Revelation 4-5

MAP

Mr X: Who owns the future

Jesus: I do!

Joel: reframe metanarrative

INTRODUCTION (Relevance Persuasion | Resonate)

Q: Who hold the future?

The corporate world is obsessed with future-proofing

Not crystal balls. Tarrot cards.But..

Financial modelling. excel sheets. trends -> predict the future

Invest in talent. Next gen. Secure the future

Chase the AI curve. reformed. develop. move with the times. future-proof

Who hold it?

(A) last spoke. Suggested - The government does. Covid times.

Now… thought that Government holds the future, comical. can’t hold themselves together.

(A) friend. Visa. Next year. uncertain future… lose job.

Who owns? Boss.

decide stay or go.

of course, can’t manipulate time.. but it certainly does feel.

We do?

Work hard. Build CVs. Invest money pot. Invest education.

Seems that we do.. yes of course, we can’t control everything. Unforeseen things happen

But yet I think there’s a part of us… that to some extent, we think we can control the future.

Not a Christian? what do you think?

Who holds the future?

CONTEXT (Orientate | Situate)

There’s no doubt, the answer to the seven churches: ROME!

Rome = economic might. political strength. Societal control

Get into the Rome’s good books: secure future

Wealth

Job security

Future

^whoever you think holds the future… it is to whom you will swear allegiance.

Whoever can open the right doors for you. whoever can create the opportunities for you

Swear allegiance

therefore, they needed Revelation.

(A) Glasses. 4D. Heaven’s perspective.

Exactly what it is; look at v1.

Revelation 4:1–2 “After this I looked, and behold, a door standing open in heaven! And the first voice, which I had heard speaking to me like a trumpet, said, “Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this.”

(A) John is taken up into heaven. Perspective of the world.

Without these glasses. We will cling onto those who appear to hold the future..

but when the music stops or the mist clears.. we are left clutching at straws.

So who holds the future?

ARGUMENT (Texture | Unity | Coherence | Development)

THE LORD God sits on the highest throne

(A) Put on glasses, what do we see?

Revelation 4:3–6 “And he who sat there had the appearance of jasper and carnelian, and around the throne was a rainbow that had the appearance of an emerald. Around the throne were twenty-four thrones, and seated on the thrones were twenty-four elders, clothed in white garments, with golden crowns on their heads. From the throne came flashes of lightning, and rumblings and peals of thunder, and before the throne were burning seven torches of fire, which are the seven spirits of God, and before the throne there was as it were a sea of glass, like crystal. And around the throne, on each side of the throne, are four living creatures, full of eyes in front and behind:”

Notice the sights. visual spectacle

24 throne. 24 elders. 24 crowns.

12 tribes x 2. Symbolic of Jews and Gentiles. All of God’s people.

24 elders - surround a throne

and in the middle? The highest throne: Lightning, torches of fire all around.

Cover your eyes - too bright.

weighty glory of the Lord

notice the sounds. auditory spectacle

Throne. hear. rumblings and peals of thunder.

Cover your ears - too loud.

Hear? four living creatures that are around the throne start crying out!

Revelation 4:8 “Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come!””

And then, you hear the clattering of metal hitting the ground.

The elders; face flat on the ground. bowing before the throne, casting their crowns. and with one voice say:

Revelation 4:11 ““Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created.””

The sights and the sounds… and all of that sights and sounds are focussed on one thing....

The highest throne.

THE LORD GOD sits on the highest throne.

And he deserves to sit on the highest throne… why?

He is Holy x3.

Holy = set apart

Set apart set apart set apart.. He is highest and above all.

He is the one who

Was and is and is to come

He is the one who is worthy of worship

Revelation 4:11 ““Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created.””

he spoke the world came to be.

V - God sits on the highest throne.

Not any government

Not your boss

Not us.

But God.

(Pause)

(L) Here we see a clear picture of who is in charge. It is because he created all things. He is in the beginning...

But we’re also thinking about the future

Who holds the future?

LINK POINT: WHO IS WORTH TO OPEN THE SCROLL?

A very strange event happens next.. because we start to hear someone crying… and the person who starts crying is John himself.

Why does he weep?

Revelation 5:1–4 “Then I saw in the right hand of him who was seated on the throne a scroll written within and on the back, sealed with seven seals. And I saw a mighty angel proclaiming with a loud voice, “Who is worthy to open the scroll and break its seals?” And no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll or to look into it, and I began to weep loudly because no one was found worthy to open the scroll or to look into it.”

strange? anyone cried over an unopened scroll?

reason why - what the scroll symbolises

Daniel 12:4 “But you, Daniel, shut up the words and seal the scroll, until the time of the end.

This scroll symbolises the future

opening the scroll - kick starts the end of time

unopened scroll - end does not come.

Like any christian - John longs for the end to come. restoration of all things. so he weeps.

Who is worth to open the scroll???

2. THE FUTURE IS HANDED OVER TO THE LAMB

Revelation 5:5–6 “And one of the elders said to me, “Weep no more; behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered, so that he can open the scroll and its seven seals.”

The Lion can open the scroll! This great military conquerer. The lion!!

But here’s the next surprise. John turns to see

Revelation 5:6 “And between the throne and the four living creatures and among the elders I saw a Lamb standing, as though it had been slain”

Instead of seeing a Lion, John sees a lamb. A slain lamb.

What John hears is interpreted by what he sees

hears: a conquering Lion

Sees: a slain lamb

Interpret one another: The Lion conquers BY being slain.

(L) what happens? The Lord God hands over the future to the lamb

Revelation 5:7 “And he went and took the scroll from the right hand of him who was seated on the throne.”

The lamb holds the future.

He is worthy to hold the future

Revelation 5:8–10 “And when he had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each holding a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. And they sang a new song, saying, “Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation, and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God, and they shall reign on the earth.””

He is worthy because..

He has ransomed the nations for God.

The nations will turn to God because of the blood of the lamb.

He is the means by which the kingdom of God is established.

He is worthy.

He is also worthy because..

He himself receives the worship of the nations

He shares in the Glory and honor of the Lord GOD.

Revelation 5:12 “saying with a loud voice, “Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing!”

Who holds the future?

The LORD GOD sits on the highest throne..

… and he has handed over the future to the lamb.

Jesus, the lamb of God,

who takes away the sin of the world

The lamb that was a slain.

REINFORCEMENT (Amp | Hearts Burning | STAR)

Metanarrative (A) 4D glasses

not sure if you realise. This passage. charts out the entire course of human history from beginning to end

In the beginning… the LORD God created all things. He spoke and it came to be.

And in the end.. Jesus holds the future and its outcome.

And the central pivotal event of human history

is not the AI revolution

But the accomplishment of the lamb.

He conquered by being slain

The beginning, the main event, and the end.

the entire course of human history.

And this puts all our future-proofing into perspective

Not saying, financial planning, good education is pointless

Not saying, how you relate to your boss is not impact

Not saying, don’t put in effort at work.

But am saying, that this gives us perspective about how much our future proofing can actually accomplish

Because the kind of future that Jesus holds

Is the end of the world kind of future.

where this world is heading.

What this world will become

And when that comes

Our educational pedigree will be of no value

Our pension pots will be of no value

Our social networks will be of no value

Only a security is found in Jesus.

Who holds the future?

Jesus holds the future

not rome. not any government

Jesus. the lamb who was slain. worthy to take the scroll.

LAND (Worldview | Us)

Mean?

Non-Xn

What response do you have to these big questions?

Where did the world come from?

Where is this world going?

What really matters?

How you answer theses questions have profound impact of how secure you feel about the future.

The word today confront you with the reality

God created this world

Jesus holds the future and the end of time

He death on the cross is the pivotal event in human history.

only security can be found in Jesus

Xn

good to pause. take stock.

are we really on the side of the lamb? do we recognise him as Lord.

do we really trust that he has the future in his hands

(A) Watch YT channel. Explain AI. Evan

Really good. Clear. excellent… but....

Always feel that I’m behind the curve..

anxious. so much I’m not doing..

Want to future-proof.

v- some of you. aware.

Big decisions.

house move.

Job changes.

Retirement

Not trying to diminish them.

But today, helpful. take perspective.

(A) future held in Jesus’ hand.. you follow the lamb. security.

As we close. two things to wet your appetite for next week

Last week: main call to each of the seven churches: to be a CONQUERER!

To the one who conqueres… I will grant to eat from tree of life.

Also said, puzzle. Conquer… by being faith unto death.

Victory? by dying? strange puzzle.

Today we get first piece of the puzzle

Lion conquers by being the slain lamb.

Something paradoxical about the way Jesus’ conquered

so there is something paradoxical about the way we conquered.

Again, rest of revelation develops this paradox… stay tune.

2nd thing.

May notice. through the passage. a lot of sounds. gets louder and louder

4:8 - 4 creatures

4:11 - 24 elders

Revelation 5:11 “Then I looked, and I heard around the throne and the living creatures and the elders the voice of many angels, numbering myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands,”

Revelation 5:13 “And I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all that is in them

Volume dial is being turned up.… what is happening???

Revelation 6:1 “Now I watched when the Lamb opened one of the seven seals,

what’s in the scroll? come back next week.