This emphasis
on the throne of God speaks very soundly to the hearts of all God’s children
who are still living in this sin-cursed world. No matter what we see of
antichrists, and beasts, and false prophets, and deceivers, and apostate
churches, and demonic miracles, signs and wonders, when we fix our eyes on
things above, and focus our faith to look through that doorway that stands open
in heaven, we see this one, indisputable, unchangeable reality: God is
eternally on his throne.
Revelation is a
lot like a photo album that draws to mind all the stories of loved ones we see
pictured on the pages. In this case, the pictures in Revelation 4 remind us of
all the things the Scriptures have told us about the throne of God.
Since the
picture of God’s throne in Revelation 4 takes us up to the viewpoint of heaven,
one of the references that ministered to me this morning was this:
6 For
who in the skies can be compared to the Lord?
Who among the heavenly beings is like the Lord,
7 a God greatly to be feared in the council of the holy ones, and
awesome above all who are around him? 8 O Lord
God of hosts, who is mighty as you are, O Lord,
with your faithfulness all around you? (Psalm 89)
By the time we
get to the Revelation, the Scriptures have already been very clear, that there
is no one like our God. Even in the gathering of the holy ones of heaven, he is
the one who is greatly to be feared. No matter who we could gather together, he
will stand out as the one who is awesome above them all. No one is as mighty as
he is. No one else wears righteousness as his royal robe.
How practical
does this get? If we see the Revelation as showing us the kinds of things that
will happen throughout history, then we could put a name to whatever person
causes us the most trouble in our Christian lives. We could think of the
situation we are facing that seems the most like the world, the flesh, and the
devil riled up against us. We could bring to mind the changes in our present
culture and society, and the rising animosity of different world leaders
against the church. No matter whom we mention, and how close to home we feel
the opposition of God’s enemies, we can bring to mind the reality of what is
true in heaven no matter what things look like on earth. God is on his throne,
and there is no one else like him.
When
discouragement sets in because we allow ourselves to believe all kinds of
negative things about life, we can look up through that doorway that stands
open in heaven and see that God is still on is throne. He will most certainly bring
things to the grand conclusion his covenant has promised, and the book of
Revelation makes so clear.
The bottom
line is that, no matter what is going on in our lives here, it is what is going
on in heaven that keeps us going. Fix your eyes on heavenly things. No one is
like our God. Do not give up.
From my heart,
Monte
© 2013 Monte Vigh ~ Box 517,
Merritt, BC, V1K 1B8 ~ in2freedom@gmail.com
Unless otherwise noted,
Scriptures are from the English Standard Version (The Holy Bible, English
Standard Version Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good
News Publishers.)
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