Insightful Musings on the Scriptures

by

Raymond P. Sparre
Northwest University class of '67

Greetings, dear ones.

It’s sure raining. But up a little higher, it’s sure snowing. No time for a walk/jog this morning. We took too much time talking an expounding to each other this morning, partly surrounding the reading for today.

Consider a couple questions: Why was there so much sadness in heaven?—which also made John weep? Because no one was found worthy to break the seals and open the scroll. But then all that sadness turns to one of the greatest explosions of song and worship the universe has ever known when the LION/LAMB is presented as WORTHY. In this chapter He only takes the scroll from the Sovereign Who sits on the Throne. But if you have read this account before, you know where its going. So why is everyone so happy about Jesus opening the seals? Don’t they know that the opening of those seals represents the eruption of HELL ON EARTH? Conclusion: Don’t let your heart be troubled! Just know that none of this chaos on planet earth is incidental or accidental. It’s intended. It’s ordered. It’s all part of His plan. It’s right on schedule. Yes, we should be people of prayer—“Thy will be done as it is in Heaven”—but let’s never think we can pray ourselves out of the tribulation—so as to prevent the seals, the censor, the trumpets, the plagues, and the bowls. However it plays out, He has promised His presence in behalf of those with a HEART AFTER GOD.

Maybe you can discern how Becki and I got so carried away with our talking this morning. I encourage you to get carried away with it too—as long as you maintain this Biblical orientation that yields personal peace—not like this fearful and confused world gets so carried away with it all.

Blessings on your day.

Love, Dad/Ray.

There sure is a lot of singing and praising going on in this chapter. Three songs by three different groups are recorded. I don’t know if the first song causes the second song, and the second causes the third, but there is definitely a succession with expanding volume and intensity that reaches a mind-boggling crescendo in the third.

1. The first song is presented by a comparatively small group of 24 elders, all playing heavenly guitars (harps) around the throne of God. I sure wish I could buy one of their CDs.
2. The second song engages a huge number of angels. They are described as “thousands upon thousands, and ten thousand times ten thousand,” all encircling the throne. Just for the fun of it, I punched 3,000 into my calculator to represent the “thousands upon thousands,” then multiplied that by 10,000, and again by 10,000, making the angel choir to be roughly 300 billion. That’s BIG! Talk about a musical extravaganza! But wait—there’s more!
3. The last song is bigger yet—engaging ALL CREATURES EVERYWHERE IN ALL TIME. Awesome! As I consider the scope and magnitude of this dramatic finale, the words of Paul in Philippians 2:9-11 come to mind: “Therefore God has exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth, and every tongue confess (and sing) that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

So what’s the cause for all this singing and praising? I can only assume that these beings are experiencing a spontaneous combustion of divine revelation—making them to see and know more fully what we only see and know in part. They all recognize the marvelous master plan of the Almighty that focuses on humans and their being so graciously redeemed from sin and destruction by the substitutionary death and shed blood of the Lamb.

The last verse of the chapter reads: “The four living creatures said, ‘Amen,’ and the elders fell down and worshiped” (v.14). Question: Who could possibly be a passive spectator of all this and just sit there?