Considerations: Pictures that Cause us to Tremble at God’s Words

          As the book of Revelation continues to become something to me I could never have imagined was possible, I find my mind bubbling with thoughts of wonder about what God is showing us. I have this delightful feeling that God is making me more and more like a little child who is learning to enjoy sitting on his lap, listening to him reading me his stories, while I look at the pictures.

          Here are some thoughts from my morning meditation on God’s word. I hope they will stir your heart to get into the word of God (even read through the book of Revelation) and let your heart be moved with the wonder of a child.

 

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          Not only did God make man out of dust so he could bring us into his image, but he then takes people out of sin in order to transform them into Jesus’ image. From dust and sin to the likeness of Jesus Christ; who would want to miss out in such a joyful feeling of praise to such a gloriously able God?

 

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          The book of Revelation seems to be an expression of God’s compassion to his suffering children. He knew that the pressures of persecution would make it difficult for us to remember all the details and doctrines of his glory as revealed throughout the pages of Scripture, so he gave us a book full of pictures that are much easier to bring to mind. Each picture is worth far more than a thousand words of what God has already spoken. Each image is a gift of compassion and comfort from our Father who sits on the throne. Look at the pictures, and endure until the end.

 

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          I keep being drawn to think of the four living creatures and what they mean (Revelation 4:6-8). I keep getting this thought that the four living creatures reveal to us the metaphors of God. It is like they are a metaphor dictionary, a synopsis of metaphors, a trailer for the whole movie. As we picture these four living creatures, and the way they draw attention to the holiness of God, it seems like we have, in picture form, a metaphor of metaphors. Each living creature calls out to us: “Remember what God is like!” Any which way we look at them, we see an illustration of the nature of God. Any thoughts?

 

6 …And around the throne, on each side of the throne, are four living creatures, full of eyes in front and behind: 7 the first living creature like a lion, the second living creature like an ox, the third living creature with the face of a man, and the fourth living creature like an eagle in flight. 8 And the four living creatures, each of them with six wings, are full of eyes all around and within, and day and night they never cease to say,

“Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty,
    who was and is and is to come!” (Revelation 4)

 

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          Here I thought that the book of Revelation was so complicated that I would never be able to understand it at all. Now I see that it is a children’s storybook filled with pictures that tell us wonderful things about our Father in heaven. The aim is not to become scholars who can dissect every word and letter, but to become like little children who can tell the story of God simply by looking at the pictures.

 

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          “You yourselves have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles' wings and brought you to myself.” (Exodus 19:4) What child could not understand the picture of an eagle carrying them up to their Father? What adult could not stand in wonder of all the words God has breathed out so we could understand that it is so.

 

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          The throne room of God, as it unfolds throughout the rest of the Revelation, will show us reminders of what God’s people have seen God do to our enemies, all the way from the Egyptians, up to the Red Dragon whose full and final defeat has been secured through the cross. It will also show us how lovingly incessant God continues to be in reminding us of all the ways and times that he has lifted us up on eagles’ wings to bring us to himself.

 

          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.)