath in the universe. This time, John uses articles before each one of these attributes. He is reinforcing the idea that the Lamb is worthy of all that there is of these in the universe. Rome sought these for her Emperor, but they belong to the Lamb by inherent right!

Why so much emphasis on Creation?

I like what Nancy Pearcey says in her book Total Truth —

“The Christian message does not begin with ‘accept Christ as your Savior’; it begins with ‘in the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.’

“Once we understand how first principles work, then it becomes clear that all truth must begin with God.

“The Bible teaches that God is the sole source of the entire created order. No other gods compete with Him; no natural forces exist on their own; nothing receives its nature or existence from another source. Thus His word, or laws, or creation ordinances give the world its order and structure. God’s creative word is the source of the laws of physical nature, which we study in the natural sciences. (see Pearcey, p. 45, below.)

We cannot unlock knowledge of anything without acknowledging ultimate reality has God at its center. Proverbs 9:10 “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom,
and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight.” (ESV)

14 And the four living creatures said, “Amen!” and the elders fell down and worshiped.

Living creatures said, “Amen!” — The verb “to say” is in the imperfect tense. The imperfect tense indicates that the Creatures formed a sort of “amen corner.” They said “amen” after each attribute was ascribed to the Lamb. It comes from the Hebrew ‘amen and means “so be it.” 

The elders fell down — True to form, the Elders follow the lead of the living creatures and prostrate themselves in worship. 

The Time of Fulfillment

The question arises as to the time of fulfillment of this scene. (1) Some see that it is a coronation scene. This occurred at the ascension. (2) Others see it is a futuristic
scene which will occur at the end of time.

It is difficult not to see this as the coronation of the Lamb at the ascension because he is said to take his seat on the throne cf. Hebrews 1:1-3. Nevertheless, what occurred at the time of the ascension is not complete. But, it has commenced. And will be completed when Christ comes again and renews all things!

See Romans 8:19-23 for the “groaning of all creation for renewal.

The One who died on the cross of Calvary is the One who will come as King to vanquish all His foes and to share His reign with His people.

Next we’ll wrap up chapter 5 with some application points.

Notes 

Pearcey, N. R. (2005). Total Truth: Liberating Christianity from Its Cultural Captivity. Study Guide Edition. Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books

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