Opening Scene


It is a common thought in the Psalms that we should sing a “new song” to the Lord. Here we see one in three part harmony. There are some basic ideas:
• Christ is worthy because of his death
• All of creation praises him:
	the elders around the throne, with the four creatures
	the angels around them
	then the creation , which includes
		those in heaven (historicist: the dead and redeemed, see later)
		those on the earth (the living)
		those under the earth (a new thought! But see 1 Peter 3:18-20, where Christ preached to the spirits in prison.
This brings an interesting question to all points of view. By the futurist point of view, most of the action has yet to take place; the world is a terrible place without the church -- and yet we have this song! By the historicist view, the trouble is about to start -- and we have this song. Score one for the poetic????
I think not. The futurist acts as a literalist -- when it suits him. The historicist is quite willing to take scenes like this out of order -- when it suits him. The technique of flashback was not invented in Hollywood. So, when reading this, remember the real point: who is praised by every created thing? Ultimately, it is Jesus Christ. The question still is: do you know him?