Praise and Worship
Today’s passage: Revelation 11:15–19
Focus verse: And the twenty-four elders, who were seated on their thrones before God, fell on their faces and worshiped God. (Revelation 11:16)
With the second woe complete, the seventh angel sounds his trumpet. Whereas the first six trumpet blasts bring forth immediate death and destruction to the earth, the seventh and final one does not—at least not at first.
Instead, it unleashes words.
Loud voices from heaven proclaim Jesus as the new ruler over the kingdom of the world. He will reign over it forever, for the rest of eternity.
And how do the twenty-four elders respond?
They fall from their thrones and prostrate themselves to worship God. Not only is their worship a physical display of reverence, but they also praise him with their voices.
It doesn’t matter if they sing this, chant this, or recite it in unison. The key point is that they give words of adoration to God as an offering of sincere worship.
They open by thanking God as the Lord God Almighty, affirming him for his presence now and his work in the past. He has used his great power, they say, and begun to reign on earth, but the people were angry and God’s wrath against them has come.
He will judge the dead and reward his servants and those who revere him. He will destroy those who destroyed his creation.
As the twenty-four elders complete their tribute to God, his temple in heaven opens to reveal the ark of his covenant inside. Lightning flashes, rumbles occur, thunder peals, the earth quakes, and hail pelts the earth.
What an incredible response to the twenty-four elders’ adoration.
The twenty-four elders encircle God’s throne, poised to reverence him. As revealed earlier in Revelation, worshiping the Almighty is their only job.
This should give us a fresh perspective on what it means to worship our Creator and Savior.
For many, worship means singing a few songs on Sunday morning. Yet worship can—and should—occur throughout our week. We can worship God through our words and through our actions.
Everything we do has the potential to worship our Lord—or disappoint him. We can praise and worship God when we’re at peace or distraught, regardless of the outcome.
We can worship him in the Spirit and in truth (John 4:23–24). And we can offer ourselves as a living sacrifice (Romans 12:1).
With God now having appropriately received the praise and worship due him, we’re poised for the third and final woe to unfold.
Questions:
- How should we react to the idea of Jesus ruling over his kingdom for the rest of eternity?
- What do we do to worship God?
- How can we worship God with our words?
- How can we worship God with our bodies?
- What can we learn from the twenty-four elders so we can praise the Almighty more fully?
[Discover more about worship in Job 1:20, Psalm 100:2, John 4:23–24, and Romans 12:1.]
Tips: Check out our tips to use this online Bible study for your church, small group, Sunday school class, or family discussion. It’s also ideal for personal study. Come back each Monday for a new lesson.
Read more in Revelation Bible Study: Discover Practical Insights from John’s Epic Vision.
Discover practical, understandable insights from the book of Revelation.
Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront status quo religion and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.
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