Meet Your Father - Revelation 4:1-5

          What a wonderful Sabbath it was!  Jesus, the Lord of the Sabbath Day, had come to meet with His faithful, aged apostle.  He came to show him "things that must shortly come to pass".  He came to give John, and all Christ's followers who come after, the assurance that all that happens is what "must" happen in order for the end of sin to be assured.  John has been given some messages to pass on to the church, not just those in the locations given in chapters 2 & 3, but also as it goes through different experiences through the ages till Jesus returns.

            Now the scene changes.  John again hears the voice of Jesus, and is invited into heaven, and through an "open door", where he finds himself in the throne room of the universe!  It is hard for earthly words to describe the scene!  But it is as if Jesus takes John and says:  "look, meet our Father"! 

            After His resurrection Jesus had told His disciples: "I ascend to my Father and your Father; to My God and your God".  (John 20:17) On His way to the garden of Gethsemane, He had told them:   "I say not unto you, that I will pray the Father for you: For the Father himself loves you."  (John 16:26-27)  All through His ministry on earth Jesus had pointed His listeners to God the Father by telling them that everything He did, every word He spoke, was from the Father.  He even told them: "If you have seen Me you have seen the Father".  (John 14:9) 

            John is shown as much as it is possible for fallen human nature to see.  He tries to describe it, and we should close our eyes and picture as best we can what he describes.  But be assured we cannot imagine how glorious it really is.  Jasper comes in all different colors.  It is always a mixture of various other materials, so the name "jasper" means "spotted stone".  It is as if the first impression God wants us to have of Himself is how closely united He is with humanity.  "God so loved the world that He gave...."  (John 3:16)  "God loves the followers of Christ as He loves His only begotten Son."  "Christ glorified is our brother. Heaven is enshrined in humanity, and humanity is enfolded in the bosom of Infinite Love."  (DA 25)

            The "sardine stone" or "sardius stone" is a red stone, red to remind us of the blood sacrifice God gave because of His love.  But also the red of fire, because "our God is a consuming fire." (Hebrews 12:29)  While God has "mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin", we must also remember that He "will by no means clear the guilty". (Exodus 34:7)  The God Who is perfect in love is also perfect in justice.  We will talk about that next time.