Singing with the Angels

[Radagast]

I'd like to do a thread working through Robert Coleman's wonderful book Singing with the Angels. This book studies 14 specific passages in Revelation which are songs of heavenly praise to God. I am expecting to look at a few passages each week, and please, jump in with your thoughts.

However, to avoid derailment, any posts on this thread outside of those 14 passages will be considered off-topic and reported to the mods.

As a taste of what's ahead, the 14 passages are:

1. The Anthem of the Triune God – Revelation 4:8
2. The Creation Hymn – Revelation 4:11
3. The New Song of Redemption – Revelation 5:9-10
4. The Angels’ Chorale – Revelation 5:12
5. The Crescendo of the Universe – Revelation 5:13-14
6. The Martyr’s Canticle – Revelation 6:10
7. The Song of Salvation – Revelation 7:10
8. The Antiphonal Amen – Revelation 7:12
9. The Kingdom Carol – Revelation 11:15
10. The Psalm of Judgment – Revelation 11:17-18
11. The Shout of the Overcomers – Revelation 12:10-12
12. The Song of Moses and the Lamb – Revelation 15:3-4
13. The Hallelujah Chorus – Revelation 19:1-4
14. The Symphony of the Marriage Feast – Revelation 19:6-7

 

[Radagast]

The first passage is the second part of Revelation 4:8. Let's give it some context, starting at verse 2:

At once I was in the Spirit, and behold, a throne stood in heaven, with one seated on the throne. And he who sat there had the appearance of jasper and carnelian, and around the throne was a rainbow that had the appearance of an emerald. Around the throne were twenty-four thrones, and seated on the thrones were twenty-four elders, clothed in white garments, with golden crowns on their heads. From the throne came flashes of lightning, and rumblings and peals of thunder, and before the throne were burning seven torches of fire, which are the seven spirits of God, and before the throne there was as it were a sea of glass, like crystal.

And around the throne, on each side of the throne, are four living creatures, full of eyes in front and behind: the first living creature like a lion, the second living creature like an ox, the third living creature with the face of a man, and the fourth living creature like an eagle in flight. And the four living creatures, each of them with six wings, are full of eyes all around and within, and day and night they never cease to say,

“Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty,
who was and is and is to come!”

Let's just talk about those last two lines. What thoughts do people have? What does it mean that God is holy? What does it mean that He is almighty? What does it mean that He "was and is and is to come"? How does the description of God's throne in the preceding verses show His holiness?

I immediately think of a whole host of hymns inspired by these words, including the Τρισάγιον and:

 

[Yeshua HaDerekh]

“Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty,
who was and is and is to come!”

Let's just talk about those last two lines. What thoughts do people have? What does it mean that God is holy? What does it mean that He is almighty? What does it mean that He "was and is and is to come"? How does the description of God's throne in the preceding verses show His holiness?

I immediately think of a whole host of hymns inspired by these words, including the Τρισάγιον and:

Kadosh, Kadosh, Kadosh…
The One who has been and is and will be...Hayah, Hoveh, Yehiyeh...this is a glorification of YHVH.

 

[Radagast]

And also inspired by this text is the ancient Greek Tris-agion ("three times holy") which our Orthodox brothrers and sisters sing: Ἅγιος ὁ Θεός, Ἅγιος ἰσχυρός, Ἅγιος ἀθάνατος, ἐλέησον ἡμᾶς (Hagios ho Theos, Hagios Ischuros, Hagios Athanatos, eleēson ēmas).

In English: Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal, have mercy on us.

 

[Radagast]

On second thoughts, I'll post part 2 of 14 as well, and people can spend the week discussing both. Part 2 is what Coleman calls "The Creation Hymn" of Revelation 4:11. Giving verse 9-10 for context (in the CSB):

Whenever the living creatures give glory, honor, and thanks to the one seated on the throne, the one who lives forever and ever, the twenty-four elders fall down before the one seated on the throne and worship the one who lives forever and ever. They cast their crowns before the throne and say,

Our Lord and God,
you are worthy to receive
glory and honor and power,
because you have created all things,
and by your will
they exist and were created.

Discussion questions include: why do the 24 elders cast their crowns before the throne? Why did God create "all things"? Did God need to create anything? Why are there so many stars?

My favourite hymn simply takes the words from the KJV, in a 1963 arrangement by Pauline M. Mills:

 

[Radagast]

Continuing this Bible study, the third passage that Coleman looks at is the "New Song of Redemption" in Revelation 5:9-10. Giving it context from verse 6:

And between the throne and the four living creatures and among the elders I saw a Lamb standing, as though it had been slain, with seven horns and with seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth. And he went and took the scroll from the right hand of him who was seated on the throne. And when he had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each holding a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. 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 you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God,
and they shall reign on the earth.”

This is indeed a new song. The Creation Hymn might have been sung by Jews, but this song is explicitly Christian. The Lamb that was slain is Christ, and he died to save people from out of every nation and every language group, in fulfilment of old Testament prophecy.

The "redeemed of the Lord" include people from Australia, from Italy, and from the Sioux Nation. They include speakers of English, of Tamil, and of the Māori language. This is why the Bible needs to be translated into all the languages of the world. In what other ways should we acknowledge the multi-ethnic nature of the Church? And does anyone else have insights on this passage?

The last two lines recall Exodus 19:6, where Israel was called "a kingdom of priests and a holy nation." Now the kingdom of priests includes people from every ethnic group. Through the sacrifice of Christ, we are saved not from Egypt, but from Sin.

 

[Radagast]

An accidental find, singing the actual text for verse 9. It's good to sing in the way that Revelation tells us Heaven sings:

 

[Radagast]

Current Bible translation status according to Wycliffe:

Complete Bible in 683 languages
New Testament (and some portions) in 1534 languages
Portions & stories in 1133 languages
Total languages with some scripture = 3350
Languages with no Scripture = 4011
Total languages = 7361

 

[Radagast]

The twenty-four elders appear to represent those who have been redeemed by Christ. This is shown by their white garments (see Revelation 3:5 and Revelation 7:9), their golden crowns (see 2 Timothy 4:8, James 1:12, 1 Peter 5:4, and Revelation 2:10), and the thrones on which they reign with Christ (see Revelation 20:4). When they sing “by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation,” they are praising God for saving them.

However, they are immediately followed by what Coleman calls the “Angels’ Chorale” in Revelation 5:11-12:

Then I looked, and I heard around the throne and the living creatures and the elders the voice of many angels, numbering myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands, saying with a loud voice,

“Worthy is the Lamb who was slain,
to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might
and honor and glory and blessing!”

Here the angels praise God for the salvation of humanity. In this, they give us an example of love, as they rejoice in the salvation of others (see also Luke 15:7). They also give us an example of “passing on” the activity of praise. As one group finishes, another group begins, so that the universe is never devoid of praise. On earth, this is echoed by the movement of daylight around the planet, as the old hymn “The Day Thou Gavest, Lord, is Ended” says:

As o’er each continent and island
The dawn leads on another day,
The voice of prayer is never silent,
Nor dies the strain of praise away.

 

[Radagast]

Hmmm. I think I over-estimated the interest in this.

 

[St. Helens]

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