Apocalypse Revealed # 289
289. "And blessing!" This symbolically means, all these being in Him and from Him in those angels of the lower heavens.
A blessing means every good that a person has from the Lord, such as power and wealth, and everything that accompanies these, but especially every spiritual good, such as love and wisdom, charity and faith, and the accompanying joy and happiness, which have to do with eternal life. And because all of these come from the Lord, it follows that He has them in Him; for if He did not have them in Him, they could not be present in others from Him.
It is for this reason that in the Word the Lord is called blessed, and also a blessing, which is to say, blessing itself.
That Jehovah, or the Lord, is called blessed, is apparent from the following passages:
...the high priest asked (Jesus)..., "Are You the Christ, the Son of the Blessed?" (Mark 14:61)
(Jesus said,) "you shall see Me no more till you say, 'Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!'" (Matthew 23:39, cf. Luke 13:35)
(Melchizedek) blessed (Abram) and said: ."..blessed be God Most High, who has delivered your enemies into your hand." (Genesis 14:18-20)
Blessed be Jehovah, the God of Shem... (Genesis 9:26)
Blessed be Jehovah (who) has heard (my) voice... (Psalms 28:6)
Blessed be Jehovah, for He has shown me His marvelous clemency... (Psalms 31:21)
Blessed be Jehovah... from everlasting to everlasting! (Psalms 41:13)
So likewise Psalms 66:20; 68:19, 35; 72:18-19; 89:52; 119:12; 124:6; 135:21; 144:1, Luke 1:68.
It is owing to this that blessing is mentioned in this verse, as again in verse 12, and in chapter 7, 7:12. And in the book of Psalms:
Glory and honor You have placed upon Him, for You have made Him a blessing forever. (Psalms 21:5-6)
The subject is the Lord.
[2] It can be seen from this what blessing God means in the Word: that it is to attribute all blessing to Him, to pray for Him to bless, and to thank Him for blessing, as can be seen from the following passages:
(Zacharias's) mouth was opened... and he spoke, blessing God. (Luke 1:64, 68)
(Simeon) took (the infant Jesus) up in his arms and blessed God... (Luke 2:28, 30-31)
I will bless Jehovah who has given me counsel. (Psalms 16:7)
...bless (Jehovah's) name; proclaim His salvation from day to day. (Psalms 96:1-3)
Blessed be the Lord from day to day... Bless God in the congregations, the Lord, from the fountain of Israel. (Psalms 68:19, 26)
Revelation 5
1
I saw, in the right hand of him who sat on the throne, a book written inside and outside, sealed shut with seven seals.
2
I saw a mighty angel proclaiming with a loud voice, "Who is worthy to open the book, and to break its seals?"
3
No one in heaven above, or on the earth, or under the earth, was able to open the book, or to look in it.
4
And I wept much, because no one was found worthy to open the book, or to look in it.
5
One of the elders said to me, "Don't weep. Behold, the Lion who is of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has overcome; he who opens the book and its seven seals."
6
I saw in the midst of the throne and of the four living creatures, and in the midst of the elders, a Lamb standing, as though it had been slain, having seven horns, and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God, sent out into all the earth.
7
Then he came, and he took it out of the right hand of him who sat on the throne.
8
Now when he had taken the book, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each one having a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints.
9
They sang a new song, saying, "You are worthy to take the book, and to open its seals: for you were killed, and bought us for God with your blood, out of every tribe, language, people, and nation,
10
and made us kings and priests to our God, and we will reign on earth."
11
I saw, and I heard something like a voice of many angels around the throne, the living creatures, and the elders; and the number of them was ten thousands of ten thousands, and thousands of thousands;
12
saying with a loud voice, "Worthy is the Lamb who has been killed to receive the power, wealth, wisdom, strength, honor, glory, and blessing!"
13
I heard every created thing which is in heaven, on the earth, under the earth, on the sea, and everything in them, saying, "To him who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb be the blessing, the honor, the glory, and the dominion, forever and ever! Amen!"
14
The four living creatures said, "Amen!" The elders fell down and worshiped.
