The Text of the chapter four is in process, and will be posted soon. Please check back!

We now find ourselves in perhaps the most creative and glorious scene in the entire Apocalypse. Caught up in the heavenly realm, which is both an internal and external experience, we get a glimpse of what it means to create alongside the Creator. There are "four living creatures" who represent all that ever was, is, or will be in existence. Unceasing creativity flows from the throne of the slain Lamb (Jesus) to the created order, establishing the feedback loop of creativity. The writer John tells us in his Gospel that "the Blueprint of all Reality and Creativity became a Human, and walked around with us to show us the glory and artistry of the Creator." Everything that lives, moves, and has its being participates in this Reality, and we humans get an exclusive, conscious ability to partner with the Spirit in order to bring about the new Heavens and new Earth. What role will we choose to play in this ongoing creativity?

Jesus is depicted here as a slain Lamb who remains standing. The invitation that He extends to every living creature is one of participation in God. "Theosis" is the word theologians use to describe this synergy generated between Divinity and Humanity. We each have a decision to make: will we willingly enter into union with the Most High, or will we devolve into chaos and destruction? Either we create, or we are consumed. Sorry for sounding so melodramatic, but The Apocalypse can be quite dramatic at times, and I am speaking on this authority. With every breath we take, we make a decision to either partner in the ongoing restoration of all things, or we simply add to the problems our world faces today. Again, we must ask ourselves: what role will we play in this unfolding drama?

Now that the connection between creativity and apocalypse is established, my hope is that we can explore this symbiotic union with a bit more depth in the coming weeks. Elsewhere in the Scriptures, Paul insists that those who choose to follow Creativity are already "in the heavenly realm, seated with Christ in glory." Some insist that we must wait until death to taste "heaven," but this is not what Christ nor His disciples taught. At this very moment, we can breathe in the air of heaven, and breathe out this breath of Life into the earth for the healing of the nations. All peoples, tribes, languages, and nations are included in this grandiosity! No one is excluded, except for those who consciously make the decision to reject all that is good, right, and true. Even those who turn away from the Light will one day be overwhelmed by their own darkness, and then make that choice to walk in the Light of Christ consciousness. Once again, the question we must ask ourselves is: do we want to consciously enter into creative union with the Most High, or turn towards wrath and destruction?

Questions or reflections? Please state them in the forum below! Your participation is crucial.