A Glimpse of the Throne Revelation 4
Revelation • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
0 ratings
· 1 viewNotes
Transcript
Scripture: Mark
Intro:
At the end of every marvel movie there is a clip that is a glimpse of what is to come
You wait through all of the credits and get some of the greatest clips
Our family decided to go see Spiderman this week
We got tickets for the 10:30 PM show in Santa Maria
You heard that right, Jen and I were in public after 9 pm
We watched the movie and waited till the end for the clip
I had heard rumors that Captain America was gonna be in it
Let’s just say that it was a complete disappointment
The clip was a dud and not worth waiting for
This morning we get a glimpse of heaven and at its center the throne Jesus sits on
This one is worth the wait and the reason Jesus said seven times to the seven church, “To the one who overcomes”
Heaven is going to be glorious
The next two chapters we are going to get an amazing picture of what it is going to be like
Granted, it is in terms that John can describe it
It’s like George Washington trying to explain a cell phone to the first congress
Rev 1:19 gives us the outline for this book
Write therefore the things that you have seen, those that are and those that are to take place after this.
The Lord gave John a three-part outline:
the things seen (chapter 1),
the things which are (the churches, chapters 2–3), and
the things which will take place after these things (chapters 4–22).
This is not arbitrary. This governs how the entire book must be read.
From Revelation 4-19 we have a section mainly concerned with God’s judgment upon the world preceding Jesus’ earthly reign, the period known as the “Messianic Woes” or the “Great Tribulation.”
I am going to do this message a little different because the first two verses set the stage
vs. 1a After This
vs. 1a After This
The phrase “After this” appears two times in this verse
It starts and ends the verse
The Greek word is Meta Tauta: It refers to future events
The phrase is used throughout Revelation to mark the beginning of a new vision
The second occurrence of after these things relates to God’s chronology.
Its use marks an important transition in the book of Revelation from the church age (the “things which are”, described in chapters 2–3, to the third great division of the book, found in chapters 4–22
Bookending this verse with the phrase shifts us toward future events
Some like to interpret what John saw up through Revelation 19 as fulfilled in what took place before John’s day – notably, in the Roman invasion and destruction of Jerusalem.
Jesus clearly told John that He would show him things which must take place after this.
In keeping with the Lord’s promise to spare His church from the hour of testing (the outpouring of wrath before the Lord returns) given in 3:10, the church will be raptured before that time of tribulation begins
vs. 1b Open Door
vs. 1b Open Door
The first thing that John sees is an open door
As John looked, to his astonishment he saw a door standing open in heaven
That already open door admitted John into the third heaven (the first being the earth’s atmosphere and the second interplanetary and interstellar space)—to the very throne room of God.
It was heaven to which Christ ascended after His resurrection and where He has since been seated at the right hand of God
Many people, including myself, see this as the rapture of the church
The word ekklēsia, "church," appears nineteen times in chapters 1–3.
From chapter 4 through chapter 19 — the entire section describing the Tribulation judgments — it does not appear at all.
That is not an accident of vocabulary; it is a theological statement.
This indicates the church will be absent from earth during Rev 6-18
The open door is symbolic of God opening heaven and sparing the church the wrath that will be poured out
Notice the exclamation point at the end of the sentence
John first says Behold!
There is excitement in his voice as he encounters heaven and encounters Jesus on His throne
Are you excited about going to heaven?
vs. 1c The Trumpet of God
vs. 1c The Trumpet of God
The first voice John hears is Jesus
His voice sounded like a trumpet
This voice, that sounds like a trumpet, calls John up to heaven
The first voice that spoke to John in Revelation 1:10 spoke to him again here – the voice of Jesus.
Jesus called John up to heaven, through a door standing open in heaven.
It is very similar to the trumpet that will announce Christ coming on the clouds
For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first.
At that trumpet sound nothing on earth will matter
WE will meet Jesus in the clouds
Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord.
vs. 1d Come Up Here
vs. 1d Come Up Here
Jesus invited John to come up to heaven with Him in what appears to be either a vision or spiritual transportation
The only other time God calls for anyone to come up is when he invites the two witnesses to ascend
Then they heard a loud voice from heaven saying to them, “Come up here!” And they went up to heaven in a cloud, and their enemies watched them.
The Bible records the accounts of two people who actually were taken there in visions.
In 2 Corinthians 12, the apostle Paul wrote of being transported to the third heaven, but he was forbidden to speak of what he saw there (2 Cor. 12:4).
The apostle John also had the inestimable privilege of visiting heaven.
Unlike Paul, John was permitted to give a detailed description of his vision, which he did in chapters 4 and 5 of Revelation
John’s transport to heaven is a picture of the church being taken up to heaven
Some people doubt the rapture
Think about this: We must be in heaven during the tribulation to be able to return to Christ
And the armies of heaven, arrayed in fine linen, white and pure, were following him on white horses.
Jesus is going to show John what is still to take place
vs. 2a In the Spirit
vs. 2a In the Spirit
The central theme of John’s vision is the throne of God, mentioned eleven times in this chapter.
All the features of the chapter can be outlined based on how they relate to that throne of divine glory.
After describing the throne, John tells us who is on the throne, what is going on around the throne, what comes from the throne, what stands before the throne, who is in the center and around the throne, and what is directed toward the throne.
Most modern-day people who claim to have had visions of heaven tend to emphasize the trivial and the bizarre.
John’s vision focused on the glorious throne of God and the ineffable majesty of the One who sits on it.
There is a debate about whether John was transported or he had a vision.
I side with transported
he was taken out of the familiar dimension of space and time and into the heaven of God’s presence in the Spirit’s power
John was amazed and astounded by what he saw
The cause of John’s amazement was the throne of God that he saw standing in heaven.
This was not a piece of furniture, but a symbol of God’s sovereign rule and authority
Thus says the Lord: “Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool;
According to Revelation 21:22 the heavenly temple is not an actual building: “the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb” are the temple.
And I saw no temple in the city, for its temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb.
The use of the term temple symbolizes God’s presence
vs. 2b One Seated on the Throne
vs. 2b One Seated on the Throne
The posture of seated or sitting doesn’t mean his actual posture
Sitting here indicated the posture of reigning
He is reigning because he is getting ready to judge the world
John doesn’t name the One sitting on the throne but it obvious
In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train of his robe filled the temple.
Daniel had a similar vision
“As I looked, thrones were placed, and the Ancient of Days took his seat; his clothing was white as snow, and the hair of his head like pure wool; his throne was fiery flames; its wheels were burning fire.
In sharp contrast to the casual, flippant accounts of those today who claim visions of God, Isaiah and Daniel were terrified and humbled by their visions.
vs. 3 Appearance of Precious Jewels
vs. 3 Appearance of Precious Jewels
John tries to describe Jesus’ appearance and uses jewels
There are two types of jewels, Jasper & Sardis
The ESV uses Carnelian, which is the same thing
Revelation 21:11 describes jasper as “crystal-clear”; therefore, it is best to identify this stone as a diamond.
All the shining, flashing facets of the glory of God are compared to a diamond, brilliantly refracting all the colors of the spectrum.
A sardius, from which the city of Sardis got its name, is a fiery, bloodred ruby.
It too expresses the shining beauty of God’s glory, and may also symbolize God’s blazing wrath, about to be poured out on the sinful, rebellious world
There is a possible further symbolism in the choice of these two stones. The sardius and the jasper were the first and last stones on the high priest’s breastplate
John’s vision of God’s throne is not one of peace and comfort. Its flashing, glorious, splendorous magnificence reveals the terrors of God’s judgment. Truly, “our God is a consuming fire
for our God is a consuming fire.
The provides a comforting balance to the fiery flashings of judgment earlier seen emanating from God’s throne.rainbow
According to Genesis 9:13–17, a rainbow symbolizes God’s covenant faithfulness, mercy, and grace.
God’s attributes always operate in perfect harmony. His wrath never operates at the expense of His faithfulness
vs. 4 Twenty-Four Elders
The identity of the twenty-four elders has been much debated. While some see them as an order of angelic beings, it seems best to view them as human representatives of the church
the reference to the twenty-four thrones on which the twenty-four elders sat indicates that they reign with Christ.
Nowhere in Scripture do angels sit on thrones, nor are they pictured ruling or reigning. Their role is to serve as “ministering spirits, sent out to render service for the sake of those who will inherit salvation”.
The church, on the other hand, is repeatedly promised a co-regency with Christ
(elders) is never used in Scripture to refer to angels, but always to men
White garments symbolize Christ’s righteousness imputed to believers at salvation
Stephanos (crown) is the victor’s crown, worn by those who successfully endured the trial, those who competed and won the victory
Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing.
It should be noted that the number twenty-four is used in Scripture to speak of completion and representation
they represent the raptured, glorified, coronated church, which sings the song of redemption.
They have their crowns and live in the place prepared for them, where they have gone to be with Jesus
vs. 5 Thunder & Burning Torches
vs. 6-8 Four Living Creatures
This is not emotionalism. This is not liturgical formality. This is not repetitive vanity.
The threefold repetition, the trisagion, is the Hebrew superlative — God is holy to the infinite degree, holiness beyond holiness.
The living creatures are "full of eyes," beings of consummate intelligence, and their eternal preoccupation is God's holiness.
vs. 9-10 Casting Crowns
vs. 11 You Are Worthy
vs. 11 You Are Worthy
