Revelation Worship; Revelation 7-8

May the mumbling commence!

The book of Revelation is a letter to churches in an area and time where great persecution was happening.  Some scholars would have you believe that Revelation deals primarily with the end times, but the primary purpose of the letter was to encourage and convict the churches to continue in their faith despite the overwhelming opposition.  So, were the end times a secondary purpose of the letter?  Perhaps.  But I do not believe it was even the greatest secondary purpose.  

There is a greater secondary purpose that dovetails even more strongly with the primary purpose of the letter.  To continue in the faith, the churches must continue to worship the Christ, the Lamb.  Yes, the book of Revelation is a book of worship.  Don’t believe me?  Read the majority of Revelation chapter seven below:

After this I looked and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people, and language, standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb.  They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands.  And they cried out in a loud voice:

            “Salvation belongs to our God, 

                   who sits on the throne, 

                   and to the Lamb.”

All the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures.  They fell down on their faces before the throne and worshipped God, saying:

            “Amen!  Praise and glory 

                    and wisdom and thanks 

                    and honor and power and strength

            be to our God forever and ever.  Amen!”

Then one of the elders asked me, “These in the white robes – who are they, and where did they come from?”

I answered, “Sir, you know.”

And he said, “These are they who have come out of the great tribulation; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.  Therefore.

            they are before the throne of God 

                   and serve him day and night in his temple;

            and he who sits on the throne 

                   will spread his tent over them.

            Never again will they hunger; 

                   never again will they thirst.

            The sun will not beat down upon them, 

                    nor any scorching heat.

            For the Lamb at the center of the throne 

                        will be their shepherd;

                        he will lead them to springs of living water.

            And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”

When [the Lamb] opened the seventh seal, there was a great silence in heaven for about half an hour.  (Verses 9 through Chapter Eight Verse one.)

A great multitude that no one can count worships before the Lord in these verses.  The great multitude includes the 144,000 from the Jewish people, those from every corner of the world who has come to worship the Lord Jesus, the angels who have not fallen with Satan, the elders, and the four living beasts.  The angels and the elders and the four living beasts show us the proper position for worship.  They fall down on their faces.  The great multitude shows us another position for proper worship.  They have persevered in their faith in the Lamb even in the midst of persecution.

And those who faithfully worship the Lord Jesus receive the promises of serving the Lord God and receiving the protection of God’s tent – which includes no more hungering or thirsting or heat stroke or tears.  And, yes, the Lamb will shepherd us.  Ironic, isn’t it?  The Lamb will shepherd us.  The Lamb will lead us to the living waters of the Lord.  And we will drink our fill.  

God does not operate as humanity does.  God is far above humanity.  We can rely fully on God without fear.  This reliance and service and hope is the main ingredient in faithful worship – of falling down on our faces before the throne of God.  No longer do we see ourselves as the center of the universe.  God is at the center of all things.  

And silence reigns for half an hour as we ponder these things in our hearts.  When was the last time you remember having a complete silence for half an hour?  In these days, that length of silence is significant.  And, in the context of worship outside of the Friends Church, silence for half an hour is unheard of and would make most worshippers uncomfortable.  We have time schedules to keep.  Why would we waste such time?  A better question:  Who or what do you really worship? 

Enough mumbling for now…  

Peace Out