Today’s Podcast
Today’s Scriptures
Today’s Bible reading plans include:
Ready – Revelation 4
Set – Ezekiel 11; Revelation 4
Go! – Ezekiel 8-11; Revelation 4
Revelation 4
1 After I wrote down these messages, I saw a door standing open in heaven and heard again the first voice that sounded like a trumpet.
A Voice: Come up here, and I will show you what must happen after this.
2 Immediately I was caught up in the Spirit, and I saw a throne that stood in heaven and One seated on the throne. 3 The One enthroned gleamed like jasper and carnelian, and a rainbow encircled the throne with an emerald glow. 4 Encircling that great throne were twenty-four smaller thrones with twenty-four elders clothed in white robes with wreaths fashioned of gold on their heads. 5 Out of the great throne came flashes of lightning, sounds of voices, and peals of thunder. In front of the great throne, seven torches were ablaze, which are the seven Spirits of God. 6 Also in front of the throne was a glassy sea of shimmering crystal.
In the midst of the throne and encircling the throne were four living creatures, covered all over with eyes, front to back. 7 The first living creature was like a lion, the second creature was like an ox, the third creature had a face like the face of a human, and the fourth creature was like an eagle in full flight. 8 These four living creatures, each of which had six wings and was covered with eyes—eyes on the outside and on the inside—did not cease chanting. All day and night they were singing.
Four Living Creatures: Holy, holy, holy
Is the Lord God who is the All Powerful,
who was, and who is, and who is coming.
9 And when the living creatures declared glory and honor and thanksgiving to the One seated on the throne, the One who lives throughout all the ages, 10 the twenty-four elders fell prostrate before the One seated on the throne, worshiped the One who lives throughout all the ages, cast their golden wreaths before the throne, and chanted to Him.
11 24 Elders: Worthy are You, O Lord; worthy are You, O God,
to receive glory and honor and power.
You alone created all things,
and through Your will and by Your design, they exist and were created.
Today’s Devotional
From today’s background scripture God might say:
John got a glimpse of what was to come at the end of time. He saw a part of heaven few have witnessed. I allowed him to see My throne so he could share with My children some of their future. I wanted to give you a small vision of the future I have in store for you to give you hope in the desparate times you might face because of your faith. You see, I promised you will face trouble and misunderstanding and persecution as long as you live in this world. But in the world to come, the blessings are so far beyond your imagination, you will find your sufferings as nothing compared to those riches.
The first thing people see when they see My throne is the creature surrounding Me singing praises to Me. They can’t help it. It’s the natural response to who I am. John saw it when he peeked into heaven. He saw the flying creatures singing “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come.” The 24 elders seated around My throne also sang praises to Me. They, too, couldn’t do anything else. All who see Me burst out in praise.
The throneroom is filled with sounds and sights that are impossible to describe with words. John tried, but fell short. The rainbow of colors he describes doesn’t give it justice. The sound of voices and peel of thunder fails to give an adequate representation of what he saw. There are lots of stories about heaven. They give people hope about what is to come. The best source, though, is My word. Listen to what John says about it. Listen to what David says about it. Read what Daniel and Ezekiel say about it. Listen to My words about heaven as I spoke to My disciples.
Heaven is a special place. It’s My home and I want you to share it with Me. How do you get there? Obey Me. That’s it. It’s as simple as that. I’ve been preparing it for you for a long time. It’s your decision whether to come or not. Admission is by reservation only and reservations come through obedience. I want to see you there.
The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved. In accordance with the requirements for FTC full disclosure, I may have affiliate relationships with some or all of the producers of the items mentioned in this post who may provide a small commission to me when purchased through this site.