05 Chapter Wonder and Worship

title: Chapter 5 - Wonder and Worship chapter: 5 tags: #theology #worship #devotional #transformation created: 2025-11-04

Chapter 5: Wonder and Worship - The Son’s Glory and Our Participation

“To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood and made us a kingdom, priests to his God and Father, to him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.” (Revelation 1:5-6)

The Stunning Realization

As the full picture emerges, we find ourselves face to face with a truth so staggering it demands nothing less than worship: The eternal Son of God didn’t just receive a promotion—he earned the divine name itself through perfect obedience, then shares that name with us.

This isn’t just a story about Jesus. It’s a story about the transformation of cosmic government and our unthinkable destiny within it.

The Son’s Incredible Journey

What He Always Was

Eternally divine in nature (John 1:1)
In the form of God from eternity (Philippians 2:6)
The radiance of God’s glory (Hebrews 1:3)
Creator and sustainer of all things (Colossians 1:16-17)

What He Became

Truly human while remaining fully divine
Subject to hunger, thirst, fatigue, and death
Tempted in every way, yet without sin (Hebrews 4:15)
Obedient unto death, even death on a cross

What He Earned

The name above every name (Philippians 2:9)
The right to universal worship due to YHWH alone
Cosmic authority over all creation
Victory over every enemy, including death itself

The Divine Paradox

He earned through obedience what was always his by nature.

The eternal Son proved his worthiness to exercise divine authority by perfect submission to the Father’s will. The cross wasn’t just about our salvation—it was about the Son’s demonstration of perfect divine character.

The Father’s Wise Plan

Divine Government Through Delegation

The Father’s method reveals infinite wisdom:

Never abdicates his ultimate authority
Works through faithful representatives
Demonstrates justice through earned authority
Includes others in divine government

The Joy of the Father

Like David rejoicing over Solomon’s coronation:

“Blessed be the LORD, the God of Israel, who has granted someone to sit on my throne this day, my own eyes seeing it!” (1 Kings 1:48)

The Father delights in the Son’s exaltation because:

It vindicates divine justice
It demonstrates perfect love
It accomplishes complete redemption
It reveals the glory of divine character

The “Until” as Love

The Son’s cosmic authority isn’t permanent in the current form—it serves redemptive purposes. When all enemies are defeated, when every knee has bowed, when creation is perfectly restored, the authority transitions into the eternal “God all in all” configuration.

This isn’t loss but completion. The mission is accomplished, and divine government reaches its perfect expression.

Our Unthinkable Destiny

More Than Forgiveness

We often think salvation means our sins are forgiven and we go to heaven when we die. But Scripture reveals something far more magnificent.

We Receive Divine Names (Revelation 3:12)

The Father’s name—participation in divine nature
The city’s name—heavenly citizenship and community
Christ’s new name—union with his victory and identity

We Become Name-Bearers

Representatives of divine authority
Participants in divine nature (2 Peter 1:4)
Sharers in Christ’s throne (Revelation 3:21)
Living expressions of divine glory

The Personal Secret Name (Revelation 2:17)

Each believer receives:

A unique name known only to themselves and God
Personal calling and identity in God’s eternal plan
Individual intimacy with the divine
Victory and overcoming symbolized by the white stone

This reveals that salvation isn’t mass-produced but personally crafted. God’s plan includes your unique participation in divine government.

The New Jerusalem Reality

Revelation 21-22: Our Eternal Home

Features:

The throne of God and of the Lamb (shared divine rule)
No temple—we have direct access to divine presence
Our names written in the Lamb’s book of life
Eating from the tree of life
Reigning forever and ever

We don’t just visit the divine realm—we participate in it.

The Worship Response

Amazement at the Son

He who created all things redeemed all things
He who was rich became poor to make us rich
He who was worshipped became the servant to make us kings
He who possessed divine nature earned divine authority to share it with us

Gratitude for the Plan

The divine timeline reveals:

Nothing is accidental—all serves redemptive purposes
Our suffering has meaning within the cosmic victory
History is moving toward certain triumph
We are not spectators but participants in divine government

Awe at Our Inclusion

We who were:

Enemies become children
Rebels become representatives
Condemned become crowned
Nameless become name-bearers

Living in Light of the Timeline

Current Reality (Phase 4)

We live in the “until” period:

Christ exercises cosmic authority now
We participate in divine names now
We exercise spiritual authority now
We await complete victory

This means:

Our prayers carry divine authority
Our lives demonstrate divine character
Our mission advances divine kingdom
Our hope rests on certain victory

Future Glory (Phases 6-7)

When the “until” ends:

We witness Christ’s complete triumph
We receive our full divine names
We participate in the eternal “God all in all” configuration
We reign forever in perfect harmony with divine government

The Call to Wonder

At Christ’s Achievement

The ancient pattern of faithful service → testing → elevation → authority finds its ultimate expression in the eternal Son. But he transcends all types:

Perfect faithfulness where others failed
Eternal nature where others were finite
Cosmic authority where others ruled earthly kingdoms
Shared victory where others kept their glory

At Divine Love

The Father didn’t need to save us. The Son didn’t need to earn what was already his. The Spirit didn’t need to indwell us. But divine love chose to work through costly delegation to include us in divine government.

At Our Destiny

We are not just saved from something—we are saved to something unimaginable:

Bearing divine names
Sharing the divine throne
Participating in divine nature
Reigning in divine authority

The “name above every name” becomes not just Christ’s individual possession, but the gateway to divine participation for all who believe.

The Eternal Perspective

From the cross to the crown to the consummation, the timeline reveals that:

Divine government serves divine love
Cosmic authority serves redemptive purposes
Perfect victory serves eternal joy
The Son’s glory includes our participation

When We See Jesus

We don’t just see our Savior. We see:

The King of kings who earned his throne through a cross
The Lord of lords who exercises authority until every enemy is defeated
The Name above every name who shares divine identity with his people
The eternal Son who makes us children through his perfect obedience

The Final Call

Like John on Patmos, when we glimpse this cosmic reality, we can only fall down in worship:

“To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever!” (Revelation 5:13)

But this worship isn’t from a distance. We worship as:

Name-bearers who participate in divine nature
Throne-sharers who reign with Christ
Children who call the ultimate Sovereign “Father”
Brothers and sisters of the King of kings himself

The Never-Ending Story

The journey from cross to crown to consummation reveals that the divine plan was never just about rescuing individuals—it was about transforming cosmic government to include redeemed humanity in the very administration of divine authority.

Wonder, worship, and an overwhelming sense of our incredible destiny—this is the only appropriate response to seeing Christ as he truly is: the Name above every name who earned divine authority to share divine glory with his people forever.

Doxology

To him who:

Came forth from the Father’s presence
Emptied himself in incarnation
Became obedient unto death on a cross
Was highly exalted by the Father
Received the name above every name
Reigns until all enemies are defeated
Will return authority to the Father
Shares divine names with his people
Prepares a place in the New Jerusalem
Promises we will reign with him forever

To him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.

“Even so, come, Lord Jesus!” (Revelation 22:20)

Epilogue: The Never-Ending Story

The timeline has an end, but the story never does. When “God is all in all” through the exalted Son, when every enemy is defeated, when every tear is wiped away, when death itself is destroyed—then the eternal story begins.

We will spend forever discovering new depths of the name above every name, new dimensions of divine glory, new expressions of perfect love. The Son who earned cosmic authority through the cross will forever share that authority with his people.

And we who once were no people will forever be the people of the Name—bearers of divine identity, participants in divine nature, sharers in divine government.

The ancient pattern reaches its perfect expression. The faithful Servant becomes the eternal King. And by grace, we become faithful servants who share his throne.

To him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.