“WHO IS ON THE LORD’S SIDE?”
“And they sing the song of Moses the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, Great and marvellous are thy works, Lord God Almighty; just and true are thy ways, thou King of saints. Who shall not fear thee, O Lord, and glorify thy name? for thou only art holy: for all nations shall come and worship before thee; for thy judgments are made manifest.” — Rev. 15:3-4
Our “nugget” for today is a song, of which there are several in this remarkable book. There is the song sung by the four beasts and the twenty four elders, “Worthy Is the Lamb” [Rev. 5:9]. Then there is the unidentified song of the 144,000 redeemed, known only to them [Rev. 14:3]. This song is sung by those identified as overcomers out of the tribulation, who did not succumb to the deception or demands of the antichrist. It is a reminder that when all the songs of this world have been silenced under the wrath of God, heaven will ring with songs of praise on the part of those who are escorted into the glory of His presence. Music, real music that is, was invented by God and intended for His praise.
This song combines the Song of Moses— a victory song, and the song of the Lamb. The one, which is recorded for us in the Old Testament, extols His power; the other, the text of which remains to be revealed, undoubtedly extols His grace. Together these songs anticipate the day when God will reconcile both Jew and Gentile to Himself in “one body by the cross” (See Eph. 2:14-22!), and celebrate His conquest over all His enemies.
Consider, in part, the Song of Moses:
“Then sang Moses and the children of Israel this song unto the LORD, and spake, saying, I will sing unto the LORD, for he hath triumphed gloriously: the horse and his rider hath he thrown into the sea. The LORD is my strength and song, and he is become my salvation: he is my God, and I will prepare him an habitation; my father's God, and I will exalt him. The LORD is a man of war: the LORD is his name. Pharaoh's chariots and his host hath he cast into the sea: his chosen captains also are drowned in the Red sea. The depths have covered them: they sank into the bottom as a stone. Thy right hand, O LORD, is become glorious in power: thy right hand, O LORD, hath dashed in pieces the enemy. And in the greatness of thine excellency thou hast overthrown them that rose up against thee: thou sentest forth thy wrath, which consumed them as stubble.” (Exodus 15:1-7)
Initially a victory song sung by Moses to celebrate the overthrow of Pharaoh, it is a template for God’s final conquest of those who are determined to oppose Him to the end of the age. The deliverance of the overcomers from the clutches of the antichrist is the antitype of which the conquest of the Egyptians was but a sample of God’s indomitable power. “Great and marvellous are thy works, Lord God Almighty!”
The Song of the Lamb is yet to be published, but it, too, will celebrate God’s victory over His enemies. The story is told of a certain aspirant for a throne who vowed that when he became king he would destroy all his enemies. When his throne was finally established, some complained that he had not fulfilled that vow. “Oh,” he said; “I have turned them all into my friends!” So are many of God’s “enemies” conquered by His love and grace, and become worshippers before His throne.
The song of the Lamb undoubtedly centers in that grace of God which is summarized in a great passage in the epistle to the Romans: “But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life. And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement [Rom. 5:8-11 italics mine].”
Those who are not on God’s side, though they may not be openly hostile, are yet His enemies, just as in temporal war noncombatant civilians are a part of “the enemy.” Those who reject God’s grace and salvation through His Son Jesus Christ, whether their rejection be through hostility or indifference, are on the wrong side, and subject to His wrath. All will one day worship Him: “Who shall not fear thee, O Lord, and glorify thy name?” But, some will worship by force, while others, like these overcomers, will worship by faith. Which side are you on?
In praise of His power and grace,
"Pastor" Frasier
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