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At once I was in the Spirit, and behold, a throne stood in heaven, with one seated on the throne (Revelation 4:2, ESV).
In a book by C.S. Lewis, the mythical Queen Orual seeks an audience with God to complain about her life, demand justice, and ask why God allowed certain situations to happen. In answer to her demands, in a vision she was taken into the throne room of God, sees God, and then says …
I know now, Lord, why you utter no answer. You are yourself the answer. Before your face questions die away.
Reading this scene years ago, I think of it again whenever I read Revelation 4. Paul (who went to heaven too) writes, “This man [Paul] was caught up into paradise—whether in the body or out of the body I do not know, God knows – and he heard things that cannot be told, which man may not utter” (2 Corinthians 12:3-4).
Paul further comments on this experience in 1 Corinthians 13:12, “For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part: then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known.”
It seems that C.S. Lewis took his inspiration for the heaven scene with Queen Orual from the Apostle Paul’s writings, and both reach the same conclusion that looking at God’s face “questions die away” or, as Paul says, “Then I shall know fully.”
Exactly how does seeing God answer questions? Let’s consider what we will see when looking at God’s face.
There are 2 trillion galaxies in the observable universe; each galaxy contains between 100 billion and 1 trillion stars. One glass of water contains more molecules than there are stars in the entire universe — and from His throne, God controls every molecule in existence.
As Paul (again, while in heaven) writes about Jesus…
For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities – all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together (Colossians 1:16-17).
When Paul entered heaven, when the Apostle John saw heaven in the Book of Revelation chapter 4, when Queen Orual stood before the throne, when you and I get to heaven, we will see the Author and Creator of the universe holding all things together — the entire universe with stars, black holes, and quasars; the molecules of our bodies and the particles that allow us to think, live, and reason; the thoughts of all who have lived and the motivations for their actions; good and evil considered and judged; the laws of physics explained; every mystery solved — all of it, because Paul said that God will reveal, “All things”!
No wonder Queen Orual said to God our Father, “Before your face, our questions die away.”
In the throne room described in Revelation 4, those seeing God shout…
Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created (Revelation 4:11).
Amen, come quickly, Lord Jesus!
