A Revelation Invitation

Then God’s temple in heaven was opened, and the ark of his covenant was seen within his temple. There were flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder, an earthquake, and heavy hail. (Revelation 11:19 ESV)

I have watched in awe as a lightning storm swept across the plains of Oklahoma. I have heard the rumblings of a distant, Central American volcano as it shot plumes of ash into the air. I have felt peals of thunder so ear-splitting that they rattled the garage door I had sheltered behind. I have been awakened in the night by an earthquake in New England of all places. I have witnessed a West Texas hail storm so intense that the hail piled up like snow. None of these happenings were life-threatening. Nevertheless, each one bathed me with feelings of helplessness and vulnerability while testifying to the power and majesty of the God of creation.

When John couples these phenomena with the appearance of the ark of his covenant seen within his temple, he reveals something about God. His presence is not like that of a friend who casually drops by to share a cup of coffee. When God inserts himself into the world, creation trembles as if it can barely hold itself together. Something more substantial than the world itself, someone transcendent, has entered. Moses and the Israelites experienced this at Mount Sinai. God’s appearance in earthshaking, awe-inspiring power was connected with the giving of the law and the establishment of his covenant with Israel. After rescuing Israel from Egyptian bondage, God made a covenant with Israel at Sinai to which he pledged to remain faithful forever. The ark of the covenant was a symbol of his faithfulness; the temple a symbol of his presence, the trembling of the mountain an experiential affirmation that he would remain faithful for all time.

Heaven is God’s true temple of which the tabernacle in the desert was a shadow. The tent of meetings was the place where heaven and earth came together. But God’s dwelling place has always been heaven. The covenant of promise in this Revelation context was the new one established by the blood of Jesus. It meant that God would be faithful to his promises in Revelation—promises to deliver his people from the throne in Rome as well as from the evil behind the throne. When Israel entered the promised land, the ark of the covenant was carried at the head of the army as they marched around Jericho. From the ark God symbolically led them into battle delivering Israel’s enemy into their hands. Even now God continues to deliver his people from their enemies. John’s vision of the ark of the covenant assures us of that deliverance. No empire that sets itself up against the kingdom of our God and of his Christ will stand. And none who persecute God’s people will escape his wrath.

My God, I fall before you who sits upon the throne in the most holy place of your heavenly temple. I approach you with confidence through the blood of the covenant, that of your one and only son. The sight of the ark assures me that you are faithful to your covenant promises. Now, I can face any trials that may come my way. In the end you will rescue your people, you will stand with them and I with you. Amen.