Three songs in Revelation

Let's turn, please, to the Book of Revelation, the very last book in the Bible, Revelation and chapter 5, please. I would like to pick up a thought that we started with, the Kingsman Redeemer, and the second message, the restoration of worship, appreciation of God and his things. I have been studying the Book of Revelation for a number of months, and it's a beautiful book, actually, to study.

There's three unique songs in the Book of Revelation, and that's what we're going to look at. I used to think that before I studied, it was all full of people singing. But you're going to notice that the Spirit of God only brings three times before us when people sing.

And we're going to discover who is singing and the effect that that can have on others. You know, we've been speaking about restoration. Nothing will affect you more than if I get restored, because it will just radiate out of me.

And when I see another Christian enjoying Christ, I say, I want some of that. So that's what we're going to look at. Let's look at chapter 5, Revelation chapter 5. Now, try to build a little bit of the background so that you're not totally lost as to what is happening here.

John, who is a pitcher of the church in chapter 4, has been caught up into heaven. And here's what he sees, chapter 5, verse 1. And I saw in the right hand of him, now this is God, the throne sitter, that sat on the throne a book written within and on the backside sealed with seven seals. And I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, who is worthy to open the book and to loose the seals thereof? And no man in heaven nor on earth, neither under the earth, was able to open the book, neither to look thereon.

And I wept much, because no man was found worthy to open and to read the book, neither to look thereon. And one of the elders said unto me, weep not. Behold the lion.

Here's a reference to Christ. The lion, the tribe of Judah, the root of David, hath prevailed to open the book and to loose the seven seals thereof. And look what fills his eyes, verse 6. And I beheld and lo in the midst of the throne and of the four beasts, and in the midst of the elders stood a lamb as it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God, sent forth into all the earth.

And he came and took the book out of the right hand of him that sat upon the throne. And when he had taken the book, the four beasts, now follow carefully here, and four and 20 elders fell down before the lamb, having every one of them hearts and golden vials full of the odors, which are the prayers of the saints. And they, a reference to the 24 elders, and they sung a new song saying, thou art worthy to take the book and to open the seals thereof, for thou was slain and has redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred and tongue and people and nation, and hath made us unto our God kings and priests.

And we shall reign on the earth. Now notice verse 11, and I beheld and I heard the voice, not a song, the voice of many angels round about the throne and the beasts and the elders and the number and so on. Verse 12, saying with a loud voice.

Not singing, saying with a loud voice. Now that's all we'll read just for the moment. I want to sort of build the context of what is happening here.

If you were to take time to go through the book of Revelation, you're going to discover that you are introduced to the 24 elders on 12 different occasions. They, dear child of God, are a picture of you and I, the church, after we have been raptured home from this earth. And we surround the throne.

You're going to notice that those four and 20 elders are always linked with the lamb as you go through the book of Revelation, which is a lovely picture of the bride and the bridegroom, as we all know. We don't have time to develop that at the moment. I want to take you back just to set the chronology here for a minute.

The very next event that is to happen upon this world is the truth of the rapture. That is when the church will be raptured out of this earth and taken home to be with their Lord. Now, at the same time after the rapture happens, there's going to be some events that will transpire upon the earth and there's going to be events that will transpire in heaven.

I want to think of the earthly scene for just a moment because in both scenes, earthly and heavenly, there is a search for a man. There's a search for somebody. When you come down at the earthly level, there's going to be the search for the man of sin.

The rapture will be the event that will propel him to the forefront. And all of the world will look to this one man that will have the answers. And that one man will quickly bring in this peace treaty that he'll try to enact with the nation of Israel.

We know that from Daniel chapter nine. Once that peace treaty on earth is signed with the nation of Israel, Daniel chapter nine tells me that that is the commencement of seven years of tribulation period. And then we can look at that from a heavenly perspective through the book of Revelation.

I want you to come with me now into heaven. The church has been raptured up into heaven. At the same time, there's the search on earth for a man in the peace treaty.

Up in heaven, John is looking for the only one who is worthy to step forward before God, the throne sitter, and take a hold of that book. You say, what is the book? Well, the book is really the title deeds to the earth. Our brother opened up the meeting with that lovely example in the book of Ruth of what's known as a kingsman redeemer.

In the Hebrew, that's called a goel. There was actually a double office of a goel. One of the offices was a kingsman redeemer.

And what that simply meant was this. If someone that was related to him, as he relayed to us, the fathers had died, the husbands had died, and here were the wives left, no chance of inheritance in the land of Israel, no chance of producing seed, children that would carry on the name of the family. So what would happen is the nearer kin, the kingsman redeemer, he would come alongside, he would pay the money, he would take those widows into his family, he would produce children from them, and the seed could carry on, the name could carry on, and they got their inheritance back.

They didn't lose their land. But in the Old Testament, there is another side to the kingsman redeemer. He was called the avenger of blood.

If someone near to me was murdered by somebody, I had the right to go after the murderer and to take their life. That's what was clearly taught in the Old Testament. What we're introduced here in Revelation chapter 5 is not the kingsman redeemer.

That took place on earth when he laid down his life at the cross of Calvary and shed his blood. And as a result, he has bought and is buying his church, his bride. Now we come to chapter 5, and the kingsman redeemer, he looks at the product of all of his seed, the bride, the church, and they're all with him in heaven.

Now what God holds in his hand is who has the right to judge this earth for what they did to Jesus Christ. John, picture of the bride, this call goes out across heaven. Who is worthy? You can almost hear it.

I like to try to put myself right into the chapter when I'm reading it to get the sense and the flavor of the whole thing. And there's nobody found as that search is made. And John, he's overcome by tears, and he starts to weep and cry.

And all of a sudden, into the midst appears the Lamb, the Lord Jesus. Now what a lovely picture of what we've been hearing. You get your eyes off of Christ, you'll start to weep.

That's, as my brother, I'm echoing what my brother said, that's what everything is about in Christian life. Conferences, Bible studies, prayer meetings, gospel meetings, it's all about getting your sight focused upon him. And what a wonderful thing.

The minute John gets his eyes focused upon Christ, his tears are gone. His fears are alleviated. And all of a sudden, John witnesses as the Lord Jesus steps forward, and he grabs a hold of that book, the only one worthy.

And the Lord Jesus takes that book to himself. You know the effect that that will have upon the church, the 24 elders? They start to sing. They just start to sing.

You know, I want to encourage everyone here today. Every single Christian has really got the only right to sing. We are redeemed.

We have the brightest future ahead of us. There is absolutely nothing in this world that can compare to what is just about to happen. It'd be wonderful if we heard the shout today and we saw this tremendous scene.

But listen, I think it's desperate sad when I see Christians that should be able to sing, and they hardly got their mouth moving as the song is going. You almost feel like you got to run over and resuscitate them and put a little energy into them and say, sing, let's put your all into it. Listen, you'll have no trouble singing here.

When all of the cares of our life are gone, and we step into the throne room, so to speak, of the great one that sits upon it, and just as we take our place beside John and we view this freshly slain lamb, come forward to take the book, judgment is going to begin soon upon earth. But you want to know the effect it will have upon Christ and those in heaven? We will just explode into a song. We could read it again.

Look at verse 9. And they sung a new song saying, thou art worthy to take the book. Every person will be attuned. Nobody will be off key.

A tremendous event. Now, the amazing thing about this, just before we leave this little section, is this. I want you to think back to the earth once again.

Here is a peace treaty that's just about to be signed by the Antichrist and the nation of Israel. By this time, the Lord Jesus has taken the book. And on the cover of that book, there are seven seals.

What an amazing thing to think, dear child of God, as the finger of the lamb will reach forward and break one of those seals. There's a corresponding event upon earth. Up in heaven, John witnesses as that finger unleashes the first seal.

There's a rider on a horse that goes out, peace and safety, to conquer the world. Then as the second finger of his, well, whatever, we'll go with the first finger index, second seal. The second seal is broken.

Another horse goes out. The third, a third horse. The fourth, a fourth horse.

Meanwhile on earth, the world is convinced. Peace and safety. But you know what's happening? The avenger of blood, the Lord Jesus, is going to start to deal with this wicked world because of what they did to him.

It's very solemn. But yet at the same time, I want you to think, as solemn and as dark as it is upon this earth, the effect in heaven is a song. Our saviour will be vindicated and he's right and just in what he's doing.

So that is a tremendous encouragement to me. Before we leave here, I want you to notice this. There's not only three songs in the book of Revelation, but there's only three individuals, groups with harps.

And here's what we have in verse number eight. I'll just read it before we move. And when he had taken the book, the four beasts and the four and 20 elders, there we are, the church, fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps and golden vials.

And I thought, how nice. It's always nice to have music with songs, isn't it? So here we got the musical instrument, the accompaniment. What an orchestra that will be.

Perfectly tuned by the spirit of God. And now we've got this song of Revelation chapter five. So let's go to chapter 14 for the next one.

Now, sometimes it can be a little difficult to understand Revelation because it does not always go in chronological order. And sometimes the sequence of events will move ahead chronologically, and then the writer will stop, and then he'll jump back, or he might jump way ahead. And sometimes it's a little hard just trying to decipher just where that starts and where it ends.

But when we come to chapter 14 and verse 1, even though we're midway through the book, the spirit of God is taking us right to the end of the tribulation period. The tribulation period, the seven years of destruction, has happened. And the Lord Jesus has come out of heaven.

He's descended upon this earth, and he's just about to set up his millennial kingdom. That's the setting of verse number 1. Here's what it says. Revelation 14, verse 1. And I looked, and lo, a lamb, there's the Lord Jesus, stood on the Mount Zion.

That is the literal mountain over in Jerusalem, Mount Zion. And with him, a hundred and forty and four thousand, having his father's name written in their foreheads. And I heard a voice from heaven.

Now notice, verse 1, we're on the earth. Verse 2, we're getting a look into heaven. And I heard a voice from heaven, as the voice of many waters and as the voice of a great thunder.

And I heard the voice of harpers harping with their harps. Now we're back to verse, the earth in verse 3. And they, that is the 144,000 of verse 1. And they sung, as it were, a new song before the throne, in the presence of heaven, before the throne, and before the four beasts and the elders, that's us. And no man could learn that song, but the hundred and forty and four thousand, which are redeemed from the earth.

Now, who are the 144,000? We touched on this last Sunday in Antioch, but just there's many different faces here today. Come back to the earthly scene for a minute. The rapture takes place.

Meanwhile, on earth, there's the man of sin that comes to the forefront. He's working on a peace treaty with the nation of Israel. Meanwhile, the spirit of God is sealing 144,000 Jewish preachers from the nation of Israel.

And at the commencement of the seven-year tribulation, when the peace treaty is signed, you realize it's a tremendous thing to think. The nation of Israel will turn into the greatest missionary-minded nation upon the face of the earth. That little nation over there, Israel, will send out into this world 144,000 preachers of the gospel.

And one day, that'd be quite a commendation meeting, now, wouldn't it? 144,000 preachers. And God has decreed it through his book that for seven years, they will go out into all the world preaching the gospel of the kingdom, the everlasting gospel. God has also decreed that nothing will touch them.

Not one hair of their head will be missing. Nothing will take their life. And as you come to chapter 14, chapter seven, you started with 144,000 at the start of the seven-year tribulation.

Chapter 14, you're at the end of the tribulation period, starting the millennia, and you got 144,000. God is true to his word. Not one were touched.

And these men, as they anticipate, how much you get this? As they anticipate 1,000 years to reign with their Lord. Do you know the effect it has on them? They sing. They just start to sing.

Now, what else happens? This is what I was enjoying about it. You remember from Revelation chapter five that we had golden harps. Now, I have golden harps here, but I'm told that the sound is coming from out of heaven.

I'm told that these 144,000 are standing upon the earth with their king. So what I think, we're the orchestra in heaven. And we're witnessing this scene as we see these 144,000 and the king of kings stand just ready to inaugurate the 1,000-year millennial reign.

And every single one of us strike up our harps. I was gonna do a violin, but I guess that ain't a harp, is it? Let's go this way. And that musical sound just floats down from heaven and touches this earth.

And all of a sudden, those 144,000 teed by that music from heaven, they just start to sing. But notice what it says. They, and they sang as it were a new song.

Never before has this song been heard. Listen, before the throne, before the 4,000 years, and no man could learn that song but the 144,000. That is something that is uniquely their song.

We're not gonna be able to learn it. That's simply what I take from it. We're gonna hear it, but we're not gonna be able to learn it.

You know what I think is so important about that? Listen, dear child, whatever you're doing with Christ, it does mean something. There's a unique thing that is given. I think of the 24 elders of chapter five.

They're given a song for their service. I think of 144,000 that have suffered for seven years. They're given a song.

And then you're gonna discover in a few minutes that we have another group that are given a song. So how's your song? You know, if you don't have Christ in your headlights, it's hard to sing. There's something about enjoying him, isn't there? Just meditating upon him.

I wanna encourage everyone here today, you take time to get to know your savior. Don't let anything push into that private, personal time that you have with him. You know, it's been amazing, you know, as you know, being a preacher, you travel quite a bit.

We have so much technology, as we mentioned today, and it can become so easy to listen to and watch so many things. Do you know what I just started recently doing that I used to do years and years ago? You just load the Bible on your little iPhone, iPad, whatever you wanna put it on. Just put your earphones in, walking through the airport, everybody's gonna think you're listening to rock and roll or whatever.

Music, you know, that's what everybody's listening to today. You just put it on the Bible and just let it start at math. You wanna go to Revelation in a loop.

You know what you'd be amazed at? How the word of God just lifts your spirit. It does. Do you know why? Because I've got life in here given to me by God that responds to this book.

I've got the spirit of God that we heard about this morning that responds to the word of God and just loves to take the word of God and just apply it to me. Nothing like it. Just to have the word of God saturating your mind.

Now, with that being said, let's go to chapter 15 for the final group. Here's what we have in chapter 15. Chapter 15, we're at the end of the tribulation period in the first couple of verses.

And we're just about to enter the millennial reign. And prior to the millennial reign, there is the resurrection, which happens in chapter 20. So this is where this setting comes into play, just prior to the resurrection.

And here's what we have in verse one. Verse, chapter 15, verse one, and I saw another sign in heaven, great and marvelous. Seven angels having the seven last plagues, for in them is filled up the wrath of God.

And I saw, as it were, a sea of glass. Now you go back to chapter four, Revelation, that's the first time you're introduced to the sea of glass. And it's a heavenly scene because the throne is linked with it.

So this is how I know I'm in heaven at this moment. And I saw, as it were, a sea of glass mingle with fire and them, now we got to determine who the them are, and them that had gotten the victory over the beast and over his image and over his mark and over the number of his name, obviously a reference to the whole seven year period of tribulation, stand upon the sea of glass, having the harps of God. And they sing the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the lamb saying, and here's the song, great and marvelous are thy works, Lord God Almighty.

Just and true are thy ways, thou King of saints. I take it that to be the song of Moses. And then verse four is the song of the lamb.

Who shall not fear thee, O Lord, and glorify thy name for thou only are holy, for all nations shall come and worship before thee for thy judgments are made manifest. Who are these people? I'm going to submit to you that they are the martyrs of the seven year period. If you go to chapter five, chapter six, sorry, you're going to discover that there's a group of martyrs that are slain during the three and a half period, the first half of the tribulation period.

Then you come to the chapter seven, there's another group of martyrs that are slain in the last half of the tribulation period. They are slain for the word of God. They stood for their God during tremendous persecution.

Now we come to chapter 15 and they're just about to be resurrected and brought into the millennial kingdom. Chapter 20, you know the effect it has upon them, the anticipation of resurrection. They start to sing.

Tremendous. You know, I like what my brother said about salvation. Sometimes we have such a small view of what God has done for us.

And we get all occupied with, and I know it's a tremendous thing, we get all occupied with, I'm redeemed, I'm never going to be in hell. Now that is worth singing about, okay? Don't get me wrong, that is wonderful. But my brother said, that's only the threshold.

I wouldn't even call that the doorstep to the house. It is so small in relation to what Christ has for us. I mean, do you realize who you're looking at? You're looking at a future ruler in the millennial reign.

Yes, that's awful arrogant to say that. Those people from Canada must be awful arrogant. No, that's on the authority of the word of God.

My sakes, I'm not going to be in some little corner over there, just, you know, the Lord Jesus gives me something to do and says, oh, you just occupy yourself for a couple of million years. I'm going to be front and center with him. What about you? If you're in the church, you're going to be too.

It's not going to be just a minor thing. We're not going to be given, like, the Band-Aid things for the kingdom. We're right at the center of it, right in the core of it.

Dear child of God, let that thrill you. In this world that we're living in, let's take the long look and get occupied with what is coming. This is not fantasy.

I want to emphasize that. This is not something that we just sort of speak about to keep ourselves occupied with until he comes and then it's all gone. No, this is real.

We are going to be in heaven one day. But not enough amen, y'all must be sleeping, eh? My dear, and it's more than that. We're going to be with him in the kingdom reign.

Now, let me just show you. Let's go over to chapter 19 for the effect that this has on heaven. Heavenly individuals and us as well with this we end.

Now, this is not a song, but before I started studying this, I thought this was a song. And then I came to find out that they're just saying things, but I'm sure we can turn it into a song if we really want to. Look at chapter 19.

Now, chapter 19, the setting is amazing. The tribulation period has ended just on the heels of that. If you go a little further into chapter 19, the Lord Jesus is just about to come out of heaven on the horse to come down into this world to set up his kingdom.

Here is the background of just what happens in heaven. Look at 19 verse one. And after these things, I heard a great voice of much people in heaven saying, hallelujah.

It's only found four times in the New Testament and they're all in chapter 19. It's a tremendous word. Our brother was giving us definitions of God's titles in the Old Testament.

Hallelujah means praise Jah, J-A-H. That lovely Hebrew title of God in the Old Testament is the one that rides upon eternity. It's the one that just masters everything.

Everything is within his grasp. So here are these folks in heaven. They say, hallelujah, salvation and glory and honor and power unto the Lord our God.

Come down to verse number three. And again, they said, hallelujah. Verse four, and the four and 20 elders and the four beasts fell down and worshiped God that sat upon the throne saying, amen, hallelujah.

Verse six, and I heard, as it were, the voice of a great multitude as the voice of many waters and as the voice of mighty thunder saying, hallelujah, for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth. Let us be glad and rejoice and give honor to him for the marriage of the lamb has come and his wife has made herself ready. What a thing.

What a scene. I love to think of that expression in verse 19. Heaven opened and I saw heaven opened and the rider on the white horse.

And as the Lord Jesus is coming out of heaven with the armies following him, do you know what's behind them? A massive group saying, hallelujah. The Lord God omnipotent reigneth. And as he sweeps down from heaven, that echo comes down into this world.

So devastated by the judgments of God. What a dark scene. I mean, if you go through the book of Revelation, it's amazing to just take notice of the darkening situation upon this earth.

And I'm a firm believer that the sun will actually go out of existence at the end of the seven year tribulation. Because I believe the Lord is the glory during the millennium. He's the light.

And as this whole scene is just plunged into darkness, as the Lord Jesus tells about his coming as the lightning from the east to the west. Can you imagine as this scene is just bathed in darkness and all of a sudden every eye in this earth looks heavenward and there's just a, well, you just, you can't really find words to express it. The blaze of light and glory and the sound of hallelujah.

Oh, don't dare shout it. Yeah, I might think you're Pentecostal. Don't you sometimes feel like just sort of letting everything go and just let her go? Well, let me encourage you, dear child of God, there is coming a day when we're gonna rejoice.

When we see our savior, that one that was so marred and so humiliated, we're gonna look into that tomorrow in the mind of the Lord in Isaiah 53. And it's not a wonder, Isaiah, that lovely passage that we're taking up starts off with the words of the father. Behold, my servant shall deal prudently.

The plans that God has for his son doesn't just stop at the death, the burial and the resurrection. There's a whole program that God has for his son. And at the end of that program, God will be all in all, everything reconciled, taken him from under the bondage of sin.

And we will stand and worship and sing and serve him forever and ever.