Worship in the Book of Revelation

Introduction: Revelation is an amazing book! Not only does it give us churches, aliens, creatures and battle, but it tells us of final victory. I don't know about you, but when I win something in life, I feel good. God gives me my victories, and this knowledge makes me feel like praising Him! Imagine how much praise we will feel when God gives us the ultimate victory over sin, death and sadness! Let's plunge into our Bible study to see how those in heaven enjoy this victory worship!

1. Throne Worship
   
   1. Read Revelation 4:1. Think about the setting. An open door, a voice "like a trumpet," making an invitation to see a movie about the future. Would you accept?

   
   
   
   

   2. Read Revelation 4:2. Who made this movie possible? (The Holy Spirit!)
      1. Is this a gift you want to receive?

      
      
      
      

      2. John is the one seeing the movie (the vision). What is beyond the door? (The "throne of heaven with someone sitting on it.")

      
      
      
      

      3. Why does John say "someone" is sitting on the throne? Is this someone from housekeeping polishing up the throne? (It sounds like it is a moment by moment account of what John saw. It probably is God sitting on the throne, but John does not yet know that, so he does not say it. This adds to the credibility of the story.)

      
      
      
      

   3. Read Revelation 4:3-4. Why does God have twenty-four elders sitting on thrones in His throne room? (This reaffirms that God wants to live with His people. He wants us to participate with Him in ruling. Humans may need advisors, but the Creator of the Universe does not. Yet, He chooses to have us rule with Him.)

   
   
   
   

   4. Read Revelation 4:5. I'm always interested in Biblical accounts of God which include "rumblings." No human of John's time had ever seen an engine of any type. They knew nothing about electricity. What kind of power source do you think God has under His hood?
      1. Notice that the source of power for these lamps is the Holy Spirit.

      
      
      
      

   5. Read Revelation 4:6. What kind of view does God like? (A water view! This gives me confidence that water views will be part of heaven.)

   
   
   
   

   6. Now we come to the worship part. Read Revelation 4:6-8. These are some interesting looking aliens. Why do you think they have all of these eyes? (They don't miss anything!)
      1. Why all of the wings? (They can move quickly.)

      
      
      
      

      2. Consider the general appearance of the four creatures: lion, ox, man and eagle. What does this suggest? (Lion is courage, ox is strong and faithful, man is intelligent and the eagle is swift and noble.)

      
      
      
      

      3. How do the statements of these aliens describe God? (Three times they say He is holy, and then they give three time periods. God was holy then, is holy now and will be holy tomorrow.)

      
      
      
      

      4. Consider all of this information like paint on a canvass. What picture do we see? (Since they are describing God with their voices, why not conclude that they are describing God with their appearance: All seeing, swift to meet any problem, courageous, strong, faithful, intelligent, and noble.)

      
      
      
      

      5. What does this teach us about worship in heaven? (I looked at some commentaries which suggested that the creatures represented the four gospels, four standards of the tribes of Israel, or the four forces of nature. It seems more logical that all of this represents attributes of God. Worship is all about God, not about us. All aspects of worship should be directed to giving glory to God.)
         
         1. Every time you sing a hymn or a praise song, think about this: is this song more about me than it is about praising God?

         
         
         
         

         2. If the bodies of the aliens represented attributes of God, what does that suggest to us about worship? (Worship is not just what we say, but how we live.)

         
         
         
         

   7. Read Revelation 4:9-11. In the throne room of heaven, what is the basis for the twenty-four elders giving praise to God? (That He is the Creator ("for you created all things"). Everything was created by the will of God and everything continues to exist by the will of God.)
      1. Where does this leave those who deny the creation and promote the theory of evolution? (They are attacking the very foundation of God's authority and the logical basis to give God "glory, honor and power." This is not a polite debate between friends, this is a debate that draws the line in the sand between those who promote the worship God and those who undermine the worship of God.)

      
      
      
      

2. Beast Worship
   
   1. Read Revelation 13:1-4. The beast also has animal- like characteristics. What is the basis for worship of the beast? (Power. "Who can make war against him?" "He gave authority to the beast.)
      1. Think about this a minute. What is the difference between the basis for the worship of God and the worship of the beast? (The worship of God is based on His character (holy) and on what He has done and is doing (the creation and sustenance of the universe). The worship of the beast is based on raw power.)

      
      
      
      

   2. Read Revelation 13:5-7. If you were choosing between true and false worship, what signs would you look for? (Attacks on the name of God, on heaven, on angels, and on the followers of God.)
      1. Where do you hear these kind of things today?

      
      
      
      

      2. Is it easy to confuse these two types of worship? (Some people want to argue that things are complicated. How complicated can this be? Either you worship the Creator God or you attack Him, heaven, angels and God's followers. Either your worship is based on the character and blessings of God, or it is based on coercion (power). It doesn't seem that complicated to me!)

      
      
      
      

3. The Final Call to Worship
   
   1. Read Revelation 14:6-7. What is the first message of the final call for those on earth to worship? ("The eternal gospel.")
      1. What is the first component of this call? (Fear God and give Him glory.")
         
         1. What does that mean? (It is a call to obedience and praise.)
            
            1. Are these two connected? (We bring glory to God by following His ways.)

            
            
            
            

      2. What is the second component of this call? ("The hour of His judgment has come.")
         
         1. What does that mean? (It is a call to repentance because the time ("hour") of God's judgment is right now.)

         
         
         
         

      3. What is the third component of this call? (Worship God because He is the Creator.)

      
      
      
      

   2. Read Revelation 14:8. What is the second message of the final call to worship? (Your opponent is defeated. Christians should give the gospel message boldly because "Babylon the Great" has fallen!)

   
   
   
   

   3. Read Revelation 14:9-11. What is the third message of the final call to worship? (It is a warning. The time to choose is now. The stakes are high - eternal life or the undiluted wrath of God.)

   
   
   
   

   4. Read Revelation 14:12. If you regularly read these lessons, you know about these issues. You have heard the message of the three angels. If you have made the right decision, what is the final angel's advice to us? (Continue to be faithful. Endure patiently.)
      1. What constitutes faithful, patient, endurance? (Righteousness by faith ("remain faithful to Jesus,") and an attitude of obedience.)

   
   
   
   

   5. Friend, is this you? Have you accepted the call to choose Jesus as your Master? Have you repented of your sins and accepted Jesus' sacrifice on your behalf? Do you live a life that brings glory to God? Do you raise your voice in praise of your Creator? Have you an attitude of humble obedience to the will of God? If not, why not make that decision today? The judgment is here. Evil has fallen. God is bringing the final chapters of this world's history to an end.

   
   
   
   

4. Next week: We begin a wonderful study of the Gospel in Galatians!