I heard a sound from heaven like the sound of rushing water or a loud peal of thunder. The sound I heard was like that of harpists playing their harps. They were singing what seemed to be a new hymn before the throne. St. John uses images to help us think about what the life in glory will be like. In chapter 14 the image is of a “new hymn.” Those who are susceptible to the charms of music you can understand why. Music lifts us out of ourselves into another level. If you remember in the 70s the Voyager space crafts had affixed to their side a golden record with the sounds of earth. The scientists at NASA thought that would be a good way of introducting our civilization to any other that might (in some far distant millennium or other) find the record in deep space — Beethoven, Bach and “Johnny Be Good(!)” Today you might listen to some favorite music of yours to see if it transports you into glory.
