Heaven on Earth

Book of Revelation and Orthodox Liturgy

Introduction

• Worship in book (24 Times ‘to worship’)• The first (1:3) and the last (22:6) chapters

imply a liturgical setting• Numerous hymns• Inspired by early Christian liturgy

Introduction

• Theme of book: Continue to worship the one seated on throne and the slain lamb even in spite of trials. Christ will return soon and execute judgement.

Liturgy is lifting up

• Revelation: apocalypsis – “unveiling” (uncovering)

• Anaphora: “Lifting up or offering”; used to refer to veil that covers the Eucharistic elements

• In the Liturgy we are being lifted up to heaven.

• Revelation 4:1 (Revelation 11:12). St John asked to “come up here”

Liturgy is lifting up

• The celebrant, extending and elevating his hands, says aloud:Upward, where Christ sits on the right hand of God the Father, let our thoughts, minds and hearts be at this hour.

• People: They are with the Lord God.• Colossians 3:1 • Holy Qurbana is offered on the heavenly

altar –

Liturgy is lifting up• “that, in holiness, we may stand before

Your holy altar and piously offer You sacrifices on Your spiritual altar.” (Sedro)

• “ I may be worthy to enter into Your holy and sanctifying Holy of Holies, “ (Prayer as priest washes hands)

• “We give thanks to You, O Lord, for the abundance of Your mercy, by which we have been made worthy to partake of Your heavenly table.” – (Prayer of Thanksgiving after Holy Communion.)

Worshipers• In the Spirit: • Rev. 1:10 “I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day”• Rev 4:2 “Immediately I was in the Spirit” • Eucharist in spirit• “The Holy Spirit comes on the ‘last and great day’ of Pentecost. He

manifests the world to come. He inaugurates the Kingdom. He always takes us beyond. To be in the Spirit means to be in heaven, for the Kingdom of God is ‘joy and peace in the Holy Spirit.’ And thus in the Eucharist it is He who seals and confirms our ascension into heaven, who transforms the Church into the body of Christ and –therefore-manifests the elements of our offering as communion in the Holy Spirit.” (Schmemman)

• “This means that as the church on earth gathers, the Spirit breaks into our world and sweeps us into the kingdom that is, even now, coming down from heaven.” Martyn Cowan

Worshipers• Royal Priesthood:• Revelation 1:6 “Made us into a kingdom of priests” (Exodus 19:6; 1

Peter 2:9)• Revelation 5: 10 “You have made them to be a kingdom and priests

to serve our God, and they will reign on the earth."• Revelation 20:6 “The second death has no power over them, but

they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with him for a thousand years.”

• “ All are members of the "royal priesthood" because only the priesthood can partake of the things of the altar, and all are called to receive the mystery of the Body and Blood of Christ the "things of the altar" in Holy Communion.” – Archbishop Lazar Puhalo (http://www.pravmir.com/article_511.html)

Worship of the One Seated on the Throne and Slain Lamb

• Rev. 4 & 5 give us model of Worship• The one seated on the throne - Rev 4:11 – You are worthy• The slain lamb. Rev 5:12 “Worthy is the lamb”• “who sits on the Throne and the lamb” (Rev 5:13; 7:10; 7:15-17)• Holy Qurbana is the sacrifice of the lamb• “O pure and spotless Lamb, Who offered Himself an acceptable

offering to His Father for the redemption and expiation of the whole world, make us worthy to offer ourselves to You a living sacrifice that is well-pleasing to You after the manner of Your sacrifice on our behalf, O Christ our God, forever.” (Hoothomo of Preparatory service’s 1st part)

• Rejection of worship of Angel / Messenger – Rev. 19:10 & Rev. 22:9

Worship of the One Seated on the Throne and Slain Lamb

• "He offered Himself for us, Victim and Sacrifice, and Priest as well, and 'Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.' When did He do this? When He made His own Body food and His own Blood drink for His disciples; for this much is clear enough to anyone, that a sheep cannot be eaten by a man unless its being eaten be preceded by its being slaughtered. This giving of His own Body to His disciples for eating clearly indicates that the sacrifice of the Lamb has now been completed." St Gregory of Nyssa -"Orations and Sermons"

• "I wish to add something that is plainly awe-inspiring, but do not be astonished or upset. This Sacrifice, no matter who offers it, be it Peter or Paul, is always the same as that which Christ gave His disciples and which priests now offer: The offering of today is in no way inferior to that which Christ offered, because it is not men who sanctify the offering of today; it is the same Christ who sanctified His own. For just as the words which God spoke are the very same as those which the priest now speaks, so too the oblation is the very same." St. John Chrysostom, "Homilies on the Second Epistle to Timothy," 2,4,

Worship of the One Seated on the Throne and Slain Lamb

• The worship is a restatement of the Victory gifted by the Slain Lamb• Rev 5:9 – “new Song” • Rev. 7:10 – Salvation belongs • Rev. 15:3 – “Mighty deeds” of Lord God Almighty• “The memorial of our Lord, our God and our Savior Jesus Christ and all of

His redemptive dispensations on our behalf; especially the message of the angel; His birth in the flesh, His baptism in the Jordan River and His fast of forty days, His voluntary passions and the raising of Him on the Cross, His life-giving death and His revered burial, His glorious resurrection, His ascension into heaven and His sitting on the right hand of God the Father. “ – (prayer in Preparatory service at time of remembering faithful)

• "He, therefore, who approaches the Body and Blood of Christ in commemoration of Him who died for us and rose again must be free not only from defilement of flesh and spirit, in order that he may not eat drink unto judgement, but he must actively manifest the remembrance of Him who died for us and rose again, by being dead to sin, to the world, and to himself, and alive unto God in Christ Jesus, our Lord." –St Basil the Great "Concerning Baptism" Book I, Ch. 3.  

Cosmic Liturgy• Liturgy that includes the entire creation both

seen and unseen are worshipping the Creator. Part of the created order such as sun, moon, stars, animals and trees along with the celestial order are worshipping the one true God.

Cosmic Liturgy• Heavenly Temple• Worship on earth based on worship in heaven

(Hebrews 8:5; Exodus 25:40)• Christ depicted as High priest: Rev 1:12-14• Ark of Covenant : Rev. 11:19 – (just before

woman of Rev. 12 who has been identified as St Mary)

• Rev 4 : 4 Living Creatures, 24 elders• 4 Beings sing “Holy Holy” to which 24 Elders

Respond

Cosmic Liturgy• Rev 5:11 –“ And I looked, and I heard the voices of many

angels encircled around the throne, and of the living beings and of the elders, and the number of them was myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands.”

• The celebrant stretches out his hands and says aloud: • With the thousands of thousands and the myriads of

myriads of fiery hosts who stand before You and unceasingly glorify You, may we also be worthy to praise You thrice, crying out and saying:

• People: Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty; heaven and earth are full of His glories. Hosanna in the highest. Blessed is He Who came and will come in the Name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest.

• (Bar Salibi)

Cosmic Liturgy• Heavenly vocabulary:

– Amen(7:12) and – Halleluiah (The only place in the NT where the "alleluia" is found

is in Rev.19:1, 3-4,6. This Hebrew liturgical word, which means "praise the LORD," is found throughout the Psalms.);

– Pantocrator (Almighty) (Rev 1:8; 4:8; 11:17; 15:3; 16:7) and – axios (Worthy)

Cosmic Liturgy1. Throne2. White RobeImage of the garment of incorruptibility given at baptism. Acolytes surplice represent that. 3. Incense is part of this cosmic liturgy

“prayers of God’s people” (Rev 5:8; Rev 8:4)Psalm 141:2 Our incense rises to God’s temple

“Even now, O Lord, accept, with this sweet savor of incense, the praise of our mouths and the thanksgiving of our tongues,” (In Preparatory rites as incense is offered over elements)

Communion of SaintsIn this Cosmic Liturgy the church on earth joins the church in heaven (Rev. 7)

24 elders Martyrs who are under the altar. They are always before God. They are wearing crowns

Worship is an anticipation of end of times

• “On the brink of the age to come.” (Fr Andrew Louth, “Space, Time and Liturgy”)

• “The Eucharist has so often been explained with reference to the gifts alone: what ‘happens’ to bread and wine, and why and when it happens! But we must understand that what ‘happens’ to bread and wine happens because something has, first of all, happened to us, to the Church. It is because we have ‘constituted’ the Church, and this means we have followed Christ in His ascension; because He has accepted us at His table in the Kingdom; because, in terms of theology, we have entered the Eschaton, and are now standing beyond time and space; it is because all this has first happened to us that something will happened to bread and wine.” (Schmemman, p. 37)

Eucharist is the marriage feast of the lamb

• Rev 19:9 "Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb."

• “The entire Liturgy is an epiphany or manifestation of God’s Kingdom on earth. The priest begins the service with a proclamation, “Blessed is the Kingdom of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit: now and ever and unto ages of ages,” which declares that the assembly is now participating in the worship of Heaven. The Church is raised to the life of the Kingdom as her members gather to glorify and commune with the Holy Trinity. Jesus Christ often used the image of a wedding feast or banquet for the Kingdom of God. The Divine Liturgy makes present the Wedding Feast of the Lamb described in the Book of Revelation.” Philip LeMasters

Eucharist is the marriage feast of the lamb

• “May the Divine Liturgy be for us always our entrance into the Kingdom of God, our participation in the Marriage Feast of the Lamb, the Lord Jesus Christ, as envisaged by the beloved apostle John in the Book of Revelation.” by the Synod of Bishops of the Orthodox Church in America.

• “Let all of you then enter into the joy of our Lord... The Table is richly laden. All of you, fare sumptuously on it; enjoy the banquet of faith! (St. John Chrysostom, Homily on the Lord’s Resurrection)

• “And they nourished the faithful with Christ's body and blood at the eucharistic meal that anticipates the marriage supper of Christ, the Lamb of God, in God's coming kingdom at the end of the ages.” – Fr Thomas Hopko

• Eating of the tree of life (Rev. 2:7) and partaking of the hidden manna (Rev.2:17), or tasting of the bread from heaven (John6:31; Heb.9:4) is linked with the spiritual food (1Cor.10:3) of the Eucharist.

Conclusion• Book of Revelation teaches us about true

worship.• Many of the OT symbols of worship (priesthood,

incense, etc.) became more powerful symbols of the true worship of the slain Lamb and the one seated on the throne.

• Our task is to enter into the Kingdom of God through our Liturgy to be strengthened to be faithful witnesses.