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Revelation 5:11-14  Worthy is the Lamb

[Posted August 8, 2009]

Updated April 12, 2024

Rev 5:11  And I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne and the beasts and the elders: and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands;
Rev 5:12  Saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing.
Rev 5:13  And every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying, Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever.
Rev 5:14  And the four beasts said, Amen. And the four and twenty elders fell down and worshipped him that liveth for ever and ever.

Introduction

These four verses conclude the spirit’s description of this heavenly scene and all the events which surround the throne of God in the heavens. In these verses we have a proclamation by all the hosts of heaven, that the Lamb which was slain is worthy to receive power and riches and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and blessing. We are also told that every creature which is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and such as are in the sea and all that are in them, ‘heard I saying, Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever.’ These verses end with the four beasts and the four and twenty elders also falling down and worshiping “Him that lives for ever and ever.”

This incredible proclamation concerns the glory and honor that is given to our heavenly Father and the “Lamb” by every creature which is in heaven and in earth, and it comes right on the heels of the revelation that the Lamb is the only creature in all of God’s creation who was found worthy to open the book in the Father’s right hand and to loose its seals. It is this revelation itself which prompts the proclamation of God’s glory from every creature in heaven and in earth.

That revelation of the function of the Lamb of God in all the Father does involves “every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.”

Mat 4:4  But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.

So let’s take each of these verses and ask our selves what it is the spirit is telling us? What is in this book we are to “live by?”

The first thing we must understand is what and where is heaven.

Rev 5:11  And I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne and the beasts and the elders: and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands;

We will glean nothing from our studies if we allow the doctrines of Babylon and the mind of the natural man to dominate our thoughts. Let’s remember where all of this is taking place.

Rev 4:1  After this I looked, and, behold, a door was opened in heaven: and the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me; which said, Come up hither, and I will shew thee things which must be hereafter.
Rev 4:2  And immediately I was in the spirit: and, behold, a throne was set in heaven, and one sat on the throne.

Chapter 4 describes these heavens and the throne that is set in the heavens. This entire vision is being viewed from that heavenly perspective. It involves the earth, but the earth is also seen from a heavenly perspective. So both “the new heavens and the new earth” are viewed from a heavenly perspective. Where are these heavens? If we do not know and remember where all of this is taking place, we will understand nothing we are reading. If we do not know where heaven is, the seven seals are not yet being loosed for us from the words in this book. If we do not  know what and where heaven is then we will not understand what we are reading and this book will still be tightly “sealed with seven seals”

We have already established in great detail that God “dwells in the heavens.”

Psa 2:4  He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: the Lord shall have them in derision.

On what is He “sitting in the heavens?”

Psa 103:19  The LORD hath prepared his throne in the heavens; and his kingdom ruleth over all.

Christ Himself tells us that God’s throne is in the heavens.

Mat 23:22  And he that shall swear by heaven, sweareth by the throne of God, and by him that sitteth thereon.

So when we think of where God dwells and sits upon His throne it should always be very clear.

Psa 115:3  But our God is in the heavens: he hath done whatsoever he hath pleased.

“Our God is in the heavens”, and that is where He dwells.

 Psa 123:1 <A Song of degrees.> Unto thee lift I up mine eyes, O thou that dwellest in the heavens.

The natural Babylonian mind reading this is thinking… “Everyone already knows that God is seated on His throne on planet ‘heaven’ out there somewhere far beyond anything what can be viewed by either  the Hubble or the Webb space telescopes. So what is all of this telling us that we don’t already know concerning the revelation of Jesus Christ, and this incredible throne scene we are now witnessing here in chapters 4 and 5?” Here is what we are being told if we have been given “eyes that see and ears that hear… the things of the spirit.”

1Co 3:16  Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?
1Co 3:17  If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are.

It is the “mercy seat” which is covered by the wings of the cherubims, which typifies the throne of God in heaven, and from whence He speaks and from whence He orders His creation.

Exo 25:22  And there I will meet with thee, and I will commune with thee from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubims which are upon the ark of the testimony, of all things which I will give thee in commandment unto the children of Israel.

Notice that God calls His throne ‘a seat of mercy.’ He does not call it ‘the seat of eternal vengeance’ from which He will supposedly relegate the vast majority of His creatures to eternal torment in literal flames of fire.

God’s throne of mercy is within each of us. “Ye are the temple of God and… the spirit of God dwells within you”.

That is the location of “the heaven” of which we are learning in this revelation of Jesus Christ. It is located in the heavens which are the dwelling place of God. “Know ye not that… the spirit of God dwells in you.”

So this whole vision is a vision of what happens within the hearts and minds of the children of God in whom His spirit dwells.

1Co 6:19  What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?

2Co 6:16  And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.

We have been told that we are to “keep the things written therein,” meaning the things in this book, sealed with seven seals, in the right hand of God, who is sitting on His throne in the heavens of our hearts and minds. We are about to learn what the opening of those seven seals will reveal to us. The first four seals are called ‘the four horsemen of the apocalypse.’ The last of the seven seals is called “seven trumpets”. The seventh trumpet is called “the seven last plagues. All seven seals hide the revelation of Jesus Christ from the eyes of the natural carnal minded man. One way they do so is by using words which sound like they are speaking of things which could not possibly be within you and me, within the heavens of God’s throne, where He dwells and where He has “prepared His throne” within us.

Is there actually an innumerable heavenly host within us? Yes, there is. Consider these words of our Lord:

Mat 18:10  Take heed that ye despise not one of these little ones; for I say unto you, That in heaven their angels do always behold the face of my Father which is in heaven.

Christ and His Father, our Heavenly Father, are in heaven with the angels of “these little ones.” This tells us the same thing that Romans 1:20 tells us. It informs us that the invisible things of God are understood by the things that are made.

Rom 1:20  For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:

One thing for certain which “the things that are made” teach us is that there are ‘heavens’ and virtual universes within us. Modern science has made this Biblical Truth to be “clearly seen.” “The voice of many angels round about the throne… the beasts and the elders: and the number of them [being] ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands” are all within the limitless heavens within our hearts and minds.

“The things that are made” demonstrate that there is nothing written in this book that is not capable of taking place within the heavens, where the spirit of God dwells within each of us.

In Christ’s own words, the entire “kingdom of God is within you.”

Luk 17:20  And when he was demanded of the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God should come, he answered them and said, The kingdom of God cometh not with observation:
Luk 17:21  Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you.

“We shall be glorified together with Him”

Rev 5:12  Saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing.

Verse 11 tells us that the beasts and the elders and all of the heavenly host are those who proclaim that the Lamb is worthy to receive power and riches and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and blessing. Who is sitting there on that throne with the Lamb? Here is who is sitting with Christ in His Father’s throne. Who was chosen in Christ before the world began?

Mat 19:28  And Jesus said unto them, Verily I say unto you, That ye which have followed me, in the regeneration when the Son of man shall sit in the throne of his glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.

Who are those which have followed Christ? Is Christ telling us that only the 12 apostles will be sitting with Him on twelve thrones, and the rest of us will not sit with Him in His kingdom? No, that is not what “ye which have followed me” means, and that is not what ‘twelve thrones’ means. Let’s look at what is some more of the sum of God’s word concerning who is sitting with Christ in His Father’s throne.

Rev 3:21  To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne.

Once again we see that the number twelve simply implies those who form the foundation of the kingdom of God. Once again we see that Christ’s body of overcomers are those who are “seated with Him in the heavens”; seated “with My Father in His throne.” All who are in Christ have been granted to “sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus.”

Why are the overcomers chosen to rule with Christ and His Father? It is because there is so much to be done to bring all mankind of all time to God in the oncoming ages.

Eph 2:6  And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly [places] in Christ Jesus:
Eph 2:7  That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.

Rev 20:4  And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received [his] mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.

‘Judgment was given unto them.” Christ will hand the work of judgment over to us just as His Father has handed the work of judgment over to Christ.

Joh 9:39  And Jesus said, For judgment I am come into this world, that they which see not might see; and that they which see might be made blind.

Joh 20:21  Then said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you: as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you.

This is not to say that Christ is, at this time, judging this world. He is not, but that is what He will do through His elect, and that is why He came into this world, but it will be “each in his own order.” God’s order is that “judgment must first begin at the house of God.”

1Pe 4:17  For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?

So “the time has come that judgment must begin at the house of God.” What happens when God’s judgments are finally “in the earth?” Here is the result of God’s judgments. It has never failed, and it never will fail, simply because the Lord has said so.

Isa 26:9  With my soul have I desired thee in the night; yea, with my spirit within me will I seek thee early: for when thy judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness.

God’s elect are being judged first. They are overcoming the pulls of their flesh now and are “learning righteousness,” even in these vessels of clay. It is through Christ within us and living in us that we are “counted worthy” to suffer with Him and to be glorified with Him.

Act 5:41  And they [the apostles] departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for his name.
Act 5:42  And daily in the temple, and in every house, they ceased not to teach and preach Jesus Christ.

2Th 1:4  So that we ourselves glory in you in the churches of God for your patience and faith in all your persecutions and tribulations that ye endure:
2Th 1:5  [Which is] a manifest token of the righteous judgment of God, that ye may be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which ye also suffer:

2Ti 2:12  If we suffer, we shall also reign with him: if we deny him, he also will deny us:

To be with Christ in His throne, we must suffer with Him in the flesh. That is the formula God has devised. However, the sufferings of those who will rule with Christ are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is being bestowed upon the overcomers of whom we are learning that Christ is being revealed in them. This was all planned by the Father “before the world began.”

Rom 8:17  And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint- heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.
Rom 8:18  For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.

1Co 2:7  But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory:

2Ti 1:9  Who hath saved us, and called [ us] with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began,

Tit 1:2  In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began;

Rev 5:13  And every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying, Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever.

It is in this verse we learn that the verb, ‘heard’ in the phrase “hear I…” the blessing and honor and glory and power given to “Him that sits upon the throne, and unto the Lamb” is in the aorist tense, demonstrating that this blessing is extended to the Lamb, and all those who are seated with Him in His Father’s throne by all who have ever been, both in the heavens and in the earth. Verse 11 makes it clear that all the heavenly host will worship the Lamb and “he that sits upon the throne.” Revelation 3:21 makes it clear that the overcomers ‘sit upon the throne’ with Christ and with His Father.

Rev 3:21  To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne.

“Every creature in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea” gives us the all-inclusive nature of this great blessing pronounced upon those who are seated with Christ in His throne.

It is these blessings pronounced upon those who are on the throne of God, here in this fifth chapter to which the words, “blessed and holy” in chapter 20 refer in this verse:

Rev 20:6  Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.

The phrase, “under the earth” refers to all men who are under the dominion of the Lord’s own rebellious people. Speaking to His own rebellious apostate people we are told:

Jer 22:29  O earth, earth, earth, hear the word of the LORD.

“Such as are in the sea” includes all who are “in the sea” of the carnal-minded fleshly seed of “the first man Adam.”

Rev 13:1  And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy.

The fact that the phrase ‘I heard’ is in the aorist tense demonstrates the fact that God’s Word never passes away and is applicable to every generation since Christ’s death and resurrection, including the present and the future. God is working all things, and He is working them for good. This 13th verse is a perfect example of how God speaks of those things which are not as though they were.

Mat 24:34  Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled.
Mat 24:35  Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.

2Co 5:18  And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation;

Rom 4:17  (As it is written, I have made thee a father of many nations,) before him whom he believed, even God, who quickeneth the dead, and calleth those things which be not as though they were.

It is those who are in Christ who are the true “seed of Abraham”, and in Christ all the promises are “by us, yes.”

2Co 1:20  For all the promises of God in him are yea, and in him Amen, unto the glory of God by us.

Christ “has given us the ministry of reconciliation”, and “all the promises of God, in Christ are yes, and in Him Amen, unto the glory of God, by us“, and we are seated “with Him in His throne.” What an incredible honor we have been given!

Rev 5:14  And the four beasts said, Amen. And the four and twenty elders fell down and worshipped him that liveth for ever and ever.

The capstone of praise to Christ and His Father comes from the rulers and the judges of all things and heaven and in the earth. It comes from the four beasts and from the four and twenty elders, who along with the 144,000 are the recognized rulers of this earth and all who are yet to be brought to Christ through them.

Rev 5:8  And when he had taken the book, the four beasts and four [and] twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps, and golden vials full of odours, which are the prayers of saints.
Rev 5:9  And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation;
Rev 5:10  And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.

The holy spirit, through the apostle Paul and through this book of Revelation, shows us that the rulership of the overcomers extends beyond this physical earth.

1Co 6:2  Do ye not know that the saints shall judge the world? and if the world shall be judged by you, are ye unworthy to judge the smallest matters?
1Co 6:3  Know ye not that we shall judge angels? how much more things that pertain to this life?

Eph 3:9  And to make all men [of all time] see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ:
Eph 3:10  To the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places might be known by the church the manifold wisdom of God,
Eph 3:11  According to the eternal purpose which he purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord:
Eph 3:12 In whom we have boldness and access with confidence by the faith of him.

Summary

We have seen in verse 11 that the thousands time ten thousands and thousands of thousands in the innumerable heavenly kingdom, as well as the entire kingdom of God which is also called “the kingdom of heaven” is all within us, according the the words of our Lord Himself in Luke 17:20-21. We reviewed just how important to the understanding of the rest of this book, it is that we remember this whole prophecy is taking place in the heavens within us.

We have seen that the glory given Christ in verse 12 is also promised to the overcomers in Revelation 3:21. It is here that Christ promised that those who overcome would be sitting with Him on His throne and would be glorified together with him. The effect of this promise is that we, in Christ, partake of all these praises and the power and the glory which are lavished upon Him as the Lamb “slain from the foundation of the world.” We saw that we, too, were chosen “in Him from before the world began.”

Verse 13 makes it clear that we, in Christ, are not only given praise and glory from the heavenly hosts, but also from all who are in the earth, under the earth or in the sea. In other word, the overcomers who are found worthy to sit with Christ in His throne, are given the judgment and the praise of both this world and the angels of the heavens in the lake of fire.

Verse 14 comes to the praise which those who are glorified with Christ then afford to Christ and to His Father. It is the four beasts and the four and twenty elders, who we saw last week are the same as the 144,000 firstfruits of God, who bow down and give all the glory to Christ and to His Father, where it all belongs.

Next week we will begin our study in the sixth chapter. This chapter is where the seals are being opened and we are given the knowledge of what we are to “keep that is written therein.” It is in this chapter that we will see just how important it is that we remember what and where heaven is, and what all is in the heavens and what all is in the kingdom of God. The natural man cannot receive these words concerning the things which John tells us is seen through a door which is opened in the heavens.

Here, Lord willing, are the verses we will cover next week.

Rev 6:1  And I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals, and I heard, as it were the noise of thunder, one of the four beasts saying, Come and see.
Rev 6:2  And I saw, and behold a white horse: and he that sat on him had a bow; and a crown was given unto him: and he went forth conquering, and to conquer.
Rev 6:3  And when he had opened the second seal, I heard the second beast say, Come and see.
Rev 6:4  And there went out another horse [ that was] red: and [ power] was given to him that sat thereon to take peace from the earth, and that they should kill one another: and there was given unto him a great sword.
Rev 6:5  And when he had opened the third seal, I heard the third beast say, Come and see. And I beheld, and lo a black horse; and he that sat on him had a pair of balances in his hand.
Rev 6:6  And I heard a voice in the midst of the four beasts say, A measure of wheat for a penny, and three measures of barley for a penny; and [ see] thou hurt not the oil and the wine.
Rev 6:7  And when he had opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth beast say, Come and see.
Rev 6:8  And I looked, and behold a pale horse: and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him. And power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with sword, and with hunger, and with death, and with the beasts of the earth.