REVELATION 4:4-5
Read Revelation 4:4-5.
These days, going to a movie is quite an event. Theatres today are simply beautiful — great sound systems, digital quality pictures, luxurious seating (at least that’s the case at Lincoln Square), and hey, they even have Nathan’s hotdogs! Once settled into your seat, there is the movie trivia followed by trailers for upcoming movies. The anticipation begins to build… and then the lights dim, people get comfortable in their seats as if for a long drive ahead, the curtains draw further open, and the much anticipated show begins.
That is not unlike what we have in John’s vision. The presence of God surrounded by the twenty-four elders each in their respective thrones, dressed for the holy and awesome display to come; the Holy Spirit (seven spirits) burning like lamps before God; flashes of lightning, thunderous booms pealing through the heavenlies. But unlike a movie, this is the real deal. God is on display – He is the feature presentation. And what a presentation He is! This isn’t CGI (Computer Generated Images) and digital sound in a padded theater, but our awesome God in the theater of the universe with sound that is not just around us, but above us and below us as well. There is not a theater on earth that can and ever will compare with the theater of heaven. No better seating, no better sound, and certainly no better picture. What’s more, the price is free? Not really. See those gold crowns on the heads of the elders? Those came at a great cost for those individuals. Christ paid for the costly tickets, but these elders paid the high price of perseverance, of standing in line. Their endurance was rewarded with a front row seat.
The next time you are feeling impatient and having to endure all the discomfort of “standing in line”, remember that the show is going to be the best show ever. No comparison. Waiting in line will be worth every penny. It was certainly worth Christ’s payment of admission. Imagine how much more it will be worth it for us!
