Lent day 34

 Rev 4;6    In the center, around the throne, were four living creatures, covered with eyes in front and back. 7The first living creature was like a lion, the second like a calf, the third had a face like a man, and the fourth was like an eagle in flight. 8And each of the four living creatures had six wings and was covered with eyes all around and within. Day and night they never stop saying:

“Holy, Holy, Holy,

is the Lord God Almighty,

who was and is and is to come!”

9And whenever the living creatures give glory, honor, and thanks to the One seated on the throne who lives forever and ever, 10the twenty-four elders fall down before the One seated on the throne, and they worship Him who lives forever and ever. They cast their crowns before the throne, saying:

11“Worthy are You, our Lord and God,

to receive glory and honor and power,

for You created all things;

by Your will they exist and came to be.”

To recap:  Blue throne, firey-red occupant of throne, surrounding rainbow colours, white robed elders, golden crowns, river of water and river of fire all reflected in a mirror-like surface. And thunder and lightning.

Now we see that there are four winged creatures round the throne. I always assume that as they have wings they must be flying. So there is movement going on - heaven is not static, its active.  I find it fascinating that the 'eyes' that cover these creatures are mentioned twice in the space of a few verses.  I always bear in mind when reading prophetic scripture that the people who were looking into the future or looking into the spiritual realms only had the framework of their own experiences with which to describe what they saw.  So, for example, if there are cars in heaven and John saw one how would he describe it?  There would be no frame of reference. He would have no idea what one was or how it worked so he might describe it as an armoured animal which moved where it willed and roared with a mighty sound.   Do you see what I mean?  The creatures around the throne are deeply mysterious but I do wonder, when we actually get to see them, if we arent going to say ' Ah ha!  That's what he meant by 'eyes all around and within' !

Lion, cow, man and eagle.  

Way back in the day when the 'Toronto Blessing' was being poured out over the world I had the immense privilege of being part of a church which had a mighty visitation of the Holy Spirit.  John Arnott came from Toronto at the invitation of our leaders to help us understand what God was doing. There was a leadership meeting to which anyone in the church who was leading any sort of group or was on a team was invited. There were about 100 of us in the room. God showed up in the middle of the talk and all sorts of heaven broke out.  People were shaking, laughing, crying, marching up and down, shouting, jumping and anything else you can think of. About half the people there were 'doing something'.  Half watched on prayerfully while John Arnott continued to speak. 

After a couple of hours of  Holy Spirit outbreak John started to ask people to come to the front and describe what it was that had been happening to them.   One girl, who was usually pretty quiet and definitely NOT given to emotional outbursts of any sorts, said she had suddenly seen herself in front of Boots Chemist on Princes St ( we were in Edinburgh) and she felt that she had turned into a bull. She was snorting and pawing at the ground feeling furious about something that was going on inside the store.  On the outside we just saw a young woman behaving very strangely indeed.  In the spirit she was enacting some sort of spiritual warfare in heavenly places.   Another young man spent an hour marching up and down the hall yelling ' Out of the way! Jesus is coming!'.  One of our senior leaders, a middle aged lady who was prophetic but very quietly so, said she had been flying over Scotland seeing the whole landscape laid out below her.  It had been beautiful and exhilarating and she was deeply moved. Several people had been roaring.  Myself included.  When the Spirit first 'hit' me I was launched off my chair, landed on all fours on the floor and immediately felt that I was like a dog with something between my teeth that I was shaking vigorously.  I felt a rage inside me and I knew that I was shaking darkness. Like a terrier with a rat.  I then felt that I should go and pray for someone that other people had gathered round. When I opened my mouth to pray a roar came out of me - a noise I had never heard before which was so loud it shocked me. It was directed at the middle of my friend. His stomach. The seat of his emotions.  It was amazing and scary and exhausting.

When all of the activity calmed a bit ( it actually carried on for months both in church and in peoples homes and workplaces) John Arnott pointed us to the passage in Revelation and said that he had seen the four creatures round the throne manifesting all over the world where the Holy Spirit was being poured out.  People were suddenly 'being' lions, bulls, men in various different manifestations, and eagles. 

I tell you this because it is my testimony.  I dont understand why God did that but I do understand that things which look weird and scary and random sometimes have a very Biblical explanation if we can decide not to be offended and ask for revelation.  The creatures round the throne of God are real, and are manifestations of the nature of God.  People also believe them to be representations of the four gospels.  Probably.  These creatures are subservient to God and worship Him with a constant cry of 'Holy'

The other day Jane commented that the description of heaven so far is a bit scary.  I think the way we read it can lead us to believe that its all terribly serious and fearsome,  and in some ways it probably is.  Its definitely awe inspiring and breath-taking and mind blowing.  But I know Jesus and Im pretty sure that the feelings that accompany all of the colour and the sounds and the weirdness are joy and delight and wonder.

Instead of imagining the creatures bowing down solemnly and intoning Holy holy holy like an Anglican minister , try imagining them full of love and joy smiling and singing 'holy holy' to a really upbeat tune because they are so excited they cant help themselves.  Maybe they are dancing round the throne with their wings outstretched.  And they are joined by the elders who are also overcome with love and joy, singing 'worthy' and throwing their crowns down on the mirror-like floor so they can properly prostrate themselves to worship Jesus. Think of the very best worship time you have ever been in, the most profoundly moving, the most expressively joyful. Think of a time you have been abandoned to God and not cared what anyone else thought about you.  Then multiply that by a million.  I think thats what heaven is like

Sorry this has been a long one. I get carried away thinking about this stuff.  If you are having a bank holiday today ( I am, thanks Patrick!) enjoy!