Ultimate Reality - The One on the Throne
Revelation • Sermon • Submitted
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· 8 viewsUsually, we are consumed by our earthly, everyday lives. Sometimes, this earthly life can seem uneventful, mundane, and boring. Other times, it can feel overwhelming, filled with suffering. We can the get obsessed with our successes, achievements, and riches. But is this earthly life the ultimate reality of our lives? Should it be? In Revelation 4, God shows the Apostle John what the ultimate reality in the universe is. This vision should change our lives and shatter our perspective.
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Please turn to Revelation chapter 4. Revelation chapter 4.
If you are new here, welcome—we are going through the book of Revelation chapter by chapter, verse by verse.
We just finished the section of Revelation-- where Jesus had messages to 7 specific churches back then in the Roman Empire..This is technically vision 1 of the book.
and now begins a new section—vision 2 that the apostle John needed and the church then and us needed.
Would you stand with me?
1 After this I looked, and there before me was a door standing open in heaven. And the voice I had first heard speaking to me like a trumpet said, “Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this.”
2 At once I was in the Spirit, and there before me was a throne in heaven with someone sitting on it.
3 And the one who sat there had the appearance of jasper and ruby. A rainbow that shone like an emerald encircled the throne.
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.
5 From the throne came flashes of lightning, rumblings and peals of thunder. In front of the throne, seven lamps were blazing. These are the seven spirits of God.
6 Also in front of the throne there was what looked like a sea of glass, clear as crystal. In the center, around the throne, were four living creatures, and they were covered with eyes, in front and in back.
7 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.
8 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 stop saying: “ ‘Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty,’ who was, and is, and is to come.”
9 Whenever the living creatures give glory, honor and thanks to him who sits on the throne and who lives for ever and ever,
10 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:
11 “You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being.”
One of the most famous stories in all of stories is the Wizard of Oz. The main character Dorothy is blown away from her home by a tornado. She is not in Kansas anymore. Just like John the Apostle here is no longer home but suffering in exile for the cause of Jesus.
And Dorothy’s mission is to get home. So she hears about a great and powerful Wizard—and embarks on a journey to go see the Wizard of Oz with a scarecrow who needs a brain, a tin man who needs a heart, a lion who needs courage. And when they finally get to the great and powerful oz—they see flames and power (at first)
but when the curtain is pulled back they see a little man pushing buttons and pulling levers. The mighty oz is a scam—he really is not that impressive.
When Dorothy and her companions see the true, ultimate reality of who the Wizard of Oz is—it’s disappointing.
not so here—John the Apostle is drawn up into heaven in this vision;
and when the curtain is pulled back it is NOT DISAPPOINTING.
In fact, you could say it’s OVERWHELMING!
He struggles with language to describe this heavenly scene.
and he gets a vision for him in exile, for the struggling persecuted church back then, and for us today—OF WHAT ULTIMATE REALITY.
What do I mean by ultimate reality? I stole that term from Nancy Guthrie and her book Blessed.
Ultimate reality could be defined as what it really going on in life. what is really happening behind the scenes. What really matters.
If you have ever seen or heard of the movie Matrix—it’s an old movie now. Actor Keanu Reeves plays the main character NEO—and he finds out in the first movie that actually the world he is living in is just a computer program, a simulation, not real—that true ultimate reality is that the machines have enslaved everyone and humans are actually in a war against machines who use human beings as batteries!
recently, the series Stranger Things has come out the last few years on Netflix—and they portray that true reality is this battle with the upside down world, almost this other dimension.
over the past few years with Covid—I have heard theory after theory of all sorts of conspiracy theorists who say that ultimate reality is this…the Illuminati is ruling the world, or this small group of people is ruling the world...
it’s amazing how we all long for ultimate reality—what is really going on…to be on the inside of it, to understand it, to experience it…AND WE ALL THINK WE KNOW WHAT...
BUT
Revelation chapter 4 (and 5 next week) THAT IS ULTIMATE REALITY.
2 Parts ABOUT ULTIMATE REALITY
What we need to KNOW (about ultimate reality) that God is on the throne. (Ruling and reigning)
In other words, he is ruling and reigning THEN and Now. over EVERYTHING.
That word throne shows up 62x in the NT
47X it occurs in the book of Revelation alone, and over 40 of those times is a reference to God’s or Jesus’s throne.
God wants us to know when the curtain is pulled back—He is reigning.
look at some of these descriptions of God.
2 At once I was in the Spirit, and there before me was a throne in heaven with someone sitting on it.
3 And the one who sat there had the appearance of jasper and ruby. A rainbow that shone like an emerald encircled the throne.
his appearance is of beautiful jewels. his description involves all the colors of the spectrum---incredibly glorious and beautiful. indescribable.
5 From the throne came flashes of lightning, rumblings and peals of thunder. In front of the throne, seven lamps were blazing. These are the seven spirits of God.
those lightning and thunder reminds us of the OT with Moses at Mt. Sinai. THE POWER AND MIGHT OF GOD! if you have ever really been in a thunderstorm that shakes the windows and the building—that pales in comparison to this...
7 spirits of God = The Holy Spirit in all of his perfection (7 is a symbolic # of completion)
and everything is centered on the throne of God.
in vs. 4—there are 24 elders with thrones focused on the MAIN THRONE!
in vs. 6 - 8 - and more beings with 6 wings like a lion, an ox, a man and a flying eagle. (most likely angels of some kind—possibly cherubim like we see in Ezekiel 1, or seraphim like we see in Isaiah 6.
look at vs. 8
8 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 stop saying: “ ‘Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty,’ who was, and is, and is to come.”
verse 11
11 “You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being.”
This God on the throne is all beautiful...
the rainbow reminds us he is covenant and promise keeper (like during Noah’s time)
He is all powerful—lightning and thunder
He is the Creator God—who made all things out of nothing and sustains all things—the only reason the universe doesn’t fall apart is b/c of God’s power.
John and the churches then needed to be reminded of this…and we do now.
Revelation is about to get crazier. judgments—7 seals, 7 trumpets, 7 bowls. the beast, the mark of the beast. Armageddon.
John and his readers needed to know that despite all that coming—behind the curtain—God is ruling and reigning.
and you and I need this too....
in good times God is in control…we dare NOT forget that. lest we think it’s because of me—and my achievements. in good times, we have a tendency to think “I am on the throne. I am a big deal. Look at me!” dangerous! we struggle for who is on the throne of our lives!
and in bad times—even in suffering—even in the most difficult times imaginable—God cares—but He wants you to know, He is still ruling and reigning, that even if it doesn’t feel like it, even if you have to die as a martyr for following Jesus. He is on the throne.
Illustration....
verse 11—mentions his creation...
consider the power of God:
a. Consider this—to get to our moon, it takes a spacecraft about 3 days to get there, 240,000 miles.
b. in our solar system—on average, the planet Mars is about 140 million miles away. If we sent a person to Mars using current technology, it would take 8 months to get there (for a lot of reasons)
c. or some of you have heard of Voyager 1 and 2, probes Nasa launched to explore the outer planets. They were launched in 1977. Both are traveling at about 35,000 to 38,000 mph. 13 years later—they are about 4 billion miles from the sun, Voyager 1 takes this incredible picture of our planet—called “a pale blue dot.” It stunned our world at the time.
d. In 2012, (so 35 years later!) it finally left our solar system and is now in interstellar space. 35 years later—that’s just our solar system.
e. if you go beyond our solar system—to the closet star (besides the sun) – Alpha Centauri star system 0 (Alpha Sin Tour we)—it is 4.3 light years. Hear that – light years.
f. Light year is the ruler we use to measure big distances in space. When you and I measure things—like with a tape measure—we use inches, feet, yards. When you travel around our world—we use miles.
g. But in space—we need a big ruler—so we use light years. The speed of light is 186,000 miles per second…so in a year’s time—light travels approximately 5.88 trillion miles! (we can’t comprehend that) so if the closest star is about 4 light years away—the time it takes light to travel at that speed. Think of this—in the time it takes light to reach us from the sun—light from the sun takes approximately 8.3 minutes. But for light to reach us from Alpha Centauri—it took light traveling at 186,000 miles per second—it took light 4.3 or 4.4 years to reach us. (north star – that light left there 400 years ago—1620 pilgrims Mayflower took off with the pilgrims, 150 years before we became a nation)
h. The galaxy we are in—the Milky Way Galaxy—is 100,000 light years across…so it takes light 100,000 years to travel across ours.
i. Our closest neighboring galaxy is 2.5 million light years away—Andromeda.
And consider that our universe is made up of billions of galaxies with billions of stars each.
ultimate reality is that there is a God reigning and ruling over all that.
part 2—Ultimate reality...
What we need to DO.
SO PART 1 — what we need to know
PART 2 — what we need to do:
Here is ultimate reality part 2—The central activity of the universe, the most important activity of the universe is ___________ (fill in the blank)
before we answer this for the universe...
what would you say is the most important activity for you...
what is your #1 priority in life RIGHT NOW…what would you say…and does it match
So here is ultimate reality
What we need to do: WORSHIP
The Central activity of the universe, the most important activity of the universe is WORSHIP—WORSHIPPING THE ONE ON THE THRONE!
Go back to verse 4.
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.
we are not TOTALLY sure the identity of the elders with the 24 thrones around the thrones.
some think they are angels. because in chapter 5:8 they are holding the prayers of the people.
It’s possible.
it’s also possible that they are = redeemed humanity.
because the 24 — broken down is 12 and 12.
there are 12 tribes of Israel in the OT
and 12 apostles in the NT.
all the people of God, redeemed and saved by God are represented in these elders. Furthermore, whenever Scripture uses the term “elder” is it talking about human beings.
or it could be they are angels representing humanity...
they are dressed in white—showing purity. wearing crowns of gold on their heads.
and in vs. 10—what are they doing?
10 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:
11 “You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being.”
they are not the only ones worshipping.
in verses 6-8—we see 4 living creatures, most likely angels with 6 wings. eyes covering them front and back.
1st is like a lion
2nd an ox
3rd a man
4th an eagle
what does this mean? we don’t fully know but all of these creatures are some of the HIGHEST of their order.
one writer says: These four faces represent the living creatures on earth. Along with man (the highest earthly creature) is “a lion (the highest wild animal), an ox (the highest domesticated animal), and an eagle (the highest bird)—symbolizing the fact that they embody within themselves all of the highest attributes of living creation.”
Phillips, R. D. (2017). Revelation (R. D. Phillips, P. G. Ryken, & D. M. Doriani, Eds.; p. 171). P&R Publishing.
and what are the angels saying:
8 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 stop saying: “ ‘Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty,’ who was, and is, and is to come.”
and they never STOP!
when we pull back the curtain and see ultimate reality—what is really going on—what really matters--
we learn that no matter what—our lives—even angelic beings—we exist to worship God!
Let me give you a definition of worship:
“It is to respond to the revelation of who God is”
“It is to give worth to God”
God is revealing Himself, they are responding, giving Him worth...
here we see that some appropriate responses:
humility — elders are falling down on their faces; just blown away.
sacrifice—they are giving their crowns — we easily make sacrifices for what we worship.
Rejoicing (praise, excitement, passion!)
ceaseless—ongoing—all of life—all we say, do, think, desire, choices we make, decisions we make, how we spend our money, how we use our sexuality---it’s all about worship—the one on the throne...
we do these kinds of responses all the time!
Author and speaker Nancy Guthrie says:
I’ve only been to one college football game. (And I know that as you read that, some of you feel a great deal of pity for me or wonder what planet I’ve been living on.) A number of years ago the University of Oregon Ducks played against the University of Tennessee Volunteers in Knoxville. David’s sister and her husband, both of whom are big Duck fans, came to Tennessee and we drove over to Knoxville, where our son was a student at the time, for the game. It was quite an experience.
Squeezed into my place among the fans in the bleachers, what struck me most was the sense that I was at a worship service. People streamed into the stadium from all over the country, not because anyone made them come but because they couldn’t imagine being anywhere else on game day. There was preparation and anticipation and identification with the object of worship in attire, temporary tattoos, and face paint. People got there early because they didn’t want to miss anything. Being there was expensive; it required sacrifice. But it was a sacrifice gladly given. There was a liturgy to the event that included a song that everyone knew the lyrics to and sang with gusto. And when the team took the field, no one had to be told to stand and cheer. I’m not sure I have ever witnessed so much unhindered passion and devotion.
It seemed that nothing could dampen the sheer joy and exuberance about being a part of what was happening in that stadium. It was worth the cost, worth the inconvenience, worth fighting the crowds, worth enduring the thunderstorm that drenched us. Being gathered in a great circle around the team on the field was worth everything it took to be there.
Of course, it isn’t just at a college football game that we can witness this kind of glad participation and identification. We see it at political rallies, at product sales conventions, at concerts, and in other arenas of life. The worth of the candidate, the product, and the music make everything it took to be there worth whatever it cost.
worship there is responding to the revelation of the football game and giving it worth...
Guthrie, N. (2022). Blessed: Experiencing the Promise of the Book of Revelation (pp. 85–86). Crossway.
Worship is responding to the revelation of God—showing Him His absolute worth...
and John is learning, the church is learning, we are learning—that ultimate reality is all about WORSHIP! (not just singing—but a 24/7 posture we have towards God—a reality of Him on the throne and pouring our lives—everything we are and do to the one on the throne)
WE ARE CALLED TO WORSHIP GOD—no matter what.
doesn’t mean we grin and bear it
just read the psalms—but if ultimate reality is there is one on the throne ruling and reigning over everything—this is the only appropriate response!
and the amazing thing is—this holy God—other—invites us in—to the throne to worship to come close.
we don’t see in this chapter how that is possible—next week we do—b/c of Jesus—He enables us to be forgiven and cleansed b/c of the cross, so we can come and be invited in.
I am running out of time…let’s bring it home...
if this is ultimate reality...
that God is on the throne ruling and reigning no matter what…when the curtain is pulled back....
and if ultimate reality is all about us responding and pouring out our lives in worship 24/7....
what does that mean
Some questions:
Surrender: Who is on the throne of my life? Is it God? or is it me? If it is true that this God exists—then He is not the god we ask to be our personal assistant…no He is the lord of our lives—and we are called to surrender everything to Him. Are you holding something back from Him—have you truly given everything to this all powerful God? This is described as death?
this vision of God is utterly different…transcendence…unlike us—we need that vision of God...
Worship: Are you worshipping God? I am not just talking about singing…worship includes music but it is more—is all of your life a living sacrifice poured out to God. When you see God like He is here, it helps?
Identity: do you realize it is worth it to surrender the throne to Jesus and worship Him? it’s only when we do this—that we find ourselves. when we lose ourselves Jesus says (In Him) we will find it. when we cling to our life—we lose it—and we live in a fog of what we think ultimate reality is...
Let’s pray as the worship team comes forward...