Word of Encouragement (10/27/2021)
“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” (Rev. 5:13)!
The circle of those, who praise the Lamb (and God), continues to expand. We started with the four living creatures and twenty-four elders praising the Lamb, who was found to be worthy to open the scroll with seven seals. Their praise was joined by the “myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands” of angels (5:11). Now, those who praise the Lamb and God expand to “every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all that is in them.”
It is noteworthy that this last praise is offered by all. This includes not only the redeemed but also the condemned. We see something similar in Phil. 2:9-11: “Therefore God has highly exalted [Christ] and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” Of course, the praise that the condemned will offer to God will be qualitatively different from what the redeemed will offer. But on the Day of Judgment, even the most wicked will not be able to deny God’s existence, glory, and authority over them and their culpability before God. Overwhelmed by the reality and power and glory of God, they will be compelled to acknowledge God as God.
What that will be like is hinted at in Joshua’s interaction with Achan, who brought defeat to Israel by taking certain things that were devoted to destruction in Jericho. When the lot fell on Achan as the guilty one, Joshua said to him, “My son, give glory to the LORD God of Israel and give praise to him. And tell me now what you have done; do not hide it from me” (Josh. 7:19). Achan responded by confessing his sin and was consequently punished. In a similar way, but on a much grander scale and in utter fear, all the wicked will give glory to God by confessing their guilt and the justness of their punishment. They will finally realize how wicked and despicable their sins are and they will not be able to offer any excuse for any of them. They will all bend their knees before Christ in abject terror and confess that He is indeed the Lord of heaven and earth and given glory to God, who is just, before they are condemned to eternal damnation.
How different will be the praise of the redeemed! When we confess that Jesus Christ is the Lord, our hearts will be filled with the sweetness of gratitude and joy because the Judge of the living and the dead is our wonderful Redeemer. We will be struck with awe at the full revelation of His glory, but our hearts will be filled with the desire to draw near to Him in love and adoration instead of the urge to run away and hide in fear. The full measure of our sin may be revealed to us but even a fuller measure of God’s grace will be shown to us to our peace and comfort.
All will end up glorifying God. But for many, it will be too late. It matters eternally when we acknowledge Christ as Lord. How blessed we are that God has granted us the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ! Let us take a moment to praise Him for His grace. Let us also pray with greater urgency for God’s saving grace to touch those, who still have not acknowledged Christ as their Lord. And may all that we think, say, and do today show that Christ is our Lord and Savior!