(This post is a chapter from my upcoming book, “Studies in Revelation 5:6 – 20:15,” which I hope to publish in the third quarter of 2024.)

TIME PERIOD OF THIS SCENE: The beginning of the thousand years

PRECEDING SCENE: Rev. 20:1-3. Jesus binds Satan in the abyss for the thousand years.

FEATURES OF THIS SCENE: After completing His mission of death and resurrection, the victorious Lamb arrives in heaven (~AD 32) to the praises of the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders and myriads of myriads of angels. The Lamb takes the book from the One who sits on the throne and prepares to break its seven seals.

SCENE THAT FOLLOWS: Rev. 6:1-2. The first seal and the rider on the white horse with the bow.

BRIEF REVIEW: We have finished our study of Rev. 20:1-6 in which the thousand years are explicitly mentioned, but we have not finished our study of the scenes in Revelation which take place during the thousand years. Rev. 5:6-14 occurs at the very beginning of the thousand years as the victorious Lamb returns to heaven, having perfectly accomplished the work the Father gave Him to do (John 17:4; 19:30). Consistent with our view of Rev. 20:1-3, we would say that this scene takes place around AD 32. Jesus has died and been raised from the dead; He has commissioned His church (Matt. 28:19-20; Acts 1:8) and He has bound Satan (Rev. 20:1-3). Now it is time for Him to take His seat at the Father’s right hand (Psalm 110:1; etc.) and to open the seals of the scroll.

5:6-8. The Lamb appears and takes the book out of the right hand of Him who sat on the throne. Then the heavenly beings begin to praise the Lamb.

⁹ And they *sang a new song, saying,

“Worthy are You to take the book and to break its seals; for You were slain, and purchased for God with Your blood men from every tribe and tongue and people and nation.

¹⁰ “You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to our God; and they will reign upon the earth.” – Revelation 5:9-10

5:9-10. These words of praise for the Lamb are full of meaning.

The four living creatures and the twenty-four elders “sang a new song.”

WORTHY. Their new song begins with “Worthy are You to take the book.” The key word is “Worthy.” Earlier we had seen that the living creatures and the twenty-four elders had worshipped Him who sits on the throne, Him who lives forever and ever, saying, “Worthy are You, our Lord and our God” (Rev. 4:10-11). Then in heaven a strong angel had asked, “Who is worthy to open the book and to break its seals?” (5:2). The new song answers that question. The Lamb who was slain is worthy. As the Lord our God who sits on the throne is worthy, so the Lamb who was slain is worthy. “Worthy is the Lamb that was slain” (Rev. 5:12).

PURCHASED WITH HIS BLOOD. The Lamb “purchased with His blood men from every tribe and tongue and people and nation” (5:9). This is obviously speaking of Christ’s atonement on the cross. But who specifically are these whom the Lamb purchased? The answer is that with His blood the Lamb has atoned for every person who will ever be saved. In all the universe, there is only one place where atonement has ever been made and will ever be made. Atonement for all who will ever be saved was made by Jesus in His death on the cross. The theological fact is that the only place and time that the redeemed could ever have been purchased was when Jesus uttered, “Τετέλεσται,” on the cross and bowed His head and gave up His spirit (John 19:30). So, all who were ever purchased were purchased at the cross.

PURCHASED FOR GOD. And we also see that Jesus purchased these for God. Jesus poured out His blood “to purchase for God people from every tribe and tongue and people and nation.” The Lord Jesus did not shed His blood (i.e., die) to purchase nothing. Rather, in His death on the cross Jesus’ blood purchased people for God, and Jesus’ resurrection confirmed that the transaction was accepted by God. Those for whom Jesus died were actually purchased with His blood for God. Jesus’ atonement really atoned, and those for whom Jesus atoned will be saved.

We have thus seen that Jesus atoned for all the sins of all those who will ever be saved and He purchased for God only those who will be saved. Therefore, we conclude that Jesus the Messiah purchased for God with His blood all the elect (Eph. 1:4; etc.) and none other.

NOTE ON REV. 14:3, 4 AND THE 144,000: In a future study we will be looking at Rev. 14:3, where we will once again see the word “purchased.” “The 144,000 had been purchased from the earth.” We will see that the 144,000 in Rev. 14:3 must be the same group that the Lamb purchased in Rev. 5:9 and, therefore, must also represent all the elect.

Before we continue with the interpretation of this passage, we should note two things. First, we remember when this scene is taking place. This scene in heaven of the victorious Lamb occurs at ~AD 32, at the very beginning of the thousand years. Second, we observe that, in this scene, there are no saints in heaven, at least none that John mentions. Both of these are significant details.

PURCHASED BUT NOT YET PRESENT. Because Revelation is biblical prophecy, the default paradigm for interpretation is figurative and symbolic (See “Introduction.”) Thus even the visions themselves may be best understood figuratively. That is, in fact, the case here. Notice who we see in heaven in this passage. Besides the Lamb we see the four living creatures, the twenty-four elders (5:8) and “myriads of myriads, and thousands of thousands” of angels (5:11), but we do not see any people, whether souls or saints. Where are they?

The answer is that there are no souls or saints mentioned because there are none in heaven when this vision occurs. The vision presents the situation in heaven at ~AD 32 at the very beginning of the thousand years when the commissioned church is in its infancy and the ingathering of the nations has only barely begun. Of course, if we were speaking literally, we would see heaven already populated by numerous Old Testament saints, but we are viewing a figurative vision of heaven as “the church” (basically, the apostles and a few others) prepares for the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. So, in the vision, we see no saints in heaven. The Lamb has purchased “a great multitude which no one could count from every nation, etc.” (Rev. 7:9), but that great multitude has not yet been gathered from the nations. Every member of the great multitude has already been purchased for God by the atoning blood of the Lamb, but (figuratively) none of them have heard the gospel call demanding repentance and faith in the Lord Jesus, and so none of them have been saved so as to appear in heaven. (Contrast this scene with the scene in Rev. 20:4-6, which takes place during the thousand years, where we explicitly see souls in heaven reigning with Christ. These souls are those who heard the gospel call while they were living and believed in the Lord Jesus for salvation.)

The point is that, at this point in time, atonement has been made by the victorious Lamb, but the commissioned church has not yet used “the bow” of the gospel to conquer the nations (Rev. 6:2) and to gather in the great multitude of the elect.

5:11-14. These verses describe the worship that the worthy Lamb receives from all the heavenly beings for His magnificent work of atonement. “Worthy is the Lamb that was slain” (5:12).         

Soli Deo gloria            rmb                 5/6/2024                     #699