Killing Time, Reaching Back

I had some time to kill so I checked in with one of my fave protestant preachers, Bernard Bell. After reading all of his sermons on Revelation (the series he is currently preaching) wrote him this letter.

Hi, Bernard. Its me, your biggest fan. You are right when you say in "Worthy is the Lamb" (ch 5) that Revelation is about worship. But you are wrong (if I understand you) in the "Vision that Leads to Worship".
Other than Hal Lindsey's "Late Great Planet Earth" which I read when I was a 9 year old boy, I haven't read any comentaries on the book, so I might be wrong too. Also, the Orthodox do not spend a lot of time with the book. (The book was added to the Canon after the lectionaries of the Eastern Churches were written and we never got around to changing the lectionaries.) But this is how I see it: It is not the vision that leads to worship. Rather it is worship that provides the doorway to the vision. If we look at the text it gives us all the clues. Here is what I mean:
What day is it? It is the Lords Day. And what does the Church do on the Lord's Day? Well, it does the Liturgy.
What other clues are there that the Liturgy is being served?
A. The seven candlesticks. On Orthodox altars there are always 7 candles.
B. John hears a voice behind him, from the midst of the candlesticks. We know that St. John was presiding at the liturgy because he heard a voice behind him. The only person who would have their back to the altar during a liturgy would be the presiding bishop (or presbyter).
C. The Lamb is in the midst of the seven candlesticks. To this day, the Bread on Orthodox altars is called "The Lamb". And yes He is on the altar with seven candlesticks.
So, I from just reading Revelation and doing the Liturgy every Lord's Day, I would say this is what happened.... St. John was in the Spirit while serving the Liturgy on the Lord's Day when all of a sudden he saw what was really going on in Heaven, that is his fleshly blinders came off, like they did 60 years earlier on the Mount of Transfiguration, and he saw that worship in Heaven with which the Church on Earth is mystically joined during the Liturgy.
You know, as I write this I am reminded of a passage. I don't remember the reference, but somewhere in the Old Testament we are told that God "inhabits the praises of His people".
I don't know if you've read it, but here is a link to the Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom. (http://www.ocf.org/OrthodoxPage/liturgy/liturgy.html) It is a shortend version of the Liturgy of St. Basil, which is itself a shortened version of the Liturgy of St. James, which the Church of Jerusalem still uses. It is very similar to the Liturgy that was served by St. John on Patmos, the Litrgy he served here in the Shadowlads, which touches Heaven and mysteriously participates in the Heavenly Woship.
God bless you. I pray for you and the other pastors at PBCC often.
Matt