Revelation 4:1-11 Offer heavenly worship to God

Revelation 4:1-11 Offer heavenly worship to God

In Chapter 1, we see the glorious son of man, son of God, Jesus. In Ch. 2-3, we read the revelation Jesus gave to the seven churches in the province of Asia in the midst of suffering and patient endurance. In Ch. 4-5, Jesus tells John to come up to heaven, and shows him the throne in heaven, worship in the temple in heaven. In order to prepare for the great tribulation from Ch. 6, we see God the Father’s throne in heaven (Ch.4) and the Lamb Jesus (Ch.5) at the center of the throne. Listen to the words Jesus gives through worship in heaven.

1. God invites us to worship in heaven (1-2).

Revelation 4:1 says, “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.” In Genesis 28:17, Jacob said, “How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God; this is the gate of heaven.” Jacob saw the gate of heaven. In Acts 7:56, Stephen said, “I see heaven open and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.” Matthew 3:16 writes, “As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him.” Revelation 4:2 writes, “At once I was in the Spirit, and there before me was a throne in heaven with someone sitting on it.” The Lord led John to heaven and showed him the throne in heaven and what will happen in the future. He was exiled to the island of Patmos as a prisoner, but his spirit saw heaven. In the same way, although we may face harsh realities in life, let us see the glory of God in heaven (Hymn 191, ‘I’m rejoicing everyday,’ Hebrews 4:16-“Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.”)

2. Know God and worship Him (3-6, 8).

God reveals Himself to John in verses 2-3. He shows that He reigns over all, the whole universe. A rainbow that shone like an emerald encircled the throne. Through a rainbow, God lets Himself known and His covenant of mercy. Surrounding the throne were twenty-four other thrones, and seated on them were twenty-four elders, dressed in white and had crowns of gold on their heads. They represent saints from the Old Testament and the New Testament, those who were victorious in their faith. Revelation 3:5 writes, “The one who is victorious will, like them, be dressed in white. I will never blot out the name of that person from the book of life, but will acknowledge that name before my Father and his angels.” Let us also be victorious in our faith and be glorious saints in Christ. Romans 8:18 Verse 5 writes, “From the throne came flashes of lightning, rumblings and peals of thunder. In front of the throne, seven lamps were blazing. These are the seven spirits of God.” Verse 6 writes, “Also in front of 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.” Verses 7-9 depicts four creatures, 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. They represent the angels or the creatures of God. They worship almighty, eternal, and holy God and give glory and reverence to Him. Verse 8 says, “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.” Worship the Lord God Almighty Holy God.

3. Fall down before Him, worship Him, and lay the crowns before the throne (9-11).

24 elders worshiped God the Creator and gave Him glory. Verse 11 says, “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.” Verse 10 says, “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.” They fall down before God and lay their crowns before the throne. This shows the posture of worship in heaven. 1) Falling down indicates submitting to God completely. 2) Worshipping indicates paying Him the highest honor, glory and reverence as the King. 3) Laying the crowns before the throne indicates surrendering everything we earned and giving them back to God, crown, glory that we earned from victory. It is because everything is a gift from God and by His Grace. 1 Cor 15:10 writes, “But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect. No, I worked harder than all of them—yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me.” * Worship song, “Grace” sings, “I should not take anything for granted in my life, everything was by God’s Grace.” 

Dear saints, let us lift up our heads and confess to the Lord in heaven. God is the Lord of heaven, the whole world. The power of evil seems great at times but only God reigns over all. God is in control of everything that happens in our lives. Though we may not understand the purpose and meaning of suffering and pain right now, worship Him in faith. God is good and God is love. Even when we face hardship in life, hope in the Lord in heaven, see His glory and worship Him. Amen.