Despite the fact the book has a great deal to say about coming events, Revelation is not a roadmap of the future. It is, rather, an exhortation for today. It is possible that people living in the tribulation will pick up the book of Revelation and see the things spoken of being fulfilled in their lives, but the people living at that time will be under a delusion (2 Thess. 2:11). It is unlikely that those under the judgment of God will have the spiritual insight to believe what the book teaches (see Rev 6:12-17). Revelation was intended to be read by the church living in the shadow of the Second Coming bearing up under persecution for their belief in Jesus, in order to encourage them to be strong and endure until the end. As such, the book is an excellent conclusion to the Jewish-Christian literature in the NT.
I am convinced that the main theme of Revelation is worship. The fact that God is worthy of our worship appears many times in the book. There are several scenes of heavenly worship around the throne of God (Rev 5:13, 7:11-12). The reason for God’s worthiness is that he is the creator (Rev 4:11) It is evident that since God is the creator of all things, he is sovereign over them and can use them in what ever way he chooses. In Rev 10:6 the elements of nature that God is declared to be creator of are the elements of creation that are used to judge in the book.
God is also described as a just judge who will avenge the wrongs done to his people. Even this can be seen as a sub-theme of worship. Rev 16:5, for example, describes an angel worshiping God as the one who is “just in all his judgments.” In Rev 18:20, the saints are to rejoice because God has judged the Great Whore of Babylon.
Bibliography: M. Eugene Boring,“The Theology of Revelation, ‘The Lord Our God the Almighty Reigns,’” Interpretation 40 (July 1986), 261.
“I am convinced that the main theme of Revelation is worship.” (P. Long)
When I asked my students what they wanted to study this year they said “Revelation.” (It was that or Songs of Solomon) When I did my preliminary study of the book, I came to the same realization. It’s also very helpful to read the book from this perspective as well. One isn’t caught up in the particulars of metaphorical and literal interpretation. (Even though they exist) Instead, one is challenged in their own worship life to measure up to that of the heavenly beings. “The great throne room scenes of chapters 4-5 invite believers to worship God on earth even as He is perfectly worshiped by the heavenly beings.”(FttE, 304) The Lord God is worthy of all of our honor, he is worthy of all power and majesty. Nothing that we can do will ever be able to express the glory that God deserves, but we can at least, as John points out, mirror the angels and trust in the Lord’s judgment.
“I am convinced that the main theme of Revelation is worship.” (P. Long) I am not sure this is the main focus of the book. Of course this is the main focus of the Christian faith, but Revelation is the glimpse of the final chapter of God redeeming the world. This book is about God finally completing what Christ started on the Cross. Revelation ends with the Kingdom of Heaven finally being completely ‘here’. Though Jesus is King now, it will be fully realized when God lays waste to the powers of man and brings His Kingdom to its fullest. Revelation is of course about worship, but isn’t all Scripture really about the focus of Worshipping the Lord?
I suppose “all scripture is about worship” – but outside of Psalms, what other book int he whole Bible has some sort of worship scene in nearly every chapter? Heavenly worship and adoration of a powerful God who judges justly is on every page.
“Of course this is the main focus of the Christian faith, but Revelation is the glimpse of the final chapter of God redeeming the world. This book is about God finally completing what Christ started on the Cross.” (J. Austin)
I would agree that if you read the last few chapters of Revelation that you do indeed find Christ coming to restore the kingdom and redeem the world, but the entire middle section of the book is about God judging the nations and bringing his wrath down in order to punish those that are engaged in false worship of the ‘beast’. In my humble opinion, I would say that theme of Revelation is right worship and vindication for those that have right worship. Alongside of that are examples of false worship and the eventual condemnation of those engaged in apostasy. This letter is a polemic against those in the church that are apostatizing due to pressure from the Roman government, and thus giving up the right worship that God deserves.
I would have to agree with Jacob’s observation that the middle section of the book is completely dominated by the wrath of God. It may be the final chapter of God’s interaction with earth as we know it, but particularly in the middle of the book, God is not redeeming man, but judging them. Jon is correct that the book ends with the fulfilling of God’s plan of redemption, but it seems incorrect to declare the theme of the whole book based on a few chapters. In looking at the book as a whole, you have to admit that there is the underlying theme of worship. In almost every chapter, as p. long says, there is a scene of worshipping God.
I see your point John. If Revelation is indeed a book about worship, then John arrives at this through discussing the end time redemption of the world. For this reason the people are to praise and worship God. John is addressing their current needs, and that need is to no longer be afraid, to continue in the faith through worship. John gets there through apocalyptic weird stories.
As much as I initially wanted to argue with the perspective of P. Long, I had to agree with most of his statements about the revelation. Although, I do think that the Revelation has much to say about the final salvation of God’s people. The book has a focus of the future events and exultation of God along with the present. The symbolism is what makes everything so confusing. If what is taking place is present day worship, then why have we never seen such things. There is a most definite emphasis on the worship of a wise and honorable God of power and strength (7:12), but also a continual theme of unfathomable things to come and praising God for ever and ever (into eternity). So I believe that the events explained will actually take place and that the worship spoke of will also. In other words the book is a raodmap of the future? I don’t think I want to find out if I am right (mid-tribulation rapture). Lets hope that you are right P. Long in rapture and worship.
Whenever you think of Revelations, you do think about the end times and that that is all the book is about. But I do think that you are right P. Long, I think that is a book about worship. When you read through it you can’t help but notice all of the references to worship. We see how we will one day worship God and how we can look at that and try to worship Him in that same way today. This book, even though it does tell of things to come, I think that we need to apply it to our lives today. We can look at the examples of the churches at the beginning and see what they did wrong and right and apply that to our lives today. But more importantly, we are told what is to come, so we should be living in light of that and trying to tell as many other people about it because like you said, once it happens and people read this, it will be to late.
Revelation is filled with worship, all things are meant to bring glory to God. A good verse to sum up the book would be Revelation 5:12, “Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing!”
“Despite the fact the book has a great deal to say about coming events, Revelation is not a roadmap of the future. It is, rather, an exhortation for today.” (P. Long). Revelation, like any other book of the Bible is useful for “teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness” (2 Tim. 3:16). I agree that Revelation is an exhortation for today, but also believe that it does have a lot to say about the future!!
I agree with Rachel. The book of Revelation does have a lot to say about the future which is helpful, but as Christians we are to worship God now and take care of the Earth until he returns. This makes the main important teaching of the book worship. How to worship God like the angels do.
When you initially read Revelation is it hard to look past all the future things that are going to be happening because they are so overwhelming and dramatic. But when you do get past those you really do see that Revelation is about worshiping our Lord. It is a wonderful book filled with angels bowing down and singing worship to our Savior for all of time. I love to read the worshipful songs that are in Revelation–I love to worship God know but how much more amazing will it be to sing those words with the angels to God? I think in order to understand that Revelation is a book devoted to worship you have to be mindful of what worship is and to want to be a part of it. When you are not in the mindset of it, it is easy to get caught up in the visions of beasts and the tragedies that will happen. But to the core Revelation is all about worshiping our Lord.
I am quite intrigued by this perspective, perhaps due to what seems to be the mainstream hype about the end-times and the extremism derived from such currently. But that reaction aside, the point is well supported, especially in the sub-theme in which God avenges his people and brings justice. And even if this does in fact have things to say regarding a future eschatological event, the hope and anticipation that is present in God’s final chapter of redeeming the world is yet another cause for worship, if not possibly one of the strongest. Regarding the eschatological events that may be found in Revelation or throughout anywhere else in Scripture, I think that the fact to be stressed in a much lesser sense are the details of such events. In church today, as the pastor was surveying the Olivet Discourse of Matt. 24, the emphasis was less about the when, where, ans how but more about “readiness.” Albeit, Revelation seems to have a good lot to say on future events, but I would think it safe to say that a great deal of this is not all to clear when we read it. Revelation has probably received a great deal of raised eye brows and blank stares and left a good deal of question unanswered, and possibly accompanied whit more unanswered questions. Therefore, I find it fitting to place the greater emphasis on the theme of worship.
I would have to agree with this conclusion that worship is the main theme of revelation. However, there are specific ways in which John addresses his audience to give reason for this response of worship. He chooses to do this through the literary style of apocalyptic. Under the persecution of Nero, the audience struggles to maintain a steadfast faith and are in need of exhortation to encourage continual worship in Christ. Chapter 5 of Revelation speaks of Christ who is worthy, worthy to wipe sins away and worthy to rescue everything. The Lord is stated as being the first and the last the one who holds all authority; for these reasons, he is to be praised. John’s audience should have no fear in their persecution but to praise one who has the power over death, a power that outweighs the consequences of persecution.d
I confess I never thought of worship as being the the main theme of Revelation, but I think that is correct. I’ve always noticed it and was struck by it. Mostly by how odd and strange the images in Revelation are. But I have also always enjoyed the descriptions of Christ. For I too long to look upon my Savior face to face. Perhaps I have spent too much time approaching the book with trying to under its eschatology that is with in it. It is true that the book is not a clear road map to future events, but somethings are clear: God is control; God has a plan; God will judge the wicked and reward the righteous; Christ is coming again with power to rule the world; Satan’s final destiny is sure; God has prepared a place for us; and Jesus is worthy of all honor and praise forever more. In Revelation we are given hope and are assured that God will deal with all the injustices in the world and that are about to come. The original readers were definitely dealing with serious issues under Domitian’s rule. They needed just such encouragement at the time. That it will be worth it all when they see Jesus in glory.
“Despite the fact the book has a great deal to say about coming events, Revelation is not a roadmap of the future. It is, rather, an exhortation for today. It is possible that people living in the tribulation will pick up the book of Revelation and see the things spoken of being fulfilled in their lives, but the people living at that time will be under a delusion (2 Thess. 2:11).” -P.Long
I think this is correct to an extent. Particularly if there is a blief in a pre-trib rapture, this statement is something that should be taken into account when studying the book of Revelation. If we are going to be ‘caught up’ before any of this happens, then it is clearly not a ‘roadmap of the future.’ However, there are a couple of things that come to mind. First, for people who are holding to a mid- or post-trib rapture, they could easily see this as a roadmap, outlining what will happen to them before they are caught up with Christ into the clouds. It is also interesting to take into account the 144000 witnesses who will be present and proclaiming God during the period of the tribulation, because they will be present and they will not be ‘under a delusion’ because they will be right with God as they proclaim his truth.
Just some more food for thought.
I think that Dr. Loverin had a good point and that is that theology is worship. This is from another class by the way. The thought of knowing the scripture and then constructing in it in a concise and coherent language (theology) does in my mind come to be a good way to worship. Thus, Revelation, as well as the rest of the scripture is a form of worship by just knowing them, the scriptures, well.
I also agree with Keith in the fact that unity under oppresion, the background of Revelation (social not textual) is a fantastic way to initiate worship and coordinate it in a fashion that unifies the oppressed. I think he touched too lightly on the emphasis of God’s power and authority. Nero was the “first and the last word” in his time. The very fact that he could burn down a city for his own gain, openly, and then burn the Christian community as well (and literally) to glance the blow of consequences, openly; would put a mindset of fear and weight on the minds and hearts of the fledgling churches of the area. As Keith stated, it is the thought that God has the first and the last word and cannot and is not deceived by Nero’s lies and also frowns at his decadence would be a bastion of unity for the entirety of the Christian Church. It is the Power and Authority of God that is the focus of worship in Revelation.
Such a robust discussion your post has produced! I read Revelation as both a roadmap of the future, as well as an exhortation for today. Like writings of the Old Testament prophets, I see a multi layers of time and events in Revelation. A message for then, a message for today, and a message for tomorrow.
Reblogged this on Talmidimblogging.
Revelation as Worship! This was quite interesting to read all the comments from former students and their view. I think the way you look at the book and interpretation that one has on the book will guide how you view the book. Some can view as a worship to God that he coming back and is going to demolish evil. Some may view it as a book of end times with severe judgement coming to the church and those within. Both sides can provide cases for how the book should be interpreted, but it does come down to a focal point of what is real and what is going to happen. The excitement of watching all of this would be sitting through an i-max movie but in real life. However, at the end of it all there will be a time of rejoice and praise as Jesus puts an end to Satan’s reign. The author of the book must have been very interested in the topic that he probably wrote from all different ways.
Trent,
I agree with you that this is an interesting take on how Revelation should be interpreted. However, it makes sense because this being the last book God would want to point out to us that some of the last things we should do is to give all our praise and worship to Him. For example, as Dr. Long stated Revelation 16:5 talks about an angel worshipping God by being just in all His judgments. This gives support to the fact that Revelation could have very well been about worship. Also, as you said we should sit through an i-max movie but in real life in order to understand what this book truly means. There are always going to be different interpretations of this book but this one will always be the most compelling.
Adam and Trent,
I tend to always read former students posts after reading the original post as well. I like to see what students are thinking and how my thoughts intertwine. When the book of Revelation comes up in Church or just in conversation i have always gotten so many different interpretations from it from people. Like you said Trent, people look at it as a good thing and interpret it as worship to God that he is coming back and getting rid of evil. On the other hand like you stated (and also what i have heard) is the other side that looks at it as judgement to come. I like to look at Revelation 4:10-11 which states, “the twenty-four elders fall down before him who is seated on the throne and worship him who lives forever and ever. They cast their crowns before the throne, saying, “Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created.” Worship him who lives forever. I just like to take that literally and think that worshipping in Revelation is appropriate.
I would agree that Revelation has the theme of worship, and I never thought of it from that viewpoint before. Revelation provides us with a glimpse of what worship is going to be like in Heaven. I find it interesting that even God as a judge can be seen as a theme of worship. Thinking about the rapture, can even be seen as a form of worship, because it is dedication that Christians lived their life serving Christ, and they are about to go spend eternity in his presence, to me that just screams worship.
There definitely seems to be a focus of worship in Revelation, and I can see easily why those under God’s judgement would have a hard time understanding this material. Even reading Revelation myself I find so much confusion as to what exactly is in the pages, beyond that after much turmoil and many things there will be worship and glory in heaven, and that Jesus will come to rule over us. Among the many horrible things the book seems to speak about and the many dangers present, there is worship; from the trumpets, to the general theme of God’s glorious triumph over evil.
I wish that this would have been posted when I wrote my research paper on Revelation 12. When looking at the themes found in Revelation God sovereignty is definitely one that I see very often. God is faithful in all circumstances even when the odds seem insurmountable. This is why he is worthy of praise and the more you read the more you see it. Even in Revelation 12 we see a woman rescued in the wilderness and Satan being defeated by the blood of the Lamb. All of these are things God did. All of these are things that are worthy of praise.
From the comments above, I agree that Revelation focuses on worshipping.. Throughout Revelation, it gives us a little sneak peak on what it is going to look like in heaven worshipping. When you first think of the book of Revelation, you think of the end times where it describes what the coming events leading to Christ return. This book teaches us on how to worship and what does it like when we do worship and we are responsible as Christians to take care of the Earth until Christ return. The book also showed me how faithful God is throughout all his challenges and promises. This was convenient that this was one of the blogs to do for this week because for my major paper, I wrote about Revelation.
I think that even today people who read the book of Revelation will compare it to what is happening in the world right now. They think that since there is persecution, war, famine, and other bad things going on in the world right now that that means that we are in the end times, and Jesus is coming back soon. People will say ‘oh it can’t get any worse than it is now, so that means that Jesus is coming back’, but I bet that the Christians who were being fed to the lions in Rome were saying the same thing. I think that when reading the book of Revelation, that it can also be looked at as encouragement. We can read about what will eventually happen and because of this we can be encouraged to persever to the end. I also agree that reading this book and it’s events, point us to worship; not only for what God has done but what He is going to do in the future.
God has given us many ways to worship him and glorify him and surrender all to him. In the book of Revelation, there are many times when one or more than one thing is worshiping him and they glorify him forever. God is everything and has given us the chance to be here on earth to do good works and worship him. He is worthy of everything and we should always worship him. Throughout the book, worship pops up many times including in Revelation 4 in the throne room in Heaven. The four beats were worshiping God day and night and kept repeating the same thing “‘Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come!’” (Revelation 4:8). He is worthy of our praise and we should praise him day and night forever. We get so caught up in the world, that we forget to look up at God and praise him for all he has done and given us the opportunity. Our focus everyday should be on him and worshiping him always because in Revelation 4:11 states “‘Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created’”.Worship can be anything that glorifies God including: music, prayer, the Word, giving, serving, and many more.
I would agree that worship is the central theme of Revelation. There are parts that describe what heaven will be like; it seems to me that there will be a lot of singing. I do also believe, as you mentioned, that Revelation is not just some distant idea or description of future events, but Revelation is for the here and now, as well. Our worship should echo that which happens in heaven. That is one of the reasons why I love worship through song so dearly. We should unceasingly be praising the Lord for who He is. In the descriptions of Revelation, we don’t see anybody singing anything about themselves (Revelation 5:13-14). The hosts of heaven are so concerned with giving God the glory He is due. Yes, there are descriptions of the Lord working in redemption for His people, but we don’t see any of the “me-focused” language that we tend to see in our culture today. This is an important element from Revelation that we could glean and set forth in our churches. As you said, “God is also described as a just judge who will avenge the wrongs done to his people.” This is “me-focused,” but not in an unhealthy way. This is not completely putting the focus on God’s people, but still rejoicing in what He has done and will do. The focus is on His work, not ours. The theme of Revelation is a very good example of what we should be focusing on as the Church. Revelation is not merely a book about future happenings, but also of current responsibilities of worship for believers.
I do like this thought that Revelation is about worship. This thought shows me that God is to be glorified all throughout the Bible and that Revelation is no exception. So many people tend to think that Revelation is about how God is a bag God that is just going to send people to hell, and I would say that it really shows how God is a just God and the people that follow him will be raptured and the people that don’t will have to face the consequence.
The idea that Revelation is a book of worship is not a common one and is fascinating to think about. However, this makes sense as we do see many examples of worship in the book either through times of trials and uncertainty or the heavenly scenes described in the book. Because the book of Revelation is based around the end of earthly days, the power and glory of God will be shown as Jesus comes back and lays final judgement on the world. To know that God is powerful enough to completely overthrow the devil and has already won the battle that the devil had brought forth, then shows anyone who reads Revelation that God is worthy of worship. The book is an example of reasons why we should worship Him alone.
The book also gives examples of worship as mentioned in the article. Chapters 4-5 show proclamations of praise declaring God worthy of glory. These are where some of the worship song that we sing even today are crafted from. These heavenly scenes show that everyone in the presence of God can’t help but praise who God is. This shows us that God’s character and appearance are so beautiful, everyone worships him with every moment that they are with him. It makes one wonder about how much humanity truly misses on understanding the full character of God. If everyone around the throne is continual worship, how do so many people here on earth not read passages like this and grasp that God is so much more than we can even imagine. Revelation clearly shows that one day, God will officially right all wrong and that is worthy of all praise.
I never thought of the book of Revelation being one of worship, but after reading the original post and doing other research I realized it is very much about worship. It is interesting because you would normally think of the book as end times, darkness, war, and other things that are not very positive, but in reality it shows a lot of Gods power, redemptive power, and his ability to defeat those who oppose him, specifically the devil himself. Throughout the book we see scenes where those in heaven cant help but praise God for his power, sovereignty and goodness (Rev. 7:9-10, 12:12, 18:20). We also see them praising him in thanksgiving for everything he has done and will continue to do for those who believe in him (Rev. 4:6-11, 5:1-14, 7:12). We see scenes of believers singing and lifting up prayers to God for what he has done (Rev. 5:9-10, 14:3, 7:10, 6:10, 8:3-5). We also see offering of gifts to God by heavenly beings and his followers (Rev. 4:10). We even see worship though silence in the book of Revelation which is used to show respect and fear for our God who deserves such things (Rev. 8:1-2). Lastly, we can see celebration through festivities to demonstrate worship to God. This is the gathering of various nations, languages, backgrounds, and people in general coming together to show their thankfulness and love for the one true God (Rev. 7:9-10, 19:7).
I like your observation of the contrast between darkness and light or negative and positive. I think that it is easy to see revelation as a dark and scary book because of the meaning that our human brains have put into it. God is far above our understanding that a book like revelation can seem intimidating to read. I think that the verses that we don’t understand and the hard topics of revelation show the vastness of God and just how his ways are so much greater than ours. Lastly, I agree that you can definitely read revelation as a form of celebration of worship to God through the coming together shown.
In my studies of Revelation, I guess I never considered the question: Why study it at all? In other words, what is the point of understanding the nuances and subtleties, as well as the main teachings of Revelation? How could that benefit me and believers in general? The answer can be found in the Scripture passage 2 Timothy 3:16-17, which states: “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.” It seems that most scholars and laymen who approach the book of Revelation unconsciously place it into a different category from the rest of Scripture. What I mean is, instead of understanding that Revelation has some very practical applications for the believer–like worship and obedience–they study the book under the assumption that it is highly abstruse and nebulous and abstract. While it is a little bit harder to interpret than the majority of Scripture, as the use of grammatical devices are more frequent, this does not mean that it is any less useful. As to the overall purpose of Revelation, I think, as the article above claims, that it is to inspire worship in believers. Revelation 5:8-14 speaks of the vehement worship of Christ, and in the end, this is all God desires from us: That we would be submitted to His Son in worship. In worshipping Him and enjoying His presence, we will forever glorify Him.
Growing up in the church all my life, I had never heard someone reference the book of Revelation as a book of worship or that worship is the central theme, but this blog post brought a lot of that to light. I think that is absolutely true that the central theme is worship. I think for most of us, we assume that Revelation is apocalyptic and just a book talking about the end times, darkness, war, and the return of Jesus. But after reading through those verses given in the post, the theme of worship is so evident. It gives us as Christians something to cling to and follow in. This book shows us that God is the creator overall and He deserves all of our praise and glory. He is the God who sits on the throne. He does not owe us anything, yet He gives us everything that we need according to His plan, so at the end of the day we owe all of our life to Him. A song that comes to mind is “Jesus paid it all, all to Him I owe.” Jesus took the ultimate sacrifice and is now in Heaven at the right hand of God, and as His children that He saved, our lives are meant to be lived worshipping and serving Him to our fullest. I love that I am not only able to see Revelation as a book about end times, but as an encouragement of worshipping our Father in Heaven.
Revelation main theme is worship I completely agree. There are several places through out revelation that have worship directly found as well as several places that call readers to worship. As stated above God is not only the creator but also the redeemer. Jesus is coming to redeem his creation that he has created. Jesus is coming to restore us. What an amazing reason to worship. God who is above everything who is perfect in all his ways is coming back to redeem the people that ruined the perfect relationship that we once had with him because he loves us that much! wow that amazes me. We are so unworthy of this, which should cause us to know that God truly is worthy of all our praise and worship not just for what he does but for all that he is.
There is so much to say about worship in the book of Revelation. It is undeniable that this is the major theme in the book, and I agree with P. Long. The big question for us now in the 21st century is, what are we going to do about it? There is a simple but yet interesting exercise I like to take people through after they read a verse, passage, chapter or even book of the Bible. I pose the simple questions; what did you learn? What is God telling you? What are you going to do about it? So, the question for us now understanding some of the main themes of Revelation is, what are we going to do about it? In Revelation there are some of the most profound statements and descriptions of God and we get to see a side of heaven, a small glimpse of it all. These things are inescapable, and they will come to fruition, so what are we going to do about it? God is worthy of it all, He is worthy of our very lives; are we willing to do whatever it takes to live our lives as a constant worship service to our God?
I have developed a greater view of worship in just a few short months. To think of worship as just one thing, limits us on how we can show praises to him. To view Revelation as a source of worship is not much different than evaluating Psalms, Proverbs, or even Romans as sources of worship. Is worthiness is shown in every aspect of this book. It declares who he is over and over again. If it is meant to be a form of worship, I wonder why churches don’t include it more often in their services or in their bible studies. I understand that Revelation can be very intimidating for some, it definitely is for me, but I don’t think that means we should avoid it. It holds a lot of encouragement for those enduring suffering and hardship. That’s part of what it is meant for. Worship in Revelation focuses on what is to be which is different than some forms of worship that may focus on what God has done for us or what he currently is doing. It’s not as comfortable to thank God for what he still is going to do. If the book was meant for those living in a specific time, can we still use it as a form of worship now?
I have not heard anyone mention the book of Revelation as a book of worship, or theme of worship. It is always mentioned as “what is to come”. Yet, reading this post and the verses that were given, I can see that there is a theme of worship. I do not think many people see it as that because of all the apocalyptic things that are to come. I believe that even now, people read Revelation and say ” we are living in these things right now” due to viewing all of the negative, evil, bad things that are going on in the world. But if we see and are reminded that God is good and that if people in the Old and New testament had endured through trails in tribulations, we are enduring trials and tribulations, then who is to say that when people read this in the future they are not going to endure trials and tribulation worshiping God.
Picking and choosing what is considered worship can be skewed in some peoples eyes. That is not something that should be done, due to the many types of worship there are. Revelation is encouraging, just as David writing encouraging Psalms, we consider; prayer, singing, Psalms, doing devotions as worship. I do not see the book of Revelation any different, it may confuse us and not always paint the prettiest picture, but it encourages us to endure the tough times, and worship God.
Worship is not simply singing songs at church, or even praying faithfully to God. Worship in Revelation seems to be more of a last act of God to redeem his people. When we think of Revelation we only think about the end times, the last chapter of the book, where things close. This is where I believe it all correlates to how we look at the book rather than what the book contains. If Revelation even is a book of horrible acts of chaos that will soon come onto the Earth and affect us all, doesn’t God still say that everything is done for his honor and glory? Does that just not apply to Revelation? Worship is done even in the end times, and I think that it is important to note that although the book may have just been visions or dreams of a distorted reality, but through these dreams God is still being honored. His name is still going to be proclaimed and people will see just who he is.
There is no doubt much of Revelations describes the worship that is constantly occurring in heaven. What is happening there should be happening on earth. The book is also written to people under persecution. They were promised gifts if they sustained and maintained their witness and the expectation they would experience eternal worship of the lamb. Worship helps people undergoing persecution to look ahead to victory of the lamb, and an eternity in his presence worshipping him, while currently undergoing suffering for his name Why should we not use this book as reference for how to worship the lamb? It certainly must be a more appropriate use of Revelations than making movies about airplane pilots whose go missing.
Within the book of Revelation, there are many scenes of worship, whether divine beings are caught up in the praise and worship of God, or those on Earth, all praise and worship God. The main theme of Revelation is worship, as all scenes seem to be surrounded with a scene of worship. The forms of worship in which we see present in Revelation are much different than a believer is used to hearing or reading. For example, God poured out his seven bowls of wrath on the earth, and in response, all divine beings fell down and worshiped Him in heaven (Rev. 7:11; 11:16; 14:7).
The book of Revelation not only claims that the believer should worship God, but it also explains why God should be worshiped, giving detail to each of his divine qualities. For example, within chapter 4, God is portrayed as King, ruling over all creating and being worshiped by all creation for being the creator. Furthermore, within Chapter 5, God is portrayed as ‘the Lion of Judah’ and ‘the Lamb that was slain’ (Rev 5:5-6). Lastly, Jesus describes himself as the Alpha and the Omega; the first and the last (Rev. 1:8). Jesus claims equality with God the Father in this statement, this is not the first time Christ does this. This causes Jesus to receive the highest form of praise for sitting at the right hand of God and sharing in his glory.
Throughout the book of Revelation, Dr. Long gave a good insight into how “God is worthy of our worship… the reason for God’s worthiness is that he is the creator (Rev 4:11). God is the creator of all things; he is sovereign over them.” (Dr. Long). Since He created the heavens, the earth, and all living things, it is necessary for us as humans to worship the Lord Jesus at all times. He created us in his image. All people on earth will acknowledge that God is the ruler, that He is the owner of everything, that everything is His, and that He alone is worthy of all praise and honor due to His powerful and mighty name. Every knee will bow before Him and confess that He is king. God deserves our adoration because everything He created, He did because He wanted us to enjoy it. One of the main reasons we need to praise Him at all times is because He gave His life for us on the cross. He suffered a horrible death, was tortured, and had humanity, so we didn’t have to go through all of that, which we deserved. He didn’t have any sins. We see in Revelation 4:11: “Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created.” (ESV). We should praise and worship God alone at all times for who He is, what He has done, is doing, and will continue to do in and through our lives. God alone is deserving of our worship. God is pleased when we give Him our all. We are showing our appreciation for all that He has done for us as His children everywhere we go. He is happy when we visit the temple and sing praise songs at our homes, workplaces, vehicles, and other places. He alone deserves all the honor and glory.
The book of Revelation is one of the most intriguing and influential books of the New Testament. Because of this, it is one of the most discussed books in the entire Bible. These countless discussions around Revelation often portray the book as dark and gloomy and that does not even take into consideration the countless ways people use Revelation to attempt to predict when the world will end. All of this talk around the book leads many individuals into trying to avoid Revelation and all the negativity associated with it. The idea that the main theme of Revelation is worship is very interesting. It is counter cultural to the cultural identity that has been built around Revelation. Not only is Revelation full of worship, it is also full of encouragement. It provides encouragement for those living under persecution that God will have the final say and that their trials are not in vain. The description of Jesus in Revelation 1 also should provide encouragement. Specifically, the seven lampstands and the seven stars Jesus holds (Rev. 1:12, 16). Revelation informs us that these are the seven churches and their angels (Rev. 1:20). That should encourage us because “John sees Jesus present among the seven golden lampstands, which signifies his presence with the seven churches” (Reynolds, 2019, p. 41). The principle here is that Jesus is always with his people no matter the circumstances they are going through. This message should be very encouraging as we strive to live for Jesus in a culture that is opposed to him. The message of Revelation should be one of worship and encouragement, not one of gloom and fear.
“I am convinced that the main theme of Revelation is worship (P.Long).” This is very interesting because the passage certainly doesn’t speak of God a lot and that is because the rest of The Bible speaks about God and His disciples. Worship is certainly important because it’s what we do to show appreciation to God to show that we love Him for the sacrifice that His Son Jesus Christ made on the cross. I think it is super important to look at the Book of Revelation from different perspectives because at the end of the day, it grows us all closer to God and the main topic at the end. The Book of Revelation speaks a lot about future events happening on earth and not a lot about God himself so worship is certainly apart of the Book no doubt. I think regardless of being right or wrong, we need to realize that the Book is different from other books in the Bible so it is great to think of other ideas when it comes to the Book. That being said, I agree with the statement of the Book being about worship, but I also believe that it means so many others as well.
I have never really thought about Revelation in this way. I guess that whenever I have read through Revelation I have always focused on all of the prophecy and “revelation” and been worrying about understanding the book. When I read the passages that you mentioned in the blog, but read them as exhortations or praise I can see it very clearly. It’s actually amazing how many books in the Bible are like this. There are obvious books like Psalms that are clearly praise and prayer, but there are a lot of books of the Bible that may not directly praise God, but indirectly praise him like in Revelation. I think it goes with the saying that you do everything for the glory of Christ. Everything you do might not be ministry-integrated or for a Christian cause, but if you in-directly praise or glorify God you are following that command. Revelation is my favorite book of the Bible because of the amount that we don’t know and the many mysteries that we will never know.
All scripture is truly about worship in a way. We can worship in and through everything that we do, and we should! However, I believe this focuses on a different idea of worship and how we should read this passage of Revelation. There is this underlying idea that God is always and has always been worthy of our worship. We can worship our God in many different ways. This mentality of looking at Revelation as worship, can keep us from getting too wrapped up in the deeper theology and for lack of a better term keep us from “getting lost in the sauce”. Whoever I would look at Revelation and go to study it, it could take such a long period of time to be able to truly understand what is being talked about and an even longer time to go through all the scholarly viewpoints of it. Taking a step back and reading revelation as a kind of worship, is a good way to understand the deeper themes: What is the true meaning of this book? I have always wanted to go up to God and have these mysteries revealed to me outright, I mean don’t we all? But, in these mysteries and in this idea of not knowing, we can praise God for his knowledge and power he possesses. We do not need all the answers to be able to praise and love God!
“I am convinced that the main theme of Revelation is worship.” (P. Long)
Whenever I read about Revelation, I always think this is about the end time, but sometimes this is not only about the end time it mentions agree with but also about worship. And through the Revelation of Christ, we can determine the worship theology in our lives. It is revealed by the Holy Spirit, who we are in God’s eyesight. We will discover our flaws and understand we are in need of forgiveness from the Father. This means everything when we speak of worship because the new life brought about by the Spirit of God is what gives us the ability to become worshippers of the living God. Only when this beautiful life quickens us can we learn what praise and worship are all about. We are redeemed and restored through our humility and pleas for forgiveness of our sins. Once we have been restored, God will build a relationship with us.
First and foremost, I’ve never even realized that revelation is described as worship, it’s interesting how P.long mentioned that the main theme of Revelation is worship and God is just in all his judgments therefore all the saints are to rejoice because God is just. I just realized that the term worship can be very broad, it’s not only about singing to God and praising Him, but it could be serving at the church by cleaning and volunteering for God also known as worshiping. If I must be authentic I am not fully convinced yet that Revelation is worship but I always think that the term Revelation is about the final chapter of God redeeming the world and it is full of futuristic events and prophecies. But I am pretty certain that Revelation is filled with worship, all things are meant to bring glory to God. I like how Jobes mentioned that Revelation is “God initiated through many prophets early in redemptive history and which culminated in his last word, Jesus Christ, the Son of God.” (Jobes, 2011, pg. 76). Always, I am started to convince that Revelation as worship because Revelation provides the foundation of worship which is a guidance for all the believers to basically prepare for the end times, and revelation guides us to practice. For worship, it’s all the celebration for humanity because now we get to know the true message about the end times, and we are so certain that revelation will somehow happen very soon.
Throughout the Bible there has been the sub-theme of worship in each of the books. Essentially everything a character does for God/in God’s name, not to mention their praise of Him in song, is done in worship to God. The angel in Revelation says, “You are just in these judgments/ O Holy One/ you who are and who were” (Revelation 16:5, NIV). While the angel is praising God’s justness, we are to rejoice in all things God has done for us, even if it is painful or frightening. “Therefore in one day her plagues/will overtake her/death, mourning and famine/she will be consumed by fire/for mighty is the Lord God who/judges her” (Revelation 18:8, NIV). In this verse the author is calling us to rejoice in the destruction of Babylon, for the sin she committed was too great, like that of Sodom and Gomorrah, but they refrain from praising the destruction of the people in Babylon, which is interesting. Babylon was built on the foundation of sin, destruction, and oppression, and that is how it will end, yet God also calls us to love our enemies.
As such, when the people rejoice as Babylon falls they are praising God’s judgment, sovereignty, holiness, and grace, as depicted in the stones in the throne room of God. “Rejoice over her, you heavens/rejoice, you people of God/rejoice, apostles and prophets/for God has judged her/with the judgment she imposed on you” (Revelation 18:20, NIV). By calling everyone to rejoice, God is displaying his grace and mercy, granting Gentiles and Jews alike the power to be forgiven, convert to the faith (Gentiles), and come home to him in death. Since Babylon is known as a worldly powerhouse it is used as an example of judgment in the Second Coming. God wants us to “rejoice over” Babylon from our reserved place in Heaven, to make our faith louder than the tempting callings of Babylon, and God will judge her by the unjust actions Babylon imposed on the people of faith.
Sometimes, however, the worship of God displayed in Revelation is not hidden. For instance, it is written:
“Hallelujah/for our Lord God Almighty/reigns/let us rejoice and be glad/and give him glory/for the wedding of the Lamb has/come/and his bride has made herself/ready/fine linen, bright and clean/was given her to wear” (Revelation 19:6-8, NIV).
Oftentimes, the “lamb” is described as the people, Gentile and Jew, of God. In Rev. 19:6-8, the use of “lamb” is the same. We are being used to God, and it is our job to make ourselves ready for the Second Coming, to pave the way for Jesus to arrive, wearing linens of righteousness.
What all of these verses are saying is that God is not done with us yet, he has not abandoned us, he has a plan for us, and we are to praise/worship him in everything we do and say, because we are to set ourselves apart from the other nations (other religions) even as we love our enemies and neighbors. We are on a mission to show God’s sovereignty, holiness, grace, and mercy. Therefore, I do believe that the theme of Revelation is worship—a calling of our path and a new promise wrapped in the identity of God.
I love that Revelation has so much imagery and reference to worship. God is the only one worthy of our worship, but the Devil continuously tries to mess with people’s minds. As Christians, we are the temples of God because of his spirit in us. In this we are to honor God with our bodies. One of the main areas of disconnect mentioned in Revelation is the mark of the beast. This sets apart the followers and the corrupt. Those who have not received the mark have the chance to be claimed by God. God is set apart from this world just as we are called to be. He is just and the final judge. He has no hidden agenda. He is not swayed by humans emotions. He is the only on capable of all good all the time. He deserves to be bowed down to in worship. Every knee will bow and tongue confess that his is Lord (Revelation 7:9). God will be worshiped by even the “great” among mankind. Elders will bow to him. All human kings are guilty of sin and wrongdoing. God is the ultimate good. Even celestial beings are subject to the authority of God. These are not temporary beings like humans. Even in the spiritual realm, God is still supreme. Worship is not just a physical act, it is also spiritual. Revelation details the different ways that worship can be presented. The two main ways that Revelation talks about is singing and praying. The different beings also bow in reverence.
A main theme in Revelation is the idea of worship to the Lord. This book talks about the end times and what that will mean for us as believers and non-believers. For believers, they will be reunited with God and will experience His presence and worship Him in Heaven forever. Throughout Revelation there are numerous places where this worship has been expressed for in the future. In Revelation 4 it talks about how the elders and the living creators in this vision were worshiping the Lord saying, “Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was, and is, and is to come.” This might sound very familiar to us not necessary;y because we’ve read this passage before, but because it is from a very common worship song. This encourages me to continue worshiping the Lord throughout my entire life! In chapter 7 it even says that the angels fell down and worshiped the Lord. In the end, when we believers are in Heaven, there will be an eternal time of worshiping and praising the Lord. That’s hard to think about from an earthly perspective because we think that’s impossible for us, but the beauty of it is that we won’t have to worry about our earthly temporary bodies. We will have eternal Heavenly bodies, and that’s just another reason we will worship Him! I look forward to this one day!
I agree that one of the main themes if not the most important theme in revelation is worship. It’s easy to come to that conclusion and clear based on how there are several instances in the book that talk about it. Of course God being the creator of all things will automatically mean that the book of revelation is worshipful but the way that worship is described in Revelation is significant because of the emphasis that is put on it. However the imagery and the story in revelation to me screams worship. It’s a story of victory and glory, and the imagery shows just that. An interesting thing that you mentioned in this blog post is that most people think that revelation is about the future but humanity may never know the time or the hour in which God is coming, therefore, when the time comes people will be under delusion. Because of this “Revelation was intended to be read by the church living in the shadow of the Second Coming, bearing up under persecution for their belief in Jesus, in order to encourage them to be strong and endure until the end” (P. Long). When the time comes, the only place in which we will be able to find our strength and hope is from the Lord. Perhaps looking at revelation as a book of the Lord’s power, glory and worthiness of our praise will allow us to recognize His magnitude and greatness in a deeper way.
The book of Revelation is the last book of the Bible and in the New Testament. I have heard many individuals state that Revelation is a futuristic implication of what the rapture and tribulation will endure which is not the case as Long (2018) implies. Long (2018) states that Revelation is not a roadmap for the future but it is what we should be living in the current time. I believe that Revelation since I have studied a bit of Revelation for a past bible course, is that it is an idea that we should be keeping in mind for when Jesus comes back to earth. We should already be preparing for his second coming rather than be studying and reading Revelation when he is already here because I believe that it will be too late. Worshiping is a highly important part of the Christian faith because it is a way where we can connect spiritually with God which can continue to grow our relationship with him. I like how Long (2018) implies that he believes the theme of Revelation is worship because this can be a game changer for those who are studying God’s word in Revelation.
Worship is an important topic to cover as reading through scripture since it is an important action of the faith that we all follow. Heavenly worship as Long (2018) states is where there is worship around the throne of God. Many love the idea of worship because many people feel that during times of worship, they feel the Holy Spirit and have a feeling of closeness with God which is the main idea of why worship is crucial within a relationship with God. I see worship as a way of being with God and being proud to have him as our father. This is why many people have such a strong connection with God during worship because it moves the body and soul into such a profound place and can create the best of feelings. I love it when individuals around me during worship get the moved feeling because having that type of connection can influence your relationship with God positively.
Now that I have written on Revelation being worship it all makes sense. Before I did research on it I did see it, but it was slightly and I thought it could be a stretch. There are so many passages in Revelation that are straight-up worship or they are “hidden” worship. What I mean by “hidden” worship is that it can be insinuated that it’s a form of worship. When you read it on the surface it might not seem like a form of worship but when you read beyond just the verse worship can be seen. I think it is also possible that when John wrote Revelation he not only wrote it as prophecy but wrote it in a way to exalt God and to “worship” him in all of his glory and power. I think what is also important to point out about the worship is the style that the angels praise in. I think this type of worship is used a lot in old churches today or even hymns. A lot of the worship John talked about in Revelation may be like the worship in the Old Testament or worship you would hear in the temple. It might be a stretch, but it also could be very likely that the people of the Temple used this certain type of worship.