Do you know what the Father sees when He looks into your heart? He sees Revelation 5:6:
Rev. 5:6 – And I beheld, and, lo, in the midst of the throne and of the four beasts, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent forth into all the earth.
When the Father looks in the throne of your heart, He sees a FRESHLY SLAIN LAMB. He doesn’t see the way we do. We look at ourselves and don’t see the lamb. We know, and we want Christ enthroned on our hearts; Rev. 5:6 shows us what the throne looks like and who is set upon it not only in some dimension of glory but also reflected on the inside of you where Jesus sits enthroned. There is the throne IN YOU and the throne IN HEAVEN, inexplicably one and the same. There is only ONE THRONE, and upon it is a LAMB, the LAMB OF GOD overshadowing all else that you think might disqualify you from His Presence.
God showed this to me when I visited the IHOP Prayer Room in Kansas City. For those of you that don’t know, this is a 24/7 worship service that has been going on non-stop for years. The public is welcome at all hours to go in and soak in the presence of God. I have visited many times when I needed to hear the Father’s voice and clarify what He is saying and what we are hearing.
Interestingly enough, Misty Edwards was there leading worship, and as is my custom in God’s presence, I took out my journal and told the Father, “I need to know what the coming year will look like.”
At that moment, the worship team in front began to sing Rev. chapter 4, “Come up higher and I will show you things to come….”
That got my attention. And having got my attention, the Father promptly changed the subject and began speaking to me about the revelation of chapters 4 and 5 in Revelation, not being JUST ABOUT something in some distant future, but something that was TRUE ON THE INSIDE OF ME.
Isn’t that what Jesus said? “The Kingdom of God is within you.”
He showed me the four living creatures. They looked like four whirlwinds. They were passing between the throne and the 4 and 20 elders. Their faces were the face of a LION, a CALF, a MAN, and an EAGLE. He told me that the throne represented the very heart of me, where CHRIST SITS ENTHRONED as the LAMB THAT IS SLAIN.
The order of the four living creatures was very important. He told me they represented how we relate to GOD, to OURSELVES, and to our INTIMATE CIRCLE OF FAMILY AND FRIENDS, and to the PUBLIC, those outside our intimate circle. They are pictures of four personas that the Father clothes us with in all our dealings in life.
LION – This is the PERSONA the Father provides for dealing with our most private self. It has been said that integrity is who you are and what you do when no one is looking. Paul said that he “buffeted himself and kept himself under subjection so he wouldn’t be a castaway.” When dealing with our most private self, we need to ADOPT THE SPIRIT OF THE LION OF THE TRIBE OF JUDAH and RULE over the flesh nature. Isn’t the LION the KING of BEASTS?
CALF – This is the PERSONA the Father provides for relating to HIMSELF. Rom. 12:1,2 tell us that we relate to the Father as those laying their lives down as LIVING SACRIFICES. Did you know that all the CONSECRATION OFFERINGS in the Old Testament were CALF OFFERINGS? All our dealings with the FATHER are in the context of YIELDEDNESS and surrender.
MAN – This is the PERSONA the Father provides for relating to OUR INTIMATE CIRCLE. This is our spouse and our trusted associates. The “Man” persona speaks of equity and looking at each other face to face through the eyes of love. If we get mixed up here, there is great discomfort. For instance, if we try to be the CALF to our intimate circle, then we are allowing those close to us to control us with their desires and wishes. We fall prey to CONTROL and become MAN PLEASERS even if our family and friends have no desire to manipulate us in this way. (Unfortunately, family members and intimate associates FREQUENTLY AND COMMONLY will compel you to wear the CALF persona with them and accuse you of having no humility unless you are yielding and sacrificing to them what ONLY BELONGS TO THE FATHER.)
Likewise, you cannot wear the LION persona with your inner circle, or you will become a TYRANT, controlling and intimidating your loved ones and friends. No, you must wear the “MAN” persona and walk in equity and confident humility with your inner circle.
EAGLE. Now we come to the fourth living creature, that of an eagle. An eagle soars aloft and is quite solitary. It has eyesight significantly more keen than ours. This is the persona we adopt with those that are without. This is our public persona. This is what Jesus demonstrated when it was said in John that he “didn’t join himself to any man for he knew what was in man.” You must keep the anointing between you and those that are without your proven intimate circle. At the same time, you must realize that relationships in your inner circle will many times SHIFT to your OUTER COURT, and you must DISCERN the shift and deal with that relationship accordingly. (Without getting offended or hurt or unnecessarily offending or hurting others.)
This is the point the Father showed me the LAMB ON THE THRONE. When the Father looks at you, that is what He sees. And when you look at others, that is what YOU MUST SEE. To the degree, you DON’T SEE THE LAMB (but rather see faults, failings, the past, etc.,) to the degree you don’t see the LAMB you disqualify yourself from the dividends and benefits of the FATHER SEEING YOU THUS. The MERCY you extend OTHERS is the EXACT MEASURE you will ENJOY the same from the HAND OF THE FATHER.
What about the 4 and 20 elders? You have to look at the numbers. 2 x 10 is a number that speaks of the LAW DOUBLED and CONFIRMED. The ministry of the teacher confirms the LAW OF GOD to you (in this case, in the new covenant – the LAW OF LOVE). The 20 elders represent the ‘MANY TEACHERS” Paul spoke of. But you have MANY TEACHERS, but you have not many fathers.
The four elders by themselves separately mentioned are the 4 FATHERS who mentor us, teaching us how and when to walk in the LION, CALF, MAN, AND EAGLE ANOINTING. God will always send you someone to show you how to allow the hidden man of the heart to manifest in your outward walk at the right time and right place.
But what happens in Rev. 4 and 5? They all (Elders and Beasts) fall down before the LAMB. Why? Because the ultimate purpose of the ministry, the apostles, prophets, teachers, etc., is to bring forth a manifestation of CHRIST IN YOU. Col 1:26 tells us this is the MYSTERY OF THE GOSPEL that Paul was commissioned by the Father to preach.
The throne of Revelations 4 and 5 is about something eschatological. But that isn’t all it is about. There are 30-fold, 60-fold, and 100-fold truths. Looking at Revelation as some distant future unfolding is true, but it isn’t 100-fold truth. 100 Fold truth reveals that the KINGDOM TO COME is also COME AND COMING IN YOU – to empower you for all your dealings, with yourself, before the Father, with your intimate circle, and with those in your outer court. Make your choice to acknowledge and enter into this 100-fold dimension in God today!
