Revelation 5:9-10
And they sang a new song, saying: “You are worthy to take the scroll, And to open its seals; For You were slain, And have redeemed us to God by Your blood out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation, And have made us kings and priests to our God; And we shall reign on the earth.”
This particular doxology is another example of cases where Genesis problems are reversed in Revelation. Let us reflect on two of these.
Firstly, in Genesis 4 we witness the first murder– where a firstborn son (Cain) sheds the blood of his own brother because of a jealous rage. On the other hand, Revelation 5 testifies of another firstborn (Jesus) who redeems His brothers by shedding His own blood because of greater love:
“Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends” (John 15:13). See Romans 8:29 where our Redeemer is referred to as the “firstborn” among many “brethren”. We are Jesus’ friends and brothers (siblings), hallelujah!
Secondly, in Genesis 11 we witness the scattering of the nations on account of their ambition and idolatry. Here in Revelation we witness the celebration of the salvation of every people group on earth.
Praise God that He has made provision for every tribe, language, people and nation! None of us is excluded from the gracious plan of God. Hallelujah!
The flip side of this truth implies that Jesus’ followers today cannot afford to exclude or deny other people groups access to the Gospel. Let us beware of a subtle spiritual racism. Heaven help us all!
Pastor Josh