May 22: MAGNIFICENCE OF HUMILITY
And from the throne proceeded lightnings, thunderings, and voices. Seven lamps of fire were burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God. Revelation 4:5
The transporting in John’s vision from earth to heaven continues. Through the witness of our brother, we are given the privilege to see directly into what can rightly be called “the control center of the universe.” John’s description readily brings to mind the scene at Mount Sinai when the LORD descended upon it in fire to personally deliver the Ten Commandments (see Exodus 19:16-18). The sheer awesomeness, glory, and majesty of His divine presence as He came near was terrifying to the people (see also Deuteronomy 5:25). It’s well worth pondering that the people’s reflex was to tell Moses that he could hear from God and then just tell them what He says. Could it be that the desire to see Him with one’s own eyes accompanies true repentance? A lack of repentance may be the dominant character trait behind an underlying attitude of sheer terror towards God. You can be sure that our archenemy exploits this to malign His character among the people. When Jesus arrived on the scene in utter humility, He went about revealing the true character of His heavenly Father. It is really true that the magnificent and majestic Almighty seeks a relationship with each of us!
Before Jesus concluded His earthly ministry, He spoke this promise: “It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you (John 16:7). Acts 1 is a record of His ascension from the earth. Revelation 4 provides a heavenly perspective of the same event. The arrival of Christ before His heavenly Father, as we will see, is attended by witnesses that include the twenty-four elders, the four living creatures, and a multitude of angels. The splendor and magnificence of this scene is beyond description. The seven lamps of fire burning before the throne…which are the seven Spirits of God await the divine command to be sent forth, just as Jesus promised, to aid the budding church. This happens in 5:6. The number seven denotes the unreserved fullness with which His Spirit is sent to earth.
Parallel to this magnificent assembly in heaven is a humble assembly in the upper room of an ordinary house on earth: When the Day of Pentecost had come, [the apostles] were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting (Acts 2:1-2).
Herein lies the beauty of the book of Revelation: heaven’s insight and perspective of earthly events of these last two millennia. As we move forward through this amazing book, we will better understand the hand of God in the events here on earth. As instruments in that divine Hand, may each of us ask for and actively, consciously welcome the Helper’s arrival in our lives daily as the events of our fallen world come to their prophesied conclusion.
“You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” Acts 1:8
For further study: Psalm 27:4; Matthew 5:8