More Alive than Ever
And the four living creatures, each of them with six wings, are full of eyes all around and inside. Day and night without ceasing they sing,
“Holy, holy, holy,
the Lord God the Almighty,
who was and is and is to come.”
Revelation 4:8
Unfortunately, we have all recently experienced ample cause to consider the brevity of life, to ponder death, to ask God why. Why did you allow him to go? He had so much more life to live and give. Why didn’t you save her? She was too young to die. We needed more time together. Father, we know you are sovereign, you are in control, you know everything, nothing surprises you, so why?
Pondering life and death, our purpose here on earth, the importance of seizing God’s saving grace while we still have breath in our bodies, and our responsibility to diligently spread the gospel, I am reminded of a quote attributed to D.L. Moody. While he lived on earth, he said,
"Some day you will read in the papers that D.L. Moody of East Northfield, is dead. Don't you believe a word of it! At that moment I shall be more alive than I am now; I shall have gone up higher, that is all, out of this old clay tenement into a house that is immortal—a body that death cannot touch, that sin cannot taint; a body fashioned like unto His glorious body."[i]
I grieve for family and friends who lost people dear to them, for the holes in their hearts, for their pain, but I do not grieve for the ones who knew the Lord during their brief time on earth and who moved to their heavenly abode. From that moment on they dwell with God in His glory (see Luke 23:43 and 2 Corinthians 5:6-8), they see Him face to face, they know Him fully (see 1 Corinthians 13:12). They see and hear with greater clarity than ever before, and they are surrounded by amazing heavenly scenes. We cannot imagine the glory of it, but we have a glimpse of it through God’s holy word. Describing his heavenly revelation, John writes,
After this I looked, and there in heaven a door stood open! 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.” At once I was in the spirit, and there in heaven stood a throne, with one seated on the throne! And the one seated there looks like jasper and carnelian, and around the throne is a rainbow that looks like an emerald. Around the throne are twenty-four thrones, and seated on the thrones are twenty-four elders, dressed in white robes, with golden crowns on their heads. Coming from the throne are flashes of lightning and rumblings and peals of thunder, and in front of the throne burn seven flaming torches, which are the seven spirits of God, and in front of the throne there is something like a sea of glass, like crystal.
Around the throne, and on each side of the throne, are four living creatures, full of eyes in front and back: the first living creature like a lion, the second living creature like an ox, the third living creature with a face like a human, and the fourth living creature like a flying eagle. And the four living creatures, each of them with six wings, are full of eyes all around and inside. Day and night without ceasing they sing,
“Holy, holy, holy, the Lord God the Almighty, who was and is and is to come.”
And whenever the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to the one who is seated on the throne, who lives forever and ever, the twenty-four elders fall before the one who is seated on the throne and worship the one who lives forever and ever; they cast their crowns before the throne, singing,
“You are worthy, 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 4:1-11
Later, John saw a multitude from around the world standing before the heavenly throne crying out in a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God who is seated on the throne and to the Lamb!” (Revelation 7:10). And he saw a multitude of angels and the elders and the four heavenly creatures, and they all fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God singing,
“Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever and ever! Amen.” Revelation 7:12
As John surveys the scene, an elder talks with him about the multitude clothed in white robes. The elder says,
“These are they who have come out of the great ordeal; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.
For this reason they are before the throne of God and worship him day and night within his temple, and the one who is seated on the throne will shelter them. They will hunger no more and thirst no more; the sun will not strike them, nor any scorching heat, for the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd, and he will guide them to springs of the water of life, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.” Revelation 7:14-17
John peered into heaven and saw, heard and experienced its glory. God also allowed Isaiah and Paul a glimpse of heaven. Isaiah records a portion of his heavenly visit as follows:
In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lofty, and the hem of his robe filled the temple. Seraphs were in attendance above him; each had six wings: with two they covered their faces, and with two they covered their feet, and with two they flew. And one called to another and said,
“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts;
the whole earth is full of his glory.” Isaiah 6:1-3
Paul did not describe the things he saw in heaven. Instead, he says he “was caught up into paradise and heard things that are not to be told, that no mortal is permitted to repeat” (2 Corinthians 12:1-4).
In his letter to the church in Philippi, Paul says he would rather leave his earthly body and be with Christ Jesus in heaven, but he stays to complete his task on earth. He writes,
I am hard pressed between the two: my desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better, 24 but to remain in the flesh is more necessary for you. Philippians 1:23-24
So, when Paul expresses ambivalence to the thought of dying it is based on his entire experience with God through Christ Jesus, which possibly includes his glimpse of heavenly glory.
We grieve for family and friends who have lost people dear to them, but those who knew the Lord during their time on earth and who have moved to their heavenly home are more alive now than they ever were on earth. They dwell in His glory. They see Him face to face. They know Him fully.
What are we to do with this? It is good to consider life and death, to refuse to take life for granted, to contemplate our purpose here on earth, to understand the importance of seizing God’s saving grace while we still have breath in our bodies, and to appreciate our responsibility to spread the gospel. Our time here on earth is brief. We do not know how long we have. May you seize the opportunities before you to serve God. Amen.
[i] https://www.wholesomewords.org/echoes/moody.html