After this I looked, and there before me was a door standing open in heaven. And the voice I had first heard speaking to me like a trumpet said, “Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this.” At once I was in the Spirit, and there before me was a throne in heaven with someone sitting on it. And the one who sat there had the appearance of jasper and ruby. A rainbow that shone like an emerald encircled the throne. Surrounding the throne were twenty-four other thrones, and seated on them were twenty-four elders. They were dressed in white and had crowns of gold on their heads. From the throne came flashes of lightning, rumblings and peals of thunder. In front of the throne, seven lamps were blazing. These are the seven spirits of God.
Also in front of the throne there was what looked like a sea of glass, clear as crystal.
In the center, around the throne, were four living creatures, and they were covered with eyes, in front and in back. The first living creature was like a lion, the second was like an ox, the third had a face like a man, the fourth was like a flying eagle. Each of the four living creatures had six wings and was covered with eyes all around, even under its wings. Day and night they never stop saying:
“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty,
who was, and is, and is to come.” Revelation 4:1-8
The book of Revelation shifts here in chapter 4. We begin to see these heavenly scenes and cosmic explanations about the world. At this point, the book has recounted the letters to the seven churches. These letters are anchored to the struggles of their respective cities. The letters reflect the good, the bad, and the ugly of churches in a difficult world. All of a sudden, a door opens, and John is invited to a bigger perspective. A voice invites him to come up into the perspective of heaven.
The beauty of this passage is how it contrasts heaven with the earthly struggles that the previous chapters faced. What does John see when he comes up to the throne room in heaven? He sees majesty and power. He sees the worship of a mighty God. He sees angelic creatures crying out Holy Holy Holy.
The voice promised to show John what must take place after the earthly struggles; and the first thing he sees is God firmly fixed on his throne. That is what is true yesterday, today, and always. God is on his throne, and he is worthy of adoration and praise. That is comforting, isn’t it? We can often forget this because we are so caught up in the struggles of the seven churches. We can often forget that God is still in control.
Take a moment and listen to this great song: Holy, Holy, Holy – Audrey Assad and worship your Holy, in control, good God.
by Aaron Bjorklund
Note. To access scripture links that don’t appear in the email version, read the differently formatted web version in your browser.
