12 Saying with a loud voice,
Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and
strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing.
There are seven things listed that
Christ is worthy of and seven is the number of completion.
Only Christ is worthy. Only Christ
is worthy to receive power, which can be authority. Note the following verses
as synonyms are usually connected by and;
Luke 4:36 And they were all
amazed, and spake among themselves, saying, What a word is this! for with authority and power he commandeth the
unclean spirits, and they come out.
1Corinthians 15:24 Then cometh
the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father;
when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power.
Revelation 13:2 And the beast
which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear,
and his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great
authority.
Riches aren’t necessarily silver
and gold which will end in monetary value in eternity but have to do with
riches of glory, goodness, forbearance, longsuffering, and spiritual traits
valued by God that characterize Him;
Romans 2:4 Or despisest thou the
riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the
goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance?
Romans 9:23 And that he might
make known the riches of his glory on the vessels of mercy, which he had afore
prepared unto glory,
Plus, remember, Christ made
Himself poor so that we could be rich spiritually;
2Corinthians 8:9 For ye know the
grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he
became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich.
Philippians 2: 1 ¶ If there be
therefore any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship
of the Spirit, if any bowels and mercies, 2
Fulfil ye my joy, that ye be likeminded, having the same love, being of
one accord, of one mind. 3 Let nothing
be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem
other better than themselves. 4 Look not
every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others. 5 Let this mind be in you, which was also in
Christ Jesus: 6 Who, being in the form
of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: 7 But made himself of no reputation, and took
upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: 8 And being found in fashion as a man, he
humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.
9 Wherefore God also hath highly exalted
him, and given him a name which is above every name: 10 That at the name of Jesus every knee should
bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth;
11 And that every tongue should confess
that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Wisdom is linked in some places to
Christ’s ability to do mighty works;
Matthew 13:54 And when he was
come into his own country, he taught them in their synagogue, insomuch that
they were astonished, and said, Whence hath this man this wisdom, and these
mighty works?
The wisdom to create and sustain
the universe and all physical reality in the heavens and on the earth belongs
to Him.
John 1:3 All things were made by
him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.
Colossians 1:16 For by him were
all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and
invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers:
all things were created by him, and for him: 17
And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.
We learned in Job that all
physical reality from the smallest process to the greatest event in the
furthest reaches of space is not a consequence of physical laws that He merely
oversees or is the first cause of but are directly the result of His immediate
actions. There are no laws of the universe or physics. There is only God’s
will.
Strength;
One definition of strength early
on in the Bible associates it with the greatest dignity and the ultimate
expression of power.
Genesis 49:3 Reuben, thou art my
firstborn, my might, and the beginning
of my strength, the excellency of dignity, and the excellency of power:
It is the absoluteness of power
and authority, as a firstborn in a Jewish tribe held authority and
responsibility.
Deuteronomy 21:17 But he shall
acknowledge the son of the hated for the firstborn,
by giving him a double portion of all that he hath: for he is the beginning of
his strength; the right of the firstborn is his.
It is the strength that a Middle
Eastern monarch had as the court of final appeal, the legislator of laws, and
the chief executive who made treaties, prosecuted war, and dispensed justice,
as applied to God’s rule over the universe.
Isaiah 33:22 For the LORD is our
judge, the LORD is our lawgiver, the LORD is our king; he will save us.
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