When putting letters into alphabetical order, do you sing the alphabet song? Does the melancholy sound of Taps alter your mood? For centuries, educators have harnessed the power of music to aid memorization, and entertainers have struck emotional chords through musical compositions. Music engages our hearts, minds, and souls like no other force on earth. The Bible mentions "music" and "musical" 91 times (NKJV version). Of that number, 74 references are related to worshiping God.

Even if you do not consider yourself to be musically minded, Scripture is clear that music will be an important part of your experience in heaven. Let's look at what the Bible says about heavenly worship and its implications for us today.

Worshiping Together in Christ

The book of Revelation makes it clear that massive gatherings of saints will celebrate in heaven's worship experiences. Here is a sampling of these.

Then I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels around the throne, the living creatures, and the elders; and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands, saying with a loud voice:

"Worthy is the Lamb who was slain
To receive power and riches and wisdom,
And strength and honor and glory and blessing!"
—Revelation 5:11–12

And I heard a voice from heaven, like the voice of many waters, and like the voice of loud thunder. And I heard the sound of harpists playing their harps. They sang as it were a new song before the throne….
—Revelation 14:2–3

And I heard, as it were, the voice of a great multitude, as the sound of many waters and as the sound of mighty thunderings, saying, "Alleluia! For the Lord God Omnipotent reigns!"
—Revelation 19:6

If we enjoy choirs and orchestras here on this earth, imagine what it will be like when we hear the celestial choirs, accompanied by heavenly orchestras, lifting praise to Almighty God around the throne! And we will be part of that in heaven.

In heaven, worship is not about one, it's about many. Worship is really "worth—ship"—ascribing to Jesus what is His by virtue of His nature.

Corporate worship is necessary. We need the church! And we need each other. There is no such thing as individual Christianity. The word "saints" is always plural in the Bible.

Crescendo of Worship

Worship in heaven just keeps getting bigger and better. It crescendos. In music, "crescendo" means to get louder and louder, to get bigger and bigger; to make more and more of what started as small. A crescendo is to finish big! And the book of Revelation observes an obvious crescendo in praise and worship.

A Twofold Doxology:

. . . to Him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.
—Revelation 1:6

A Threefold Doxology:

You are worthy, O Lord,
To receive glory and honor and power;
For You created all things,
And by Your will they exist and were created.
—Revelation 4:11

A Fourfold Doxology:

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, I heard saying:

"Blessing and honor and glory and power
Be to Him who sits on the throne,
And to the Lamb, forever and ever!"
—Revelation 5:13

A Sevenfold Doxology:

Blessing and glory and wisdom,
Thanksgiving and honor and power and might,
Be to our God forever and ever.
—Revelation 7:12

In churches today, we also love to do that in our worship. We like to end big! We sometimes start small and keep changing keys as the music gets louder and bigger and mightier. That's biblical! That's going to happen in heaven, and here on earth we're just rehearsing. Never in the history of Christianity has there been a greater emphasis on worship and praise than there is today. God's people are finding what it means to really worship God with all of their hearts and souls and minds, because one day that's how it's going to be in heaven. Heaven will be a grand crescendo of worship throughout eternity.

Start Rehearsing Today for Heaven's Choir

You and I are constantly bombarded with the reality of this world. Television, radio, and newspapers are incessantly getting us to focus on this world and on our present reality and all of its problems. Yet this reality is in contrast to the reality of heaven. Christians often live as though the unseen eternal things are somehow less real than what we can see, but according to Scripture, they are more real.

It is through worship that our spirits are lifted up into the heavenlies. It is through worship that we are made to see God as John saw Him. And it is through worship that our lives start to have a perspective that spares us from the rollercoaster rides that used to dominate us before we discovered what it is like to really worship Almighty God.

As we rehearse here on earth for the grand worship in heaven, keep these things in mind:

1. Worship is not about us—it's about Him! Worship is to be offered up to the Lord from our heart, soul, and mind, knowing that the object of our worship is on the throne that we'll see when we look through the door in heaven. Worship gets us in tune with God.

2. Worship is not about here; it's about there. One of the main purposes of worship is to get our minds off the things of this earth and onto the things in heaven. And only as we're able to do that can we ever hope to function with integrity in our lives. When we see heaven, earth starts to make more sense.

3. Worship is not about now; it's about then. Worship is the avenue that leads us from the emptiness of this world to the fullness of the next world. When we fail to worship, we confine ourselves to the despair of this life.

The concept of worship is often misunderstood. Worship is not about singing songs with raised hands on Sundays, though hopefully that is part of it. Worship is a matter of the heart. God calls us to live our entire life as an act of worship to Him. That means living in constant recognition of who God is and rejoicing in His goodness. It means reflecting His holiness through our words, actions, and decisions.

Living worshipfully requires the Holy Spirit's power. It requires a constant fight against our sinful nature.

What will the world be like without the burden of sin and with the full radiance of God? It will be a place to experience worship like we have never known before!

Life in heaven will be spent in the presence of our righteous God. We will have glorified and perfected bodies. We will no longer struggle with the sin of this world. We will be filled with a wholehearted desire to worship, whether we are singing His praises in a choir or walking the streets of gold or conversing with Old Testament prophets.

In heaven, our worship will be full and rich and unhindered—grander than we have ever experienced.

There will be endless reasons to worship in heaven, but let's examine six of them:

Unexpectedly, John found himself summoned to appear before the majestic throne of the King of the universe. Like a preview of coming attractions, he received a glimpse of what will be happening in heaven while the Tribulation unfolds on earth. His vision is recorded in Revelation 4.

John was at a loss to describe the great beauty he witnessed—the magnificent glory of God. All he could do was try to compare it to earth's most precious treasures, rare jewels and gemstones.

An emerald rainbow surrounded the throne, but unlike the arcs we're familiar with, this rainbow was a full circle—a reminder that all things are complete in heaven. Rainbows also remind us of God's faithfulness that spans from the earliest days of Noah and the patriarchs to the end of days. Just as God rescued Noah and his family from worldwide disaster, He will rescue His Church through the Rapture.

In Revelation 4:4, John described twenty–four elders dressed in white, crowned in gold, and seated on their own thrones. These saints probably represent the Church before the throne of God.

John said, "From the throne proceeded lightnings, thunderings, and voices" (4:5). When the Lord gave Israel the Law, His presence was accompanied by lightning, thunder, and a voice from heaven (Exodus 20:18). Today, because of Jesus, the throne of judgment has become the throne of grace for believers (Hebrews 4:16).

John also described a "sea of glass, like crystal" surrounding God's throne (Revelation 4:6). And around the throne were four living creatures—the same ones Ezekiel saw in his vision of heaven (Ezekiel 1:5–14). These are the angels who will execute judgment on the earth. They also lead worship in heaven.

In the midst of the thunder and lightning and voices, the angels burst forth with shouts of praise: "Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come" (Revelation 4:8).

The elders were overcome with awe, reverence, and adoration in the presence of God. They fell down in worship, casting their crowns before His throne.

When we arrive in heaven, we will want nothing more than to bless God and give Him all that we are, all that we have. Of course, all we'll have to give Him will be the things He has given us—our "crowns," our rewards. We will joyfully offer them to Him, saying, "You are worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power, for You created all things, and by Your will they exist and were created" (4:11).

In heaven, the Church will experience an intimacy in worship that the angels can't know. It's something only those who have been rescued and redeemed can understand. We were lost and now we are found. We've been forgiven and set free.

We'll worship more fully in heaven, but we can begin to express our gratitude now.

Holy Lord, I worship You today for all that You are and all that You have done! You alone are worthy of all my praise!