And I heard a voice from heaven, like the sound of many waters and like the sound of loud thunder, and the voice which I heard was like the sound of harpists playing on their harps. And they sang a new song before the throne and before the four living creatures and the elders; and no one could learn the song except the one hundred and forty-four thousand who had been purchased from the earth.
—REVELATION 14:2-3
WORSHIP BY THE “SONS OF GOD” IN THE LAST DAYS
Fluid imagery like that of dreams and visions marks the language of Revelation. Here, for instance, John spoke of a sound both thunderously loud like that of a large waterfall, yet delicate as the plucking of a chorus of harps, both overpowering and gentle, forceful and soft, shaking and comforting. John heard the glorious sound of the voices of a multitude rising as one, the resonant wonder of worship offered in the power of kingdom unity.
I believe this generation of worshipers lives now and that they stand in the vanguard of a movement of worship reflecting God’s nature, infused with all the qualities of His presence. The sons of God to be manifest in the last days stand above all as a worshiping people. The last days outpouring of the Holy Spirit will spark a wondrous revival of heavenly worship on earth.
This worship revival rejects the entertainment model focused on the performance of those on the stage as if worship were a concert. In these last days, worship among the wholly owned, symbolized by the 144,000, will grow in power as well as the gentle touch, the roar as well as the whisper, and thunderous proclamation as well as sweet comfort. Already begun, this new pulse of worship can flow only from the hearts of the sold-out, one hundred percent laid-down lovers of God. As a “sound from heaven” this worship originates in the realm of the Spirit and manifests on earth.
John wrote, “And they sang a new song before the throne and before the four living creatures and the elders; and no one could learn the song except the one hundred and forty-four thousand who had been purchased from the earth” (Rev. 14:3). As worship takes on a growing force and power among the sons and daughters of God in these last days—our day—it will be characterized by a sense of intensity and urgency, as well as exhibiting a quality of unique creativity.
Implied in these verses is the idea that not everyone can enter into this new depth of worship and in effect “learn” it because it can only be truly felt and offered up by those who have been branded as wholly owned. It flows from a place in the heart that has been profoundly touched and changed, a place that has come to look a lot like Jesus so that it resonates powerfully with His Spirit.
A worship revival is being released in these last days to energize the spirit of our victory in Jesus, a “song” that comes exclusively from undivided hearts hopelessly in love with our Lord. The compromisers and the lukewarm cannot learn the depth of it because it requires wholeness of devotion. Others will hear it who have not come into that kind of relationship with Jesus. They will sense it and be drawn by the supernatural presence of God in it, but will not be able to comprehend its depth or the fullness of its power without making the same decision the laid-down lovers have made. This worship revival has already begun for those who can learn the song. The invitation to make the choices that lead to the fullness of this precious gift has gone out. The only question is, who will respond?
I believe that as this new wave of worship washes over those able to learn the song and enter in, we will see a dramatic increase of sovereign signs and wonders poured out in the context of worship. Worship will move from being simply collections of musicians playing songs and will become a glorious act of surrender led by prophetic psalmists. Prophetic words will be sung from the heart of God. In the midst of worship, words of knowledge will come forth concerning what God is doing among the people at that moment, and power will be released.
In First Chronicles 25 David and the commanders of his army appointed skillful musicians and singers to prophesy on their instruments and with their voices. God intended that worship should carry not just the glory of God, but a military benefit. Perhaps more significantly, Heman, the king’s seer, a prophet, exercised authority over the whole. From the Old Testament to the New Testament, God intended worship to be both prophetic and strategic for victory. Later, when Solomon dedicated the temple built with the materials David had prepared, such a glory cloud descended in response to the sacrifices offered that the priests could not stand to minister. God hasn’t changed.
Obviously, this kind of worship revival with a prophetic empowering cannot happen where the movement of the Holy Spirit is restricted or forbidden. Look for manifestations of this kind in what I call “lighthouse churches” where extended worship, pursued to breakthrough into the Presence, is practiced and cherished. Increasingly, God will move in healing power in the context of worship without the mediation of any human agent or gifted superstar leader. Already, in some places, this has begun to manifest. My own church has seen a number of people healed in this sovereign manner during the course of powerful worship when no one was praying for them. It’s all part of the “new song” and it doesn’t require a superstar healer on the platform making it all happen and doing it all for us.
How does this work? What does it look like? As a worship leader, I am not only engaged in worshiping and leading the band. I’m listening to God, asking Him what He is doing, as well as sensing in my spirit what the people are feeling and doing. Without breaking rhythm or exiting whatever song we might be singing, I will simply announce or even sing the thing I’m hearing.
For instance, one brother in our flock had suffered from severe ulcers for fifteen years. During worship, I sensed a healing anointing in the room. While continuing to play the chords of the song, I invited people to notice any bodily sensations and choose to receive them as the hand of God. This brother felt the touch of God flood his body. Scheduled for surgery the following week, he went for a pre-surgery gastroscopy. The result? Where there had been scar tissue evident in previous examinations, there was now no evidence that he had ever had an ulcer.
In another case, a brother, functionally blind in one eye due to diabetic complications, felt the sovereign touch of God during one of our services. God restored his eye to 20/20 vision, better than it had been before losing his sight. The doctors had offered him little to no hope of recovery. Other healings have happened in our midst when I as a worship leader was completely unaware. Sovereign acts of our loving God will increase as His presence is welcomed.
In short, in this coming season the office of the prophet will be wedded with the office of the psalmist. God will speak and God will heal in the context of worship offered up as much more than merely the warmup to the sermon. Worship and the preaching of the Word will occupy equal places of importance. Creativity will be released in both spontaneous song and in fresh songs for worship that comprise the new hymns of our day, contemporary in style and filled with rich poetic content. A vanguard of creative and original songwriters already move in this renewed anointing.
Once more, however, I must make it clear that this surge of freshly anointed worship will not fully touch the lukewarm or unclean of heart except where they allow it to incite deeper passion for the Lord. Sovereign signs and wonders like this will not be seen in churches where the move of God is limited and where lukewarm and less than radical commitment is tolerated in the name of not wanting to alienate anyone. To borrow a phrase from Jesus’s own language, “the time is coming and now is,” when nothing less than radical commitment and the kind of extended and passionate worship that brings the Presence will be enough to satisfy the needs of those crying out for help in a desperate time.
I believe that we are the generation John foresaw. Now. Today. We must pursue a depth of worship that exhibits all the qualities of God, reflecting who He is. It is not entertainment. It’s a mirror of God Himself and it strengthens us for victory even as it glorifies the Lord.