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The great occupation of heaven is worship. Ceaseless, joyous, celebrative, unfettered worship meets us with every glance into the realm where the glory of the Father and Son illumines with eternal day. Missions and evangelism has ceased; acts of Christian service and witness have ended; conferences, conventions, assemblies, and strategy meetings for Christian purposes will be no more; struggles with temptation and sin will be over. We will hear no more complaints, no more threat of terrorism or acts of hatred, no more disagreements among Christian brethren, and no more division in the body of Christ. Just endless worship by those that no longer see “in a glass dimly,” and more, we worship, seeing Christ face to face.
In spite of this, many find worship uninteresting and unimportant. It’s certainly evident by the way that the regular gathering of the church is so poorly attended across the country. In our own denomination, only 37% of the members attend the primary weekly worship service. The percentage narrows when we consider additional worship services on Sunday beyond the primary one.
Quite a few of us heard R.C. Sproul this week as he recounted a discussion he had with a well known pastor in Chicago some 30 years ago. The young pastor had surveyed thousands of former church attendees, asking why they no longer attended worship services. The two primary reasons were (1) church is boring and (2) church is not relevant. As R.C. told the story, the young pastor then framed his philosophy of church and worship to accommodate this survey, stating that he was investing in great sound equipment instead of lovely buildings. But, as R.C. pointed out, there’s never any occasion in Scripture where the true worship of God is viewed as “boring” or “irrelevant.” It’s not great sound equipment or great programming or great drama or even great orations that cause people to worship. Rather it is when we encounter the living God as He is revealed in the Scriptures that the response is worship. The revelation of God in His person and work always leads believers to worship. If not, then we must seriously question whether or not we know the living God through Christ. Granted, many churches are boring because they have failed to focus their ministries on the revelation of God through Scripture. Relying on cleverness and gimmicks and sophistry, they have turned away from reliance upon the sufficiency of the Word of God. That in itself is an aspect of the great harlot’s deceitfulness—in this case, perpetrated upon churches instead of the culture at large. All of these things will perish when our Lord overthrows the great harlot. So, let us focus on worshiping our God as He has revealed Himself. In that regard, our text provides wonderful lessons for us in worship. Let’s consider them.
In every country that I’ve visited and worshiped with other believers, two words, at least, have been held in common in all the languages. I’ve been able to understand them in sermons, hymns, and prayers: hallelujah and amen. At least I’ve been able to speak those two words in others’ languages since we’ve all borrowed them from the Scripture. “Hallelujah” comes from the Hebrew “hallelu,” which means to praise, and “yah,” which is an abbreviated form of Yahweh. In the Psalms, it is used some 24 times, translated most commonly as, “Praise the Lord!” Psalms 113-118 are called the Hallel because their focus is on praising the Lord. Psalms 146-150 begin with “Hallelujah,” or Praise the Lord! The last word in the Psalter is “Hallelujah,” Praise the Lord! Though used so often in the Psalms, “hallelujah” is used only four times in the New Testament, each in Revelation 19. Obviously, there are many other words of praise and worship used throughout the Scripture, but this one word, “hallelujah,” most often expresses our praise to God [cf. Simon Kistemaker, NTC: Revelation, 509].
John has described the fall of Babylon the great, the great harlot and mother of harlots in chapters 17-18. He announced Babylon’s fall in 14:8, “Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great, she who has made all the nations drink of the wine of the passion of her immorality.” He picks up again in chapter 17 by explaining Babylon the great as the seductive harlot that has deceived high and low, kings and all living on the earth with her idolatrous ways. The great harlot capsules the spirit of godlessness and idolatry in every age, permeating the cultures of the world with thoughts and actions that are antithetical to the true knowledge of our God. Though so evident throughout every culture in every people group, the Lamb of God will overcome her and all that follow her idolatrous ways. Yet this doesn’t happen until the end when God begins His final judgment of the world. The Apostle John gives us glimpses of Babylon’s overthrow on earth and the response in heaven. This heavenly response is highlighted by the fourfold hallelujah.
When John uses the phrase, “after these things,” he doesn’t necessarily follow chronological order. Revelation contains snapshots of the Lamb’s triumph; sometimes with small photos that seem to look at it from a distance, and other times with detailed shots that bring us closer to the terminal action. Here, he takes us into heaven where our ears can almost hear the sounds of loud praises to our God.
“After these things I heard something like a sound of a great multitude in heaven.” He uses comparison, “like,” because it was something that he could not fully describe in human terms. The “great multitude” includes both the redeemed throughout the ages and the angelic host. All of heaven gathers to offer praise, “saying, ‘Hallelujah! Salvation and glory and power belong to our God’.” John directs us to worship because of all that belongs to God. The Greek is terser, “Hallelujah! The salvation and the glory and the power of our God.” The three-fold look at what belongs inherently to our God helps us to understand the kind of truths that should evoke worship from God’s people.
“Salvation” turns our attention to the whole redemptive work of God through His Son, the Lamb of God. That salvation is necessary brings us back to the condition in every person—sinful, separated from God, depraved in every aspect of our being, without hope and without God in this world, darkened in our understanding of ourselves and of God (Eph. 2:1-3; 2:12; 4:17-19). Yet out of our desperate plight, God had purposed before the foundation of the world to provide deliverance (which is the literal meaning of “salvation”). That’s one reason that John has reminded us of the names of the redeemed having been “written in the book of life from the foundation of the world” (17:8). Salvation was not God’s reaction to man’s condition but His intentional plan, His eternal covenant made before the foundation of the world. He planned and initiated salvation for His elect. He did even more! He secured it through the offering of His Son as the Lamb of God “who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29). So, salvation belongs to God. It is not part of the human imagination and instigation; it is the display of God’s great mercy and grace through Christ. As we contemplate that salvation belongs to God, let us worship Him for every aspect: that He would consider such sinners as us; that He would purpose to save a people (even rebels) for Himself; that He would secure our salvation at such a great price of His Son bearing His own wrath on our behalf; that He would bring us into His presence forever.
“Glory” refers to the resplendence of God’s character. The Hebrew term means “heavy,” so, in this respect, glory refers to the heaviness or weightiness of God as God. Here we ponder the three persons of the living God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. We think of the wonder of their distinctions in person and function, and yet, the absolute reality of the divine oneness as not three gods, but One God. We consider the character of our God: that He is holy and just; that He is faithful and true; that He is merciful and kind; that He is jealous and wrathful. No contradictions exist in Him. All that He is, He is with infinite perfection.
“Power,” in this case, refers to the active power of God. It’s not just some kind of stored up energy but rather the exercise of His divine authority to carry out His righteous reign as the Almighty. His salvation, glory, and power are displayed “because His judgments are true and righteous; for He has judged the great harlot who was corrupting the earth with her immorality, and He has avenged the blood of His bond-servants on her.” John shows that God’s power doesn’t exist in a vacuum but is wisely used to fulfill His Word. God’s Law stands by His judgments against the great harlot and her followers, and in the salvation that required the legal declaration of righteousness or justification for all that Christ would redeem. God’s power accomplished this.
Salvation, glory, and power belong to our God. Think upon these things and worship Him!
The second hallelujah by the heavenly multitude sees the eternal evidence of divine justice against the great harlot, and then breaks forth in worship. “And a second time they said, ‘Hallelujah! Her smoke rises up forever and ever’.” We may squirm and fidget a bit over this because of our modern sensitivities but that is only because of our being influenced by the great harlot’s seductiveness. She had corrupted the earth with her immoral ways; she had decidedly mocked the righteousness of God codified in His Law; and she had slain with her hands many that had embraced the gospel. Our God is not passive in His righteousness! “Babylon’s smoke serves as an ongoing testimony to God’s zeal for justice on behalf of his persecuted church,” writes Dennis Johnson [Triumph of the Lamb, 261]. That the smoke ascends “forever and ever” tells us (1) the magnitude of God’s holiness and righteousness that requires such judgment; (2) the malicious and heinous nature of all sin against God; (3) the way that God views the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ, especially those who die for the sake of the gospel; (4) the certainty that no injustices toward God’s children will be treated lightly. As we consider the righteous judgments of our God, then let the thought of it evoke praise to Him.
The twenty-four elders represent the redeemed of all the ages in heaven; the four living creatures—the great cherubim—represent all of the created order before the presence of the Lord. They unite, once again, as leaders of worship before God’s throne where they dwell. “And the twenty-four elders and the four living creatures fell down and worshiped God who sits on the throne saying, ‘Amen. Hallelujah!’.” In this case, as they saw the revelation of God in His salvation, glory, and power, as they observed the righteousness of His judgments, these heavenly representatives stood in agreement by offering praise to our God. That’s what “Amen” implies: I agree; so be it; yes, indeed.
This offers us a clear perspective on Christian worship. We worship because the revelation of God resonates agreeably in our minds and hearts! Whenever we read the Scripture or hear the Word expounded or listen to the Word taught or engage in discussion on the Word of God, then as our minds agree with what God has revealed of Himself or His ways, then let that evoke praise.
Much of what is termed worship in our day stands in sharp contrast to this biblical guideline. Leaders often try to create what they call a “worship atmosphere.” To do this, they may resort to particular musical chords that work with our brains to evoke emotion; or they plan something that will cause the worshipers to feel happy and giddy; or they choreograph a production that stirs the human psyche. But none of that is worship. Unless God has revealed Himself through Scripture, then we cannot and will not worship. We may go through certain motions of worship or be part of what is called a worship service, but we do not worship without revelation of God. And revelation of God comes only through His Word. That’s why we must pay close attention to what we sing. If the songs do not accurately reflect the revelation of God in His Word, then they are unworthy of being part of the assembling of God’s people at worship. They may be nice songs and helpful in other ways but not effective in directing our thoughts and affections on the Lord. That’s also why we must “give attention to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation and teaching” (1 Tim. 4:15). We are not dryly involved in these things, but rather, our affections become engaged in and absorbed with the revelation of God so that we “worship in spirit and in truth” (John 4:23-24). So, let us join with our heavenly counterparts in the “Amen” of resonating agreement with God’s truth concerning Himself, His Son, and the whole work of redemption. And then let us resound with them, “Hallelujah!”
The sounds of praise and worship began to grow in John’s hearing. He tries to describe it to us by comparing it to three things. “Then I heard something like the voice of a great multitude,” so it was audible, intelligible, and personal. “And like the sound of many waters,” so it was sustained, majestic, and enlivening. “And like the sound of mighty peals of thunder,” so it grew louder and louder so that he felt the reverberations of praise. It was consuming! Nothing else could be heard. Nothing else could be thought of but that “salvation and glory and power belong to our God!” Then John hears the original “Hallelujah Chorus!” “Hallelujah! For the Lord our God, the Almighty, reigns.”
We worship because of the sovereign rule of our Lord God. Think of this. He is not just another of the many gods in the world but “the Lord our God.” We belong to Him. We are His worshipers. We will dwell with Him forever. We have received of His abundant grace. We have known His love to us through Christ’s death on the cross. We have known His power toward us through the resurrection of Christ on our behalf. But He is not some god of our making or tribal deity that we’re trying to make big in the world. He is “the Almighty!” That title has been used seven other times in Revelation (1:8; 4:8; 11:17; 15:3; 16:7; 19:15). The translation of Pantokrator is quite literal with “the Almighty”: all might belongs to Him; He is Omnipotent. So, there is no power above Him or power that can thwart Him or power that can unsettle Him. Every power that exists under Him exists by His authority, pleasure, and purpose. When Pilate brashly quizzed Jesus on whether or not He understood that Pilate had “authority” to release Him or crucify Him, Jesus responded, “You would have no authority over Me, unless it had been given you from above” (John 19:10-11). Paul later wrote, “For there is no authority except from God, and those which exist are established by God” (Rom. 13:1). As the prophet Daniel received revelation from the Lord and worshiped, he testified, “Let the name of God be blessed forever and ever, for wisdom and power belong to Him. It is He who changes the times and the epochs; He removes kings and establishes kings…” (Dan. 2:20-21). David reported: “Once God has spoken; twice I have heard this: that power belongs to God” (Psa. 62:11). That’s what “the Almighty” means. Does that lead you to worship? David declared that power belongs to God, then immediately responded in worship, “And lovingkindness is Yours, O Lord” (Psa. 62:12).
As “the Almighty,” our God “reigns.” It may be that, due to the wickedness of humanity and the spread of sin in the world, that we have difficulty seeing His reign. That’s likely what some of John’s first audience experienced. They lived under the iron hand of Rome. They felt stifled, at the least, and oppressed by Rome’s demand for allegiance to the emperor as lord and god. They were so few, so powerless, and Rome was so massive and powerful. Did the God of Christians in the first century reign?
Here’s where we come to understand the great message of Revelation. John was helping believers through every age understand things, not as they appear with our limited vision and understanding, but as they really are. The verb tense of “reigns” indicates, not the beginning of God’s reign, but the full, comprehensive, and complete display of His eternal reign [Johnson, 262]. All other powers or competitors to the reign of God are judged and conquered. His reign alone, from this point in the eschatological framework, is forever known. Give thought to the multiplied displays of the power of God; contemplate His all-powerful reign; and then worship Him.
The church is a worshiping body—a seriously worshiping body. Our time on earth prepares us for our occupation in heaven. We are called to worship.
We’re not told who spoke from the throne—just “a voice came from the throne.” It may be the voice of a cherubim or an angel or even the Son of God. Whomever, it comes with great authority to call us to worship. “Give praise to our God, all you His bond-servants, you who fear Him, the small and the great.” Literally, “praise and keep on praising our God.” “Praise” is not flattery but first engages the mind to think upon the character and work of our God, and then express it vocally. It may be through song or confession or prayer. Who is to praise Him? All of “His bond-servants,” further characterized as “you who fear Him, the small and the great.” We recognize His supremacy as our King; we are His bond-servants, gladly serving Him through worship and praise. Have you taken a somewhat light view of worship? Do you truly seek to participate in worship when the body gathers for that purpose? Christ’s bond-servants must be occupied with worship.
Weddings are celebrative events! The church—Christ’s bride, is preparing for the heavenly wedding. In other words, all of the hostility and oppression that believers face will one day be over. All enemies of the gospel conquered. By anticipating “the marriage of the Lamb,” believers have cause to “rejoice and be glad and give the glory to Him.” In all of my years of conducting weddings, I’ve never heard a bride complain, “Oh no, I’m so discouraged that I’m getting married!” Instead, they have a bounce in their step, smile on their faces, and celebrative tone in their voices. The church must begin to act like Christ’s bride. It is best found when we approach worship with a sense of anticipating the heavenly marriage. The bride has been given “fine linen, bright and clean,” to clothe herself. Here are the “good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them” (Eph. 2:10). We will not worship joyously if we neglect to clothe ourselves with the “fine linen” of “righteous acts.” We do not manufacture gladness. It overflows from walking with Christ. Our walk directly affects our worship.
The fourth of the seven beatitudes in Revelation is found in verse 9. “Then he said to me, “Write, ‘Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb’.” And he said to me, “These are true words of God”.” Think of these despondent brethren living under constant duress. The heavenly voice turns their attention away from Roman oppression to consider that they are part of “the marriage supper of the Lamb” because the Lord God invited them. He calls them to happiness in light of this divine invitation. The verb tense of “invited,” which is actually the word “called,” stresses that the Lord issued the invitation and that it is irrevocable (perfect passive participle). By His Spirit through the gospel, He has called us to the wedding feast of the Lamb! You have been singled out by God. So overwhelming is this reality that the messenger added, “These are true words of God.” Contemplate God’s great mercy shown to you, consider again the grace that He has given you, and worship with heavenly happiness.
Strangely, though John has dealt with false worship and idolatry, he is so overcome by the messenger’s words that he “fell at his feet to worship him.” But quickly, the heavenly messenger responded, “Do not do that [literally, “See not!”]; I am a fellow servant of yours and your brethren who hold the testimony of Jesus; worship God. For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.” When he speaks of “the testimony of Jesus,” it is not clear whether he means the testimony that Jesus Christ bore of Himself as the Prophet, Priest, and King, or the testimony borne by believers concerning Jesus Christ as the only Savior and King. Either way, the focus is on the gospel as the motivation for worship. Contemplate the gospel. Consider what God has done for wretched sinners through the death and resurrection of Christ. Then “worship God.” Every thought of the gospel for believers points to worshiping our great God.
What is your attitude toward worship? Do you prepare for worship? Do you set the times that the body gathers for worship as a priority for your life? Do you see worship as the occupation of the church in heaven? If so, then how well are you preparing for your future occupation as a believer? “Hallelujah! For the Lord our God, the Almighty, reigns.”
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