END OF TIME PROPHECIES 077

THE ADORATION OF HEAVEN'S INNER CIRCLE          Revelation 4v9-11.    


 Here we have the first occasion of corporate worship in the book, of which there are many.   God has never had in this world the universal recognition He deserves, He will have it, He will be honored in all His creation.   In these few verses we have the precursor to what will become universal homage paid to God.   In this world He has been denied, questioned, criticized, and rejected, but He will eventually be revered. Psalm 150 will be fulfilled "everything that has breath will praise the Lord".   Here we have two groups of created beings, one of angels, and one of human beings.   It will become clear that these are the nearest in location to the throne of God.    Their adoration will be repeated in ever increasing circles around His throne.   Here we have the beginning of universal acclaim.   What is evident to anyone reading this portion is their absolute obsession with the God who is on the throne and their  uncompromising devotion to Him.   Only they and a few others have witnessed this awesome sight of God on His throne and so it is difficult for us here on this earth to imagine.   However that knowing that one day we will be there, it is worth absorbing into our souls the complete adoration with which these two groups both angelic and human hold Him in their hearts. 

The living creatures are said to proclaim His holiness without resting day or night.   Such is the awesome experience of His presence that they utter  "holy, holy, holy Lord God Almighty."   Bible scholars point out that this triple utterance of holy is very significant.   The Hebrew language has no provision for superlatives and portrays something that is such by means of repetition.   To repeat something twice over means superlative in the extreme.   The word "holy" means simply  "set apart" (higher, better, of a  different class to anything else in existence).   The wonder that they express, which is one of real joy is that this One who is supreme above all others will remain for all eternity. "He lives for ever and ever"   The only way to describe their attitude to God is one of calm ecstasy (if such a thing can exist!).

The twenty four elders being representatives of the church in heaven are equally besotted with this wondrous being and this sight, when prompted by the special worship of the living creatures causes a three-fold response.  

•    They fall down before Him in an act of prostration.
•    They worship Him in an act of adoration.
•    They cast their crowns before Him in an act of humiliation.

This last action by the elders, who are representative of the whole church, acknowledges their unworthiness to wear these crowns in the presence of such awesome majesty.   These crowns were given by God as a reward for faithful service, but when they consider, close up, the One who has given them these gifts, all they can do is to cast their crowns before Him.  

If we take nothing else from this portion, it should be that whatever we perceive of God now is nothing compared to what we are about to see.   The sight which causes wonder amongst elect angels and elect human beings should be fixed in our hearts forever.   If the highest of angels will spend day and night in adoration and the whole of the church will lay at His feet the very gifts that he has given them, what must the reality of His presence actually be?!