I'm home from church sick this morning. The sinus/cold bug has invaded our home.....2 out of 5 of us are down.
I keep reflecting on my weekend at Beth Moore and all that God taught me through Beth. I keep coming back to the session she did on Revelation. I wish Lifeway would have recorded the weekend and then sold the CD's. I would SOOOOOOO love to listen the entire weekend again. Especially the session on Revelation. If there is one book in the bible that I have tried and tried to understand it's Revelation and Beth did an AMAZING job telling the story of Revelation 5. Oh. MY. GOODNESS. IT. WAS. GOOD!
Beth referenced Ezekiel 1 where it talks about how God always remains seated
on His throne. In front of His throne
is a glass sea, a sea where He hurls our iniquities. He HURLS them! Hello! Don't you just love that? He
doesn't just toss them lightly; He hurls them!!!
5From the throne came
flashes of lightning, rumblings and peals of thunder. Before the
throne, seven lamps were blazing. These are the seven spirits of God. 6Also before the throne there was what looked like a sea of glass, clear as crystal.
In the center, around the throne, were four living creatures, and they were covered with eyes, in front and in back. 7The
first living creature was like a lion, the second was like an ox, the
third had a face like a man, the fourth was like a flying eagle. 8Each
of the four living creatures had six wings and was covered with eyes
all around, even under his wings. Day and night they never stop saying:
"Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was, and is, and is to
come." 9Whenever the living creatures give glory, honor and thanks to him who sits on the throne and who lives for ever and ever, 10the
twenty-four elders fall down before him who sits on the throne, and
worship him who lives for ever and ever. They lay their crowns before
the throne and say:
11"You are worthy, our Lord and God,
to receive glory and honor and power,
for you created all things,
and by your will they were created
and have their being."
Revelation 4:5-11
What a beautiful glimpse at a GOD who never gets off his throne! A GOD who is scandalously forgiving. A GOD who teems with compassion. A GOD who is so pure and holy! He doesn't have to be any of those things. But He is BECAUSE He loves us!
1Then I saw in the right hand of him who sat on the throne a scroll with writing on both sides and sealed with seven seals. 2And I saw a mighty angel proclaiming in a loud voice, "Who is worthy to break the seals and open the scroll?" 3But no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth could open the scroll or even look inside it. 4I wept and wept because no one was found who was worthy to open the scroll or look inside. 5Then
one of the elders said to me, "Do not weep! See, the Lion of the tribe
of Judah, the Root of David, has triumphed. He is able to open the
scroll and its seven seals."
6Then
I saw a Lamb, looking as if it had been slain, standing in the center
of the throne, encircled by the four living creatures and the elders.
He had seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth. 7He came and took the scroll from the right hand of him who sat on the throne. 8And
when he had taken it, the four living creatures and the twenty-four
elders fell down before the Lamb. Each one had a harp and they were
holding golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the
saints. 9And they sang a new song:
"You are worthy to take the scroll
and to open its seals,
because you were slain,
and with your blood you purchased men for God
from every tribe and language and people and nation.
10You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God,
and they will reign on the earth."
11Then
I looked and heard the voice of many angels, numbering thousands upon
thousands, and ten thousand times ten thousand. They encircled the
throne and the living creatures and the elders. 12In a loud voice they sang:
"Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain,
to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength
and honor and glory and praise!"
13Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all that is in them, singing:
"To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb
be praise and honor and glory and power,
for ever and ever!" 14The four living creatures said, "Amen," and the elders fell down and worshiped.
Revelation 5
Beth went on to talked about how there was a moment when John wept and wept
because he didn't think there was anyone worthy to open the
scroll. Even in the midst of all that
glory John was filled with sadness. But then, all of a
sudden, the One who is worthy appeared looking like a lamb that had
been slain and reached out to take the scroll.
Beth compared those moments that John had to wait, those moments he wept that no one was worthy, to the times in our lives when
God allows a season of dryness, a season of loneliness, a time of waiting between what we want and
what we have, so that we will know and understand there is only ONE who is worthy.
There is only ONE who will never leave us, ONE who will never forsake us, and ONE who will never
let us down!!
I look back on my life and the times I've grown the most are the times I went through one of those season's and God used that situation to remind me HE IS THE ONE WHO WILL NEVER LEAVE NOR FORSAKE ME!!!
Thank you Lord that you continue to show your faithfulness to me.
I love the REVELATION song by Kari Jobe! If you haven't heard it listen to the video below!
WARNING! IT WILL CAUSE YOU TO BREAK OUT INTO SERIOUS WORSHIP TO THE ONE WHO SITS ON HIS THRONE!!! :)
