A revision of an assignment for one of my classes, this blog is a reflection on the role of worship in the Book of Revelation. I found it interesting, so I thought I would share. The two books referenced are Charts on Revelation by Dr. Mark Wilson and The Revelation to John commentary by Stephen S. Smalley.
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Since God is worthy of all honor and praise,  it should be no surprise that worship is a major theme of the book of Revelation. The four living creatures, the elders, the angels, the heavenly voices, the great multitude, the saints, and the nations are all depicted worshiping God. The seven hymns in Revelation declare that: God is Holy (Rev. 4); worthy (Rev. 5); the source of salvation (Rev. 7); powerful to reward and to judge (Rev 11); marvelous, true and righteous (Rev 15); just in his judgments (Rev 16); and holy, victorious, reigning, and glorious (Rev 19) (Wilson, 74). Utilizing a combination of doxologies, acclamations, amen choruses, victory hymns, hymns of thanksgiving, praise hymns, and other songs, the book of Revelation lays a foundation of worshiping God both in heaven and on earth.

One of the things that is most striking to me about the book of Revelation is the variety of worship.  The text gives us glimpses of a number of actors worshiping God in a number of ways.  There is not a set liturgy, even if the prayers or songs may seem a bit liturgical, but a varied and creative worshiping of the Lord.  The worshipers sing, shout, play musical instruments, and speak forth declarations of God’s worthiness and character. The things for which God is worshiped for are also varied. He is worshiped for His rewards as well as His wrath. The saints and the angels praise God for the entirety of who He is, not just the seemingly favorable qualities. Even in the midst of wrath, they see his just character and testify to His righteousness. 

"Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord God Almighty who was, and is, and is to come"- Rev. 4:8  [see video below for the story of the modern worship song that draws from this passage"



It is important to note that worship in the book of Revelation is always directed towards God. Twice in the text, John attempts to worship and angel, and twice he is rebuked. In Revelation 1:17, John falls to his feet in awe of the Jesus, but is not rebuked because it is an appropriate response. Throughout Revelation, worshipers fall down in awe or in reverence to God. Then in Revelation 19:10 and Revelation 22:8, John falls at the feet of an angel “to worship him” and is rebuked and told only to worship God.  In his commentary, Smalley suggests that this doublet is offered because John is trying to correct the churches’ tendency to worship angels (Smalley, 486).

“The rejection of John’s attempt to worship the angel… and the command to ‘Worship God’ instead, is more likely to be related to one of the main themes of the Apocalypse. The seer is conscious of the insidious danger to Christian witness of idolatry, which has been in mind during the visions concerning Babylon…  A clear choice must be made between ‘Babylon’ and ‘Jerusalem’; and true worship means obedience to the one God, not to those like the beast who claim divine status, or even to God’s heavenly agents.” (Smalley, 486).

This theme of idolatry is prevalent. Time and time again, the text warns not to worship the beast or the dragon or Babylon or anything other than God Himself.  In Dr. Wilson’s charts, he contrasts worshiping the emperor with divine worship (Wilson, 91).  Imperial worship stands in opposition to God, and one cannot worship the Great City or anything else and still be divinely worshiping God.  I think one of the most important contemporary applications of Revelation is an understanding that worshiping civil religion or tradition stands in opposition to God. While our modern day patriotism and national pride may not echo the orders to burn incense for or sing praise to a political figure, there is still a very real danger of worshiping a city or a system. Likewise, churches and believers may worship a religion or a doctrine instead of God himself.  Even in this passage, John may have been worshiping the words of God spoken through the angel (Smalley, 487). Still that is idolatry; and it makes me wonder how many people are guilty of biblioidolatry today- worshiping the words of God.  The book of Revelation, and the totality of scripture, leave no room for worshiping anything or anyone but God Himself.

It is also interesting to note the relationship between worship and witness.  Right after John is rebuked for worshiping an angel in Revelation 19:10, the angel says “Worship God! For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy”. The link between worship and testimony is important. Witness is crucial in Revelation as the victors overcome by “the blood of the Lamb and the word of their testimony” (Rev. 12:11). It appears that to worship God is closely linked with being willing to speak of God and to be a witness to who God is. After all, how many of the hymns are simply declaring God’s character and proclaiming who He is? Granted posture of the body and posture of the heart are also aspects of worship, but the emphasis seems to be on the profession of a sincere belief that God is holy and worthy of praise.

To close, as I read through Revelation several times this semester, I was reminded of how many worship songs were written based on this book of scripture. Churches everywhere repeat the aspects of the hymns of the saints and the heavens on a weekly and even daily basis e.g. "Revelation Song", "Overcome",  "We Fall Down" - just to name a few. While many people may read the book of Revelation focusing on the End Times,  it is clear that John is emphasizing worship and witness in the here and now as well. Revelation is an encouraging reminder that God is truly worthy of our worship, now and forever.

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