How do angels worship?

-
Icon Apocalypse
Icon Apocalypse (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Revelation 4 “Around the throne, on each side of the throne, are four living creatures, full of eyes in front and behind” (v. 6b).

Centuries after Isaiah saw the angels in God’s heavenly throne room (6:1–3), John was given a vision of the divine throne room as well. Revelation 4
records the first part of this vision, which is remarkably similar to Isaiah 6.

The angels John witnesses praising the Lord declare the Creator’s holiness three times (Rev. 4:8), which suggests that these are the same creatures
Isaiah witnessed (6:3). That the two prophets are granted the same or similar view of the angels is also seen in the fact that the angels in each vision
have six wings (Rev. 4:8; Isa. 6:2). However, unlike Isaiah’s vision, the angels whom John sees are covered with eyes (Rev. 4:6b, 8), and no attempt is made to shield their eyes in the presence of God (see Isa. 6:2). The reason why the angelic creatures do not cover their eyes in Revelation 4 is a mystery. It may be that in the book of Revelation, John’s description of the angels is more concerned with a theological truth than the angels’ precise
appearance. The abundance of uncovered eyes on these angels might indicate
that the Lord sees all.

In any case, there is a veritable army of angels, the heavenly host, that has
as its primary purpose the continual praise of the Lord. These angels
experience today the ultimate hope of all believers — the beatific vision. We
will see God face to face once the remaining presence of sin is removed from
us in our glorification (1 John 3:1–2). Enjoying the soul-satisfying beauty of
the Lord will be our eternal delight, the greatest reward we can ever be
given.

It is difficult to conceive of what it will mean to see God because He is
invisible. Yet Scripture assures us that it is indeed possible for us to see
Him. Before evil entered the world, Adam and Eve saw God as they walked with Him in Eden. It is only our sin that prevents us from looking at Him.

Jonathan Edwards suggests that our experience of the beatific vision will be
with our minds, not our eyes. Everything we see is mediated through the optic
nerve and interpreted by the mind. Perhaps, Edwards suggests, there will be no mediation of our vision in the eternal state and our minds will experience
directly the vision of God.

What is the highest calling of the Christian? The continual praise of God by
the angels in heaven is one of the many depictions in the Bible that emphasize the importance of worship. Praising our Creator in heaven is the highest duty for the believer; indeed, we are exhorted to worship the Lord in all that we do (1 Cor. 10:31). And we should look forward to corporate worship each Sunday, for it is there that we glorify God in the presence of His people and the angels. Author: RC Sproul

Related articles

Enhanced by Zemanta

Popular posts from this blog

Speaking in tongues for today - Charles Stanley

-
Image
There are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. … But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all. … And God has appointed these in the church: first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healing, helps, administrations, varieties of tongues. … Do all speak with tongues? Do all interpret? But earnestly desire the best gifts. And yet I show you a more excellent way - 1 Corinthians 12:4, 7, 28, 30—31 The Lord Jesus Christ had come and gone. The church—newly birthed—was in a transition time. The new covenant was seen as a threat to the Jewish leaders; therefore, there was persecution for those who had chosen to follow Christ. The new religion, in its infant stages, had no Bible, few leaders, and absolutely no support from the government. Astounding that it survived, isn’t it?  How in the world did it survive with so little going for it? Power. Not just a force, but mighty, visible power. This new church
Read more

What is the glory (kabod) of God?

-
Image
2 CORINTHIANS 4:17 "This light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison." Scripture places a high value on God 's glory, and it is not hard to figure out why. Since the inherent glory of the Lord is something that He will not share with others (Isa. 42:8), we know that His glory is something that He prizes highly; indeed, He prizes it more highly than anything else. We should, therefore, set the glory of God as the goal and overarching emphasis of our lives. Whatever we lose for the sake of making the Lord's glory known will be worth it when we see the dazzling light and beauty of; the divine glory (28:5; Rev. 21:23). Glory has to do with light and beauty, but those aspects do not sum up what the Bible means when it speaks of the glory of God. Interestingly, the Hebrew word kabod , which is translated into English as "glory," has the root meaning of "weight" or "heaviness."
Read more

The Holy Spirit causes us to cry out: Abba, Father

-
Image
Pentecostés. Óleo sobre lienzo, 275 × 127 cm. Madrid, Museo del Prado. (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) To bring out the same truth in another way, Paul says God sent Jesus (as a Man) to live under the Law in order “to redeem those under law, that we [Jews and Gentiles ] might receive the full rights [adoption] of sons” ( Galatians 4:5).  By “full rights” or “adoption” he means entering into the privileges and responsibilities of sonship. He uses it also of the sonship of Israel (Romans 9:4). Galatians 4:1, 2 indicate that the son and heir of a wealthy family in Paul’s day would be treated as a slave until he became of age.  Then he would receive the adoption, that is, all the rights, privileges, and responsibilities that belonged to an adult member of that family. Adoption was also used in the modern sense, so that Gentiles who were not sons of Abraham became true heirs, true sons of God , by faith.  Jesus died, not just to save us from the fires of hell, but to make it p
Read more