Shared ground

Revelation 5:13–14 presents worship as the fitting response of the whole created order to ultimate reality. John hears “every created thing” across a four-part map of the cosmos (heaven, earth, under the earth, sea, plus “everything in them”) speaking one coordinated acclamation. The recipients are explicitly two: the One seated on the throne and the Lamb. The content is a piled-up tribute—“blessing, honor, glory, and dominion”—and it is framed as lasting “forever and ever.” The first “Amen” functions as confirmation of what was just said, and the creatures’ “Amen” and the elders’ posture complete the scene.

This conclusion also clarifies that, within the vision’s world, the Lamb shares in the kind of honor and acknowledged rule that belong to the throne-sitter. That point is stated by the text’s shared address (“to… and to…”) and the shared list of ascriptions.

Where interpretation differs (only where needed)

1) Does “every created thing” describe literal, universal participation or a visionary way of saying “all of creation belongs in this”? Some readers take the language as forecasting an eventual moment when all creatures without exception will openly acknowledge the throne-sitter and the Lamb. Others read it as totalizing vision-language: John is shown the universe as a choir to communicate comprehensive scope and rightful allegiance, without claiming that every individual creature is consciously choosing worship at that moment.

2) What does “under the earth” contribute? Some read it as a broad “lower realm” category (everything not in heaven/earth/sea), completing a cosmic inventory. Others think it more directly evokes the realm of the dead, so that the vision includes even death’s domain as encompassed by this acclamation.

Why the disagreement exists

The passage uses sweeping, poetic categories typical of Revelation’s symbolic scenes. That style raises questions about how directly the wording maps onto a future timetable versus how it functions to communicate total scope inside a vision. Also, phrases like “under the earth” can be used as either a general spatial category or as a more specific reference to the dead, and the text itself does not pause to clarify.

What this passage clearly contributes

• It portrays worship in widening circles until it reaches every created realm, emphasizing comprehensive allegiance.
• It places the Lamb alongside the throne-sitter as the joint recipient of creation’s highest acclamation (a direct textual claim).
• It links praise (“blessing, honor, glory”) with acknowledged rule (“dominion”), not treating worship as merely private feeling.
• It stresses permanence with “forever and ever,” using time language that signals unending rule and honor (compare ages).
• It shows verbal confirmation (“Amen”) paired with embodied response (elders falling down), closing the throne-room sequence of Revelation 4–5.