Philip Schaff's Popular Commentary (4 vols)

Revelation 5:13

Revelation 5:13. And every created thing which is in the heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and on the sea; and all things that are in them, heard I saying, The blessing and the honour and the glory and the dominion be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever. In Revelation 5:3 intelligent beings were embraced under a threefold division. Here, because inanimate as well as animate creation is referred to, the division is fourfold, four being the number of the whole lower creation. It is hardly necessary to make any effort to distinguish the four groups from one another, for the main thought upon which we are to dwell is that of the completeness, the exhaustiveness, of the enumeration, none are left out. This is also shown by the summary given at the close, ‘all things that are in them.' We may notice only that the words ‘on the sea' do not refer to ships, but to the creatures of the sea supposed in the imagination of the Seer to have come up out of the depths, and to have taken their place upon the surface.

It may be a question whether we are to include in the number of those by whom this last chorus is sung the four living creatures and the twenty-four Elders. Thinking of them as individuals we ought not; but it seems impossible to say that the objects or beings which they represent do not join in the song. The chorus proceeds from universal nature, from all created things without exception. It is the harmony of the universe in the thought of the completion of God's purposes, in the perfect execution of that which He originally contemplated in Jesus ‘the first-born of all creation,' and now ‘the head of the body, the Church' (Colossians 1:15; Colossians 1:18). Ages of preparation had passed away; one Dispensation had followed another; Prophets had ‘sought and searched diligently, searching what time or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did point unto, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ and the glories that should follow them;' creation itself had groaned and travailed in pain together until now. How weary had been the years and centuries that had passed amidst the oppression of the poor and the sighing of the needy, amidst wrongs unrighted and innocent blood poured out like water to gratify the lust of ambition or the fierce spirit of revenge, amidst ignorance instead of knowledge, and sorrow instead of joy. At last the regeneration of the world has come: and in one burst of song all created things send up their shout of triumph and their hymn of praise.

They sing to ‘Him that sitteth upon the throne and to the Lamb.' That is, they sing a song of richer contents than that of chap. Revelation 4:9-11. The combination of Creator and Redeemer is brought out: the unity after which all things long is reached. To this song a response is given.

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Philip Schaff's Popular Commentary (4 vols)

Revelation 5:13

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