Friday, May 11, 2018

THE THRONE ROOM

Today’s Reading: Revelation 4 

Click scripture link to read online or HERE to listen online (then click the symbol of the audio speaker above the scripture portion).

 

There appears to be a “throne” in the back room behind the altar of Saint Paul’s Church in Tarsus, the home city of  Saul of Tarsus, now known as the Apostle Paul. In today’s reading we get a glimpse into Heaven through the eyes of the Apostle John, and we see “A throne set in Heaven, and One sat on the throne.”

GOOGLE MAPS – To see where the photo was taken, click HERE.

 

Key Verse: Revelation 4:11

You are worthy, O Lord,

To receive glory and honor and power;

For You created all things,

And by Your will they exist and were created.

 

Jim and Kathy Cantelon take us from the 7 churches here on earth through “The door standing open in Heaven.” They write,

Jim & Kathy Cantelon

The vision continues. Here we see the “throne room” of Heaven. It’s a key description for a number of reasons, not the least of them being that this “throne room” is the main “set” of the drama. For interest’s sake, you might try drawing the set as it’s described in verses 1-6. Probably you’ll do what I did – you’ll draw in two dimensions (a flat picture, rather like a disk). But try something else: try drawing it, or imagining it, in three dimensions (like a sphere) – the difference will be rather like that between a square and a cube. And don’t forget, our interpretations will always be less than satisfactory, for John is attempting to describe something that’s indescribable.

The main elements of the description are:

(a) A throne

(b) Someone on the throne

(c) A rainbow around the throne

(d) 24 other thrones around the throne

(e) 24 elders on these thrones

(f) Seven lamps before the throne

(g) A glass sea before the throne

(h) Four creatures around the throne

Add to this the colours of jasper, carnelian, rainbow, white, gold, and crystal – all lit with flashes of lightening and vibrating with peals of thunder, and you have three-dimensional description. It’s an awesome picture.

But the key factor in this picture is the verbal message: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is, and is to come” (verse 8b). We’re dealing here with God the Father, Himself. The only adequate response is prostration (verse 10). No description can even come close.

PRAYER FOR TODAY:

Lord God, bless Jim and Kathy Cantelon and their family in every way, I pray. Thank You for Your call on their lives and for blessing me with their insights through the Day Unto Day series published in the mid-nineties, and now here on the 100words.ca blog for a few days. Thank You, also, for this look into Heaven which Your servant John has shared. I pray that my gaze will focus, not just on the surroundings of Heaven, but primarily on You, “LORD GOD ALMIGHTY, WHO WAS AND IS AND IS TO COME!” Through the Lord Jesus Christ, who opened up Heaven for all who call on His Name for eternal life. Amen!!!

100 PERSONAL WORDS:

I know I will be blessed by Jim and Kathy’s commentaries every day for 19 days here on my blog. After that, I expect, God willing, to finish off the first two-year journey through the Holy Scriptures with four blogs focusing on the final Words of Jesus recorded in each of the four Gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. Then the plan is to start again for 24 more months! I’ve shared here before, but I think it’s worth repeating, that I promoted a one-year through the Bible plan during the 1960’s and 1970’s, and discovered that the majority of those who started with me in January each year got discouraged somehow and left the plan somewhere around the third to fifth book in the Old Testament. I prayed many times for the answer as to why this was so. I believe I heard from God something like this, “David, you need to expand the readings to two years. Start with Jesus in Matthew, then move to Genesis. This will encourage My precious people to maintain a consistent reading pattern and a majority will read every Word of the Bible with time to meditate on each day’s readings.” I began to promote this plan through the 100 Huntley Street TV show throughout the 1980’s and 1990’s. It worked! I knew this because readers would ask for the next instalment of the written commentary materials. Eight books we published in the 1990’s were called, Day Unto Day. Jim and Kathy Cantelon wrote the New Testament commentaries in that series, and Nizar and Ellen Shaheen the Old Testament. After the completion of these eight books, I learned that over 70% percent of those who ordered the first volume also ordered the last one, proving that the new Bible reading program was much more conducive to actually completing reading the entire Bible.

Yours for continuing to do the same now on the World Wide Web!!!,

David

The exterior of St. Paul’s Church in Tarsus. Tarsus was the university city of the Roman province of Asia Minor. Today Tarsus is in eastern Turkey.

The interior of St. Paul’s Church in Tarsus.

9 thoughts on “Friday, May 11, 2018

  1. Praise God for your devotional that sits in my inbox everyone waiting for me to read and spend time with God. Thank you David and family for continuing to send this out each day. I have tried many times to read the bible on my own and over the years I have never succeeded. I am so overjoyed to say this past two years have been the best years of my life spending time in his word through your devotional. I am nearly 61 and am so thankful to have this privilege of knowing and trusting our Lord and Saviour. This devotional has encouraged me to go beyond what I ever imagined I could do. Thank you Jesus, your word is sharper than a two edged sword!! To God be the Glory!

    • God bless you & TY for sharing, your words are very inspiring……yes indeed, to God be the Glory!

      I had a miracle happen today! a plumber came in to give estimates for replacing toilets, etc. I mentioned that I have trouble with the left side of my kitchen sink, it is not draining, HE IMMEDIATELY went to the cupboard, opened the doors, I took out items, and he unscrewed the pipe and a BID PIECE OF JUNK, YUK,YUK, was stuck in the pipe, also a skewer had gone down and got twisted and everything was piling up and plugging the drain! I PRAISE AND THANK GOD FOR THIS PLUMBER, HE DID NOT CHARGE ME, AND HE WAS OBEDIENT! I TOLD HIM THAT I WOULD PRAY FOR HIM AND HIS FAMILY, WIFE AND 2 DAUGHTERS, THANK YOU LORD FOR THIS MAN TO DO THIS FOR ME……..PRAISE AND THANK YOU LORD FOR BRINGING HIM TO MY PLACE TODAY…..in Jesus Name we Pray amen amen amen

  2. Good, good, morning to all today. The sun is shining here in Ontario. I look out my window and praise God for this glorious day.

    I read the day to day devotions, back in the days. I think I may even still have the booklets. I enjoyed them.

    To all blog readers, blessings! May God richly bless you today.

  3. Have been reading the Day unto Day series along with my Bible and it further expands my knowledge of the Scriptures. Thank you Nizar and Ellen, Jim and Kathy and David for your contribution. God bless you.

  4. Through reading these devotionals have helped me a lot as well also with a bible
    study at church we are reading “The Story” the bible as one continuing story of
    God and his people. Thank you David, Ron, Ann , and Renold for continuing our
    blog daily . I love reading books as well everyones comments on our blog God
    bless you all.
    Lianne Hogg

  5. Great picture of Jim and Kathy Cantelon….Beautiful color and structure in the two photos of the church..thank you!!

    I like the simple teaching and explanation of today’s scripture reading…..
    by Jim & Kathy; and Jim’ suggestion to make a drawing of the vision:)

    Have a blessed evening all you bloggers.

  6. Irene I pray that your tests will all go well……I found praying the Lord’s Prayer daily
    out loud helps with keeping the dark thoughts away……
    God bless and thank you for posting your blog…..I find it very helpful to pray for one another and to share what our problems are and ask God to heal us……It is very uplifting to me…thank you all

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