Revelation 5:11-14 Commentary

I sometimes wonder if the sheer volume of what John heard in this Sunday’s Epistolary Lesson threatened his hearing. After all, the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association reports it isn’t safe to hear the noise created by a jackhammer, jet plane takeoff, siren or pneumatic drill for any period of time. What’s more, the report labels as “dangerous to hearing … the maximum output of … rock concerts.”

Yet I have always imagined that what John hears was, in fact, louder than all of those dangers combined. He, after all reports hearing “the voice [phonen*] of many [pollon] angels [angelon], numbering thousands upon thousands [myriades myriadon], and ten times ten thousand [chiliades chiliadon]” and “the living creatures [zoon] and the elders [presbyteron] … in a loud voice [phone megale] singing [legontes]” (11-12a). On top of that, the apostle describes hearing “every creature [pan ktisma] in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all that is in them singing [legontas]” (13b).

There are almost no words that can capture the sheer cacophony of the sound that immense choir must have generated. But preachers might ask listeners to think of the loudest singing they’ve ever heard. A friend brought me to a gathering of Promise Keepers in Detroit, Michigan in the mid 90’s. The united praising of God by perhaps 50-60,000 men in an indoor football stadium bordered on deafening. Yet Revelation 5’s heavenly chorus must have outstripped the magnitude of that by an order of perhaps billions.

So what is it that launches this earth-shaking outburst of praise? To answer that question preachers will have to reach outside of this Sunday’s Epistolary Lesson’s pericope. Revelation 4 includes another boisterous “hymn sing” offered by “four living creatures” (6b) and “the twenty-four elders” (10) to the Lord God Almighty.

But as those hymns perhaps still ring in his ears, John breaks down and sobs (5:4). He is, after all, unable to find anyone who deserves to open what he calls a scroll with writing on both sides. The apostle can find no one who’s worthy to “unseal” God’s plans for the rescue of the whole creation from the clutches of the evil one and his henchmen. How God will do God’s work of salvation remains, in other words, a mystery to John that no one can solve.

But, of course, “the Lion of the tribe of Judah” (5), “a Lamb looking as if it had been slain” is found worthy to take and open that scroll. Quite simply, God shows John that the incarnate Son of God whom the Romans crucified but God raised to life is worthy of revealing God’s plan to rescue the world God so deeply loves but remains in captivity to and enthralled by the evil one.

When the “four living creatures” and “twenty-four elders” watch Jesus grasp the scroll that outlines that plan, they again burst into song that praises the Lamb that was slain but raised to life and deserves to reveal God’s plan of salvation (9b-10). They also praise the Son of God for making God’s dearly beloved people what The Message paraphrases as “a Kingdom, Priests for our God, Priest-Kings to rule over the earth.” …

It’s at that point that this Sunday’s Epistolary Lesson opens with an attempt to describe an incalculable number of choristers joining the throng. At the center of that chorus is the Lamb who’s encircled by the four living creatures and the elders. But they must then almost certainly be dwarfed, if not swallowed up by what verse 11 calls “thousands upon thousands, and ten thousand times ten thousand” angels.

In fact, those angels seem innumerable. It’s as if even the inspired John loses count of precisely how many angels surround not just the Lamb, but also four living creatures and twenty-four elders. After all, the Greek literally refers to the number of angels as “myriads of myriads.”

“Worthy [Axion] is the Lamb [Arnion],” sings the choir in verse 12, “who was slain [esphagmenon], to receive [labein] power [ten dynamin] and wealth [plouton] and wisdom [sophian] and strength [ischyn] and honor [timen] and glory [doxan] and praise [eulogian].” John makes what may seem like an utterly incongruous link between an animal that was slaughtered and its reception of all of creation’s resources.

There are a variety of ways to interpret the word labein (“to receive”). Many scholars assume that John means that Jesus the Lamb is worthy to take or lay hold of power, wealth, wisdom, strength, honor, glory and blessing. Because he gave his life to rescue the whole creation, he deserves everything his friends have and are … and more. In fact, The Message paraphrases that chorus as summoning the Lamb who was slain to “Take the power, the wealth, the wisdom, the strength … [and] the honor, the glory [and] the blessing.”

But as if that boisterous acclamation and summons were not enough, the angels, living creatures and elders are joined by a truly immeasurable choir. John recounts how he “heard [ekousa] every creature [pan ktisma] in heaven [en ourano] and on the earth [epi ges tes] and under [hypokato] the earth and on the sea [epi tes thalasses], and all that is in them [panta en autois] (13a).”

It is a scene that simply defies human imagination. The heavenly chorus includes both the seen and unseen, the great and the small, as well as what we think of as both important and unimportant. Every last creature on and under the earth, as well as on and in the sea joins in praise to the one for, by and through whom are created things were created.

Together they perhaps roar, in verse 13b, “To him who sits [kathemeno] on the throne [to throno] and to the Lamb [Arnio] be praise [eulogia] and honor [time] and glory [doxa] and power [kratos], for ever and ever [eis tous aionas ton aionon].” The immense chorus offers all the praise the whole creation can muster. While John doesn’t explicitly identify whether the one enthroned and the slain Lamb are the same being, it doesn’t really matter, John envisions the whole creation offering its worship, not just now, but also for ever and ever to the living God of heaven and earth.

It almost seems as if the four living creatures and elder witnesses are as overwhelmed as John as well as his readers and hearers by the sight and sound of the whole creation praising God. After all, according to verse 14, all the witnesses can muster in response to it is saying “Amen” and falling down in worship.

Yet isn’t that the most appropriate response to all that has unfolded in this Sunday’s Epistolary Lesson? The whole creation and all of its creatures have learned that the Lamb that was slain deserves to reveal God’s plan to rescue the world. They’ve watched the whole creation offer its praise and thanksgiving to the living God. All they can do is fall on their knees and worship. And of course, while there’s more for all of heaven and earth to do and say, it all begins with a humble act of worship.

So how might preachers open ourselves to the Spirit’s leading us to respond? It may begin with a reminder that Christians are never alone in offering our praise to God. We may be singing alone in the car or shower. Christians may be singing alone in some kind of confinement for their faith.

But even then, we are never completely alone in our praise and worship. Revelation 5’s scene reminds me, in fact, of verse 3 of “The Day You Gave Us, Lord, Is Ended:” “As over continent and island each dawn leads to another day, the voice of prayer is never silent, nor do the praises die away (italics added).”

What’s more, Revelation 5 portrays the chorus of worshipers as growing, perhaps not just within its timeframe, but also over time. The group of Christ’s worshipers has already grown, after all, from Jesus’ little group of friends into a worldwide Church. John invites Jesus’ friends to imagine that chorus continuing to swell until it reaches its fullness in the new earth and heaven.

*I have here and elsewhere added in brackets the Greek words for the English words the NIV translation uses.

Illustration

This Sunday’s Epistolary Lesson brings to mind a video that portrays a group of Christians who are incarcerated singing the first stanzas of Amazing Grace. These participants in the Calvin University Prison Initiative sing about God’s grace with wonderful enthusiasm and skill that’s heightened by the challenging circumstances in which they sing it.

However, as this glorious chorus completes the hymn’s opening stanzas, another group of men who are incarcerated encircles them to join them in singing the stirring final stanzas of a hymn of praise to the Lamb that was slain to redeem every square inch of creation. It is a breathtaking testimony to the power of the Spirit to elicit praise from every corner of God’s world.