Becky Austin

Worship the Creator (Revelation 4)

10:30 AM




Reading: Revelation 4


In this short chapter, John tells us that he is caught up in the Spirit and given a vision of heaven. Here, he sees “someone” sitting on a grand throne who is the center of worship for all those present. We know that God occupies the throne of heaven. Everyone in heaven recognizes just how amazing and wonderful He is. This knowledge that God is “the glue” so to speak of all that truly matters ( past, present, and future) is a comforting and unifying awareness. From that awareness is a constant flowing praise of gratitude and reverence. 

“... Day and night they never stop saying: “ ‘Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty,’ who was, and is, and is to come.”” (v8)


How sad it is to me that humans fail to realize that they have a Creator. In fact, even sadder that they do not come to have a close personal relationship with Him. The Bible tells us that no one has an excuse for God has made himself known. “For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.” (Romans‬ ‭1:20‬)

But, many are deceived and choose to place their affections and worship elsewhere.

“They exchanged the truth about God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised. Amen.” (Romans‬ ‭1:25‬)


But, for those of us who are privileged to be in his eternal presence one day, our hearts will naturally praise and honor Him. We will know that He completes us. Our joy and fulfillment will be complete and all that we have we will gladly lay at his feet. 

We will join in the praise of our Heavenly Father, declaring. “..You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being.”” (v11)


Praising God is not meant to be a chore, a boring burden, or a forced task. It is meant to be a naturally flowing, heartfelt declaration that is freeing, joyful and uplifting. David encourages us to join the celebration now.

“Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth. Worship the Lord with gladness; come before him with joyful songs. Know that the Lord is God. It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture. Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name. For the Lord is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.” (Psalms‬ ‭100:1-5‬)


The Revelation Song by Kari Jobe:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3dZMBrGGmeE&feature=share




Heaven

Worshiping God in Heaven {Revelation 4}

12:30 AM


December 5, 2017


I have found the following explanation of Revelation 4 from my life application study bible.

As we move from the conditions within the churches in Asia to the future of the universal church, John sees the course of coming events in a way similar to Daniel and Ezekiel.  Many of these passages contain clear spiritual teachings, but others seem beyond our ability to understand.  The clear teaching of this book is that God will defeat all evil in the end.  We must live in obedience to Jesus Christ.

“After this I looked, and there before me was a door standing open in heaven.  And the voice I had first heard speaking to me like a trumpet said, “Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this.”  4:1 - Chapters 4 and 5 record glimpses into Christ’s glory.  Here in verse 1 of chapter 4 we see into the throne room of heaven.  God is on the throne and orchestrating all the events that John will record.  The world is not spinning out of control; the God of creation will carry out His plans as Christ initiates the final battle with the forces of evil.  John shows us heaven before showing us earth so that we will not be frightened by future events. 

The voice that John first heard that sounded like a trumpet blast was the voice of Christ (Rev. 1:10, 11).

“At once I was in the Spirit, and there before me was a throne in heaven with someone sitting on it.” 4:2 – Four times in the book of Revelation John says he was “in the Spirit” (1:10, 4:2, 17:3, 21:10).  This expression means that the Holy Spirit was giving him a vision – showing him situations and events he could not have seen with mere human eyesight.  All true prophecy comes from God through the Holy Spirit (2 Peter 1:20, 21).

“Surrounding the throne were twenty-four other thrones, and seated on them were twenty-four elders.  They were dressed in white and had crowns of gold on their heads.” 4:4 – Because there were 12 tribes of Israel in the Old Testament and 12 apostles in the New Testament, the 24 elders in this vision probably represents all the redeemed of God for all time (both before and after Christ’s death and resurrection).  They symbolize all those – both Jews and Gentiles – who are now part of God’s family.  The 24 elders shows us that ALL the redeemed of the Lord are worshipping Him.

“From the throne came flashes of lightning, rumblings and peals of thunder.  In front of the throne, seven lamps were blazing.  These are the seven spirits of God.” 4:5 – In Revelation, lightning and thunder are connected with significant events in heaven.  They remind us of the lightning and thunder at Mount Sinai when God gave His laws (Exodus 19:16).  The Old Testament often uses such imagery to reflect God’s power and majesty (Psalm 77:18).  The “seven spirits of God” is another name for the Holy Spirit.  See also Zechariah 4:2-6, where the seven lamps are equated with the one Spirit.

“Also in front of the throne there was what looked like a sea of glass, clear as crystal. In the center, around the throne, there were four living creatures, and they were covered with eyes, in front and in back.”  4:6 – Glass was very rare in New Testament times, and crystal-clear glass was virtually impossible to find (see 1 Corinthians 13:12).  The “sea of glass” highlights both the magnificence and holiness of God.

“Also in front of the throne there was what looked like a sea of glass, clear as crystal.  In the center, around the throne, there were four living creatures, and they were covered with eyes, in front and in back.  The first living creature was like a lion, the second was like an ox, the third had a face like a man, the fourth was like a flying eagle.”  4:6-7 – Just as the Holy Spirit is seen symbolically in the seven lighted lamps, so the “four living creatures” represent the attributes (the qualities and character) of God.  These creatures were not real animals.  Like the cherubim (the highest order of the angels), they guard God’s throne, lead other in worship, and proclaim God’s holiness.  God’s attributes symbolized in the animal-like appearance of these four creatures are majesty and power (the lion), faithfulness (the ox), intelligence (the man), and sovereignty (the eagle).  The Old Testament prophet Ezekiel saw four similar creatures in one of his visions (Ezekiel 1:5-10).

“Whenever the living creatures give glory, honor and thanks to him who sits on the throne, and who lives for ever and ever,”4:9 – John describes these scenes in such detail because Christians in the first century came from many backgrounds.  Not all of them understood Jewish history or knew the glory of the temple.  Revelation instructs us in worship.  It shows us where, why and how to praise God.  Worship takes our minds off our problems and focuses them on God.  Worship leads us from individual meditation to corporate worship.  Worship causes us to consider and appreciate God’s character.  Worship lifts our perspective from the earthly to the heavenly.

“You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power,  for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being.”  4:11 - The point of this chapter is summed up in this verse.  All creatures in heaven and earth will praise and honor God because He is the Creator and Sustainer of everything.

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