*Worship in heaven - Revelation 4:1-5:14

*Worship in heaven - Revelation 4:1-5:14

*Worship of God who created all things - Revelation 4:1-11

v1 After these things, I looked, and there in heaven a door was open. And the same voice that I had heard before, sounded like a *trumpet. The voice spoke to me. ‘Come up here. I will show you what must happen after this.’ v2 At once, I was in the Spirit. And there in heaven was a *throne. And someone was sitting on the *throne. v3 And the sight of him who sat there was like the precious stones called jasper and carnelian. There was a rainbow round the *throne. The sight of it was like the precious stone called an emerald. v4 Round the *throne, there were 24 other *thrones. And 24 *elders sat on these *thrones. They wore white clothes and they had gold crowns on their heads. v5 Flashes of lightning came from the *throne. There was the sound of voices and *thunder. In front of the *throne seven lamps of fire were burning. These are the seven Spirits of God. v6 Also, in front of the *throne I saw something like a sea of glass. It was as clear as *crystal. In the centre, round the *throne, there were four *creatures. They were full of eyes both in front and behind. v7 The first *creature was like a lion. The second creature was like an *ox. The third creature had a face like a human face. The fourth creature was like an *eagle that flies. v8 Each of the four *creatures had six wings. They were full of eyes all round and inside them. They did not rest by day or by night. All the time they said, ‘Holy, holy, holy is the *Lord God. He has all power. He was and he is. And he is yet to come.’

v9 The *creatures give *glory to God. They give him honour and they thank him. He sits on the *throne and he lives for all time. And he will never die. v10 When the *creatures praise God, so do the 24 *elders. They fall down in front of him who sits on the *throne. They *worship him. He lives for all time and he will never die. And they throw their crowns down in front of the *throne.

v11 They say ‘Our *Lord and our God you deserve to receive *glory, honour and power because you made all things. By your decision they existed, and you created them.’

Verse 1 Before he saw those future events, John saw the *throne of God. He tried to describe this in these two chapters. And from chapter 6, he writes about future events.

John saw a door that was open. It was the way into heaven. The voice that John heard before spoke to him again. It called him to come up through that door.

The *Lord told John about the events on earth. But before that, the *Lord showed John something of heaven. There, God is on the *throne. The control of all history is in heaven and not on earth. God has the end of history in his plans. His plans cannot fail. What the *Lord showed to John will happen.

Verse 2 The first thing that John sees in heaven is a *throne. The person on the *throne is the king of all. He is the *Lord God who has all power. This *throne is above all other *thrones. God is king above all other kings.

The *throne of God is the centre of heaven. All in heaven look to the *throne. God sits there on the *throne. All of them *worship and serve him.

Verse 3 John did not write about God as having a physical body. Rather, John gives an impression of God as bright light. This bright light shone as the light shines from precious stones.

The jasper was probably a clear stone like a diamond. The carnelian was red. The *throne was like emerald, which reflects green light. There was a rainbow, which glows with all colours. The effect of all these colours is to show the *glory of God.

John could not describe all that he had seen. He could only give us an impression of these things. The languages of earth are not able to describe what is in heaven. There are similar descriptions in Ezekiel chapter 1 and Isaiah chapter 6.

Verse 4 John does not tell us who the 24 *elders are. But they each sat on a *throne. Each time they appear in this book, they are praising God. They bring to God the prayers of his people (Revelation 5:8). In this, they serve the *church but they are not the *church. We think that they are special *angels. Their job is to serve and to praise God.

The white clothes show that the *elders are clean from *sin. Their crowns show that they are royal people.

Verse 5 The lightning and *thunder give an impression of the power of God. John hears these sounds as the voice of God. God speaks from his *throne.

We cannot see the Holy Spirit. He appeared as flames of fire on the day of *Pentecost (Acts 2:3). So here, the 7 lamps show that the Holy Spirit is there.

He is also the 7 Spirits of God. We should not understand this as 7 Spirits. These show seven views of the same Spirit. The number 7 in *scripture is the perfect or complete number. Here it shows that the person and work of the Spirit is perfect.

Verse 6 The sea of glass adds to the effect of what John saw in heaven. Its clear surface is spread out in front of the *throne. Like a mirror it reflected all the lights that flashed about the *throne.

The four *creatures were by the *throne. They were like an inner circle round about the *throne. They had eyes in front and behind. They saw all that happened. Nothing could hide from them.

Verse 7 John tries to describe the *creatures. They are special *angels. John says that their faces were like those of a lion, an *ox, a human person and an *eagle. They were strong like the lion. They were full of power as the *ox. They were wise as a wise man. They were as fast as the *eagle when it flies.

Verse 8 Each *creature had six wings. The wings show the speed with which they obeyed God. The eyes made them aware of all that was round about them.

Day and night the four *creatures praise God. They cry aloud that God is holy. They praise him for his power. Nobody else has power as strong as his. He is the God of all power. They praise him because he is God. He is the only God. There is no other real god. He has no beginning of life or end of life.

Verses 9-10 The four *creatures praise God because he is always the same. God was there at the start of time. He will be there after time has ended.

As the *creatures praise so the *elders fall down in front of God. They throw down their crowns as an act of *worship. They give all honour to God.

Verse 11 The *elders speak to God. They praise him for all that he has made. God made all things that exist. Because of this, God deserves to have all *glory, honour and power.

*Worship of the *Lamb - Revelation 5:1-14

v1 Then I saw a *scroll on the right hand of him who sat on the *throne. There were words on both sides of the *scroll. There were seven (7) *seals, which locked it. v2 I saw a strong *angel. With a loud voice, he asked this question. ‘Who deserves to open the *scroll? And who is able to break its *seals?’ v3 But nobody in heaven, on earth, or under the earth could open the *scroll. Nobody could look inside it. v4 And I wept much because there was nobody good enough. Nobody could open the *scroll or look into it. v5 Then one of the *elders said to me, ‘Do not weep. See, the Lion of the *tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has overcome. He is able to open the *scroll and to break its seven *seals.’

v6 Then I saw a *lamb. It seemed as if it had been dead. It was standing in the centre of the *throne. And it was in the middle of the four *creatures and the *elders. The *Lamb had seven *horns and seven eyes. The eyes mean the seven spirits of God, which he sent out into all the earth. v7 The *Lamb came. He took the *scroll from the right hand of him who sat on the *throne. v8 And when he had taken the *scroll, the four *creatures and the 24 *elders fell down in front of him. Each one had a *harp and gold bowls full of *incense. The bowls of *incense mean the prayers of God’s people. v9 And they sang a new song. ‘You deserve to take the *scroll. And you are able to break its *seals. This is because you died. And with your blood, you purchased people for God. They come from every *tribe, language, people, and nation. v10 You have made them into a *kingdom. And you have appointed them to be priests to our God. They will rule on the earth.’ v11 As I looked, I heard the sound of many *angels. They were round the *throne, and the *creatures and the *elders. There were millions of *angels. v12 They sang with loud voices. ‘The *Lamb, whom people killed, deserves to receive power, wealth, wisdom and strength. He deserves all honour and *glory and *praise.’

v13 Then I heard every *creature in heaven and on earth sing. And all *creatures under the earth, on and in the sea sing with them. They sang a song. ‘This song is to him who sits on the *throne and to the *Lamb. To them belong *praise, honour, *glory, and power without end.’

v14 The four *creatures said, ‘*Amen!’ The *elders fell down and they *worshipped.

Verse 1 On the right hand of God was a *scroll. The *Lord had written on both sides of the *scroll. On it, there were 7 *seals. Each of these *seals locked a part of the *scroll. To read the *scroll someone had to break all 7 *seals in order.

The contents of the *scroll were secret. God’s plans for the end of the world were in it. After each *seal, the *scroll showed the events that would happen.

History and the end of the world are in God’s plan. All will happen as he has decided. Nobody can know what is in God’s plan. When someone opens the *scroll God will show us the future.

Verses 2-3 John saw a strong *angel. This *angel called out in a loud voice. He asked, ‘Who can open the *scroll? Who can break the *seals?’

The sound of his voice went to the ends of space, heaven and the earth.

In all that God had created, nobody could open the *scroll. There was no *angel who was good enough. No man or woman had earned the right to open it. So, nobody could read what was in the *scroll.

Verse 4 It was very important to know what was in the *scroll. A person had to be perfect in order to open the *scroll. There was nobody good enough. This made John so sad that he wept.

Verse 5 One of the *elders spoke to John. He told John not to weep. There is someone who can open the *scroll. He will break the 7 *seals. He has won the right to do it. He has overcome *sin and death. He is perfect and he is able to break those *seals.

This person is Jesus Christ. The *elder used two special names to describe Jesus. Jesus is the Lion of the *tribe of Judah. And Jesus is the Root of David.

Judah was called a young lion (Genesis 49:9-10). The great king would come from the *tribe of Judah. The *Jews understood this king to be their *Messiah. So, the *Messiah is the same person as the Lion who will rule the earth. He is the Christ. He came from the *tribe of Judah.

The Root of David shows that Jesus belonged to the family of David. The *Old Testament speaks about the king who would come. That king would be from the family of King David. That king would be even greater than David was. The *Lord Jesus is that king.

Verse 6 Then John saw the *Lord Jesus. He did not see Jesus as the king. He was not like a lion but like a *lamb. He stood in the centre of the *throne. He was with God. Round him were the *creatures and the *elders.

The *Lamb (in other words, Jesus) had been dead but was now alive. The marks of that death were still there. He had given his life for us and died. But death could not keep him. He had risen from the grave. We call Jesus, ‘the *Lamb of God’, because he died as a *sacrifice for us. He takes away the *sin of the world (John 1:29).

Normal *lambs have two *horns but this one had 7. He also had 7 eyes. The number 7 in the Bible often means that something is perfect or complete. So, this description shows that Jesus has perfect power and wisdom. Nobody can overcome the power of the *Lamb. Nobody can hide anything from the *Lamb. He knows all things.

The eyes are the 7 spirits of God (see 4:5). These 7 are the Holy Spirit. Jesus has sent him into all the earth. He is the agent of Jesus to bring people to God.

Verse 7 The *Lamb stepped forward. He had taken the *scroll from the right hand of God.

Verse 8 Then John saw the four *creatures and the 24 *elders fall down. They praised the *Lamb. They made music to the *Lamb on their *harps.

They gave to the *Lamb what was in the gold bowls. *Incense has a sweet smell. It gives pleasure to those who smell it. This *incense meant the prayers of God’s people. Their prayers pleased God.

The *worship of the *angels is for God alone. Here they *worship the *Lamb. Christ the *Lamb is one with the Father. Christ is God.

Verses 9-10 The four *creatures and the 24 *elders sang a new song. They sang this song to the *Lamb. The song was new not only in time. It was new in quality. It spoke about what the *Lamb had done. He had made a new contract between God and his people.

The *Lamb had earned the right to take the *scroll. He had done what nobody else could do. He alone was able to break the *seals.

They gave three reasons why the *Lamb could take the *scroll.

1. He died and he overcame death. Now, he is alive and he will always live.

2. When he died, he took away the *sins of the people. By his death, he purchased people for God.

3. He made God’s people a *kingdom. He made them priests to God.

Jesus has bought many people by his blood. They come from all the countries of the world. They are from all the nations. There will be in heaven those who speak every language.

All who believe in Christ are part of his *kingdom. Each one of them is a priest to God. As a *kingdom, they will rule with Christ. As priests, they serve the *Lord God. Because of Christ, they can come to God.

Verses 11-12 Then all the *angels joined in with those who were praising the *Lamb. There were millions of *angels. There were so many that nobody could count them.

This vast crowd of *angels live to serve God. They surrounded the *throne of God. And with loud voices, they sang to praise Jesus the *Lamb.

They sang that the *Lamb deserves to have seven qualities. These are power, wealth, wisdom, strength, honour, *glory and *praise. The *angels praise him because he has all these qualities. He always had them as the Son of God. But then he earned them. He died and he rose again from death. He now deserves that all people and *angels should praise him.

Verse 13 Then every *creature joined in the song of *praise. All that God had created sang. They sang to praise God and the *Lamb.

Verse 14 At the end of the song, the four *creatures said ‘*Amen’. The 24 *elders fell down and they praised God.

Matthew the Publican Becomes a Disciple

Matthew the Publican Becomes a Disciple Matt. 9:9-13; Mark 2:14-17; Luke 5:27-32

Jesus calls Matthew the Publican to follow Him. IN THE LAND where Jesus lived there was among the Jews one class of people whom all other Jews despised. This class was the publicans, or tax-gatherers, who worked for the Roman government. The Jews hated the Roman government because they wished to be an independent nation, having a Jewish ruler over them. For this reason they were eagerly awaiting the time when the kingdom of God should come. They believed the kingdom of God would set up in the same country as that in which David used to live and rule. And they expected to become the greatest people in all the world when that kingdom should be set up. Any Jew who was friendly with the Roman government they hated, because they thought he was not being true to his own nation. For many years the Jews had believed God would send them a King who would deliver them from the rule of stronger nations. They did not understand when the prophets taught of Jesus' coming to earth that he would come to free them from their greatest enemy, Satan. They seemed to forget that they needed freedom from sin's bondage more than they needed freedom from the rule of the heathen kings. But the Jews who were more friendly toward the Romans, and who worked for the Roman government, were called publicans. They took the tax money from the Jews, which the ruler at Rome demanded of them. And often they took more money than the Roman ruler called for. In this manner they stole from the people, and became very rich themselves. And the people hated them, and called them sinners. Not all the publicans robbed the people by asking too much tax money from them. But because many of them did this, the people believed that all of them were guilty of such wrong-doing. And they called every publican a sinner. One day while Jesus was passing along a street in the city of Capernaum he saw a man named Matthew sitting at a publican's table, taking the tax money from the people. Although Matthew was a publican, whom other Jews despised, Jesus saw the heart of this man and he knew Matthew would make a good disciple. So he called this publican to follow him, and Matthew gladly left his money-table and obeyed the call. Matthew was also called Levi, for the Jews sometimes had two names. And after he began to follow Jesus he remembered his friends of other days. He believed they, too, would be glad to see Jesus and to hear his words. So Matthew prepared a great feast or banquet and called many of his publican friends to the feast. He invited other people too, whom the proud Jews despised and called sinners, and then he brought Jesus and the other disciples to the feast. The scribes and Pharisees also came to Matthew's house that day, though they had not been invited to the feast. They stood about in the courtyard or even in the large dining-hall, looking on and talking to each other about what they saw. This was not so rude as it seems, for this was a custom among those people and Matthew was not at all surprised when they came. These onlookers began to find fault when they saw Jesus sitting among the publicans and sinners. They felt themselves too good to keep company with despised folk, and they were surprised that Jesus should eat with Matthew and his friends. So they called Jesus' disciples aside and asked, "How is it that you Master east and drinks with publicans and sinners?" Jesus heard the questioning of these fault-finders, and he said to them, "It is not well people who need to call for the services of a doctor, but people who are sick. And so I have not come to call righteous people, but I have come to call sinners to repent." He knew the scribes and Pharisees believed themselves to be too righteous to need repentance, but he knew the publicans and sinners realized that they were not pleasing God. And they would listen to Jesus' words, and humble their hearts. Many of them would gladly forsake their sins and follow Jesus to learn of him. Matthew, the publican, became a very useful man for God. It was he who wrote the book called the "Gospel According to Matthew," in the New Testament. And in this writing he gives us more of the words that Jesus spoke than do any other of the gospel writers. Tomorrow: Jesus Heals a Cripple and a Man With a Withered Hand

Zacharias and Elizabeth Name Their Child

Zacharias and Elizabeth Name Their Child Luke 1:57-80

Zacharias writes in plain letters, so all could read, "His name is John." A TIME OF great rejoicing had come to the quiet little home in the hill-country of Judah, for God had sent the promised child to Zacharias and his aged wife, Elizabeth. And all the neighbors and relatives were rejoicing with these happy parents of the baby boy. When the child was eight days old preparations were made to give him a name, for this was the custom of the Jews. The friends and relatives said,"Let us call him Zacharias, after the name of his father." But Elizabeth answered, 'No, do not call him Zacharias, for his name is John." Why do you wish to call him John?" they asked in surprised. "You have no relatives who are called by that name." Then they turned to the old father, who had not spoken since the angel talked with him in the temple, and by making signs they asked him what they should call the child. Zacharias understood what they wished to know, and he motioned for them to bring a writing-table. This they did. Then he wrote in plain letters, so all could read, "His name is John." "How strange!" thought the people. And all at once Zacharias began to speak to them again, just as he used to speak before he had seen the angel. And he praised God for giving him this wonderful baby boy. News of this wonderful baby spread all through the hill-country, and people became much interested in him. They heard how the angel had appeared to Zacharias in the temple and promised that God would give the child, and they heard how Zacharias had been unable to speak from that time until after the baby was called by the name that the angel had given. They wondered much about these strange happenings, and they believed that surely the baby John would grow up into a great man. Zacharias received wisdom from God and spoke words of prophecy to his neighbors and friends about his little son. He blessed the Lord. And then he said to his little boy, "You, my child, shall be called the prophet of the Highest, for you shall go before the face of the Lord to prepare his ways. You shall give knowledge of salvation to his people by the remission of their sins, through the tender mercy of our God." Many other words did Zacharias speak; and his words came true, for the Spirit of God caused him to speak those words. And Zacharias cared for his little son as long as he lived. He watched with pride the changes that came with the years in the life of his little boy. And he saw that God was blessing John and causing him to grow strong and brave. Perhaps Zacharias and Elizabeth did not live to see the day when John become a very useful man for God, for he did not begin his great work until he was thirty years old. Until that time he lived quietly in the desert country, and studied the books that God's prophets had written. He also listened much to the voice of God, and learned to understand God's will. Tomorrow: The Birth of Jesus