Worship the Lord God Almighty
1. Worship God Alone
Chapters 4 and 5 are the heart of Revelation. Chapter 4 presents God as the sovereign Creator and Ruler of the universe. Chapter 5 presents Jesus Christ as the crucified and risen Lamb who conquered through suffering. Therefore, He is worthy to carry out God’s plan of redemption and judgment for the world. The vision of chapters 4 and 5 happens around God’s throne and calls us to worship God alone. God’s eternal glory stands in contrast to the earthly glory of all earthly rulers. As the holy, powerful, eternal Creator, Ruler, and Redeemer, He alone is worthy of worship. Whenever people choose to worship the creature rather than the Creator, it is blasphemy. Whenever people worship anything or anyone else in the place of God, it is idolatry and must lead to judgment.
The seven letters present the challenges God’s people face and warn them of the coming tribulation. Now, the perspective changes to the view from above, the heavenly perspective. God’s throne is the vantage point from which John wants us to look out upon the world, human affairs, and history. We must understand our present existence and what is about to happen on earth in light of God’s throne. Everything that happens in the rest of the book flows out from his throne. Because God is the holy, all-powerful, sovereign Creator and Ruler of the universe, He is the Judge and Redeemer in all that follows. Terrible events are coming over the world and cause suffering for God’s people, but God’s throne gives us the assurance that He will accomplish his plans for his creation and his people. And the only proper response to this is worship, to worship the Lord God Almighty and Him alone.
2. God’s Throne — God Is the Sovereign Ruler of the Universe
“Throne” is a major theme in Revelation. It contrasts the “throne of God” with the “throne of Satan” and the thrones of earthly rulers. God’s throne represents the center of ultimate reality. It tells us that God is the sovereign Ruler of the universe. His throne is the centerpiece around which everything else revolves. This vision presents the throne as the focal point of a series of concentric circles — the rainbow around the throne, the inner circle with the four living beings, next the 24 elders, then the multitude of angels, and finally every creature in creation. God is the center of it all. He is the sovereign Ruler over all his creation. All of creation is oriented toward its Creator. Human beings are not at the center, much as they like to think that they are. No nation is at the center, much as they like to think they are. All human beings will be judged on the basis of their attitude to God’s claim to be their Lord and rule over them. Do they worship God as Lord or not?
John’s vision of God’s throne echoes Moses’ calling (Ex 3), Mount Sinai (Ex 19-24), Ezekiel 1 and 10, Isaiah 6, and Daniel 7. He does not describe what God looks like. No human imagination or human words can describe God. Rather he speaks only of someone sitting on the throne and then describes the magnificent splendor of God’s glory that emanates from and surrounds the throne.
The Bible often describes God as light. Here John uses translucent stones to describe God’s glory. The stones intensify the light around the throne as they reflect the unapproachable brightness of the light surrounding God (1 Tim 6:16). Their brilliant colors represent God’s majesty and splendor. These stones are also found in the new Jerusalem (Rev 21:11,18-21) and so they are linked to and anticipate the new creation where God’s glory will be present throughout the new creation.
The rainbow reminds us of Noah and the flood. It bears witness to God’s judgment, mercy, awesomeness, and beauty. It’s the sign of the new creation and portrays the beginning of the new creation in heaven’s throne room.
The 24 elders represent all of God’s people before the throne. 24 comes from the 12 tribes and the 12 apostles (Rev 21:12-14) and so represents God’s faithful people from both the old and new covenants. They represent God’s people in worship before the throne. They are a royal priesthood, a kingdom, and priests to serve God. They also represent the fulfillment of Christ's promises to the faithful that they will wear white robes (Rev 3:5), and be given crowns (2:10), and rule with him (3:21).
Lightning, rumbling, and thunder come out from the throne itself. Using the language of Ex. 19:16-25 these speaks of the power, glory, and frightening awesomeness of God. They occur at the conclusion of each series of judgments (Rev 8:1–5; 11:15–19; 16:17–18). God is the awesome, all-powerful God who rules and judges the world.
The 7 burning torches, which are the seven spirits of God, represent the fullness of the perfect Holy Spirit. God oversees, rules, and judges his creation through his Spirit. And through the Holy Spirit, the transcendent, awesome, all-powerful God is present with his people wherever they are, all the time.
The crystal-clear, transparent sea of glass radiates and reflects the vastness, holiness, and transcendence of God that separates him from his creation. In the new creation (Rev. 21:1), there was no longer any sea. In the Bible, the sea is also associated with the idea of evil. It is the living place of the evil sea monster and the origin of the beast (Rev 13:1). Evil is present in God’s current world but God’s sovereign rule controls and contains it, and eventually evil will be overthrown. It will be no more and nothing will separate God from his people.
And then right next to the throne, in the inner circle are the four living beings. They resemble the cherubim of Ezekiel 1 and 10 and the seraphim of Isaiah 6. They are a higher order of angels, stand closest to God’s presence, play a leading role in executing God’s judgment, and lead the heavenly court in worship. They represent the whole of God’s creation. They are covered with eyes all around. This speaks of their unceasing vigilance over God’s creation. They oversee God’s affairs. Their eyes search the earth and nothing is hidden from them. This represents the all-knowing, omniscient God who sees and knows all. What an encouragement for the suffering church. God knows our plight and He is already taking action in our favor and against our persecutors.
Even though God rules from his heavenly throne, He is in control over earth’s affairs. Evil seems to be running rampant in the world and causes God’s people to suffer but we can know that God’s sovereign rule controls and directs everything for our good and for his glory. God’s throne sets the stage for what follows. The judgments on evil, and the protection and salvation of God’s people, all issue and flow from God’s throne. His throne is the only true seat of power and it unmasks all other powers. This vision of the throne brings us into God’s presence and inspires us to worship Him.
3. Worship the Holy, All-Powerful, and Eternal God
And so the four living beings lead us to worship the holy, all-powerful, and Eternal God. They have no rest day and night as they perform unceasing, continuous worship. They are doing what all of creation should do. All things were created to praise God for his holiness. We should worship and praise Him for He is the Lord God Almighty, the all-powerful God. He has sovereign power and control over his created universe. In times of suffering and persecution, when we feel powerless we should remember and worship the all-powerful God. We should not fear and be anxious.
We should worship God because He is the eternal God, who is and was and is coming, who lives forever and ever. He is Yahweh, the “I AM WHO I AM” (Ex 3:14). He is over and above history. He controls the past, present, and future. He gives eternal judgment and eternal reward. When we praise the eternal God we keep our focus on his new creation and eternal life. And that enables us to overcome and endure faithfully in all circumstances.
As the four living beings represent the worship of all of God’s creation, the 24 elders represent the worship of all God’s people. This worship happens not only in heaven but should happen already now in our churches and in our lives as his kingdom people.
4. Worship the Creator God
And so with the elders, we worship the Lord God Almighty because He is the Creator God. He created all things, the whole universe, out of nothing. Through his awesome power, He spoke what did not exist before into being, into existence. Only God can and does create life. Only Yahweh is Lord and God and therefore, only the Lord God Almighty, the Creator and Sovereign Ruler of the universe, is worthy of worship and allegiance. With the four living beings and the 24 elders, we praise and worship God by giving Him glory, honor, thanks, and power.
We give thanks for all God has done, is doing, and will do. He rules his creation and controls history with his mighty arm and hand. All power belongs to Him. Therefore, with the elders, we fall down before his throne. We worship Him and throw down our crowns before Him. We submit and crown Him as Lord of our lives. To fall on our faces and throw down our crowns mean that we make our honor and glory nothing before God’s honor and glory. We acknowledge that any authority and power we may have in this world are delegated and given to us by Him and ultimately belongs to Him. Do our actions of worship match our words of worship like those of the elders? Who is really in control of our lives? Who rules our lives? Self or the Lord? Any pretenses or claims of power, authority, rights, and privileges are unmasked by the true power of God, and they should be thrown down before his throne. Our thrones, crowns, and white clothes are not ours by right but are gifts from God. When confronted with the greatness of God human pride, arrogance, and self-sufficiency are removed.
5. God-centered Worship
This vision of worship is a call to worship. We were made for worship. But whom do we worship and why? We may not have the emperor cult today but we do have the cults of celebrities and personalities — sports and entertainment celebrities, political celebrities, business tycoon celebrities, and yes even church leader celebrities. When you observe how people follow these personalities, think and talk about them, yes worship them, you would think they are gods and goddesses. People look to them for happiness, salvation, and guidance for life as if they hold the truth and can save us. They dominate and rule their minds, hearts, and actions. Any person or anything that comes to be more important than God in our lives is an idol. God must be all and in all of our lives.
And if we claim to worship God, why do we worship Him? Our thinking about God informs our worship. When do we praise and give thanks to God? Only when He answers our prayers, only when things go well? Do we give Him praise and thanksgiving for suffering, and when He does not answer our prayers as we want? Is all of our life a life of worship?
God on his throne represents the very center of all reality. It reminds us that we do not occupy that role. Therefore, true worship must be God-centered. Worship is “a meeting at the center so that our lives are centered in God and not lived eccentrically. We worship so that we live in response to and from this center, the living God. Failure to worship consigns us to a life of spasms and jerks, at the mercy of every advertisement, every seduction, every siren.… If there is no center, there is no circumference. People who do not worship are swept into a vast restlessness, epidemic in the world, with no steady direction and no sustained purpose.” (Eugene Petersen)
What we see in heaven’s throne room must happen here on earth, in our churches, and in our daily lives. Everything is spiritual because everything, all we have, all we are, and all we do, is a gift from God and should be given back to Him in worship, praise, and thanksgiving as we do everything out of reverence for the Lord, in the Name of the Lord, and for his glory.
Only as we stand in worship before God’s throne in awe of Him do all other competing claims for our affection and attention recede into their rightful place. God alone is God, and he alone merits first place. Unceasing worship should be our primary worship. In our private prayers and worship and in our public worship services, do we give sufficient weight to praising God as the eternal, holy, all-powerful Creator and Ruler of all things? Do our inner rooms and churches become throne rooms for God?