Worship Before the Throne: Come, Jesus, Come

Revelation 4 opens heaven’s door and lets John see what human eyes cannot see on their own. The throne stands at the center of everything, with One seated on it in majesty that words can only picture with jasper, carnelian, emerald, lightning, rumbling, thunder, fire, and a sea like crystal. The living creatures surround that throne with eyes, wings, and an unending cry: “Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come.” Their praise never runs out because God’s holiness never gets old.

The twenty-four elders show what worship looks like in heaven. Their crowns do not stay on their heads when God’s glory is in view. Their worship falls low, gives glory and honor and thanks, and says that God is worthy because He created all things and everything exists by His will. The throne room makes clear that heaven is not built around human accomplishment, earthly power, or personal preference. The throne is the center, and God alone is worthy.

Revelation 5 brings a scroll into the right hand of the One seated on the throne. The scroll carries what must take place, yet no one in heaven, earth, or under the earth can open it. John’s tears rise from the fact that nobody is worthy. The elder’s word cuts through that grief: “Stop crying. Look.” The Lion from the tribe of Judah has been victorious.

The Lion appears as a Lamb standing as though slaughtered. Christ’s victory does not come through raw force alone, but through His blood poured out for sinners. The Lamb takes the scroll because the Lamb alone is worthy to take it. The Lamb redeems people for God from every tribe, language, people, and nation, making them a kingdom and priests who will reign on the earth.

The new song gives heaven’s answer to the question of worthiness. The Lamb receives power, riches, wisdom, strength, honor, glory, and blessing because He was slain and has redeemed a people for God. Every creature joins the praise of the One on the throne and the Lamb forever and ever. The Spirit and the bride keep saying, “Come,” because the coming King is not an idea to admire from a distance. The bride waits for Jesus, longs for Jesus, and prays, “Come, Jesus, come.”

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Key Takeaways

• 1. God’s throne is the center [01:05:16] The throne room does not leave room for competing centers. God’s glory is not one important thing among many important things. The throne shows that every created thing finds its proper place only when God is seen as He truly is. The crowns of the elders remind believers that every honor eventually belongs at His feet. [65:16]
• 2. Holiness never becomes ordinary [01:06:36] The living creatures never stop saying, “Holy, holy, holy,” because God’s holiness cannot be exhausted. Their worship is not repetition without meaning, but wonder that keeps finding fresh reason to bow. God’s eternal nature, “who was and is and is to come,” makes shallow worship impossible when His greatness is truly seen. [66:36]
• 3. The Lamb alone is worthy [01:08:29] The sealed scroll exposes the inability of every creature to carry out God’s purposes. Christ alone can take the scroll because His death and victory have secured the right to rule. The Lion conquers as the slaughtered Lamb, showing that redemption stands at the heart of His kingdom. The cross is not a side note in heaven’s worship; it is the reason for heaven’s new song. [68:29]
• 4. The bride keeps crying, “Come” [01:23:35] The Spirit and the bride turn longing for Christ’s return into prayer. The church does not merely believe that Jesus is coming someday; the bride desires His appearing. That prayer carries both hope and surrender, because Christ’s return will set every wrong thing right and bring His people into full worship before His throne.
  
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Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [64:14] - The Coming King
• [65:16] - John Sees Heaven’s Throne
• [66:36] - Holy, Holy, Holy
• [67:15] - Elders Cast Their Crowns
• [67:45] - The Sealed Scroll
• [68:12] - The Lion of Judah Has Won
• [68:29] - The Slaughtered Lamb
• [69:03] - Heaven’s New Song
• [70:07] - Longing for Heaven
• [83:35] - Come, Jesus, Come

Bible Reading

Revelation 4:1–11

1. After this I looked, and behold, a door standing open in heaven! And the first voice, which I had heard speaking to me like a trumpet, said, “Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this.” [01:05:16]

2. At once I was in the Spirit, and behold, a throne stood in heaven, with one seated on the throne.

3. And he who sat there had the appearance of jasper and carnelian, and around the throne was a rainbow that had the appearance of an emerald.

4. Around the throne were twenty-four thrones, and seated on the thrones were twenty-four elders, clothed in white garments, with golden crowns on their heads.

5. From the throne came flashes of lightning, and rumblings and peals of thunder, and before the throne were burning seven torches of fire, which are the seven spirits of God.

6. And before the throne there was as it were a sea of glass, like crystal. And around the throne, on each side of the throne, are four living creatures, full of eyes in front and behind. [01:06:36]

7. The first living creature like a lion, the second living creature like an ox, the third living creature with the face of a man, and the fourth living creature like an eagle in flight.

8. And the four living creatures, each of them with six wings, are full of eyes all around and within, and day and night they never cease to say, “Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come!”

9. And whenever the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to him who is seated on the throne, who lives forever and ever,

10. 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,

11. 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.” [01:07:15]

Revelation 5:1–14

1. Then I saw in the right hand of him who was seated on the throne a scroll written within and on the back, sealed with seven seals. [01:07:45]

2. And I saw a mighty angel proclaiming with a loud voice, “Who is worthy to open the scroll and break its seals?”

3. And no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll or to look into it.

4. And I began to weep loudly because no one was found worthy to open the scroll or to look into it. [01:08:12]

5. And one of the elders said to me, “Weep no more; behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered, so that he can open the scroll and its seven seals.” [01:08:29]

6. And between the throne and the four living creatures and among the elders I saw a Lamb standing, as though it had been slain, with seven horns and with seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth.

7. And he went and took the scroll from the right hand of him who was seated on the throne.

8. And when he had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each holding a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints.

9. And they sang a new song, saying, “You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation,

10. and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God, and they shall reign on the earth.” [01:09:03]

11. 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,

12. 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!”

13. 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!”

14. And the four living creatures said, “Amen!” and the elders fell down and worshiped.

Revelation 22:17

17. The Spirit and the Bride say, “Come.” And let the one who hears say, “Come.” And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who desires take the water of life without price. [01:23:35]

Observation questions

1. What details around God’s throne communicate both beauty and power—such as the rainbow, fire, lightning, thunder, and sea like crystal? [01:05:16]
2. What do the living creatures repeatedly say about God, and what actions do the elders take when God receives glory, honor, and thanks? [01:07:15]
3. What causes John to weep in Revelation 5, and what changes after the elder tells him to look? [01:08:12]
4. What titles and descriptions are given to Jesus in this passage, including “Lion,” “Root of David,” and “Lamb … slain”? [01:08:29]

Interpretation questions

1. Why does Revelation 4 place the throne at the center of John’s vision? What does that show about where created things, human power, and personal accomplishments belong?
2. The elders cast their crowns before God’s throne. What does this action communicate about the source and proper use of honor, ability, position, and achievement? [01:07:15]
3. Why is Jesus introduced as a conquering Lion but then seen as a Lamb who had been slain? How does His death by blood explain His victory and worthiness? [01:09:03]
4. Revelation 5 says that the Lamb redeemed people from every tribe, language, people, and nation. How should this shape the way Christians see the church, their neighbors, and people unlike themselves?

Application questions

1. God’s throne is the center of heaven. What has been trying to become the center of your life lately—comfort, fear, success, politics, relationships, control, or something else? What would it look like to put that at God’s feet this week? [01:05:16]
2. The living creatures never cease to say, “Holy, holy, holy.” Has worship become familiar or routine for you in any way? What specific truth about God’s holiness could help restore wonder in your prayer or worship this week? [01:06:36]
3. The elders lay down their crowns before the throne. What “crown” are you most tempted to hold tightly—your reputation, accomplishments, gifts, independence, or recognition? How can you practice giving that glory back to God?
4. John wept because no one was worthy to open the scroll, but the elder told him, “Weep no more; behold.” When discouragement or fear rises, what are you usually looking at first? How might deliberately looking to the victorious Lamb change your response? [01:08:12]
5. Jesus is worthy because He was slain and ransomed people by His blood. How does the cross speak to a sin, burden, shame, or struggle you are carrying right now? [01:09:03]
6. The prayers of the saints are pictured before the Lamb as bowls of incense. What prayer for Christ’s kingdom, your church, or a person who needs Jesus do you want to keep bringing before Him? [01:09:01]
7. The Spirit and the Bride say, “Come.” Does the return of Jesus bring more hope, uncertainty, urgency, or longing in your heart? What would it look like to make “Come, Jesus” a sincere prayer in the middle of ordinary life? [01:23:35]