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Chapter four of Revelation has only 11 verses. And these verses share a perspective totally unique in the Bible.
Typically, we think of heaven coming down to us just as Jesus preached at the beginning of His ministry in Matthew 4:17b, “Repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” But in Revelation chapter 4, the Apostle John sees an open door and is invited up into heaven.
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 (Revelation 4:1, ESV, emphasis added).
Eternity and time are two differing dimensions. I often preach at funerals, “We live our lives day to day, month to month, and year to year, never considering the important matters of eternity. Then someone we know passes. Eternity touches time, and it causes us to stop and reflect on meaning, life, and our worthiness.”
Yes, eternity will touch time for all of us. Is there really heaven? What will it be like? Who gets to go? And what will we do when we get there? To answer our questions, Jesus says to John, “Come up here, and I will show you.”
An open door, not to be told but to see.
In chapter four of the Book of Revelation, all of us receive a gift as the apostle is invited from time to eternity and then returns to write about it! For mortals, the trip to heaven has a large one-way sign. There’s no coming back. But not in this chapter…
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 (Revelation 4:2-3).
I will be spending several weeks on Revelation chapter 4, discussing what John saw when invited through the open door. But first, something else that I’ve noticed…
Every time that I hear someone read chapter four, their voice increases with intensity, not volume but illumination, as if suddenly realizing that as the words are read, they are being invited, and those listening as well, to walk through the open door to see heaven.
“Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come!” (Revelation 4:8b).
Years back, I heard a pastor, whose voice was of James Earl Jones quality, read Revelation chapter 4. When he was finished, those in the room sat quietly looking up — expectant — as if they could see what John saw.
Great literature does this, elevates us from the mundane to something better, and Spirit-inspired Scripture takes it further, from time to eternity, giving us hope.