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Worship Before the Throne
Year was somewhere late in the 1st century, probably AD 95:
· It is a dark time for the Church….
· The church is faced with false teachers and heresies,
· Continued zealous persecution by the Jews.
Adding greatly to their distress, under the reign of Emperor Nero and Domitian, the church is facing heavy persecution by the Romans.
· Emperor worship and state mandates that Christians make sacrifices to the Roman gods has pitted Roman rule against the Christians….
· Christians are forced to either confess “Caesar as Lord” or else face execution
All the apostles but John have been martyred, John himself has been exiled on the Isle of Patmos.
· The call to the young church was to stand firm in the face of fierce opposition and hardship….
The question of the day, WHO is worthy of worship?
· It was the question of their day, was it the emperor, was it the multitude of pagan gods?
· It is also the question of our day….
Who is worthy of worship?
o Is it the Hollywood stars, is it the media elites, is it the TV idols
o Is it the god of self, of pride, or even government
o Is it a political party, or ideology to which we should bow the knee…
The Bible is very clear of that answer, there is only one worthy of worship.
And it is at this pivotal time in the Church that John is given this mighty/faith strengthening vision/the Revelation of Jesus Christ.
READ
As we walk through the chapter, Lord willing, we will see truth and faith strengthening power in the vision given to John.
Outline:
1.
The Commanding Voice
2. The Heavenly Throne
3. The One Seated on the Throne
4. The Gathering Storm
5. His Covenant/Promises Kept
6. Worship of the Worthy One
#1st The Commanding Voice:
V1 John says that he LOOKED, and he SAW
Behold, this was an unexpected, an amazing sight, “a door standing open in heaven!”
· And he hears the voice, like a trumpet speaking to him
· This voice is the voice of our Risen Lord Jesus, The Voice of God the Son, the SAME that John describes in:
o (ESV) THIS IS [13]… one like a son of man, clothed with a long robe and with a golden sash around his chest.
[14] The hairs of his head were white, like white wool, like snow.
His eyes were like a flame of fire, [15] his feet were like burnished bronze, refined in a furnace, and his voice was like the roar of many waters.
· This voice is:
o THE voice of power, full of strength, authority and of irresistible and awesome command.
o The voice of command that spoke creation into existence
· What John is commanded to see v1 is “what must take place after this”
o What MUST take place…
o What John is to see from here to the end of the book is
§ not a matter of possibilities
§ It is not a matter of potentiality
§ It is not a matter of probability
§ It is not a maybe
§ But IT IS a CERTAINTY!
· And we today, Lord willing, though John’s heavenly vision are also able/privileged to see…
o And not only to see but to hear, to understand, to be strengthened by this Revelation
§ Growing deeper in faith and trust in God
Next We are to see…#2 The Heavenly Throne
[2] At once (immediately) I was in the Spirit, and behold, a throne stood in heaven, with one seated on the throne.
§ John instantly enters a vast/astounding/infinite space
o This striking transition from the Isle of Patmos to Heaven itself must have felt like an electric shock to John
§ And there….
captivating his vision, what dominates his view….is the imposing/massive fixture… right at the center/at the very heart of heaven
o And it is the throne of God
o This word Throne is key to ch 4 and is used 14 times in this chapter alone
§ When we think of a throne, we usually think some kind of velvet and golden chair, set a few steps up at the back of a palace court
§ But the word throne here in revelation 4, pictures for us a symbol of a seat of authority, which reserved for ones who rule
o And THIS Throne/The Throne that John sees
§ Is the seat of all power, the seat of all sovereignty, the seat of all authority
§ And in Revelation ch 4, we see that everything in heaven finds itself in relation to this throne
· We are told what is AROUND THE THRONE
· WHAT IS COMING FROM THE THRONE
· WHAT IS BEFORE THE THRONE
· WHAT IS ON EACH SIDE OF THE THRONE
§ Not only everything in Heaven but we must by extension realize that all creation ultimately finds ITSELF in relation to the Throne of God
· This is the “Control Center” and power source, of the universe
o And this is the same Great White Throne, the Judgement Seat that John sees in Revelation ch 20
Don’t miss this, what John saw, LOOK AT the end of v2,
§ No matter what you have been told, no matter what the world has said, continues to say, or will say in the future
[2] … behold, a throne stood in heaven, with one seated on the throne.
We are to see…#3 The One Seated on the Throne
o John saw that there is ONE SEATED ON this throne of ultimate power, authority, and sovereignty
§ The throne of heaven is NOT EMPTY
§ The throne of heaven is NOT VACANT
· GOD is NOT DEAD
· HE is NOT ABSENT
· HE has NOT stepped down, stepped aside, or walked away
§ God Almighty is ENTHRONED in all HIS GLORY
· Our GOD RULES
· OUR GOD REIGNS/ Undeterred and Uninterrupted
· He has from Eternity Past and will continue to do so into Eternity FUTURE
§ And John next stretches the limits of the human language as he tries to describe Him who is seated on this Great Throne
[3] And he who sat there had the appearance of jasper and carnelian
o A jasper stone, is most likely a diamond, it is a radiant crystal, a rare and costly jewel
o And carnelian, is a semi-transparent stone like the color of rusty red, like blood
o The image of the diamond and carnelian here would still be unlike any we have seen, instead of reflecting the light
§ The Glory of God is the source of the light, streaming forth FROM Him
§ In we are told that we will have no more need for the sun or moon because the glory of God will give us all the light, there will be no more darkness at all
§ 4 Living Creatures
o [V6b]…And around the throne, on each side of the throne, are four living creatures
§ (these are a kind of angel, perhaps the seraphim from -- but also described in
§ we can see in them
· God’s power/completeness in creation,
o 4 being the number of completeness in creation,
· and also we can see through them a reflection of the Glory of God),
[v6c]…full of eyes in front and behind:
§ Reflecting God as all seeing/omniscience
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