Do You see the Celestial Choir

Michael E. Wood
February 5-6, 2012

Revelation 15:2-4


And I saw what appeared to be a sea of glass mingled with fire—and also those who had conquered the beast and its image and the number of its name, standing beside the sea of glass with harps of God in their hands. And they sing the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, “Great and amazing are your deeds, O Lord God the Almighty! Just and true are your ways, O King of the nations! Who will not fear, O Lord, and glorify your name? For you alone are holy. All nations will come and worship you, for your righteous acts have been revealed.”

While it was the Apostle John which was given this heavenly vision of the celestial choir made up of the redeemed of all of time, it is likewise a pleasure given to us by the sure mercies of God to see ourselves there by faith in the blood of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. And one of the most wonderful things about the redemption of which we already enjoy, is that we don’t have to wait until we get to heaven to join our voices in praise to Him who alone is worthy of all praise. Thus as we assemble as a body of believers, let us ever be conscious of the privilege we have been afforded to join our ChoirMaster, who leads from heaven above.

Do you see the celestial choir and you with voice therein,
By faith, in Him, who once was slain to save us from our sin?
Both old and new from all of time as one with hearts made pure,
To glorify Almighty God, whose faithfulness is sure.*


As we sing the song of Moses and of Christ, the Lamb
We shall proclaim the Greatness of the LORD our God; “I AM”!
Just and true are all Your ways, O KING of all the nations,
For You alone are Holy and appoint to all their stations,
That we may come and worship You for righteous acts revealed,
To glorify Your Precious Name by all that You have sealed.

“Faith occupies the mind with the glory of the world to come…Diversion is the cure of the soul…The world will not be cast out of our affections but by the real sight of something better than itself. Till faith hath opened heaven to you, and evidenced things invisible and showed you that they are not shadows but substance, which the promise revealeth and believers expect, you will still be catching at present things [of this present time] as your portion. No eye can pierce so far as heaven, but only faith:’ Faith is the evidence of things not seen’ (Heb. 11:1)” Thomas Manton, “The Life of Faith”, Christian Heritage books.

*The first four lines of the poem above came to mind while listening to Pastor Robert Briggs preach from Revelation 15:2-4, Sunday morning, February 5, 2012.