Revelation 4:9–11
And whenever the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to him who is seated on the throne, who lives forever and ever, the twenty-four elders fall down before him who is seated on the throne and worship him who lives forever and ever. They cast their crowns before the throne, saying,
“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.”
Beginning in chapter four, John takes us on a tour of the throne in Heaven. There is a lot happening in front of the throne! For one, there is a “sea of glass, clear as crystal.” The “sea of glass” often appears in prophetic visions of God’s throne (Ex. 24:10; Ez. 1:22; Rev. 15:2). Unlike the seas on earth today, this one is perfectly calm and thus crystal clear. A tumultuous sea is often the biblical image for the sinful chaos of the world. That is the kind of “sea” that will be “no more” in heaven (Rev. 21:1).[1] But there will be this perfectly calm sea. Its proximity to the Holy Spirit who is also “in front” of the throne reminds us that he is that agent of the Godhead who brings order out of chaos as he did at creation (Ge. 1:2). Only now he does so by applying the redemption purchased by Christ to us as the “firstfruits” and then ultimately to the whole creation (Ro. 8:23).
In addition to the Holy Spirit bringing order to the chaos within our hearts and within our world, he transforms the rebellion and anxieties of his people into worship. The “twenty-four elders” (12 Patriarchs of the OT +12 Apostles of the NT) represent the one people of God from the Old Testament through the New Testament and into the future. This is the worship that is occurring by all the people of God in heaven now—from Adam and Abraham to John Calvin and you. The Bible indicates (Revelation especially) that when we worship corporately, we are actually joining in that worship continually occurring in heaven (1 Co. 11:10; Ps. 138:1).
Though we cannot see the other worshipers there, we are worshiping with them as truly as if we were standing there. This is what explains that phenomenon that you feel whenever you are focused on Christ by faith in worship and not on others or adrift in your own thoughts or texting or sleeping. Some people have described it to me as feeling that God was speaking to you alone. Others say it is like a curtain was opened to heaven. Or some say they felt lifted up above everything common around them. This does not have to be a rare phenomenon. It can be what you experience every time you prepare yourself before worship and labor in the midst of worship to keep your sanctified imagination concentrated on the reality that you are participating in the heavenly worship occurring in real time.
Notice the mindset that must precede the act of worship if it is going to be that exercise of ascribing “worth-ship” to Christ. It begins with casting your crowns before the throne.[2] You are mistaken if you think that gathering crowns by means of service to Christ to cast at his feet is something that must wait until you arrive in heaven. To worship is to say with every song you sing, every prayer you make, every creed you recite, every sermon you listen to, every movement of your body,
Worthy are you, our Lord and God,
to receive glory and honor and power.
If you are passive in worship, thinking: “I don’t like this music,” judging the way someone is dressed, daydreaming about playing golf, scrolling through social media, you are not participating in the worship occurring in heaven. If you are disengaged, you are wasting the Lord’s Day. If you are indolent, you are by default saying to God, “You are not worthy of my best today.”
But heavenly connected worship can occur every week. To experience it should be what drives your moment-by-moment obedience to Christ every day. When you read your Bible, pray, speak an encouraging word, share your faith, do your job excellently, love a neighbor, forgive a spouse, obey your parents, play your sport well, do your homework with skill, you should be thinking, “I am doing this, Lord, for you so that in worship on Sunday I will have a crown to throw at your feet by which I say, ‘Thank you for loving me so much you died for me.’”
[1] Beale, G. K. (1999). The book of Revelation: A commentary on the Greek text. New International Greek Testament Commentary (328). Grand Rapids, MI; Carlisle, Cumbria: W.B. Eerdmans; Paternoster Press.
[2] Tacitus, Annals 15.29, tells how the Parthian king Tiridates laid his crown at Nero’s feet. Osborne, G. R. (2002). Revelation. Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament (239). Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic.