Revelation Chapter 5

VERSE 9 “And they sang a new song, saying: “You are worthy to take the scroll, And to open its seals; for you were slain, and have redeemed us to God by Your blood Out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation.”

“After Christ had proven worthy, all the scriptures could then in perfect correctness and harmony point to him as the one who did it. The new song that they sing is the revealing of the hidden types and shadows, which were hidden in the Old Testament word. This is a new song, in the sense that the message that is now being revealed was not previously known. As soon as Christ had paid the ransom price, this new song could then be sung. The Old Testament types and shadows (especially those found in the typical Tabernacle) pointed to Christ and what he did for us by fulfilling the law.” (Revelation Notes Southern Wisconsin)

 “Then He said, “Behold, I have come to do your will, O God.” He takes away the first (sets aside the typical sacrifices) that He may establish (fulfill) the second (the antitypical sacrifices, the real sacrifice for sins). By that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.” “For by one offering He has perfected forever those who are being sanctified.” (Heb. 10:9-10, 14)

Another way of looking at this is that, “He takes away the first (the Law Covenant) that He may establish the second (the New Covenant).”

AND THEY SANG A NEW SONG:

This song is new because it is no longer expectation; it is fulfillment. When prophecy begins to be understood and applied, it is NEW and fresh. What is MOST NEW, however, is seen in the song: THERE IS A BODY to Messiah; He is not just one, by MANY. This is the mystery hid from ages but now made manifest. (Col. 1:26, 27.)

Prophecy after Pentecost could now acknowledge:

YOU ARE WORTHY TO TAKE THE SCROLL: because the Lamb had fulfilled the prophecies of sacrifice faithfully.

AND TO OPEN ITS SEALS: to reveal its obscure meanings.

FOR YOU WERE SLAIN: This is the KEY —the willing sacrifice which resulted in:

AND HAVE REDEEMED US (MEN) TO GOD BY YOUR BLOOD (PURCHASE FOR GOD WITH THY BLOOD):

Notice carefully, it is NOT purchase FROM God. This is not talking about the ransom. It is talking about the sin-offering. The FIRST application of Jesus blood is to BUY those who will be priests with Him —to set them free from the curse so that they can be joint-sacrificers with him. No wonder the elders are singing! No wonder it’s called a NEW song! The meaning of the Lord’s goat (Lev. 16) and other such types and prophecies are becoming clear! (See “The Great Day of Atonement”, Part 3)

OUT OF EVERY TRIBE AND TONGUE AND PEOPLE AND NATION: This phrase represents the class of humanity FROM WHICH the Church is selected. Also shown by this phrase is that the selection is not restricted to Israel as in Old Testament times.” (New Albany Notes on Revelation)

VERSE 10 “And have made us kings and priests to our God; and we shall reign on the earth.”

“In the Gospel age, the church is being selected to be kings and priest in the next age. We will be kings and reign with Christ over the nations. The verse “on the earth” would better be translated “over the earth”, since the church will be in the heavens, and not literally on the earth. Even in the sense of the New Jerusalem coming down to the earth, this in symbol simply means that they have placed their governmental power over the earth, and it will not be a physical presence that the human eye can see. The church will be priests with Christ in the next age, and our task will be to reform the world from sin, and restore them back to what Adam had lost in the garden.” (Revelation Notes Southern Wisconsin)

The word us in Verse 9 and the words us and we in Verse 10, as given in the King James Version, are more properly rendered in the modern English translations of the Bible.

 The pronouns (1) “us,” (2) “us,” and (3) “we,” in this sequence, are more accurately translated by the substitution of the words “men,” “them,” and “they,” viz.

“And they (the four living ones and the twenty four elders) sang a new song, saying: “You are worthy to take the scroll, And to open its seals; for you were slain, and have redeemed men (those called at the present time to be joint sacrificers with their Lord) to God by Your blood Out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation. And have made them kings and priests to our God; and they shall reign over the earth”

AND HAVE MADE THEM KINGS AND PRIESTS (A KINGDOM) TO OUR GOD:

This is the point, the vision, the objective, the hope, the goal. Revelation is a sequential prophecy, which shows the development of the Church FOR THE KINGDOM. It is this vision of the kingdom which has kept the true Church separate all during the age.

PRIESTS TO OUR GOD: Priests are mediators between God and men. It is lovely to hear the 24 calling Him “Our God.”

AND THEY WILL REIGN UPON (OVER) THE EARTH: Thus they will supplant the imperfect powers that be. Compare Rev 1:5

We will continue with Verse 11 in our next post.