Message

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Thank God for helping us to study Jesus’ messages to the seven churches. I t is good to remember Jesus’ key words for the churches: “You have forsaken your first love” (2:4 - love) to Ephesus, “Be faithful to the point of death” (2:10 - suffering) to Smyrna, “I will fight with the sword of my mouth” (2:16 - truth) to Pergamum, “I am he who searches hearts and minds” (2:23 - holiness) to Thyatira, “You are dead. Wake up!” (3:2 - spiritual aliveness) to Sardis, “See, I have placed…an open door” (3:8 - opportunity) to Philadelphia, and “Be earnest and repent” (3:19 - zeal or wholeheartedness) to Laodicea. May God help our Toronto UBF to be a church with these spiritual essentials. Chapters 4 and 5 set a good stage for the rest of the chapters in Revelation related to “what will take place later” (1:19). In these chapters God is on the throne in heaven and the Lamb is in the centre of the throne. All the creatures and the redeemed people of God praise God and the Lamb. In chapter 4 let’s think about the throne in heaven. First, a throne in heaven (1-6). Look at verse 1a. “After this I looked, and there before me was a door standing open in heaven.” Now the scene John described was changed from the churches on the earth to heaven. Before him was a door open in heaven. We have been studying about two other doors: an open door Jesus placed before the church in Philadelphia, which was the door of opportunity in life in this world, and a door of heart Jesus knocks regarding to the church in Laodicea. Now the open door in heaven is the door of heavenly realm. What a grace it is that there is an open door in heaven! Look verse 1b. “And the voice I had first head speaking to me like a trumpet said, ‘Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this.’” In chapter 1, on the Lord’s Day John was in the Spirit and he heard a loud voice like a trumpet, which said, “Write on a scroll what you see and send it to the seven churches” (10,11). And when John turned around to see the voice, he saw someone like a son of man. That someone was the Risen Jesus and at the glorious shining appearance of the Risen Jesus, John fell at his feet as though dead. Then Jesus encouraged him and said to him, “Write, therefore, what you have seen, what is now and what will take place later” (1:19). In chapters 2 and 3 we studied “what is now” and from chapter 4 we are going to study “what will take place later.” So in this chapter, the voice said to John, “…I will show you what must take place after this.” What will take place must take place, for the future is in the hand of our sovereign God. What will take place is actually written from chapter 6. Chapters 4 and 5 are the description of the heaven. We will see that the order of writing is well done. Look at verse 2. “At once I was in the Spirit, and there before me was a throne in heaven with someone sitting on it.” To know that there is a throne in heaven is of supreme importance. At that time there were many earthly thrones, beginning with the throne of Roman Empire, on which the Emperor Domitian was seated (A.D. 81-96). Sitting on the throne of Rome he seemed to be ruling the world according to the motion of his right thumb. And in his reign John was sent to the island of Patmos as an exile, and many Christians were suffering under persecution. On the island of isolation and suffering, however, John saw a throne in heaven with someone sitting on it. This throne is none other than the throne of God. He is ruling the whole world sitting on the throne in heaven. In this chapter the word “throne” is written 10 times (2, 3, 4, 5, 5, 6, 6, 9, 10, 11). Genesis 1:1 says, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” The throne in heaven is the centre of God’s all created world. God, who is the creator and Sovereign, is reigning on the throne since the creation of the world. He reigns the world, each nation and each individual. History is his story directed to the completion of God’s world salvation plan. Isaiah 6:1 says, “In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord seated on a throne, high and exalted.” At that time Isaiah as a young man despaired, when the King Uzziah died after 52 years of long reign. For he only saw the corruption of the nation. In his despair he went into the temple of God and there saw a vision of the Lord seating on a throne. Then Isaiah repented of his despair and believed that God was ruling the nation Israel and the world. So through the book of Isaiah he proclaimed the message, “God reigns.” With faith in God’s sovereign ruling, he could prophesy the destinies of all the neighbouring countries and the coming of the Messiah. In the book of Daniel, Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar had a dream of a large tree that reached the sky and then was cut with the stump left only. No magician or enchanter in Babylon could interpret the dream, but Daniel could. It was the king becoming an animal man until Nebuchadnezzar the king acknowledged that Heaven rules (Da 4:6). When one acknowledges that Heaven rules, he can have eyes to see the world and the earthly events. Even at the time when the Babylon was the super power nation in the world, God revealed to Daniel through the vision that the Babylonian Empire would perish and the kingdom would be followed by Mede-Persia and Greece and then Roman Empire. Alexander the Great’s conquest for the world was so swift that it was done in 12 years. That swift conquest was described as a goat crossing the whole earth without touching the ground (Da 8:5) (The shaggy goat is the king of Greece). God showed such a vivid and detailed vision of the future to his prophet servant Daniel. He is the sovereign Ruler of history. The book of Revelation tells us what will happen and must take place: God’s judgment of seven seals (6-8), seven trumpet (8-11) and seven bowls of plagues the earth (15-16); the war between Michael and the dragon, and the dragon being cast to the earth (12); the battle Armageddon (16); King of kings and Lord of lord’s victory over the beast and the kings of the earth in the war (19); the beast and the false prophet being thrown alive in the fiery lake of burning sulfur (19); the devil being thrown into the lake of burning sulfur (20), the New Jerusalem and the dwelling of God being with men (21). In the midst of many dreadful events of God’s judgment, one thing is certain: victory belongs to our Lord Jesus Christ; he is coming soon. God rules the earth and heaven to the end of the age and forevermore. His sovereign rule also applies to each person. The future of each individual’s life is in the hand of the one who is sitting on the throne in heaven. He is the Lord in all life situations and the subject in all the sentences we use. We can see this very clear in the life Joseph. Romans 8:28 says, “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” God wants us to believe his good and loving sovereign leading 100%. With this faith we can live in this world with the assurance of his blessing and victory over any and every situation. We thank and praise God for the throne in heaven that is above all earthly thrones and all life situations. This chapter does not finish just with the description that there before John was a throne in heaven with someone sitting on it. Now there are descriptions about the person on the throne and its surroundings based on what was shown to John. Look at verse 3. “And the one who sat there had the appearance of jasper and carnelian.” Obvious the one who sat on the throne is God (10,11). John described in detail about the appearance of the Risen Christ in chapter 1, but not that of God. St. Paul said in 1 Timothy 6:15,16 says, “…God, the blessed and only Ruler, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone is immortal and who lives in unapproachable light, whom no one has seen or can see…” He also tells in 2 Corinthians (12:2-4) that once he was caught up to the third heaven, paradise and heard inexpressible things, that man is not permitted to tell.” Anyway, John’s description of the appearance of God on the throne: “he had the appearance of jasper and carnelian. These stone jewels are precious stones (Ex 28:17-20; Rev 21:19-20), as the first and last stones among the twelve stones mounted on the breast-piece of Aaron the priest, engraved with the names of twelve tribes of Israel. These are also the first and sixth foundation stones of the city of New Jerusalem in heaven. They are precious and glittering stone jewels. Here we can see that the appearance of God is not separated to remain alone but related to the 12 tribes of Israel who can the representatives of God’s chosen people and to the New Jerusalem, our eternal dwelling place. Look at verse 3b. “A rainbow, resembling an emerald, encircled the throne.” According to Genesis 8, rainbow was the sign of God’s covenant of mercy not to destroy the earth with the flood that people might not fear the rain in the memory of flood judgment. Now it is good to know this: it may well be that the japer stands for the unbearable brightness of the purity of God; that the blood-red carnelian stands for his righteous anger; and that the gentle green of the emerald stands for his mercy. The throne of God must be righteous and pure to the point of showing God’s righteous anger so that there will not be even a hint of corruption different from easily corrupted earthly thrones. The righteous throne of God is encircled by the rainbow of mercy. What a beautiful scene! What an amazing grace! Look at verse 4. “Surrounding the throne were twenty-four other thrones and seated on them were twenty-four elders. They were dressed in white and had crowns of gold on their heads.” These twenty-four elders are the combination of the twelve tribes of Israel in the Old Testament and twelve apostles of Jesus in the New Testament. So they are redeemed people of God dressed in white through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ. They also overcame the world with faith in Jesus Christ the Son of God and were crowned with the crowns of gold on their heads. Look at verse 5. “From the throne came flashes of lightning, rumblings and peals of thunder.” “Flashes of lightning, rumblings and peals of thunder” appear again and again in Revelation as God’s punishment on the earth (4:5; 8:5; 11:19; 16:18). And “before the throne, seven lamps were blazing. These are the seven spirits of God.” The seven spirits of God are the sevenfold Spirit, that is, the Holy Spirit. No evil spirit can approach the throne. Look at 6a. “Also before the throne there was what looked like a sea of glass, clear as crystal.” Nothing blocked the throne. A sea of glass spread before the throne. And it is clear as crystal. Look at 6b. “In the centre, around the throne, were four living creatures, and they were covered with eyes, in front and in back.” These are the description of the surroundings of the throne: rainbow, twenty-four elders on their thrones, flashes of lightning and peals of thunder, blazing seven spirits of God and a crystal sea of glass and four living creatures. This is a very clear and vivid picture. Second, the praise of four living creatures and twenty-four elders (6b-22). Look at 6b-8. “In the centre, around the throne were four living creatures, and they were covered with eyes, in front and in back. The first living creature was like a lion, the second was like an ox, the third had a face like a man, 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 his wings.” The lion, the ox, the man, the flying eagle are representatives of the living creatures. And Isaiah 6:2, seraph has six wings. So the four living creatures are the representatives of the living created beings. It is emphasized that each of the four living creatures was covered with eyes. They were fully awake and fully aware in heaven. What do they do? Look verse 8b. “Day and night they never stop saying: ‘Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was, and is, and is to come.” In their full awakenings and awareness they praise God for his perfect holiness. And they do so day and night, because their praise is from their whole being. God’s holiness is perfect holiness that cannot be affected by the unholiness and corruption of the world. Rather his holiness makes unholy and sinful human beings holy. For this he sent his Son into the world. He was, and is and is to come. Look at verses 9,10. “Whenever the living creatures give glory, honour and thanks to him who sits on the throne and who lives for ever and ever, the twenty-four elders fall down before him who sits on the throne, and worship him who lives for ever and ever. They lay their crowns before the throne and say:” Since the living creatures praise God day and night, the twenty-four elders automatically praise and worship God day and night. Look at verse 11. “You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honour and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being.” The twenty-four elders praise God especially for his creation. How great his creation is! He created all things out of nothing. All things came into being because of his willful creation. Especially, God created men in his image. Man is to know God and worship him. The elders worship God laying their golden crowns before the throne. They know that God is their true object of worship. He is the one worthy to sit on the heart of a human being. In their praise, the four living creatures give glory, honour and thanks to God. The twelve-four elders say, “You are worthy to receive glory and honour and power…” For he is the Creator and sitting on the throne in heaven. We are to give and he is to receive glory, honour, thanks and power. Our Lord Jesus taught us in the Lord’s prayer, “…hollowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven…” Honouring God’s name should be our first concern. We can give glory to him when we live with our personal will and direction for God’s kingdom to come on the earth that is his will and purpose. In God we have enough reason to give thanks to him in all circumstances. May we see a throne in heaven with the eyes of faith and live a life that gives glory, honor, thanks, and power to him in absolute faith in his sovereign reign who sits on the throne and lives for ever and ever.

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