The One who John sees seated on the throne in Heaven is so magnificent that he is left astonished, shocked at the glory of the spectacle:
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. Revelation 4:3-4 NIV
So how do we square that perception of a supremely powerful God with this very different description, given to us by Jesus before his death:
“I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you.” John 15:15 NIV
How can that be? How can God with so much power and splendor, majesty and awe, be the same God who calls us “friend” with so much tenderness?
Because the language of Heaven is expressed most clearly through paradox. For example:
- The most powerful king comes in the form of a vulnerable child born into poverty.
- The most powerful weapon against hatred is the practice of forgiveness, of understanding.
- In dying, we find the only thing that has ever made our lives worth living.
- In giving, we receive more than we ever gave up.
We find a brief, ephemeral view into Jesus’ nature when we realize that He exists in that mysterious space: the place between what we accept as reasonable in this earthly existence, compared to that which is actually unbelievable, impossible, and the opposite of what we would expect.
We can experience that understanding – the mystery of that paradox for the briefest of moments, but then it slips away – elusive. Why? Because it’s too powerful to wrap our minds around: His seemingly opposing identities at the same time – being GOD and Man.
And that leads us to yet another paradox: that in that moment of having that understanding slip away, Jesus has become closer still, inviting us to go even deeper in our experience of Him.
He is KING of Kings, LORD of Lords … and He is also our most intimate friend. That is a paradox, and that is the language of Heaven.
by Carie Grant
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