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Bowen's Daily Meditations
Devotional: February 7th

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"And round about the throne were four and twenty seats: and upon the seats were four and twenty elders sitting, clothed in white raiment; and they had on their heads crowns of gold." - Revelation 4:4.

Our translators have shown an unnecessary timidity, in substituting the word " seats" for " thrones." The original is: " And round about the throne, thrones twenty and four." " I am glorified in them," said Christ. Their glory does not detract from his glory, any more than his from the Father’s; but their glory is his glory. Christ is enthroned over again and crowned over again, in every redeemed one who is brought up out of the horrible pit and miry clay of sin, and advanced to a stupendous height of felicity and glory. " On his head were many crowns." How many? As many as there are sinners redeemed through his blood.

"Who are these four and twenty presbyters whose thrones compass the throne of God and of the Lamb? They themselves tell us in their new song given in the next chapter: " Thou wast slain and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood, out of every kindred and tongue and people and nation." They represent the entire host of the redeemed as it shall be after the day of full evangelization. The redeemed were to be brought immediately to the throne of God; they were to sit upon the very thrones that constituted a part of God’s throne; and further, the representation, while looking forward to the day of complete triumph, is intended to take in all the generations of believers ever living on the earth, and to be good for the days of incompleteness. Twenty-four are selected for the whole, perhaps, because there were twenty-four courses of priests; and under the present dispensation, all believers are priests and kings, (v. 10.) We are risen with Christ. We sit with him in heavenly places. We are come unto the city of the living God. In John’s vision we are actually permitted to see ourselves in heaven. Looking at the throne of God and of the Lamb, we find ourselves there; the glory of the place would, it appears, be incomplete, without the redeemed and the glory which Christ has purchased for them. We ourselves become to ourselves objects of faith. Believe in God, believe also in me, said Christ; and we do so; we believe in him unseen, believe in him upon the throne; and we are to believe in ourselves now in heaven with Christ; as we believe in his glory, so we should believe in our own. Satan arrayed before the eyes of our Lord the kingdoms of this world and the glory of them, and said, All these will I give thee. But the Spirit of God gives us a vision of the throne of God, and of thrones prepared for the redeemed in the very midst of the inhabitants of heaven, and says, " All these the Lord giveth thee."

It must be that Christians are marvelously without faith, seeing that the honors and the dignities of this world have so much attraction in their eyes, so much power to sway their movements. What manner of men should we be in all holy conversation and godliness? He that is last of all and servant of all, the same shall be chief in the kingdom of heaven. If we die with him, we shall reign with him. Our life is to be a protest, the strongest we can make it, against that love of the world, that delight in the world’s pleasures and treasures and dignities, that stand between the souls of men and salvation.

" As thou, Father, art in me and I in thee, that they also may be one in us." The inconceivably intimate union of the believer with God, is set forth in two ways. Christ says, we shall come unto him and make our abode with him; God dwelleth in us. The other way is by a representation of God enthroned in heaven, and believers on thrones encompassing that throne. The question is. What is the heaven of your heart? Is self on the central throne, or, is God there?

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