A Revelation Invitation

And the four living creatures, each of them with six wings, are full of eyes all around and within, and day and night they never cease to say,
        “Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty, 
        who was and is and is to come!” (Revelation 4:8 ESV)

This is the scene (chapters 4 and 5) that the entire book of Revelation hinges upon. The church was in the middle of an existential conflict both corporately and individually. The might of the Roman Empire was bearing down on them. The forces of Satan that empowered Rome were gathering to oppose them. It didn’t take a psychic or a prophet to see it coming. The signs were obvious. They were headed for a showdown. How could they overcome the forces assembling against them? How could they withstand the onslaught?

It begins with understanding—understanding just how great is the one who is seated on the throne. “Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come!” God is holy, his cause is holy, his actions are holy. There is nothing, absolutely nothing about him that is not holy, right and good. If you’re choosing sides, his is the just side. And the Lord God is almighty or all-powerful. Key word: all. There is no power that is not derived from his own power and no authority that he is not sovereign over. If you’re choosing sides, his is the strong side. And the one who sits on the throne is eternal—from everlasting to everlasting. He existed before our enemies, even now he stands against our enemies and he will reign long after our enemies have been vanquished. If you’re choosing sides, his is the winning side. These are characteristics of our God that we must grasp with our minds. However, as important as it is to understand how great God is, mere, intellectual belief will never be enough to get us through all the trials and perils that will come.

Our capacity to withstand Satan’s assaults will only be strengthened through worship—worship of the one who is worthy of praise, of him who is able to oppose these forces of evil that have assembled against us. Notice that those four living creatures “day and night they never cease to say, “Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come!” Worship takes us from mere understanding to unflagging confidence, from mental acknowledgment to bold faith, from feebleness and fear to resolute courage based on God’s power. Sunday morning worship is good but inadequate if it is the limit of our worship. Worship must become ceaseless if we hope to persevere, to overcome and to conquer. And these four living creatures give us the focus of our worship: the holiness, might and eternity of the one who sits on the throne.

It is God’s sovereignty that Rome was challenging. It is the kingdom of God that Rome was attacking. Today, the conflict has different actors, but we fill the same roles as our ancient brothers. We are God’s servants and his soldiers in the conflict. We should expect suffering and casualties along the way. Fear will rule us unless our worship of the one who sits on the throne is day and night, never ceasing. The power to endure the onslaught comes not from within us but from the throne. He is the most holy one. He is the almighty one. He is the eternal one. He supplies our strength through adoration of him. He fills us with courage through praise of him.

This call to worship the holy, eternal, creator God is at the heart of the book of Revelation. It is at the heart of our victory over evil in whatever form it adopts. We must fall on our faces and never cease trembling in awe at the holiness, power and majesty of the God who sits on the throne in heaven.

Holy, holy, holy are you, Lord God Almighty for you were, you are and you are to come. I bow in awe before you. Help me to grasp with my limited perspective how awesome and exalted you truly are. No human authority can stand against you. The forces of darkness flee from you. I exalt you every day, day and night. Instill in me the power and courage to persevere through whatever tribulations may come. Amen.