Dec. 15, 2014

On earth as it is in heaven...we have a lot of worship to do.

 Revelation 4 and 5 

After these things I looked, and behold, a door standing open in heaven, and the first voice which I had heard, like the sound of a trumpet speaking with me, said, “Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after these things.” Immediately I was in the Spirit; and behold, a throne was standing in heaven, and One sitting on the throne. And He who was sitting was like a jasper stone and a sardius in appearance; and there was a rainbow around the throne, like an emerald in appearance. Around the throne were twenty-four thrones; and upon the thrones I saw twenty-four elders sitting, clothed in white garments, and golden crowns on their heads. Out from the throne come flashes of lightning and sounds and peals of thunder. And there were seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God; and before the throne there was something like a sea of glass, like crystal; and in the center and around the throne, four living creatures full of eyes in front and behind. The first creature was like a lion, and the second creature like a calf, and the third creature had a face like that of a man, and the fourth creature was like a flying eagle. And the four living creatures, each one of them having six wings, are full of eyes around and within; and day and night they do not cease to say,

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

And when the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to Him who sits on the throne, to Him who lives forever and ever, 10 the twenty-four elders will fall down before Him who sits on the throne, and will worship Him who lives forever and ever, and will cast their crowns before the throne, saying,

11 “Worthy are You, our Lord and our God, to receive glory and honor and power; for You created all things, and because of Your will they existed, and were created.”

I saw in the right hand of Him who sat on the throne a book written inside and on the back, sealed up with seven seals. And I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, “Who is worthy to open the book and to break its seals?” And no one in heaven or on the earth or under the earth was able to open the book or to look into it. Then I began to weep greatly because no one was found worthy to open the book or to look into it; and one of the elders *said to me, “Stop weeping; behold, the Lion that is from the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has overcome so as to open the book and its seven seals.”

And I saw between the throne (with the four living creatures) and the elders a Lamb standing, as if slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God, sent out into all the earth. And He came and took the book out of the right hand of Him who sat on the throne. When He had taken the book, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each one holding a harp and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. And they *sang a new song, saying,

“Worthy are You to take the book and to break its seals; for You were slain, and purchased for God with Your blood men from every tribe and tongue and people and nation.

10 “You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to our God; and they will reign upon the earth.”

Angels Exalt the Lamb

11 Then I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels around the throne and the living creatures and the elders; and the number of them was myriads of myriads, and thousands of thousands, 12 saying with a loud voice,

“Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing.”

13 And every created thing which is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all things in them, I heard saying,

“To Him who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb, be blessing and honor and glory and dominion forever and ever.”

14 And the four living creatures kept saying, “Amen.” And the elders fell down and worshiped.

 

The above text from Revelation is filled with a lot of imagery and descriptive words. Some of that comes from John's attempt to describe in human terms, what he saw in the spirit, the infinite heavenly realm, which surely is beyond what the human mind can imagine or comprehend. Much of his description uses the words "something like"in his effort to describe the indescribable. There is also quite a bit of imagery surrounding the actual events that are taking place in this vision of heaven. As with the letters to the churches, my desire here in this format is not to get overly analytical in interpreting the meaning of what John saw and heard. What I want us to see from this account from John's vision and Revelation is something simple and applicable for our daily lives.

If you read "nuggets" on a regular basis you will know that one of my prayers and desires is that we would come to a point where we could walk in the truth and the fullness of a few simple lines from the prayer that Jesus taught us to pray. Matthew 6:10

‘Your kingdom come.
Your will be done,
On earth as it is in heaven.

On earth as it is in heaven. I said it before, I believe that is what we see when we see a miracle on earth. We see the earthly realm coming into alignment with the way things are in heaven. Jesus finished work on the cross has already acheived and secured every human need in and for eternity. We need for this earthly realm to come into alignment with what IS in heaven. So what does that have to do with today's reading?

Let me highlight a few verses from the text in the order the are written. 

4: 8  And the four living creatures, each one of them having six wings, are full of eyes around and within; and day and night they do not cease to say,

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

5:9   And they *sang a new song, saying,

“Worthy are You to take the book and to break its seals; for You were slain, and purchased for God with Your blood men from every tribe and tongue and people and nation.

5:11-14

11 Then I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels around the throne and the living creatures and the elders; and the number of them was myriads of myriads, and thousands of thousands, 12 saying with a loud voice,

“Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing.”

13 And every created thing which is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all things in them, I heard saying,

“To Him who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb, be blessing and honor and glory and dominion forever and ever.”

14 And the four living creatures kept saying, “Amen.” And the elders fell down and worshiped.

We see in this account that in heaven there is constant worship going on. The same thing is true in other accounts in scripture of visions of the heavenly realm. If we truly want to see God's will be done, if we truly want to see His kingdom come, if we truly want the realities of heaven here on earth, then we have a lot of worship to do. In heaven the praise and worship never ceases, day and night, day after day constant eternal praise. We need to get started.

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

“Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing.” ...    Amen