Best Ever-Best Song Ever Part 2
Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come
Pastor Joe Palmer delivered the sermon on Sunday. When I got the bulletin and saw the scripture, I was intrigued. I had no idea how he would tie the title and the scripture together. Also, as posted earlier this week, I love any time scripture from The Revelation to John can be incorporated into a lesson or sermon. Here’s the passage. It is all of chapter 4.
1After these things I looked, and behold, a door standing open in heaven, and the first voice which I had heard, like the sound of a trumpet speaking with me, said, “Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after these things.”
2Immediately I was in the Spirit; and behold, a throne was standing in heaven, and One sitting on the throne.
3And He who was sitting was like a jasper stone and a sardius in appearance; and there was a rainbow around the throne, like an emerald in appearance.
4Around the throne were twenty-four thrones; and upon the thrones I saw twenty-four elders sitting, clothed in white garments, and golden crowns on their heads.
5Out from the throne come flashes of lightning and sounds and peals of thunder. And there were seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God;
6and before the throne there was something like a sea of glass, like crystal; and in the center and around the throne, four living creatures full of eyes in front and behind.
7The first creature was like a lion, and the second creature like a calf, and the third creature had a face like that of a man, and the fourth creature was like a flying eagle.
8And the four living creatures, each one of them having six wings, are full of eyes around and within; and day and night they do not cease to say, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God, the Almighty, who was and who is and who is to come.”
9And when the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to Him who sits on the throne, to Him who lives forever and ever,
10the twenty-four elders will fall down before Him who sits on the throne, and will worship Him who lives forever and ever, and will cast their crowns before the throne, saying,
11“Worthy are You, our Lord and our God, to receive glory and honor and power; for You created all things, and because of Your will they existed, and were created.”
Revelation 4:1–11 (NASB95)
One of the things I really like about both our pastors is that they tend to use large swaths of scripture. They don’t cherry-pick individual passages and try to massage them into a meaning. Sometimes it is long reading in a service, but it’s worth it, in my opinion.
Pastor Palmer began by asking us what we thought the greatest song ever was. He then put up a series of graphics like Family Feud for the 8 Greatest Songs of All Time as decided by Rolling Stone Magazine. As with any list like this, much division existed on what appeared therein. The final song listed by Rolling Stone Magazine as the greatest song of all time was R E S P E C T by Aretha Franklin. That’s a good song, but I don’t think it is the greatest song of all time. I also don’t have one to suggest, so we’ll leave that as it is.
He next mentioned a book, 60 Songs That Explain the ‘90s, by Rob Harvilla. You can find that book on Amazon HERE. He mentioned how his favorite music all came out during the ‘90s, but his children didn’t like his music. He explained that we tend to think the best music made came out during our teenage years, whenever those were. I agree with him. I like the mid to late ‘70s to ‘80s music very much, with some from the ‘60s (I graduated high school in 1984.)
Pastor Palmer said, “Worship of God is the best song ever.” At this point, the scripture above was read in its entirety. I mentioned earlier this week why I don’t dwell on the symbolism in the Book of Revelation. That doesn’t mean I don’t have ideas about it. However, I will confess that I haven’t had much of an image of what chapter 4 was until now.
I want you to consider what we’re told about this scene. We have a figure of a man in red on a throne with 24 elders arrayed around him. Hovering overhead at four things with six wings and covered in eyes. Before the throne are seven lampposts shedding light and spewing lightning and the song being sung is a vibration like how brass instruments sound.
Compare that to an orchestra combined with a rock concert. We have a conductor at the center with the chairs of the instrument players arrayed before him. Speakers pick up what is played or sung with microphones on stands before the players. Lights on stands illuminate that stage and could also house pyrotechnics that might resemble lightning, and the “creatures with six wings covered in eyes” could easily be drones with mounted speakers and cameras.
I am NOT saying that is what Chapter 4 is talking about. I am saying that was the imagery that occurred to me during the sermon. Something else occurred to me about chapter four during the sermon. I think Pastor Palmer mentioned it as well.
1After these things I looked, and behold, a door standing open in heaven, and the first voice which I had heard, like the sound of a trumpet speaking with me, said, “Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after these things.”
Revelation 4:1 (NASB95)
John sees a door and is taken up through it to view all that comes after this part. What if we were walking along, minding our own business, and suddenly a door appeared before us with a voice that said, “Come up here, and I will show you what must take place.” What would you do? I would probably start asking questions like, “Who is this?” Barring an answer, I’m unsure if I would go through. I’d like to think I would be brave enough to venture forth, but I don’t know, but that’s what John did. He went through the door, and we have the Book of the Revelation to John because of it.
As the sermon went on, Pastor Palmer related that in this setting, John saw all of creation represented by the elders and the four creatures. They were all singing the song from verse 8, which is the greatest song ever. Pastor Palmer related that the point of this chapter is to demonstrate that worship of God is the “Best Song Ever.”
8And the four living creatures, each one of them having six wings, are full of eyes around and within; and day and night they do not cease to say, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God, the Almighty, who was and who is and who is to come.”
Revelation 4:8 (NASB95)
All capital letters denote the NASB quoting from Old Testament scripture. In this case, it is Isaiah.
1In the year of King Uzziah’s death I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, lofty and exalted, with the train of His robe filling the temple.
2Seraphim stood above Him, each having six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew.
3And one called out to another and said, “Holy, Holy, Holy, is the Lord of hosts, The whole earth is full of His glory.”
Isaiah 6:1–3 (NASB95)
Those looking for doubt and reason to disbelieve will say that John was familiar with Isaiah’s vision and thus used the same imagery. What you look for, you will find. I choose to see consistency between what is written by the prophet Isaiah and then John because they saw the same thing. They saw God sitting on the throne in Heaven with His creation represented and arrayed all about Him in a manner a human being could comprehend.
In his sermon, Pastor Palmer mentioned the Greek word for holy or holiness. He said it was distinct, majestic, perfect, and pure. Let’s look at that word now.
Greek Strong’s Number: 40
Greek Word: ἅγιος
Transliteration: hagios
Phonetic Pronunciation: hag’-ee-os
Root: from hagos (an awful thing) [cf <G53>, <G2282>]
Cross Reference: TDNT - 1:88,14
Part of Speech: adj
Vine’s Words: Holiness, Holy, Holily, Saint
Usage Notes:
English Words used in KJV:
holy 161
saints 61
Holy One 4
miscellaneous translations 3
[Total Count: 229]
From hagos (an awful thing) [compare <G53> (hagnos), <H2282> (chag)]; sacred (physical pure, moral blameless or religious, ceremony consecrated):- (most) holy (one, thing), saint.
James Strong, “Ἅγιος,” Strong’s Talking Greek and Hebrew Dictionary (WORDsearch, 2020).
In this definition, we have sacred, pure, moral, blameless, and consecrated. Note there is a moral aspect to being holy. That moral aspect is derived from God, having set up all of creation defining what is right and wrong. God then gave Man His definition of what right and wrong is. Christians then receive that through the example of Christ as God made flesh living among us to demonstrate how to live a holy and righteous life. We are to emulate that example.
We are included in Chapter 4 through the 24 elders, at least in some opinions. There apparently is some debate among scholars about who the elders are. Halley’s Bible Handbook has this to say about the elders.
The 24 Elders, 4:4
Most interpreters consider the 24 elders to represent all of God’s people glorified: 12 patriarchs and 12 apostles, signifying the union of God’s people in the Old Testament and New Testament. John observes the 24 elders as having their crowns in this scene. We know from Luke 14:14 that the believers “will be repaid [crowned] at the resurrection of the righteous,” and when the Chief Shepherd appears, they will receive the crown of glory that will never fade away (1 Peter 5:4). The elders lay their crowns at Christ’s feet (Revelation 4:10–11).Others see the elders as heavenly counterparts of the earthly church. Still other Bible students regard them, like the living creatures in the following verses, as a distinct class of heavenly beings rather than redeemed human beings, because in the doxologies that follow they seem to be separate from, rather than a part of, the multitudes of redeemed saints. This latter view is thought to be least likely, as elders always represent humans everywhere else in the Bible.
Henry Hampton Halley, Halley’s Bible Handbook with the New International Version., Completely rev. and expanded. (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 2000), 928.
I’m not sure why it can’t be both. Why can’t the elders be both the representatives of the twelve tribes and patriarchs as well as being assigned the administration of the heavenly church? I see no reason for it to not be both/and instead of one or the other. Regardless, it has no bearing on anyone’s salvation, so take it as you like. The point of the elders, whoever they are, is that they, too, worship the one on the throne. They do this by placing their crowns before the throne. The point is that they acknowledge their subjugation to the one who created everything. They humble themselves rather than stand up in their pride and claim some false sense of ownership over something they had no hand in making. We should learn something from that stance down here on our little sliver of creation.
The sermon turned to verse 10 to deliver an outline of worship as exemplified by the elders. We have an allegiance, respect, honor, and praise or homage. All this is directed to God for His divine role in creating everything. Jesus, for the same reason, deserves our worship, as the Book of John reminds us.
1In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
2He was in the beginning with God.
3All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being.
4In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men.
5The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.
John 1:1–5 (NASB95)
Pastor Palmer turned to present a few hard truths to us at this point.
Worship isn’t about what we get from it. It isn’t about God empowering us. It isn’t whether we are “fed” or not. Worship is about God. Worship is about acknowledging a power bigger than us, something in charge, and has the right to be so. Worship is about humbling ourselves to admit we aren’t in charge of much at all. Worship is about admitting we don’t get to decide right and wrong because we are not holy. Only God is holy, and we are just trying to figure it all out.
The elders offered their crowns to God in Heaven. The living creatures offered their praise and loyalty. What do we offer God when we come to worship? Do we put ourselves aside and take on what God has for us, or do we supplant God’s will with our own by deciding we know better about His creation than He does?
What do we bring to God on Sunday? Do we bring our ideas for right and wrong, or are we humble enough to accept His ways? Are we in church to bow down before Him or merely “Get something out of this hour,” as Pastor Palmer asked?
Thanks for the in-depth study and analysis. This was inspiring, both Part 1 and 2!