TO GOD BE THE GLORY
“And the four beasts had each of them six wings about him; and they were full of eyes within: and they rest not day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come. And when those beasts give glory and honour and thanks to him that sat on the throne, who liveth for ever and ever, The four and twenty elders fall down before him that sat on the throne, and worship him that liveth for ever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying, Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.” — Rev. 4:10,11
The book of Revelation is readily recognized as prophetic in nature, but it is remarkable how much there is in it of practical and devotional worth. It is from that perspective, primarily, that these “nuggets” are chosen and explored. This somewhat extended passage is a good example.
The challenge is often issued to the believer, “Where did God come from?” It springs from a kind of innate sense of cause and effect, but its real intent is to throw us off guard as an unanswerable query betraying our intellectual deficiency. Before we go on, observe that the current “scientific” explanation of the origin of everything is “the big bang theory,” or a “primordial sea of scum.” Deftly set aside is the fact that these alternatives to God as the origin of existence leave their proponents with the same intellectual challenge: Where did the “bang” or the “sea of scum” come from?
There is no escaping the conclusion that somewhere there is an uncaused First Cause. If we are ever to know what that First Cause is, it must be either forever left a mystery or be revealed to us by the Cause Itself. It cannot be by investigation, because whenever we put our finger on what we perceive as the point of origin the relentless question arises again, “Where did It come from!” So, the Christian need never be embarrassed that he cannot explain where God came from. His detractors posit their origin to an irrational, mindless, impersonal source. That is unreasonable. The believer traces his to a personal intelligent Being. That at least makes our ‘being’ significant and gives reason validity.
The question of divine origin is answered in the word of God as here. God did not come from anywhere; He is eternal. He “was and, and is, and is to come,” and “lives for ever and forever [v. 8-9].” Uncreated, He is intelligent, personal, and powerful beyond compare.
The second affirmation in our text for today is that this God is the source of everything that can be defined as “created.” “Thou hast created all things.” Given what we can confirm about man, the world and the universe (“the heavens and the earth”), that makes Him one awesome Being! DNA is His invention, as are the stars, the planets and the vast reaches of space that appear to contain it all.
There is a third phrase of great significance in this passage: “…and for Thy pleasure they are and were created.” The NIV renders it, “…and by Your will they were created and have their being.” In other words, God is sovereign in creation. That is true as respects origin, maintenance and destiny.
So this remarkable “nugget” sets before us in sublime simplicity three great theological truths: God is; and He is eternal, creator and sovereign.
That is the practical part. Interwoven is the devotional. In this chapter we are transported from earth to heaven (cf. v.1-2) and given, in language suited to our understanding, a glimpse of God’s dwelling place. There we are introduced to “twenty four elders sitting, arrayed in white garments; and on their heads crowns of gold,” and “four living creatures” of extraordinary nature before His throne. The function of the living creatures is to worship, day and night crying “Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God Almighty,” and rendering “glory, honor and thanks” to the eternal God. The twenty four elders prostrate themselves before Him in adoration and worship, giving praise to God and “cast their crowns before Him.” From elsewhere in scripture we know that the crowns are indicative of reward for faithful service. This action evidences on their part the recognition that every commendable thing a believer is and does traces its origin to God Himself, and the glory belongs to Him. That is worship.
The creature is dependent upon the Creator for everything. If that is true, now is a time for rehearsing our worship!
For His glory, ‘for He alone is worthy,’
"Pastor" Frasier
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