Living With Heavenly Worship (Rev 4:1-5:14)

 

Living With Heavenly Worship (Rev 4:1-5:14)

 

ChatGPT's Artificial Intelligence Image Generator
created this image based on John's vision of God

A Catholic Church experienced a squirrel invasion in their house of worship. The rodents were crawling all over the sanctuary. They came up with a creative strategy. They baptized all the squirrels. Now they only see them on Christmas and Easter.

 

John is taken to heaven in a vision where he witnessed glorious worship of the One on the throne and of the Lamb who was slain.

 

John describes the scene. The One on heaven’s throne is the Lord God, creator of all. God’s body looked like Jasper and carnelian which is sardius. Jasper can be a red rusty color, yellow, brown, green, or even crystalline with stripes. God also looked the color of carnelian or sardius, which is a deep reddish brown, even blood red. Some translators even call sardius a ruby. Both jasper and sardius are gemstones which adorn the breastplate of the high priest. Sardius is the very first stone on the first row. Jasper is the very last stone on the fourth and final row. These may symbolize all the tribes of Israel. Or these gemstones mentioned in God’s appearance may symbolize God’s eternal nature, the first and the last, the beginning and the end. Later in Revelation, John will see a vision of the New Jerusalem, set upon 12 foundations made of the same beautiful gems that adorn the breastplate of the high priest. God is all about His people.

 

Around the throne John saw an emerald rainbow. Green represents life and hope. The resurgence of spring comes with green plants awakening. What better color than green to represent the Life-giver?

 

From the throne come flashes of lightning and peals of thunder. When God came down to Mount Sinai, lightning and thunder were seen and heard by the people. (Exodus 20:18) This communicates the supreme power of God. It also invites holy fear. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, the Proverbs say.

Before the throne were 7 flaming torches, which represent the Holy Spirit. John is fond of using 7 to express the total or complete thing. The 7 burning torches represent the total power and presence of God’s Spirit. All three persons of the Trinity are present in John’s vision of heaven. The Father sits upon the throne. The Holy Spirit is present as 7 flaming torches. And the Lamb who was slain but lives (The Son of God) stands at the center before the throne.

 

Around the throne, John sees 24 elders. These 24 represent the 12 tribes of Israel and the 12 apostles. These elders represent faithful Jews and Christians, God’s people through covenant and faith.

 

The elders are dressed in white. White symbolizes purity. When Caesar visited, dignitaries would dress in white robes and gift him with a golden crown. They did so to seek the emperor’s favor. The vision of 24 elders sends a message to those who participate in the Caesar cult. Only One is worthy of such worship and obedience, the One who sits upon the true throne, the King of the Universe, Almighty God.

 

The floor around the throne is crystal, like a sea of glass. I think this communicates separation between the holy and the common. Here’s a visualization of John’s vision of God.

 

Next, John sees four bizarre creatures. These creatures are full of eyes, front and back. They have 6 wings each and the wings are filled with eyes on top and underneath. Artists try to depict such a creature and fail. John saw something he couldn’t easily put into words. One of the four living creatures was like a lion, king of the wild animals. Another like an ox. Bulls were often symbols of strength and virility. Some pagan gods, such as El and Ba’al Hadad of the Cannanites, were depicted as powerful bulls. The ox is the king of domesticated animals. Another living creature was like a man. God gave humans dominion over the earth. The last creature was like an eagle, the king of the sky. The four living creatures are meant to represent all God’s creatures, for He gave them life. The eyes everywhere express the all-seeing, all-knowing God.

 

The four living creatures, let’s just called them seraphim, offer perpetual praise to God, all the time for all time.

 

“Holy, holy, holy,
the Lord God the Almighty,
    who was and is and is to come.”

 

The elders join in the worship of the One on the Throne, and cast their golden crowns before The Lord God Almighty, Supreme Ruler of the Universe.

 

“You are worthy, our Lord and God,
    to receive glory and honor and power,
for you created all things,
    and by your will they existed and were created.”

 

The worship reminds us of the appropriate response to life, honoring the life giver with our praise, thanksgiving, humble acknowledgement.

 

Psalm 148 calls to all of creation to praise the Lord. First the heavens with all the stars, the sun and moon are called to worship.

 

Let them praise the name of the Lord,
    for he commanded and they were created.
He established them forever and ever (Psalm 148:5-6a)

 

The sea creatures are called to worship. The mountains and hills and wild animals and cattle, birds, bugs and lizards are called to worship. We are called to join in the perpetual never ending worship of the One on the throne who gives life.

 

Now the scene shifts. God is holding a scroll with writing on both sides, a message from God. The scroll is sealed shut with 7 seals. Seals were made of wax or clay. They signified the authenticity of the document and kept the contents of the sealed document closed to others. A sealed document was meant only for the recipient to read. God has a message in his hand, but there was no one worthy to open the scroll and read. John wept, because the message would remain unopened and hidden.

 

Then one of the 24 elders encouraged John.

 

“Do not weep. See, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered, so that he can open the scroll and its seven seals.” (Rev 5:5)

 

The Lion of Judah and the Root of David are both titles for the messiah, God’s anointed Savior King from the line of Israel’s beloved King David.

 

John turned to see, at the center of the throne room, a lamb that had been slain and yet was alive. Of course this is Jesus, the Son of God who gave His life for our salvation from sin and death. Jesus took the scroll from God’s right hand and the worship in heaven exploded in praise for the Lamb of God.

 

“You are worthy to take the scroll
    and to break its seals,

for you were slaughtered and by your blood you ransomed for God
    saints from every tribe and language and people and nation;
¹⁰ you have made them a kingdom and priests serving our God,
    and they will reign on earth.”

 

The praise is for Jesus and what He accomplished in his ministry, death and resurrection. We are set free from slavery to sin and death in order to serve God and God’s kingdom. The Church, like Israel, is a kingdom of priests serving the Lord in lives of worship.

 

And what is worship. We participate in a one hour worship experience each Sunday. We pray, we sing, we recite liturgy and creed.  We give tithes (10% of what God has given to us) and offerings of gratitude. We meditate on the Word of God. We fellowship. We reorient our hearts and lives toward a posture of worship. These are all acts of worship.

 

I think the Bible’s purest definition of worship is to give God glory in everything.

 

“…whatever you do, do everything for the glory of God.” (1Co 10:31)

 

Another way to think of worship is that it’s not just something we do on a Sunday morning. Worship is a lifestyle. Worship is a calling on our lives to live in a posture toward heaven’s throne. John was shown this vision of heaven that The Church might know, that even though war and oppression rage on earth, the joy of worship is never ceasing in heaven. While people suffer persecution and threats to their safety, The Mighty One of Israel sits upon the throne reigning. He will bring ultimate justice to all who suffer and all who oppress. For the Lord favors the poor and outcast.

 

Develop a daily habit of turning your heart heavenward to join in the never ceasing worship of our God. Then you will more readily join in heavenly worship, when life seems frightening or difficult.

 

Our news broadcasters, publications and the internet keep us in the ugliness of human life. Murder, assassination, political division, social upheaval are constant. This breeds fear, frustration, anger and cynicism. The Bible bids us to look to heaven, not as an escape, but as ultimate truth. God is enthroned in splendor, and all creation sings His praise and the praise of the Lamb who was slain and lives.

 

Paul wrote to the Church,

 

So if you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on the things that are above, not on the things that are on earth, for you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.  (Colossians 3:1-3)

 

To join in worship when life is hard is faithful and liberating. The message of John’s Revelation is constant. Christians are called to be faithful to the end. It is an act of faithfulness to acknowledge the One on the throne and humble ourselves before Him.

 

Job suffered great indignity. His livestock were killed, his barns destroyed, his children all tragically died in a storm. Job’s body was covered in boils. He sat on a pile of ashes in utter grief. His wife said cunically, “Why don’t you curse God and die?” Job replied, “Shall we receive good from God and not receive evil?” (Job 2:9-10) The Lord gives and the Lord takes away. Blessed be the name of the Lord.

 

Worship is acknowledgement that we are not the One sitting on the throne reigning over the universe. When I am complaining, I need to get off the throne in my heart. Only one deserves that place.

 

The appropriate posture toward life is worship. Every day, every moment, be in worship, seeking to give God glory in everything you do. At work, in traffic, at the grocery, or the department store, worship. At home, at school, at the game, at the restaurant, on the golf course, worship. For Holy is our God and worthy is the Lamb!