Come up here, and I will show you things which must take place after this

Revelation 4
After these things I looked, and behold, a door standing open in heaven. And the first voice which I heard was like a trumpet speaking with me, saying, “Come up here, and I will show you things which must take place after this.”

God tells things to his friends, and his friends include humans. There have been a few people, whom we know well, whom God has regarded as His friends such as Abraham, Moses, David, etc. However we also see that God seems to be silent for a majority of people. So to whom does God would say, "come up here" or "I will show you things".

There have been various commandments of God, but one which is simple and non-legalistic that God repeatedly tells His people is to obey His statutes and commandments and not turn away from them. Basically He wants our obedience and we all know what are the things God told us already. We just need to obey, and that will bring us close to Him, and He will reveal even more to us - like the parable the more we are faithful, the more He will trust us in.

A word to be careful in temptation is that it leads us directly to the opposite direction. Instead of being a little faithful and being led higher by God, temptation tempts us with little things. When we sin a little, the next temptation will be greater and leads us to the next level further away from God.

Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, Who was and is and is to come!

John was given the revelation of the Throne of God in Heaven. He knew that he was being brought up in the Spirit, rather than in body so he knows that it is not a dream. The throne is surrounded by the 24 elders and the seven lamps which are the Spirits of God.

John also saw 4 creatures around the throne. Although these creatures were like lion, calf, man and eagle, they were spiritual beings which bear the resemblance to our terrestrial animals. These beings had wings and a multitude of eyes and their roles are to continuously worship The Lord God. As they worshipped, the 24 elders also worshipped and submitting their crowns before The Lord.

This is a picture of God being worshipped in a majestic way and it is Him who is deserving of such worship.



Revelation 4
The Throne Room of Heaven

1 After these things I looked, and behold, a door standing open in heaven. And the first voice which I heard was like a trumpet speaking with me, saying, “Come up here, and I will show you things which must take place after this.”

2 Immediately I was in the Spirit; and behold, a throne set in heaven, and One sat on the throne. 3 And He who sat there was[a] like a jasper and a sardius stone in appearance; and there was a rainbow around the throne, in appearance like an emerald. 4 Around the throne were twenty-four thrones, and on the thrones I saw twenty-four elders sitting, clothed in white robes; and they had crowns[b] of gold on their heads. 5 And from the throne proceeded lightnings, thunderings, and voices.[c] Seven lamps of fire were burning before the throne, which are the[d] seven Spirits of God.

6 Before the throne there was[e] a sea of glass, like crystal. And in the midst of the throne, and around the throne, were four living creatures full of eyes in front and in back. 7 The first living creature was like a lion, the second living creature like a calf, the third living creature had a face like a man, and the fourth living creature was like a flying eagle. 8 The four living creatures, each having six wings, were full of eyes around and within. And they do not rest day or night, saying:

“Holy, holy, holy,[f]
Lord God Almighty,
Who was and is and is to come!”
9 Whenever the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to Him who sits on the throne, who lives forever and ever, 10 the twenty-four elders fall down before Him who sits on the throne and worship Him who lives forever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying:

11 “You are worthy, O Lord,[g]
To receive glory and honor and power;
For You created all things,
And by Your will they exist[h] and were created.”

Praise Him According to His Excellent Greatness!

A short but definite call to Praise the Lord. Praise the Lord with all sorts of instruments. Praise the Lord for his greatness and mighty acts. It is quite clear who this magnificent God is. Besides creating the universe, He also blesses and protects His people. No wonder the people who really know him, like the psalmist, cannot stop praising Him.




Psalm 150
Let All Things Praise the Lord

1 Praise the Lord!
Praise God in His sanctuary;
Praise Him in His mighty firmament!

2 Praise Him for His mighty acts;
Praise Him according to His excellent greatness!

3 Praise Him with the sound of the trumpet;
Praise Him with the lute and harp!

4 Praise Him with the timbrel and dance;
Praise Him with stringed instruments and flutes!

5 Praise Him with loud cymbals;
Praise Him with clashing cymbals!

6 Let everything that has breath praise the Lord.
Praise the Lord!

Sing Aloud to God Our Strength

The psalmist calls to make music to God, including singing, shouting, playing the harp, lute, trumpet and timbrel. He recalls the promises of God established since God led the Israelites out of Egypt. There is also a clear reminder that God desire full loyalty from His children and warn them against worshipping any other Gods.

And the psalmist recounts the stubbornness of the people who walk in their own ways and some went towards other foreign false gods. However there is always an opportunity for them to return and then God will again deliver them from their enemies


Psalm 81
To the Chief Musician. On an instrument of Gath.[a]A Psalm of Asaph.

 1 Sing aloud to God our strength;
         Make a joyful shout to the God of Jacob.
 2 Raise a song and strike the timbrel,
         The pleasant harp with the lute.
        
 3 Blow the trumpet at the time of the New Moon,
         At the full moon, on our solemn feast day.
 4 For this is a statute for Israel,
         A law of the God of Jacob.
 5 This He established in Joseph as a testimony,
         When He went throughout the land of Egypt,
         Where I heard a language I did not understand.
        
 6 “I removed his shoulder from the burden;
         His hands were freed from the baskets.
 7 You called in trouble, and I delivered you;
         I answered you in the secret place of thunder;
         I tested you at the waters of Meribah.  Selah 
        
 8 “Hear, O My people, and I will admonish you!
         O Israel, if you will listen to Me!
 9 There shall be no foreign god among you;
         Nor shall you worship any foreign god.
 10 I am the LORD your God,
         Who brought you out of the land of Egypt;
         Open your mouth wide, and I will fill it.
        
 11 “But My people would not heed My voice,
         And Israel would have none of Me.
 12 So I gave them over to their own stubborn heart,
         To walk in their own counsels.
        
 13 “Oh, that My people would listen to Me,
         That Israel would walk in My ways!
 14 I would soon subdue their enemies,
         And turn My hand against their adversaries.
 15 The haters of the LORD would pretend submission to Him,
         But their fate would endure forever.
 16 He would have fed them also with the finest of wheat;
         And with honey from the rock I would have satisfied you.”

LORD Most High is Awesome

This psalm praises God that He is awesome, King over all the earth, all nations are under Him, and He is responsible for the inheritance of Israel. This could also be a prophetic psalm looking forward to the time when all nations and their kings shall come and pay tribute to the King of Kings - "The princes of the people have gathered together, the people of the God of Abraham." - both Jews and Gentiles to exalt the great King Yeshua.

Psalm 47
To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of the sons of Korah.

 1 Oh, clap your hands, all you peoples!
         Shout to God with the voice of triumph!
 2 For the LORD Most High is awesome;
         He is a great King over all the earth.
 3 He will subdue the peoples under us,
         And the nations under our feet.
 4 He will choose our inheritance for us,
         The excellence of Jacob whom He loves.  Selah 
        
 5 God has gone up with a shout,
         The LORD with the sound of a trumpet.
 6 Sing praises to God, sing praises!
         Sing praises to our King, sing praises!
 7 For God is the King of all the earth;
         Sing praises with understanding.
        
 8 God reigns over the nations;
         God sits on His holy throne.
 9 The princes of the people have gathered together,
         The people of the God of Abraham.
         For the shields of the earth belong to God;
         He is greatly exalted.