"Live near to God, and so all things will appear to youlittle in comparison with eternal realities."
~ Robert McCheyne
Eternal Realities
Behold, a door standing open in heaven ...
"Come up here, and I will show you things ..."
~ Revelation 4:1 (NKJV)
And they never rest day or night, saying,
"Holy, holy, holy,
Holy, holy, holy,
Holy, holy, holy,
Lord God Almighty,
He who was, and who is, and who is to come!"
Whenever the living beings give glory ... the twenty-four elders fall down before Him who sits on the throne and they worship Him that lives forever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne ...
~ Revelation 4:8-10 (EMTV)
In the first three chapters of Revelation, the apostle John describes Jesus' appearance to John while he's on Earth. Now, John is taken "in the spirit" to Heaven, to receive the perspective of angels.
The angels here use the word "holy" nine times (Greek Majority Text), in three sets of three. In Scripture, the number three represents "solidity, divine perfection, entirety, substantiveness, Godhead." The number nine represents "the conclusion of a matter." *
God's people praise Him for attributes such as love and mercy, and thank Him for salvation and blessing. Angels of spiritual realms, able to see God in contrast to all else, exalt Him as "holy"—utterly good, set apart, pure and perfect—both here and in Isaiah 6:1-3.
Perhaps angels use the word nine times to emphasize the conclusion of the matter. In any case, the crowned saints who are present respond by falling down in worship and casting down their crowns—the prize of their perseverance—before the only One worthy of a crown.
The knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.
~ Proverbs 9:10 (NKJV)
The day is at hand for all to be concluded, for faith of things unseen to become sight, for us to know the Holy One.
Lord God Almighty, please help us catch a glimpse of Your perfection and of eternal realities, to sustain us in the mire and chaos of temporal realms.
* From Numbers in Scripture, E.W. Bullinger (Kregel, Grand Rapids, © 1967)
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Copyright 2010, Anne Lang Bundy, all rights reserved.
Image source: revelation-today.com
Love that picture! And yes, I echo your sentiment to be privy to peer into eternal realities if only with our heart right now.
ReplyDeleteI am in mutual agreement with you precious sis, love you so much.
ReplyDeleteOh that is so cool--the meaning behind the numbers. I have a feeling when we get to heaven we'll see so many things inside things. The heavenly realm might be like one giant Chinese nesting doll and we'll continue to discover wonder upon wonder.
ReplyDeleteCan't wait to hear that singing, "Holy. Holy. Holy."
~ Wendy
...this series has a real draw. to Him. have always loved the numbers and their spiritual significance.
ReplyDeletewasn't John the one that Jesus said He loved most of His disciples?
Thank you, Anne, for this straight talk. I have been holding God's hands for seven years now and this particular book of the Bible seems to have all sorts of different takes and interpretations. For those reasons, I have shied away from it. Thank you for making it more clear and for ringing the bells of Truth.
ReplyDeleteBlessings.
I most definitely agree with your prayer and say "amen." So be it, Lord.
ReplyDeleteThank you Anne.
T ~
ReplyDeleteI'm always grateful when it seems the Lord leads me directly to an image that fits the post perfectly.
Denise, thank you. Take care of yourself.
ReplyDeleteWendy ~
ReplyDeleteYour perspective is interesting. I see earth as the place of nesting dolls and onion skins, where new layers are continually revealed. I see Heaven as a place of full revelation, but until your remark it didn't occur to me that it might be gradual. What a thought, that Heaven could be a place of never-ending revelations!
Bud ~
ReplyDeleteJohn called himself "the disciple Jesus loved." Most loved? I don't know. The Bible doesn't say that. I think it could be that he was most trusted to continue in love. John outlived the other twelve apostles. He endured on Earth the longest, away from Jesus in Paradise. His writings emphasize love more than anywhere else in the Bible. I'm inclined to think that John wasn't necessarily loved more, but that maybe he had a deeper appreciation for that love, or was loved by Jesus in a different way.
Maybe, because Jesus knew John would need to endure on Earth the longest, He gave John some special revelation of His love to sustain John. Though if you ask me, that would be a two-edged blessing. To understand Jesus' love more deeply would also make being away from its physical presence all the more difficult.
Simple Country Girl ~
ReplyDeleteI've certainly looked into the book of Revelation to understand end times myself. Just as I've looked into other Bible books for various reasons that were probably more self-serving than God-seeking. My prayer is that as I take readers through Revelation, we might all discover something more about our precious Lord, which draws us to love Him all the more.
I'm grateful to know you hear the ring of Truth here. That sound caused me to fall in love with God's Word back in 1985.
Jason ~
ReplyDeleteOne of my "groanings which cannot be uttered" as I pray is how can one ever pray for all one needs? Strength for temporal realms is certainly near the top of that list.
This gets me:
ReplyDelete"... they never rest day or night ..."
Their entire existence is wrapped up in praise of the Holy.
Jennifer,
ReplyDeleteI hadn't thought of that, but your words make me think of this: In not so many more days, our entire existence will also be wrapped up in praise of the Holy! : )