The Throne Room

And instantly I was in the Spirit, and I saw a throne in heaven and someone sitting on it.

Revelation 4:2 (NLT)

The book of Revelation moves quickly jumping from past to future events in just one verse. At the end of chapter three we have Jesus concluding His remarks to the churches in Asia and the first verse of chapter four has us peering into the throne room of heaven. John sees God on the throne orchestrating everything in His brilliance and splendor. Events are not spinning out of control, instead an all-powerful God is being worshipped as His Son Jesus is initiating the final battle against the forces of darkness.

Thunder rumbles and lightening flashes (images of God’s power) as strange creatures worship constantly saying, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty – the one who always was, who is, and who is still to come.” (v. 8)

When I read this chapter I instantly wonder about these strange creatures. What are they? Are they angels or some other heavenly envoy? If you take a step back and take a look at how they are described you can see that these creatures represent the character of God. These beings are covered with eyes.....they see everything just like our all seeing God!! Each one appears as a different animal and each animal symbolizes an attribute of God; first we have the powerful king of the jungle - the lion, then we have the faithfulness of the hardworking and persistent ox, third is the intelligence of the one with a human face (Genesis 1:27 anyone?) and finally we have the sovereignty of an eagle in flight. These amazing creatures are visuals of God’s remarkable nature. They not only guard the throne but they lead others in worship and are constantly proclaiming God’s holiness.

As the chapter continues, brilliant colors abound and glass sparkles like crystal as twenty-four elders lay their crowns down before God and fall down with reverence, devotion, and respect and say, “You are worthy, O Lord our God, to receive glory and honor and power. For you created all things, and they exist because you created what you pleased.” (v. 11)

When I see God being worshipped in this manner a lot of things go through my mind. First, I can’t wait to take part in this heavenly ritual. I can’t wait to be in the presence of the Almighty and to be worshipping Him as I was truly meant to. The other thing that goes through my mind is how far away and removed I feel from this event. I don’t even worship God like this when I go to church. I find that I can’t even sing with reckless abandon and throw my arms in the air for Him like others do. I feel like people are watching me. What does that say about my worship? Do others feel this way?

If only I could jump around and dance like a crazy man like David did in 2 Samuel chapter six. David was filled with joy and adulation and was not ashamed at all when confronted over his lack of couth. He replied “I was dancing before the LORD, who chose me above your father and all his family! He appointed me as the leader of Israel, the people of the LORD, so I celebrate before the LORD. Yes I am willing to look even more foolish than this, even to be humiliated in my own eyes!”

When will I stop being concerned with what other people think of me and start worshipping God like He deserves? After all He chose me to be one of His children just as He did David. Must I wait until I am in the Throne Room of heaven? When will I lay my crown of importance down before the Lord and place God in His rightful place as first in my life? When will I proclaim God’s holiness day after day and night after night? Must I wait until eternity is unfolded before me? What holds me back? What holds you back?

These mighty and powerful images of our Creator do to me what was intended (I believe). They humble me and make me aware of a crazy big God sitting on His throne in heaven. They make me realize that it is not all about me but about Him. He is amazing, He is powerful, He is creative, He is scary. To approach God in any other manner is simply unacceptable.

Well, I am off to church. Maybe today I will throw my arms up in the air and worship Him as He is meant to be worshipped. Maybe....