Why All Heaven Never Stops Praising God—and Why We Should Praise Him Even More!
Slawomir Gromadzki
Jesus Took Our Curse
We deserved the curse of the broken law, but Jesus took it upon Himself. “Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us.” Galatians 3:13, NKJV
The sinless Son of God accepted the condemnation and death that belonged to us so that we could receive His righteousness and eternal life. We did not earn or deserve our salvation. We are saved entirely by God’s grace. When we truly understand this, Christ’s love begins to grip our hearts and change our lives. “For the love of Christ compels us.” 2 Corinthians 5:14, NKJV We are not praising a distant God who has done nothing for us. We are praising the One who carried our sins, accepted our condemnation, tasted the second death for us, died for us our of the broken heart, and gave His life so that we could live forever!
Cross of Christ Blessed the Entire Universe
But, the cross was not a tremendous blessing only for us. It became also a tremendous benefit for the entire universe!
“But the work of human redemption is not all that is accomplished by the cross. The love of God is manifested to the universe… The accusations which Satan has brought against God are refuted… Angels as well as men are drawn to the Redeemer.” The Desire of Ages, p. 626.
Lucifer had accused God of being egocentric, unjust and unworthy of trust. At the cross, the entire universe saw the truth. Heavenly beings saw where Lucifer’s principles of life according to self-love, life independent from God, and rebellion finally lead—to the cruel tormenting and murdering of the innocent Son of God.
At the same time, they saw the true character of God. Instead of destroying His rebellious creatures, the Creator came into this world and gave His life in His Son to save them (2 Cor. 5:19). Calvary proved that God’s law is just, His government is righteous and His love is infinite and stronger than death.
Through Christ, God determined “to reconcile all things to Himself… whether things on earth or things in heaven, having made peace through the blood of His cross.” Colossians 1:20, NKJV
Love Revealed In the Cross Made the Universe Eternally Secure
Lucifer proved that a perfect being could misuse free will, begin to doubt God and finally rebel, not beause God’s creation wasn’t perfect but because God can’t deprive His intelligent creation of free will and freedom of choice. But in His endless love and wisdom God found the way of preventing His holy angels and othe unfallen perfect beings that inhabit universe from another rebellion in the future.
The cross did not take away the freedom of choice. Instead, it removed every possible reason to doubt God and to choose life independent from Him because now all understand God’s character of endless love and humility and the terrible results of sin.
“The angels ascribe honour and glory to Christ, for even they are not secure except by looking to the sufferings of the Son of God. It is through the efficacy of the cross that the angels of heaven are guarded from apostasy.” The Signs of the Times, December 30, 1889.
This is an astonishing thought. The cross not only saved us from eternal death. It also secured the universe forever against doubts about God and another rebellion.
“Rebellion can never again arise. Sin can never again enter the universe. Through eternal ages all are secure from apostasy.” The Desire of Ages, p. 26.
Throughout eternity, no perfect being will ever again question whether God is loving, just or worthy of trust. The cross answered those questions forever.
Why Heavenly Beings Never Stop Praising God
This helps us understand why heavenly beings appear to find nothing more enjoyable than praising God. Whenever the Bible opens a window into heaven, we see the same beautiful picture: countless heavenly beings gathered around God’s throne, serving Him joyfully and praising Him continually.
Isaiah heard the seraphim calling to one another, “Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts; the whole earth is full of His glory!” Isaiah 6:3, NKJV. Daniel saw that “a thousand thousands ministered to Him; ten thousand times ten thousand stood before Him.” Daniel 7:10, NKJV.
John was shown the same glorious throne room. He saw four living creatures and declared, “They do not rest day or night, saying: ‘Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, Who was and is and is to come!’” Revelation 4:8, NKJV.
They never become tired of praising God! Their worship is not forced, cold or monotonous. They praise Him continually because they love Him and never run out of reasons to admire His holiness, goodness and love.
When Christ appears as the Lamb who was slain, praise spreads throughout the entire universe. Millions of angels cry, “Worthy is the Lamb who was slain!” Revelation 5:11–12, NKJV. Then every creature in heaven and throughout creation joins the song: “Blessing and honour and glory and power be to Him who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb, forever and ever!” Revelation 5:13, NKJV.
Ellen White confirms this wonderful picture: “All heaven unite in praising God. Let us learn the song of the angels now, that we may sing it when we join their shining ranks.” Testimonies for the Church, vol. 5, pp. 318–319.
All heaven loves to praise the Father and the Son! The angels praise God for His holiness, creative power and perfect goodness, but their worship reaches its glorious climax at the cross. Calvary revealed God’s infinite love, defeated Satan’s accusations and made the loyal universe eternally secure. That is why heaven never stops singing, “Worthy is the Lamb who was slain!”
Christ died as humanity’s Substitute because we were the sinners who needed forgiveness and redemption. However, the meaning and benefits of His sacrifice reached far beyond our fallen world.
“To the angels and the unfallen worlds the cry, ‘It is finished,’ had a deep significance. It was for them as well as for us that the great work of redemption had been accomplished. They with us share the fruits of Christ’s victory.” The Desire of Ages, p. 758.
This remarkable statement tells us that although the loyal angels and unfallen beings did not need forgiveness from sin, Christ’s victory was also for them. They share with us the eternal benefits of what He accomplished at Calvary.
“Not only men, but angels, will ascribe honour and glory to the Redeemer, for even they are secure only through the sufferings of the Son of God. It is through the efficacy of the cross that the inhabitants of unfallen worlds have been guarded from apostasy.” Bible Training School, December 1, 1907.
The cross revealed the terrible nature of Satan’s rebellion and answered all his accusations against God. It showed the entire universe that God is perfectly loving, just and worthy of complete trust.
“The angels ascribe honour and glory to Christ, for even they are not secure except by looking to the sufferings of the Son of God. It is through the efficacy of the cross that the angels of heaven are guarded from apostasy. Without the cross they would be no more secure against evil than were the angels before the fall of Satan.” The Signs of the Times, December 30, 1889.
The cross did not remove the angels’ freedom of choice. Instead, it removed every possible reason to doubt God or follow Lucifer. They saw where Satan’s principles lead and how far God’s self-sacrificing love was willing to go to save His fallen creatures.
“The plan of salvation, making manifest the justice and love of God, provides an eternal safeguard against defection in unfallen worlds, as well as among those who shall be redeemed by the blood of the Lamb.” The Signs of the Times, December 30, 1889.
Christ therefore died to redeem fallen humanity, but His sacrifice also eternally secured the loyal angels and the inhabitants of unfallen worlds. Through the cross, they were protected forever against Satan’s lies, doubt, apostasy and another rebellion.
That is why angels and unfallen beings praise Christ with such overwhelming joy. They know that they, as well as we, “share the fruits of Christ’s victory.” Throughout eternity, the whole universe will praise the Father and the Son because Calvary saved humanity and made all creation eternally secure.
Love Revealed In the Cross Causes Heaven to Erupt in Praise
In Revelation 5, when Christ appears as the Lamb who was slain, the praise spreads throughout heaven. First, the living creatures and elders sing, “You are worthy… for You were slain.” Revelation 5:9, NKJV Then millions of angels join them, crying, “Worthy is the Lamb who was slain!” Revelation 5:12, NKJV Finally, the entire creation joins in: “Every creature which is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth… I heard saying: ‘Blessing and honour and glory and power be to Him who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb, forever and ever!’” Revelation 5:13, NKJV
The entire universe erupts in praise because of the cross and sufferings of Christ!
Heavenly beings love to praise Christ because His sacrifice revealed God’s love and secured them forever against Satan’s lies and another rebellion. At Calvary, they received the final proof that God deserves all their love, trust and worship.
Their praise is not cold or lifeless. John describes it as the roar of an ocean and the sound of mighty thunder: “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! Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory.’” Revelation 19:6–7, NKJV
They praise God with enormous joy and enthusiasm!
We Have Even More Reasons to Praise Him
If the angels never stop praising Christ for the cross, how much more should we praise Him! They saw Jesus die for sinners, but we are those sinners! We were the guilty ones whose curse He carried. We were the condemned ones whose death He died. We were the lost ones whom He came to find. We are the sinners whom He wants to clothe in His righteousness and welcome into His eternal kingdom.
The cross made the loyal angels eternally secure, but it saved us from eternal death! How can we understand this and remain silent? How can we spend our days complaining while heaven is praising the Lamb who was slain for us?
The angels were not the guilty sinners for whom Christ died, yet they praise Him day and night. Surely our hearts should overflow with even greater personal gratitude!
Let Us Begin Heaven’s Song Today
“I will bless the LORD at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth.” Psalm 34:1, NKJV
We should not praise God only when life is easy or our prayers are answered as we hoped. We can praise Him continually because the cross never changes.
When we wake up, we can thank Him for another day of grace. During temptation, we can praise Him because Christ is stronger than Satan. When we fall, we can return to Him and thank Him that His grace is greater than our failure. During suffering, we can remember that the God who gave His Son can be trusted completely.
Whenever we feel discouraged, we can join the song already filling heaven: “Worthy is the Lamb who was slain!” Revelation 5:12, NKJV
The cross will remain throughout eternity the greatest revelation of God’s character. Heavenly beings will never run out of reasons to praise Christ—and neither should we!
Therefore, let us praise Him continually, joyfully and enthusiastically. Let us begin today the song that will fill the universe throughout eternity!
