Forever and Ever, Amen!

John described Christ earlier in this scene as one who looked as if he had been slain. In other words, Christ retained the scars of his crucifixion.

We're not sure how many. Forever, however, reminding us of how we got to the throne. The Lamb who was slain, he kept his scars forever, reminding us how we are able to be here. These scars on his body are there because of me. I was struck by that as I studied.

They are there because of me. Have you ever attended a church service, revival meeting or conference where the worship music was particularly spectacular? Maybe you stood among hundreds or even thousands of people singing at the top of their lungs to Jesus. Have you ever had the thought, I wonder if heaven will be like this?

Well, in some ways it will. Today on Wisdom for the Heart, Stephen Davey takes you into a heavenly worship service where thousands of angels and people are singing praise to God. This message is called, Forever and Ever, Amen.

In our series in these two chapters as we studied hymns of heaven, I've tried to bring to you error that's being taught as it relates to God in heaven. If you've given ear to Marianne Williamson's teaching of the course in miracles in Oprah Winfrey's radio show that Jesus is merely a symbol that can stand for any god or goddess you wish to pour into that name, you notice in the vision the singularity of Christ's sovereignty. If you have fallen for Rhonda Byrne's secret and have come to believe that you can command the universe telling you what you want and the universe will respond to your will, you note here in John's record of the revelation that the universe follows the bidding and obeys the command of sovereign God alone. If you've fallen further into this false teaching and all those who write and think wither and I quote that, you are the creator and you are creating the creation of you on this planet. You are God in a physical body. The birds sing for you, the sun rises and sets for you, the stars come out for you, end quote. You note here in the truth of heaven that John is able to describe, though he has difficulty describing it, the birds and planets do not exist for our honor but for his.

They do not sing of our glory, they will sing of his glory alone. If you've been caught up in the latest fancy over the secret of the law of attraction and you've begun to believe that you can speak your own destiny and you can mouth the words of your own future, you might want to study a little further how utterly dependent we are upon the will of God who alone determines the destiny of the universe. I want to warn you, dear flock of God, teaching that you are divine, that you have the power to create, you are little gods, that you command the universe is nothing more than the repackaging of Satan's earliest lies to humanity.

And I also want to further warn you, much of what Rhonda Byrne and Eckhart Tolle and all of these others are now teaching primarily through the media outlets of Oprah Winfrey to literally millions of people daily, what you need to be warned of perhaps even more, I believe, is the baptized version of this false teaching into the church. For years now, a loosely associated movement known as the Word Faith Movement has been teaching a Christianized version of creative word power. You say it and it is produced.

It is, as it were, guaranteed. The Word Faith Movement basically believes the following principles. All of them, by the way, use biblical language but distort biblical texts. They begin with this premise first that God creates by using his words that he speaks. That is partly true, but secondly, mankind is made in the image of God and thus is a little, and I'm quoting, God, capable of creating through the use of your words as well. Third, the Christian then by faith can create what he speaks. Just speak it.

You know, the older version of this was name it and what? Claim it. That was way too quick. But that's it. Speak words of health and healing and wealth and prosperity and you can have it. By speaking positive, what they call faith-filled words, you create your own future. This is basically the same thing, ladies and gentlemen, as the law of attraction.

We get whatever we want. The only difference is the unbeliever is saying the universe will give it to you and the church says, well, God will give it to you. False teaching elevates the power of man and depersonalizes God into a force you tap into, a divine power you manipulate to do your bidding. He represents a universal secret you learn.

You have the power to simply speak a word and prophesy your own future. That is false teaching. That belief would lead someone no wonder that Kenneth Copeland could make such a statement in a message where he said, when I read the Bible where Jesus said, I am, I just smile and say, I am too. That is false teaching, even though it comes with a smile and in the name of Jesus. Ladies and gentlemen, two minutes in heaven or less around the throne of this personal, terrifying, majestic, sovereign God, we and all others will go to our faces as we fall before him and sing and then rise to sing some more and then fall prostrate once again.

Charles Lamb, who wrote in the early 1800s, once told a friend, if Shakespeare, told a group of friends, if Shakespeare was to come into this room, we should all rise to meet him, but if Jesus Christ was to enter, we would fall down and kiss the hem of his garment. Now when we first arrived at this scene in Revelation chapter 4, John delivered some rather amazing sights and sounds, didn't he? We began to hear the first of several hymns sung by angels in the raptured church in heaven represented by the presbuteroi, the elders. In fact, it should be no surprise that music is synonymous with heaven and this music has been building. Then the presbuteroi get added into those first four creatures.

You remember that? Go back to verse 8 of chapter 4. They're these strange creatures. They started it all off as we're allowed to overhear them chanting, holy, holy, holy, and they're circling the throne, the text could imply. Holy, holy, holy, that's all they do, the one who was and is and is to come, the eternal God. Then the presbuteroi in verse 11 add their voices as they cast their crowns before the throne.

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. Then you remember the scene shifted to the one standing beside the throne of God the Father, the lion, verse 5 of chapter 5, of the tribe of Judah. We are introduced to John's description of Jesus Christ who takes the scroll from his father, presenting the truth that Christ is capable of fulfilling the will of the father on earth. Then both the angels and the church sing, perhaps antiphonally, the third hymn in chapter 5 verse 9. First, the church, worthy are you to take the scroll and to open the seals for you were slain and by your blood. You ransomed us for God.

I believe the right translation would read that way. From every tribe and language and people and nation and now perhaps the angels join in. They have made them a kingdom and priest to our God and they shall reign on the earth. They all join in. People from every tribe and language and people and nation. It's growing.

It's expanding. Imagine this scene. Now many Christians in our generation know about Jim Elliot and how the death of Jim and his other comrades brought about an open pathway to the Alki Indians and later many of them came to faith in Christ by the wives of some of these missionaries returning. But few people know about an American Indian named Geronimo. We know about Geronimo.

That's the name we'd scream as we charged down the hill as little boys toward unsuspecting girls, right? Geronimo. Well, I don't know how many of us know that Geronimo was converted to Christianity.

Publicly baptized, I discovered, as a follower of Christ at the Apache Mission in Fort Sill Military Reservation in 1903. Imagine singing one day in heaven and kneeling next to Geronimo. I just think that's the greatest thought.

We have no idea. John Newton who wrote Amazing Grace said it very well. He said, there are three things that will surprise me. Remember? He said, when I get to heaven one, the people that are there that I didn't think would be there.

The people that aren't there that I thought would be there and that I am there. What great glory. The fourth hymn now begins in verse 11.

Let's pick it up there. Then I looked and I heard around the throne and the living creatures and the elders the voice of many angels numbering myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands saying with a loud voice. Now the fact, by the way, that the text says they were saying with a loud voice might give the impression they weren't singing. I don't want to bore you with my grammatical study, but legante, saying, is an amplification of adusen which clearly in verse 9 refers to singing. I believe that angels, in fact, do sing and they are singing here evidently with a loud voice. In fact, the words translated loud voice in verse 12 are from the Greek words phone megalae. We turn those around to come up with our word megaphone at the top of their lungs. How many are there?

Did you notice? They are singing with their loudest voices. Verse 11 says, the angels alone numbered myriads of myriads. Myriad is the expression for 10,000.

It was the largest unit in the ancient Greek world. And to whom are we all singing at the top of our lungs? Notice again in verse 12, worthy is the lamb who was slain. We just can't seem to get away from the cross work of Christ, can we? John described Christ earlier in this scene as one who looked as if he had been slain. In other words, Christ retained the scars of his crucifixion.

We're not sure how many. Forever, however, reminding us of how we got to the throne, how we got here. The lamb who was slain, he kept his scars forever, reminding us how we are able to be here. These scars on his body are there because of me. I was struck by that as I studied. They are there because of me.

They are there because of you. And we glory in this slain lamb who reminds us of his great grace. In fact, the word John used here for slain isn't the word that would be translated crucified. It's a word that literally is rendered slaughtered. The lamb who was slaughtered. It's the same word used in the Greek translation of the Old Testament on Isaiah 53 verse 7. Same word when Isaiah wrote that our Lord was led as a lamb to the slaughter.

Same word here in Revelation. The lamb that was slaughtered. It's because of Christ the lamb who was slaughtered that we the redeemed have been forgiven. And now stand with hundreds of millions of angels and redeemed believers.

And guess what? One of our first hymns of heaven refers to that moment in history when he was slain. What follows next is a hymn of praise with seven attributes of this lamb. Verse number seven subtly implying the perfection and the completion, the comprehensive perfection and majesty of the lamb of God.

Let's go through these quickly. Worthy is the lamb that was slain to receive power. Dunaman. A reference to omnipotent total comprehensive ability. Paul wrote to the Corinthians that Jesus Christ is the power of God. First Corinthians 1 24. He is worthy to receive wealth.

Pluton. This is not just a reference to spiritual wealth but to unconditional wealth in every possible realm. Haggai the prophet quoted God saying all the silver is mine and all the gold is mine sayeth the Lord of hosts.

Haggai 2 8. Paul refers to the unsearchable riches of Christ in Ephesians chapter 3 verse 8. The lamb is worthy to receive all power and all riches or wealth and all wisdom. Sophion. This is the attribute of God that refers to his understanding and intelligence and skill. According to the prophets Isaiah and Jeremiah this is the distinguishing mark of the Messiah as he reigns.

Wisdom. Fourth the hymn continues to sing of the lamb who is worthy to receive all might. Iskon.

This has the idea of strength. Paul speaks of Christ returning in that terrifying power of his iskon, his strength. He is unstoppable. His will will be accomplished. Fifth we sing to the lamb because he is worthy of all to main, worthy of all honor. He is worthy of all honor. Even now Jesus Christ is dishonored on the earth. He is ridiculed. Jesus Christ is blasphemed. Jesus Christ is run through the mud by humanity.

Here we will sing. He is to be honored above all others. The lamb is worthy also of all glory. Number six you could circle these words as we work through the text and maybe even number them.

One through seven. The lamb is worthy of power. He is worthy to receive all wealth, all wisdom, all might, all honor, and all glory.

Dachshund. That word gives us our word doxology. The word glory refers to the splendor and fame.

It characterizes everything about his court. The Lord is connected to this word on several occasions in the New Testament. Preincarnate glory in heaven. John 17 5. Glory bestowed on him at his resurrection and exaltation.

John 12. His triumphal glory which he will reveal at his second coming. Matthew 24 30. His millennial glory which will characterize his earthly kingdom. Matthew 25 31. And his eternal glory which parallels the glory of the Father.

You could spend an awful lot of time just studying the glory of Christ. He is worthy of all glory. The seventh and final attribute, the lamb is worthy of receiving all blessing. Eulogion gives us our word eulogy. We think of a eulogy as something nice that's said about someone who's died, right? Well, this eulogy is all the wonderful things that could possibly be said about the one, this one who is alive. Everything that you could think of kind to say of him, he's worthy. Every nice phrase and statement is something he is worthy of.

He is worthy of all eulogies. Now in the first of these five hymns, the four creatures alone chanted their song of God's holiness. And then in the second hymn, the church sang to the worth of God the Father. In the third hymn, in chapter 5, the four living creatures and the elders representing the church sang antiphonally to the worth of Christ. And the promise to the church and its future reign on the earth. Now the choir, by the way, is getting progressively larger.

That's what's happening here. Because now in the fourth hymn, hundreds of millions of angels join with the church and the living creatures. But now in the fifth and final hymn of heaven given to us here, verse 13 informs us that now, listen to what John heard, verse 13, I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea and all that is in them saying to him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb, be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever. Imagine that, ladies and gentlemen, now the choir is universal.

It's global. It encompasses every living creature, all of humanity of all time. It anticipates that great future day when no one will withhold from God his just desserts. In fact, the phrase under the earth is a reference to the demonic world and the inhabitants of future hell. Imagine the implication then.

It is no longer representative. This is exhaustive. Not one creature or human being is left silent. This is the fulfillment of Philippians 2, verse 10, where every knee will bow in heaven and on earth and under the earth and every tongue shall confess that Jesus Christ is Kurios. He is God. He is Lord. Every tongue will admit that Jesus Christ is God.

Do you know what that means? That means there are no atheists in eternity, not even in hell, not one. There will be millions of condemned theists who on this day acknowledge that Jesus Christ is the image of invisible God. Colossians 1.15. I received a note in the mail this week, just a couple of days ago, asking me to stop leading this congregation and worshiping Christ equally with the Father. Not on your life. Not on your life. Sorry, there are churches you can go to to believe that.

Plenty, I'll give you names after the service. Throughout history, our Savior has been vilified and scorned. In recent years, in our generation, while we've been alive, we've seen an increasing number of books and speakers and politicians and scholars and movies and comedians who love to pick on the person of Christ. But on this day, on this day, every tongue will acknowledge, every tongue will acknowledge the sovereignty and the deity of Christ.

I just went through my study and jotted a few things down. S.G. Brandon will see that Christ was more than a political zealot on this day. Richard Horsley will admit that Jesus wasn't just a social prophet. Gerald Downing will recant his view that Christ was a cynical philosopher. Morton Smith will cringe over his writings that Jesus was a magician who tricked his followers. Laurie Beth Jones will recognize Christ was far more than just a good example for corporate CEOs. Mark Theoring will understand that Christ wasn't influenced by Buddhism. He didn't marry Mary Magdalene in his thirties.

And he didn't escape crucifixion through medicine. John Allegro will bow his knee to the one he claimed invented his own cult and promoted it through the use of hallucinogenic drugs. John Hick and Shelby Spong will utter through, I believe, probably clenched teeth that he is the truth, even though they claimed he wasn't God in the flesh, didn't atone for anybody's sins on the cross, and didn't rise from the dead. The writers, actors, and producer Martin Scorsese of The Last Temptation of Christ is going to recognize the blasphemy of their work, which had the Christ figure saying on the stage before crowds, I am a hypocrite, I am afraid of everything, and I am a liar. Dan Brown will understand as he joins in this universal chant to Creator Christ that Jesus was not a mere man and the church didn't conspire after all by making up the four gospels. Marianne Williamson will understand on that day that the cross was not a tragic error to cling to, it was something to cry out to. Oprah Winfrey will tragically discover she was wrong on that fateful day recorded and watched, including by myself and millions of other people, when she said Jesus Christ is not the only way to God. On this day, ladies and gentlemen, Christopher Hitchens will acknowledge that crucifixion was not barbaric but redemptive.

On this day, as the entire universe utters the lyrics of this hymn, Richard Dawkins will acknowledge it was not aliens, and Charles Darwin will join him in acknowledging the Creator. This is the goal. This is the goal. You're reading the goal of all of human history, and history is racing toward it. Human history, ladies and gentlemen, is not rushing toward the deification of mankind. It is not racing toward the exaltation of we little gods.

It is not rushing toward the oneness that we'll all experience in the consciousness of the universe. It is rushing toward a universal choir, a choir that will sing to him who sits upon the throne and unto the Lamb forever and ever. And you know what this means, my friend? This means that you will one day sing these words. Everyone listening to my voice will one day say these words for you. Will it be a time of great joy and relief, and would John Newton in Geronimo say, well, what do you know?

We made it. Isn't this exciting? Or will it be a day of great terror and regret? What will it mean for you? Well, let me just tell you that now you can accept the Lamb as your Savior. Now you can be sure that you will sing to God with great joy. So my question is, what are you waiting for?

What are you waiting for? Right where you sit, acknowledge that he indeed is God in the flesh. By grace, through faith, place your hope and trust in the crucified, resurrected, interceding, and soon coming sovereign Savior.

Call out to him, and I can tell you based on the Word of God, Romans chapter 10, 13, that if you will call upon the name of the Lord, you will be what? Saved. So call on him now. I wouldn't wait another minute. One day, however, it will be forever, forever too late. Now before this scene closes, I know you thought I was finished.

I'm not. Let me just give you one little thing here. I love this little addition to the text. Look at verse 13.

This is just, this is wonderful. And the four living creatures said, you know the strange creatures from chapter 4, participating around the throne of God, they are saying what? Amen.

The tense of the verb means that they keep saying it. All the universe is singing and the four angels are just repeating, amen. Amen. Let's me know they're Baptists at heart, right? Amen.

With each attribute, and by the way, in the original language, each has the preceding definite article, which sort of adds a ceremony to it. To him who sits upon the throne and to the Lamb, be the blessing. And they shout, amen. And the honor. And they shout, amen. And the glory. And they shout, amen.

And the might. And they shout, amen. Forever and ever, amen. That's a wonderful thought and a wonderful scene. Would you like to play the role of the angels? Let's do that right now.

Ready? To him who sits upon the throne and under the Lamb, forever belongs the blessing. Amen. And the honor. Amen. And the glory. Amen.

And the might. Amen. Forever and ever. Amen.

Very good. Can you imagine, can you imagine, dear friends, hundreds of millions of angels and all of humanity acknowledging these truths and the four living creatures shouting, amen. Do you know what amen means? You could translate it, so be it. It will happen.

You could also render it. It's the truth. And I just happen to love that because now the redeemed and all of humanity utters, it's the truth. He is worthy of all blessing. It's the truth. He is worthy of all honor. It's true. He's worthy of all glory. It's true. He's worthy of all might. That's the truth. And for how long? Forever and ever.

That's the truth. I hope you've been encouraged by today's message and by this entire series. Steven's been looking at the Apostle John's description of God's throne room. This series is called The First Hymns of Heaven. This was the final lesson in that series. If you missed any of the others or you'd like to listen to the series again, we've posted all of it to our website, wisdomonline.org. We also have this series on CDs if you'd like that. Steven will be in Romans next time here on Wisdom for the Heart. Thank you.