LESSON 2:
Something unusual happens in Revelation 4:1.
John puts it this way: "After this I
looked, and, behold, a door was opened in heaven: and the first
voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me;
which said, Come up hither, and I will shew thee things which
must be hereafter."
One of John's key "time indicators" is that
little formula: "after this." A
major event has occurred!
What is it?
One pretty good
"hint" is this fact. Up until Revelation 4:1 the "church" is
mentioned again and again in the text (10 times).
But after
Revelation 4:1 the word is not used again (not even once) in the
rest of the Book of Revelation until the final summary chapter
(22:16)!
This leads me to
conclude that Revelation 4:1 is the place at which the Church
(the Bride of Christ) is removed from this earth and taken to be
with Jesus for evermore!
Often this event
is called the "rapture."
All I'm trying to
say today is that once John (as a member of Jesus' Body the
Church) is snatched away to heaven ... through that
"open door" after hearing that
"voice" along with the clear sound
of a "trumpet" ... he sees and
hears things that have seldom (if ever) been described in
Scripture.
Such things as
the Throne of God ... and One sitting on that Throne! And 24
Elders (perhaps representing the 12 Old Testament Patriarchs and
the 12 New Testament Apostles ... in other words picturing all
the saints of all the ages) worshipping our great Almighty God!
And 4 beautiful
living creatures ... also praising the Lord!
Then ... He
appears!
Who?
"The Lion of the
tribe of Judah!"
"The Root of
David!"
"The Lamb of
God!"
Jesus, the slain
but alive for evermore Son of God!
And once He
appears, heaven bursts into a hallelujah chorus of praise!
And that leads me
to what will become our text for a while.
"And I beheld, and I heard the voice of
many angels round about the throne and the beasts and the
elders: and the number of them was ten thousand times ten
thousand, and thousands of thousands; saying with a loud voice,
Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches,
and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing.
And every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and
under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in
them, heard I saying, Blessing, and honour, and glory, and
power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto
the Lamb for ever and ever. And the four beasts said, Amen. And
the four and twenty elders fell down and worshipped him
that liveth for ever and ever." Revelation 5:11-14
What worship!
What adoration!
What glory!
And we born-again
but still earthly creatures had better get "tuned" to such
activity!
We shall
participate in it for all of eternity!
And just to get
"warmed up," sometime today tell the dear Lord Jesus (Who saved
your soul from Hell) that you adore Him and worship Him and
praise Him and thank Him for all He is and for all He's done!
I'll guarantee
you this: your heart will become fervently warm as you exalt
your Lord and Saviour! And ... you will be speaking the
language of Heaven itself!
Amen!
--- Dr. Mike Bagwell
LESSON 3:
Although the word "worship" is found only
twice in the Revelation 4 and 5 context, the real atmosphere of
Heaven is depicted as one of constantly exalting the Saviour!
Multitudes are seen adoring our God!
Really, this portion of Scripture may be our
best "text-book" on how to worship Him!
Interestingly, the first use of the word is
in Genesis 22:5 where Abraham, traveling to the Mount to
sacrifice his son Isaac (!!!), says to his servants:
"Abide ye here with the ass; and I and the
lad will go yonder and worship, and come again to you." It's
obvious that the Patriarch saw more in this "death scene" than a
test of faith! He saw a Father giving His own Son, the
whole event being set in a context of substitution! That
is worship ground!
Surprisingly there was worship at Mount Sinai
too! See Exodus 24:1.
And worship in the wilderness journeys for
Israel! Joshua 5:14
As well as in the land of promise!
The Book of Psalms also includes worship 16
more times!
And nearly all the Old Testament Prophets
spoke of it.
Then came Jesus!
And the Wise Men worshipped Him!
And next Satan sought worship from ... Jesus!
Matthew 4:9
We learned from the Saviour that there is
such a thing as "vain" worship too! See Matthew 15:9.
In fact, Jesus had a full discussion with a
Samaritan woman about worship in John 4!
It's there that we learn how God the Father
longs for the worship of His people! "But
the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall
worship the Father in spirit and in truth:
for the Father seeketh
such to worship him." John 4:23
Plus ... the early church services were just
full of worship according to Paul in 1st Corinthians 14:25.
But THE premier Bible Book when it comes to
worship is ... Revelation! I find the word 22 times there!
(More than in any other Book of the Bible, including Psalms
which is 5 times longer!)
What does this say to you and me this
Wednesday in April?
That human history, which began in worship
back in the Garden of Eden ... is headed toward a great day of
culmination in eternity future!
A day that knows no sunset ... eternal in the
heavens ... in which (saved) mankind will worship God for
evermore!
THAT is what this Revelation 5:11-14 text is
picturing! It's focus is on worship!
I'm asking the Lord to teach us some of the
spiritual "mechanics" of such worship as we explore these
precious verses, word for word.
Lord willing, more tomorrow!
--- Dr. Mike Bagwell
LESSON 4:
The Apostle John, while a prisoner on the
small island called Patmos (in the Aegean Sea just off the west
coast of what we today call Turkey), was "in the spirit" caught
up to Heaven!
There he saw some things that impressed him
no end!
(Now keep in mind that one day all we who are
saved shall make this same journey!) And we shall see these same
things as well!
Just to briefly
review, the first thing John saw was a Throne!
"And immediately I was in the spirit: and,
behold, a throne was set in heaven, and one sat on
the throne." Revelation 4:2
I just counted
the number of times the word "throne" is used in Revelation
chapters four and five: seventeen (17). The Greek noun for
throne is spelled "thronos!" It means a seat. Especially a
seat of state or a seat of government.
Suffice it to say
that one main emphasis of this "heavenly" scene is that Someone
is ruling this universe! It is NOT out of control! An Almighty
Sovereign sits enthroned in Heaven!
John even noticed
the One Who sat on this Throne! He was to behold like a
"jasper" and a "sardine" stone! "And he
that sat was to look upon like a jasper and a sardine stone."
Revelation 4:3
The jasper stone
in Scripture is clear and white and brilliant, like a
diamond! And the sardine stone of highest quality is red
in color!
Look at that!
When John saw the
Lord God Almighty on His Throne He was brilliantly reflecting 2
colors ... red and white! (This reminds me of the Gospel!
"Though your sins be as scarlet, they
shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they
shall be as wool." Isaiah 1:18)
Even in Heaven
there are constant "reminders" of the beautiful plan of
salvation!
Then notice one
more thing. There is a rainbow about that Throne!
"And there was a rainbow round
about the throne, in sight like unto an emerald."
Revelation 4:3
The rainbow, a
picture of God's grace, is displayed in Glory!
But this one is
unusual.
See that it's
like an emerald ... all green in color!
That's the Bible
color of life and freshness and vitality!
Plus this bow is
all the way around the Throne of God! In a circle ... over It
and under It too! (We are only used to seeing half a rainbow!
In Heaven it will be a complete one!)
What does this
picture! Life that never ends. (A circle or a ring is endless,
having no beginning or stopping place!)
And isn't That
the Source of eternal life? The Person of God Himself! Jesus,
in John 17:3 said to His Father: "And
this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true
God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent."
No wonder they
worship God and praise Him incessantly in Heaven!
I feel like I've
written a "travelogue" this morning! And I do not mean that in
any disrespectful way.
But indeed ... we
have been Scripturally prepared for things to come!
Rapture to
Heaven!
A Throne!
A rainbow!
All the colors!
And the One on
the Throne Who is GOD! "Beloved, now are
we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be:
but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him;
for we shall see him as he is." 1st John 3:2
Maybe these are
among the reasons Paul had when he expressed
"a desire to depart and be with Christ!"
Philippians 1:23
And all this
beauty is presented as a prelude to ... worship and
praise of our great God for evermore!
Amen!
--- Dr. Mike Bagwell
LESSON 5:
The day our Lord
"called" John in the spirit from the isle of Patmos to Heaven above was
glorious indeed!
What sights he saw!
You will recall the open
door in Heaven! And the voice like a trumpet! And the
summons "Come up hither!" And the promise to see "things that must
be hereafter!"
Then John began to
observe some things. A Throne! A rainbow all the way around
that Throne too! Twenty four representative believers in Christ,
seated with golden crowns upon their heads! Seven lamps of fire,
picturing the "seven Spirits of God!" A "sea of glass" before
God's Throne, much like the brass laver that sat out in front of the
mercy seat at the Tabernacle in Old Testament days! Four living
creatures ("beasts") who each typify our Lord Jesus Christ in some
lovely way! Then ... a "seven sealed book." Some say it
would have contained the "title-deed" to all of creation (since such
books were always so sealed in Romans days). Others say it stands
for the unfolding of future events in God's great program of the ages.
Either way, no one was qualified to open it!
John wept over that
situation.
Then ... Here is Jesus!
The "Lion of the Tribe of Judah!" The "Root of David!" The "Lamb"
of God! (Note His resurrection ... "a Lamb as it had been slain"
... but obviously has been made alive again!)
He alone was able to
proceed to the Throne of His Father ... take the book ... and prepare to
open it ... unfolding the seven seals one at a time!
Then ... all heaven (and
ultimately all creation too) bursts into praise!
It's just too much for
them to handle!
Amid all these glorious
sights ... add some sounds now! Lightnings and thunderings and
voices from the Throne! The living creatures crying "Holy, Holy,
Holy!" And choruses of "Thou art worthy, O Lord!"
Then billions and
billions (an innumerable number) of angels begin saying with a loud
voice: "Worthy
is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and
strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing." Revelation
5:12
Thus ... we have observed through the eye of
Scripture today ... eternal worship already in progress!
They didn't wait until we got there, did
they?
But ... praise the Lord ... when we do
arrive (through the Blood of Jesus shed on Calvary) we will join the
throngs, all of whom are uplifting His Name!
Are you ready?
--- Dr. Mike Bagwell
LESSON 6:
In the Bible Book of Revelation two of the
"key" words are hear and see!
For example Revelation 5:11 begins with these
words: "And I
beheld, and I
heard the voice
of many angels round about the throne and the beasts and the
elders: and the number of them was ten thousand times ten
thousand, and thousands of thousands ...."
John the Apostle wrote those words nearly
2000 years ago!
Fifty five times
I counted the Greek word "eidon," meaning to see or behold.
That's 55 times!
Another forty
three times did I find the word "akouo," to hear. Again, 43
times!
Revelation is
certainly a book of sights and sounds!
John is
astounded!
Of course, he has
every right to be!
He has been "in
the spirit" raptured to Heaven itself and is seeing and hearing
that grand Place for the first time!
"After this I looked, and, behold, a door
was opened in heaven: and the first voice which I heard
was as it were of a trumpet talking with me; which said,
Come up hither, and I will shew thee things which must be
hereafter." Revelation 4:1
The whole Book of
Revelation is a record of the things John saw ... all
that he saw! "The Revelation of Jesus
Christ, which God gave unto him, to shew unto his servants
things which must shortly come to pass; and he sent and
signified it by his angel unto his servant John: Who bare record
of the word of God, and of the testimony of Jesus Christ, and of
all things that he saw."
Revelation 1:1-2
Of course, nearly
everything John "saw" dealt (either directly or indirectly) with
Jesus the Son of God! That includes the last thing he saw in
the book: "And I
saw no temple
therein: for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple
of it." Revelation 21:22
The same thing is
true about what John heard in Heaven!
The first Thing
John heard in Revelation was a Voice ... the Voice of Jesus our
Saviour! "I was in the Spirit on the
Lord's day, and heard
behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet, saying, I am Alpha and
Omega, the first and the last: and, What thou seest, write in a
book, and send it unto the seven churches which are in Asia;
unto Ephesus, and unto Smyrna, and unto Pergamos, and unto
Thyatira, and unto Sardis, and unto Philadelphia, and unto
Laodicea." Revelation 1:10-11
And the last
thing he heard? "And I John saw these
things, and heard
them. And when I had
heard and seen, I fell down to worship before the feet of
the angel which shewed me these things." Revelation 22:8
And obviously so
much of what John saw and heard ... drove him to worship! To
worship the Lord God Almighty!
Why, in
Revelation a blessing is even promised for those who hear
the Book being read! "Blessed is
he that readeth, and they that
hear the words of
this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein:
for the time is at hand." Revelation 1:3
And a warning is
issued for those who hear and change the words of the Book!
"For I testify unto every man that HEARETH
the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add
unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are
written in this book: and if any man shall take away from the
words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part
out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the
things which are written in this book." Revelation
22:18-19
(John is just the
kind of person who needs to hear and see! Those things impress
him! Listen to Him as he opens His first Epistle. He's talking
about Jesus. "That which was from the
beginning, which we have
heard, which we have
seen with our
eyes, which we have
looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of
life; (For the life was manifested, and we have
seen it,
and bear witness, and shew unto you that eternal life, which was
with the Father, and was manifested unto us;) That which we have
seen and
heard declare we
unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly
our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus
Christ." 1st John 1:1-3)
Wow!
Therefore ... you
might call the Book of Revelation an EYEWITNESS account!
A first hand
report of Heaven and all that lies ahead for the Believer in
Christ.
That is ... if
you yourself have "heard!" "And the
Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that HEARETH say,
Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let
him take the water of life freely." Revelation 22:17
Heaven ... Home
of the SAVED!
Get you Bible
sometime soon ... open it to the Book of Revelation and journey
with John throughout all of Glory! Enjoy by faith the sights
and sounds the great Apostle experienced! And (guaranteed) you
too ... will be motivated to WORSHIP and PRAISE the God on the
Throne!
That's the real
goal of Scripture anyway ... to exalt the Father God and His Son
Jesus Christ!
Amen!
--- Dr. Mike Bagwell
LESSON 7:
Revelation 5:11 opens
with a group around the throne praising God in true worship!
Within the group are
"many angels." That noun for "angels" (in Greek = "aggelos") means
something like "messengers!" Divine errand runners!
How "many" (in Greek = "polus")
are there? Our verse says: "ten
thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands."
Wow! (Mathematically 10,000 X 10,000 = 100,000,000!) But
that's not the total yet! Our verse adds:
"and thousands of thousands" more! In Greek the words read
like this: "arithmos" (number) "murias murias" (myriads of myriads) kai
(and) "chilias chilias" (thousands of thousands)!
Better yet, we are
seeing described here what Hebrews 12:22 calls "an
innumerable company of angels!" Yes!
Countless voices
worshipping God!
I got to thinking about
"angels" and Jesus.
They announced His
Birth!
They aided Him at the
end of His Temptation Victory!
They heard Him preach!
1st Peter 1:12 speaks of ... "them that have
preached the gospel unto you with the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven;
which things the angels desire to look into." Wow!
The strengthened Him at
Gethsemane.
They were on "stand-by"
at the Cross! "Thinkest thou that I cannot
now pray to my Father, and he shall presently give me more than twelve
legions of angels?" Matthew 25:53
They guarded His empty
Tomb!
They announced (at His
Ascension) His second coming!
And ... they are now
constantly worshipping Him in Glory!
Amazing!
Now, here's our whole
verse. John says: "And I beheld, and I
heard the voice of many angels round about the throne and the beasts and
the elders: and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand,
and thousands of thousands ... saying with a loud voice ...."
Revelation 5:11-12a
There we have the "math"
of it. Four beasts (living creatures) ... twenty four Elders
(picturing saints of all ages) and ____________ angels! (Can't be
counted!)
What a worship service!
So ... if you worship
each week in a small church ... few people attending because of a godly
stand or an old fashioned Bible ... enjoy it! Savor each
moment! Some day (and it may be soon) you will be in a throng! A
true mega-church of saints praising and adoring and worshipping our dear
Lord Jesus!
Then you'll remember His
Presence ... even when only two or three of you were gathered together
in His Name! You'll again remember how Jesus promised:
"For where two or three are gathered together in
my name, there am I in the midst of them." Matthew 18:20
Heaven, what a Place!
--- Dr. Mike Bagwell
LESSON 8:
The greatest worship service of all time has
not yet occurred!
It most assuredly will happen though, just as
John said it would!
He describes it carefully in Revelation
5:11-14. "And I beheld, and I heard the
voice of many angels round about the throne and the beasts and
the elders: and the number of them was ten thousand times ten
thousand, and thousands of thousands;
saying with a
loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain
to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and
honour, and glory, and blessing. And every creature which is in
heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are
in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying, Blessing,
and honour, and glory, and power, be unto him that
sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever.
And the four beasts said, Amen. And the four and twenty
elders fell down and worshipped him that liveth for ever and
ever."
It appears to me
that "everything that hath breath" is going to praise the Lord,
just as Psalm 150 commanded!
However notice in
our "text" that the angels are mentioned first ... many angels.
But a specific
verb is used in reference to these angels. They are "saying"
with a loud voice ... "Worthy is the Lamb!"
This is unusual
because earlier in chapter 5 the "redeemed" are said to be
"singing" unto the Lord. "And they sung a
new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open
the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to
God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people,
and nation." Revelation 5:9
The redeemed
sing!
The angels say!
Do the angels
sing?
Perhaps they do.
Or at least at some point in history they possibly did. During
Creation week we are told (by Job) that
"The morning stars (angels) sang together, and all the sons of
God shouted for joy?" Job 38:7
But, once sin
entered the world, I can find not one reference to angels
singing!
They did not sing
in Eden!
They did not sing
during all of Israel's history!
They did not even
sing when Jesus was born! Read the verses carefully:
"And suddenly there was with the angel a
multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,
glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will
toward men." Luke 2:13-14
They certainly
did not sing when He was crucified!
And even in
Heaven itself ... no record exists of angelic singing!
But their just
speaking ... with loud voices ... billions upon billions of
them ... saying "WORTHY IS THE LAMB" ... will be a moving
experience!
(One reason for
this lack of angelic singing might be this. Scripturally
speaking, only the "saved" are to sing for evermore! Those
redeemed from sin! And, remember, "angels" are not fallen
creatures needing redemption! They are observers of these
things called Grace and Salvation! The first singing in the
whole Bible occurs in Exodus 15 ... right after the Blood of the
lamb has been shed and Israel had been delivered from Egyptian
bondage! The redeemed sing!)
But whether they
sing it or say it ... praise to God and worship of the Lamb
(Jesus) pours forth from their mouths!
Yes, the "talk"
of heaven is Jesus the Redeemer!
And the angels
are leading the way!
Tomorrow at
Church, when they announce the hymn number, remember that you
are about to have the privilege of doing something even the
angels are not said to do ... SINGING unto the Lord!
The heavenly
hosts will just have to watch!
Don't squander
your opportunity!
Of course if you,
like me, can't sing very well ... then just SAY it anyway!
"Oh, Lord, my God
... How great Thou art!"
--- Dr. Mike Bagwell
LESSON 9:
There's something "special" about the praise
of angels ... as they adore their Creator and God!
We Christians can all learn something about
worship from them too!
God the Father said in Hebrews 1:4 ---
"And let all the angels of God worship Him
(Jesus)."
They do and they will for ever!
In some ways their worship is the fullest and
the most excellent of all the adoration in the Bible!
Let me show you what I mean.
As far we we redeemed ex-sinners are
concerned, our worship of God GROWS as we progress through the
Book of Revelation.
In Revelation 1:6 John the Apostle (just a
man saved by God's grace) begins uplifting our Lord. He
uses a two-fold doxology: "And
(Jesus) hath made us kings and priests unto God and His Father;
to Him (Jesus) be glory and dominion for ever and ever.
Amen." See, it's two-fold --- glory and
dominion!
Next comes the worship of the 24 Elders
(representing the saints of all the ages, probably 12 from the
Old Testament and 12 from the New, the Patriarchs and the
Apostles). Revelation 4:11 quotes them.
"Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory
and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for
thy pleasure they are and were created." Now, it's
three-fold blessing to God --- glory and honor and power!
And soon our human benedictions become even
greater! For in Revelation 5:13 we hear a four-fold
one! "And every creature which is in
heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are
in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying, Blessing,
and honour, and glory, and power, be unto him that
sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever."
Now, "every creature" includes the redeemed! Count these
multiple thrusts of praise --- blessing, honor, glory and power!
See! They're four-fold!
I am assuming that the longer we are in
Heaven the more we Believers will really adapt to an ever fuller
and purer worship of Almighty God and His Son our Saviour!
BUT while our worship is expanding and
including more and more areas of glory ... the angels have
already arrived!
Their praise of God is not two-fold or
four-fold or even six-fold, but ... seven-fold!
Count its beauties: "And I beheld,
and I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne ...
saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to
receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour,
and glory, and blessing." Revelation 5:11-12
1. Power!
2. Riches!
3. Wisdom!
4. Strength!
5. Honour!
6. Glory!
7. And Blessing!
Wow!
How majestic!
Seven ... how spiritually complete and
perfect!
And here's some additional "good" news.
The verses to which I just alluded also say that along with
those angels (the worship "instructors") ... someone else joins
this great assembly of praise!
Again: "And I
beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels round about
the throne and the beasts
and the elders:
and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and
thousands of thousands; saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the
Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom,
and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing."
I've capitalized "and
the elders!" Those earthly Believers ... seen
by John as already being in Heaven and symbolizing all the
redeemed ... are participating in this seven-fold poem of praise
also!
We shall "arrive" at full and perfect and
mature praise and worship "in the sweet by and by!"
In the mean time, keep on worshiping Him!
We are simply in training ... but even the
learning is delightful!
I've heard of people who made school
(education) their career, just advancing from one "degree" to
another!
I never thought that alone would bring any
pleasure ... until I enrolled in God's School ... the school of
Worship!
I plan to stay in that one until I graduate
... and go to that great Baccalaureate Service in the sky!
What a Day that will be!
Praise the dear Lord!
--- Dr. Mike Bagwell
LESSON 10:
It is perhaps the best known praise expression
in all the Bible!
"Worthy is The Lamb
That was slain!" Revelation 5:12
No doubt it has been voiced to our Lord Jesus
Christ countless times since His Death, Burial and Resurrection!
That opening adjective "worthy" comes from a
Greek word ("axios") which means "deserving, proper, or
fitting." Once in the King James Version it is translated
"due reward!" (Luke 23:41)
But, if so,
what is the "due reward" bestowed upon Christ Jesus by the
Father in Heaven?
I say the full
answer to that question still remains unknown. But 7 aspects of
Jesus' eternal state are mentioned immediately: power, riches,
wisdom, strength, honour, glory and blessing! Again, that's in
Revelation 5:12.
Even the main
verb in today's verse (clause really ...
"Worthy is The Lamb That was slain") is heavily
freighted with significance! "Is" is derived from the Greek
word "eimi" (central stem of the verb "to be") but here framed
in the indicative present active 3rd Person singular form.
Jesus IS worthy now (and that's an eternal now) ... and
has been being so worthy since John wrote those memorable
words about 96 AD! The "indicative" mood simply means that John
is stating a FACT!
Then notice with
me the noun "lamb." It is spelled like this in Greek: "arnion."
Now the normal word for a grown lamb is "amnos." But when "arnion"
is used a specific kind of lamb is in the author's mind. "Arnion"
is a diminutive! It means a "little" lamb! A precious lamb! A
"pet" lamb! Now, get the "math" of the words for lamb. Every
time the animal is mentioned (New Testament) outside of the Book
of Revelation ... "amnos" is used (4 times). But of the 30
times the Lamb (or lamb) is mentioned in the Book of Revelation
it's "arnion!" John is showing us Jesus as God the Father's
little Lamb! As His darling Son! As the very Delight of Heaven!
The auxiliary
verb "was slain" (in Greek = "sphazo") means to murder or to
butcher or to kill violently! The word pictures the
aggressiveness launched against Jesus at His Death on Calvary!
It is a participle (a perfect passive nominative one), the
"tense" idea ("perfect") suggesting that Jesus' Death is still
in force yet today as far as its sin forgiving Power and soul
cleansing ability are concerned! (By the way, how did John KNOW
this lamb had been "slain?" Of course he was physically present
at Jesus' Crucifixion and would have know this fact
historically, but I believe Jesus yet today in Glory has some
"marks" of His violent substitutionary Death on Calvary!
"Scars" ... even in His glorified body! At least He offered to
show them ... after His Resurrection ... to doubting Thomas!)
And yet at the
same time His Resurrection is obviously being taught in that He
(The Lamb) was seen by John alive in the very center of
Heaven, walking around and speaking and receiving Worship! (The
"context" of Revelation chapters 4 and 5 prove that fact.)
"Worthy is The Lamb That was slain!"
This expression I
believe is carrying the same idea as Revelation 1:18 where Jesus
said: "I am he that liveth, and was
dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and
have the keys of hell and of death."
Here in one
sentence we have the essence of Heaven's praise distilled into a
few monosyllables! (All right, "worthy" has two syllables!)
If you profess
Jesus as your Saviour this morning ... and cannot whole
heartedly agree with that statement about Jesus being worthy of
all the honour God the Father is bestowing upon Him ...
something is wrong, badly wrong!
You truly need to
do what Paul required of the Corinthians:
"Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own
selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in
you, except ye be reprobates?" 2nd Corinthians 13:5
I guess this is
maybe being too repetitious, but here goes ... one more time in
this Lesson: "WORTHY IS THE LAMB THAT WAS
SLAIN!"
(I just can't
help it!)
Praise His Name!
Does anybody
agree?
--- Dr. Mike Bagwell
LESSON 11:
The crucified, resurrected and ascended Lord Jesus has been given great
reward by His Father in Heaven! According to Revelation 5:12 those
areas of esteem are in at least seven categories.
"Saying with a loud voice, Worthy is
the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and
strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing."
Notice that these angels and others do
not say that Jesus is going to receive adulation in these areas, but
that He has already done so. At least that's the import of the
infinitive "to receive." The Greek word "lambano" here is
expressed in the aorist tense ... Jesus' receiving these things is
something already accomplished! Past action! Completed in
time! In other words the Father has already heaped upon Jesus
power and riches and wisdom ...!
This great throng of worshippers is
simply affirming what God has already done to Jesus!
Jesus, Thou art worthy to receive (as
God has already given to Thee) "power!" This noun is "dunamis" and means
inherent power! Power within! (Not borrowed power or imported
power!) And dear Lord, You deserve such Power! Need proof?
"And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying,
All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth."
Matthew 28:18
Then Jesus is worthy to have great
"riches!" The noun "ploutos" means wealth or abundance of
possessions! Paul constantly talks about the riches in Christ
Jesus that he has known! "That
in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in
his kindness toward us through Christ
Jesus." (Ephesians 2:7) Or again in Philippians 4:19 ---
"But my God shall supply all your need according
to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus."
Then ... "wisdom!" I guess so!
Paul says of Jesus ... "In whom are hid all the
treasures of wisdom and knowledge." Colossians 2:3
Next we come back to an "ability" word ---
"strength!" The Greek "ischus" usually means sheer brute force,
physical strength! It means might! This may include His
great miracle working capacity and total absence (for all His eternal
existence) of any discouragement! Isaiah 42:4 tells us of the
coming Messiah (Jesus) ... "He shall not fail nor
be discouraged, till he have set judgment in the earth: and the isles
shall wait for his law."
Then comes "honour!" It means the
value or price which is attached to One! (In Greek = "ti-me," pronounced
tee-may') Jesus by rank and constitution and character is
priceless! Listen to Jesus teach in John 5:23 ---
"That
all men should honour the Son, even as they honour the Father. He that
honoureth not the Son honoureth not the Father which hath sent him."
And carefully read John 8:54 --- "Jesus
answered, If I honour myself, my honour is nothing: it is my Father
that honoureth me; of whom ye say, that he is your God."
This is followed by "glory!" Our
word is "doxa" and means (in its very root) an opinion or evaluation or
estimate or view or judgment of Someone! Jesus, the God of Grace
... is the very Essence of the God of Glory also! God the Father
has invested in God the Son all His very being. They are One!
(Many theologians define Glory as the total essence of God! The
sum of all His attributes!)
Then ... ending in "blessing!" The
Greek "eulogia" means literally "well/good sayings" about Someone!
It's a synonym for laud or praise or exaltation! Listen to Psalm 106:48
--- "Blessed be the LORD God of Israel from
everlasting to everlasting: and let all the people say, Amen. Praise ye
the LORD." Since God is eternally and perfectly "blessed"
anyway, Jesus is complete and happy and fulfilled and satisfied at all
times in His Father! No wonder Jesus said in Psalm 16:11 ---
Father "at thy right hand there are
pleasures for evermore."
Please see today that these worshippers in
Revelation 5 are not adding to Jesus any thing! He is
already the perfectly full One ... nothing can be added to Him!
They are simply agreeing and describing the 7-fold essence of Jesus the
Christ, THE Son of God!
And to their ascriptions we can only say
... AMEN!
--- Dr. Mike Bagwell
LESSON 12:
In the last paragraph of Revelation chapter
five there is a "chorus" of praise. It is all directed toward
our Lord God Almighty and His Son Jesus Christ.
It seems to me that God is being exalted
because of two things He has done!
First, He has made possible the redemption of
lost sinners! He is addressed as "The Lamb That was slain!"
Then follows an immediate seven-fold benediction.
Secondly, He is recognized as the Creator!
That's when John writes: "And every
creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the
earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them,
heard I saying, Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power,
be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb
for ever and ever." Revelation 5:13
See those words
"every creature?"
That noun is in
the neuter gender. It's not just talking about people! Oh,
yes, it's true that "God also hath highly
exalted Him (Jesus), and given Him a name which is above every
name: that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of
things in heaven, and things in earth, and things
under the earth; and that every tongue should confess
that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the
Father." (Philippians 2:9-11) But it is also true that
due to sin "the whole creation groaneth
and travaileth in pain together until now!" (Romans
8:22) And it is Biblical to believe that Jesus the Creator is
going to deliver this whole world from bondage and restore it to
its sinless state! And when He does, all of creation ...
"every creature which is in heaven, and on
the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and
all that are in them" will gladly praise His Name!
Notice that the
praise offered to God in our verse above (Revelation 5:13) is
four-fold in character ... "blessing, and
honour, and glory, and power." Four is the Bible number
for earth, for creation ... as in North, South, East and West
... or as in Summer Fall, Winter, Spring! To Jesus they say ...
We praise Thee for being the Creator ... as well as being the
Redeemer!
See that these
adorers are in the heavens, on the earth, under the earth and in
the sea ... everywhere!
This is almost a
duplication of the Truth illustrated in the 148th Psalm! There
the stars of the heavens are invited to praise the Lord ... then
the angels ... then the sea creatures and all that are in the
"deep" ... then hail, snow, rain and wind join the chorus! Next
come the animals of earth (including the birds) ... plus
humanity; kings and princes and judges and young men and young
women and old men and children! The Psalm then closes:
"Praise ye the Lord!" That's
exactly what Revelation 5:13 is describing!
"And every creature which is in heaven,
and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the
sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying, Blessing, and
honour, and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth
upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever."
Get ready!
What John saw
here as prophecy will some day become history!
Jesus IS coming
again!
--- Dr. Mike Bagwell
LESSON 13:
I suppose it's not best to build Bible
doctrine around a point of grammar, but one can certainly draw
truth from Bible nouns, verbs and adjectives nonetheless!
Today's verse gives us a case in point.
"And every creature which is in heaven,
and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the
sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying, Blessing, and
honour, and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth
upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever."
Revelation 5:13
As you can obviously see ... all of creation
is here praising God.
"In heaven" ...
sun, moon, stars, angels!
"On earth" ...
all that walks and crawls and flies and breathes!
"Under the earth"
... worms and moles and for that matter coal (or diamond) miners
too!
"In the sea" ...
from plankton to porpoises!
"All that are in them!"
Now who or what does that omit?
They join together
"saying, blessing, and honour, and glory,
and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the
throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever."
See those four qualities they ascribe
to God?
"Four," being the number of earth and
creation (in the Bible), is used specifically here!
But in the Greek text (known as the Textus
Receptus) which gives us the King James Version of the Bible ...
the little adjective "the" is used in front of each of
those ascriptions! It literally says: To Jesus be
... THE Blessing and THE Honour and THE Glory and THE Power ...
for ever and ever!
Now, what's the point in studying an
adjective? And even at that ... the small article
"the?"
There of course would be no point if one did
not believe the Bible was verbally (word for word) inspired!
Not one word is out of place in the Holy Book
we carry!
To Jesus ... we attribute not just any
blessing or honour or glory or power. (That would be like saying
to Him ... any blessing be Thine, O Lord!) Oh, no!
To our Lord here they add THE very highest and THE very most
noble and THE very best blessing they know! And so on with
the honour and glory and power too!
Jesus possesses not just a power! Not
just some power! Not just a portion of God's power!
But THE supreme power of the universe! (One of a kind
Power!) He Himself calls it ALL POWER! See Matthew
28:18.
Also one of a kind blessing!
("A Name which is above every
Name!")
And one kind of honour ...
("This is My Beloved Son, in Whom I am
well pleased!")
And one kind of glory! ("Glory
to God in the Highest!")
This is unique adoration! The very
highest of exaltation that man and creature can give!
And I say HE IS WORTHY to receive it too!
Today sometime, friend, get alone with God
and think of the most lofty thing you can say to Him ... the
highest blessing your mind can conceive ... and let it flow ...
from your tongue into the heavens above ... where HE is waiting
to hear it! God seeks such worship! So says Jesus:
"But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers
shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth:
for the Father seeketh such to worship him."
John 4:23
Amen!
--- Dr. Mike Bagwell
LESSON 14:
We are told that in Heaven the angels say the
word "amen!"
John the Disciple heard them do so many times
in his great Book of Revelation. "And
the four beasts said, Amen. And the four and
twenty elders fell down and worshipped Him (Jesus) That liveth
for ever and ever." Revelation 5:14 (Those "beasts" or
living creatures are angels!)
Also the saved of all the ages who eternally
dwell in the Presence of God say it too ... "Amen!"
Even Jesus says it on occasion! Listen to
Him in Revelation 1:18 --- "I am he
that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore,
Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death."
The word "amen"
is of Hebrew origin. It means in the Old Testament "truly" or
at times simply "truth." It is spelled "amen!"
The first use of
this precise word is in Numbers 5:22 where a woman, accused of
unfaithfulness to her husband, had to take a divinely appointed
"test" to prove the charge wrong! During the process (in the
context of "faithfulness/unfaithfulness") she responded:
"Amen!" Look at that! "Amen" is first used as a "code" word
for faithfulness or truth! It's Biblical meaning has not
changed since!
As a verb ... and
thus spelled "aman" ... we have a key action word of the Old
Testament ... one meaning "to believe!" Here is its initial
use: "And he (Abraham)
believed in the LORD; and he counted it to him for
righteousness." Genesis 15:6
Folks, right now,
the "amens" are rolling in Heaven! To put it in John's words
"day and night" ...
"for ever and ever!" It must
therefore be an important term for the Believer in Christ!
Here's a quick
Bible history of the word "Amen:"
The people of
Israel shouted the word ("amen") in agreement with the words of
the Law ... 11 times ... in Deuteronomy 27! Moses there read
the Law ... the folks hearing it agreed, saying "amen .... amen
.... amen!" Here's one example: "Cursed
be the man that maketh any graven or molten image,
an abomination unto the LORD, the work of the hands of the
craftsman, and putteth it in a secret place.
And all the people shall
answer and say, Amen." Deuteronomy 27:15
It was a word
common in the Royal Courts of the Jewish Kings!
"And Benaiah the son of Jehoiada answered
the king, and said, Amen: the LORD God of my lord the king say
so too." 1 Kings 1:36 (Used in the context of
Solomon's accession to the throne!)
It was a word
commonly used in Israel's worship, especially during the days of
King David! "Blessed be the LORD God of
Israel for ever and ever.
And all the people said,
Amen, and praised the LORD." 1 Chronicles 16:36
They used it in
the time of Nehemiah too, especially during the great Revival of
chapter 8! "And Ezra blessed the LORD,
the great God. And all the people answered, Amen, Amen, with
lifting up their hands: and they bowed their heads, and
worshipped the LORD with their faces to the ground."
(Also see Nehemiah 5:13.)
And of course it
is strategically placed through the Psalms, being used four more
times!
Once "amen" is
translated (in the "King James Version") as "so be it!" See
Jeremiah 11:5.
And furthermore,
if Jeremiah is a good example (which he is), the Prophets loved
the word too! "Even
the prophet Jeremiah
said, Amen: the LORD do so: the LORD perform thy words
which thou hast prophesied, to bring again the vessels of the
LORD'S house, and all that is carried away captive, from Babylon
into this place." Jeremiah 28:6
"Amen" is such an
important word that in the New Testament the Holy Spirit just
"picks it up" out of Hebrew and "drops it over" into Greek,
letter for letter ... "amen!" (Then it becomes a "loan word!")
Its first use
there: Jesus teaches us to close our prayers with "amen!"
(Matthew 6:13 --- "And lead us not into
temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom,
and the power, and the glory, for ever.
Amen.")
And each Gospel
writer ends his Book with it: "amen!"
That basically says, "All I've written is TRUTH!" (Matthew
28:20, Mark 16:20, Luke 24:53 and John 21:25)
And it is
reverently sprinkled throughout the writings of Paul! (29 more
times!) The Apostle even shows us the word being used in their
early worship services ... 1st Corinthians 14:16!
"Amen!
And we've not
even counted the times it's used in the General Epistles or
Revelation!
Here's what I
want to emphasize today. If "amen" is used that much in
Scripture ... and if it's being spoken constantly in Heaven
right now ... shouldn't we Christians get more accustomed to
using it here on earth! Shouldn't our worship services thunder
with its sounds of affirmation and agreement? Shouldn't our
daily conversation be "seasoned" with it too?
Why, it is in
many ways the very "watchword" of Christianity!
Is that really
so, Preacher Bagwell?
YES!
In Revelation
3:14 Jesus calls Himself THE AMEN! It is One of His Divine
Names! Jesus is the Faithful One! He is The Truth! He is The
Amen! "And unto the angel of the church
of the Laodiceans write; These things saith the Amen, the
faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God
...."
What do you all
think?
Here's what I
think (and say) ... "Amen!"
"Lord, help us to
further build this great and holy word into our vocabularies we
pray. In Jesus' Name, Amen!"
--- Dr. Mike Bagwell
LESSON 15:
The last sentence of Revelation
chapter 5 says this: "And the four and
twenty elders fell down and worshipped him that liveth for
ever and ever."
It is often
suggested by those who study Scripture that those 24 elders may
represent both Old and New Testament saints who have lived on
earth, been saved by the Grace of God, subsequently died and
gone to Heaven! There, in Glory, they are seen simply
"worshipping" our dear Lord!
Think of that!
An eternity of
loving and adoring and magnifying the Lord Jesus!
Today let's
examine that little verb "worship."
In English the
noun "worship" is derived from a Saxon word that means "worthy!"
In early British
history it expressed the idea of "worth-ship" or value!
And in Greek (the
language the Lord chose to first express New Testament thought)
it is "proskuneo." Those who study ancient languages tell us
that that word has embedded in it the verb for "kiss!" A
literal meaning world be "to kiss towards!"
That's worship!
Loving Jesus! Expressing sincere heart-felt appreciation for
what He did for us on Calvary! Throwing Him an occasional
"kiss" of adoration and gratefulness! Listen to Psalm 2:12 ---
"Kiss the Son, lest He be angry, and ye
perish from the way, when His wrath is kindled but a little.
Blessed are all they that put their trust in Him." (And
think of all the times in the little Book of Song of Solomon
where the Bride loves and kisses the Bridegroom! She's a type
of the Church and He a Type of our Saviour! Loving Jesus!
Worshipping Him for ever!)
But the etymology
of that little word for "worship" gets even more interesting
than that! According to dozens of lexicons (the most readily
available being Strong's Concordance and its glossary of word
meanings) the verb "proskuneo" is derived from the Greek noun
for "dog!" (A little doggie, a house pet ... not a wild mangy
creature!) That word is "kuon." Do you see it in "proskuneo?"
The background of
the New Testament word for "worship" is a lovely little excited
doggie who gets so thrilled when His Master comes home! He
barks and jumps and (if allowed) licks and kisses the one who
has been so kind and true to him! I can just see the scene in
my mind right now! Talk about loyalty! Talk about dedication!
I hope we're
getting the point today!
Worshipping our
dear God and Saviour involves love and respect and honor (and
maybe a dash of excitement) and expressing such adoration in
terms that show His value and worth to each of us!
Now whether you
agree or disagree with this definition ... you'd better do one
thing if you're really saved! You had best study "worship" and
determine in your heart what the Bible means when it uses the
term!
Why?
Because you're
going to be doing that a lot when you get to Heaven!
How do I know?
Again I quote:
"And the four and twenty elders
fell down and worshipped him that liveth for ever and ever."
Here's the Bible
word count for words in the "worship" family: Worship = 108
times! Worshipped = 70 times! Worshipper = 2 times!
Worshippers = 7 times! Worshippeth = 6 times! And Worshipping
= 5 more times!
Need I say more?
Sometime today
... WORSHIP HIM!
--- Dr. Mike Bagwell
LESSON 16:
The last five Psalms (Psalms
146-150) are sometimes called "The Hallelujah Psalms."
That's partly
because each of them opens and closes with the same words,
"Praise ye the Lord!"
As you may already
know, those four English words translate one Hebrew verb,
"Hallel," plus its direct Object
"Jah," God's very Name! Hence we get
"hallel-u-jah!" And that's exactly
how it is spelled in the Hebrew Bible!
"Praise ye the
Lord!"
And it's also a well accepted fact
(among folks who take the Bible literally) that the whole Book
of Psalms "builds" on the theme of Praise. I mean it builds as
it progresses through its 150 chapters.
The "Blessed
is the man" of Psalm 1 ... quite some time later ...
thunders "Praise ye the Lord" (ten
times) in those closing chapters!
Here's my point
today.
When will those
final five Psalms be fulfilled?
When will such
praise be offered?
When will God's
Name be "blessed for ever and ever?"
Psalm 145:1
When will
"the Lord reign for ever ... unto all
generations?" Psalm 146:10
When will
Jerusalem "praise the Lord" and
Zion join her in the anthem? Psalm 147:12
When will
"the heavens and angels and sun, moon and
stars and the depths and the weather (wind and snow and hail)
and trees and beasts and birds and young men and maidens and old
men and children" join in such praise? Psalm 148
When will a
"new song" be sung unto God "in the
congregation of the saints?" Psalm 149:1
In fact, when
will "everything that hath breath praise
the Lord?" Psalm 150:6
Here's what I'm
suggesting to you today: The initial phases of this great
"Hallelujah Chorus" of Praise will be sung at the very moment
Revelation 5:11-14 is fulfilled!
The two Scripture
passages converge!
Right beside
Psalms 146-150 you can place Revelation 5:11-14.
Listen:
"And I beheld, and I heard the voice of
many angels round about the throne and the beasts and the
elders: and the number of them was ten thousand times ten
thousand, and thousands of thousands; saying with a loud voice,
Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches,
and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing.
And every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and
under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in
them, heard I saying, Blessing, and honour, and glory, and
power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto
the Lamb for ever and ever. And the four beasts said, Amen. And
the four and twenty elders fell down and worshipped him
that liveth for ever and ever." (This is Revelation
5:11-14.)
What a day that
will be!
Truly, all
creation will join!
Yes,
"At the name of Jesus every knee should
bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and
things under the earth!" Philippians 2:10
On this we can
all agree ... "Even so, come, Lord Jesus."
Revelation 22:20
Are you ready?
--- Dr. Mike Bagwell
... END OF SERIES.
