Devotional
Have you ever had a dream where two contradictory things are true simultaneously? “It was like we were at home here in D.C., except it was in Iowa; and we all had masks on, but there wasn’t covid anymore...”
We get an image like that here. The Lion of Judah has triumphed and therefore is worthy to open the scroll...and the triumphant lion turns out to be a slain lamb. The word slain actually appears 3 times in this chapter, again emphasizing that the basis of God’s reign is most definitely anti-violent, anti-retributive. God’s (Jesus’) victory was through self-giving, self-sacrifice, dying for His enemies.
Verse 9—Notice the clear anti-racist/anti-nationalist language. It’s NOT that there are no more tribes, languages, peoples, or nations. It’s that they are united into a kingdom of priests. No one is excluded. But their heritage and identity remains. (This remains true in the last chapter two, when the “splendor” of individuals nations (Greek=ethnos) are invited into the New Jerusalem.
Verse 11—10,000 was the largest individual number available in Greek. To say 10,000x10,000 is the equivalent of a kid saying, “A zillion bajillion.”
Verse 13—Look who all is included in giving the Lamb praise. “Those on earth and under the earth.” In other words, even the abode of dead is brought into the raucous party happening on behalf of the Lamb.