Rev.5:11,12 – Then I looked, and I heard the voices of many angels around the throne and the living creatures and the elders; and the number of them was myriads of myriads, and thousands of thousands, saying with a loud voice,
“Worthy is the Lamb that was slaughtered to receive power, wealth, wisdom, might, honor, glory, and blessing.”
One of the themes seen in all of John’s writings from his gospel, his letters, and the book of Revelation is the clear message of the deity of Christ. In his gospel he starts with “in the beginning was the Word, the Word, the Word was with God and the Word was God”. It really doesn’t get any more direct than that. The first epistle of John was written to answer that very question, Jesus is God in the flesh. In Revelation John is caught up into heaven and sees the Lamb of God being worshipped by the redeemed and the angels as God. He is very clear about who he was talking about. Here is a quote from the New Covenant Commentary that describes this passage.
“Just as the eternal God is “worthy to receive glory,” so too the Lamb, who above was noted as “able to open the scroll”, is now praised as the One worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals. And just as God the Father was acclaimed worthy “because [he] created all things,” so now the Lamb is acclaimed as worthy because you were slain, a death that had the redemption of all peoples as its goal. Their song begins by acclaiming the means of his redeeming act, with your blood, thus intentionally using language from the Old Testament sacrificial system to heighten its affect. The song then proclaims the effect of that act, you purchased for God, now echoing language from Psalm 74:2, where the psalmist reminds God, as it were, that he had “purchased” Israel to be his own people. It then concludes with the breadth of the Lamb’s redemption, members of every tribe and language and people and nation.”
This has been the dividing line between false teachers and the true over the centuries, “who do you say that Jesus is?” He is more than a prophet or an angel, Jesus is the very image of God. In the last days there will certainly be another push back about who Jesus is. Once you know for yourselves you know. One glimpse of Jesus for yourself will settle everything. All that is left for us to do is join in with the heavenly song.
