Worthy is the Lamb by Rocky Fleming

Then I looked, and I heard around the throne and the living creatures and the elders the voice of many angels, numbering myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands, saying with a loud voice,

“Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing!”

And I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all that is in them, saying, “To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever!” Revelation 5:11-13 (ESV)

Now please take the verse above to the deepest place of your imagination and try to visualize what is being described here.  Imagine that you are given the same point of view given to the Apostle John who described what he saw.  But now … you are the one observing it.  What words would you use to describe the scene.  Magnificent? Breath taking? Awesome?  Worshipful? Majestic?  Big words but insufficient to describe a heavenly event.  But let’s try to take it from descriptive words and instead to a personal and meaningful revelation of what we are seeing.  Here’s what I come up with:

• How unworthy I am to be here.
• I’ve never seen a worship expression in my life that is so worthy of veneration as this.
• Why am I seeing this? What does God want me to see and to respond to?
• I don’t want to go back. I want to stay, for I’ve never been part of something so right to do.
• How does this shape my life from now on after seeing this?
• Why have I not worshipped Jesus like this before? He deserves it.

The Apostle John was exiled to the Island of Patmos when he wrote Revelation.  He was taken into a heavenly vision that revealed to him things that very few people have seen.  There were messages to leaders of churches that John was to convey.  He was shown things that would come at the end of days.  The Book of Revelations is very difficult to just read.  It requires a lot of study, but even then, it is so cryptic and prophetic that it will likely be only understood when things are happening or have passed.  But there are things that need to be understood here and now, for I believe we are entering the last days that Revelation speaks of.

With this particular account that was revealed to John with what would take place, I believe that one day all followers of Jesus Christ will be part of this celebration.  That which has limited or hindered us from the purest form of worship, will be no longer.  That which deep down within us that wants to be expressed will be unleashed, and we will join a chorus of love and worship of the Lamb who is worthy.  But what about now?  How does this relate to our days here and now, but keep it within an eternal perspective?  John had to consider that.

I feel that this present life for a follower of Christ is preparation for our eternal life.  This life is highly overrated in the continuum of things.  It is a blink of an eye, compared to our eternal existence.  I believe the stewardship of our life now and its purpose, is a proving and development ground for our life to come.  Better said, it’s learning to get our singing voice for the day that we join the heavenly chorus.  It’s a dress rehearsal.  It’s growing in us the heart of worship, before it goes to our voice.  It’s creating in us every reason to rejoice when this life is done, and we enter our Lord’s Kingdom.  But it is a reminder that although these things are in our future, our purpose for this present life is here and now.

I believe we live in a time that followers of Jesus should be constantly aware that our life in this world is temporary, and in some cases such as mine, there is not much left to my race.  By having this sense of our mortality and that which is really important in the overall order of things, causes us to live better, more purposeful and with greater significance.  Some people might discredit my advice by saying that I’m an old man and that’s the ways us old guys think.  That’s likely true in some cases.  But in my case, my sense of mortality and purpose came front and center with me when I was thirty years old, after my dad died suddenly.  That which was expected, planned, hoped for and desired to be realized, was turned upside down as I saw all of those plans end suddenly.  I saw the desperation of grief, but as well, a reminder that we will all face the same fate.  There was shock and sadness to the deepest part of my soul.  But from that day on, I began to love my life and family as never before.  I leaned into Jesus as never before, and He taught me how to live with an awareness with how temporary our mortality is, but to live without gloom and fear.  It is part of life.  The best life is ahead.  That is our comfort.  But the part we play with making disciples and teaching them how to abide in their hearts with Jesus, will teach them how to join the heavenly chorus and join our voices with singing Worthy is the Lamb.  Worthy is the Lamb. 

But why wait to later.  Let’s start our rehearsal now.