We’ve been reading Revelation as a family, tonight getting to Revelation 7. What a wonderful picture of the safety and completeness of God’s people!
I was struck by the song of verse 10. The multitude from all nations sing:
“Salvation belongs to our God,
who sits on the throne,
and to the Lamb.”
(niv, as we read together)
I thought: What does it mean by ‘salvation belongs to our God’?
There’s no verb in the Greek, but I am sure the niv translators had good reasons to put it in English like this. After all, a dead literal rendering also raises questions of understanding.
Here’s the literal nasb:
“Salvation to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb.”
Now the Message, usually very periphrastic:
“Salvation to our God on his Throne!
Salvation to the Lamb!”
The New Living Translation has switched the order right around, using from instead of to:
“Salvation comes from our God who sits on the throne
and from the Lamb!”
I could continue, of course.
The surprise to me comes because I think of salvation as all about me. ‘My salvation is cause for joy.’
But Revelation 7:10 tells us that salvation is a bigger picture. Salvation points foremost to the Saviour, not to the saved. God enthroned in heaven is the only one able to save – so let’s sing!
(By the way, how good is www.biblegateway.com as a resource for on-line Bible study? Fantastic.)