Millennium Superworld
Chapter 10: Let Praises Ring!
Worship is the heartfelt expression of prayer and praise to our Creator and Redeemer.
Worship is the sacred privilege of those who enjoy a son-or- daughter relationship with the Great Creator, and it is a privilege which will continue through the Millennium and beyond.
Now only a few worship God in sincerity and in truth. During the Millennium it will be the happy privilege and delight of everyone who lives. Such was the vision of the Prophet who spoke for God: “Unto me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear [allegiance to my name]” (Isa. 45:23). Some eight centuries later the apostle Paul repeated the promise: “As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God” (Rom. 14:11). The Apostle had before his mind the picture of a world civilization all bowing in homage to the great and glorious King. What a sight!
The center of worship will be Jerusalem, the metropolis of the world, the city of the great King (Matt. 5:35). But worship will be everywhere. It will be the sacred duty and privilege of everyone to worship the King, the Lord of hosts. It will also be the duty of everyone who lives to come to Jerusalem once during each year to worship. In fact, there will even be a penalty upon those who neglect to come. We read, “And it shall come to pass, that every one that is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall even go up from year to year to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, and to keep the feast of tabernacles [a feast of thanksgiving]. And it shall be, that whoso will not come up of all the families of the earth unto Jerusalem to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, even upon them shall be no rain” (Zech. 14:16-17). We are not told just what this penalty means or how the pilgrimage plan will be carried out, but blessings will be withheld from those who do not cooperate. It will be an age of law and discipline, which all will respect.
The prophet Isaiah makes a similar prediction: “And it shall come to pass, that from one new moon to another, and from one sabbath to another, shall all flesh come to worship before me, saith the Lord” (Isa. 66:23). We need not think that all will be celebrating the new moon or the seventh day of our calendar. Isaiah was using the language and customs of the people of that day to picture the regularity and constancy with which the millenarians will worship God. It will be the popular way; it will be the right way; it will be the universal way.
The eagerness of the inhabitants to worship the Lord is also pictured by the Prophets: The inhabitants of one city will say to those of another, “Let us go speedily to pray before the Lord, and to seek the Lord of hosts.” They will be eager to worship! Then what says the Prophet? “I will go also”—an abrupt parenthesis; Zechariah wanted to be among them! (and so do we!) “Yea, many people and strong nations shall come to seek the Lord of hosts in Jerusalem, and to pray before the Lord” (Zech. 8:21-22).
As the New Era is ushered in, the mandate will ring to the farthest recesses of the earth: “Fear God, and give glory to him;…and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters” (Rev. 14:7). That will be the beginning, and the worship will continue and increase as men and women learn more and more of the ways and workings of God and grow to love and honor Him for His goodness.
Both mortals and immortals will find their highest delight and joy in worshiping God during the Millennium. It will be the blessed privilege of both, and can we not feel the vibrancy of their pleasure as they join hearts and hands in praise and adoration to the great God who has made all this Millennial glory a reality?
Angels will be there, “an innumerable company” of angels (Heb. 12:22), thousands upon thousands, who will also join in the worship of God. The book of Revelation gives us a glorious picture—a picture beyond the power of words to convey—of the grand ceremony of worship which will take place when the Millennial days are past and the great multitude who have clothed themselves in spotless robes of purity and righteousness during the Millennium will gather to celebrate their victory. (We read of this august occasion in Revelation 7.) When the “great number” of victorious mortals surround the throne of Christ to receive their immortality and shout “Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb,” then a great company of angels who are standing around the throne, together with the thousand-year-old immortals, will all fall on their faces together and worship the Almighty, saying, “Amen: Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honour, and power, and might, be unto our God for ever and ever. Amen” (Rev. 7:10, 12).
What worship! What praise! What pure delight! Who does not want to be there to take part!
Soon shall the great glad song arise
From all earth’s millions to the skies;
That song of triumph which records
That all the earth is now hte Lord’s.
Oh! That the anthem now might swell,
And host to host the triumph tell,
That not one rebel heart remains
But over all the saviour reigns.
Let thrones and powers and kingdoms be
Obedient, mighty God, to Thee;
And over land and stream and main
Wave Thou the scepter of Thy reign.
Through North and South and East and West
Shall His eternal Name be blest.
Till ev’rywhere beneath the sun
His Kingdom rules, His will is done. —Selected