God appointed patriarchs, the lawgiver, judges, prophets, wise ones, and apostles to first hear, and then preach, his Word. This Word is recorded for the Spiritual formation of the faith community. These are the “lightning, rumblings and peals of thunder” that burst from the throne of God. The Holy Christian Scriptures clarify God’s general revelation through creation, point to God’s specific revelation in history, and ultimately his incarnation in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
As an apostle, John shows how this revelation is engaged: "Then I saw in the right hand of him who sat on the throne a scroll with writing on both sides and sealed with seven seals. And I saw a mighty angel proclaiming in a loud voice, "Who is worthy to break the seals and open the scroll?" But no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth could open the scroll or even look inside it. I wept and wept because no one was found who was worthy to open the scroll or look inside. Then one of the elders said to me, "Do not weep! See, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has triumphed. He is able to open the scroll and its seven seals."…And they sang a new song: "You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, because you were slain, and with your blood you purchased men for God from every tribe and language and people and nation. You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God, and they will reign on the earth" (Rev. 4:6, 4:9 – 5:10 NIV).
How is this revelation perceived and received? By receiving the written Word of God (the scroll 5:1), revealed by Jesus (the Lion of Judah and the slaughtered lamb 5:5-6), exegeting it (paying careful attention to what it actually says and means), and preaching it (proclaiming that original meaning to the contemporary community context, in their language, history, and culture). This is what John was doing in Revelation. He is exegeting the whole of the written Word and teaching it to his flock in a new contextualized language. He is listening to the text of God’s Word and preaching it to God’s people under his care.
It is only by the revelation of God himself that the Word is revealed. The Word is the self-initiated speech of God. The Word goes out in God’s perfect, breathing revelation to the world (the number seven is the number of perfection in apocalyptic poetry). The Church’s response is to listen, receive, understand, worship, and proclaim. He has made the Church his community of kings and priests in the world, and the way the Church reigns and presides is by leading people to pay attention to God’s Word read, sung, prayed, and preached. This is like the voices of the many messengers (Rev. 5:11),
numbering thousands upon thousands, and ten thousand times ten thousand. (We) encircled the throne and the living creatures and the elders. In a loud voice (we sing): "Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honour and glory and praise” (Rev. 5:11-12 NIV).
The logos of Christian Spiritual formation is the exposed Word of God. Authentic Christian preaching of the Word of God, will always and only be, in every generation, the act of God’s representative messenger, paying attention to the texts of God’s Word and then boldly proclaiming the meaning of God’s Word to his contemporary cultural context. Only then will the congregation truly hear the voice of God, be transformed, and then God will be glorified. This has always been the case. This has always been the true practice of the authentic covenant people of God; whether in the tabernacle or the temple, in synagogues or sanctuaries, churches or cathedrals.
Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all that is in them, singing: "To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praise and honor and glory and power, for ever and ever!" The four living creatures said, "Amen," and the elders fell down and worshiped (Rev. 5:13-14 NIV).
This is a beautiful picture of “God’s throne,” given through John’s Scripture-soaked imagination, his love for God, his skill with words, and his love for his parishioners, to whom he writes by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. What he gives them is a picture of “what is to happen” – the invisible reality of God being adored by his people through the “open door” of worship. God is revealed in concentric circles. Beginning with the rainbow and jewel-lit throne, God’s person radiates out through the four living creatures (his creation), the elders (his prophets and apostles), and the angels (his revealing message). The “Lion of Judah” (the incarnated Christ) opens the scroll (Holy Scripture) and the sacraments (baptism in the “glassy sea” and the Lord’s supper through “a Lamb...who had been slain”) amongst the seven lamp stands (God’s people assembled in church communities).
Here the action of worship is revealed. This is the picture of the invisible context of the Church at worship. In the midst of feeble attempts at serving God, his people are caught up in the world-shaking events of God’s eternal throne room. In the public reading, praying, preaching, singing, and sacraments, God’s people are involved in the heavenly drama of this cosmic transformation, whether they realize it or not. In the midst of weekly, Sunday church service, the elders fall on their faces and lay their crowns before the throne. All of creation sees and proclaims his glory. The thunder and lightening of his revelation comes from the center of his throne. The creatures, elders, and angels all sing his praise, which culminates in the triumphal “Amen!”
