“At thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore” (Ps. 16:11)
“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; 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. 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. And the four beasts said, Amen. And the four and twenty elders fell down and worshipped him that liveth for ever and ever” (Rev. 5:11–14).
We are building to a great crescendo of praise and adoration. If the Lamb were not God Himself, if Christ were not divine, then the honors rendered to Him here would indeed be blasphemous idolatry.
In this portion of Revelation, we have had different songs of praise. The 24 elders sang first to God, to the one who sits on the throne (Rev. 4:11). In the next song, this one rendered to the Lamb (Rev. 5:9-10), they were joined by the cherubim. Now in this iteration of their song, they are joined by innumerable angels (Rev. 5:12), a choir that has to number in the millions. The words used are myriad and chiliad, meaning ten thousand and thousand respectively. We thus have ten thousands of ten thousands and thousands of thousands, and they were all singing, John says, with a loud voice. I dare say it was loud. After they had praised the worth of the Lamb, the whole created order—in heaven, on earth, and under the earth—all joined in with their praise of the one who sits on the throne and to the Lamb (Rev. 5:13).
The angels say that the Lamb is worthy of what He has received, having been slain, and that is power, wealth, wisdom, might, honor, glory, and blessing. The entire created order say something similar—to God and to the Lamb be blessing, honor, glory, and might, forever and ever.
In response to this great chorus, the cherubim, the living creatures, say amen, and the elders fell down and worshiped.
