Spurgeon: September PM
* 09/09/PM
"And round about the throne were four and twenty seats: and upon
the seats I saw four and twenty elders sitting, clothed in white
raiment."
--Revelation 4:4
These representatives of the saints in heaven are said to be
around the throne . In the passage in Canticles, where Solomon
sings of the King sitting at his table, some render it "a round
table." From this, some expositors, I think, without straining
the text, have said, "There is an equality among the saints."
That idea is conveyed by the equal nearness of the four and
twenty elders. The condition of glorified spirits in heaven is
that of nearness to Christ, clear vision of His glory, constant
access to His court, and familiar fellowship with His person: nor is there any difference in this respect between one saint
and another, but all the people of God, apostles, martyrs,
ministers, or private and obscure Christians, shall all be
seated near the throne , where they shall for ever gaze upon
their exalted Lord, and be satisfied with His love. They shall
all be near to Christ, all ravished with His love, all eating
and drinking at the same table with Him, all equally beloved as
His favourites and friends even if not all equally rewarded as
servants.
Let believers on earth imitate the saints in heaven in their
nearness to Christ. Let us on earth be as the elders are in
heaven, sitting around the throne. May Christ be the object of
our thoughts, the centre of our lives. How can we endure to live
at such a distance from our Beloved? Lord Jesu, draw us nearer
to Thyself. Say unto us, "Abide in Me, and I in you"; and permit
us to sing, "His left hand is under my head, and His right hand
doth embrace me."
O lift me higher, nearer Thee,
And as I rise more pure and meet,
O let my soul's humility
Make me lie lower at Thy feet;
Less trusting self, the more I prove
The blessed comfort of Thy love.