Singing A New Song in Revelation

Singing A New Song in Revelation. 

“The revelation of Jesus Christ…” (Rev. 1:1). John the Divine left no doubt about the purpose of his Book of Revelation. His very first words in his prologue were that his vision was an unveiling of Jesus. His baffling and otherworldly writings in this book were not primarily about future events, or the destiny of human life on planet earth, or all those mysterious activities in the heavenly sphere. John was writing first and foremost about the Person of Christ, and he intended everything in the book to point back to Him. Revelation was a lifting of the veil on the full identity and activity of Christ. It is a revelation of Jesus, from God, concerning Christ Himself. The Godhead is both the primary source of John’s vision and its main subject. Everything in this extended vision that came to John straight from heaven is to be understood through the prism of Christ. Regardless of how dramatic, puzzling or profound its contents, everything in John’s vision is intended to help us discover more of Christ and deepen our knowledge of and love for Him. All these events in Revelation that seem to pique the reader’s curiosity are nonetheless streams that are meant to lead us back to the River of Life. Perhaps it would do us all well if we continue to remind ourselves of Paul’s declaration as we read John’s vision… “I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified.” (1 Corinthians 2:2). So then, we can’t let ourselves get too sidetracked, too stuck in the weeds, with these fancy special effects in John’s vision… the beasts and the dragons and the angels, the numbers and colors and gemstones, the symbols and metaphors and poetic imagery… After all is said and done in Revelation, St. John has composed an essentially Christ-centered book.

Gold Mine: Another way of looking at the book of Revelation is to strap on your miner’s helmet and search for Biblical gold. In John’s vision are many gold mines that have Jesus Christ as the source… Mines like His appearance in His glorified presence, the Logos of God, the seven titles of Christ, the words to the seven churches, the seven Beatitudes, and the many songs of worship that come straight to us from heaven! And there is more! Mining all the gold in Revelation will make us wealthy with His treasure for all of eternal life. But all those fancy special effects in John’s vision are only fool’s gold if they distract us from Jesus.

“And when the Lamb took the scroll, the four living beings and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb. And they sang a new song of praise to the Lamb with these words: ‘You are worthy to take the scroll and break its seals and open it.” (Rev. 5:8-9); “Then I saw the Lamb standing on Mount Zion… And I heard a sound from heaven like the roar of mighty ocean waves or the rolling of loud thunder. It was like the sound of many harpists playing together. This great choir sang a wonderful new song in front of the throne of God.” (Rev. 14:1-3).

The Endless Quest. When it comes to singing a new song to the eternal and almighty Lord, there will always be fresh material for a new composition. Every believer is on the endless quest to discover as much about the character and goodness of God as He is willing to reveal. There is always more to the Lord than we can understand or appreciate, so there is always something new to discover about Him and more to sing about. There will always be new ways to express our praises to God. There are countless reasons for believers to be singing new songs to God: Reasons from the past; Reasons in the present; Reasons for the future.

“Let the upright sing for joy to the Lord; it is fitting for the pure to praise Him. Praise the Lord with melodies on the lyre; make music for Him on the ten-stringed harp. Sing a new song of praise to Him; play skillfully on the harp, and sing with joy.” (Ps. 33:1-3).

1. Singing New Songs because of the PAST: A new understanding of God’s faithfulness during one’s past; a fresh expression of recounting God’s grace in former life experience; an appreciation of new knowledge of God’s miraculous creation and redemption of the world; a new understanding of how God has revealed His character and goodness in past life experiences.

“Sing a new song to the Lord, for He has done wonderful deeds. His right hand has won a mighty victory. His holy arm has shown His saving power! The Lord has announced His victory and has revealed His righteousness to every nation! He has remembered His promise to love and be faithful to Israel. The ends of the earth have seen the victory of our God.” (Ps. 98:1-3).

2. Singing New Songs because of the PRESENT: A fresh experience of God’s lovingkindness which is “new every morning; His mercies never come to an end.” (Lamentations 3:22-23); a new opportunity to seek God’s help and deliverance; a new time of thanksgiving after lamentation or repentance; a spirit-led song of spontaneous praise; a fresh inspiration of a new way to praise God; a renewed gratitude for the daily unfolding of God’s grace.

“Sing a new song to the Lord! Let the whole earth sing to the Lord! Sing to the Lord, praise His name. Each day proclaims the good news that He saves. Publish His glorious deeds among the nations. Tell everyone about the amazing things He does. Great is the Lord! He is most worthy of praise! (Ps. 96:1-4).

3. Singing New Songs because of the FUTURE: A fresh way to express joyful faith in God’s trustworthiness for the future; a new appreciation of the eternal life that lies ahead; “Throughout the Hebrew Bible, the “new song” speaks of the Messianic Age when triumph will ultimately reign over misfortune.” (Dr. David Stern). Rabbinic authorities say, “In the time of the Messiah, every person will urge their neighbor to praise the Lord with the words of a new song.”

A New Song in a New World. “Behold, I make all things new. Consider this! I am making everything to be new and fresh. In fact, I will be making the whole of creation new!” (Revelation 21:5). Anew heaven and new earth to celebrate. The Holy City, the New Jerusalem descending from heaven, where God Himself will dwell with us forever, where He will wipe away every tear and eliminate death; where no one will mourn or weep, and the pain of wounds will no longer exist. We will enjoy eternal fellowship with Jesus and all His beloved. We will sing a new song in all this newness, and the song will never end.

“I will sing a new song to you, O God! I will sing your praises with a ten-stringed harp.” (Ps. 144:9).

“Sing a new song to the Lord! Sing His praises from the ends of the earth! Let the whole world glorify the Lord; let it sing His praise! (Isaiah 42:10, 12).

“I waited patiently for the Lord to help me, and He turned to me and heard my cry. He lifted me out of the pit of despair, out of the mud and the mire. He set my feet on solid ground and steadied me as I walked along. He has given me a new song to sing, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see what He has done and be amazed.” (Ps. 40:1-3).

“Hallelujah! Praise the Lord! Sing to the Lord a new song! Sing His praises in the assembly of the faithful. O Israel, rejoice in your Maker. O people of Jerusalem, exult in your King. Praise His name with dancing (“machol”), accompanied by tambourine and harp. For the Lord delights in His people; He crowns the humble with victory. Let the faithful rejoice that He honors them. Let them sing for joy as they lie on their beds.” (Ps. 149:1-5).  

“New Song” passages in Scripture all have one common element tying them all together… PRAISE! “The area of ancient Israel’s greatest creativity, and so what they did best, was the praise of God.” (Dr. Ellen Davis, Getting Involved with God). Scripture doesn’t define the word “praise,” but it offers plenty of descriptions and numerous praise-words. Praise can be described as an outward expression of gratitude for all that God has done for oneself, for the community, for the world. Praise is a recounting of the many blessings that God has provided in His grace and mercy. Praise is a grateful appreciation of God’s mighty works. Praise is an expression of thanksgiving to the Lord, an acknowledgement of God’s righteous deeds. To praise God is to thank God and celebrate His presence in the world.

“The beginning of prayer is praise. The power of worship is song. First we sing, then we understand. First we praise, then we believe. To praise is to call forth the promise and presence of the Divine. There is no knowledge without love, no truth without praise. The primary purpose of prayer is not to make requests. The primary purpose is to praise, to sing, to chant. Because the essence of prayer is a song, and man cannot live without a song.”  (Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel).