Worship: The Ultimate Hits
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Do not forget the context of this book.
This book was first written as a letter to the Seven Churches, and the further away from Chapters 2 & 3 we get, the easier it will be to forget this fact. The temptation will be to completely disregard and separate the rest of the book from here on out from chapters 2 & 3.
Don’t give in to that temptation.
I suggested at the beginning of this series that it might be beneficial to sit down once per week and take an hour and a half and read straight through Revelation without/ignoring chapter/verse divisions. Because there’s something about ignoring artificial divisions that makes it easier to grasp the context of the book.
For those of you who are, keeping in mind the context of chapters 2 & 3 throughout the rest of the book will be easier. For those who aren’t, now might be a good time to start.
Many people might get frustrated with interpreting Revelation in light of its historical context because in doing so, we admit that Revelation is not linear in the way it presents information. To read this book as though it were a roadmap to the end of the world will lead you to some awkward conclusions and will force this book to answer questions that it doesn’t.
And I’ll come back to the structure of this book as we go, but let me suggest that Revelation has what is called a recapitulatory structure.
Emphasize and define
Revelation uses recapitulation, which is a pattern of thought that shows the same events from a different point of view, often times with intensification, to make a point. And I’ll come back to that point over and over in Revelation, but let me just show you this quote about this approach so that you know that contrary to the rapture, this view is ancient:
The Anchor Yale Bible Dictionary Revelation, Book Of
1. The Recapitulation Theory. The theory that the book of Revelation describes the same events several times from different points of view is an old and venerable interpretive strategy. This position was taken by Victorinus of Pettau, the author of the oldest surviving commentary (d. ca. 304). He stated that both the trumpets and the bowls predict the eschatological punishment of unbelievers (Haussleiter 1916: 84, line 14–86, line 7). This approach was adopted by Tyconius in his lost, but heavily cited, commentary and by Augustine. It dominated the interpretation of the book for centuries.
That being said:
Do not read this book with your Bible in one hand and your newspaper in the other.
If you do, you will begin to read all kinds of things into the text that don’t belong there.
Today we’re going to get a glimpse into heaven and it’s going to be full of symbolism. Remember this:
Revelation is language stretched to the breaking point.
Revelation 2-3 set the stage for why the rest of the book is necessary. But here in Revelation 4 and into chapter 5, we’re going to see the veil pulled back a little bit to show us that worship is war. Who you worship in Revelation is how you wage war. It is how you declare your allegiance.
So let’s dive into this text together and see what God has to say through his Revelation to John:
Add commentary as you go through.
Then as I looked, I saw a door standing open in heaven, and the same voice I had heard before spoke to me like a trumpet blast. The voice said, “Come up here, and I will show you what must happen after this.” And instantly I was in the Spirit, and I saw a throne in heaven and someone sitting on it. The one sitting on the throne was as brilliant as gemstones—like jasper and carnelian. And the glow of an emerald circled his throne like a rainbow.
Even in calling John up, we should be reminded of Exodus 19, and we’ll look at it in a bit.
God described as looking like precious stones. He is sovereign. He is precious. The question of the people in the first century to whom John is writing. And the Romans say "Caesar reigns," and John says, "No. Jesus reigns."
That’s why in their worship, the Romans would confess that Caesar was Lord, and Jesus came along and said, “No, I’m Lord.” We are appropriating worship symbols when we confess that Jesus is Lord. And the precious stones here communicate that there is nothing that compares to the value of God, not even all the riches of Caesar.
Is God literally precious stones? No. Revelation is language stretched to its breaking point. His value is incomparable. His value is incalculable.
I wish that this rainbow was the same word used in the LXX in Genesis 9:13 after the Flood, but it’s not. It’s like a green glowing circle of light being described here. It’s not a picture pointing to his mercy, but his majesty.
Twenty-four thrones surrounded him, and twenty-four elders sat on them. They were all clothed in white and had gold crowns on their heads.
24- Why? What does this represent? This symbol makes me think of two groups of twelve specifically:
12 Tribes, 12 Apostles as representatives of the whole people of God, and that’s the symbol the only other time we see a group of 24 in Revelation in Revelation 21:12-14.
Crowns- It is significant that they cast their στέφανοι before the throne, not their διαδεμα. They are promoting the idea that salvation is secondary. All that matters is who God is, and in his presence, what he has given them is worthless compared to the worth of who he is.
What's the white robes? Righteousness. How do I know?
8 She has been given the finest of pure white linen to wear.” For the fine linen represents the good deeds of God’s holy people.
It is important that these elders are clothed in the passive sense. They did not clothe themselves. Friends, our righteousness is borrowed.
END AFTER “CRYSTAL”
From the throne came flashes of lightning and the rumble of thunder. And in front of the throne were seven torches with burning flames. This is the sevenfold Spirit of God. In front of the throne was a shiny sea of glass, sparkling like crystal.
In the center and around the throne were four living beings, each covered with eyes, front and back.
What are the flashes of lightning, rumblings and peals of thunder? These should remind us of Exodus 19, right before Yahweh gives the Ten Commandments in his own voice.
16 On the morning of the third day, thunder roared and lightning flashed, and a dense cloud came down on the mountain. There was a long, loud blast from a ram’s horn, and all the people trembled. 17 Moses led them out from the camp to meet with God, and they stood at the foot of the mountain. 18 All of Mount Sinai was covered with smoke because the Lord had descended on it in the form of fire. The smoke billowed into the sky like smoke from a brick kiln, and the whole mountain shook violently. 19 As the blast of the ram’s horn grew louder and louder, Moses spoke, and God thundered his reply. 20 The Lord came down on the top of Mount Sinai and called Moses to the top of the mountain. So Moses climbed the mountain.
These thunders and lightnings represent God’s approval of that which is taking place.
And we’ll see them in a few places in Revelation in Rev. 8:5, 11:19, 16:18 at the end of the Seals, Trumpets, and Bowls- God’s judgments on humanity that has rejected him. This is recapitulation. Retelling of same events with a different perspective for a different purpose often times with intensification.
-Last Seal
-Last Trumpet
-Last Bowl
Completion of the judgments. God's stamp of approval.
And this is evident by the presence of the Spirit of God on the seven torches.
Because it is apocalyptic literature, in Revelation, we do not measure with numbers, we weigh them.
Seven, Four, Twelve:
Seven days in a week- complete cycle of work/rest comes in 7.
Four seasons- all of creation happens in cycles of four seasons.
Twelve months in a year- 12 in OT to represent the people of God.
It’s not because John says so or a culture says so that these numbers represent completion- it is because we are CREATED to experience completion in these cycles.
Then we get to my favorite symbol in the entire book of Revelation: the Sea.
What does Sea symbolize? Chaos.
START AT “IN THE CENTER”.
6 In front of the throne was a shiny sea of glass, sparkling like crystal.
In the center and around the throne were four living beings, each covered with eyes, front and back. 7 The first of these living beings was like a lion; the second was like an ox; the third had a human face; and the fourth was like an eagle in flight. 8 Each of these living beings had six wings, and their wings were covered all over with eyes, inside and out. Day after day and night after night they keep on saying,
“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God, the Almighty—
the one who always was, who is, and who is still to come.”
9 Whenever the living beings give glory and honor and thanks to the one sitting on the throne (the one who lives forever and ever), 10 the twenty-four elders fall down and worship the one sitting on the throne (the one who lives forever and ever). And they lay their crowns before the throne and say,
11 “You are worthy, O Lord our God,
to receive glory and honor and power.
For you created all things,
and they exist because you created what you pleased.”
Lion- Jewish culture ruler of wild animals.
Ox- ruler of domesticated animals.
Man- ruler of all animals.
Eagle- ruler of all animals of the air.
In Revelation, we weigh numbers, not measure with them.
Four- number attached to completeness with regards to the earth (four corners of earth, four winds of the earth, etc.)
Who is worshipping God? All of creation.
Eyes?- Knowledge.
Holy, Holy, Holy- what does that mean?
It would be a shame not to mention Isaiah 6:1-7 here
1 It was in the year King Uzziah died that I saw the Lord. He was sitting on a lofty throne, and the train of his robe filled the Temple. 2 Attending him were mighty seraphim, each having six wings. With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they flew. 3 They were calling out to each other,
“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of Heaven’s Armies!
The whole earth is filled with his glory!”
4 Their voices shook the Temple to its foundations, and the entire building was filled with smoke.
5 Then I said, “It’s all over! I am doomed, for I am a sinful man. I have filthy lips, and I live among a people with filthy lips. Yet I have seen the King, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.”
6 Then one of the seraphim flew to me with a burning coal he had taken from the altar with a pair of tongs. 7 He touched my lips with it and said, “See, this coal has touched your lips. Now your guilt is removed, and your sins are forgiven.”
Set apart.... x3! What does three mean? This is the only attribute of God that is repeated thrice.
Who was, and is, and is to come- he's eternal. This phrase is repeated with minor changes in multiple places in this book.
Why is he worthy? BECAUSE he created.
They are worshipping because of who God is. Who else is eternal, and who else created everything? Why would you worship a tree (like the tree of Artemis (remember the letter to Ephesus?), when you can worship the one who made it?
And that’s the message to the Church from chapter 4 of Revelation. Worship. Worship is war.
Choose a side.
Q&A before we declare war?
Q & A
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