Lesson # 3 WORSHIPING GOD AND THE LAMB: THE HEAVENLY JOURNEY

Worship and praise are central features of Revelation, and singing is one of the best ways to enter into the imagery of the book. The singing begins in Chapters 4 and 5, when John is summoned to “come up” to heaven “in the spirit,” through an open door. There he sees four living creatures and twenty-four “elders” worshiping and singing in a circle around God’s throne. The message is that we are to give allegiance only to God, not to any earthly government or power. As we will discover in this lesson, real power comes from the Lamb, whose name is Jesus. Here are the questions.



Key Ideas:
1.John has now looked to heaven--not a literal place, but a divine perspective. We look for the deeper-than-literal message.
2.The surprise is the power found in Jesus symbolized by a Lamb, not a mighty lion. This vulnerable Lamb image is the central symbol of Christ in Revelation.
3."Lamb power" is very different from the power structures of dominant human culture.
4.We can, in prayer, participate in heavenly worship. Recognizing the power of sacrificial love and gentleness, we join with creation in singing praise to God.

I.Opening Devotion. On page 29.

II. Heaven
John has now moved his focus from earth to heaven. While John may have held the common view of heaven as a dome above the flat earth beyond the sky, this is not meant to be a geography lesson.
How would you have described heaven when you were a child?
How do you think of heaven now?
The lesson describes heaven with divine perspective. See page 24--paragraph 2.

III. John tries to describe the undescribable.
Have you ever heard or said yourself "words just cannot describe it"?
Read Rev. 4:2-6a.
What kind of picture is this?

IV. Numbers and More Numbers
Who might the 24 elders be?
Or--Is it 12 patriarchs and 12 Apostles?
Or--Is it 12 tribes and more people?
Read Rev. 4:10
Who or what are we worshiping today?

V. Visions from the Old Testament.
Read Ezekiel 1:4-10. Read Isaiah 6:1-3.
Read Rev. 4:6b-8.
What is represented by the creatures?
What did the creatures say?
These creatures will be mentioned again--and they lead the songs of praise.
Look at the list of Hymns on page 83.
Do you have a favorite hymn?
Is there special meaning in musical praise of God?

VI. Lion vs. Lamb
Read Rev. 5:5
Are you looking for something powerful—a lion?
Read Rev. 5:6-7
What is surprising and outstanding about this image?
What does the image of the Lamb suggest?
Where have you seen this “lamb power “ ?

VII. Prayer

Read Psalm 141:2

Read Rev.5:8

What does this say about the importance of prayer? What kind of prayer?

Do we, as part of the church on earth, participate in the worship of the church in heaven?

VIII. Hope and Victory

Read Rev. 5:11-14

Where do you hear the song in the world today?

IX. Prayer

Pray the prayer on page 28.