“For the Present is the point at which time touches eternity.” - C.S. Lewis, The Screwtape Letters
A popular song we sing at church is Revelation Song (written by Jennie Lee Riddle). This song has a beautiful melody with lyrics inspired by Revelation 4-5. These chapters describe an amazing celebration of God’s creation, redemption, and victory. It builds to a crescendo of worship that begin with the angels and flows to the entire heavenly hosts, and then to all of creation. Revelation 4-5 is a fascinating read.
Revelation Chapters 4 and 5 Overview:
The scene starts with four heavenly living creatures around God’s throne giving unceasing devotion, saying:
“Holy, Holy, Holy is The Lord God, The Almighty, who was and who is and who is to come.” (Rev 4:8b, NASB)
Then twenty-four elders join in. (Side note: the book of Revelation is full of symbolism and references to the Old Testament. It’s an interesting study to learn about the significance of the four living creatures and twenty-four elders):
“Worthy art Thou, our Lord and our God, to receive glory and honor and power; for Thou didst create all things, and because of Thy will, they existed and were created.” (Rev 4:11)
Then the exalting of God’s majesty shifts to the Lamb and His redemptive work:
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.
“You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to our God; and they will reign upon the earth.” (Rev 5:9-10)
Angels join in:
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, 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.” (Rev 5:11-12)
Then all creation joins in:
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.” (Rev 5:13)
This amazing throne room scene is the fulfillment of Old Testament scripture (i.e., Daniel, Ezekiel and Isaiah). Picture every heavenly creature, myriads (countless) and myriads, thousands and thousands bowing down, singing praises to God for His greatness, power, grace and works of redemption though Jesus Christ, the Lamb. Can you imagine joining in and worshiping the Lord side by side with angels, cherubim and other heavenly creatures? Can you imagine seeing God’s face? Not even Moses was allowed to do that.
‘Therefore, let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe;” (Heb 12:28)
We will be a Kingdom of God's Holy People.
Scripture tells us that in heaven there will be no more death, sadness, pain or suffering. We will be free from sin! We will experience no more disappointment, shame or brokenness. Instead, we will experience our full God given potential. We will have new resurrected bodies with no more aches and pains. As believers we will all be united in harmony - no longer divided by culture, denomination, social economical standing, political party, etc. We will be a kingdom of God’s people. All of us will be priests, worshiping God, and exercising leadership and authority together with Him for eternity.
"And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, made ready as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men, and He will dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among them, and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away.
And He who sits on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” And He said, “Write, for these words are faithful and true.” (Rev 21:2-5)
I wonder if we’ll get lost in the crowd of earthly and heavenly beings, then I remember that we are each wonderfully made by God’s marvelous works. Since our birth and throughout our lives, He has been at work in us. God delights in us and our uniqueness. He gave His only son, Jesus, for us so that we can dwell with Him for eternity. What an unbelievable life it will be, living together with our Heavenly Father for eternity, enjoying and caring for what He has made.
What about the present here and now?
As I grow older, I think more about life after death here on earth. I remember an aha moment some time ago when I realized that eternity doesn’t start when we physically die. Eternity is already begun and we are living it. By our faith and acceptance of Jesus, we are saved, assured of eternal life in heaven, and we know that nothing will separate us from the love of God. How then does knowing our destiny, mold our thinking and actions in the here and now? Are we living our present life based on a narrow perspective of our limited years on earth, or are we living our life from an eternal heavenly perspective?
From his book “Heaven”, Randy Alcorn writes:
Christ-centered righteous living today is directly affected by knowing where we’re going and what rewards we’ll receive there for serving Christ. After all, if we really believe we’re going to live forever in a realm where Christ is the center who brings joy, and that righteous living will mean happiness for all, why wouldn’t we choose to get a head start on Heaven through Christ-centered righteous living now?
This epiphany has given me a renewed purpose and focus knowing that my attitudes, choices, decisions and efforts on earth will impact my life for eternity in heaven. I also need to keep in mind that what I say and do will impact others as well and could be vital to someone’s path to Christ.
Behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to render to every man according to what he has done. (Rev 22:12)
We were made for heaven, but what we do now on earth counts. Eternal rewards and positions await us, but at the same time, our attitudes, ambitions, thoughts, words, actions, etc. will be made visible and clear. That can be both positive and negative, and all the more reason to remain focused on Christ – being obedient and taking joy in Him rather than seeking the joys in the things on earth.
Let’s think back to the throne room worship scene. This is the ultimate worship scene with every heavenly and earthly creature being in such awe that there is nothing else to do but bow down and sing of the amazing grace God has shown to us. To have no day-to-day worries, but to have a clear, unencumbered mind where we are able to devote our whole body, mind, and soul, focusing on and singing God’s praises. Genuinely picture it and let it sink in. We will actually be there joining all creation worshiping and serving the Lord!
Pressing On to the Goal.
Scripture tells us that those who love and worship God will be conformed to His image. In other words, we become tomorrow what we worship today. May we be thankful and praise God for His love, mercy, wisdom and power in the present here and now. May the present be guided by a heavenly perspective and may it give us a renewed sense of purpose and drive to
"...press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call to God in Christ Jesus.” (Phil 3:14)
We invite you to come worship with us Sunday morning at 10:00 a.m. in the Dome.
You can also live stream our service on Facebook and YouTube at 10:00 a.m..
If you missed last Sunday's message from our summer series "1000 Names: #14 God is the Rock of Ages ", click here.
