My kids get to pick the music on the way to school (except for Mondays, when they usually aren’t awake enough to care what’s playing).
I bring my iPod in the car, and they take turns. Lydia picks Tuesdays and Thursdays, and she usually picks A Whole New World from the movie Aladdin (she likes to sing it with me). Tony gets Wednesdays and Fridays, and he usually goes with Lecrae or Israel Houghton.
This morning, however, Tony picked the radio. We have an awesome local Christian station here… 99.1 JOY FM. The first song that came on was Revelation Song by Phillips, Craig, and Dean.
After I dropped the kids off, I got to thinking about the song. The lyrics are taken from, of course, Revelation…
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. Around the throne were twenty-four thrones, and seated on the thrones were twenty-four elders, clothed in white garments, with golden crowns on their heads. From the throne came flashes of lightning, and rumblings and peals of thunder, and before the throne were burning seven torches of fire, which are the seven spirits of God, and before the throne there was as it were a sea of glass, like crystal.
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!”
And whenever the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to him who is seated on the throne, who lives forever and ever, the twenty-four elders fall down before him who is seated on the throne and worship him who lives forever and ever. They cast their crowns before the throne, saying,
“Worthy are you, our Lord and God,
to receive glory and honor and power,
for you created all things,
and by your will they existed and were created.”
(Revelation 4:1-11 ESV)
And between the throne and the four living creatures and among the elders I saw a Lamb standing, as though it had been slain, with seven horns and with seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth. And he went and took the scroll from the right hand of him who was seated on the throne. And when he had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each holding a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. And they sang a new song, saying,
“Worthy are you to take the scroll
and to open its seals,
for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God
from every tribe and language and people and nation,
and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God,
and they shall reign on the earth.”
Then I looked, and I heard around the throne and the living creatures and the elders the voice of many angels, numbering myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands, saying with a loud voice,
“Worthy is the Lamb who was slain,
to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might
and honor and glory and blessing!”
And I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all that is in them, saying,
“To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb
be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever!”
And the four living creatures said, “Amen!” and the elders fell down and worshiped.
(Revelation 5:6-14 ESV)
I thought about the beauty of this world. I thought about the opportunities we have to see things in creation that take our breath away. And that, in all of the splendor of this fallen world, there is nothing to compare with what we will see in Eternity. Our frail, finite bodies can scarcely fathom what is to come. When we are able to look in the eyes of Jesus and get a glimpse of His infinite love for us… when we see the splendor of our Creator God unleashed in all of His power… we will scarce be able to take it in.
Thought about Heaven lately?
Not a Camouflaged Soul 