Revelation 4, 5: The Second Facet

Week 4, Wednesday: The worship of God in heaven
Now the whole inhabited unseen realm breaks out in glorious praise and thanks to God. As the Kingdom of God comes on earth as it is in heaven, should we expect anything other than this as the hallmark of our common experience? And what can we learn from what we see here about the nature and role of worship?

Read Revelation 4

Meditate on Revelation 4.8-11
1.      What should we make of the six wings and being “full of eyes”? Can you see the intimation of motion and omnipresence? What are these creatures continually doing?

2.      Meditate on the following: Psalm 19.1-4 and Psalm 145.10-13. Do these shed any light on the meaning of what we read in v. 8?  

3.      Let’s look more closely at the worship that’s suggested in verse 10. Here is a “trinity of trinities” of worship. What does the example of the living creatures suggest about the content of our worship, the form of our worship, the focus of our worship, and the constancy of our worship? What kind of practical implications does this suggest for you?

4.      The pattern continues in verse 9 and 10. How does the “worship” of “creation” affect all the other inhabitants of this unseen realm (note also, in verse 9, yet another “trinity” of worship)? Again, if this is the way the Kingdom – the rule of God – “works” in heaven, what should we be seeking, and what should we expect as we pray for this Kingdom to come on earth like this? What does the elders casting “their crowns before the throne” suggest about elements of worship?

5.      What can we learn from verse 11 about the purpose of worship? Why do we worship the Lord? What we saw – and heard – in verse 5a is here explicitly declared (“For You created all things,/And by Your will they exist and were created.”). How can we keep this motive in view as we join together in the worship of God?

My Reflection
How would you describe your worship of God? Is it like what you see here? Does it follow the purpose expressed here? Use the forms? Follow the “formulas”? Are you worshiping God on earth as the inhabitants of heaven worship Him there?

The Glory of God
Suppose you had been a “visitor” in the service of worship described here. Meditate on 1 Corinthians 14.24, 25. Using the words of verses 8 and 11, describe your experience of worshiping God with these beings. Is this what you experience in worship at your church? Why or why not?

Glory to Glory
Should what you experience in worship affect the way you live? Why does Paul describe our daily lives in the Lord as a kind of “worship” (Rom. 12.1, 2)?

Memorize
Recite your memory verse aloud: Revelation 4.11. Share this verse with a Christian friend. Using this verse, and verse 8, explain to your friend what you’re learning about the worship of God in heaven.

Closing Prayer
Meditate on Psalm 50. Using parts of this psalm, write a prayer expressing your hopes and aspirations for the worship you should bring to the Lord:

T. M. Moore

The book of Revelation is the culminating episode in the story of God’s covenant. To learn more about that covenant, and to discover the way it integrates all of Scripture into the Gospel of Jesus Christ, order a copy of T. M.’s book, I Will Be Your God, by clicking here.

Except as indicated, Scripture taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.