Gorman writes,
As a prophetic summons to first-commandment faithfulness, Revelation is both a call to worship the true God and a call to forsake all false deities. These two aspects are connected, and both appear in sharp relief at the beginning and the end of Revelation, as well as throughout the book. “Worship is so important in the book of Revelation,” writes Mitchell Reddish, “because John rightly understood that worship is a political act. Through worship one declares one’s allegiance, one’s loyalty. . . . [Public worship] is a statement to the world that the church will bow to no other gods.”
(Kindle Locations 954-958).
The most obviously liturgical, or worship-related, aspect of Revelation is its ample supply of texts most likely drawn from early Christian hymns and identified as the music of heaven.
(Kindle Locations 963-964).
The Revelation, of course, contains the lyrics of several songs sung in heaven in honor of God. As we’ll see in the next post, the church has frequently turned to Revelation when writing its hymns.
As a call to join the ongoing heavenly worship of God, Revelation is simultaneously a presentation of the divine drama that is celebrated in worship, and therefore also a summons to enter the story and mission of God, the missio Dei.
(Kindle Locations 1009-1011).
Think about it. When we worship God in our assemblies, we are joining the thousands upon thousands of worshipers in heaven in their worship. It’s not just us. Rather, we join with the angelic throng and the dead in Christ who are in constant worship of God.
The Orthodox like to speak of the dead in Christ as still alive and participating in worship, whereas the Catholics and Protestants tend to think of the dead as dead. The Orthodox are truer to heart of the Revelation.
Just so, when we study the Bible in light of the writings of the dead in Christ — the great scholars of the past — we are in conversation with the part of the church that lives in heaven with God. We sometimes act as though we’re the first people to ever read the Bible or sing a song of praise. We give little thought to the importance of the work of those who preceded us. But we’d not know about Jesus but for the heroic work of Christian men and women who preserved this knowledge and passed it on to the next generation. Like us, they were limited, broken, flawed beings, but we are saved because they paid the price to make sure the next generation heard the gospel — often in the face of brutal, cruel persecution.
Now, if we think in these terms when we worship, worship changes. It’s less about “being fed” and more about joining with the heavenly host to share in the joy of God present throughout the Creation, both heaven and earth.
Or, to think in similar terms, when we enter the assembly to sing praises to God, we join with our parents, grandparents, and great-grandparents, who were worshiping before we were born and will continue worshiping long after we’re dead.
“and the dead in Christ who are in constant worship of God.”
Jay, have you changed your views about what happens when we die? More specifically, do we have a soul that goes to heaven?
It also sounds like something that we are not supposed to be like while here. We are to be loving, forgiving, not holding grudges etc: but this appears to be almost the opposite of being Christ like.
Could it be that after we die then we can cry out to God to avenge those who have done us harm.
I believe assembly was an aspect of worship to God, not the sum total of it, which I don’t think Jay believes, but often in our rhetoric we often point that way since it is built into the church concept that we use. The church or those who assembled were to mainly “edify one another” according to Heb.10:25 and be unified I Cor.11 while remembering Jesus and in the name of Jesus.
Worship is an expression of the worshipful and can be done on may levels and alone or with others. We don’t go to assembly to worship, we go to assembly to worship with others who are worshippers of God. But many see assembly as their time to dedicate to God and not so much at home or work or in their life. After years and years of saying “come to church to worship” we have ingrained many to believe that they can’t worship God in their lives. We gather in our temple and aren’t the temple of God ourselves.
But Revelations does have scenes of public worship to God and it should encourage us to approach God the same way. God deserves our praise.
In regards to what happens in-between heaven and death, who knows. We have hints like the fore mentioned Lazerus and the rich man. Where did Jesus go for three days while in the grave? We know he wasn’t alive and we know he wasn’t with God yet as this wouldn’t happen until later. Maybe there is time out place. And yet it appears that some were with and are with God like Enoch, Moses and Elijah (Matt.17:3), etc. I have heard many lessons on the state of hades or the waiting place, but here is another thing that defies our exact understanding and a limited knowledge of something that is beyond our comprehension. We aren’t told to look forward to the inbetween, but to the final resting place with God anyway. And if we look at Revelation this is what we get a great picture of…heaven with God and his angels and His glory.
Mat 6:6 But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.
Mat 6:7 But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking.
I have never heard a prayer leader in the church that did not defy both of these Jesus recommended procedures.
I believe that Jesus again speaking in John, reinforce what he said in Matthew. I don’t see any change there.
Jhn 4:23 But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him.
Jhn 4:24 God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.
I doubt there is any among us who would be so arrogant, to the point as to say, Jesus worshiped God wrongly. Or he didn’t know how to do it right.
Do we need to be reminded that Revelation was a vision.
From Revelation there are clearly “souls” in God’s presence before the end of “time.” However, these souls are waiting for God to avenge their blood. So, in a sense heaven is waiting for God to complete his plan. While God exists outside of time as he sees the end from the beginning and vice-versa, heaven and it’s hosts wait expectantly. John’s visions are a trailer of how everything plays out. They are complete with spoiler alerts. The Good wins out over the evil, no matter how it presently looks to those on earth. Isn’t that what makes for a good story? Just when it seems that all hope is lost, that the bad guys are going to crush the good guys, a hero emerges just in the nick of time. Our hero is the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the One who rides upon the white horse, whose name is Faithful and True. The earth is waiting in eager expectation, those who are alive in Christ eagerly await our redemption, and even those in heaven(it would appear) eagerly await for God to bring about his judgment and usher in the new age. Even so come, Lord Jesus!
From Revelation there are clearly “souls” in God’s presence before the end of “time.”
Who you gona believe Monty?
Act 2:29 Men and brethren, let me freely speak unto you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his sepulchre is with us unto this day.
Act 2:34 For David is not ascended into the heavens: but he saith himself, The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand,
Luk 16:22 And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham’s bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried;
Jhn 8:52 Then said the Jews unto him, Now we know that thou hast a devil. Abraham is dead, and the prophets; and thou sayest, If a man keep my saying, he shall never taste of death.
It is evident that Jesus does not speak of the earthly death he suffered that death himself . Jesus speaks of the second death.
Monty:
This certainly sounds like Paul’s message in Rome 8:19 on, and I Cor 15. Souls are “gathered” in two different settings to await the Second Coming, when they will receive “their reward” (sentence) and a new “spiritual body”. Then they “go” to a new home that Christ prepared.
I think that’s what most are saying here?