Sunday, March 3, 2013

Praise to Jehovah and His Son


“Worthy is the Lamb who was slain To receive power and riches and wisdom, And strength and honor and glory and blessing!”
   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, I heard saying: “Blessing and honor and glory and power Be to Him who sits on the throne, And to the Lamb, forever and ever!”
   Then the four living creatures said, “Amen!” And the twenty-four elders fell down and worshiped Him who lives forever and ever.
 5:12-14.


All Praise to the Highest



   Those who refuse to study, or read The Revelation, just because it is frightening or impossible to understand, rob themselves of being blessed by the richest and most profuse portions of praise and adoration to Jehovah and Jesus Christ, that are found anywhere in the Bible.  

   Immediately, after the salutation in chapter 1, John bursts forth in praise to God the Father.  From 1:5 onward, praise to the Father and the Son remains the main theme throughout the book of The Revelation.  Before we commence with the opening of the seals, let's pause for a while to worship in the presence of Jehovah and His Son, the Lamb of Calvary.

   The words of praise and the songs of blessings, that ring out in The Revelation are unparalled anywhere else in the entire Bible.  This is fitting, for, at the end of the Church’s sojourn on earth, Jesus Christ will take His kingship and rule the nations with a rod of iron.  He humbled Himself to the point of taking our sins upon Himself, and because He did so, God has highly exalted Him and given Him a name that is above every name. Phil. 2:9.  All of humankind will fall to their knees at His feet in admission that He is worthy of praise.  Some, no doubt, will be on their knees against their wishes.   The haters of the Lord would pretend submission to Him, But their fate would endure forever. Psalm 81:15.

   The four living creatures and the elders around the throne cease not to praise the Almighty God saying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, Who was and is and is to come!

   The song of praise continues with, You are worthy, O Lord, To receive glory and honor and power; For You created all things, And by Your will they exist and were created.

   Immediately before the opening of the seals, the living creatures and the elders sing a new song of praise to Jesus Christ. They sing, You are worthy to take the scroll, And to open its seals; For You were slain, And have redeemed us to God by Your blood Out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation. This, however, is just the beginning of praise to our worthy Saviour.


  John also writes of a mass choir of praise; the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands.   Can we imagine such a choir; saying, Worthy is the Lamb who was slain To receive power and riches and wisdom, And strength and honor and glory and blessing!  There are others, those who have not yet attained heaven, they are saying, Blessing and honor and glory and power Be to Him who sits on the throne, And to the Lamb, forever and ever!  This glorious round of praise ends when the four creatures chime in with an, Amen.

  The preceding words of praise are all from chapters four and five.  Similar praise is repeated in  Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb! 7:10 and Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom, Thanksgiving and honor and power and might, Be to our God forever and ever. Amen.7:12 
 
   Those who have the victory over the beast speak words of adoration, Great and marvelous are Your works, Lord God Almighty! Just and true are Your ways, O King of the saints! Who shall not fear You, O Lord, and glorify Your name? For You alone are holy. For all nations shall come and worship before You, For Your judgments have been manifested.15:3-4


    The praise continues , And I heard the angel of the waters saying: "You are righteous, O Lord, The One who is and who was and who is to be, Because You have judged these things. For they have shed the blood of saints and prophets, And You have given them blood to drink. For it is their just due." And I heard another from the altar saying, "Even so, Lord God Almighty, true and righteous are Your judgments. 16:5-7

    the twenty-four elders and the four living creatures fell down and worshiped God who sat on the throne, saying, "Amen! Alleluia!" a voice came from the throne, saying, "Praise our God, all you His servants and those who fear Him, both small and great!" I heard, as it were, the voice of a great multitude, as the sound of many waters and as the sound of mighty thunderings, saying, "Alleluia! For the Lord God Omnipotent reigns! "Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready.19:4-7 

  Just before the temple of God is opened, the twenty-four elders again speak words of adoration to the Lord God Almighty.  We give You thanks, O Lord God Almighty, The One who is and who was and who is to come, Because You have taken Your great power and reigned.  The nations were angry, and Your wrath has come, And the time of the dead, that they should be judged, And that You should reward Your servants the prophets and the saints, And those who fear Your name, small and great, And should destroy those who destroy the earth. 11:17-18,

The book of The Revelation would teach us much about praise if we would only make the effort to learn how.  

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