Sea of Glass
Today, as I get ready to worship, I am thinking about the place I am about to go. My body is heading to a church building, but my spirit and my heart are about to travel much further. They are going to be present on the "sea of glass mingled with fire" this morning. Many people I know, both here, and those who have gone before, will be with me there. In fact, everyone who comes before God in worship will be with me there. Though their physical bodies may be next to me in the pew, or across town, or one the other side of the globe. We will all stand together in heaven in worship.
My dad and Sam's dad, who both passed from this earth several years ago, will certainly be joining us, as well. This sea of glass is the "convocation place" in heaven. It is in the New Jerusalem, and it is made to accommodate the great cloud of witnesses from all time. This is where I am about to go:
Revelation 4:2 Immediately I was in the Spirit; and behold, a throne set in heaven, and One sat on the throne. 3 And He who sat there was like a jasper and a sardius stone in appearance; and there was a rainbow around the throne, in appearance like an emerald. 4 Around the throne were twenty-four thrones, and on the thrones I saw twenty-four elders sitting, clothed in white robes; and they had crowns of gold on their heads. 5 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. 6 Before the throne there was a sea of glass, like crystal. And in the midst of the throne, and around the throne, were four living creatures full of eyes in front and in back. 7 The first living creature was like a lion, the second living creature like a calf, the third living creature had a face like a man, and the fourth living creature was like a flying eagle. 8 The four living creatures, each having six wings, were full of eyes around and within. And they do not rest day or night, saying: “Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, Who was and is and is to come!” 9 Whenever the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to Him who sits on the throne, who lives forever and ever, 10 the twenty-four elders fall down before Him who sits on the throne and worship Him who lives forever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying: 11 “You are worthy, O Lord, To receive glory and honor and power; For You created all things, And by Your will they exist and were created.”
This is the center of the universe. The place where the Author and Finisher lives. God could have put anything He wanted in His presence. He gave us this picture so we would know that it is His creation He longs to be with. He has surrounded Himself with people and angels. People and angels surround Him in an amazing worship order that is so full of life they never want to leave.
Closest to the Father is Jesus, the only man in heaven with a resurrected body, who sits at the Father's right hand. The Holy Spirit is there as well, in fiery burning glory...seven pillars of fire, like the one Moses saw.
The Father's desire to be near us is emanating bright shining red light (the jasper, a ruby like stone in ancient times), yet this powerful desire is filtered through His mercy and life giving nature (the emerald rainbow). Every powerful flash of lightning and His voice like thunder is filtered through His life giving mercy before it touches the objects of His love. God's consuming red fire of desire for me and you brings lush green life to everyone it touches...jasper and emerald.
The closest created ones are the Seraphim, or four living creatures. Covered with eyes...literally made to see. Night and day, glimpsing the glory and the shining transcendent beauty of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. In Isaiah, we find out with two of their wings the Seraphim cover their eyes. Here we hear what happens when they uncover them: They cry out "Holy, Holy, Holy!" They aren't declaring that God is obeying the law. No! They are crying out "the uncreated God is like no other. Wholly-other-than everything else. We have never seen anything like Him. His glory is more than we can take in." And then they cover up their eyes again to recover from another revelation of God's beauty. Day and night isn't a mandate for them...they don't have to stay there...they simply can't get enough of His beauty. Every time they uncover their eyes and glimpse His beauty, they cry out another revelation of God's glory.
Whenever the Seraphim declare what they see, the elders are overwhelmed with the truth of God's beauty, His glory, His love, and His uniqueness in being the only uncreated one. Revelation after revelation. An infinitely large and infinitely glorious God will take an infinite amount of time to discover. Heaven is not boring, especially for those closest to His throne! Everything else, including their own beautiful crowns of glory, seems so "less-than" this Glorious God of intense desire and love...they throw everything they have at His feet!
This goes on night and day, because those closest to God cannot get enough. They have seen the Author of Fascination, and are completely satisfied in their desire for fascination. This worship order, centered in the New Jerusalem, radiates out into all creation, spiritual and physical. When we enter this place, we bring back here with us. Just like the Seraphim declaring beauty and revelation to the elders, those closest to the throne catch the next closest on fire with overwhelming emotion and desire to draw near and spend it all on God. Declaring the beauty of God reveals it to the next closest...from the New Jerusalem, all the way to Kalamazoo.
As I go to worship this am, I want to let my spirit and my heart travel to this throne. I don't want to be distracted with what anyone thinks of my voice or my shirt, or what I'm going to have for lunch, or the announcement in the bulletin. I want to glimpse as much of this glorious place as I can, so like the Seraphim, I can declare "holy" and watch those around me be overwhelmed, in deeper fascination with the uncreated God.
It takes God to love God. I am going to ask Him for focus and revelation this am before I get to singing!
My dad and Sam's dad, who both passed from this earth several years ago, will certainly be joining us, as well. This sea of glass is the "convocation place" in heaven. It is in the New Jerusalem, and it is made to accommodate the great cloud of witnesses from all time. This is where I am about to go:
Revelation 4:2 Immediately I was in the Spirit; and behold, a throne set in heaven, and One sat on the throne. 3 And He who sat there was like a jasper and a sardius stone in appearance; and there was a rainbow around the throne, in appearance like an emerald. 4 Around the throne were twenty-four thrones, and on the thrones I saw twenty-four elders sitting, clothed in white robes; and they had crowns of gold on their heads. 5 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. 6 Before the throne there was a sea of glass, like crystal. And in the midst of the throne, and around the throne, were four living creatures full of eyes in front and in back. 7 The first living creature was like a lion, the second living creature like a calf, the third living creature had a face like a man, and the fourth living creature was like a flying eagle. 8 The four living creatures, each having six wings, were full of eyes around and within. And they do not rest day or night, saying: “Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, Who was and is and is to come!” 9 Whenever the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to Him who sits on the throne, who lives forever and ever, 10 the twenty-four elders fall down before Him who sits on the throne and worship Him who lives forever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying: 11 “You are worthy, O Lord, To receive glory and honor and power; For You created all things, And by Your will they exist and were created.”
This is the center of the universe. The place where the Author and Finisher lives. God could have put anything He wanted in His presence. He gave us this picture so we would know that it is His creation He longs to be with. He has surrounded Himself with people and angels. People and angels surround Him in an amazing worship order that is so full of life they never want to leave.
Closest to the Father is Jesus, the only man in heaven with a resurrected body, who sits at the Father's right hand. The Holy Spirit is there as well, in fiery burning glory...seven pillars of fire, like the one Moses saw.
The Father's desire to be near us is emanating bright shining red light (the jasper, a ruby like stone in ancient times), yet this powerful desire is filtered through His mercy and life giving nature (the emerald rainbow). Every powerful flash of lightning and His voice like thunder is filtered through His life giving mercy before it touches the objects of His love. God's consuming red fire of desire for me and you brings lush green life to everyone it touches...jasper and emerald.
The closest created ones are the Seraphim, or four living creatures. Covered with eyes...literally made to see. Night and day, glimpsing the glory and the shining transcendent beauty of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. In Isaiah, we find out with two of their wings the Seraphim cover their eyes. Here we hear what happens when they uncover them: They cry out "Holy, Holy, Holy!" They aren't declaring that God is obeying the law. No! They are crying out "the uncreated God is like no other. Wholly-other-than everything else. We have never seen anything like Him. His glory is more than we can take in." And then they cover up their eyes again to recover from another revelation of God's beauty. Day and night isn't a mandate for them...they don't have to stay there...they simply can't get enough of His beauty. Every time they uncover their eyes and glimpse His beauty, they cry out another revelation of God's glory.
Whenever the Seraphim declare what they see, the elders are overwhelmed with the truth of God's beauty, His glory, His love, and His uniqueness in being the only uncreated one. Revelation after revelation. An infinitely large and infinitely glorious God will take an infinite amount of time to discover. Heaven is not boring, especially for those closest to His throne! Everything else, including their own beautiful crowns of glory, seems so "less-than" this Glorious God of intense desire and love...they throw everything they have at His feet!
This goes on night and day, because those closest to God cannot get enough. They have seen the Author of Fascination, and are completely satisfied in their desire for fascination. This worship order, centered in the New Jerusalem, radiates out into all creation, spiritual and physical. When we enter this place, we bring back here with us. Just like the Seraphim declaring beauty and revelation to the elders, those closest to the throne catch the next closest on fire with overwhelming emotion and desire to draw near and spend it all on God. Declaring the beauty of God reveals it to the next closest...from the New Jerusalem, all the way to Kalamazoo.
As I go to worship this am, I want to let my spirit and my heart travel to this throne. I don't want to be distracted with what anyone thinks of my voice or my shirt, or what I'm going to have for lunch, or the announcement in the bulletin. I want to glimpse as much of this glorious place as I can, so like the Seraphim, I can declare "holy" and watch those around me be overwhelmed, in deeper fascination with the uncreated God.
It takes God to love God. I am going to ask Him for focus and revelation this am before I get to singing!
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