In The Presence Of God

By F. D. Adkins

I am back to digging into the book of Revelation this week. As I have noted before, I am not a Bible scholar. I am merely sharing my thoughts on my scripture reading and how I felt the Word speak to me. In the same way, I hope you will share your thoughts as we seek to grow in our walk with Christ.

The fourth chapter in Revelation is rather short, but the descriptions are so profound that I found myself reading it over and over, letting the complete image form in my mind. The first thing I took note of was in the first verse.

• “After this I looked, and, behold, a door was opened in heaven: and the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me; which said, Come up hither, and I will shew thee things which must be hereafter. (Revelation 4:1 KJV)

A door opens into Heaven, and John hears a voice like a trumpet. This voice says He will show John what is to come. Here I think John’s reference to the trumpet is no coincidence, especially since the voice that sounds like a trumpet is going to show John what is to come. In 1 Corinthians 15:52 (KJV), Paul describes the coming of Christ. He says, “In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.”

After John hears the voice like a trumpet, verse two says, “And immediately I was in the spirit: and, behold, a throne was set in heaven, and one sat on the throne.” (Revelation 4:2 KJV). I cannot help but see the direct correlation to 1 Corinthians 15:52. John hears the trumpet, and he is changed. But not only is he changed, but he is immediately in the presence of God. He sees the throne.

At this point in my study, I am already blown away. If this scripture shows us what is to come, and the trumpet signifies the coming of Christ, we will immediately be in the presence of God.

John goes on to describe the throne room with the seven lamps of fire, the four beasts, and the twenty-four elders (Revelation 4:3-10). Here we see worship in Heaven.

• “The four and twenty elders fall down before him that sat on the throne, and worship him that liveth for ever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying, Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.” (Revelation 4:10-11 KJV).

I pondered for a while as to why they are casting their crowns before the throne. Just as they fall to their knees, I picture the casting of crowns as yet another way of humbling themselves before God. They are not only saying words of praise, but they are demonstrating that their crowns belong to God. He is the One that is worthy.

Here are a few points that I carried away from the fourth chapter of Revelation.

• When Jesus returns for us, we will immediately enter the presence of God.
• We will worship God in Heaven.
• God created us for His purpose. So, each day we wake up, God has a purpose for us to fulfill.

Now, I cannot wait to read what points you carried away from this chapter, so please comment with your reflections on this reading.