THREEFOLD HOLY (REVELATION 4)
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I was first reminded by a nice receptionist of restrictions in my apartment lobby in pandemic times: “Mr. Yap, you didn’t wear a mask.” The next few weeks’ behavior were erratic and embarrassing, usually with older people. An older lady, upon realizing she had no mask on upon exiting the lift to the ground floor, uttered in shock, “Uh, uh, uh!” On another occasion, the lift door opened to an elderly man who realized he was unmasked, so he shuffled his feet directly and retreated backwards dramatically to the corner of the lift.
My most interesting experience was when I found that I had dropped my mask somewhere while exercising without a mask near where I lived. I wondered what to do and walked to the supermarket to buy more time to think up a plan of how to enter the lobby without a mask. Halfway there, I said, “Wait a minute. It’s not going to work. They won’t let me in without a mask,” so I had to head home, but how am I going to walk inside without scaring residents? Then I figure out a plan. I successfully waited for the lift to reach ground level, entered my gate password to the lobby entrance after the residents had exited and kept my eye on the lift at the same time to make sure that it’s still on ground level!
How do sinful men meet with a holy God in worship?
Revelation chapter 4 is full of images taking center stage in subsequent verses– from door in verse 1, to throne (twice) in verse 2, precious stones in verse 3, 24 seats in verse 4, lamps of fire in verse 5, a sea of glass in verse 6. The focus to non-objects from verse 7 onwards is the four beasts individually in verse 7, the four beasts together in verses 8 to 9, the 24 elders in verse 10 and the Lord is the last verse. The two decrees and declarations in verses 8 and 11, not the objects or creatures, are the climax, with each verse referring to the “Lord” by name (vv 8, 11).
There’s a lot of study on worship –some boring, some borrowed, some baseless, some basic and some balanced, but hardly one befitting the breath-taking picture of Revelation 4. What is worship? What attitude should we have upon appearing before God? Why is worship not just a doctrine but a deed?
Come Now – Worship is Commanded
1 After this I looked, and, behold, a door was opened in heaven: and the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me; which said, Come up hither, and I will shew thee things which must be hereafter. 2 And immediately I was in the spirit: and, behold, a throne was set in heaven, and one sat on the throne. 3 And he that sat was to look upon like a jasper and a sardine stone: and there was a rainbow round about the throne, in sight like unto an emerald. 4 And round about the throne were four and twenty seats: and upon the seats I saw four and twenty elders sitting, clothed in white raiment; and they had on their heads crowns of gold. 5 And out of the throne proceeded lightnings and thunderings and voices: and there were seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God.
Bill Gates died and was asked by God. "Well Bill I'm going to let you decide on where you want to go" says God. Bill replied, "Thanks God. What's the difference between the two?"
"I'll show you," God replies. So Bill went to hell. It was a beautiful clean sandy beach with clear waters. There were thousands of beautiful women running around playing in the water laughing and frolicking about. The sun was shining and the temperature was perfect.
"This is great!" Bill told God. Bill then went to heaven. Heaven was a high place in the clouds, with angels drifting about playing harps and singing. It was nice, but not as enticing as hell. Bill thought for a moment and then said, "I think I prefer hell." 'Fine', replied God, 'as you wish."
So Bill Gates went to hell. Two weeks later God decided to check up on him. When God arrived, he found Bill shackled to a wall, screaming amongst the hot flames in the dark cave as he was burned and tortured by demons.
"How's everything going, Bill? " God asked. Bill responded, his voice full of anguish and disappointment, "This is awful this is not what I expected I can't believe this happened. What happened to the other place with all the beaches and the beautiful women playing in the water?"
God says, "That was the screensaver"
Heaven is not a playground, a party or a picnic. The phrase “I saw” (v 1) opens up the first ten chapters of the book (Rev 1:12, 2:2, 3:1, 4:1, 5:1, 6:2, 7:1, 8:2, 9:1, 10:1), so obviously the door throwing open next was equally delightful, dramatic and daunting. The door (v 1) is a continuation of chapter 3 three verses ago, where an invitation was given to the lukewarm Laodicea: “Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me.” (Rev 3:20)
The noun “heaven” was introduced in the last chapter, where the overcomer was promised permanent dwelling in the temple of God, with the name of God, the name of the city of God, the new Jerusalem, which is coming down out of heaven, and the His new name (Rev 3:12).
The spectacle in heaven is more than enough to shock a person into action, send a person into a spin and sweep you off your feet. The verb “shut” occurs six times in Revelation, while the verb “open” (v 1) occurs 26 times in the book, four times in the previous chapter alone (Rev 3:7 twice, 8, 20). The door of heaven is still open for sinners, saints and seekers, but there’s definitely no room for spectators, speculators or shoppers.
The throne (thronos) occurs 62 times in the Bible, but 46 times of it is in Revelation, of which chapter four has a remarkable 13 occurrences, doubling the beast’s seven times in the chapter. Throne is associated mainly with His glory (Matt 19:28, 25:31), grace (Heb 4:16) and majesty (Heb 8:1).
The preposition “round about” occurs three times in the chapter (Rev 4:3, 4, 8) and nowhere else in the Bible, mainly “round about” the throne (vv 3, 4). The prepositions with the throne (KJV) are:
“round about the throne” (v 3)
“round about the throne … upon the seats (throne in Greek)” (v 4, 2x)
“out of the throne” (v 5)
“before the throne” (v 5)
“before the throne… in the midst of the throne … round about the throne” (v 6, 3x)
“before the throne” (v 10)
He is the center, the crux and the crown of our attention,
V 3 Stones – jasper, a sardine stone and an emerald
V 4 Seats -24 elders
V 5 Sounds - lightnings and thunderings and voices
Matter
Members
Movement
Environment
Entourage
Echoes
Treasures
Team
Tremors
Luxurious
Live
Loud
Gems
Gold (v 4)
Greetings
If you like jewelry, you would like to know that jasper, rainbow and emerald occur for the first time in the Bible (v 3).
White (v 4) means spotless, stainless and sinless
Golden means precious, prized and priceless.
Crown means rule, reward and rectification.
Come Near – Worship is Central
6 And before the throne there was a sea of glass like unto crystal: and in the midst of the throne, and round about the throne, were four beasts full of eyes before and behind. 7 And the first beast was like a lion, and the second beast like a calf, and the third beast had a face as a man, and the fourth beast was like a flying eagle. 8 And the four beasts had each of them six wings about him; and they were full of eyes within: and they rest not day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come.
Have you wondered who has the best narration voices you want to invite to say verse 8: Holy, holy, holy Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come” I came across a few website which has a few names I have in mind:
James Earl Jones (as Darth Vader, No. 1)
Samuel L. Jackson (as a Jedi in Star Wars, No. 3 on one list)
Morgan Freeman (as God in Bruce Almighty, No. 3 on one list)
Charlton Heston (as Moses in Ten Commandments)
https://moviesmatrix.com/2019/12/27/a-list-the-top-20-most-iconic-voices-in-hollywoods-history/
I prefer James Earl Jones to lead the team, not only because he’s listed number 1 on one list but because he gets paid not for his looks but his voice as Darth Vader – plus breathing! On the web there’s a video of ten hours of Darth Vader breathing.
Revelations is true worship in heaven. Have you guys figured out the verse, chorus and bridge if it’s a song? How do animals participate in worship? Eagles flapping, lions roaring and cows mooing in worship?
The lion is king of the jungle, the calf or ox is king of the farm, the eagle is king of the air and man – it’s a man’s world. According to Willmington’s Guide to the Bible, the four living creatures represent four pictures of Christ as well as a portrait of Christ in the Gospel of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John: King (lion-like), Servant (ox-like), Perfect Man (man-like), and Mighty God (eagle-like). They are.
It is impossible imagine four beast full of eyes before and behind (v 6). The threefold praise “Holy, holy, holy” is reminiscent of Isaiah 6:3. The Lord’s entrance was dramatic and his nature was divine, and the feeling was nothing but dread. The introduction of “Holy, holy, holy” is holiness more and more, more than ever, forevermore. He is more than sanitary, saintly or sparkling; He is spotless, stainless and sinless, in all His purity and perfection and percentage. He is most holy, utmost holy, foremost holy, inmost holy and furthermost holy. Everything and all is unclean, unsightly and uncircumcised in heart, mind and body before Him.
The title “Lord God Almighty” (KJV) occurs six times in the Bible, all in Revelation (Rev 4:8, 11:17, 15:3, 16:7, 19:6, 21:22), of which this is the first. Almighty is also translated as omnipotent (Rev 19:6). Some off-the-cuff translations of verse 8 are:
“Holy, holy, holy is Adonai, God of heaven’s armies” (Complete Jewish Bible)
“Holy, holy, holy Is God our Master, Sovereign-Strong” (THE MESSAGE)
"Holy Holy Holy is the Lord God, the All-Powerful” (The NET Bible)
"Holy, holy, holy, Lord God, the Ruler of all” (Weymouth)
Verse 8
Holy, holy, holy
Lord God Almighty
Was…is…is to come
Trait
Title
Time
Integrity
Immensity
Infinity/immortal
Consecrated
Capability
Ceaseless
Sacred
Sovereign
Surpassing
Uncompromising
Uncontested
Unchanging
Otherworldly
Omnipotent
Ongoing
True worship is demanded by God, directed to God and delight in God. Participants are encouraged to be broken, but beloved and blessed before Him.
Come Next – Worship is Constant
9 And when those beasts give glory and honour and thanks to him that sat on the throne, who liveth for ever and ever, 10 The four and twenty elders fall down before him that sat on the throne, and worship him that liveth for ever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying, 11 Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.
In sports these athletes for sports super achievers:
Swimming – Michael Phelps (Net worth: $80 million)
Track and field – Usain Bolt (Net worth: $90 million)
Football – Pele (Net worth: $100 million)
Golf – Tiger Woods (Net worth: $800 million)
Basketball – Michael Jordan (Net worth: $1.6 billion)
We have an acronym for them: G.O.A.T. (Greatest of all time) but are they really great in God’s eyes?
Michael Jordan confessed: I went swimming with a close friend one day, and we were out wading and riding the waves coming in. The current was so strong it took him under and he locked up on me. It’s called the death lock, when they know they’re in trouble and about to die. I almost had to break his hand. He was gonna take me with him. I was really young. About seven or eight years old. Now I ain’t going near the water. I can’t swim and I ain’t messing with the water.”
https://www.reddit.com/r/nba/comments/d8ocdt/when_he_was_a_kid_michael_jordan_went_swimming/
No person, thing or god is worthy of our worship.
Fall down
Worship
Cast crowns
Reduce oneself
Revere God
Return all
Humility
Honor
Handover
I’m broken
He’s deserving
My duty
The best part is that “worship” was not left to the beast, but to people, the 24 elders. The key actions of the 24 elders in response to the four beasts were fall down, worship and cast. Fall down is to humble reduce oneself, humility, and brokenness; worship is to revere God, honor and deserving; and cast is to return all, handover and duty. Do you remember what kind of crown (v 4) did they give up?
Verse 10’s worship. This is the first actual scene of worship in Revelation. Revelation is the book of worship in the Bible. Revelation has the most occurrences of the verb “worship” (proskuneo, 24x) in the Bible, double that of the next most occurrences in Matthew. What is worship? Worship here is the adoration, affection and acknowledgment of the heart, not the availability of music, attractiveness of song, or attended by praise team or choir members.
What do we know about worship from Revelation? Worship is every day, expected and eternal. It is daily (v 8 day and night, who was and is and is to come, v 9, 10 forever and ever), dutiful and direct. The 24 elders worshipped HIM that liveth for ever and ever (Rev 4:10). There’s no preposition in between the verb and the personal pronoun “him” – not worship about Him, with Him, in Him or for Him. It’s the same with most references:
The 24 elders fell down and worshipped Him that liveth for ever and ever. (Rev 5:14).
worshipped God (Rev 7:11, 11:16, 19:4, 22:9)
worship Him Rev 14:7, 19:10
What is the difference glory (doxa), honor (ti-me) and power (dunamis)?
Glory
Honor
Power
Glory
Gravity
Greatness
Illustrious
Important
Influential
Praise
Privilege
Power
Admiration
Authority
Ability
Pleasure (v 11) is an odd translation of the word because it is translated 60 times for “will,” only once for desires (Eph 2:3) and once for pleasure (v 10). Its first occurrence is in the Lord’s prayer (Matt 6:10 “Your will be done”). It is interchangeable with by His decree, design, delight, determination and even for His dwelling! He is worthy because He’s the Creator, the Cause, the Commander and the Completion of everything.
Conclusion: Does worship give you:
Power of living?
Relationship with Him?
Acknowledgment of ownership?
Imitation of Christ?
Service to Him?
Endurance of obstacles?
