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“Who Is Worthy to Open the Scroll?”Revelation—Its Grand Climax At Hand!
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16. (a) In the Christian system of things, who penetrate the antitypical Most Holy? (b) Why do anointed Christians have to ‘burn incense’?
16 In the Christian system of things not only the antitypical High Priest, Jesus Christ, but also each of the 144,000 underpriests eventually gets to enter the antitypical Most Holy, the place of Jehovah’s presence in heaven. (Hebrews 10:19-23) Entry into this Most Holy is impossible for these priests, as represented here by the 24 elders, unless they ‘burn incense,’ that is, constantly offer up prayers and supplications to Jehovah.—Hebrews 5:7; Jude 20, 21; compare Psalm 141:2.
A New Song
17. (a) What new song do the 24 elders sing? (b) How is the expression “new song” usually used in the Bible?
17 A melodic song now rings forth. It is sung to the Lamb by his priestly associates, the 24 elders: “And they sing a new song, saying: ‘You are worthy to take the scroll and open its seals, because you were slaughtered and with your blood you bought persons for God out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation.’” (Revelation 5:9)
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“Who Is Worthy to Open the Scroll?”Revelation—Its Grand Climax At Hand!
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18. For what do the 24 elders praise Jesus with their new song?
18 Here, though, the 24 elders sing a new song before Jesus rather than before Jehovah. But the principle is the same. They praise Jesus for the new things that he, as God’s Son, has done in their behalf. By means of his blood, he mediated the new covenant and thus made possible the bringing forth of a new nation as Jehovah’s special possession. (Romans 2:28, 29; 1 Corinthians 11:25; Hebrews 7:18-25) Members of this new spiritual nation came from many fleshly nations, but Jesus united them into one congregation as one nation.—Isaiah 26:2; 1 Peter 2:9, 10.
19. (a) What blessing did fleshly Israel fail to realize because of their unfaithfulness? (b) What blessing does Jehovah’s new nation get to enjoy?
19 When Jehovah formed the Israelites into a nation back in the days of Moses, he made a covenant with them and promised that if they would remain faithful to that covenant, they would become a kingdom of priests before him. (Exodus 19:5, 6) The Israelites were not faithful and never experienced the realization of that promise. On the other hand, the new nation, formed by virtue of the new covenant mediated by Jesus, has remained faithful. Its members therefore get to rule over the earth as kings and also to serve as priests, helping righthearted ones among mankind to be reconciled to Jehovah. (Colossians 1:20) It is just as the new song expresses it: “And you made them to be a kingdom and priests to our God, and they are to rule as kings over the earth.” (Revelation 5:10)
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