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<blockquote data-quote="BrownFlush" data-source="post: 5923059" data-attributes="member: 65823">On the outset, Revelation is written in figurative/symbolic language. It&#039;s a study that requires one to begin at the beginning.To drop a verse in the middle of the letter and say here is worship with instruments in the church is to say more than 14:2 says.In the book of Revelation, you find heavenly, not earthly, creatures worshipping God.&nbsp;The twenty-four elders are not only pictured as having harps, but also wearing crowns (4:10) and offering incense (5:8). We also find the use of a censer (8:5), tabernacle (15:5) and the sea of glass (15:2).&nbsp;To be consistent that this is literal harps and for this to justify the use of mechanical instruments of music in worship, you would have to insist these other items are literal. In fact, if the harps are authorized, then all are, then we have not the right to omit any of them from our worship.At least two other times in Revelation, John makes mention of hearing the sound of musical instruments in the heavenly regions (Rev. 5:8, 9; 15:2, 3).&nbsp;If God will, in fact, choose to allow the use of instruments in Heaven, that does not change what he has authorized us to use in worship today. Second, this line of reasoning ignores the highly symbolic nature of the Revelation. John states that Jesus signified the message of Revelation to him (Rev. 1:1). Again, this means that the Lord conveyed the prophecy by means of signs and symbols.&nbsp;John also mentions seeing horses in Heaven (Rev. 6:2). Does this mean that Heaven will contain literal horses? Does this mean that we should use horses in the worship of the church today?The spiritual abode of heaven will have nothing physical. Streets of gold? Literal harps? Nah. It&#039;s the only way John could describe how awesome it is so we could half way get the picture.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="BrownFlush, post: 5923059, member: 65823"] On the outset, Revelation is written in figurative/symbolic language. It's a study that requires one to begin at the beginning. To drop a verse in the middle of the letter and say here is worship with instruments in the church is to say more than 14:2 says. In the book of Revelation, you find heavenly, not earthly, creatures worshipping God. The twenty-four elders are not only pictured as having harps, but also wearing crowns (4:10) and offering incense (5:8). We also find the use of a censer (8:5), tabernacle (15:5) and the sea of glass (15:2). To be consistent that this is literal harps and for this to justify the use of mechanical instruments of music in worship, you would have to insist these other items are literal. In fact, if the harps are authorized, then all are, then we have not the right to omit any of them from our worship. At least two other times in Revelation, John makes mention of hearing the sound of musical instruments in the heavenly regions (Rev. 5:8, 9; 15:2, 3). If God will, in fact, choose to allow the use of instruments in Heaven, that does not change what he has authorized us to use in worship today. Second, this line of reasoning ignores the highly symbolic nature of the Revelation. John states that Jesus signified the message of Revelation to him (Rev. 1:1). Again, this means that the Lord conveyed the prophecy by means of signs and symbols. John also mentions seeing horses in Heaven (Rev. 6:2). Does this mean that Heaven will contain literal horses? Does this mean that we should use horses in the worship of the church today? The spiritual abode of heaven will have nothing physical. Streets of gold? Literal harps? Nah. It's the only way John could describe how awesome it is so we could half way get the picture. [/QUOTE]

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