My Morning Meal

There are some songs that just never grow old. Some lyrics you never get tired of. Some melodies that never cease to move you. I can think of a number of hymns that fit that bill. I’ve been around “contemporary Christian music” long enough to have experienced some of that with some of these “modern choruses.” I’ve had enough connection with some forms of “secular music” that I can identify one or two “classics” in that genre as well. Sometimes referred to as “golden oldies,” they create a nostalgic atmosphere, stir up emotions, and often are the catalyst to bring back memories. They are “oldies but goodies” . . . renewed and revived across generations . . . never losing their appeal.

Seems like heaven will have a similar dynamic at play . . .

And I saw what appeared to be a sea of glass mingled with fire–and also those who had conquered the beast and its image and the number of its name, standing beside the sea of glass with harps of God in their hands. And they sing the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, “Great and amazing are Your deeds, O Lord God the Almighty! Just and true are Your ways, O King of the nations! Who will not fear, O Lord, and glorify Your name? For You alone are holy. All nations will come and worship You, for Your righteous acts have been revealed.”   (Revelation 15:2-4 ESV)

Those who conquer the beast during the great tribulation, that is, those who are faithful unto death, not bowing to the enemy nor taking the number of his name upon themselves, . . . these conquerors sing a song. An oldie but a goodie. The song of Moses.

I’m thinking it’s the song of Exodus 15. The song sung on the other side of the Red Sea. The song sung beneath the pillar of cloud on the morning after the night before.

It is the ancient song of deliverance. Of the God who has become “my salvation” (15:2) . . . of the God who is unlike any other god, “majestic in holiness, awesome in glorious deeds, doing wonders” (15:11) . . . of the God who, in His steadfast love, leads out of captivity “the people whom You have redeemed” (15:13).

But it’s also a new song. A kind of remix. For it is also the song of the Lamb, the greater Deliverer. The One who, through the shedding of His own blood, and through the offering of Himself as the final atoning sacrifice, leads men and women, boys and girls, out of the bondage of sin and the tyranny of death. And those who have known such rescue cannot help but sing. Sing the old song in a new, not to be fully comprehended way.

It is the song of Moses . . . It is the song of the Lamb . . . It is, praise God, the song of the redeemed!

Then Moses and the people of Israel sang this song to the LORD, saying, 
“I will sing to the LORD, for He has triumphed gloriously; 
the horse and His rider He has thrown into the sea.
The LORD is my strength and my song, 
and He has become my salvation; 
this is my God, and I will praise Him, 
my fathers God, and I will exalt Him. . . .
till your people, O LORD, pass by,
till the people pass by whom You have purchased.
You will bring them in and plant them on Your own mountain,
the place, O LORD, which You have made for Your abode,
the sanctuary, O Lord, which Your hands have established.
The LORD will reign forever and ever.”     (Exodus 15:1-2, 16b-18 ESV)

An oldie . . . but a goodie!

Because of grace . . . and for His glory.

Reading in Revelation 14 this morning. Three angels. Three envoys. Three messengers. The second warns that the world and its ways will fall. That the values and economy of “Babylon the great” are unsustainable and, before a Holy God, eventually intolerable. The third angel warns of judgment, the “wine of God’s wrath” poured out on those who determine to follow false gods . . . gods who set themselves in opposition to the One True God. But, as chilling as the warnings of angels two and three are, it is the first angel, and his message, which causes me to pause . . . and wonder . . . and worship.

Then I saw another angel flying directly overhead, with an eternal gospel to proclaim to those who dwell on earth, to every nation and tribe and language and people. And he said with a loud voice, “Fear God and give Him glory, because the hour of His judgment has come, and worship Him who made heaven and earth, the sea and the springs of water.”   (Revelation 14:6-7 ESV)

An eternal gospel . . . everlasting good news. That’s what the angel heralds to those who dwell on earth. And reading I’m reminded this morning that the gospel is:

ETERNAL AS TO ITS EXISTENCE. That, from before the foundation of the world, God, who lived and loved in perfect communion within His triune being, determined to bring others, who He would create in His image, into high and holy relationship with Himself. To show the extent to which He loves, He would do so though they would rebel and be soiled with sin. He would love them by means of the eternal gospel. He would provide the means for sinful men to commune with a holy God. The mystery of the gospel made known with the birth of a Savior, the death of a Lamb, and the resurrection of a Conqueror.

ETERNAL AS TO ITS ESSENSE. That while the mystery of the means of reconciliation was made known some 2,000 years ago, the essence of the good news has been in play since the garden. There blood was shed that sin’s shame might be covered up. The shedding of blood revealed as integral for redemption and the delivery of people from bondage. Foreshadowed in Israel’s exodus from Egypt. A journey made possible by a lamb slain, blood applied, so that holy judgment might pass over. The foreshadow brought to light at the cross of Calvary where God Incarnate . . . the Christ . . . Jesus, the Son of God . . . shed His blood as the Lamb of God come to take away the sin of the world. The blood shed so that, for all who would apply it be faith, they too might know deliverance from sin and an exodus to a promised land. The essence of the good news remaining throughout eternal days in glory, as those who look upon the throne of God see, in the midst, a Lamb standing, as though it had been slain (Rev. 5:6). And they drink forever of “the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb” (Rev. 22:1)

ETERNAL AS TO ITS EFFECT. And, it is the gospel which rescues, and redeems, and reconciles forever. Those purchased by blood are sealed by the Spirit, a deposit guaranteeing their inheritance, “to the praise of His glory” (Eph. 1:13-14). Those who hear and respond to the good news during their short time on earth, will learn of the gospel depths through eternity . . . and will enjoy it effects everlastingly . . . and will worship its Architect with wonder, awe, and worship, eternally.

An eternal gospel.

By God’s abundant grace . . . for God’s eternal glory.

So often I focus on Jesus’ revelation to John as something to be figured out rather than something to be experienced. I can be so intent on the “the trees” that I miss “the forest” . . . so consumed with the facts and what they mean and not spend time in wonder at John’s experience and how it must have felt. Point in case this morning as I sit back and think about the temple opened.

Then, in heaven, the Temple of God was opened and the Ark of His covenant could be seen inside the Temple. Lightning flashed, thunder crashed and roared, and there was an earthquake and a terrible hailstorm.
(Revelation 11:19 ESV)

First, a door standing in heaven was opened and John is invited to come up (Rev. 4:1). Now, the Temple of God is opened and John is invited to come in. John permitted greater and greater access to the inner sanctum of heaven . . . John drawing nearer and nearer as the vision continues to play out on man’s last days on earth.

And it becomes clear to me that as God’s holiness is increasingly revealed, the justification for, and the intensity of His wrath are more understood. Open the doors to the temple, expose the Most Holy Place to the dealings of earth and you might expect nothing less than lightning and thunder, earthquake and heavy hail, to fall upon a world bent on rebellion and transgression.

But what was it for John to see God’s temple in heaven opened? What was it to look into heaven’s Holy of Holies and behold the ark of God’s covenant? Jaw-dropping I’m thinking. Isaiah had a taste of it . . .

In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train of His robe filled the temple. Above Him stood the seraphim. Each had six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. And one called to another and said: “Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts; the whole earth is full of His glory!” And the foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of him who called, and the house was filled with smoke. And I said: “Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts!”    (Isaiah 6:1-5 ESV)

Jaw-dropping . . . face-planting . . . awe-invoking. What wonder!

Isaiah trembled because of how aware he was of his uncleanness. John, however, approaches washed in the blood of the Lamb . . . robed in the righteousness of Christ . . . adopted and counted as family with the Son . . . aware of how much he has been forgiven and of what privilege He possesses in the One he has known as Savior.

Today, I can read of the temples of times past and marvel at their function as a place of worship . . . and wonder at what it was like for the glory of God to dwell within their walls. Or, I can be reminded that today God’s people are being built into a living temple . . . a habitation for the glory of God through the Spirit of God.

But what will it be when heaven’s door is opened and I am invited to come up?  To, at first, stand at the outer edge of those who, from every tribe and language and people and nation, are gathered around Him who sits on the throne and worship the Lamb in the midst? And then, to see the temple opened . . . and to be invited to draw near . . . that, face to face, I might behold the majesty, the might, and the glory of God. What will that be like? I can only imagine.

When, by the gift of His infinite grace,
I am accorded in heaven a place,
Just to be there and to look on His face,
Will through the ages be glory for me.

Oh, that will be glory for me,
Glory for me, glory for me,
When by His grace I shall look on His face,
That will be glory, be glory for me.

Oh, That Will Be Glory by Charles H. Gabriel

John, in the Spirit, taken up into heaven, must be in overload mode. He has seen the throne and the radiance of God emanating from it. He has heard the thunderous rhythm of heaven pound out, “Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty.” He has beheld the Lamb in the midst of the throne, as though He had been slain, and yet revealed in power as the Lion of the tribe of Judah . . . the one worthy to take the scroll from the Father’s hand and open it’s seals. And then he is shown a great multitude (7:9-17). A great multitude who are about to taste living water in heaven.

The Spirit fills John’s mind with some stats on this multitude. More than can be numbered . . . from every nation . . . from all tribes and peoples and languages. And John sees them all standing before the throne . . . all clothed in white robes . . . all with palm branches in their hands (note to self, there are palms in heaven). And they are crying out with a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!”

These are those who have come out of the great tribulation . . . some martyred for their faith . . . some passing through death’s dark vale as the seals of judgment are opened upon the earth. But all having “washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb” . . . all are before the throne of God . . . all are experiencing the dynamics of heaven.

Therefore they are before the throne of God, and serve Him day and night in His temple; and He who sits on the throne will shelter them with His presence. They shall hunger no more, neither thirst anymore; the sun shall not strike them, nor any scorching heat. For the Lamb in the midst of the throne will be their shepherd, and He will guide them to springs of living water, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.
(Revelation 7:15-17 ESV).

Ok . . . try processing that. They serve God, day and night, in His temple. Is that “just” serving with worship or is there other “work” to be done in the temple of heaven?

And, though they are a great multitude stretched before the throne, yet God’s presence shelters them. They are before Him and at that same time He envelopes them. And in that sheltering, hunger and thirst are forever satisfied and the sun has been replaced with a light absent of scorching heart. Kind of amazing.

But then, get this, in heaven they are led by a shepherd to springs of living water . . . by the Lamb Himself. That which they knew by faith on earth will be their reality in heaven . . . being led, face to face, by the Good Shepherd. The same Good Shepherd they knew on earth through the presence of His Blessed Spirit, will stand before them as they gather around the throne and He will say, Follow Me . . . let Me show you something . . . let Me give you something to taste.

And He takes them to springs of living water. The living water which He offered to all who would receive Him on earth (John 4:10-14). The living water which had flowed out of the hearts of those who had, by grace, determined to walk by faith. The living water identified by Jesus as the Spirit of God, the Third Person of the Trinity (John 7:38-39). The Lamb shepherds His people to taste this living water . . . to encounter, it seems, the Spirit who had indwelt them and sealed them. And now, in heaven, they would know Him in a way that they could never have known Him on earth.

And I so often think of what it will be like to stand before the throne and the emanating majesty of the Father. And of what it will be like to behold the face of Jesus, the Lamb in the midst. But if I am going to be with God in heaven, won’t that mean I will be with the Triune God? I’m thinkin’. And it looks like my encounter with the Spirit will be to drink of Him as heaven’s living water.

What will He feel like as He touches my lips? What will He taste like as enters me as a fount?

O’ what will it be like to encounter the Spirit in heaven? I can only imagine.

Give me “Behold,” “Jesus,” and “Door,” as part of a Book of Revelation bible quiz, and I’m gonna respond, Revelation 3:20. I’m going to think immediately of the door Jesus stands at and knocks upon. The door which, if anyone hears and opens, Jesus promises to enter . . . “to come in to him and eat with him, and he with Me.” But this morning I’m reminded of another answer to “Behold,” “Jesus,” and “Door.” Another door to be opened.

After this I looked, and behold, a door standing open in heaven! And the first voice, which I had heard speaking to me like a trumpet, said, “Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this.” At once I was in the Spirit, and behold, a throne stood in heaven, with One seated on the throne. And He who sat there had the appearance of jasper and carnelian, and around the throne was a rainbow that had the appearance of an emerald. (Revelation 4:1-3 ESV)

John, being in the Spirit, has just received by divine revelation the letters to the seven churches (ch. 2 and 3). The revelation was delivered by a “loud voice like a trumpet” (1:10) . . . the voice belonging to “one like a Son of Man” (1:13) . . . He who is “the First and the Last, and the Living One” (1:17) . . . He who died and behold is alive and holds the “keys of Death and Hades” (1:18). That “loud voice” John heard was the voice of the risen, glorified, Jesus . . . the Christ who stands in the midst of the churches.

And now, in chapter four, John hears that voice again.

There is a door standing open in heaven. A door which captures John’s gaze. And then he hears that trumpet-like loud voice as he did at first. This time inviting him to “Come up here.”

He who invites men and women to open the doors of their hearts so that He might come in, is the One who will call them to enter through the door He has opened into heaven so that they might come up. A door entered in through the active agency of the Spirit. A door opened to the glory of a throne and of Him who sits upon it.

The loud voice that John heard reminds me that there is another door to be opened.

It has already been unlocked through the blood shed by the Lamb of God, come to take away the sin of the world. It has already been accessed by those who have gone on before, those already promoted into glory, those who have heard again the Voice that once invited them to believe, now ushering them in to receive.

And I can’t help but sit back in wonder and praise God for another door to be opened. For faith to give way to sight. For the foretaste of glory to give way to the “full meal deal” of eternity.

And I can’t help but thank Him for the Voice. Once a whisper wooing me to Himself. Now an abiding resonance within me through the Spirit. But one day, a loud, trumpet-like voice saying, “Come up here!” . . . . and enter into another door to be opened.

All because of grace . . . all for His glory.