The New Song

Shelby G. Floyd

This congregation enjoys good congregational singing. Many of our visitors have made remarks about how much they enjoyed the singing. We also enjoy learning new songs. It is refreshing to have some new lyrics, new melodies, something fresh in substance and sound in the spiritual songs we sing to the Lord. We like to hear and sing new songs. In order to accomplish this someone must teach us new songs. When someone teaches us new songs, then we must learn the melody and words to those new songs. Sometimes when we are learning new songs we may not get every note just right, because we must sing the song several times until we learn the melody and how the words fit that melody, rhythm and harmony. It is wonderful to learn some new songs.

Moses and the Israelites Sing a New Song

Let us notice the new song that Moses and Miriam sung with the congregation of Israel after they had escaped bondage down in Egypt and had crossed the Red Sea:

Exodus 15:1-18

1Then Moses and the Israelites sang this song to the LORD:

"I will sing to the LORD, for he is highly exalted. The horse and its rider he has hurled into the sea. 2The LORD is my strength and my song; he has become my salvation. He is my God, and I will praise him, my father's God, and I will exalt him. 3The LORD is a warrior; the LORD is his name. 4Pharaoh's chariots and his army he has hurled into the sea. The best of Pharaoh's officers are drowned in the Red Sea. 5The deep waters have covered them; they sank to the depths like a stone.

6"Your right hand, O LORD, was majestic in power. Your right hand, O LORD, shattered the enemy. 7In the greatness of your majesty you threw down those who opposed you. You unleashed your burning anger; it consumed them like stubble. 8By the blast of your nostrils the waters piled up. The surging waters stood firm like a wall; the deep waters congealed in the heart of the sea.

9"The enemy boasted, ` I will pursue, I will overtake them. I will divide the spoils; I will gorge myself on them. I will draw my sword and my hand will destroy them.' 10But you blew with your breath, and the sea covered them. They sank like lead in the mighty waters.

11"Who among the gods is like you, O LORD? Who is like you--majestic in holiness, awesome in glory, working wonders? 12You stretched out your right hand and the earth swallowed them.

13"In your unfailing love you will lead the people you have redeemed. In your strength you will guide them to your holy dwelling. 14The nations will hear and tremble; anguish will grip the people of Philistia. 15The chiefs of Edom will be terrified, the leaders of Moab will be seized with trembling, the people of Canaan will melt away; 16terror and dread will fall upon them. By the power of your arm they will be as still as a stone--until your people pass by, O LORD, until the people you bought pass by. 17You will bring them in and plant them on the mountain of your inheritance—the place, O LORD, you made for your dwelling, the sanctuary, O Lord, your hands established. 18The LORD will reign for ever and ever."

NIV

Miriam Sings a New Song

Exodus 15:19-21

19When Pharaoh's horses, chariots and horsemen went into the sea, the LORD brought the waters of the sea back over them, but the Israelites walked through the sea on dry ground. 20Then Miriam the prophetess, Aaron's sister, took a tambourine in her hand, and all the women followed her, with tambourines and dancing. 21Miriam sang to them:

"Sing to the LORD,

for he is highly exalted.

The horse and its rider

he has hurled into the sea."

NIV

Now they could not sing that song and they could not learn that song until after they had experienced all of the sorrow, the toil, and the tears of all their years of bondage down in Egypt. They could not learn and they could not really sing that song until after they had been released from that bondage and had been redeemed by the mighty hand and power of God. And they could not really learn and sing that song until after they had crossed the Red Sea, and after they were able to stand on yonder shore and look back across the Red Sea to the place from which they had escaped.

And so it is with us. We will not be able to learn and sing the new song mentioned by John in the book of Revelation until after we stand on Mount Zion with the Lamb of God and until we can look back on our lives on the earth with all of its temptations, tears, and toils. We will then sing with joy, and with acclamation in the fact that we been redeemed from sin by the precious blood of the lamb—"The Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world” (John 1: 29).

In the book of Revelation we have a statement from John concerning the new song the redeemed will sing at the last day:

Revelation 14:1-7

1Then I looked, and there before me was the Lamb, standing on Mount Zion, and with him 144,000 who had his name and his Father's name written on their foreheads. 2And I heard a sound from heaven like the roar of rushing waters and like a loud peal of thunder. The sound I heard was like that of harpists playing their harps. 3And they sang a new song before the throne and before the four living creatures and the elders. No one could learn the song except the 144,000 who had been redeemed from the earth. 4These are those who did not defile themselves with women, for they kept themselves pure. They follow the Lamb wherever he goes. They were purchased from among men and offered as firstfruits to God and the Lamb. 5No lie was found in their mouths; they are blameless.

6Then I saw another angel flying in midair, and he had the eternal gospel to proclaim to those who live on the earth-to every nation, tribe, language and people. 7He said in a loud voice, "Fear God and give him glory, because the hour of his judgment has come. Worship him who made the heavens, the earth, the sea and the springs of water."

NIV

You will remember that John the apostle was in exile on an island off the coast of Asia called Patmos. Here he received a Revelation from Jesus Christ. This Revelation is somewhat different from the rest of the New Testament in that it is largely in symbols or metaphorical language. Remember that a symbol stands for something else other than the symbol itself! Let us illustrate what we mean from our text:

Revelation 14:1

1Then I looked, and there before me was the Lamb, standing on Mount Zion, and with him 144,000 who had his name and his Father's name written on their foreheads.

NIV

Now the way that some people interpret the book of Revelation what John really saw was a four-legged animal that we all know as a lamb and he saw this four-legged animal standing on Mount Zion—the mountain on which Jerusalem was built. David took that city from the Jebusites and later it became the city of God—it was the place in which God inscribed his name, where his temple was built, and where his people worshipped him. But over a long period of time Mount Zion came to stand for the heavenly city where God dwells.

Now did John see 144,000 people who literally had some kind of inscription on their forehead? No, because this book is a book of symbols! John did see a literal lamb that stood for the Lord Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world (John 1: 29). A literal lamb and its characteristics conveys the idea of Jesus Christ our savior and our sacrifice. He was the sacrificial lamb without spot and without blemish, whose blood was shed that we might be redeemed from our sins.

So John saw a Lamb on Mount Zion and 144,000 people with his name and the name of his Father written on their foreheads. He is conveying to us this symbolic picture of Jesus Christ who is like a lamb in that he was a sacrifice for sin. And he is not standing on Mount Zion over in Jerusalem. He is standing on Mount Zion in the heavenly Jerusalem. And the 144,000 do not mean that only that number will be saved. That is a vast number of people. It is symbolically a definite number that stands for an indefinite number of the redeemed. The name of the Father and Christ written on their foreheads is symbolic to mean that they have a loving obedience of God in their minds and heart and their lives. Mount Zion therefore refers to heaven. The song we often sing about marching to Mount Zion conveys the idea we are making. We are all marching to heaven to be with our Savior. We're not marching over to Jerusalem in the land of Palestine. The following scripture confirms what we're saying:

Hebrews 12:22-24

22But you have come to Mount Zion, to the heavenly Jerusalem, the city of the living God. You have come to thousands upon thousands of angels in joyful assembly, 23to the church of the firstborn, whose names are written in heaven. You have come to God, the judge of all men, to the spirits of righteous men made perfect, 24to Jesus the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel.

NIV

John Heard a Voice

Next, let us notice that John while in exile heard a voice:

Revelation 14:1-2

2And I heard a sound from heaven like the roar of rushing waters and like a loud peal of thunder. The sound I heard was like that of harpists playing their harps.

NIV

Let us take a lesson in English grammar. John, what did you hear? Did you hear much water? John, did you hear loud thunder? John, did you hear harpers harping on their harps? No! John did not hear many waters, loud thunder, and harpers harping on their harps! The subject in this sentence is "I," referring to John. The verb is "heard." The direct object of the verb "heard” is "a sound." "I heard a sound from heaven." "From heaven" is a prepositional phrase modifying the word "sound."

John, what did you hear? "I heard a sound from heaven like the roar of rushing waters." John did you hear rushing waters? No! I heard a sound. What was the sound like John? "It was like the roar of rushing waters." If one has stood by Niagara Falls in New York or Cumberland Falls in Kentucky, it is a wonderful experience to hear the steady roar and rhythm of thousands of cubic feet of water going over those Falls every second. It is beautiful and fills one with awe. That is somewhat like the voice that John heard. Therefore, John heard the sound or voice like the roar of many waters.

John, did you hear thunder? Do you recall how fearful and awesome is the power of God in the thunder during a storm? It is wonderful to see the lightning race across the sky and hear the loud peals of thunder during a storm. Only God can produce and control such power. John, did you hear loud peals of thunder? No! I heard a sound that was like loud peals of thunder.

John, did you hear harpers harping on their harps? The music produced by a harp is beautiful, is it not? It is soothing to the soul and to the spirit of man. Saul, the first king of Israel was a man of several personalities. He had a health problem caused by a sin problem in his life. He had not obeyed God's word. He was eaten up with guilt and his conscience troubled him. David would come before him and play the harp and he would settle down. The harp has a beautiful sound. John, did you hear the sound of harpers harping on their harps? No, I heard a sound or voice that was like the sound of harpers harping on their harps.

Some of our religious friends have exhausted themselves trying to find proof for instrumental music in the worship of God. They refer to Revelation 14: 2 and this becomes their last futile resort to find such proof. The argument goes something like this: there are harps in heaven and if there are harps in heaven then we can have harps in the worship of the church. That begs the question, which is, are we authorized to have instrumental music in the worship of the church? No! We are not authorized by the New Testament to use instrumental music in worship to God. To those who would say, “Yes, we are authorized to use instrumental music in worship to God,” we would say as N. B. Hardeman, "I deny the allegation and challenge the alligator.” We emphatically deny that Revelation 14: 2 teaches that there are harps in heaven. There may be such in heaven, but Revelation 14: 2 does not so affirm. John did not hear harps in heaven. He heard a voice that was like harpers harping on their harps. That is very plain to all who are honest.

The sound that John heard was like many waters. What kind of sound would that be? It was a sound of perfect rhythm. Singing in worship is much better when all the singers join in perfect rhythm.

The voice that John heard was like the sound of the peals of thunder. The voice he heard was perfect in volume. Many young people today will drive up beside you in their car and the volume on their stereo is so loud that you can feel your car vibrate. They like the loud volume. Most people like some volume in their music. I like some volume also. I do not enjoy visiting a congregation were the singing is so quiet that very few are singing out for fear that they will embarrass themselves with a sour note that is off key. Some songs are to be sung softly, but a spirited song should not be sung like one is going to a funeral. We hardly think that the song sung by Moses, Miriam, and the congregation of Israel was sung like a funeral dirge. Don't you think it had some volume? If there were any Egyptians left on the other side of the Red Sea, I think that even they heard that song of gladness and deliverance. The sound that John heard was perfect in its volume.

Finally, the voice that John heard was not the voice of harpers harping on their harps. The voice he heard was “as” or like the voice of harpers harping on their harps. And what kind of sound was that? "As" is an adverb a manner and describes the manner, method, and message that John heard. The sound John heard was the sweet sound of perfect melody.

John Heard a Singing Voice

You may now agree that the voice John heard was like many waters, loud thunder, and harpers harping with their harps. But then, what was the voice that John heard? May I suggest to you that the voice John heard was a singing voice? Why do I say that?

Revelation 14:3

3And they sang a new song before the throne and before the four living creatures and the elders. No one could learn the song except the 144,000 who had been redeemed from the earth.

NIV

This scripture teaches me that there will be congregational singing in heaven. There is no instrumental music in this verse. They were singing this new song acappela, which means, "in the style of the church." This voice that John heard was a singing voice; it was a congregation of 144,000 people—a definite number for indefinite number. If a relatively small group of people can fill our building with beautiful singing, making the rafters reverberate, filling the room with beautiful melody, rhythm, and volume. Can you imagine what it is going to sound like when we get to heaven and stand over their on yonder shore across the Jordan River and all of God's redeemed singers lift up their voice in praise, adoration, honor, and respect to God the Father and to the Lamb that redeemed us from our sins? This is wonderful to contemplate is it not?

The Heavenly Congregation Sang a New Song

John said that they sung a new song, which is our topic for today. It is wonderful to sing new songs. We encourage song leaders to teach us and lead us so we can learn more new songs. Usually congregations will purchase new songbooks about every 10 to 15 years. However, the church usually sings the same songs that it was singing out of the old songbooks! It is good to sing the great songs and hymns that we have heard all of our lives. But it is also good to learn new hymns and spiritual songs. Since God did not hand us down a songbook, every song that we sing at one time was a "new song."

God Will Teach Us the New Song in Heaven

The new song mentioned in Revelation 14 is not a song that we can sing now. There is not a song leader on the earth that can teach us that song:

Revelation 14:3

3And they sang a new song before the throne and before the four living creatures and the elders. No one could learn the song except the 144,000 who had been redeemed from the earth.

NIV

Just as Israel could not sing their song until after they had been redeemed and had crossed the Red Sea, so we will not be able to learn the song until we are in heaven and our God and our savior Jesus Christ will teach us the words to that song, and we will learn it, and we will all sing it together, and we will all sing it in such a wonderful way that it will be like the song that John heard that was like the sound of many waters in its perfect rhythm, like the song he heard that was perfect in volume, and like the song he heard that was perfect in melody like harpers harping with their harps. It will be wonderful to sing that song and hear the Angels singing. Perhaps the Angels will join in and sing that song to!

Singing Is the Kind of Music God Authorizes In Worship Today

Singing is the only kind of music authorized in the worship of the church:

Ephesians 5:17-20

17Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord's will is. 18Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit. 19Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, 20always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

NIV

The reason we can sing the way we ought to sing is because we are not filled with alcohol, but with the Spirit of God. Singing and making melody in our hearts is the music that God desires in worship to him (Col. 3:16-17). In our worship we sing and play on a figurative instrument—the heart. Literally we are to strum and vibrate our vocal cords and strum and vibrate the figurative vocal cords of our heart when we sing praises to God. If our heart is not in the worship then our worship is in vain:

Matthew 15:8-9

8"`These people honor me with their lips,

but their hearts are far from me.

9They worship me in vain;

their teachings are but rules taught by men.'"

NIV

If we do not praise God with our hearts as well as our lips, our worship is in vain. If you desire to sing that new song, then you must be on the road marching to Mount Zion and the Lamb who stands to welcome his people home. *