DOXOLOGY NUMBER ONE:

Listen to something the "beasts" (Living Creatures) of Revelation chapter 4 say to the Lord God Almighty.  It is "pure worship" for sure!

" ... Those beasts give glory and honour and thanks to him that sat on the throne, who liveth for ever and ever."   Revelation 4:9

The noun for "beasts" is (in Greek) "zoon" and means something alive!  (A living being, man or animal)  If you remember from Revelation 4 these beautiful creatures (one with the likeness of a lion, one like a calf, one a man, and the last like a flying eagle) are gathered around God's very Throne!  Each had 6 wings and each constantly gave praise to God, saying "Holy Holy Holy!" to His Name!

Now this Friday I am interested in the "doxology" they ascribe to our God!

They "give" (in Greek = didomi, the common verb meaning to grant, deliver, show, put or give ... and at times even to utter or to yield) to God 3 things.

Let's join in their worship and notice the specifics!

They give Him glory!  (Apparently angels love to do this.  For example, when Jesus was born they did!  "And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men." Luke 2:13-14)    They probably learned to do this from these 4 Living Creatures!  The first time this verb is used in the New Testament, it falls from the lips of the devil!  Matthew 4:9 --- "And saith unto him, All these things will I (the devil) give thee (Jesus), if thou wilt fall down and worship me."  The last use is from God to old lost sinners!  Revelation 21:6 --- "And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely."

Glory is the Greek noun "doxa" and may be a key word indicating the SUM of all the glorious attributes of God Almighty!  They are praising God for Who He Is!  This is the highest of the three words they use toward God!  "Doxa" comes from a verb that means "to think" or just "to seem!"  They yield obediently to God all they think Him to be!  (And THEY ought to KNOW!)

"Honour" is the noun "time" (pronounced tee-may') and means "the value paid" for something!  (Something's WORTH to you!)  This is the next highest word they use. In the King James Bible it's rendered "price" eight times and "precious" once and "honour" 35 times!  (The VALUE of a Person!)  It's first Bible use is in Matthew 27:6 where reference is made to "the PRICE of blood!"  The most valuable thing in the world of God's world is the BLOOD of Jesus!  Now we've progressed from ALL God is (Glory) to His specific act of Redemption (Honour)!

Lastly notice "thanks!"  (In Greek = eucharistia)  It literally means "good" (eu) "grace" (charis)!  It is a term used to express appreciation for what God has done for an individual!  The general rule is:  Praise God for what He IS!  Thank God for what He's DONE!  Praise for His Character!  Thanks for His deeds!  This is the lowest of the three words used ... but is still mighty beautiful!  Not one of us would be here apart from His actions on our behalf!  It is predominantly a Pauline word ... 12 of 15 times!

Let's just notice today that we've had here a three-fold ascription of praise to God!

In so doing ... could someone this June 25th also give to God:  Glory!  And Honour!  And Thanks!

I believe I can hear you now!

If so ... you are "in tune" with heaven itself!

I'm so glad you've studied with us today!

                                                                                --- Dr. Mike Bagwell

DOXOLOGY NUMBER TWO:

I have found another great "doxology" (a paragraph of praise) in the Book of Revelation.

Let me tell you about it.

"And when those beasts give glory and honour and thanks to him that sat on the throne, who liveth for ever and ever, the four and twenty elders fall down before him that sat on the throne, and worship him that liveth for ever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying, Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created."  Revelation 4:9-11

I'm today going to focus on the words that flowed from the lips of those 24 elders. 

Please do notice that their praise didn't begin until the praise of the 4 "beasts" (living creatures) rang throughout heaven!  Here's a case of one set of praise inspiring another set of praise!  (It will happen nearly every time!)

Praise is contagious!

So is grumbling for that matter!

When the woman poured out that costly perfume on Jesus, anointing Him for burial, the New Testament records the situation 3 times.  After the event ... some "grumbling" began:

"Then saith one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, which should betray him, Why was not this ointment sold for three hundred pence, and given to the poor? This he said, not that he cared for the poor; but because he was a thief, and had the bag, and bare what was put therein. Then said Jesus, Let her alone: against the day of my burying hath she kept this."  John 12:4-7

"And there were some that had indignation within themselves, and said, Why was this waste of the ointment made?  For it might have been sold for more than three hundred pence, and have been given to the poor. And they murmured against her."  Mark 14:4-5

"But when his disciples saw it, they had indignation, saying, To what purpose is this waste? For this ointment might have been sold for much, and given to the poor."  Matthew 26:8-9

In one record, only Judas grumbled!  In the Markan account "some" grumbled! But by the time it got to the third account the Holy Spirit lets us know that all 12 ("the Disciples") murmured! 

Again, friend, it is contagious!  Which one do you choose to spread?  Grumbling ... or praise?

I also want you to see something else here.  The praise offered by the 4 beasts was threefold.  The praise offered by the 24 elders was fourfold!  Praise "grows" throughout the whole Book of Revelation!  (It does so throughout the whole Book of Psalms too ... ending in the "grand finale" ... Psalm 150!)

The elders offered to the Lord: worth, glory, honour and power!  Here it is again. Maybe I should say that possibly this is a fourfold statement of praise.  "Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created."  You have to count "worthy" as a part of the doxology to get four ... which I certainly do!

"Worthy" translates a Greek word "axios" that means heavy or with great weight!  The Lord matters so much to them that He's heavy on their hearts and minds and wills and emotions!  Does our God carry much "weight" with you, dear Believer?  Another dictionary of Bible terms says the word "axios" likely comes from little verb ("ago") that means to lead!  Are you following His leadership in daily life?  He's a Qualified Leader!

That verb "art" is in the present tense too!  The Lord just keeps on being "worthy" all the time. 

The infinitive "to receive" is framed as an aorist in Greek!  That means its sense of "time" is one of finished (completed) activity!  The issue is settled!  God is a God of utmost supreme glory, honour and power!  Amen!  (No doubt about it!)

Glory ("doxa"), from which we get the very term "doxology" means "to seem good" or to be of "good reputation."  Pristine in character!  In our King James Bibles the word is usually translated as it is here:  glory (145 times).  However, it is also rendered by the King James Bible praise, dignity (as a plural) and worship! 

Honour (in Greek = "ti-me") carries the idea of that which is of great value!  It's from the verb "to pay a price!"  Somehow Calvary gets into ALL our praise, doesn't it?

BUT here things now differ from the previous praises of the 4 beasts!  The 24 elders notice His great POWER!  "Dunamis" is a word that speaks of the ABILITY to exercise power.  It implies potential ("stored up" and ready to use in a moment's notice) power! It is the little word that comes into English as "dynamite" and as "dynamic" and as "dynamo!"  

I've been wondering something.  WHY did the living creatures NOT mention God's POWER ... and the 24 elders did?  (The first answer to that must be Holy Spirit Inspiration!)

Secondly I believe the creatures of heaven have been around God's power since the day of their creation and they are accustomed to it!  God can do anything!  And they know it!  That's (in fact) all they've ever known!

BUT for the 24 elders ... who have lived on a sin-cursed earth ... limited by human weakness ... the Omnipotence (all power) of God  is absolutely amazing!

POWER to Him! 

Praise be to His great STRENGTH!

Still 99.999% unused but ready!

Why don't you get alone with the Lord somewhere today ... and love Him and worship Him and adore Him and tell Him you know that He is the God of ALL:  worth, glory, honour and POWER too!

If you do this ... you will be echoing the words of heaven here on earth!

Glory to His Name!

                                                                         --- Dr. Mike Bagwell

DOXOLOGY NUMBER THREE:

Today notice with me Revelation 5:13 ...

"And every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying, Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever."

John has been "transported" to heaven and is seeing things that are yet to occur (at a future time).

Every creature is involved in this chorus of praise to the Lamb of God!

That includes all of mankind too!

They are "giving" 4 things to God ("Who sitteth on the Throne") and to the Lamb ("the Lord Jesus").

First there is "BLESSING!"  The Greek word is "eulogia" and means to say ("logeo") something good ("eu") about someone!  Talk good about the Lord!  Extol Him habitually!

"HONOUR" is in Greek "time" (pronounced tee-may') and means the value one places on something or someone!  Tell the dear Lord how priceless He is in your view!

"GLORY" (in Greek "doxa") actually means opinion, judgment, view or even estimate! I believe it also is the sum total of all God's attributes!  Others teach that it is a manifestation of the essence of God ... His very GLOW!

Lastly "POWER" is the word "kratos" and means "manifested power!"  It's from a Greek root meaning "to perfect or to complete" something.  It's probably connected to our word "creator!"  (Force, strength, might!)

This is called a "doxology" and the Book of Revelation is FULL of them!

Prayerfully select one today ... and genuinely offer it to your Father above!

Let's do so together.

Dear Lord, unto Thee we ascribe (acknowledge, yield, give) blessing, honour, glory and power!  They are Thine anyway! 

                                                                            --- Dr. Mike Bagwell

DOXOLOGY NUMBER FOUR:

We have been for the past few days examining the "doxologies" of the Book of Revelation.

It is a Book filled with praise!

It is also filled with warfare!

But in Revelation ... praise precedes warfare!

In fact, I believe praise aids and empowers one who is about to enter warfare!

It seems that a Believer can literally praise his way to victory!

Notice Revelation 5:12 with me today.

"Saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing." 

This verse is being spoken by a group of angels, living creatures and elders. 

Interestingly, the words "loud voice" translate a Greek expression we all know.  Loud is "mega" and voice is "phone!"  Put them together:  "megaphone!"

The words of this paragraph of praise are similar to the others we have studied.  They seem to follow in certain patterns.

BUT there are two exceptions.

These particular worshippers add "riches" and "strength!"  The Lamb  (the Lord Jesus) is worthy to receive riches?  And strength?

Yes!

The noun for "riches" is "ploutos" and means wealth or an abundance of possessions. The word comes from a verb stem that means "to fill!"  (The word picture is being "filled to the brim" with wealth!)

The Bible speaks of God's riches!

The riches of His goodness (Romans 2:4) and the riches of His glory (Romans 9:23) and the riches of His grace (Ephesians 1:7)!  Paul mentions the unsearchable riches of Christ in Ephesians 3:8.  In Christ are hid all the "treasures" of wisdom and knowledge ... says Colossians 2:3!  Listen to the Lord in Psalm 50:10 --- "For every beast of the forest is mine, and the cattle upon a thousand hills."

And note the "strength" ascribed to Jesus too.

That word is "ischus" and means force or power (especially in a physical sense)!  This (says Vine's Bible Dictionary of Words) is power as an endowment.  Our Lord as the divine Son of God possesses all power.  But as a virgin born member of  humanity, He is "given" power by His Father.  For example, John 17:2 --- "As thou hast given him power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him."

Lord today, from the depths of my heart I want to cry unto Thee as the One with all true riches and all true strength!  I worship Thee as the wealthy One and as the strong One!  Then, Heavenly Father, I thank Thee that in my hour of need ... Thy riches are abundantly sufficient!  And that in my hour of weakness ... Thy strength is available!

No wonder Paul said:  "But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus."   Philippians 4:19  (Riches unto the Lamb!)

And then Paul said:  "I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me." Philippians 4:13    (Strength to the Lamb!)

Let's all spend some time today just worshipping Him!

Praises be unto His dear Name!

                                                                        --- Dr. Mike Bagwell

DOXOLOGY NUMBER FIVE:

I believe I never realized just how much "praise" there is in the Book of Revelation.  I've found yet another "doxology" to the Lord God Almighty!  He deserves them all!

The one in Revelation 7:12 seems to be given by angels alone!

"And all the angels stood round about the throne, and about the elders and the four beasts, and fell before the throne on their faces, and worshipped God, saying, Amen: Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honour, and power, and might, be unto our God for ever and ever. Amen."  Revelation 7:11-12

This particular statement of praise is "bracketed" by "Amens!"  I've marked them in red for you.  Somehow the very thought of angels saying "Amen" thrills me!  Friend, when you say Amen in church you're echoing the very language of heaven!

We've already studied most of these words in previous "doxologies" in this series.  BUT two are unique to these angels!

"Thanksgiving" and "might" (in Greek) are particular to this text.

The noun "thanksgiving" translates "eucharistia."  It's a combined term.  "Eu" means good!  "Charis" is the word for grace!  GOOD GRACE!  These angels can't get over the good grace of God!  And they're not even the recipients of it to the degree we humans are!  At least ... they're not "saved" as we are!  It seems that even the angels have a lot for which to thank God!

And the noun "might" translates "ischus" in Greek.  It means primarily physical strength ... or strength endowed (given) to a person for his or her life.  For some reason the angels are overwhelmed by God's awesome exhibitions of sheer strength! The word is believed to be derived from the Greek stem of the verb "to be!"  It should be no wonder to us that the God Whose very Name is I AM should have ability or strength based on His eternal existence!  (God could well say: I AM therefore I CAN!) Wow!  (There is grammatical "linkage" between these two words!)

"Lord, again today we want to praise You! Unto your name be glory for the GOOD GRACE that is yours!  And for the GOOD GRACE you've given us as well!  Remind us that when Peter described the Grace of God, he used the term "manifold!"  (1 Peter 4:10)  The word means "many colored!" And Lord we further ascribe to You (recognize that it is YOURS) power, strength, might and ability for ever more!  In Jesus' Name, Amen."

                                                                             --- Dr. Mike Bagwell

DOXOLOGY NUMBER SIX:

Today let's look at one more of the glorious "praise paragraphs" (also called "doxologies") in the Book of Revelation.

"And after these things I heard a great voice of much people in heaven, saying, Alleluia; Salvation, and glory, and honour, and power, unto the Lord our God:  For true and righteous are his judgments: for he hath judged the great whore, which did corrupt the earth with her fornication, and hath avenged the blood of his servants at her hand."   Revelation 19:1-2

These are the words of "much people."  And they're already in heaven too!

"Alleluia" translates the equivalent of an Old Testament word, Hallelujah! It means (in Hebrew ... halal Yah) ...  Praise the Lord!

The other elements in this doxology are common to the other doxologies we've studied ... (glory, honour and power) ... BUT with one exception.  The noun "salvation" has been added!

Notice it is not spoken by angels (who know little of soul salvation, having never experienced it)!  It is spoken by sinners who have been saved by the Grace of God!

The Greek word for salvation, "soteria," means deliverance, preservation, safety and (of course) salvation!  In all its forms, it's found 45 times in the Bible. 

Saved man now does ... and always will praise God for salvation from sin!  For deliverance from hell!  For life instead of death!

Let's all say it to the Lord again today! 

Salvation!  Thank You Saviour for salvation!  Salvation unto Thy Name!

In fact, Salvation IS Thy Name!  (That's what JESUS means!)

We love Thee, dear Saviour!

                                                                --- Dr. Mike Bagwell

DOXOLOGY NUMBER SEVEN:

Today we look at the last "doxology" in our series. 

It seems a little "slim" when compared to the seven-fold praise packages we have been studying!

But I want us to analyze it anyway.

"After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands;  and cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb."   Revelation 7:9-10

Notice that there is just one element in this "praise" paragraph:  SALVATION!

Praising God for salvation!

And just who is offering this adoration to God and the Lamb?

Human beings!  SAVED human beings!  From every nation on earth!

You know, I think that salvation is the gift for which man can best praise God!

In all these doxologies we've studied ... angels never have praised God for salvation! They have not experienced it as we have! 

But we who have been redeemed surely ought to lift our voices to Him again and again ... particularly emphasizing His saving Grace!

The Psalmist boldly declares:  "Let the redeemed of the LORD say so, whom he hath redeemed from the hand of the enemy  and gathered them out of the lands, from the east, and from the west, from the north, and from the south." (Psalm 107:2-3)  That's exactly what's going on in Revelation 7!

It just seems to me that there are certain areas of praise which are best raised to God by angels!  Other areas of praise can best be brought to God by prophets and Old Testament Saints.  Others yet by the Seraphim (Isaiah 6) ... who specialize in the "Holy, Holy, Holies" of Praise! 

BUT when it comes to the saints of God ... our BEST area of praise just may be in the department of SALVATION!

This is what I say:  Praise God for Salvation!

Thank You, Lord, for saving my soul!

Jonah was right! 

"Salvation is of the Lord!"  Jonah 2:9

And it is so true that "Salvation belongeth to the Lord."  Psalm 3:8  (He just gives it to sinners as a Gift through the shed Blood of Jesus!)

Let us say what those throngs said in John's 7th chapter of Revelation:  "Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb."

Glory to His Name!  You can add that ("Glory") ... or any other attribute of the Lord's ... any time you please!  Just don't forget your specialty --- old fashioned Blood bought SALVATION!

                                                                      --- Dr. Mike Bagwell