One God & One Lord

I’ve recently started reading a book by G. K. Beale titled, We Become What We Worship. I’m finding lots of little gems in the book. Among them:

His study is centered on Isaiah 6. Emphasis added by me.

A bit of background text:

“Thus the idols have eyes and ears but cannot really see or hear either physically or spiritually, and their worshipers‘ sensory organs are also described as malfunctioning, which reveals that they have become spiritually blind and deaf like their false objects of worship. … If we looked up “ears and eyes” in a concordance, what would we find? That wherever Israel is addressed as those “who have eyes but cannot see and who have ears but cannot hear” or such like language they are being convicted and reprimanded for being idol worshipers!” (Page 49)

“In this ancient ritual of preparing idols to be receptacles of a god’s presence, an image would be manufactured in a workshop near a canal, a garden-like area or a temple, and then the idol would be led to the threshold or gate of the temple and then formally set up. At that time, the living essence of the deity would be transferred into its temple statue and given life by the ritual. Though the image was produced by human hands, the gods were seen as the ultimate makers of the image. The cleansing rite enabled the mouth of the image to be opened and to become the conduit through which the god spoke … . In this respect, one could say that the image mystically becomes the god that it represents without limiting that god, so that the god remains transcendent; hence the image was like a theophany transubstantiated. (Page 65)

Later…

“The point in Isaiah 6 would be that the prophet Isaiah has been taken from among idolatrous Israel as one, like his people (a “people of unclean lips”), tainted with the uncleanness of pagan idols and who has become like its idols, which can never be cleansed. Isaiah has been brought into the true heavenly temple of the true God. In that heavenly temple he had his mouth ceremoniously cleansed and transformed by members of the divine council and joined that council, so that his whole being was transformed by being filled with God’s Spirit and presence in order to reflect the holy image of this true God. Accordingly, he becomes the human image of God that God originally intended. Though not perfect, he had become a transformed representation of the divine and the purified, living image of God and spokesman for God.” (Pages 67-68)

And…

“We have seen that images are in the likeness of the gods they represent. Similarly, the ancient Near Eastern conception of kings being in the image of their various gods may form a very general background here. Just as Adam, a kingly figure representing humanity, was in the image of God, and therefore like God, so it was believed that ancient Near Eastern human kings were like the gods of which they were an image.” (Page 69)

— End of Beale Quotations —

• 2 Corinthians 4:4-5 NASB
  (4) in whose case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving so that they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.
  (5) For we do not preach ourselves but Christ Jesus as Lord, and ourselves as your bond-servants for Jesus’ sake.

• Colossians 1:15 NASB
  (15) He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.

• Hebrews 1:3 NASB
  (3) And He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature, and upholds all things by the word of His power. When He had made purification of sins, He sat down at thea right hand of the Majesty on high,

• Colossians 2:9 NASB
  (9) For in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form,

• John 3:34-36 NASB
  (34) “For He whom God has sent speaks the words of God; for He gives the Spirit without measure.
  (35) “The Father loves the Son and has given all things into His hand.
  (36) “He who believes in the Son has eternal life; but he who does not obey the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.”
• Matthew 13:13 NASB
  (13)  “Therefore I speak to them in parables; because while seeing they do not see, and while hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand.
• 1 Corinthians 2:14 NASB
  (14)  But a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised.

An idol is a lifeless and imperfect representation/image of a false god or of the one true God (such as the golden calf in Exodus 32).

Jesus is the living and perfect representation/image of the one true God.

Many Old Testament (OT) prophets wrote of a future “last days.” New Testament (NT) writers confirmed that they were in the generation of the “last days” that the OT prophets wrote about. The most direct identification being in Acts 2 and Hebrews 1. In Acts 2:16-17, Peter describes what was happening, saying “this is what was spoken of through the prophet Joel.” He then quotes the prophet Joel, saying “And it shall be in the last days that I will pour forth of my spirit on all mankind… .” In Hebrews 1:2, the writer states that “in these last days [God] has spoken to us in His Son… .”

So the “last days” cannot be the last days of the church or the “church age,” regardless of how long one may believe the “last days” last, because the church was just starting in NT times, not ending or entering a “last days” period! Therefore, the “last days” had to refer to the ending of something that was already begun and had been around before NT times.

The “last days” prophecies refer to the ending of the old covenant and its temple and worship system. The last days of the physical shadows which pointed to the spiritual reality inaugurated by the Messiah Jesus: the new covenant of God’s law being “written on our heart” (Jeremiah 31:31-33, Hebrews 10:15-20) and our worship of God being “in spirit and in truth” (John 4:23-24).

The NT tells us that the Law was taken out of the way by the death of Christ (Colossians 2:14, Ephesians 2:15), that the old covenant was obsolete and ready to disappear (Hebrews 8:13). Eventually, the whole physical system of old covenant worship would finally be destroyed with the destruction of the temple and city of Jerusalem in 70 A.D.

There is a song sung in our church, and I’m sure in many churches throughout the world, titled We Fall Down. Here is a portion of the lyrics:

We fall down
We lay our crowns
At the feet of Jesus
The greatness of mercy and love
At the feet of Jesus
We cry holy, holy, holy
We cry holy, holy, holy
We cry holy, holy, holy
Is the lamb

I’m sure the person who wrote these lyrics believes it is biblically accurate, and I’m sure the people who select this song to sing in their church services believe the lyrics to be accurate, as well. But they are confusing Father and Son, and thinking the Son to be God Almighty.

Let us, however, review the scripture and see the truth.

The idea behind the song is taken from Revelation 4:10, the only verse in scripture that talks about casting crowns or laying crowns. The song lyric was probably from the New International Version, which uses the word “lay” rather than “cast.”

• Revelation 4:10 NIV
  the twenty-four elders fall down before him who sits on the throne, and worship him who lives for ever and ever. They lay their crowns before the throne

• Revelation 4:10 NASB
  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
  

It is the 24 elders who fall down before the throne of God and cast their crowns. It was back up in verse 4 that we were told about the 24 elders and what they were wearing:

• Revelation 4:4 NASB
  Around the throne were twenty-four thrones; and upon the thrones I saw twenty-four elders sitting, clothed in white garments, and golden crowns on their heads.

Whether the 24 elders are literally 24 individuals or if they are symbolic of something else, we won’t discuss here. I’m sure there is no one who loves God who would hold back casting their crown at His feet, so for the purpose of this article, the song lyrics can refer to 24 elders or to every God-fearing person since the Creation, represented by the 12 tribes of Israel and the 12 apostles of Christ.

Getting back to Revelation 4:10, the elders fall down “before Him who sits on the throne.” The writer of the song We Fall Down wants us to believe the one on the throne is Jesus. Is it? Let’s find out.

To identify who it is that is sitting on the throne, we need to look at the text within its context; therefore, below is a large passage of scripture, spanning the last four verses of Revelation chapter 4 and the entirety of chapter 5. The key verse for the song lyrics is highlighted in blue.

• Revelation 4:8–5:14 NASB
  8 And the four living creatures, each one of them having six wings, are full of eyes around and within; 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.”
  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,
  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,
  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.”
  1 I saw in the right hand of Him who sat on the throne a book written inside and on the back, sealed up with seven seals.
  2 And I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, “Who is worthy to open the book and to break its seals?”
  3 And no one in heaven or on the earth or under the earth was able to open the book or to look into it.
  4 Then I began to weep greatly because no one was found worthy to open the book or to look into it;
  5 and one of the elders said to me, “Stop weeping; behold, the Lion that is from the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has overcome so as to open the book and its seven seals.”
  6 And I saw between the throne (with the four living creatures) and the elders a Lamb standing, as if slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God, sent out into all the earth.
  7 And He came and took the book out of the right hand of Him who sat on the throne.
  8 When He had taken the book, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each one holding a harp and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints.
  9 And they sang a new song, saying, “Worthy are You to take the book and to break its seals; for You were slain, and purchased for God with Your blood men from every tribe and tongue and people and nation.
  10 “You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to our God; and they will reign upon the earth.”
  11 Then I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels around the throne and the living creatures and the elders; and the number of them was myriads of myriads, and thousands of thousands,
  12 saying with a loud voice, “Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing.”
  13 And every created thing which is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all things in them, I heard saying, “To Him who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb, be blessing and honor and glory and dominion forever and ever.”
  14 And the four living creatures kept saying, “Amen ” And the elders fell down and worshiped.

One of the first things we can note, and then move on, is that the four living creatures are saying, “Holy, holy, holy” to “the Lord God, the Almighty” and not to the Lamb. The Lamb is given much praise in verses 9 through 12 and is, indeed “the Holy One of God” (John 6:69), but that is not who the “Holy, holy, holy” is directed towards in this passage.

Beginning at Revelation 4:9, we read that the One who sits on the throne is “Him who lives forever and ever.” It is to this One that the 24 elders fall down and cast their crowns in verse 10 (highlighted blue, above).

Then in verse 11 (Revelation 4:11), we see the elders address the One on the throne as, “You, our Lord and our God.” So far, we are pretty certain that the one on the throne to whom the elders are bowing and casting crowns is God.

Continuing on into chapter 5, we see in verse 1 that the One who sits on the throne is holding a book in His right hand and that the book is sealed. In verse 2, an angel asks “Who is worthy to open the book and to break its seals?” No one was found worthy.

In Revelation 5:5, we are told that “the Lion from the tribe of Judah, the Root of David” has overcome and can open the book and its seals. And, behold (verse 6), the Lamb was seen standing between the throne and the elders. He (the Lamb) came and took the book out of the right hand of “Him who sat on the throne” (verse 7).

It should be clear at this point that the Lamb is not the One who sits on the throne because he takes the book from the One who sits on the throne.

We also know that the Lamb is Jesus (John 1:29 - The next day he saw Jesus coming to him and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!”).

In Revelation 5:8-10, the four living creatures and the 24 elders fall down before the Lamb and sing a new song to the Lamb:

“Worthy are You to take the book and to break its seals; for You were slain, and purchased for God with Your blood men from every tribe and tongue and people and nation. You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to our God; and they will reign upon the earth.”

And later in verse 13 we are told that every created thing gave praise to both God and Jesus, saying “To Him who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb, be blessing and honor and glory and dominion forever and ever.”

And the four living creatures kept saying, “Amen ” And the elders fell down and worshiped. (Revelation 5:14).

We fall down
We lay our crowns
At the feet of … who?

The Almighty God, who is someone other than Jesus, the Lamb of God.

Maybe the song writer doesn’t claim to base his song on scripture, in which case he can say whatever he wants to say and cast his crowns wherever he wants to cast them.

If you think I’m being too picky, too pedantic, you should know that people memorize song lyrics more readily than they memorize the words in the Bible. I heard someone say once, “But doesn’t it say in the Bible that …” and she was corrected by her husband, “No, that’s just a song.” That’s why we can’t be too picky about the songs we sing, especially in church.

Addendum 03/03/08: One of the members of my congregation made an interesting comment about the song. He wrote, “I didn’t assume that the ‘We Fall Down’ song refers to Heaven. I assumed it was referring to our “earthly crowns” that we humans place so much value on, and the song is saying that we as Christians surrender them to Jesus while we are here on earth.” I think that’s a great way to interpret the song!