Singing has always been an active form of showing praise, joy, admiration, or celebration. The first occurrence of singing found in the Bible is in Exodus 15:1ff when after the Israelites had been delivered from the Egyptians’ pursuit through the Red Sea, Moses lead the children of Israel in a song of praise unto God and celebration of deliverance and triumph. After this first occurrence, singing became a common form of expression throughout the Old Testament and New Testament, both in ancient and modern history. Today it has been formally preserved by God as an act of worship (Ephesians 5:19; Colossians 3:16), but is used in various means in secular society for the similar purpose of rendering joy or celebration for something or someone. The Christians’ songs of worship are written and sung with the intent of rendering praise, worship, and glory unto God; celebrating spiritual victory through blood-bought redemption; and inspiring disobedient man to hearken and heed the will of Almighty God. However, wherein singing as worship is clearly set forth in scripture to have these purposes today, the Bible likewise looks forward to eternity in indicating what role singing will hold at that time.
In the given text above, John looks and sees the Lamb (Jesus Christ) standing on the mount of Zion (figurative description of heaven). With the Christ in heaven are 144,000 with the Father’s name inscribed in their foreheads. This is not a literal number with a literal inscription as everything John has and will write are signified (written in signs—Revelation 1:1). But, rather what is pictured is the complete number (12x12x1000 = 144,000) of God’s elect who have been marked as being identified with God; or in other words all faithful Christians. John then hears a joyful noise of angelic harmony ringing forth from the kingdom prepared from the foundation of the world, and these redeemed and saved Christians are singing before the throne of God a new song. However, what new song could be sung and of what could they be singing?
Currently, children of God sing about salvation in promise, because it has not yet been fulfilled in heaven. But in that day it will be, and it will truly be the grandest theme ever sung because it will not be “our God is able to deliver thee” but rather “our God has delivered thee.” Wherein in this life the Christian’s new song is regarding redemption, in eternity it will be regarding the truly new and never old salvation in the bosom of the Father. It will be around His throne that the saints of all ages will be gathered, it will be there that a unified voice with the angelic host will lift in adoration unto God such as never heard before, and it will be there where the song shall never end for there is no night there (Revelation 22:5). Such a beautiful thought as revealed by John has today been put to song, and waiting in hope we sing:
“It thrills my soul to hear the songs of praise, We mortals sing below,
And though it takes the parting of the ways, Yet I must outward go;
I hope to hear throughout unnumbered days, The song earth cannot know, They sing in heav’n a new song, Of Moses and the Lamb.”
Yes, there shall in that sweet by and by be sung a new song, one never sung before. But what sadness in the very pit of our souls to think we might not be there to join in. You see, “no man could learn that song but the hundred and forty and four thousand, which were redeemed from the earth” (Revelation 14:3). Prepare yourself now for the grandest chorus ever sung, that which shall be in heaven in that eternal day. Give yourself the blessed assurance that comes with the Christian’s hope. Be able to sing it then because you can sing it now. Do it by being the obedient recipient of God’s mercy and God’s grace.