Revelation 5:10 - Printer Friendly

ESV: and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God, and they shall reign on the earth."

NIV: You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God, and they will reign on the earth."

NASB: You have made them into a kingdom and priests to our God, and they will reign upon the earth.'

CSB: You made them a kingdom and priests to our God, and they will reign on the earth.

NLT: And you have caused them to become a Kingdom of priests for our God. And they will reign on the earth.'

KJV: And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.

NKJV: And have made us kings and priests to our God; And we shall reign on the earth.”

This verse continues a "new song" being sung by the twenty-four elders who surround the throne of God in heaven (Revelation 4:4). Here we see confirmation of what John said in Revelation 1:6: that verse teaches that Jesus has made all the redeemed a kingdom and priests.

Kings have a responsibility to provide leadership for others. The Lord promises conquerors—those who "hold fast" through faith (Hebrews 4:14)—that they will share His throne (Revelation 3:21). This will happen after the tribulation, when Jesus returns to earth and establishes His kingdom (Revelation 20:4–6). During Jesus' reign on earth, corrupt governments and evil dictators will not be allowed to continue. King Jesus will use the redeemed to guard His righteous rule over the nations. The redeemed are also priests. As such, they have a responsibility to direct people to God, to teach the Word of God, to counsel, and to pray for others.

Jesus did not create an exclusive order of priests, such as the Levites. Instead, He made all believers priests unto God. The apostle Peter wrote: "But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light" (1 Peter 2:9).

Revelation 5:6–10 shows what happened after John saw a scroll which no one, other than Jesus—''the Lion of the tribute of Judah''—was worthy to open. John' attention was drawn to a vision of a Lamb that had been slain, once again representative of Jesus. This Lamb stood among the elders, between the throne and the four living creatures. The Lamb took the scroll from God's right hand, and when He did so, the four living creatures and twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb and sang a new song. This response praised the Lamb as worthy to take the scroll and to make the ransomed people all over the earth a kingdom of priests that would reign on the earth.

Revelation 5 tells us John saw a scroll in God's right hand. The scroll had writing in it and on its back. Also, the scroll was sealed with seven seals. A search uncovered no one who was worthy to open the scroll or to look into it. However, one of the elders told John that Jesus could open the scroll, as the only one with the legal and moral right to do so. When Jesus accepted the scroll, universal praise in heaven and on earth rose to Jesus. He alone was found worthy to open the scroll because, as God's Lamb, He had shed His blood for all mankind.

Jesus commanded John to write ''the things that you have seen, those that are and those that are to take place after this.'' The first three chapters of Revelation contained those things which ''were'' and ''are,'' at the time John wrote. Chapters 2 and 3 provided the contents of Jesus' letters to seven churches. Chapter 4 begins the largest and last section of Revelation, regarding events yet to take place when John wrote (Revelation 1:19). John introduced God seated upon His throne, with twenty-four elders and four angelic creatures nearby. Chapter 5 focuses on a scroll containing God's judgments on sin, and a search for someone to open it. Only Jesus is worthy to open it. When Jesus receives the scroll from God, He receives praise from every creature in heaven and on earth.

The word ''revelation'' means ''an unveiling or disclosure.'' This writing unveils future events such as the rapture, three series of judgments that will fall on the earth during the tribulation, the emergence of the Antichrist, the persecution of Israel and her amazing revival, as well as Jesus' second coming with His saints to the earth, the judgment of Satan and his followers, and finally, the eternal state. This content, combined with the original Greek term apokalypsis, is why we now refer to an end-of-the-world scenario as ''an apocalypse.''