Read 2 Chronicles 5:1-6:11 and Revelation 4.
This devotional is about Revelation 4.
The first three chapters of Revelation record the vision of Christ John saw in chapter 1 and the messages Jesus gave John for the seven churches in chapters 2 and 3. Christ’s words for the seven churches were about how those churches were doing during the time John was writing them. In other words, chapters 2-3 of Revelation did not address future events but rather present events which were happening in the churches at that time. We learned this in Revelation 1:19 which says, “Write, therefore, what you have seen, what is now and what will take place later.” In that verse the phrase “what is now” refers to chapters 2-3, the seven churches as they were at the time of John’s writings.
And, those churches were not in great shape. Only the church in Smyrna, which John wrote about in Revelation 2:8-11 did not receive some kind of rebuke from the Lord. The other six churches had problems; most of them had significant problems. If I were reading Revelation 2-3 and a report card of the state of the church, I would be very, very concerned.
Here in Revelation 4, Christ turns John’s attention from the present state of the churches to what will happen in the future. We saw that at the end of verse 1 where John hears these words: “…I will show you what must take place after this.”
What John sees, however, is not a vision of the future, but a vision of God the Father. In verse 2 John reports seeing a throne with “…someone sitting on it.” Just like every other vision of God in the Bible, John does not describe God himself. Instead, he wrote in verse 3, “…the one who sat there had the appearance of jasper and ruby. A rainbow that shone like an emerald encircled the throne.” God the Father was too wonderful for words to describe. His glory could only be vaguely compared to the very best beautiful things human beings might see–jaspers and rubies and rainbows, in this case.
Now, coming up next in chapter 5, God the Father will hand down a scroll of judgment on the world, so the revelation of future events that John was told he would find out about are coming in chapter 5. But, before Christ tells John the future God is going to bring, the Lord shows John, here in Revelation 4, the glorious throne of God and the perpetual worship that God the Father receives from men in verse 4. from nature in verse 5, and from angels in verses 6-8.
So, understand this: On earth there is chaos. The churches, including John the Apostle, are receiving persecution from God’s enemies. Those same churches, for the most part, have moral and theological problems inside them. The rest of the world outside the church continued to be filled with people who were enemies of God and were sinning against him constantly. But God is not worried! He is not running from one crisis to another, screaming at people to get their act together. Instead, he sits in a glorious throne room receiving non-stop worship.
This is not to tell us that God does not care about the problems in the churches or the sins of the world. He cared so much about them that he sent letters to his churches in Revelation 2-3 to speak to them about their problems and, in verse 5, he is going to give a scroll of judgment to address the sins of the world. So God isn’t detached, unfeeling, or oblivious to his creation and his church. He cares and he is in charge of these things, but he is not worried about them. In a situation where you and I would be panicked about the problems and overwhelmed by the bad information we had, God is seated comfortably and is receiving the worship he deserves.
The point of this chapter, then, is to remind us that God is Lord over everything that is happening around us. We might be worried about problems in our lives, problems in our church, problems in our workplace, state, nation, or world but God is not. God has a plan for his church and for this world and he is working out that plan. But God is unperturbed because he knows that his plan will work and that, in the end, he will be glorified.
Let that comfort you today! God cares about your life and your struggles, but he is not worried about them. He will be glorified, no matter what happens in your life. So trust that! Pray to him and commit to him the outcome of the problems that cause you anxiety. Then, relax! God has a plan for it and, whatever happens with that plan, he will be glorified and you will be cared for as one of his faithful children.