A Swelling Anthem

In the scene described by John, the hosts of heaven are rendering melodious acclaim to Jesus in acknowledgment of his faithfulness and his heavenly authority. In this, they are joined by voices from the earthly realm as these too share in praising both the Father and the Son. Just as the achievements of a human son can bring great credit to parents, so Jesus' loyal course redounds among all creation "to the glory of God the Father." Thus, John goes on to report: "And every creature that is in heaven and on earth and underneath the earth and on the sea, and all the things in them, I heard saying: ' To the One sitting on the throne and to the Lamb be the blessing and the honor and the glory and the might forever and ever.' "- Revelation 5:13.

When does this superb anthem sound forth? It began early in the Lord's day. After Satan and his demons were cast out of the heavens, "every creature that is in heaven" could unite in this song of praise./ And, as the record shows, since 1919 a growing multitude on earth have united their voices in praising Jehovah,increasing from a few thousand to well over three million by the late 1980's. After Satan's earthly system has been destroyed, "every creature. . . on earth" will be singing the praises of Jehovah and his Son. In Jehovah's due time, the resurrection of the countless millions of dead will begin, and then "every creature. . . underneath the earth" that is in the memory of God will have the opportunity to join in singing the anthem.

Already, "from the extremity of the earth. . . the sea and . . . islands," millions of humans are singing a new song in association with Jehovah's global organization. (Isaiah 42:10; Psalm 150:1-6) This joyous praise will reach a crescendo at the end of the Millennium, when mankind has been raised to perfection. that old Serpent, the arch deceiver, Satan himself, will thereafter be destroyed in complete fulfillment of Genesis 3:15, and in a triumphant climax, all living creation, spirit and human, will sing in unison: "To the One sitting on the throne and to the Lamb be the blessing and the honor and the glory and the might forever and ever." There will be no dissenting voice in all the universe.

What a joyful time that will be! Surely, what John describes here makes our hearts swell with happiness and stimulates us to join the heavenly hosts in singing heartfelt praises to Jehovah God and Jesus Christ. Are we not more determined than ever to endure in right works? If we do so, we can expect that, with Jehovah's help, we will be there individually at the happy climax, adding our voices to that universal chorus of praise. Certainly, the cherubic four living creatures and the resurrected anointed Christians are in full accord, for the vision ends with the words: "And the four living creatures went saying: 'Amen!' and the elders fell down and worshiped."-Revelation 5:14.

Next time: Four Horsemen At The Gallop!