The Roar of Reality Text: Revelation 5:11-14
Introduction: The Sound of the Government
We live in an age that is going deaf. We are surrounded by a constant, cacophonous roar of manufactured noise, political punditry, algorithm-driven outrage, and the incessant whisper of self-worship. And in this din, the average person, including the average Christian, has forgotten what true reality sounds like. We think the important sounds are the shouting on the news or the buzzing of our phones. We think the government of the world is decided in parliaments and voting booths, with the gavel-bang of a committee chairman being the final word.
But the book of Revelation yanks the curtain back. It is an act of divine journalism, showing us what is actually going on behind the flimsy stage-props of our daily news cycle. It shows us the control room of the cosmos. And what we find there is not a debate, not a committee meeting, and not a silent, sterile void. What we find is a throne, and around that throne, a sound. It is the sound of ceaseless, deafening, glorious worship. This is the engine room of the universe. This is the sound of the true government of the world in session.
In the previous verses, a crisis was presented. A scroll, sealed with seven seals, containing the decree of God for the unfolding of history, was held in the right hand of the Father. And the question went out: who is worthy to open it? Who has the authority to unroll God's eternal purpose? And no one was found. Not in heaven, not on earth. No angel, no man, no creature. And John wept, because if that scroll remains sealed, history is meaningless. It is a tale told by an idiot, signifying nothing. But then the Lion of the tribe of Judah, who is also the Lamb that was slain, stepped forward. He took the scroll. He is worthy. And at that act, the redemption of the world was secured, and the government of all things was placed upon His shoulders. What we see in our text today is the explosion of praise that follows. This is not polite applause. This is the roar of reality, the great crescendo of adoration that undergirds and directs all things.
The Text
Then I looked, and I heard the voice 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 slain to receive power and riches and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and blessing."
And every created thing which is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all things in them, I heard saying,
"To Him who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb, be the blessing and the honor and the glory and the might forever and ever."
And the four living creatures kept saying, "Amen." And the elders fell down and worshiped.
(Revelation 5:11-14 LSB)
The Angelic Megachorus (v. 11)
We begin with the first expansion of this heavenly choir.
"Then I looked, and I heard the voice 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," (Revelation 5:11)
John first sees the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders begin the song of the redeemed. But now, that central choir is joined by the next ring out from the throne. It is the voice of "many angels." And John gives us the number. It is "myriads of myriads, and thousands of thousands." A myriad is ten thousand. So we have ten thousand times ten thousand, which is one hundred million, plus thousands of thousands, which is millions more. This is not a number to be precisely calculated, but rather a description of a number that is beyond calculation. It is an innumerable host. This is the same language Daniel used when he saw the Ancient of Days on His throne: "A thousand thousands ministered to Him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before Him" (Dan. 7:10). This is the royal court of the King of kings.
These are the unfallen angels, the loyal servants of God who have witnessed all of cosmic history. They watched the creation. They saw the fall of their brother, Lucifer. They saw the fall of man. They have seen every empire rise and fall. And now they see the climax of it all. They see the Lamb, who is their Creator, take the scroll, and they erupt. Notice their position: they are "around the throne and the living creatures and the elders." The representatives of redeemed humanity are closest to the throne, and the angels surround them. This is a picture of the stunning grace of God. We, the fallen, are brought nearer than the unfallen. The angels are ministering spirits, but we are sons.
The Sevenfold Acclamation (v. 12)
And what is it that this immeasurable angelic host declares?
"saying with a loud voice, 'Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and blessing.'" (Revelation 5:12)
First, their voice is loud. This is not a mumbled, half-hearted liturgical response. This is a full-throated, universe-shaking roar. This is the sound of absolute, unreserved conviction. And their song is a declaration of worthiness. The central question of the chapter was, "Who is worthy?" The answer is the Lamb. And why is He worthy? Because He was slain. His worthiness, His authority to rule, is grounded in His atoning sacrifice. He is not worthy because He is a lion who crushed His enemies. He is worthy because He was a lamb who was slain by them, and in being slain, He conquered them all.
Because of this, He is worthy to receive a seven-fold tribute. Seven is the biblical number of perfection and completeness. This is the fullness of all prerogatives. He receives power, the omnipotence to govern all things. He receives riches, all the wealth of the cosmos is His. He receives wisdom, the omniscience to direct all things to their proper end. He receives strength, the might to execute His will. He receives honor, the respect due to His station. He receives glory, the manifestation of His infinite worth. And He receives blessing, the praise and adoration of all His creatures.
This is a direct and unambiguous declaration of the deity of Jesus Christ. If Jesus were a mere creature, an archangel or a prophet, then this scene would be blasphemous idolatry. The angels are ascribing to the Lamb the very attributes and worship that belong to God alone. This is the point. The Lamb is God. The one who was slain on a Roman cross is the one who holds the universe together.
The Cosmic Congregation (v. 13)
But the song does not stop with the angels. It expands to the furthest reaches of the created order.
"And every created thing which is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all things in them, I heard saying, 'To Him who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb, be the blessing and the honor and the glory and the might forever and ever.'" (Revelation 5:13)
This is the final, ultimate choir. It is all-encompassing. "Every created thing." John leaves no room for exceptions. In heaven, that is the angels and the redeemed. On the earth, that is mankind, and even the beasts of the field and the trees of the forest. Under the earth, this includes those in the grave, and even, in their own way, the defeated demonic hosts who must acknowledge His lordship. And on the sea, all the creatures of the deep. This is Psalm 148 in its final fulfillment. The sun, moon, stars, sea monsters, mountains, and kings all join the chorus.
This is what Paul describes in Philippians, that because of Christ's humiliation, God has highly exalted Him, "so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father" (Phil. 2:10-11). Some will bow the knee in joyful adoration. Others will bow the knee in resentful subjugation. But every knee will bow. Every creature will acknowledge the lordship of Christ.
And notice who they praise. They praise "Him who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb." The Father and the Son are worshiped together, co-equally. The blessing, honor, glory, and might are ascribed to them both, forever. There is no jealousy in the Godhead. To worship the Son is to worship the Father. This is the central reality of the universe: the triune God, Father and Son and Holy Spirit, receiving all praise from all things for all time.
The Final Amen (v. 14)
The scene concludes with the innermost circle responding to this cosmic roar.
"And the four living creatures kept saying, 'Amen.' And the elders fell down and worshiped." (Revelation 5:14)
The four living creatures, who represent all of the living, non-human creation, punctuate this universal anthem with their "Amen." This is the solemn, covenantal affirmation. It means "so be it," "let it be established," "this is true." They are the designated responders for the whole creation, and they give their hearty assent.
And the elders, the representatives of the redeemed Church of all ages, have no more words. The praise has reached a height that language cannot scale. All that is left is the posture of worship. They fall down. They prostrate themselves before the throne. This is the end for which we were made. Not just to sing, but to be so overwhelmed by the worthiness of God and the Lamb that we are undone, cast down in silent, prostrate adoration.
Conclusion: Tuning Your Ears
This is not just a glimpse of a far-off future reality. This is what is happening right now. This worship is the constant, thrumming reality that upholds the world. The reason the sun rises, the reason the planets stay in their orbits, the reason your heart continues to beat, is because of the worthiness of the Lamb. All of history is the unfolding of the contents of that scroll He holds in His hand.
The problem is not that this worship is not happening. The problem is that our ears are stopped up. We are tuned to the wrong frequencies. We listen to the static of this fallen world and think it is the only station on the dial. But worship, particularly our corporate worship on the Lord's Day, is an act of spiritual warfare. It is how we retune our hearts. When we gather and sing these same truths, when we declare that Christ is worthy, we are not just encouraging ourselves. We are aligning ourselves with the central reality of the cosmos. We are joining the song that is already being sung.
Every time you confess that Jesus is Lord, you are adding your voice to the myriads of myriads. Every time you bow in prayer, you are joining the elders on their faces. Every act of obedience to the slain and risen Lamb is your personal "Amen" to the government of God. So do not be discouraged by the noise of the world. Do not be intimidated by the bluster of petty tyrants on the earth. Their kingdoms are shadows, their noise is static. There is a louder sound. There is a greater throne. There is a King who was slain and is now worthy to receive all power and honor and glory. Listen for that sound. Join that song. For that song is the final word.