A Glimpse into the Throne Room-Lent 3, 2022

No forewarning. No getting ready to look one’s best. No preparation for what was ahead. Just a door standing open and a command to come on up. Perhaps nothing could have prepared John for what he would see.

Revelation 4:1 After this I looked, and there before me was a door standing open in heaven. And the voice I had first heard speaking to me like a trumpet said, “Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this.” 2 At once I was in the Spirit, and there before me was a throne in heaven with someone sitting on it.

His was a glimpse into the very throne room of God. Clearly, he writes as one grasping for visuals, any words to describe the indescribable. Looked like. Had the appearance of. Eyes everywhere.

He sees God on the throne (which his Jewish background would have told him that you can’t see God and live). Was his heart pounding? The living creatures give glory, honor, and thanks! Elders throw themselves on the ground in worship! It’s like John is frozen by what he’s seeing.

A mighty angel appears and asks who will open the scroll? But no one can. John stands in stunned silence as the whole of his theology about the redemption and vindication of Israel hangs in the balance and all seems lost. No one can! Unable to control his grief, he weeps.

Then he sees the Lamb of God, Christ Himself. He is worthy. Worship extends to the Lamb in a seven-fold echo sung by multitudes of everyone everywhere. There is complete worship of Christ by all creatures He has made.

Thoughts for today:

Read Revelation 4-5.

This final scroll would usher in judgment and the consolation of Israel. The chosen people have been waiting for this a long time. The thought that the scroll would remain sealed, and all his hopes dashed—it was too much for John. How do you feel when your hopes are utterly destroyed?

How does this form a pivot of worship from God the Father to include worship of Jesus Christ?

Read what it says about Jesus in Philippians 2:6-11, “9 Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

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If you’re already signed up on my Home Page sidebar to receive posts, you’ll get the 2022 Lent Devotionals automatically. Or you can “Like” Seminary Gal on Facebook and they’ll be delivered to your Facebook news feed. If you haven’t signed up, today is a great day to do so. Advent and Lenten devotionals remain among my most popular offerings. You don’t want to miss this encounter with God to prepare your heart for Easter! Understanding that prior years’ devotionals continue to minister, you may want to have access to a full series ahead of time:

Lent 2013 looked at The Letter to the Romans: Paul’s Masterpiece to reclaim foundations of our Christian heritage and began February 13, 2013.
A very special and ever popular offering was Lent 2014’s Be Still and Know that I AM God which can be obtained through the archives beginning in March 2014.
Lent 2015 began on February 18, 2015 with a series entitled With Christ in the Upper Room: Final Preparations. We explored what is often called “The Upper Room Discourse” found in John chapters 13-17.
ReKindle, the Lent 2016 series, began on February 10, 2016 and encouraged us to rekindle our spiritual lives.
Light: There’s Nothing Like It was the 2017 Lent series and explored this metaphor often used to portray Christ. It is archived beginning March 1, 2017.
Lent 2018, we explored the questions of Pi and Chi (the Greek letter beginning the word Christos, which means Christ, Messiah, the Anointed One). We asked and answered the questions “Why?” from the movie Life of Pi as we discovered the uniqueness of Jesus Christ in a world of many faiths.
Lent 2019 gave us a deeper window into Easter “More to the Easter Story” since we miss so much when we rely only on a superficial understanding of the work of Christ. These devotionals are archived beginning March 6, 2019.
Our Lent 2020 devotional series offered prayer points surrounding “Be Thou My Vision” and were aimed at helping us to see God for who He is. The full set of devotionals are archived beginning February 26, 2020.
The theme for 2021 Lent Devotionals was how to live between two worlds while waiting for Christ’s return. Into the gap between the City of Man and its fixation upon sin and the City of God with its demand for holiness, two words minister peace: But God. Praise God for His intervention! They are archived beginning February 17, 2021.