Worship in Revelation Archives » From Daniel to Revelation

2025-02-072025-02-08

Worship in God’s throne room (Revelation 4 & 5)

Purpose

Previous articles discussed God’s throne room (Rev 4:1-8) and the 24 elders (Rev 4:4). The current article continues the discussion of chapter 4, namely, the worship in God’s throne room (Rev 4:8-11).

4:8

And day and night they do not cease to say, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God, the Almighty, who was and who is and who is to come.”

Holy

To be holy means to be separate. Things are holy when consecrated to God. People are holy when God assigns specific tasks to them. God is essentially holy because He is the Uncreated Source of all things. He is that which exists. All else exists because He exists. He created all things, and because of His will, they exist (Rev 4:11).

Day and Night

“Day and night” means continually. To continually say “holy, holy, holy” may seem boring, but the four living creatures have been created with the ability to understand something about God’s immeasurable holiness. Therefore, their intense emotions explode into these words of exaltation. It is not their duty; it is their joy!

But it is not aimless exaltation. Both the four living creatures and Satan talk “day and night” about God. While the four living creatures praise God, Satan, by accusing the people whom God has chosen for eternal life (Rev 12:10), effectively accuses God of unfair judgment. Therefore, the four living creatures seem to oppose Satan “day and night.” [Show More]

Almighty

The four living creatures describe the “One sitting on the throne” as “the Almighty” (Rev 4:2, 8). This refers only to the Father. Jesus does not appear in Revelation 4. Of the 10 instances of the phrase “Almighty” in the New Testament, 9 are in Revelation. The Bible never refers to Jesus as “the Almighty.” On the contrary, Jesus is explicitly distinct from “the Almighty“ (Rev 21:22; Rev 19:15). See – Is Jesus the Almighty?

Who was and is and is to come

The four living creatures also describe the Almighty as the One “Who was and Who is and Who is to come” (Rev 4:8). [Show More]

In Revelation, only the Father:

- Is called God (cf. Rev 1:2);
- Is Almighty (e.g., Rev 21:22),
- Sits on the throne (e.g., Rev 12:5; 3:21; 4:2),
- Lives forever (e.g., Rev 4:9),
- Willed and created all things (Rev 4:11) and
- Was and is and is to come (e.g., Rev 1:4-5).

4:9

And when the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to Him who sits on the throne, to Him who lives forever and ever,

When the living creatures

Whenever the four living creatures offer their triple praise to God (Rev 4:9), the twenty-elders fall down and worship God (Rev 4:10). This implies repetitive action. This confirms that this fourth chapter does not describe one specific event but the general condition in God’s presence.

Give glory and honor and thanks to Him

Worship is not about us, our feelings, or our duties. Worship is not a recital of what we need to do; it praises God for what He is and what He has done. To give thanks is the foundation of true worship. Understanding and practicing this truth will unleash God’s power in a local church. If worship often seems powerless, it is because it is rarely centered on God. In Bible times, when people rehearsed what God had done for them in the past, the power of God’s original act was unleashed in the worshiper’s present (2 Chron 20:5-22; Dan 9:15). Worship focuses attention away from us and toward God. Our weakness takes hold of His strength. [Show More]

Lives Forever and Ever

Jesus is “alive forevermore” (Rev 1:18) and “will reign forever” (Rev 11:15), but only the Father “lives forever” (Rev 4:9-10; 15:7). The Father “alone possesses immortality” (1 Tim 6:16). As the only begotten Son of God, Jesus derived His eternal nature from the Father, but the Father is the Unbegotten Source of all things. He, alone, has inherent (essential) immortality.

4:10

the twenty-four elders will fall down before Him who sits on the throne, and will worship Him who lives forever and ever, and will cast their crowns before the throne, saying,

Worship explodes outward.

Whenever (Rev 4:9) the four living creatures, in the inner circle around the throne (Rev 4:6), with their astounding perceptive abilities (Rev 4:6), become full of the wonder of God’s holiness (Rev 4:8), and burst into praise, that worship overflows to the next circle around the throne – the 24 elders (Rev 4:9-10), then to the billions of angels around the 24 elders (Rev 5:11-12), and, finally, to “every created thing” (Rev 5:13).

Fall Down … Worship

This verse translates the two words pesountai and proskunêsousin as “fall down” and “worship.” (Biblehub) Both words mean to prostrate oneself in obeisance toward God, a god, or an exalted person such as a king (Biblehub). Where somebody proskuneó another person, it is translated as bow down or fall down, but as worship where somebody proskuneó God or a god. See Dictionary or Read Article.

Cast their crowns before the throne

The 24 elders (Rev 4:10) have victory crowns (Greek: stephanos); not royal crowns (Greek: diadêma). By casting their crowns before the throne (Rev 4:10), they acknowledge that they owe their victory completely to Him. In a sense, they feel unworthy to wear their crowns in the presence of the One who gave them their victory.

4:11

“Worthy are You, our Lord and our God, to receive glory and honor and power; for You created all things, and because of Your will they existed, and were created.”

Worthy are You

In Revelation 5, Jesus Christ is declared “worthy” because He was slain and purchased people for God with His blood (Rev 5:9). But here, the One sitting on the throne is declared “worthy,” namely, because He created all things.

Our Lord

The one seated on the throne is addressed as “our Lord” (Rev 4:11). The Greek word translated as “Lord” is kurios. The L is capitalized, not because of the word itself, but because of the context, namely, because it refers here to God. In other contexts, the word is also translated as “master” or “owner” or “lord” (e.g., Matt 10:24; 20:8; Mark 13:35; Acts 25:26).

And our God

The One seated on the throne is also addressed as “our God.” The word “God” translates from the Greek word theos. However, the meanings of the title “God” and theos are very different:

“God” functions like the name of one specific being, which dictionaries describe as the Supreme or Ultimate Reality.

On the other hand, theos means “god.” The ancient Greeks used it for their many gods (the Greek pantheon). [Show More]

Therefore, theos is translated here as “God,” not because of the word itself but because it refers to the Father. (Read Article) [Show More]

You created all things.

“All things” means the entire universe (Rom 11:36; 1 Cor 8:6; Eph 1:10; 3:9; Heb 1:3; 2:10), the heavens, the earth, the sea, and everything that is in them.

Jesus Christ is declared “worthy” because He was slain and purchased people for God with His blood (Rev 5:9), but the One seated on the throne is “worthy” because He created all things (Rev 4:11).

Elsewhere in the New Testament, we read that God created all things through His Son (John 1:3; Col 1:15; 1 Cor 8:6; Heb 1:2), but here, the Father alone is identified as the Creator. Read Article.

The Father and the Son

Some claim that the Son is worshiped.

There are five songs of praise in Revelation 4 and 5. The first two (Rev 4:8, 11) are sung in honor of the One on the throne (Rev 4:11). The next two (Rev 5:9-10, 12) praise the Lamb (Jesus). The final one, as the climax of the series, is sung to both “Him who sits on the throne” and “the Lamb” (Rev 5:13). Therefore, some claim that this means that both are worshiped.

The Son is not worshiped.

The last verse of Revelation 5 adds, “And the elders fell down and worshiped” (Rev 5:14). Many translations do not say who they worship, but many others, such as the KJV and the Literal Standard, say that the One who lives forever is worshiped, which, in Revelation, always refers to the Father (Rev 4:10; 15:7). Furthermore:

Elsewhere in Revelation, the elders always worship the Father alone (Rev 4:10; 19:4), even where Jesus is present (Rev 7:10-11; 11:15-16). Read Article

Philippians 2:6-11 describes the same event as in Revelation 5, namely, what happens in heaven when Jesus arrives after His ascension, and explains that Jesus is worshiped:
(1) Because “God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name” (Phil 2:9) and that
(2) He is worshiped “to the glory of God the Father” (Phil 2:11).
See the article on Philippians 2. [Show More]

The Call to Worship God

Amid the end-time crisis, God’s people are called to “fear God and worship Him who made the heaven and the earth and sea and springs of waters” (Rev 14:7). This is a call to worship the Father for, in Revelation, only the Father is called God, and only the Father is the Creator. Related articles:

The Christology of this Website

This website defends the view of God and Christ maintained by the church during the first three centuries. They believed that, since the Son was the means through whom God created all things, He existed at all times, but He always was and always will be subordinate to and dependent on the Father. Read Article.

Are both the Father and the Son worshipped in Revelation 5:14?

PURPOSE

In Revelation 5:13, the whole creation praises both “Him who sits on the throne” and “the Lamb.” In Revelation, “Him who sits on the throne” always refers to the Father (Rev 5:6-7; 5:13; 12:5; 6:16; 7:9-10). And the Lamb is Jesus Christ (e.g., Rev 5:8-9)

The next verse continues:

“And the elders fell down and worshiped” (Rev 5:14).

However, it does not say WHO they worshiped. The purpose of this article is to determine whether they worship both the “Him who sits on the throne” and “the Lamb.”

SUMMARY

This article argues as follows that the elders worship only “Him who sits on the throne,” namely, the Father:

1) In all other instances of heavenly worship, the Father alone is worshiped.

In Revelation, in addition to 5:14, there are five other instances of true worship in heaven and, in all five, the Father alone is worshiped:

In four, “God” is worshiped and, in Revelation “God” always refers to the Father; never to Jesus.

In the fifth, “Him who sits on the throne” is worshiped (Rev 4:10-11) and Revelation uses that title for the Father alone.

We should assume, therefore, that 5:14, which does not say who is worshiped, describes worship of the Father alone.

2) In other instances of praise followed by worship, both are praised but the Father alone is worshiped.

In 5:13-14, both the Father and the Son are present and both are praised. Then the elders worship but it does not say who.

We find the same praise-worship pattern in Revelation 7:9-11 and in 11:15-16. In these instances:

(a) both the Father and the Son are present and
(b) both are praised but
(c) the Father alone is worshiped.

If we apply this praise-worship pattern to Revelation 5:13-14, only the Father is worshiped there as well.

3) We must worship the Creator, who is the Father.

In the end-time, the three angels will warn the world to worship the Creator alone (Rev 14:7) and they identify the Creator as “God,” who is the Father alone.

Revelation 4:10-11 identifies the Creator as “Him who sits on the throne” and as “God.” Both these titles always refer to the Father alone.

– End of Summary –

WORSHIP IN REVELATION

In heaven, the Father alone is worshiped.

In Revelation, in addition to 5:14, there are five other instances of true worship in heaven. in all five, the Father alone is worshiped (Rev 4:10-11; 7:11; 11:16; 15:3-4; 19:4). ¹ The five instances are:

“The twenty-four elders will fall down
before Him who sits on the throne,
and will worship Him …
for You created all things” (Rev 4:10-11).

“All the angels …
fell on their faces before the throne
and worshiped God” (Rev 7:11).

“The twenty-four elders …
fell on their faces and worshiped God” (Rev 11:16).

“O Lord God, the Almighty …
all the nations will come and worship before you” (Rev 15:3-4).

“The twenty-four elders and the four living creatures fell down and worshiped God who sits on the throne” (Rev 19:4).

In four of these, “God” is worshiped and Revelation NEVER refers to Jesus as God. Revelation always maintains a distinction between “God” and Jesus Christ and refers to the Father alone as “God.” For example:

“The Revelation of Jesus Christ,
which God gave Him” (Rev 1:1)

“Salvation to our God who sits on the throne,
and to the Lamb” (Rev 7:10).

“You (the Lamb – Jesus) were slain,
and purchased for God with Your blood
men from every tribe …” (Rev 5:9; cf. Rev 21:22; 1:2, 9; 7:17; 12:5, 17; 14:4, 12; 20:4, 6; 21:22, 23; and 22:1, 3). See – Does the book of Revelation present Jesus as God Almighty?

In the fifth instance, “Him who sits on the throne” is worshiped (Rev 4:10-11) and Revelation uses that title for the Father alone. For example:

“The Lamb” (Jesus) “came and took the book out of the right hand of Him who sat on the throne” (Rev 5:6-7).

“Every created thing … I heard saying,
To Him who sits on the throne,
AND to the Lamb” (Rev 5:13; cf. Rev 12:5; 6:16; 7:9-10).

Since, in the other five instances, the Father alone is worshiped, we should assume that 5:14, which does not say who is worshiped, describes the worship of the Father. Revelation never directly says that the Son and the Holy Spirit are worshiped.

Both are praised but One is worshiped.

In 5:13-14, both the Father and the Son are present and both are praised. Then the elders worship but we do not know who.

We find this praise-worship pattern also in Revelation 7 and 11. The difference is that, in these two instances, it is explicitly the Father who is worshiped:

Revelation 7:9-11

These verses read:

“9 … a great multitude …
10 … cry out with a loud voice, saying,

“Salvation to our God who sits on the throne,
and to the Lamb.”

11 and all the angels … fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God.”

The great multitude praises both “God who sits on the throne” and “the Lamb.” Here, the One sitting on the throne (the Father) is explicitly identified as “God.” In the next verse, “God” is worshiped. The absence of Jesus from this worship is striking. If we apply this praise-worship pattern to Revelation 5:13, only the Father is also worshiped there.

In Revelation 4, the Father alone is worshiped. One may argue that the Son is not present in that chapter because He only enters the throne room in Revelation 5:6. In contrast, in Revelation 7, both the Father and the Son are present (see Rev 6:16). It is, therefore, important that the Father alone is worshiped.

Revelation 11:15-16

In these verses, we find a similar pattern. In verse 15, “loud voices in heaven” say:

“The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom
of our Lord and of His Christ;
and He will reign forever and ever” (Rev 11:15).

Here, “Lord” refers to the Father. This verse, therefore, mention both the Father and the Son. In the next verse, “the twenty-four elders .. fell on their faces and worshiped God” (Rev 11:16). The absence of Jesus in this worship is again significant.

We must worship the Creator, who is the Father.

Another place where we are told WHO to worship is in the message of the three angels (Rev 14:6-12). The first angel commands:

“Fear God, and give Him glory …
worship Him who made the heaven and
the earth and sea and springs of waters” (Rev 14:7).

So, we must worship the Creator, but who is He? In the New Testament, we read that God created all things “through” His Son (e.g., Heb 1:1-2). Is Jesus the Creator? For the following reasons, in Revelation, the Father alone is the Creator:

Firstly, the first angel commands us to worship “God” and, as argued, in Revelation, “God” always refers to the Father,

Secondly, in Revelation 4:10-11:

“The twenty-four elders will fall down
before Him who sits on the throne … saying,
‘Worthy are You, our Lord and our God …
for You created all things,
and because of Your will they existed, and were created’.”

The Creator here is the Father because:

1) The Creator is “Him who sits on the throne” and, in Revelation, that always refers to the Father in distinction from the Son. For example:

“Salvation to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb” (Rev 7:10; 5:13; 6:17; 4:9-10; 19:4).

2) The Creator is identified as God and, as stated, in Revelation, only the Father is God.

3) The Son is not present in Revelation 4. As said, He only enters the throne room in Revelation 5:6.

The three angels, therefore, command us to worship the Father. Their message will be proclaimed to the world with a mighty voice during the end-time crisis (Rev 13:16-17). The many times that the word “worship” appears in that context (Rev 13:4, 8, 12, 15, 14:7, 9, 11) means that the end-time conflict will be over who to worship. The message of the three angels, therefore, is very important.

God’s people worship the Father alone.

In Revelation, there are also instances where humans worship, but they always worship the Father; never the Son:

Revelation 11:1 refers to people who worship in “the temple of God.”

In Revelation 15:3-4, they say: “Great and marvelous are Your works, O Lord God, the Almighty … You alone are holy; For all the nations will come and worship before you.”

In both instances, “God” is worshiped, and “God” always refer to the Father.

The second instance also identifies the Person worshiped as “the Almighty.” Another article analyses all instances of this term and shows that this term is used for the Father alone. For example:

“The Lord God the Almighty
and the Lamb are its temple” (Rev 21:22)

John was told to worship “God.”

Twice John attempts to worship the angel and in both instances, he is instructed to “worship God” (Rev 19:10; 22:9). Since Revelation always refers to the Father alone as “God” – never to the Son, this is also an instruction to worship the Father.