Monday, October 26, 2015

Six Spiritual Wings


UV 1569/10000 Six Spiritual Wings
And before the throne there was a sea of glass like unto crystal: and in the midst of the throne, and round about the throne, were four beasts full of eyes before and behind.
Revelation 4 v 6

The earth has seas that are full of salty water and are not clear while heaven as envisioned by John has a sea of glass-like crystal. The earth’s seas are a symbol of godly power as well as sinful abundance while the crystal sea of heaven is a metaphor that all things will be clear in the kingdom of God. The four beasts with head of a man, a lion, an ox and an eagle are symbols of a human who walks in fellowship and has a transparent relationship with the Lord. A person who is in a relationship with the Lord is in the world but not of the world. He is human and has human needs and abilities but he is also a lion in terms of courage. He is an ox in terms of the patient endurance with which he bears all pain and suffering and labours hard for the kingdom of God. He is an eagle who soars high on the wings of prayer and the Word, high above the mundane, the ordinary, the earthly, the evil of this world, the problems, challenges and circumstances of his life.

The eyes before and behind are metaphors that leaders should have not only hindsight but also foresight. We should know and see what has happened before us and we should know what is to be after us. We should realize that we are not here for keeps but that we are transient pilgrims on our sojourn from darkness to light, from death to eternity. The throne of God is located in the midst of the sea of crystal but it is simultaneously located in our little hearts. The Lord establishes His kingdom inside us. He will lead us into sinless abundance. He will give us treasures from secret places- treasures of knowledge and divine wisdom that cannot be searched or found on the earth’s search engines. These treasures are the hidden secrets of God’s Word that causes us to triumph over the world and overcome it.

When we see this vision of the Lord reigning in His glory over our past, present, future and eternity, our hearts and mouths will automatically and naturally break out into continual praise and worship that ushers us into the presence of the Lord and ushers the Lord into our present. The eyes on all the six wings of the beasts are a symbol of our continual envisioning of the Lord using a sanctified imagination. The first two wings that lift up our spirits are prayer and the Word, the second pair are the anointing of the Holy Spirit and fellowship with fellow believers, the third pair are worship and thanksgiving. But for these six spiritual wings, we would be but beasts who live without meaning and purpose, who just survive from day to day and eventually die. Through these wings, we can not only enter the awesome presence of the Lord but we can perceive Him in all His glory. The crown that we offer to the Lord are not made of precious metals and stones but are made of our best thoughts, words, actions and feelings. The human being the crown of God’s diverse creation offers himself or herself as the living crown to the sovereign Lord.

Prateep V Philip

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