Christ’s triumph over death signals victory over the forces of evil, a victory in which believers participate even now.
In his commentary on Revelation 5:9 Greg Beale writes, “In the OT a ‘new song’ is always an expression of praise for God’s victory over the enemy, sometimes including thanksgiving for God’s work of creation.” Examples include Psalm 33:3, 40:3, 96:1, 98:1, 144:9, 149:1; Isaiah 42:10; Revelation 5:9, 14:3 (respective ESV text below):
“Sing to him a new song; play skillfully on the strings, with loud shouts.”
“He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God. Many will see and fear, and put their trust in the LORD.”
“Oh sing to the LORD a new song; sing to the LORD, all the earth!”
“Oh sing to the LORD a new song, for he has done marvelous things! His right hand and his holy arm have worked salvation for him.”
“I will sing a new song to you, O God; upon a ten-stringed harp I will play to you.”
“Praise the LORD! Sing to the LORD a new song, his praise in the assembly of the godly!”
“Sing to the LORD a new song, his praise from the end of the earth, you who go down to the sea, and all that fills it, the coastlands and their inhabitants.”
“And they sang a new song, saying, "Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation.”
“And they were singing a new song before the throne and before the four living creatures and before the elders. No one could learn that song except the 144,000 who had been redeemed from the earth.”
What this implies is that the “new song” of Revelation 5:9 (referenced again in 14:3) results from God’s victory over the enemy and his work of new creation. In this post I’d like to address two questions:
Over whom (or what) is God victorious?
What exactly is God now creating?
Revelation 5:1-14 provides a continuation of John’s throne room vision of 4:1-11. John the Seer has been “invited up” into a heavenly realm where he witnesses One seated upon a throne praised perpetually by all of God’s people (throughout the ages; i.e., the 24 Elders) and all of God’s creation (i.e., the Four Living Creatures).
In chapter 5, however, everything changes. A seven-sealed scroll appears in the hand of the One seated upon the throne and no one in heaven, or on earth, or under the earth is found worthy (or authorized) to open the scroll. The scroll is a symbol of God’s decrees of judgment and salvation and an outline of the inheritance which awaits believers who endure.
Finally, one is found worthy to open the scroll and read (and execute) its contents: the victorious Lion of Judah, who appears as a bloodied sacrificial Lamb: i.e., Jesus Christ. The scene in Revelation 5 is not a glimpse into the far distant future but a heavenly version of the earthly tale depicting Christ’s life, death, and resurrection.
As Jesus endures faithfully on earth and is crucified, dead, and then raised, this is what John sees in heaven. The execution, burial, and resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth is seen by John as the victory of the Lion of Judah, the sacrifice of a divine Passover Lamb. With this, authorization is granted to Christ to both reveal and execute God’s will in history.
At the resurrection of Jesus, the tune in heaven suddenly changes key, and the heavenly hosts begin to sing a “new song” on paradigm with “new songs” sung in the OT.
First, this “new song” signifies God’s victory over enemy forces. But, over whom is God victorious through the life, death, and resurrection of Christ?
It’s not the Romans, since before and after, they remain clearly sovereign in the land of Israel. It’s not the Pharisees, since they too maintain privilege and honor despite Christ’s death. It’s not non-believers, since they flourish throughout the Mediterranean in the first century and beyond. So, who is it? What enemy is defeated at Christ’s resurrection?
The enemy defeated at Christ’s resurrection is neither political, nor religious, nor earthly, but is rather spiritual in nature. In Ephesians 6:12 we read, “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers of this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.”
Christ’s resurrection thus constitutes D-Day against such “spiritual forces.” It is true that V-Day has yet to come. But Christ’s triumph over death signals victory over the forces of evil, a victory in which believers participate even now.
This means, friends, that by sharing spiritually in the resurrection of Christ now, we gain victory over the forces of greed, hate, jealousy, strife, anger, division, and pride. When those forces run rampant in our families, our communities, our churches, we must stop and say, “Such forces have been defeated at the resurrection of Christ.”
The “new song” that is sung in heaven and thus mirrored in our earthly faith communities is a song of God’s victory over the harmful forces of darkness which have plagued human society from the very beginning. As Christians, i.e., sharers in the resurrection of Christ already, we must claim victory over all such forces even now.
Second, this “new song” signifies thanksgiving for God’s creation. But, what is God creating through Christ’s resurrection?
In 2 Corinthians 5:14-17 we read, “The love of Christ controls us, because we have concluded this: that one has died for all, therefore all have died. He died for all so that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised. From now on, then, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we once regarded Christ according to the flesh, we regard him thus no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, there is new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.”
Jesus Christ is said to be “the firstborn from among the dead,” “the first fruits of the new creation,” “the re-heading of humanity itself.” The resurrection of Jesus thus entails the birth of a new world entirely.
This is a world with different values, different rules, different vision, and different hope than the old world we are used to. It’s a world in which peace, justice, love, and grace, are prized above all the values our world has held dear. It’s a world in which people of different generations, different nationalities, different perspectives, join as one spiritual family, bound by their common allegiance to Jesus Christ.
The “new song” that is sung on Easter declares victory over evil and new creation. These are not realities we look forward to in the future, however. They are available to us right now.
When division, jealousy, anger, pride, and greed reign supreme, we are not living in the new world Christ has opened. But when unity, love, justice, humility, and grace reign supreme, Christ is seen seated on the throne at the right hand of God the Father in heaven.
This Easter, let us live in that world, not the old one. Let us honor the cosmic work of Christ by living fully in this new reality.
“Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing!” And all of God’s people said… Amen.
Jonah Bissell
Pastor