In the beginning...2a. Throne Room

Meanwhile, there was nothing leisurely about Jesus’ movements toward his destination. He raced over the bridge sliding down the ruby railing on the far side and bolted through the gate jumping up and touching the top of the golden arch that was all of 10 feel in the air. “Whoopee!” he exclaimed, as he dashed into the palace and charged up to the throne. He stopped abruptly, barely halfway through the large room; and, before speaking, he paused to survey his surroundings.

Jesus never tired of staring admiringly at the area of the palace around the throne. After all it was only a short while since he had been in charge of the squad of skilled angels that assisted him in designing and building all he now surveyed. There was a sense of accomplishment and pride in the realization that his father trusted him with such a monumental task. He and the angels had built all this with their own hands. As usual Jesus had opted to do it without any omnipotence being used. God had expressed a father’s proud approval when the Son related his plans. Jesus had simply “rolled up his sleeves” and worked alongside his angel crew; and they had built all he perused: all, that is, except his father sitting on the throne adorned in his usual attire of jasper and carnelian robes with that ever-present scroll in his hand.

There were some items that God had placed in the magnificent room himself. One of those was the only-slightly-less-elegant throne to the right the Father’s. “This is for you, my Son,” God had explained. Though delighted, Jesus seldom sat on his throne for more than a few minutes at a time; and then usually it was only to have a conversation with his father, picking his brain for thoughts and ideas on various topics ranging from throne room improvements to angelic praise and on to the ever most pressing topic: the coming of mankind and preparation of that new world.

With renewed feelings of awe and a sense of serene accomplishment, he viewed his handiwork for the hundredth time. A rainbow, resembling a multi-colored emerald, encircled the throne over his father’s head. Surrounding the throne were 24 other thrones. They were empty but seemed to have a shadowy air about them that foretold their occupation in ages to come.

From the throne came periodic flashes of lightning as well as an occasional peal of thunder. These were not vivid or loud enough to be a distraction; in fact they actually enhanced the elegant beauty of the place serving simply as background “music.”

Before God’s throne seven lamps blazed with seven spirits of God seeming to dance and shimmer in the candlelight. Stretching before the throne was what looked like a sea of glass, clear as crystal.

In the center around the throne were four living creatures, each covered with eyes in front and in back. His father had sworn him to secrecy for the moment, but Jesus new that these “things” – added to his manufacturings by his father – were prophecies of future events of such a magnitude that they couldn’t be spoken of to the heavenly host just yet.

The first living creature was like a lion, the second was like an ox, the third had a face like a man, and the fourth was like a flying eagle. Each of the four living creatures had six wings and was covered with eyes all around, even under its wings. Day and night they never stopped saying: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come.” Their chant-like singing was certainly not deafening; it wasn’t even the least bit discomforting. Contrarily it had the effect of soothing all within earshot without their even noticing it. Many of the angels had commented on this fact; and amazingly the voices fit perfectly with the thunder.

Positioned on each of the unoccupied thrones and on the ground before each of the four living creatures were two mysterious items: a harp and a golden bowl. The harps were silent, the bowls empty. Jesus knew that someday the instruments would “sing” their praise and the bowls would be overflowing. He wasn’t sure exactly about all the details, just that it was all part of the big picture. His father’s master plan stretched farther than this throne room or the palace, beyond even heaven itself.

Jesus’ thoughtful gaze continued. He saw the River of the Water of Life, as God referred to it, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God to and under the palace wall near the front gates and down the middle of the great street of the city of God. Thus the river divided Main Street into two shining halves.

There was a tree on each side of the river just beyond the palace gates. His father had said these were the Trees of Life. An integral part of his complete plan, God had explained to his son that one of the trees would soon become the centerpiece of a new world that Jesus was to help plan and create. That tree of life was indeed special, created to bear 12 crops of fruit, a different one each month; additionally, the leaves of the tree could be used for healing all kinds of maladies, ailments, and diseases.

“Hello there, Son,” God’s voice snapped his son’s mind back to the present reality.

[to be continued]