Fall 2006
A New Song
Wade E Taylor

“And they sang a new song, saying, You are worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for You were slain, and have redeemed us to God by Your blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation.

“And has made us to our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.” Revelation 5:9-10

This “new song” is not one that we learn. Rather, it is the result of our submission to the deeper workings of the Lord within us. It is a testimony of what we have become – “kings and priests.”

Many translations use the word “and has made them to our God kings and priests,” as this is the song of twenty four elders and four living creatures. However, “us” is the better translation.

In the Old Testament, twelve patriarchs became the twelve tribes of Israel. The twelve apostles are the foundation upon which the Church is established. Thus, the “twenty four elders” represent the Old Testament overcomers. The “four living creatures” represent the four sides of spiritual maturity, the New Testament overcomer. They are singing - “and has made us.” This song is the result of the “processing” that takes place during our life time, which leads to our being chosen as an overcomer.

“To him who overcomes will I grant to sit with Me in My throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with My Father in His throne.” Revelation 3:21

These have been redeemed by the blood of Jesus from every kindred, tongue, people, and nation (this spans all of history) and have been “made” (a people being qualified) kings and priests, who will reign with Jesus in the Millennial Kingdom.

“For many are called, but few are chosen.” Matthew 22:14

A better way to say this is, “Many are called, but few will pay the price in order to be chosen.”

We can further identify these from the following Scripture:

“Let the saints be joyful in glory: let them sing aloud upon their beds. Let the high praises of God be in their mouth, and a two edged sword in their hand; To execute vengeance upon the heathen, and punishments upon the people; To bind their kings with chains, and their nobles with fetters of iron; To execute upon them the judgment written: this honor have all His saints. Praise you the Lord.” Psalm 149:5-9

“To the intent that now to the principalities and powers in heavenly places might be known by the church the manifold wisdom of God.” Ephesians 3:10

The outworking of this “song” will take place through a direct intervention of the Lord, in which these “overcomers” will be lifted into a higher realm of apostolic power with an imparted authority that has an effective consequence.

In Exodus, chapter nineteen, this was offered to Israel. They were told to be ready by the “third day” (Exodus 19:11). This is prophetic of the coming Millennial Day, as the Lord desired to come down in the sight of all the people. However, when the power of God began to manifest, the people rejected the manifest presence of the Lord.

“And it came to pass on the third day in the morning, that there were thunders and lightnings, and a thick cloud upon the mount, and the voice of the trumpet exceeding loud; so that all the people that was in the camp trembled.” Exodus 19:16

“And all the people saw the thunderings, and the lightnings, and the noise of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking: and when the people saw it, they removed, and stood afar off.” Exodus 20:18

Israel withdrew from the manifest presence of the Lord. When they began to tremble in the intense manifest presence of the Lord, they backed up and rejected this manifestation of the supernatural power of God. In effect, they said, “Moses, we do not want all this shaking, visible glory, and trumpets (prophetic voices). Moses, you go into the Lord’s presence and then come back and tell us what He said. We want a nice quiet dignified service.”

Now, the manifested presence of the Lord is being offered to us. This manifestation of His presence and power will produce a response that is emotional. These responses will be varied, as we differ greatly in our make up. In our day and time, many are criticizing these “manifestations” (our responses, or reactions to His manifest presence) in the “places” (Toronto and Pensacola) where the Lord is “testing” us to see if we are ready and willing to respond to all that He desires to do and accomplish.

“But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God has chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; And base things of the world, and things which are despised, has God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are: That no flesh should glory in His presence.” I Corinthians 1:27-29

In this, the time of the closing out of the Church Age, Jesus is beginning to take His place as the manifest head of His body, the Church. All the world will see this “corporate Jesus” through our lives, and they will react just as they did in the time of Moses when the Lord attempted to reveal Himself to Israel, and also, when Jesus walked among the people of His day.

This tells us that we must be “made ready” for this coming time of visitation. If we are not rightly responding to the process of our being “conditioned” to abide in this powerful manifestation of the presence of the Lord, we also will react and protest, as Israel did. If so, the Lord can wait for another generation, but we cannot.

The Lord had said, “I will come down in the sight of all the people,” as He desires to reveal His glory through a corporate body who have been prepared to accept and move in His manifest presence and glory.

“And the Lord said to Moses, Go to the people, and sanctify them today and tomorrow, and let them wash their clothes, and be ready by the third day.” Exodus 19:10-11a

We are close to the end of the Church Age, and approaching the time of Revelation, chapter four. It is very important that we have been prepared through the present manifestations of His presence, and have developed a sensitivity to the voice of the Lord.

“After this I looked, and, behold, a door was opened in heaven: and the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me; which said, Come up here, and I will show you things which must be hereafter.” Revelation 4:1

Because Israel withdrew from the manifest presence of the Lord, the Lord withdrew from them. Now, the same promise – “the sound of a trumpet, saying, “Come up here,” is being offered to us in our day. The Lord will have a people. There is a “present” call to come higher, as the Lord is doing things in ways that have never happened before. There are those who will say as Mary of old; “It is impossible, and I do not understand, but be it unto me according to Your word.”

With the real, there is always the counterfeit. We must be careful that we do not throw the baby out with the bath water. The Lord is gathering a people for Himself in this day. Today, the world is either ignoring or laughing at the Church, but this is about to change, as an effective authority with consequence is about to be given to those whom the Lord can trust to rightly use this enabling power.

I was in the army during the Second World War. We had officers over us who, because of the urgency of the day, were trained in an intense ninety-day course. The enlisted men called them “ninety-day wonders.” They respected the officers that had come up through the ranks, but they despised those who were exercising authority, but had never been under authority.

The Lord is not caught off guard. There is no “Pearl Harbor” in His kingdom. There are those who presently are being prepared, who in the day of His appearing, will have this new song,

“And they sang a new song, saying … You have made us to our God kings and priests, and we shall reign on the earth.”

In the Lord’s time, He will say to these, “Come up.” The Head and the Body will come together and the resurrected glory of the Lord will be seen. As the body functions in authority under the direct dictate of the Head, the nations will no longer laugh, but rather, they will tremble before them.

May we be among those who, in this present time, will both welcome and respond to His manifested presence.