Day 1,056: Revelation 4- God's Throne

​After this I looked, and behold, a door standing open in heaven! And the first voice, which I had heard speaking to me like a trumpet, said, “Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this.” 2 At once I was in the Spirit, and behold, a throne stood in heaven, with one seated on the throne.3 And he who sat there had the appearance of jasper and carnelian, and around the throne was a rainbow that had the appearance of an emerald. 4 Around the throne were twenty-four thrones, and seated on the thrones were twenty-four elders, clothed in white garments, with golden crowns on their heads. 5 From the throne came flashes of lightning, and rumblings and peals of thunder, and before the throne were burning seven torches of fire, which are the seven spirits of God, 6 and before the throne there was as it were a sea of glass, like crystal.
And around the throne, on each side of the throne, are four living creatures, full of eyes in front and behind: 7 the first living creature like a lion, the second living creature like an ox, the third living creature with the face of a man, and the fourth living creature like an eagle in flight. 8 And the four living creatures, each of them with six wings, are full of eyes all around and within, and day and night they never cease to say,
“Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty,
    who was and is and is to come!”
9 And whenever the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to him who is seated on the throne, who lives forever and ever, 10 the twenty-four elders fall down before him who is seated on the throne and worship him who lives forever and ever. They cast their crowns before the throne, saying,
11 “Worthy are you, our Lord and God,
    to receive glory and honor and power,
for you created all things,
    and by your will they existed and were created.”
 
Meditation
The greatest worship I have ever participated in was in the most difficult place I have ever visited. In the heart of Kibera slum in Nairobi, Kenya, God revealed the power of His total rule over the suffering and struggle of this world. The repeated refrain of Mambo Sawa Sawa, (“The Lord is on the throne, things already better!”) refocused my heart and fueled hope.
 
The greatest worship in scripture is seen from a greater place of suffering, John exiled on Patmos, and includes the same focus: Jesus is on the throne! And He is worthy of our worship.
 
The Lord’s “throne” is repeated 10 times in chapter 4, emphasizing the total rule of God. At the center of Jesus’ revelation of Heaven is the throne of the King of the universe, and worship surrounds the throne.
 
John goes through a door (1) to see the throne room of heaven. God’s throne is surrounded by heavenly beings, fire, and a sea (2-8), to symbolize God’s holiness and His rule over all creation. God is worthy to be praised, worshipped, and glorified (9-11) by His people. The elders represent all who are redeemed and invited to cast our crowns before His throne to join the chorus, “Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power…”
 
The revelation of God’s sovereign rule and celestial worship should fuel hope and refocus our hearts. The Lord is on the throne- Things already better! Jesus is working all things for the good of His people and the glory of His name.
 
Richly Dwelling
-Re-read todays chapter and circle the ten times the word “throne” is repeated. Why is the repetition significant for a people who are suffering and struggling in a fallen world?
 
-Do you live as if Jesus is on the throne, working all things for the good of His people and the glory of His name?
 
-How does focusing on the throne of Jesus, marinating in the promise that Jesus is making all things new, fuel hope and re-focus your heart?
 
Key Verse
2 At once I was in the Spirit, and behold, a throne stood in heaven, with one seated on the throne.