.. . just a random verse, chosen to memorize by a fifth grader who just opened her Bible and pointed to a verse. It turned out to be anything but random.
We headed to the van for our weekly hang time, the little kids and I. My little man declared he needed help learning his verse for next week. There was no better time than the present, so he climbed into the seat next to mine and we dove in.
Revelation 4:2 "And immediately I was in the spirit: and, behold, a throne was set in heaven, and [one] sat on the throne."
"Are you sure that is verse? Let me check that out."
"Yes, Mom. All the other good verses were chosen (?), so she just picked one randomly."
"OK, then, let's get to it."
I read it over to myself, and the verse on the page transformed before my eyes from the ordinary to the extraordinary. My little man and I then had an exciting time discussing what God was saying in His Word.
Let me share with you some of the WOW moments from that evening. First of all, there is a throne. Someone is in charge. Secondly, this throne is in heaven. Not here on earth. Not some other universe. A throne sits in heaven. And guess what else? Someone is sitting on it. It is not empty.
Read on in chapter 4 and it gets even more intense. Check it out. This throne has a rainbow around it that looks like an emerald and flames of fire in front of it. There is thunder pealing and lightning flashing and voices crying. In front of the throne lays a sea as clear as crystal. Surrounding this throne are four beasts whose sole job is to give God the honor that he is worthy of. This praise never stops. Never. Never.
Now, here is something else to ponder. There are 24 other seats in this throne room. I am not sure whose these are, but despite their position, these elders don't take advantage of the seats. Instead, they fall face down in front of the throne and place their crowns at the feet of Him who sits on the throne.
This is no ordinary throne room. With all the hype of Prince William marrying, we have a small glimpse of royalty, formality, and due respect. This description blows all that out of the water. Put yourself into the words of Scripture. I wish you could have been there with me and seen my son's face as we felt God's word become a little more real.
If you read my post yesterday, you would remember that some current thought is that our goal is to bring heaven to earth, and that God is too loving to send anyone to hell. I think they are missing Revelation 4. There is a heaven that is beyond anything we can think or imagine here on earth. It is beautiful and full of praise and worship, but more than that, it contains the throne room of a God who really sits on the throne. He is powerful, demands honor, and is in charge. Nothing on earth can ever come close.
I am thankful for a God who sits on the throne, and I look forward to seeing heaven for myself knowing that my face will be facing the ground as well.
A random verse? Not so much.
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