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Q5. (Revelation 5:13) What is the significance of the same quality of worship being offered to both God the Father and Jesus Christ the Son? What does this tell us about their relationship to each other? Their relationship to us? Simply put they are One, separated only by the fact that G-d came to the earth to dwell with us and to be sacrificed for our sins. He rose again to sit at the Right Hand of G-d. Their relationship to us is that of Creator, Father, Friend, and Mentor.

Q5. (Revelation 5:13) What is the significance of the same quality of worship being offered to both God the Father and Jesus Christ the Son? What does this tell us about their relationship to each other? Their relationship to us? Simply put they are One, separated only by the fact that G-d came to the earth to dwell with us and to be sacrificed for our sins. He rose again to sit at the Right Hand of G-d. Their relationship to us is that of Creator, Father, Friend, and Mentor.

Q4. (Revelation 5:10) How can our destiny as believers include reigning? In what sense could we reign? In what sense do we serve as priests? In what sense are we a kingdom? According to Rev 20:4-6, those souls who have been beheaded for their testimony about Jesus, for proclaiming the Word, and who have not worshiped the beast or his statue, nor accepted his mark on their forehead or their hands, will reign with G-d for a thousand years. They will reign with Him because they are worthy. We reign in the sense that we sit at the Right Hand of G-d with Christ, it also means that we will be "caught up in" the first resurrection with Christ. We are a kingdom because we are children of G-d and we reign with Him.

Q3. (Revelation 5:9, 12) What made Jesus so worthy of opening the scroll and thus bringing history to its consummation? Why was this act so noteworthy and praiseworthy? He conquered sin, by sacrificing His life on the cross. He is the Right Hand of G-d. It was noteworthy and praiseworthy because He was killed, and His blood has ransomed people for G-d.

Q2. These chapters contain many insights into worship that have been adopted by the Christian Church. What do you learn about Christian worship from chapters 4 and 5? Don't miss the basics. Your list might include 20 elements and concepts of worship -- or more. The L-rd is Holy. He is the Almighty G-d. The One who always was, and is and Who is still to come. The twenty four elders fall down. He is Worthy. He has created everything for His pleasure. "Every creature in Heaven and on earth and in the sea... sang: Blessing and honor and glory and power belong to the One sitting on the throne and to the Lamb forever and ever." Thousands and millions of angels are around the throne singing (as well as the living beings and the elders). The Lion of Judah is worthy to open the sealed scroll.

Q1. Many Christian hymns, songs, and choruses come from Revelation chapters 4 and 5. Which can you think of? Just off the "top of my head": Holy, Holy, Holy, L-rd G-d Almighty (Reginald Heber), Agnus Dei, Worthy/Let All I do (Shust), You Are Worthy (Hillsong), Worthy (Johsua Nunn).

Q5. Summarize the lessons of this chapter. What are the churches criticized for? What are they praised for? How should these observations shape the twenty-first century Church? Christ is telling us that He can see everything we do. It is a warning to the churches that these things are happening and we need to get before Him and repent and change our ways. He is telling us that we suffer from greed, selfishness, lasciviousness, and lukewarm attitudes, and that those who follow Him and are victorious over sin, will "rule the nations with an iron rod and smash them like clay pots. They will have the same authority I received for my Father, and I will also give them the morning star!" (Rev. 2: 26-27).

Q4. Why are so many churches a "hotbed of apathy"? How can we combat spiritual apathy and an insipid witness in ourselves? They are a "hotbed" because of greed, not following the Word, selfishness, sexual immorality, it seems everyone "bickers" over whose faith or church denomination is better than another person's instead of understanding that because you belong to a different denomination than your own doesn't mean that you are not saved and can't minister the Gospel to others. We can combat spiritual apathy by staying focused on the L-rd, praying, reading and studying the Word, and loving our fellow Christian and non-Christian, and by treating them with respect and dignity.

Q3. Why do you think the religious compromise required by participating in heathen religious practices in the trade guilds was so spiritually destructive? What compromises do twenty-first century Christians struggle with? Let's not settle for trite legalisms about drinking and smoking. What are the real compromises that dilute vital Christianity? I believe it was destructive because it separated us from G-d/Christ/Holy Spirit. He has laws/commandments for us to follow and abide. When we don't follow them, we compromise our relationship with Him. We lose our focus which is to keep our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith. There is no other perfecter. The compromises that we face are: homosexuality, greed, sex outside of marriage, abortion, giving into fleshly desires and not spending time with Him through worship, prayer, fellowship and reading the Word.

Q2. Why would loosening of sexual standards to conform to the prevailing morals of the culture be destructive of vital Christian faith and witness? How has your culture tended to take the edge off your own Christian moral convictions or forced you to be quiet about them? Because immorality goes against the very nature of G-d. He has expressly told us to stay away from sex outside of marriage, **** and immorality. If we loosen our "sexual standards" we compromise our faith in Him. Out moral values are sacrificed subsequently our believability as witnesses is severely diminished.

The congregation can lose their "first love" for Jesus, by becoming legalistic, concerned more with the propriety of the church body than with the purpose of G-d in the church. The signs of genuine love for Jesus in worship and ministry are a congregation who are unconcerned about their fleshly needs and desires and put the Holy Spirit before anything or anyone else. A lack of love shows up through bickering, dissension, selfishness, unforgiveness, and unconcern for each other. A congregation can regain this love through prayer, humility and repentance.

We know that Jesus is the Light of the earth. The Lampstands signify the seven churches. Christ walking among the Lampstands tells me that He is not only the "Head", but that He walks among us, cares for us, and loves us.

Christ walked among us as a man, His purpose - to save us from our sin. After His crucifixion, He rose and sits at the right hand of G-d. The Holiest of Holy places. In Rev 1: 12-20, John sees Him standing amongst the Lampstands as Head of the seven churches.

I have a friend whose missionary mother left for a city in India, nicknamed the "graveyard of Christians". Rather a daunting thing to be faced with. I believe that the Islamic and Asian countries experience the worst persecution in that they face death if they pronounce that they are Christians. I also feel that Christians are persecuted everywhere. Columbine students were murdered because they were Christian. Granted it is not as dangerous in America as in other countries, but it certainly has its trials, tribulations and frustrations. In this country it is all right to talk about anything you want to and everyone seems to listen to all of the "bad stuff", but when you want to talk about the L-rd, or anything related, you are infringing on someone's space. You can hang up violent, satanic art on a wall, but if you hang something religious you are infringing on someone's space and it's not controversial enough. If you want to talk about evil, sex, and violence at work that is perfectly fine, but if you talk about Christ, you are being disrespectful to your co-workers. The good news is that according to His Word, the martyrs of this earth will see Him in Heaven.

All passages point to the sovereignty of G-d and Christ, however, when I read Rev 1:17, I noted the difference between Rev 1:8, Christ "laid his right hand on me and said". The distinction between the two is that Christ touched John. In Rev 1:8, the literal translation reads that G-d is the Almighty, sovereign one. His human qualities are given to us through the embodiment of G-d in Christ. Because G-d is Holy, Pure and Sovereign, He cannot walk on earth with us nor can He physically touch us. This is why He came to earth through Christ so that He might dwell with us. He is also telling us that Christ is also the Alpha and the Omega, that He too is sovereign.