Music! It is second only to theology. God evidently so created man that music has a deep impression on him.

Heaven has its music. The song above occurs in a vision of the ascension of Jesus Christ to the throne of God. The Lamb takes the book of God’s counsel to bring God’s eternal kingdom. A grand occasion. A grand song. A new song is heard in heaven.

All the singing of the world is old. The world’s singing is the wail of the hopeless or the upbeat dance of the condemned, who eat, drink, and are merry, for tomorrow they die. All the singing is nothing more than the dirges of the damned. The singing of the world became old in Adam. There was a lovely song heard in the beginning when God made the earth. The morning stars sang for joy when God laid the foundations of the earth and heaven. It was also the song of Adam and Eve and of the whole creation as they gave praise to God the creator, who made all things for his glory. But the strains of that song died away in heaven in the rebellion of the angels. The song’s melody fell silent when Adam fell, and all the singing of the world became old. The world’s singing will end in the eternal wail of hell with its gnashing of teeth, the gnawing of the undying worm, and the heat of the unquenchable fire.

But there is a new song. No angel or man could have imagined the song’s lyrics. It is the song that the church began to sing when God revealed the seed of the woman. It is the song of Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, David, and the rest of the Old Testament church. You can read various stanzas of that song in the Psalms.

In John’s vision the church in heaven sings another stanza of this new song. It is new over against the creation-song of Adam and Eve. It is new over against the old, old song of the world. The old song in the garden praised God the creator. The new song praises God the redeemer in Jesus Christ, God’s Son, the Lamb who is worthy. At that moment in heaven, the glory of God was revealed in the Lamb, who took the book of God’s counsel to open its seals and to bring God’s kingdom. Heaven, which moments before had been silent when no one was found worthy to open the book, erupts into this new song. It is a song that glorifies the Lamb and his work of redemption and through him glorifies God and his incomparable grace. Always that had been the song of the church. The content is always the same: salvation is of the Lord through Jesus Christ. He redeemed his people. He established them as God’s eternal kingdom of priests and kings. He will perfect that kingdom when the final seal is broken and the final page of the book is opened.

At the song of the church, heaven reverberates with the same song, only adding another stanza. The myriads of angels with the four creatures and the four and twenty elders shout, “Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing!” And then every creature in the whole creation is given its voice to add yet another stanza to the song: “Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever.” Amen.