Worship in Heaven
Revelation 5:1-14
Worship! Our Eternal Occupation!
Then I saw in the right hand of him who sat on the throne a scroll with writing on both sides and sealed with seven seals. And I saw a mighty angel proclaiming in a loud voice, “Who is worthy to break the seals and open the scroll?” But no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth could open the scroll or even look inside it. I wept and wept because no one was found who was worthy to open the scroll or look inside. Then one of the elders said to me, “Do not weep! See, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has triumphed. He is able to open the scroll and its seven seals.”
Then I saw a Lamb, looking as if it had been slain, standing in the centre of the throne, encircled by the four living creatures and the elders. He had seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth. He came and took the scroll from the right hand of him who sat on the throne. And when he had taken it, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb. Each one had a harp and they were holding golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. And they sang a new song:
“You are worthy to take the scroll
and to open its seals,
because you were slain,
and with your blood you purchased men for God
from every tribe and language and people and nation.
You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God,
and they will reign on the earth.”
Then I looked and heard the voice of many angels, numbering thousands upon thousands, and ten thousand times ten thousand. They encircled the throne and the living creatures and the elders. In a loud voice they sang:
“Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain,
to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength
and honour and glory and praise!”
Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all that is in them, singing:
“To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb
be praise and honour and glory and power,
forever and ever!”
The four living creatures said, “Amen,” and the elders fell down and worshiped.
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orship is the labour of heaven. Throughout eternity, the redeemed will worship. The prospect of eternal worship necessarily strikes terror in the unredeemed heart. Those who are casual Christians, who consider their Faith as simply a liturgical act which can be restricted to a few moments on a Sunday morning, must consider this vision of Heaven as a form of torture.
Far too many of the saints of God are unprepared for worship—in fact, have never worshipped! Consequently, the prospect of eternal worship strikes them with terror since it is tantamount to entering into the unknown. If you will prepare for Heaven, you must discover worship here on earth.
Worship (a Definition) — Throughout the weeks leading up to this message, I have endeavoured to provide a theology of worship. We have examined worship as presented in the Word of God. Several truths have emerged which need to be iterated to ensure that we worship acceptably both as individuals and as a congregation.
One such truth is that worship, though capable of being offered on an individual basis, has a corporate character which is too frequently ignored among the professed saints of God. It is more likely that the congregation united will worship then that an individual will worship. As a church, we must encourage corporate worship. This will require each of us accepting responsibility to prepare ourselves to worship through praying for God’s gracious presence at each service, asking that our fellow worshippers receive His blessing and that we make every effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit.
Another truth which we have uncovered is that worship is not defined emotionally. Worship is not described by an emotional state. Neither does worship demand a particular emotion, though worship will necessarily affect the emotions. Accordingly, we must guard against any effort to manipulate the emotions or to “create” a worship atmosphere. If we seek God, making every effort to meet Him on His terms, we will likely worship. We must eschew all artificial efforts designed to worship.
We anticipate worship through preparing ourselves to meet the True and Living God, but we do not control worship. We are called to prepare ourselves to worship through confessing known sin, through refusing to submit to the mindset of this dying world, and through seeking to be holy and righteous. Having prepared ourselves for worship and having planned for worship, we are nevertheless surprised by God as He reveals Himself in our midst. Discovering God’s presence, we worship before Him.
Worship is the spontaneous response of the creature to the presence of the Creator. As the character of God is progressively revealed through the written Word and through the preached Word, we marvel and wonder before Him. Worship is most often associated with a sense of awe, as we are astonished by the grace and beauty of our God.
One common term for worship is the Greek word proskunevw. Proskunevw, used absolutely speaks of sharing in public worship, or of the offering up of prayers. Examples of this use is found in John 12:20 and Acts 8:27. In Revelation, proskunevw denotes a particular kind of prayer, namely a prayer of adoration. Its characteristic features find expression in the various hymns of adoration found throughout Revelation [e.g. Revelation 4:8-11; 5:8-10, 12-14; 7:10-12; 11:15-18; 12:10f.; 15:3 f.; 16:5-7; 19:1-7]. Such adoration is addressed to God himself or to Jesus Christ. [1]
Another term which is translated by the English term worship is the Greek verb latreuvw. All twenty-one cases of latreuvw in the New Testament are used in a religious sense, including the worship of strange gods. In the main, however, the term latreuvw (and derivatives of latreuvw) speaks of service to God. For instance, the priests in the Temple served God as they carried out the rituals prescribed by Moses; and their services were an act of worship. The people, as they carried out the various prescribed rituals, served God and thus worshipped Him. How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God [Hebrews 9:14; cf. Hebrews 12:28]!
However, service to God is not restricted to these prescribed acts as is evident from various passages. Only the conscience which has been cleansed and brought to life by Christ, only the one who has been received into the true and eternal community of God can worship God acceptably with reverence and awe.[2]
You have come to Mount Zion, to the heavenly Jerusalem, the city of the living God. You have come to thousands upon thousands of angels in joyful assembly, to the church of the firstborn, whose names are written in heaven. You have come to God, the judge of all men, to the spirits of righteous men made perfect, to Jesus the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel.
See to it that you do not refuse him who speaks. If they did not escape when they refused him who warned them on earth, how much less will we, if we turn away from him who warns us from heaven? At that time his voice shook the earth, but now he has promised, “Once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens.” The words “once more” indicate the removing of what can be shaken—that is, created things—so that what cannot be shaken may remain.
Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our “God is a consuming fire”
[Hebrews 12:22-29].
Service as worship [leitourgiva] must not be ignored. Serving God, we worship. Paul considered his ministry an act of worship [cf. Romans 15:16; see Philippians 2:17]. In a similar manner, as you serve God, whether through teaching the Word of God or through witnessing of God’s grace to another, whether through praying or through the reading of the Word, you worship. Your service to God is an act of worship. As parents read the Word of God to their children, the family worships. As families conduct devotions together, they are worshipping. As we offer up our prayers, especially as we seek good for others, we enter into worship. As we gather and participate in the conduct of the services of the church, we worship.
Focusing on our text, we discover that worship is concerned with God’s being (not with his gifts as in thanksgiving) and with his works in a world-wide context. In one hymn, we see God praised because of His work of creation [Revelation 4:8-11]. In other hymns He is honoured because of His rule [Revelation 15:3 f.; 16:5-7]. Again, Christ the Lord is praised because of His redemption [Revelation 5:8-10]. Once more God and Christ are worshipped because of the consummation of their work [Revelation 11:15-18]. I ask that you take note that the hymns make use of ever-varied language and ideas. The worshippers are constantly finding new titles of dignity with which to praise God, and ascribing to him the most exalted merits and attributes in a faltering attempt to confess his name. God is worshipped because of His eternal nature, because of His omnipotence, the honour which is His alone, because of His wisdom, holiness, and power.
Frequently worship takes the form of royal acclamation: You are worthy! [Revelation 4:11; 5:9, 12], Salvation! [Revelation 7:10], interspersed with ejaculatory prayers: Hallelujah! Amen! [Revelation 7:12; 19:1, 3, 4]. Through all these hymns there runs a gloriously universal strain, and in the face of adoration such as this, human petitions and thanksgivings merely fade away into silence.
All Creation Worships God — Before us is a marvellous scene. The angels in Heaven worship. The church in glory worships. All creation worships. We know the church worships, because we are told that they worship. The elders fell down and worshiped [Revelation 5:14]. Are these elders who worshipped the church? How do we know?
These elders are representative of the church in glory. Though the text does not specifically identify them as such, there are sound principles lying behind such identification. These elders are seated on thrones [Revelation 4:4 qrovnou"], thus they are reigning with Christ [see 2 Timothy 2:12; Revelation 20:6]. They are dressed in white and on their heads are the crowns of victors [Revelation 4:4 stefavnou"]. No doubt these are those who have received the crown of life [Revelation 2:10] and are clothed in white as promised by the Risen Son of God [see Revelation 3:5].[3]
All creation worships, as they are led by the redeemed church. Creation is fallen. When our first parents sinned, they plunged the whole of God’s creation into sin and ruin. That dark knowledge is conveyed in Paul’s letter to the Romans. We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time [Romans 8:22].
Someone has compared Creation to a bride, beautifully dressed for her wedding day. Then, beautifully gowned and awaiting her lover at the altar, she is informed of His death. Now she stands in deep sorrow and mourning as the wedding is left in shambles. The choir mindlessly grinds out a tune, though the conductor is absent and all nature is grieves as the Creator is dethroned through the sin of the creature.
Creation will not always sorrow. I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. The creation waits in eager expectation for the sons of God to be revealed. For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God [Romans 8:18-21].
Now, heaven and earth praise God, as do the seas and all that move in them [Psalm 69:34]. The heavens praise our God now [Psalm 89:5]. Listen to this 148th Psalm.
Praise the LORD.
Praise the LORD from the heavens,
praise him in the heights above.
Praise him, all his angels,
praise him, all his heavenly hosts.
Praise him, sun and moon,
praise him, all you shining stars.
Praise him, you highest heavens
and you waters above the skies.
Let them praise the name of the LORD,
for he commanded and they were created.
He set them in place forever and ever;
he gave a decree that will never pass away.
Praise the LORD from the earth,
you great sea creatures and all ocean depths,
lightning and hail, snow and clouds,
stormy winds that do his bidding,
you mountains and all hills,
fruit trees and all cedars,
wild animals and all cattle,
small creatures and flying birds,
kings of the earth and all nations,
you princes and all rulers on earth,
young men and maidens,
old men and children.
Let them praise the name of the LORD,
for his name alone is exalted;
his splendour is above the earth and the heavens.
[Psalm 148:1-13]
If Creation praises God now, how much greater will be the praise of all Creation when He has at last redeemed the earth.
The Church Leads in Worship — When the Lamb of God receives the Kingdom, He takes up the scroll (biblivon—which is the forfeited inheritance of all creation). Creation is fallen, and by the redemption which He has provided, even creation shall at last be redeemed. As the Risen Son of God receives the scroll—the little book, the church begins to worship. It is the church, first and foremost, which worships in Heaven at the knowledge that the Kingdom is at last delivered up to the rightful Ruler. This scene is but the poetic description of what Paul describes in 1 Corinthians 15:24-28.
The end will come, when he hands over the kingdom to God the Father after he has destroyed all dominion, authority and power. For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. The last enemy to be destroyed is death. For he “has put everything under his feet.” Now when it says that “everything” has been put under him, it is clear that this does not include God himself, who put everything under Christ. When he has done this, then the Son himself will be made subject to him who put everything under him, so that God may be all in all.
As I previously observed, the elders represent the redeemed church of God. They wear the victors’ crowns which they lay before the throne of God as they worship [Revelation 4:10]. They are dressed in white—the symbol of imputed purity. Later, the church will worship before the King of Glory and the white linen will be explained.
A voice came from the throne, saying:
“Praise our God,
all you his servants,
you who fear him,
both small and great!”
Then I heard what sounded like a great multitude, like the roar of rushing waters and like loud peals of thunder, shouting:
““Hallelujah!
For our Lord God Almighty reigns.
Let us rejoice and be glad
and give him glory!
For the wedding of the Lamb has come,
and his bride has made herself ready.
Fine linen, bright and clean,
was given her to wear.”
(Fine linen stands for the righteous acts of the saints.)
[Revelation 19:5-8]
Look once again at the text. As the Kingdom is delivered up to the Son of God, the church worships. As the church worships, I invite you to note that they hold harps and golden bowls full of incense. Throughout the pages of Scripture, the harp is a sign of the prophet. For instance, in 1 Samuel 10:5 we read that Saul was to go to Gibeah of God. Approaching the town, he would meet a procession of prophets coming down from the high place with lyres, tambourines, flutes and harps being played before them, and they will be prophesying. The prophets are carrying harps. When Elisha prophesies, it is to the accompaniment of a harpist playing on a harp [2 Kings 3:15]. Those servants of the Temple whom David set apart to the ministry of prophesying were accompanied by harps [see 1 Chronicles 25:1, 3]. The Psalmist also speaks of the harp as the means of accompaniment as God reveals His glories. Music is always associated with the prophetic ministry and with worship of God.
I will turn my ear to a proverb;
with the harp I will expound my riddle.
[Psalm 49:4]
When the Spirit of God moves on a dedicated worship team, when the Spirit is present with a great choir, a man would have to be dead not to be moved by the songs. The harp is symbolic of the ministry of prophecy. As the church in Heaven worships, it is with the constant reminder that they are present by the prophetic ministry of the Word. As the people of God worship, their worship will always have the preached Word of God as a solid foundation and will point toward the promises of God given through His Word.
It would be appropriate to recall the commentary the Apostle gives on this issue. How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news” [Romans 10:14, 15]!
We have previously seen that worship requires that we be grounded in the Word. Worship is rooted in the Word and as we worship, we offer back to God the praise which we have been taught through the Word of God. He revealed His character through the Word and as we discover each perfection we marvel. All this is founded on the Word of God. Throughout all eternity we shall reflect the glories of this eternal Word of God. Amen!
I see as well that the elders—the redeemed church in glory—hold golden bowls filled with incense. We need not wonder what this means, for God hastens to tell us that these are the prayers of the saints. As the high priest would enter into the Temple, he carried a censer filled with incense. The smoke of that incense ascended before the Lord. In a similar manner, the prayers of God’s people ascend before God as a sweet aroma. The prayers which we have offered are a sweet remembrance of worship before God. He taught us to pray, Your Kingdom come [Matthew 6:10], and now at last the Kingdom will have come. At last, His will shall be done and the prayers of the church fulfilled.
I discover from this that worship which fails to move me to prayer is no worship. Worship which fails to seek the Lord’s will is no worship at all. Worship which seeks my contentment is no worship at all. For worship in Heaven—the worship for which we now prepare—leads to the offering up of prayers before the throne of the Lord our God.
Similarly, worship in Heaven has as its basis the Word which God gave to His people. Thus, worship which fails to present the Word is no worship at all. Consider that for a moment, singing hymns—if those hymns fail to reflect the Word which God gave—falls short of biblical worship. Singing catchy songs which fail to reflect the character of God as revealed through His Word is worship which cannot honour Him. That service which fails to call worshippers to received the preached Word is no worship at all. That service which delivers a book review or some little sermonette for Christianettes is no worship at all. Worship always has at the heart the prophetic Word of God. It points us to Christ and calls us to submit to His reign. Amen.
The angels also worship. Their worship has no music, however. I make a startling discovery as I study the Word of God. Man, alone, of all creation, sings. Angels never sing—they speak. We will observe the Christmas season in a few months, and we will again hear stories about the angels singing at the birth of the Messiah. That is not what the text says, however. The angel appears to the shepherds to announce the birth of the Son of God. Notice Luke 2:13, 14, however. Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,
“Glory to God in the highest,
and on earth peace to men on whom his favour rests.”
You will notice that the angels are saying [legovntwn] and not singing. Never in the Bible do the angels sing. Always and ever, they say. Though they may speak in antiphonal anthems and they may present a doxology or appear as a chorus or a recitative, they speak and do not sing—ever.
The cherubs say [levgonte"]:
Holy, holy, holy
is the Lord God Almighty,
who was, and is, and is to come.
[Revelation 4:8].
In our text, in a loud voice the myriad of angels say [levgonte"]:
Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain,
to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength
and honour and glory and praise!
[Revelation 5:12]
Music is composed of major and minor chords. The minor chords, in particular, speak of the wretchedness of our fallen condition. These minor chords point to the death and the sorrow which attends this fallen creation. Most of nature moans and groans in a minor key. The sound of the wind blowing through the forest is plaintive. The storm blows across the prairies with a frightful roll of thunder, and the whistling wind seems always to be in a minor key. The ocean moans in its restless, speechless tossing. Even the nightingale’s song, the sweetest song in all nature, is one of the saddest. Most of nature is in a minor key, reflecting the wretched condition of this fallen creation.
An angel can know nothing of this condition which attends our fallen world. No angel has experienced the wretchedness, the despair, the fallen state of our lost race, and consequently, no angel can sing of the travail of the race. No angel knows sorrow or grief, and thus they can only marvel at the sorrow of man and God.
In a similar vein, the major key and the major chords are sounds of triumph and victory. No angel has experienced what the human heart has experienced in deliverance. Thus, no angel can sing the chords of joy and triumph. Surely God has lifted us from the miry clay. Surely God has placed my feet on the rock to stay. Saving me, God has placed a new song in my heart and I cannot help but sing. No angel knows what it is to be fallen and then redeemed. No angel can know what it is to be condemned and then set free. No angel has ever been saved. Hallelujah! Glory to God.
Somehow, it is the sorrow life, the disappointment of life and the despair of life that makes people sing, either in the blackness of the hour or in the glory of deliverance. That is why the redeemed sing and the angels just speak of salvation. Though angels may see salvation, they cannot experience salvation. It requires a lost and fallen man who has been brought back to God to sing. It requires a saved soul to sing!
The Lamb is the Centre of Worship — As men and angels sing, I make yet another observation. Throughout the Book of Revelation we have the songs of angels and men recorded. Notice that the church in glory sings directly to the Saviour—the songs of the redeemed are directed to Him. The angels sing about the Saviour. Did you notice that? As the church sings, they sing a new song:
You are worthy to take the scroll
and to open its seals,
because you were slain,
and with your blood you purchased men for God
from every tribe and language and people and nation.
You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God,
and they will reign on the earth.
[Revelation 5:9, 10]
The angels are inferior to the redeemed. Though great in stature and power, the angels are servants of the people of God. You will no doubt remember the word of the Hebrew letter: are not all angels ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation [Hebrews 1:14]? In keeping with their inferior status, angels do not address the Lamb of God directly. Instead, they speak of Him. Listen carefully to the twelfth verse of our text. In a loud voice they say:
“Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain,
to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength
and honour and glory and praise!”
[Revelation 5:12]
How will we worship in Heaven? What aspects of God and of the Lamb will we recount as worship in eternity? Looking at the songs of Heaven, we see God praised because He is Creator. The Church worships God because He is Creator.
You are worthy, our Lord and God,
to receive glory and honour and power,
for you created all things,
and by your will they were created
and have their being.
[Revelation 4:11]
If man will not now worship God as Creator, choosing instead to worship his own might and strength, he is not suited to worship in Heaven. The church in Heaven worships God because of His Creation. The evolutionist will be hard pressed to worship in Heaven. The humanist will find worship impossible in Heaven.
The Lamb of God is worshipped by His Church because of His great redemption.
You are worthy to take the scroll
and to open its seals,
because you were slain,
and with your blood you purchased men for God
from every tribe and language and people and nation.
You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God,
and they will reign on the earth.
[Revelation 5:9, 10]
Though other hymns honour the Saviour because of His rule and because of the consummation of His great plan for mankind, we do well to remember the basis upon which the church in glory worships. Worship God as Creator. He made us and He knows us, therefore let us honour Him and glorify His Name. Come, let us bow down and worship before the Lord our God, our Maker.
Let us worship the Lamb of God, for He died for us that we might live with Him. He is risen from the dead that our guilt may be taken from us. This is a work revealing His glorious nature and is worthy of our praise and worship.
And that is our invitation to you. Have you heard this message of life in the Lamb of God? God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God [2 Corinthians 5:21]. This is the message of life which we bring. Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved—you and your household [Acts 16:31]. Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved [Acts 4:12].
Now, if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved. As the Scripture says, “Anyone who trusts in him will never be put to shame.” For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile—the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved” [Romans 10:9-13].
Believe today and join with all the redeemed as we begin now to worship. Prepare yourself for Heaven and prepare yourself for the glorious labour of all eternity, the labour of worshipping the Lord God and the Lamb of God. Amen.
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[1] Gervis T. D. Angel, in Colin Brown (Gen. Ed.), New International Dictionary of New Testament Theology: Volume 2: G-Pre (Zondervan, Grand Rapids, MI 1976) 877-8
[2] Klaus Hess, in Colin Brown (Gen. Ed.), New International Dictionary of New Testament Theology: Volume 3: Pri-Z (Zondervan, Grand Rapids, MI 1978550-1
[3] John F. Walvoord, The Revelation of Jesus Christ (Moody Press, Chicago 1966) 106-7