Trying to follow along with John the Revelator as he is caught up to heaven by the Spirit (Rev. 4). Through the Word, and with the help of my resident Teacher, I’m trying to see what he saw . . . to take in what he took in . . . to behold what he beheld . . . perhaps, in some small measure, respond as he must have responded. And one thing that captured my attention is that I don’t think heaven will ever go silent . . . that there will always be a continual rumble creating a type of ambient sound that will just be there . . . that there will be a 24/7 (though in heaven there is no 24 nor any 7) background chorus that our ears will become attuned to. but never tired of . . . that there will be, pulsating for all eternity, the rhythm of heaven.

And around the throne, on each side of the throne, are four living creatures, full of eyes in front and behind: 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. 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 4:6b-8 ESV)

The first thing that catches John’s eye as he enters the door of heaven by the Spirit of God is a throne and the One seated on the throne. The appearance of the One who inhabits the throne is more light and color than it is features and form. And, it seems, there is constant activity about the throne . . . flashes of lightning . . . rumblings and peals of thunder . . . torches burning . . . and twenty-four elders moving back and forth between sitting on thrones they inhabit and going facedown in worship before the One in their midst. And around the throne, on each of its four sides, there are four magnificent creatures. Six-winged angelic beings . . . and theirs is to sustain this rhythm of heaven.

Day and night . . . without ceasing . . . without intermission . . . not needing to catch their breath from time to time . . . with no thought of “changing it up” so that it doesn’t become stale . . . they set the backdrop for life around the throne . . . their focus is singular . . . their message is simple . . . their declaration never growing common place . . . their voices never becoming hoarse . . . as they cry, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, Who was and is and is to come!”

Can you hear the rhythm of heaven? It’s not “white noise” intended to go unnoticed in the background . . . but I imagine it is the heartbeat of life in the presence of God. Underlying all the activity amidst the throne . . . creating the perfect backdrop for worship before the throne . . . in perfect harmony with all the songs being directed towards the throne . . . the rhythm of heaven sustains an ever-present, majestic rumbling worthy of Him who sits on the throne.

“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty” . . . it is the character of God . . . it is the context of heaven . . . it is the call to worship.

O that I might hear the rhythm of heaven. That I might be even more attuned to it this busy, busy season. That I might hear it in the stable as I gaze in wonder, with the shepherds, upon the Christ child. That it might reverberate as I remember that the babe in the manger became the Carpenter on the Cross such that the Holy, Holy, Holy God of heaven might atone for the sin that separates the defiled from His presence. That the rhythm would peak to crescendo as I consider that He who came once in humble flesh will one day come again in magnificent glory to reign forever.

Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty . . . Who was . . . Who is . . . and Who is to come!

Can you hear the rhythm of heaven?