Revelation 5:9-10 And they sang a new song, saying: “You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, because you were slain, and with your blood you purchased for God persons from every tribe and language and people and nation. You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God, and they will reign on the earth.”
The four living creatures and 24 elders sing a new song. Why is this song new? What makes it new? It is one that believers have sung from the earliest days. This song is new because now the scroll has finally be taken by the Lamb and about to be opened. We may sing about this event, but only when it actually happens can the heavenly beings sing it for real.
This passage shows why the Lamb is worthy to open the scroll. The Lamb was slain for the salvation of those who believe. These believers will come from every people group. The gospel will go out around the entire world. People will have the chance to accept or reject Jesus. Those who believe will have a new identity. They will be “in the world but not of the world.” They become a “kingdom of priests” (Exodus 19:5-6; 2 Peter 2:9-10) with the mission of serving God and bringing people to God. A priest should be an intercessor and bridge builder. That is what God has called us to do while we wait.
The last phrase is difficult to interpret: “they will reign on the earth.” The time of this verse implies that this reigning will happen as God’s people are made a kingdom and priests to the rest of the world. If this is the case, this “reigning” is not one of power but of spiritual victory. The world can take our lives physically but never destroy our spirits as long as we are found in Christ.
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