Revelation: Part 12

Open your bibles to Revelation 4. Well, I took the whole session last time on the first verse of Revelation 4. So maybe we’ll get through chapter 4 today. But I want to begin with verse 2.

Chapter 4, verse 1 actually showed the Church going extraterrestrial. Because that is a picture of what the Rapture is going to be like. It was a prelude, a preview of coming attractions. John the apostle was given this experience to show us what we’re going to experience.

So now we come to verse 2, and I told you that chapter 4 is a plot point for the book of Revelation. It is where everything begins to change. Chapters 2 and 3 gave a panoramic prophetic view of the whole Church age. It happened.

It showed the four stages that Church history would go through. But, now, it’s after these things that he said would take place. And the scene shifts from earth to heaven. And so that’s what we’re looking at tonight.

And the thing about the Word of God is it moves from the things that are familiar to us on the earth, with equal ease to the things of heaven and gives us what heaven is going to be like. So let’s take a look here in verse 2. John says immediately I was in the spirit. When Jesus said come up here, and I will show you what will happen after these things, instantly, at the voice of the Lord, the voice of his command, he was transformed from the isle of Patmos, which is a beautiful little island in the aegean sea.

I love it. He was transformed from the isle of Patmos to heaven. And he begins to describe to us, in the best way he can, what he saw. He says I was in the spirit.

Now this means that the Holy Spirit completely enveloped him. The Holy Spirit gave him, the Holy Spirit had to envelop him because he was about to see things that a human being could not see without being destroyed. The Holy Spirit gave him an envelopment protection and gave him an understanding of what he was to see and what he was to say. So he says and behold, a throne was standing in heaven, and one sitting on the throne.

Well, it’s very important that we realize that in heaven everything centers around the throne of God. And so that’s the first thing that he saw. He saw the throne of God standing in the center of heaven. And from God’s throne, the book of Revelation, there’s no other book in the Bible shows that everything emanates and is centered around the one who sits on that throne and his power and his will.

So he says as he looked at this, he said and there was one sitting on the throne. And he was, he who was sitting was like a jasper stone and a sardius in appearance; and there was a rainbow around the throne, like an emerald in appearance. Now, note, he doesn’t try to explain the form of God or the shape of God. That’s something that would be impossible for him to communicate.

God, the father, he knew was sitting on the throne. But he doesn’t try to explain him in human terms about trying to explain his form or something like that. Instead what he does is seek to explain God’s overwhelming splendor to explain in various symbols the tremendous impact of his person and his character. And he says that he began to explain that by describing with jewels something that would approximate God’s divine essence, that is his divine character.

So first he says he saw God something like a jasper. Well, translating this out of Greek to modern days, I mean, you know, you wouldn’t understand if you went to neiman marcus today about a jasper stone. But you would understand what it really means, it’s a diamond. So he saw on the throne this great multifaceted diamond and emanating from within it was light that sparkled and just it was overwhelming and it was a pure diamond that sparkled light from within.

And this was given to show and to symbolize the perfect absolute righteousness of God’s character. And so he uses that symbol to communicate what it was like to be confronted with the flawless character of God. And then he says and it also was something like a sardius. Well, a sardius today would be understood as a ruby.

And so he sees, beside this beautiful flawless diamond, this ruby that’s multifaceted. That’s got this glowing, beautiful, red light emanating out from it. It doesn’t take, I don’t think it takes a Bible scholar to figure out what that symbolizes. What does that symbolize?

The blood of Jesus Christ. And it’s next to the diamond. So what does that tell us? It tells us that God’s perfect, flawless character has been satisfied with man who is sinful by the blood of Jesus Christ.

And so even the precious stones that are awesome symbolized the work of Jesus Christ. Then he said that he saw something else around the throne. He said and there was a rainbow around the throne. And the center it was like an emerald in appearance.

Now let’s think about that for a moment. What does the rainbow stand for? Where did we first hear about a rainbow in the Bible? After the flood.

What did God say about the rainbow? That it’s his sign of his covenant that he would never again destroy all life on this earth with water. And that as long as the earth stood, there would continue to be the four seasons and the things of ecology that sustain life. Isn’t that wonderful?

I mean, you know, we talk a lot today about the destruction to the ecology and certainly that’s happening. But it will not, as long this earth stands, it’s not going to wipe out the seasons and the things that sustain life. And, yet, he sees, and I believe this is reinforced by the fact that he sees this gorgeous emerald in the center of the rainbow. And it, too, is glowing this beautiful green from within.

And green is a symbol of what? Life. And it’s to remind us that God is the source of life and everything. Yet, why does he see this happening around the throne right now?

Because what God is about to reveal to us in the next few verses, will show us that he wants us to know that even in the midst of the terrible judgment, this book is going to predict is coming that there’s mercy before judgment. And there will always be mercy available. Because even in the midst of judgment, God will always remember mercy to those who will turn to him. Isn’t that exciting?

I mean, what an awesome God we have. And I love the book of Revelation because it focuses on God. It focuses on his character. Now, we go on, we read, and around the throne were twenty-four thrones; and upon the thrones, I saw twenty-four elders sitting, clothed in white garments, and golden crowns on their heads.

Now, you know, the Bible has a symbology associated with numbers. We know what certain numbers mean because of the way they’re used over and over and again in the Bible, okay. Seven, for instance, the number of perfection, completeness. And three, the number in God’s estimation of perfect union.

Twelve, the number of government. Twelve apostles, the twelve tribes of Israel, etcetera. So it’s used in connection with government. What’s twenty-four used?

Well, most of us haven’t read leviticus. Most of us until we get oriented into the Bible we think that was the butcher’s manual. But the book of leviticus actually talks about the sacrifice system that they had and also we’d gone to deuteronomy and then we’d go on and we begin to see when they set up the priesthood in the temple that every course was numbered with 24. So what 24 is associated with, is priests.

So who are these people? Well, you know, there’s quite a controversy between good interpreters of the book of Revelation that says, well, these 24 elders are angels, but I don’t think so. Number one, they have white robes and the white robes are emphasized. Now what does that symbolize?

It characterizes the righteousness of Christ that is clothed upon all of us who put faith in him. It’s a symbol of his righteousness that covers our sin. He who knew no sin was made sin in our place for the purpose that we might what? Become the righteousness of God how?

In him. We’re put into union with him and his righteousness becomes our righteousness. Abraham believed God and it was credited to his account for righteousness. See, that’s been true from the beginning.

No one has ever been righteous before God apart from faith. Faith alone. One of the most incredible evidences that this book has to be supernatural is because this is not the way a man would write about himself. If this book was sourced in man, he would never have written it.

You read every other religious book and it will always give the idea that coming, coming to God or coming to perfection is by you working for it, by you earning it. But with God, he says all of our righteousnesses, plural, are as filthy rags in his sight. Now that’s not what a man would dream up. We’d always hold out something.

I mean, surely, a help someway. Well, a lot, a lot of churches believe that. But it says not by works of righteousness, which we have done, has he saved us, but by the washing of regeneration, and the renewing of the Holy Spirit. For by grace, which means something that cannot be deserved.

By grace, through faith, you have been saved. And that not of your yourselves, it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. You know how that’s worded is perfect. When you ask a person, how can a man be saved?

You would say by faith and you’d be wrong. By grace through faith. Because faith is the one thing you can do and still not do nothing. You see, because faith has no merit in it.

Faith is receiving a gift. And there’s no merit in that. If there was, God would have to find another way to save us because there can be no merit in man. And we’re gonna see how these people in heaven understand that very, very well, okay.

Let’s read on. It says now, in chapter 4, it says that the twenty-four elders sitting on the throne had white robes and golden crowns. I looked up, you know, there are several words for crowns in Greek. I looked up the word that is used here.

And it was the word for the crown of a victor in the ancient olympic games. In other words, this is a crown for those who have won the race, golden crown, the overcomer. And that tells me that these can’t be angels, too. Because angels didn’t have to fight in the arena of this world and overcome.

And you’re gonna hear me read a lot about in the book of Revelation the overcomer. We already did. Who is the overcomer? 1 John 5:4-5.

And this is the victory that overcame the world, even our faith. Who is he who overcomes that he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God? So the overcomer is the believer. So this is the crown that will be given to every believer.

There are many different crowns that are gonna be given. And this one is very important because you won’t be there if you don’t have this crown. So they are wearing this and they represent, I believe, the Church in heaven, now glorified, the individual members of the Church in heaven, now glorified. And we are fulfilling the beginning of our role that God said that he was gonna do.

He said that Jesus said he has made us kings and priests to God. And our first priestly duty is going to be praying for the believers in the seven-year Tribulation going on below. And also a priest doesn’t just pray for salvation of those who believe. A priest also prays for judgment on those who martyr them.

Those who mistreat them, and that’s going to be seen here. All right, now let’s read on. Now notice the change here. The first time we saw the throne, what did we see?

We saw representations of the awesome splendor of the character of God. Representation of his righteousness of being satisfied by the blood of Christ. A reminder that God keeps his covenant and so forth. But now look.

As he looks at the throne in verse 5 it says, and the throne -from the throne proceeded flashes of lightning and sounds and peals of thunder. What’s happened to the throne? What do you think that symbolizes? Judgment.

Exactly. Judgment. The throne has now changed to a throne of judgment. And that’s what I said the chapter 4 is the plot point where everything shifts in this book and now God remembers mercy.

He keeps his covenant. But now that throne is going to pinpoint and spotlight a coming judgment. And it goes on to say something that’s very interesting because it says and there were seven lamps of fire burning, burning before the throne, which are the seven spirits of God. All right.

Now the last time we saw these thrones, or I should say these lamps, was in chapter 1. What did it say about those lamps? Let’s look. Chapter 1, Revelation 1:20.

As for the mystery of the seven stars which you saw in my right hand, and the seven golden lampstands, the seven stars are the messengers literally of the seven churches. And the seven lampstands are the seven churches. So the lampstands that were here on earth there are where now? In heaven.

You see the great snatch has taken place. Remember the word I taught you last week harpazo from the Greek? It means it was used to pickpocket, to snatch with stealth. That’s the word that God says he’s going to — it explains what he’s going to do with the christians.

When the Rapture comes, and I believe it’s very near. When it comes, it will come without warning in a nanosecond. We will hear Jesus’s voice say come up here. This is the part where I want you to be awake.

And up instantly, you’re snatched up. So that’s why I call this the Rapture. You know, that’s a word from Latin Bible, that’s a Latin word. Let’s use the Greek word harpazo, the great snatch.

That’s what it is. So now that the Church is not on the earth, it’s now standing before the throne of God. And now it’s flaming with fire. Why?

Because it now has become a focus of the reason for judgment that’s about to come. Because the flames represent the emanating from the Church that has been rejected is the reason for the judgment that is coming. God sent his ambassadors to the world for over 2,000 years. And those ambassadors have given his message of the good news that you can freely receive the gift of pardon for sin.

But now the Church has been withdrawn. When a nation withdraws its ambassador, what is that a sign of? War. And God’s ambassadors are now withdrawn.

And there is flaming fire coming from them. And it says also that they are the seven spirits of God. Now I had a good time working on that one. The Church from the beginning has been the creation of the Holy Spirit.

When did the Church first start? I’m not trying to embarrass you. I’m just trying to jog your memory. You know, most people don’t know when the Church started.

So don’t feel bad. When was the Church first mentioned? By Jesus Christ when he asked his apostles who do men say that I the Son of Man am? And Peter for once, took his foot out of his mouth and said accurately who he was.

You are the Messiah, the son of the living God. And that’s why Jesus said blessed are you, Peter, son of John, he said for flesh and blood did not tell you, but my father in heaven.

If you have the guts to be a real revolutionary, come forward right now and accept Jesus Christ as your real revolutionary, and he’ll make a revolutionary that will change lives.

As I prepared for this week’s program, I was again struck by the speed with which events are moving into the scenario the prophets predicted for the end times. I believe we’re there. People on the street are talking about what all of these things mean. Folks that wouldn’t darken the door of a Church or pick up a Bible are now very curious.

This may be our greatest opportunity, maybe even our last opportunity, to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ before we’re silenced by political correctness. The message that God has given me is more important now than it’s ever been, for the Church and for the nation.