"And the four living creatures, each one of them having six wings, are full of eyes around and within; and day and night they do not cease to say, 'HOLY, HOLY, HOLY {is} THE LORD GOD, THE ALMIGHTY, WHO WAS AND WHO IS AND WHO IS TO COME.'
And when the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to Him who sits on the throne, to Him who lives forever and ever,
the twenty-four elders will fall down before Him who sits on the throne, and will worship Him who lives forever and ever, and will cast their crowns before the throne, saying,
'Worthy are You, our Lord and our God, to receive glory and honor and power; for You created all things, and because of Your will they existed, and were created.'" --Revelation 4:8-11
This morning I was listening to a song by an artist by the name of Flame. It was a song which reflected pretty well on the verses above. It spoke of the scene around God's throne in Heaven. This made me reflect on the majesty of the glory of being in Heaven around the throne of God, worshipping the One who gave life to everything in this universe, and who has planned the redemtption of those who trust in His Son for salvation.
Just the thought of it is enought to wish that this was all over and I would be able to glimpse that glorious sight. But, to tide me over, the Lord has given me this wonderful description in Revelation 4, and a mind to picture, at least vaguely, what is going on there until I arrive there by God's grace.
So, I was thinking about the scene in Heaven as pictured here, and also continuing into chapter 5, as the Lamb who appeared to be slain came and took the scroll from the right hand of the Father, and there was a new song sung by the elders and the beasts: "'Worthy are You to take the book and to break its seals; for You were slain, and purchased for God with Your blood {men} from every tribe and tongue and people and nation. You have made them {to be} a kingdom and priests to our God; and they will reign upon the earth.'"
This is such an amazing picture of true worship. This is such a beautiful portrait of the majesty of our God as He sits upon His throne, and the Awesome Power of the Lamb, Jesus Christ.
This got me thinking also about something else. I've heard many pastors, many whom I deeply respect, say something to this extent: "Heaven won't be us sitting on a cloud playing a harp with a halo. That, to me, would be Hell."
As I thought about this, I began to wonder why this was. I'm not a theologian, so I have not studied too in depth on everything that we will be doing when we are in Heaven, but I'm not sure why this comment is made. I assume it's to combat the picture we receive from the secular media, which completely distorts everything spiritual on earth, let alone the glories of Heaven.
But why would it be Hell to sit on a cloud playing a harp for eternity? Look at the beasts and elders around the throne. It says they do not cease day or night from singing the praises of God. This book was written in approximately 90-95 AD, so that means that the beasts and elders have been doing this non-stop for almost 2,000 years since then. I don't think they have ever had the thought, "Can I get a break, I've been worshipping God for a while here."
No, they do this because that is what they were created for. They were created to worship God, as were we. The only difference is that they have been obedient for their entire existence to the purpose for which they were created.
Now, to our credit (however menial it is), they have spent their entire existence in the presence of God. The only response to have in the presence of God is either worship (if you've been justified) or fear (if you've not been justified).
They spend their entire existence to repeat the same phrase over and over, and they do not seem displeased to do it. The reason for this great pleasure is simple: He is worthy. He is worthy of our service, no matter how redundant it may seem or appear. From our vantage point, we think, "Really? They just say that one line over and over? That seems a little bit boring of a position." But that's what's wrong with our vantage point: We don't see Him for how great He actually is. These are willing to sing of the Holiness and the Worthiness of our Lord because they see Him in all His majesty and they see how worthy He is.
So, whether I am playing a harp on a cloud for all eternity, waiting tables at the marriage supper of the Lamb, or shoveling the dung of the White Horse which Christ rides on, it will all be a worthy effort because of the Worthy One whom it will serve!
