“When I pondered to understand this,
It was troublesome in my sight
Until I came into the sanctuary of God;
Then I perceived their end.” Psalm 73:16–17
In the fourth chapter of Revelation, John does his best to describe the most amazing scene in Scripture. He describes God’s throne, the beings that surround it and never cease declaring His holiness, and the twenty-four elders on their thrones encircling them all. That scene will not let go of my imagination.
John says these beings “…never cease to say, ‘HOLY, HOLY, HOLY…’” (Revelation 4:8). Isaiah seems to describe the same beings calling out to one another (Isaiah 6:3). In John’s account they are described as “full of eyes in front and behind” (Revelation 4:6) and “full of eyes around and within” (Revelation 4:8). They dwell in the midst of God’s presence—watching, beholding—and day and night they do not cease to say,
“HOLY, HOLY, HOLY.”
As they continually observe, they seem continually compelled to declare what they see. I imagine one becoming aware of an aspect of God’s holiness it had never perceived before, crying out to the others, “If you could only see what I just saw—HOLY!” And as one calls out, another sees something new and answers in kind. This never ends. There is no exhaustion of God’s holiness, no final revelation that closes the song.
As the scene unfolds, the twenty-four crowned elders—seated on thrones surrounding God’s throne—respond. As they witness and hear the ceaseless declaration of God’s holiness, they seem suddenly aware of the utter inappropriateness of sitting on thrones in God's presence with the crowns on their own heads. They fall down and cast their crowns before Him, saying, in essence, These are not ours. Only You are worthy.
This is the scene I imagine when the Psalmist says, “Until I came into the sanctuary of God.” This is the amazing reality that was opened to us when the veil was torn. This is what we are invited to become part of. An instant in God’s presence changes everything. It reorders my view of God, my life, my circumstances, and how it all fits together. In those moments, I may not be able to articulate exactly what has changed, but I know that something has—and that it is real.
I wish I lived there more than I do.
A Prayer
Oh God, soften my heart and open my eyes, that I may see You in the splendor of Your holiness and be changed into the man You created me to be.