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About the Throne
Revelation 4:4
"And round about the throne were four and twenty seats: and upon the seats I saw four and twenty elders sitting, clothed in white raiment; and they had on their heads crowns of gold."
Years ago I had the privilege of traveling to England to preach a week of revival meetings. While I was there, the pastor took me on a tour to see the crown jewels and the throne of England. My perception of crowns, jewels and the throne were changed forever because of this trip. The western culture cannot grasp the uniqueness and mystique of the throne because of our form of government. However, after I could see with my eyes the beauty of the throne, I better understood the throne and why God set one up in Heaven.
Revelation 4 is a description of the throne of Heaven and what is about the throne. Certainly, the beauty of the throne that God sits upon cannot be imagined by the human mind. Yet, God tried to describe what it would be like. We find about the throne in Heaven are twenty-four elders who have their own seats and crowns upon their heads. Yet, when God entered the room, we find three things happened because of His presence.
First, God's holiness was seen and proclaimed. Verse 8 says that the beasts about the throne cried day and night, "Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come." It is interesting that God's presence was what was proclaimed and not what the elders about the throne had done. One of the greatest needs of this day is the need to see the holiness of God again. When people see God's holiness, then it will cause others to live holy. I fear that one of the reasons that Christians are filled with sin is because they have not seen God's holiness. No, we cannot go to Heaven to see His holiness, but we can see His holiness by studying the Scriptures.
Second, the focus of Heaven was proper. You will notice that the focus of Heaven was not upon the elders, but it was upon God. When people spend time with God, then their focus will be proper. Too many Christians are focused on man and not upon God. Let me make this very clear to you, we do not serve man, but we serve God. It does not matter what some man whom God has used in a great way says, it only matters what God says. Until you get your focus right, you will always struggle in your Christian life.
Third, Heaven's attitude towards themselves was proper. When the holiness of God was proclaimed, then the twenty-four elders fell down and worshipped God. What is amazing to me is how people justify not using the altar. When these elders saw God's holiness, they had no problem coming off their seats and falling on their face before God. Likewise, when you get in God's presence and see His holiness, you will have no problem leaving your seat in church and going to an altar to worship God by getting rid of your sin.
You may wonder how this can help your Christian life. Though we cannot physically be at the throne of Heaven, we can go into God's presence daily through the Scriptures and prayer. When you spend time with God, you will find that your focus will be proper and your attitude towards yourself and sin will be right. Whatever you do, don't let your time with God slip, but be sure to daily set time aside to spend with God so that you can keep your focus and perspective right.