Worship in the Book of Revelation

Worship in the Book of Revelation

September 24, 2011

Sabbath School Class

Larry R Evans

Introduction

Perhaps you heard the story of a father who was relaxing as he read the newspaper. During the whole time his young son persisted in interrupting him, wanting the father to play. After numerous attempts to redirect the boy’s attention to something else the father came upon a great idea! He found a large map in the newspaper and tore it up in small pieces. Proud of his creative idea, he handed the pieces to his son and said, “When you put this map of the world back together, we will go out and play.”

The father settled back and resumed his reading absolutely sure he had just carved out a long time to read and relax. Not so! In a short time the boy returned with the map taped together. Shocked that his son knew that much about geography, he asked him how he had recreated the map so quickly.

The little boy replied, “It was easy! There is a picture of a man on the back. When I got the man right, I got the world right too.”

The book of Revelation can be like putting a strange and difficult puzzle together. However, if we can keep our focus on Christ the puzzle will come together. Maybe not completely, maybe not today but the meaning will emerge. Today’s lesson is an important step in that direction. There is something about genuine worship that moves the focus from us to God and with that change comes an amazing fulfillment in our own lives. No wonder a study of Revelation promises to bring a true revival and reformation.

Reflective Quiz

[To get the full impact of this quiz we suggest that you read the accompanying scriptural passages]

1. Just before Christ comes, the ultimate issue of the great controversy will be which day is the true Sabbath. True or False? (Isa.6:1-8; Dn. 3:24-30; Gen.3:8-13; Rev.3:13-18)

2. The ultimate issue of the great controversy just before Christ comes will be which day is the true Sabbath. True or False? Gen.1:1, Isa 14:12-14, Dan. 7:25, Rev. 12:17, Rev 13:4,10,14-15; 14:12

3. God has given Wall Street a prophetic message found in Rev. 14:6,7. True or False?

4. Worship and all other doctrines are linked to the first four words of Scripture: “In the beginning God.” True or False (Matt.4:10; Rev. 14:6,7)

5. The joy of heaven comes because the redeemed were faithful to the end. True or False? (Rev.7:9-10, 14-17; 15:2-4; 19:1-10)

Reflecting Together

(My Teaching Notes)

1. The greater the revelation the more radical the transformation. True (Isa.6:1-8; Dan. 3:24-30; Gen.3:8-13; Rev.3:13-18)

Before we answer this question I’d like to ask you another question and I think it is an important one. “Who begins the worship experience?”

· Is it the pastor when he or she begins sermon preparation?

· Is it the SS teacher when he or she stands before the SS class?

· Is it we as we reflect upon the awesome acts of God?

While worship may be part of each of these activities, we’d like to suggest that none of these options is really the “who” behind the initiation of the “the worship experience.” Even our worship begins with God and not with us. From the start it is God and not we who is the primary mover. The Creation week makes that clear with the culmination of the Sabbath which follows all that He had created. The awareness of God’s love for us is initiated by God Himself and not by our imaginations, study or reflections. The self-revelation of God to us is His gift. Worship rejoices in that joint experience. We must remember: We don’t make the Sabbath holy, God did before we ever came onto the scene. We don’t send the Holy Spirit to awaken our minds, God does. We don’t create a revival and reformation, God does. The goodness and grace of God precedes our awareness. We come to realize the impact of the words, “In the beginning God . . . “ Of course, worship per se, doesn’t happen without us. As with any communication, more than one is involved. However, my point is this: True worship takes place when we come together with God, recognize God for what He was, is and will be and respond accordingly from our hearts. God’s self-revelation changes us. History has suggested that often we think we initiate worship with the hope that we will get God involved, change God and maybe even alter His plans for us. Self easily and quickly rises to take the throne from God. Worship is foremost about us joining God rather than we coaxing God to join us or to listen to us.

This was Isaiah’s experience when he came into the presence of God. The self-revelation of God in turn revealed “self” to Isaiah. Seeing the glory of God he exclaimed, “Woe to me!” . . . “I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the Lord Almighty.” (Isa. 6:5) The revelation of God transformed the reluctant Isaiah into a humble but willing servant: “Here am I. Send me!”

It is the revelation of God that changes even pagan kings such as Nebuchadnezzar. The revelation of God in the midst of the fires that he, Nebuchadnezzar, had set to destroy the three Hebrews caused him to radically alter his political plans. He was transformed. He promoted Shadrach, Meshach and Abendnego instead of killing them. God’s self-revelations makes all the difference.

So it will be in the last days according to Zechariah 8:23. This time God reveals himself through His ambassadors.

²³“This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies says: In those days ten men from different nations and languages of the world will clutch at the sleeve of one Jew. And they will say, ‘Please let us walk with you, for we have heard that God is with you.’ ” (NLT)

The revelation of God, however, is not always welcomed. Guilt often hides us from the very remedy for the hurt we feel—the hurt from our own doing and/or the hurt caused by someone else. This is what happened to Adam and Eve after they sinned and then heard God walking in the garden. They hid but God still called to them, “Where are you?” That question is still there for us today and for the Church in Laodicea.

“¹⁹I correct and ^ediscipline everyone I love. So be diligent and turn from your indifference.

²⁰“Look! I stand at the door and knock. If you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in, and we will share a meal together as friends.”

So keep in mind as we study about worship: The greater the revelation the greater the transformation.

2. Just before Christ comes, the ultimate issue of the great controversy will be which day is the true Sabbath. False (Gen.1:1, Isa 14:12-14, Dan. 7:25, Rev. 12:17, Rev 13:4,10,14-15; 14:12 )

The ultimate issue is not about days. The key to this question is found in the words “the ultimate issue.” Throughout history different issues have emerged to be the grounds for some aspect of truth to be either revealed or emphasized about God. “Salvation and glory and power belong” to God (Rev. 19:1) and as such this is the “ultimate issue.” For Adam and Eve it was loyalty to God’s instructions by not eating from a forbidden tree, for the three Hebrews it was about loyalty to God by not worshiping a prideful king, for the remnant of the Apocalypse it is maintaining their loyalty to the One who “made the heavens, the earth, the sea and the springs of water” and not compromising their loyalty by worshiping a substitute (Rev. 14:6,7 vs 13:11-17; 12:17). In each case the immediate issue seemed insignificant but from a cosmic perspective the precipitating issues were anything but insignificant.

In Isaiah 14:13-14 we see the universal sin problem of self-centeredness expressed in these words:

‘I will ascend to heaven and set my throne above God’s stars.

I will preside on the mountain of the gods

far away in the north.

¹⁴I will climb to the highest heavens

and be like the ^dMost High.’

The problem picks up intensity in Dan. 7:25

²⁵He will defy the Most High and oppress the holy people of the Most High. He will try to change their sacred festivals and laws, and they will be placed under his control for a time, times, and half a time.

The devastating thing about self is that it will justify it’s ambitions and use the name of the Selfless One to justify its own self-centeredness. In the end, the conflict between self and selflessness is the ultimate issue and at stake is the recognition of who God is and what He has done. The remnant become with God being the ultimate source of true selflessness and represented by His remnant.

²For you will be expelled from the synagogues, and the time is coming when those who kill you will think they are doing a holy service for God. (Jn 16:2 NLT)

¹⁵He was then permitted to give life to this statue so that it could speak. Then the statue of the beast commanded that anyone refusing to worship it must die. (Rev. 13:15 NLT)

The seventh-day Sabbath with its anchor in “In the beginning God” becomes the agitation undermining the basic premise of all selfishness—the created usurping the prerogatives of the Creator. Worship is not about a day but the day is symbolic of a greater truth -- the truth about God. Worship is the expression of that truth. Because of its focus on God instead of self, the significance of the seventh-day Sabbath polarizes fact from fiction, selflessness from self-centeredness and makes the character of God the “gold standard” of all righteousness and the object of worship.

3. God has given Wall Street a prophetic message found in Rev. 14:6,7. True.

The first angel’s message is all about worshiping “him who made.” It is all about God the Owner and as such we become His stewards or disciples. Two biblical truths relate directly to this relationship between the Owner and the steward: The Sabbath – symbolic of God’s claim of our time (Ex.20:8-11) – and secondly the tithe – God’s claim of our resources (Mal 3:7-12). Our incomes are a representation of our life which is why tithe and offerings are linked to “returning” to God. Tithe and offerings are literal but they are representative of God’s claim to our time, talent and treasure. God is clearly rebuking the greed and selfishness that has plunged the world into a financial crisis (Isa 55 & 56; Mal 3). The crisis is not about money. The crisis is about the very issues we spoke about in question #2. Separation from God is a consequence of self-centeredness which eventually expresses itself as greed. It does so even at the cost of robbing one another and if necessary killing those who dare stand in the way of serving self (Jer. 17:9; Gen 4:6-12; Jn 16:2). But greed is essentially about robbing God of what is His which impacts all relationships. Hence the prophetic message termed as the first angel’s message of Rev. 14 speaks to the kind of greed often revealed by some at Wall Street.

4. Worship and all other doctrines are linked to the first four words of Scripture: “In the beginning God.” True (Matt.4:10; Rev. 14:6,7)

There is a lot of discussion about creation vs evolution. While that discussion is important we must not allow that “controversy” to distract from the message of the book of Genesis. “In the beginning God” is not only the root of understanding about God but also about us. Both concepts are inextricably linked to worship. Chapter 1 is not presented as a conjecture but as an assumption. This chapter reads like a worship liturgy – the first day, “it was good,” the second day, “it was good” and so forth. When it is completed the crescendo builds and the pronouncement is proclaimed: “it was very good.” God in chapter 1 is “Elohim” but in chapter two a new term is introduced and that is “Yahweh Elohim.” Before we get to the fall of Adam and Eve and then of Cain the writer wants us to know that God is the God of relationships. This term is used later in scripture to denote God as the Promise Keeper – we break our promises but God keeps his.

So the foundation is established in the first two chapters that all worship must be directed towards God and secondly our fulfillment is found in Him and Him alone. It is not a selfish thing for God to speak of worship of Him for worship is communion. He who created knows that life flows from Him into His creation. It is without question that this is behind the words of Jesus: I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” (Jn 10:10). God’s search for Adam and Eve in Genesis 3:9 is all about who He is as “Yahweh Elohim” and then again as He approaches Cain both before and then after his horrible deed with Able. (Gen.4:6-12) Is it any wonder that the Serpent when he tempts Eve leaves off the relational aspect of God’s character and only refers to Him as Elohim (Gen. 3:1)! Worship links both aspects of God’s name. (Rev.5:8-14; 14:1) The remnant of Revelation bring a response to the fall of man in Genesis—a response with cosmic implications. The “Father’s name [is] written on their foreheads.” (14:1) The book of Revelation is the book where all books, all doctrines of the Bible meet and end.

5. The joy of heaven comes because the redeemed were faithful to the end. False (Rev.7:9-10, 14-17; 15:2-4; 19:1-10)

No doubt there is great joy over the redemption of God’s people!! However the greater joy expressed in Scripture is in God.

¹After this, I heard what sounded like a vast crowd in heaven shouting,

“Praise the Lord!

Salvation and glory and power belong to our God.

² His judgments are true and just.

He has punished the great prostitute

who corrupted the earth with her immorality.

He has avenged the murder of his servants.”

³And again their voices rang out:

“ Praise the Lord! (Rev.19:1-3 NLT)

Conclusion

Perhaps one of the greatest summary passages regarding worship is found in Revelation 4:9,10.

¹¹“You are worthy, O Lord our God,

to receive glory and honor and power.

For you created all things,

and they exist because you created what you pleased.”

The original plan of Genesis climaxes with it being fulfilled in the book of Revelation. Once again the abundant life is given without the distraction of sin. Note carefully the following:

“And the years of eternity, as they roll, will bring richer and still more glorious revelations of God and of Christ. As knowledge is progressive, so will love, reverence, and happiness increase. The more men learn of God, the greater will be their admiration of His character. As Jesus opens before them the riches of redemption and the amazing achievements in the great controversy with Satan, the hearts of the ransomed thrill with more fervent devotion, and with more rapturous joy they sweep the harps of gold; and ten thousand times ten thousand and thousands of thousands of voices unite to swell the mighty chorus of praise.

"And every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying, Blessing, and honor, and glory, and power, be unto Him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever." Revelation 5:13.

The great controversy is ended. Sin and sinners are no more. The entire universe is clean. One pulse of harmony and gladness beats through the vast creation. From Him who created all, flow life and light and gladness, throughout the realms of illimitable space. From the minutest atom to the greatest world, all things, animate and inanimate, in their unshadowed beauty and perfect joy, declare that God is love.” Ellen G White in The Great Controversy, p.678.