It also stood
out to me that their view of Jesus, and their praise of Jesus, was a gift to us
down here who cannot presently see him in the same way. In essence, their place
in the divine revelation constantly declares to us that they see the Triune
without any worldly, earthly, or devilish interference, so we should pay attention
to what they say about him rather than what we hear from the world, the flesh,
and the devil.
I was then
drawn to consider this through Paul’s expression: “For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in
part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known.”[1]
Paul described
his present experience as seeing “in a
mirror dimly,” and knowing “in part”.
He spoke of the future as a time when he would see “face to face”, and “know
fully”. In fact, the future “knowing
fully” would be to the measure of how fully Paul had already been known.
Since we are
living in an earthly experience that limits how much we can see and know of
heavenly realities, and yet there is coming a time when we will see and know
the heavenly realities in that face-to-face-fully-known kind of way, God
connects the two timeframes with divinely inspired revelations.
In other
words, even in this time of limited sight and understanding, we are given
beautiful pictures of what things are like in heaven in order to give us faith
that there are much better days ahead when we are forever with the Lord. While
we are waiting for that day, the four living creatures, and the twenty-four
elders, along with others soon to be introduced, tell us the truth about what
the Triune God is like as witnessed by those who presently see him face to
face, and presently know him fully.
The
encouragement to me today is to accept the limitations of living in the here-and-now,
but with my eyes fixed on what is happening in the there-and-then. I must
accept the humility of living every day in the knowledge that I don’t know as
much as there is to know, and I do not know personally as deeply as knowing
personally can be experienced. I do see in a mirror, but dimly. Things seem far
off. The mirror seems crinkled and dusty. It is to be expected that Scripture both
confounds me and delights me each time I look into it.
At the same
time, I am encouraged to look to what things are in the present time for all
those who are in God’s presence without any filters restricting how well they
can see him and know him. I can read the divinely inspired record of their
praises to the one who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb, and realize that
their testimonies are completely trustworthy in contrast to the claims and
prideful boasts of those who do not see him or know him at all.
On those days,
and during those times, when I struggle to see anything in the word of God
clearly, and meditating on Scripture seems to raise more questions than
answers, I can still turn to the visions of the way the four living creatures
and the twenty-four elders speak of the Triune God. One day, I will see him and
know him just like that. Or, as Paul said, “even
as I have been fully known”.
“Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught
up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will
always be with the Lord. Therefore encourage one another with these
words.”[2]
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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