“You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being,”
– Revelation 4:11
Hi James and Ellen,
Have you ever wondered what the inside of a house looks like that has been recently built? Have you ever gone with your dad and ma to look at a new house? Have you ever wished that you could move to a larger house? Your grandmaa and grandpaa like to go into houses that have been recently built to find out what the insides of the houses look like. After your grandmaa and grandpaa moved into the first house that was built in a development called Eagles Landing – which is where your grandmaa and grandpaa are now living, your grandmaa and grandpaa would regularly go into the different houses that were being built in Eagles Landing. When your grandmaa and grandpaa moved in June of 2007 into their house that is in the Eagles Landing development, large, beautiful houses valued up to a million or more dollars where being built in another new housing developing about a mile or so from Eagles Landing. Your grandmaa and grandpaa a couple of times took friends to this new housing development to tour the new houses that were being left open for anyone who wanted to see what the inside of the houses looked like. Apparently because there were so many guys and gals doing what your grandmaa and grandpaa were doing in that development – checking out the inside of any new house that had not been sold and which had a sign outside that said that it was open to go inside, that the guy or gal who was selling the houses decided to only allow the guys and/or gals to see the inside of a house if he or she was with the guy and/or gal.
Do you wish that you could see what the inside of heaven looks like? Apostle John – before he died, got to go through heaven’s door for a short heavenly visit. Apostle John recounts in Revelation 4 his being translated in the Spirit to a door that opens up into heaven. A trumpet sounding voice was Apostle John’s guide during his tour of heaven. As Apostle John went through heaven’s door, a holy apparition having the appearance of jasper – which is a blue sheen, semi-precious stone, and like carnelian – which is a reddish-brown, semi-precious stone, immediately caught his attention. Apostle John’s report has this divine entity sitting on a throne that has an emerald hued rainbow encircling it – with the rainbow filtering the unapproachable light that is radiating from God’s holy presence as He sits on His sacred throne. Apostle John then says that he saw twenty-four other thrones surrounding the central throne with elders dressed in white and wearing gold crowns sitting on each throne. Apostle John does not say who these twenty-four elders are. Some Biblical scholars believe that the twenty-four elders are representatives of the universal Christ-follower church while other Biblical scholars believe that the twenty-four elders personify the twelve Israelite people group tribal clans along with the twelve disciples who Jesus arbitrarily chose to mentor. Per what Apostle John reports in his description of his supernatural visit into heaven, lightning flashes and peals and rumblings of thunder are emanating from the central throne where God – as God the Father, is always enthroned. The constant flashes of lightning and the continual peals and rumblings of thunder are depictions of the mighty power that God – as God the Father, has. Apostle John also saw per what he recounted seven blazing lamps placed before the central throne. Apostle John explains that the seven blazing lamps are emblematic of God’s seven spirits. Fullness, completeness and perfection are three of the spirits of God that are being symbolized by the seven lamps that are blazing before the throne that God – as God the Father, is on in heaven. Apostle John then saw per His report a sea of glass – that is as clear as crystal, separating the throne that God – as God the Father, is on from the other thrones. No one seems to know the glass sea’s purpose. Apostle John then writes that he saw four creatures hovering around the central throne where God – as God the Father, is always sitting. These living creatures per Apostle John are unique – with one of the creatures looking like a lion, another looking like an ox, another looking like the face of a man and another looking like a flying eagle. Per Apostle John’s detailed recounting, each of the four living creatures have six wings, they are covered with eyes and they never stop day or night saying repeatedly the Lord God Almighty ‘who was, and is, and is to come’ is holy, holy, holy.
Apostle John concludes his account of what he saw during his heavenly visit with an observation that each time as he watched the four different living creatures giving God – as God the Father, the glory, honor and thanks that God – as God the Father, merits, that the twenty-four elders would fall down from their thrones – placing their crowns before the throne of God – as God the Father, to worship Him. Per Apostle John, the elders’ esteeming words in verse 11 to God – as God the Father, are “‘You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being,”’ Your grandpaa is very thankful that the door leading into heaven is open and will always remain open for each guy, gal or kid who God – as God the Father, adopted before He molded planet Earth. Your grandpaa is also very thankful – because of Apostle John’s translated visit into heaven, that he knows that heaven is an exquisitely beautiful ‘house’ where there are always joyful, worshipful words being chanted to venerate God – as God the Father, as He sits on His throne.
Revelation 4 (1028)