“And they sang a new song, saying: ‘You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, because you were slain, and with your blood you purchased for God persons from every tribe and language and people and nation. You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God, and they will reign on the earth” (Revelation 5:9-10).
God has always been worthy of praise. The song being sung in these verses is new because it is based on Jesus’ work of redemption, not on His creation. His right to open the scroll and remove the seals is based on the fact that He has purchased us with His own blood. Our future as believers would never have been possible without Jesus’ death for us on the Cross. Jesus has the right to bring wickedness to an end and secure a blessed future for us because of what He accomplished when He died for us.
The extent of His redemption is graphically proclaimed by John. Jesus has purchased individuals from every tribe, language, people and nation. There have been many attempts on earth to bring people together. The United Nations is united only in the sense that everyone is in the same building. Otherwise there is conflict over each nation’s independent and individual interests. Heaven will be totally different. We will be joined by a common bond. Every believer has been redeemed by the blood of Jesus.
The Cross of Christ is not only the pivotal moment in history; in the book of Revelation we see that the Cross is the focus of God’s triumph at the end of history. God has determined that His family will reign on earth. God Himself will undertake the responsibility of cleaning up the mess that human wickedness has created. He will bring to a conclusion the battle against evil. He will create a world filled with righteousness. He will do all of this for us and it is possible because of the Cross of Christ.
Remember in the midst of the battles we face that our destiny has been determined. The One who redeemed us from our sins will also redeem His creation and position us to reign on the earth. Who couldn’t get excited over a destiny like that secured by our Redeemer? It makes us want to sing the new song as well. “You are worthy….”
