Surrounding the throne were twenty-four other thrones, and seated on them were twenty-four elders. (Revelation 4:4)

There are many ways in which Christians are to be living on earth as it is in heaven. I pray that today’s verse will communicate the idea of your nearness to your Savior and that it will be a great encouragement and a challenge to you.

The twenty-four elders surrounding the throne in Revelation 4:4 represent all the saints in heaven. This glorious verse presents us with a few biblical truths: The elders’ vision is clear, their access is constant and their fellowship is close. Inasmuch as we will not all be equal in the rewards we receive for faithful and fruitful service rendered during our time on earth, each saint has an equal share of their Savior – resting in His unwavering love, unending mercy and unrelenting grace. All the saints in heaven will equally enjoy the marriage supper of the Lamb.

As disciples of our Lord Jesus Christ, should we not imitate on earth what is in heaven? Should we not joyfully embrace our proximity to the Prince of Peace? Close and constant communion is to occupy both the center and the circumference of our lives. Let us not allow anything to come between us and our Savior – not the temptation to sin nor the trials of this life. We are more than conquerors through Jesus Christ (Romans 8:37), who loved us so much that He took our place on a cross so that we might take our place at His banqueting table . . . and His banner over us is love (Song of Solomon 2:4).

Take a look at Psalm 148, which exults – “[God] has raised up for his people a horn, the praise of all his saints, of Israel, the people close to his heart” (Psalm 148:14).

Commentators disagree on who or what the “horn” may be – The Messiah? The people of God? – but the language in the last part of the verse is unambiguous: The people of God are close to the Lord’s heart. “Surely I am with you always,” Jesus has assured us, “to the very end of the age” (Matthew 28:20). What an extraordinary privilege!

 

How near are you?

Let me ask you: How near have you been to your Savior lately? Are you spending time in His Word? Are you in daily communion through prayer? Has anything come between you and your Savior? If your answer to that last question is “Yes,” I urge you to take the necessary steps to remove it as far as the east is from the west. And if that thing is something from the past – some mistake, some failure, even some flagrant act of willful sin – remember this glorious truth: “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9).

Keep close communion with Jesus on earth as it in heaven, and you will experience the promise of John 15:5 and 11 — “If you remain in me and I in you,” Jesus said, “you will bear much fruit. . . . so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.”

Christian, this is what the unbelieving world should see when it encounters the people of God: joy . . . a joy that comes from knowing that the Lord delights in having us close to Him. We spend precious dollars to build websites and other forms of advertisement to invite unbelievers to join us for worship; what do they see when they arrive? A people filled with joy? A people who are rejoicing in their proximity to the King of kings and Lord of lords? 

 

Consider these promises from God:

• “Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast” (Psalm 139:7-10).
• “The Lord is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth” (Psalm 145:18).
• “Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near” (Philippians 4:4-5).

Perhaps “rejoicing” is the furthest thing from your mind right now. A child is mired in rebellion . . . You’ve lost your job . . . Your business is collapsing . . . Your marriage is in trouble . . . A loved one has passed away. You are hurting so badly that you can’t sleep at night. Where is God? you wonder. 

• “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit” (Psalm 34:18).
• “God has said, ‘Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you’” (Hebrews 13:5).

If you have placed your trust in Jesus Christ, God is with you always, just as Jesus promised:

• “Righteous Father, . . . I have made you known to [those you have given me], and will continue to make you known in order that the love you have for me may be in them and that I myself may be in them” (John 17:25-26). 

In good times and bad, sunshine and storm, hilarity and heartbreak, God is with us. 

• “The Lord your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing” (Zephaniah 3:17).

 

Our lives on earth should reflect the joy that is in heaven—the joy that God takes in His people, and the joy that the people of God should take in His love for us . . . for the joy of the Lord is our strength. (Nehemiah 8:10)

This is the Gospel. This is grace for your race. NEVER FORGET THAT . . . AMEN!

 

Dr. Tommy Boland is senior pastor of Cross Community Church in Deerfield Beach (www.thecrosscc.org). He blogs regularly at tommyboland.com.

For more articles by Dr. Tommy Boland, visit goodnewsfl.org/tommy-boland.