Friends, I’ve mentioned in the past when writing from the book of Revelation, that Jesus wants His Church to be spiritually ready for His return. His prophetic messaging through John is all about the preparation of our hearts for when He returns for His Church.
Our passage today includes the first eight verses of chapter four. If you recall, in chapters two and three, Jesus spoke a direct message to the seven churches. These seven “letters” are a message from Jesus to you, me, and ALL believers that as the Church of Christ we must repent and hold firm to our faith, because we do not want Jesus to spit us out for having a lukewarm heart (3:15-16). Being lukewarm is like living a life on a balancing beam, sometimes we are living for the eternal realm and other times we are living for this world. Satan loves when you and I live this way because we are welcoming him into our hearts; and while he has access to our hearts he very patiently and methodically turns them colder and colder, with one small calculating step after another. Jesus was very clear during His Sermon on the Mount that “No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other; you will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and be enslaved to money.” (Matt 6:24) Anything of this world that enslaves us, and takes the place of us worshipping Jesus, is Satan attempt to move us further away from the only One Who is Holy, Jesus. Remember, Satan will be visible everywhere in the last days, as “Sin will be rampant everywhere, and the love of many will grow cold.” (Matt 24:12)
Yesterday, Pastor Mary taught that L.O.V.E is Listening and Obeying the Voice of the Eternal. Friends, as we pray and worship, we are calling on the guidance of the Holy Spirit and we are coming into agreement with all of Heaven who are praising and worshipping the Holy One, Lord God, the Almighty from His Throne. Today, John gives us a glimpse into the Throne Room of Heaven, and his vision aligns with what Ezekiel (1) and Daniel (7) spoke of when they too referenced Heaven and the Holy Eternal One. I don’t know about you, but I want my heart to be ready to witness this, I do not want to be lukewarm or anywhere near Satan. I need the Holy Spirit’s guidance today and with every breath, until my very last on this earth, to keep guiding and connecting my heart to Jesus’s heart so I can allow Him to love me to into eternal wholeness, while I am sharing His eternal love with others.
Revelation 4:1-8 (NLT)
Worship in Heaven
1 Then as I looked, I saw a door standing open in heaven, and the same voice I had heard before spoke to me like a trumpet blast. The voice said, “Come up here, and I will show you what must happen after this.” 2 And instantly I was in the Spirit, and I saw a throne in heaven and someone sitting on it. 3 The one sitting on the throne was as brilliant as gemstones—like jasper and carnelian. And the glow of an emerald circled his throne like a rainbow. 4 Twenty-four thrones surrounded him, and twenty-four elders sat on them. They were all clothed in white and had gold crowns on their heads. 5 From the throne came flashes of lightning and the rumble of thunder. And in front of the throne were seven torches with burning flames. This is the sevenfold Spirit[b] of God. 6 In front of the throne was a shiny sea of glass, sparkling like crystal.
In the center and around the throne were four living beings, each covered with eyes, front and back. 7 The first of these living beings was like a lion; the second was like an ox; the third had a human face; and the fourth was like an eagle in flight. 8 Each of these living beings had six wings, and their wings were covered all over with eyes, inside and out. Day after day and night after night they keep on saying,
“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God, the Almighty –
the one who always was, who is, and who is still to come.”
Prayer: Jesus, I cannot begin to image what it will be like when You bring me Home. These words that John used to describe what You revealed to him are beyond what my mere human mind can understand, and so I am filled with excitement and awe. In the meantime, Holy Spirit, I need Your guidance. Please give me Your holy wisdom and divine guidance for every place I find myself. Help me to love like You. I want to be ready for Jesus’s return. I want my heart to be in oneness with Your heart, Jesus. I ask all of this in Your Holy Name, Jesus. Amen.