Angelic Worship and Creation's Echo - A Vision of Heaven: Part 7 - Revelation 5: 11-14

1:21And the elders fell down and worshiped. Well, we come to this last scene, this last scene. This vision of heaven that started at the beginning of chapter 4 and now ends here at the end of chapter 5. The words we just read are really the high point of these two chapters. And it gives us a glimpse into the glory that belongs to Christ. If you'll remember, back in John 17, as Jesus is praying to this heavenly Father, he said, Father, I desire that they also whom you have given me will be with me where I am, so that they may see my glory which you have given me, for you loved me before the foundation of the world. Christ wants his disciples to see his glory. And as we step into our text this morning, we get a glimpse of that glory, that one day we will see not through the eyes of faith, but through the eyes of reality.

2:29But this passage gives us a wonderful glimpse into the glory that belongs to Christ. You know, in chapter 4, we read about the worthy one. The worthy one in chapter 4 is the one who sits upon the throne because he created all things. Chapter 4, verse 11: Worthy are you, O 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. And in chapter 5, worthiness is ascribed to the Lamb. There was no one found in the earth, on the earth, under the earth, or anywhere else to come and take the scroll from the Creator's hand, from the one who sits upon the throne. But then they found, one came forward, the lamb who had been slaughtered, came forward and they sang a new song, chapter five, verse nine. And they sang a new song, saying, 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. Notice between chapter 4 and chapter 5, worship is given to the Creator and worship is given to the Redeemer. Two very distinct roles. Creator, we owe everything to him because he created us. But without the work of the Redeemer, we would be lost. And so glory, honor, and worship is ascribed both to the Creator. You owe your Creator glory and honor from. Your life because he created you.

4:33You also owe glory and honor and worship to the one who redeemed you, for without his redemption you would be nothing. Two distinct roles: creator and redeemer. Yet, I want you to see something. It's important to notice that the Lamb continues the work of the Creator. Look at verse 10, chapter 5. You have made them. Notice in His work of redemption, He is doing something, He is creating, He is making them something that they were not. You have made them to be a kingdom and priest to our God, and they will reign upon the earth.

5:17Russell McGee preached from Genesis last week. The purpose of God is to create mankind to bear His image. And here, it's clear that this is exactly what the Redeemer accomplishes: the slain Lamb. The Lamb plays a role in creating. So you see the twoness, Creator and Redeemer, but you see the oneness. And it's on the heels of this final stanza of this new song that we step into this scene of angelic. Worship. Angelic worship and then earth's echo or creation's echo. So that's the message this morning. In these verses, we're going to see angelic worship and creation's echo. And I want us to understand this scene. I want you to understand the worship that takes place in heaven.

6:26I want you to see creation's echo so that you know, so that you will know what it truly means to worship God. I think as we're going forward, I think just pause for a moment and ask yourself: do I really worship God? Am I a worshiper of Him? So let's just start. Jump right in. Angelic worship. First, I want you to see the angelic worship. Look at verse 11. Then I looked and I heard. I'll stop there. Notice two things.

7:06John sees something and he hears something. I looked and I heard. First, we'll talk about what he sees, and then we'll talk about what he hears. First, John sees the angelic assembly. Verse 11: Then I looked and I heard the voice of many angels around the throne, and the living creatures and the elders, and the number of them was. Myriads of myriads and thousands upon thousands. So, if you'll remember for our study, these two chapters, you have the living beings, the living creatures that are closest to the throne. They resemble very much the seraphim of Isaiah chapter 6. And then, outside of that circle, you have the elders, another 24 angelic orders, elders representing the angelic orders of heaven. And as the living creatures, these are your worship leaders, as they describe holy, holy, as they begin to worship, then the elders worship, and then all of heaven falls in worship. Myriads of myriads. What is a myriad?

8:21I'm glad you asked. A myriad. A myriad is, the number really just boils down to 10,000. It was the highest number in the Greco-Roman world. 10,000. So you think about a myriad of myriads is 10,000 times 10,000, 100 million. That's a lot. Let's get this into perspective for just a moment. Kyle Field sits about 100,000. Actually, 102,733, but we don't really keep track of all the little details. In fact, we have crammed 110, 633 in there during the old mess game, but we don't really keep track or boast in those things.

9:08It is the largest stadium in Texas, but we're not really boasting about, and the SEC, if I want to add to that. But let's just say for our conversation this morning, it seats 100,000. That would be 10 myriads. Many of you all have been in Kyle Field when there's 100,000 people. That's a lot of people. The noise is deafening. The roar, and the what is? Can I hear the whoop? Yeah, that's deafening too. But you can imagine, think about that's ten myriads. That would be the equivalent of ten myriads. And I don't know how they're arranged, but if you take, let's just talk about one myriad of myriads. One ten thousand of ten thousand, that would be like a thousand Kyle Fields full of angels. Think about that. A thousand Kyle Fields. And I don't know if they're in stadium seating or if they're in some kind of military array, but you're talking about a huge number. And I don't think Revelation is hyperbole. I know there's a lot of interpreters. Well, that's just a lot of numbers. That's just a lot of numbers. Lot of people. Yes, it is a lot. But I don't think, I teach my kids not to exaggerate. And I think there is meaning. There is something very vast and countless in what John sees. And I don't think he's just saying, yeah, we've got about a couple thousand people over there, but it's myriads upon myriads. No, that's.

10:53So think about a thousand Kyle Fields. Hundred million. That's one myriad of myriads. But what he says is myriads upon myriads. So think about myriads, plural, many myriads of myriads. Many groupings of a hundred million. That's what he's describing here. Myriads and myriads. And then he says, thousands upon thousands. As one might think that, okay, you almost would think it'd be the other way around. Well, I saw thousands of thousands and myriads and myriads. No, he saw myriads and myriads. And then he adds thousands upon thousands because the myriads and myriads expression wasn't enough to get it all. So he adds thousands upon thousands. Yes, he is describing something beyond comprehension, a vast Number that makes a million-man military look very, very small. This is the power and might of heaven. And it is not this army that makes, or these angelic beings that make the one on the throne strong. It's the one on the throne that makes them strong. And many of these angels are very, very powerful. They're strong angels, the cherubim, the seraphim, the temple angels. Get a picture of a glory and a strength. I mean, just one of these strong angels is going to take Satan and just bind him up and throw him in the pit like he's nothing.

12:45That's the power. That's what John beholds. Myriads upon myriads. In fact, the only other time you see something like this in Scripture is in Daniel 7. Let me read this to you. Speaking of kingdoms and a final kingdom. Then in Daniel 7, verse 9, I kept looking until the thrones were set up, and the ancient of days took his seat, and his vesture was like white snow, and the hair of his head like pure wool. His throne was ablaze with flames. Its wheels were a burning fire. A river of fire was flowing and coming out from before him. Thousands. Upon thousands were attending him, and myriads upon myriads were standing before him. The court sat and the books were opened. Get this picture. In the Daniel passage, there are myriads and myriads standing before him. And it sounds very familiar. Thrones set up.

13:51Daniel's describing what later John is describing. Myriads and myriads standing before him, thousands of thousands attending him. Sounds very familiar to what John is seeing. An instance. But it's innumerable. And that's what we need to take away. A huge number. It can't even be described. So John sees the angelic assembly. First, he sees the assembly, and then he hears the angelic confession. Look at verse 12. Saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessings. So this myriad of myriads, this huge assembly, angelic assembly, is saying with a loud voice. Now, two observations about the voice. First, it is loud. Mega. Like a megaphone.

15:00It's a mega voice. Second, the voice is one. It's singular. Saying with a loud voice. Now, think about what that sounds like. Myriads and myriads, thousands upon thousands, and yet their confession is singular, articulating one. It's hard to get Kyle Field in unison, but you can sometimes hear quasi-unison, and it's loud. But think about this: one voice. And notice that they say, Worthy is the Lamb. He is worthy. What is he worthy of? Come to that in a moment.

15:52He is the one who worthy to take. Notice the verb there. Worthy is the Lamb to receive. Word is to receive, but it's the very same verb where they're looking for the worthy one in heaven who is worthy to open the seal. The very same verse is there, and in verse 7, and he, speaking of the Lamb, came and took the book. It's not passive, like here I'm given this to you. It's like there is an active aspect of this. He is worthy of the. Worthy to receive. He is worthy to grasp, take hold of. That's the verb here.

16:40And keep in mind, the Lamb is a person. He's described as the lion from Judah, the root cause of David, the slaughtered one, for the benefit and well-being, for the glory of God and the benefit of his people. He is a person. What is he worthy of? Well, he's worthy, look at the text, to take hold of, to receive, to grasp power, riches, wisdom, might, honor, glory, and blessing. He is worthy to be endowed completely with all of these.

17:19Seven of them. Power. He is worthy to be endowed with absolute authority over every realm and every dimension of the heavens and the earth. He is worthy of power. This is something people go after, something the nations strive for and kingdoms. Power, power, power. He is worthy to receive absolute power. Now, that, have you ever heard the expression power corrupts? I don't think it really does. I think. Corruption is already there. Power just gives it the opportunity to voice itself. When you look at somebody like Hitler rising to power, he rose to power with evil in his heart. And when he got the power, you can see what he would do with that power.

18:17But here's somebody who can handle the power, absolute authority. And he is holy. He is good. And so here is all of heaven saying, you are worthy to receive power, supreme power, and riches. All the wealth, and material and immaterial of the universe, you are worthy of all the wealth. It's at your disposal. You are worthy of all power, riches, and wisdom. You are worthy to be endowed, Lamb of God, with all the faculties of insight, knowledge, and skill necessary to rule the universe perfectly. You are worthy of all of that.

19:11To have supreme intelligence, you, Lamb, are worthy to be endowed with that. You are worthy to receive power, riches, wisdom, and might. And what's the difference between might and power? Well, might is power put into effect. You are. Worthy to exercise your authority, to exercise strength, to show force. You are worthy to wield your authority. You are also worthy of honor, reverence. You are worthy to receive tribute from everyone in heaven, from God. Honor, esteem. In John chapter 5, 22, Jesus says this: For the Father does not judge anyone, but has given all judgment to the Son, so that all will honor the Son, even as they honor the Father. He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent him. It is the heavenly Father's will that Christ receive all the same honor, tribute due to the Creator, to the Father.

20:43Sixth, he is worthy of glory. What is glory? Fame, attention. We go around, we want attention, we want fame. But he deserves the glory. He deserves fame because he is the baby. Of fame. He deserves prestige. He is the one to be showcased, not us or anybody else in heaven. That's what the angels are saying. Why they take off their crowns and throw it at his feet. They're saying, you are worthy to be showcased, not us.

21:22You are the one worthy to be affirmed. You are the one to be magnified. You are the one worthy of all that. And seventh, you're worthy of blessing. Blessing. What is blessing? It's the word eulogy. Those of you who were here yesterday, eulogy, we spoke well of Bruce Whitehead in remembering him. And what the angelic hosts are saying is, you slain lamb, you are worthy to be praised. You are worthy to be affirmed in all manner of speech, to be highly esteemed, to be praised by God, and to be praised in the heavenly hosts. You are worthy of power, riches, wisdom, might, honor, glory, and blessing. Why is he worthy of that? Why? Well, they've already answered the question: because he was slain.

22:31He can handle the power and riches and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing. He will use them to pour them out for the glory of his heavenly Father and for the well-being of the universe he governs. That's why he is worthy of them. And he's already demonstrated that. He doesn't grasp on, he doesn't grasp, but he empties himself. You see, we tend to make idols out of these things. Power. Give me power. Riches.

23:10I want riches. Wisdom. Might. Give me honor. That's what I want. We can make idols out of all of these, and we routinely do, don't we? Glory. I want fame. I want the attention. I want to be blessed. Blessed by God and blessed by man. We can even turn God's blessing into an idol. But he, not us, is the one that is worthy of all these. You see, the strength of the lion is in his sacrificial obedience to the will of the one who sits upon the throne. And that is why he is worthy. He is worthy to receive what he inherently possesses. He is worthy. He can handle it. And that's why he is worthy of it. Well, that's the angelic worship. Now let's look. So you see that the living beings, and then the elders, and then this whole host of angelic beings worship.

24:34And now, in the next few verses, we see creations echo. Creations echo. Beginning in verse 13. And every created thing which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and on the sea, and all things in them. Notice how he describes the whole created order there: in heaven, on earth, under the earth. And this includes the demonic realms. I read earlier in Philippians 2:Every knee will bow in heaven, on earth, and under the earth.

25:18On the sea, and all that is in them. So you have now what John is envisioning, seeing in this vision, as countless as the angelic beings. The created order, an echo, an echo to what they hear the angelic hosts saying. But notice their confession. And every created thing, verse 13, which is in heaven and on earth and on the earth and under the earth and on the sea and all things in them, I heard saying, To him who sits on the throne and to the lamb be blessing and honor and glory and dominion forever and ever.

26:11Who's the object of their worship? The one who sits on the throne and to the Lamb. Do you see that? All of the created order now is coming under what Jesus said would happen. To him who sits on the throne and unto the Lamb. All creation is going to worship and honor. Look at their confession. I heard them saying, To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be blessing and honor and glory and dominion forever and ever. You see, all creation joins this song.

26:53In response to the angelic worship, as Jesus, as the Lamb. Lamb of God. All creation joins in a unified harmony, giving glory to God and the Lamb. But if you pay careful attention to this list, there's differences. Oh, there's a lot of the same. In fact, there are four instead of seven in the list. Four of verse 12 are omitted. There are three repeats and there's one addition. So take a couple of moments and just look at their confession and look at the differences. Let me just put it on the screen just so you get an idea of seeing this. So in verse 12, you have the angelic worship. First, there are several things that are omitted in creation's echo. Power is omitted, riches omitted, wisdom omitted, and might omitted. These are the endowments from heaven. Creation doesn't endow Christ with power. He has it. Or riches, or wisdom, or might.

28:22But then there are three that are the same: honor, glory, and blessing. Blessing. These are the same. Creation is to give honor, pay tribute, is to give glory, is to bless in response. And then there's one addition: dominion. Sorry. Dominion. That doesn't show up in the angelic list. He already has dominion. His will is in heaven. But it isn't on earth until the events of Revelation have completed their course. But what's interesting about the second list is they change the order a little bit, too. I'll just blessing, honor, glory, and dominion. Blessing.

29:23First of all, blessing. You are worthy. And creation's echo, you are worthy of praise. What you have done is good and worthy of human esteem. Not us. Listen, anything good that comes out of our lives, we're not the mastermind of it. He is. Anything that good comes out of my life or your life is the result of his masterminding and his goodness and his graciousness. He is. Worthy. But he doesn't need our blessing. He's God. Then why does the heavenly Father want us to bless his Son?

30:16I can tell you that's the means that we fellowship with our Heavenly Father. You see, the Father really loves the Son. And as you really understand the Son, you really understand what the Father delights in. And as you just learn what the Father delights in, you walk with Him, you understand Him. So blessing the Son, understanding the Son, is the means in which you walk with your Heavenly Father. That's where we have union with Him. Delight in the Son. This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased. And yes, Heavenly Father, I see your Son, and he is definitely, I can see why you are well pleased in Him. He is worthy of praise. He is worthy of my praise. He is worthy of your praise. We're in unison on this. Do you see where the fellowship? Blessing the Son is for our benefit as much as it is for his glory.

31:21Honor, honor. That's the word tribute. You are worthy of. Complete reverence. You are worthy of our tribute. Whatever we can give from our lives, you are worthy of tribute and glory. Glory, you, Lamb, are worthy, and creation's echo. You are worthy of our attention. You are worthy of fame. I am not worthy of fame. He is. And what a privilege it is for you and I to be able to add to his fame. What a privilege. You are worthy to be showcased. Do you worship him? Do you go through life saying things or not saying things so that he would be esteemed and he would be showcased? Do you go through life doing things so that he is showcased? Not so that.

32:34Did you just see what I did? That's us. We're married to our own glory. But if you truly worship him, you want him to be showcased. You want him to be affirmed. You want him to be understood. You want him to be magnified, not yourself necessarily. But then there's one addition to the list. Dominion. Dominion. Creation echoes to you. Be blessing, honor, glory, and dominion forever and ever. Dominion. To you belongs the sovereignty, not me. To you belongs the kingship. To you belongs the rulership over my life.

33:33This is a new song for Earth. To you belong sovereignty. No more challenge. It's a welcoming of his dominion. You are worthy. Your dominion is worthy to be welcomed gladly. You see, this is unique to creation because creation has not welcomed his dominion, not with unified voice. And for all time. I love the expression: to you belong blessing and honor and glory and dominion into the ages of the ages. Myriads of myriads of ages of ages. Ages. That's how eternity forever. You are worthy throughout all these ages of blessing, honor, glory, and dominion. That's what worshiping God is about.

34:45Do you bless Him? Do you honor Him? Do you glorify Him? Do you allow Him to be the sovereign? Or do you challenge? That's worship. Notice verse 14 that heaven approves. Look at verse 14. And the four living creatures kept saying, Amen. And the elders fell down and worshiped. Four living creatures kept saying, Amen. This is the original Amen section. Can I hear an Amen? Amen. Well, this is the original. I mean, it's biblical. Amen. Amen. This is what the living creatures are doing as they are hearing the angelic worship and they are hearing creations echo. They are saying, so be it. Amen. It is right. It is good. And the elders fall down and worship.

35:50You see, for the first time since the fall, we see in human history that heaven and earth are in unison. That's what. Depicted here in these verses. And yet, as we look around us, we can easily see that heaven and earth are not in unison. You know why that is? Because earth's confession is not in agreement with heaven's confession. You know why that is? Because the events of Revelation have not happened yet. But when the events of Revelation have run their course, this will be unison between the worship in heaven and the worship on earth. That's where Revelation takes us. It's going to take us through the seven seals. And by the time the seven seals have been opened and run their course, heaven and earth will be in unison.

36:53It is a preview of the things to come. This vision sets the stage for what's going to come. And I hope you'll come back next week because next week we start opening the seals, the scroll with the seven seals. That's the future, the last chapter of human history, these seven seals. So I hope you'll, that's what we'll be doing this spring, summer, fall. But I want I wanted you to behold this scene of angelic worship and creation's echo so that you will truly worship God.

37:39However, things go, however, your understanding is of the Book of Revelation, this is very clear. We are to echo. Creation is to echo what the angelic order declares. We are to worship Him, you are to worship Him by blessing Him, by honoring Him, paying tribute to Him, glorifying Him, showcasing Him, and welcoming His dominion. How do we respond to this? What kind of worshiper are you? I'm going to let you decide. You decide. Suppose I'm on a road trip with my six kids before when they're little or littler.

38:35Suppose I'm on a road trip. We stop at a gas station. We all get out. We get in. Kids say, you know, I'd like a pack of gum. I'd like some gum. So, in my benevolent generosity, I buy every single one of my kids a pack of gum. Then we get back in the car and we're driving down the road. They're all back there chewing on their Gum and I say, Could somebody please give me a piece of gum?

39:09Now, suppose the first kid says, No, that's my gum. You gave it to me, it's my gum. You can't have any of that gum. Suppose the second kid takes a piece of gum out of his mouth. Here, Dad, I'm through with this. You can have it. Or maybe the third kid takes out a straight of gum, cuts off about a half, and then decides to cut it in half again. Here, Dad, here's your piece of gum.

39:47Suppose the fourth kid takes out a piece of gum in anger, fine, here's your piece of gum. Suppose another kid takes out a piece of gum and with fear and trepidation says, Here, Dad, I just hope you don't ask for another one. What kind of worshiper are you? Then suppose there's another kid that throws me the pack of gum. Dad, take whatever you want. I would not have any if it were not for you. What kind of a worshiper are you?

40:32Well, we have nothing that hasn't been given to us. And he wants us to give back to him, not because he needs it, because he wants to have fellowship with us. It is right to worship him. And he knows it. And that's why he wants us to worship him. He wants earth to worship him. And chapters 6 to the end of Revelation is how God is going to bring about worship on earth, just as it is in heaven. But we can see that coming. We don't have to wait. We can give to him worship today. And what a high privilege of living that is. Let's pray. Heavenly Father, we bow our hearts before you, recognizing that you deserve worship. You created all things.

41:43You redeemed your people. And you are actively working in us and creating and making us into kingdom, a kingdom of priests that will serve you, that will reign upon the earth, who will welcome your servants. Sovereignty and be vassals of your benevolent rule and the enjoyment of your mind and your created order and exploring and knowing you. What a privilege. You are worthy of power, wisdom, riches, glory, honor, and dominion, and everything else. Thank you. In Jesus' name, amen.