Rehearsing for Eternity
Revelation 4 & 5 (TNIV)
1 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." 2 At once I was in the Spirit, and there before me was a throne in heaven with someone sitting on it. 3 And the one who sat there had the appearance of jasper and ruby. A rainbow that shone like an emerald encircled the throne. 4 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. 5 From the throne came flashes of lightning, rumblings and peals of thunder. Before the throne, seven lamps were blazing. These are the seven spirits of God. 6 Also before the throne there was what looked like a sea of glass, clear as crystal.
In the center, around the throne, were four living creatures, and they were covered with eyes, in front and in back. 7 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. 8 Each of the four living creatures had six wings and was covered with eyes all around, even under its wings. Day and night they never stop saying:
" 'Holy, holy, holy
is the Lord God Almighty,'
who was, and is, and is to come."
9 Whenever the living creatures give glory, honor and thanks to him who sits on the throne and who lives for ever and ever, 10 the twenty-four elders fall down before him who sits on the throne and worship him who lives for ever and ever. They lay their crowns before the throne and say:
11 "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."
1 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. 2 And I saw a mighty angel proclaiming in a loud voice, "Who is worthy to break the seals and open the scroll?" 3 But no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth could open the scroll or even look inside it. 4 I wept and wept because no one was found who was worthy to open the scroll or look inside. 5 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."
6 Then I saw a Lamb, looking as if it had been slain, standing in the center before the throne, encircled by the four living creatures and the elders. The Lamb had seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits] of God sent out into all the earth. 7 He went and took the scroll from the right hand of him who sat on the throne. 8 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 God's people. 9 And they sang a new song, saying:
"You are worthy to take the scroll
and to open its seals,
because you were slain,
and with your blood you purchased for God
members of every tribe and language and people and nation.
10 You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God,
and they will reign on the earth."
11 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. 12 In a loud voice they were saying:
"Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain,
to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength
and honor and glory and praise!"
13 Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all that is in them, saying:
"To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb
be praise and honor and glory and power,
for ever and ever!"
14 The four living creatures said, "Amen," and the elders fell down and worshiped.
Sitting alone on a small island, one of the few remaining eye witness to the ministry of Jesus found himself powerfully embraced by a picture of Jesus that resonated down to the core of his being. The Revelation of Jesus Christ. And so John wrote. And though some of what he wrote is written in a style, and expressed in a way that can at times seem obscure, the central themes, and indeed the main thrust of the book is actually quite clear. It is a book about Jesus, and it is a book about worship.Two of the great currents that flow throughout the book are the depictions of those who worship the Lamb and the One who sits upon the throne which we find portrayed in Revelation 4 & 5, and those who worship the beast and that which is created to reflect the qualities of the beast. There are those who follow the Lamb Who was slain because the Lamb is worthy. And there are those who follow the beast (most graphically portrayed in Revelation 13) because of its powerful displays and its ability to compel and coerce. The Lion and the Lamb stand in stark contrast to the dragon and the beast, while all the world decides which one they will look to to guide, direct and give meaning to their lives.
The images are rich, the contrasts compelling, and our response of worship, and the set of images that frame it, never more urgent and vivid. It is into the worship scene that surrounds the throne of God that Pastor Lou Venden invites us in the sermon on this Sabbath. If you would like to hear the sermon once again, or perhaps for the first time, you can click here to access our sermon library.
Take a few moments to reflect once again on the scene as it is depicted in Revelation 4 & 5 to the right. Imagine what it would be like to be there, and allow yourself to be caught up in the scene. Allow it to sink in . . . and don't be surprised if you find yourself changed as a result!
And now, are you ready for the hard questions?
As you listen to the music above, and realize that what you read to the right is what surrounds the throne of the God of the Universe . . .
What are the dominant images of reality that shape your life . . .
- the image and way of life reflected by the Lion who is the Lamb? . . .
- or is it more like the beast of chapter 13 that pretends to be lamb-like but speaks and lives in ways that reflect the concerns of the Dragon?
- do you find the life portrayed by the Lamb impractical and unrealistic in the world we live in? . . .
-or do you find the conventional wisdom of the world we live in unrealistic and ultimately self-defeating in light of the priorities expressed at the very center of the universe?
- do you live in a greater awareness of being "marked" by the ways and priorities of the beast, or having been "sealed" in the embrace of a loving God?
-Do you desire to live with congruity? Will you?