A Revelation Invitation

(The “Daniel 7” series begins here.)

“As I looked, 
          thrones were placed,
                and the Ancient of Days took his seat;
          his clothing was white as snow,
               and the hair of his head like pure wool;
          his throne was fiery flames;
               its wheels were burning fire.
           A stream of fire issued
               and came out from before him;
           a thousand thousands served him,
               and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him;
           the court sat in judgment,
                and the books were opened." (Daniel 7:9-10 ESV)

And they marched up over the broad plain of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city, but fire came down from heaven and consumed them. … Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. From his presence earth and sky fled away, and no place was found for them. And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Then another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged by what was written in the books, according to what they had done. (Revelation 20:9,11-12 ESV)

Then I looked, and I heard around the throne and the living creatures and the elders the voice of many angels, numbering myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands. (Revelation 5:11 ESV)

One of the central story lines of both Daniel and Revelation is that the forces of evil, the devil, the beasts, the oppressor nations and those who exploit and persecute God’s people, will be called to account by the one who sits on the throne, the Ancient of Days, the God of heaven.

In the passages above Daniel and John both describe judgment scenes. Judgment gets a bad name in our culture. We live in a promiscuous society, and not just sexually promiscuous, because just about anything goes. In the 1960’s we were told, “If it feels good, do it.” That philosophy was adopted by a generation. Then in the 1990’s Cheryl Crow saw through that thinking when she sang, “If it makes you happy, it can’t be that bad. If it makes you happy, then why the hell are you so sad?” As poignant as her observation was, the culture hasn’t learn its lesson. Judgment is rarely appreciated and usually avoided. However, those who are being mistreated actually want to see justice served against their tormentors. Whenever a victim appears in court, it is justice that they seek and expect. They want judgment, a favorable verdict on their behalf. Daniel and Revelation both address judgment and justice on a national or kingdom scale.

Daniel and John see a throne in heaven symbolizing authority of position and sovereignty of rule. We expect injustice to be addressed because fire streams from the throne. We anticipate a conviction to be handed down because fire consumes the enemies of God’s people. The throne and the one on it are white so that we are confident the sentence to be righteous. His people surround him, thousands upon thousands, as do the angels, myriads of myriads. God hears them and responds with justice. The books are opened meaning that the deeds of their persecutors have all been recorded. No injustice has escaped God’s notice. He will intervene on behalf of his people. The wrongs will be righted. We will be vindicated.

Ancient of Days, I appear in your courtroom in the presence of your throne. Vindicate me when I’m mistreated. I will trust you to execute judgments on my behalf and on behalf of your people. I will not take matters into my own hands. Only you judge righteously. Amen.

(Part 7 of “Daniel 7” is here.)