Tension… have you felt it lately?
The Apostle John, and the Christians in the churches he is writing to, stand between two worlds… and there is great tension. In this world, Satan has his throne surrounded with sexual immorality, compromise, mixture, and mass deception. John, in the midst of this world, was “canceled,” rejected, and put on an island full of prisoners. The cancel culture of his day sought to cancel his voice and his faith… and eventually cancel his life.
At the same time, John was part of another world. As a child of God through faith in Christ, he was part of a heavenly family. So there he was worshiping the Lord, becoming more aware of God’s kingdom and God’s throne when he suddenly heard the Lord’s voice and saw a glimpse of the Master. His feet were on the earth, but his heart and mind and emotions were in Heaven. Then it happened…
“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.’” – Revelation 4:1
I hear the Lord saying to us… “Come up here. I want you to come up higher.”
“When we were at Mount Sinai, the Lord our God said to us, ‘You have stayed at this mountain long enough. It is time to break camp and move on.’” – Deuteronomy 1:6-7
The greatest threat to the Church is not the liveliness of sin around us, but the deadness in us. It is the Church settling for life stuck in a rut. In becoming so much like the world, if we don’t feel any tension, we will make no impact. Remember that the Church is made of believers called out to gather—the gathering of the saints. It is not any more or less than the individuals that make up the gathering; you cannot change the Church without changing the individuals. So, the Lord is personally calling you higher!
John saw a door standing open in Heaven—a door that shows us the unlocked access. For some, Heaven seems distant to everyday reality on Earth, yet it is close at hand and saturates all that takes place on Earth. This opened the Apostle John’s senses as he took the journey higher. He would see and hear things he never experienced before:
“I was caught up to paradise and heard things so astounding that they cannot be expressed in words, things no human is allowed to tell.” – 2 Corinthians 12:4
“And instantly I was in the Spirit, and I saw a throne in heaven and someone sitting on it. 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.” – Revelation 4:2-3
Jesus said we get to come boldly before the throne! We have been seated with Christ in heavenly places. While we are all too aware of what’s available in this earthly realm, we do not want to miss what’s in Heaven that we can bring to Earth.
The occupied throne is the focus of all John sees in his visit to Heaven. It is significant to point out that the throne is a powerful declaration of God’s presence and sovereign, rightful reign; His responsibility to guide, care for and judge His creation. We won’t think rightly about anything in life until we settle in our minds that there is an occupied throne in Heaven, and from that throne, God actively rules over the affairs of the earth right now.
The atheist says, “There is no throne, no seat of authority or power that the entire universe must answer to, no God who gives us life or guidelines for living.” The humanist says, “There is a throne and I sit on it; I make the rules for living as I see fit.”
As a Christ-follower, if you see God on the throne, you won’t keep trying to get on it. When you see that the throne is not empty, you get some peace that God knows what He is doing… He has the proper time. Your prayer has been heard; now trust in God’s proper time for the answer.
An angel told Zechariah: “For my words will certainly be fulfilled at the proper time.” – Luke 1:20
What does John see happening around God’s occupied throne?
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. 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 of God. 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. 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. 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.” Whenever the living beings give glory and honor and thanks to the one sitting on the throne (the one who lives forever and ever), the twenty-four elders fall down and worship the one sitting on the throne (the one who lives forever and ever). And they lay their crowns before the throne 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.” – Revelation 4:4-11
We live with the tension of being between two worlds. The question is: How do we live in such a way where we become more aware of the Kingdom of Heaven than this earthly kingdom? How do we awaken our spiritual senses?
Repent!
The transformation of our life starts right here. REPENT. This means an absolute and ultimate surrender to God and decision to turn from our sins. In the letters to the churches we’ve been studying in Revelation, Jesus called them to repent five times!
“Look how far you have fallen! Turn back to me and do the works you did at first.” – Revelation 2:5
“Go back to what you heard and believed at first; hold to it firmly. Repent and turn to me again.” – Revelation 3:3
What is it you heard and believed at first? Hold firmly to it.
The word repent is for the church, not just those who don’t know Christ. Repentance is a growing, Kingdom lifestyle, not just a one-time thing. The Lord, in His amazing grace, has been taking us through a season of repentance… and it’s making our spiritual senses come alive!
Worship.
Want your spiritual senses to come alive? Look what John did:
“It was the Lord’s Day, and I was worshiping in the Spirit. Suddenly, I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet blast. When I turned to see who was speaking to me, I saw seven gold lampstands.” – Revelation 1:10, 12
While John still had the smell of the prison in his nose, when he could hear the prisoners, when he could still feel the sting of being canceled, rejected… he worshiped!
Worship is foundational to your life as a right view of God! Knowing God’s hand is on everything in your life will banish fear. Knowing angels worship God nonstop, shouldn’t that prompt our worship also? As we worship, we begin to see all of life from Heaven’s perspective. This means we rise above the hysteria, hype, and deceptions in this world. A life of worship is to live above the temptations to conform.
Worship also paints a powerful picture of unity. In Revelation 4, we see the unity of the elders and the four living beings. The elders represent the people of God—the Church—all the faithful, different people of different times, worshiping together in unity! Church, the family that should be worshiping together has been fighting. Satan has tried to divide God’s family. How foolish to allow the issues of this passing world to divide people from another world. Let’s be reminded that the things that unite us are bigger than the things that could divide us.
Bring Some of Heaven to Earth.
Remember how Jesus told us to pray… as it is in Heaven let it be on the earth. This is what we do when we live in with the tension of a world filled with sin, with evil all around us.
In Acts 2, they prayed down rain. They were promised power from Heaven. They prayed, they waited, then sounds from Heaven filled the room and tongues of fire settled on each person. Then, “when they heard the loud noise, everyone came running” (Acts 2:6).
Rain doesn’t fall; it is pulled down by gravity. Read further into Revelation 5 and see the prayers of God’s people being stored up til they get to a tipping point. Then like gravity, the rain is pulled down to the earth. Yes, we are to pray… and then obey! Don’t try and only pray down something that the Lord is telling you to do. Be encouraged—the Lord will be right with you.
What happens when some of Heaven comes to the earth? We get to be part of what God is doing as He sends us out to: heal the sick, cast out demons, be His witnesses, tell our story, care for the poor, orphans, and widows… and overcome evil with goodness. With God, we have the power of prayer, the joy of obedience, and the sweet wonder of His presence!
DIVE DEEPER:
The Lord is calling you to come up higher!
Awaken your senses. Take a few moments to meditate on these thoughts:
- See: Faith sees. Jesus said He only did the things He saw His Father doing.
- Hear: I want to hear. Give me ears to hear what Your Spirit is saying, Lord.
- Smell: I want my life to be a sweet fragrance to the Lord. I want to smell his presence.
- Taste: I want to taste the goodness of the Lord.
- Touch: I want to feel the warm of the Lord’s embrace, His smile and favor in my life.
Repent.
The word repent is for the Church, not just those who don’t know Christ. We would only have to repent once if we only ever sinned once. It’s part of growing… daily. As the Lord takes us through this season of repentance, take time this week to discover those things you see in yourself alongside what the Word of God calls us to. Here are some great passages to start:
- The Sermon on the Mount, The Beatitudes: Matthew 5
- The Fruit of the Spirit: Galatians 5
- The “Love Chapter”: 1 Corinthians 13
As you read and listen to the Holy Spirit, write it down. For example, if you are not a patient person, but God’s Word tells us that love is patient, simply write, “I am patient.” Pour out your heart to God and see what He does! This is a simple but powerful exercise.
Worship. Get Heaven’s perspective.
- Read Romans 12:1-2 this week.
- How is your daily life an act of worship?
- How can we choose to worship God in unity with our brothers and sisters in Christ?
Bring some of Heaven to Earth.
- Don’t just pray… obey!
- What is one thing the Lord is prompting you to do this week that will bring Heaven to someone you encounter?
- Read some stories of the Azusa Street revival. The Lord has done it before; He can do it again!
