Revelation Part 10
Revelation • Sermon • Submitted
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· 4 viewsOur greatest problem is that we think too low of God.
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The Greatness of God’s Throne
The Greatness of God’s Throne
Who is Worthy to go to the Throne of God?
FCF: The decline of the knowledge of the holy has brought on our troubles.
Pre-Introduction: What will rescue the Body of the Messiah from all of her troubles?
Read Together
After these things I looked, and behold, a door was standing open in heaven. And the first voice, which I had heard speaking with me like a trumpet, said, “Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after these things.”
Immediately I was in the Ruach; and behold, a throne was standing in heaven, and One seated on the throne.
And the One who was seated was like jasper and carnelian in appearance, and a rainbow around the throne, like an emerald in appearance.
Around the throne were twenty-four thrones, and seated on the thrones were twenty-four elders dressed in white clothes with golden crowns on their heads.
And out from the throne come flashes of lightning and rumblings and clashes of thunder—and seven torches of fire burning before the throne, which are the seven spirits of God.
And before the throne was something like a sea of glass, like crystal. In the middle of the throne and around it were four living creatures, full of eyes in front and behind.
The first living creature was like a lion, the second living creature was like an ox, the third living creature had a face like a man, and the fourth living creature was like a flying eagle.
The four living creatures, each having six wings, were full of eyes all around and within. They do not rest day or night, chanting, “Kadosh, kadosh, kadosh Adonai Elohei-Tzva’ot, asher haya v’hoveh v’yavo! Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God of Hosts, who was and who is and who is to come!”
And whenever the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to the One seated on the throne, who lives forever and ever,
the twenty-four elders fall down before the One seated on the throne and worship Him who lives forever and ever. And they throw their crowns down before the throne, chanting,
“Worthy are You, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, For You created all things, and because of Your will they existed and were created!”
And I saw in the right hand of the One seated upon the throne a scroll, written on both the front and the back, sealed with seven seals.
I also saw a mighty angel proclaiming with a loud voice, “Who is worthy to open the scroll and to break its seals?”
No one in heaven or on the earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll or to look into it.
I began to weep loudly because no one was found worthy to open the scroll or to look into it.
Introduction: Though we have more knowledge our thoughts are of God are still too low, still too lukewarm.
In 1999, my mother-in-law let me borrow a book that would utterly destroy me, ruin me, and expose me for what I was. The book was A.W. Tozer’s “Knowledge of the Holy.” After I read the Preface, I was hooked. the book itself, a mere 81 pages is small and easy to read but after I read it, I lie in bed next to my bride in a state of utter repentance and awareness of one of my greatest problems: not thinking highly enough about God.
Tozer said that “The Church has surrendered her once lofty concept of God and has substituted for it one so low, so ignoble, as to be utterly unworthy of thinking, worshipping men.”
The low view of God entertained almost universally among Christians is the cause of a
hundred lesser evils everywhere among us. A whole new philosophy of the Christian
life has resulted from this one basic error in our religious thinking.
With our loss of the sense of majesty has come the further loss of religious awe and
consciousness of the divine Presence. We have lost our spirit of worship and our ability
to withdraw inwardly to meet God in adoring silence. Modern Christianity is simply not
producing the kind of Christian who can appreciate or experience the life in the Spirit.
The words, “Be still, and know that I am God,” mean next to nothing to the selfconfident,
This she has done not deliberately, but little by little and without her knowledge; and her very unawareness only makes her situation all the more tragic.
bustling worshipper in this middle period of the twentieth century.
This loss of the concept of majesty has come just when the forces of religion are making
dramatic gains and the churches are more prosperous than at any time within the past
several hundred years. But the alarming thing is that our gains are mostly external and
Tozer said, “The low view of God entertained almost universally among Christians is the cause of a hundred lesser evils everywhere among us.”
our losses wholly internal; and since it is the quality of our religion that is affected by
internal conditions, it may be that our supposed gains are but losses spread over a wider
With our loss of the sense of majesty has come the further loss of religious awe and consciousness of the divine Presence. We have lost our spirit of worship and our ability to withdraw inwardly to meet God in adoring silence. Modern Messianic Judaism is simply not producing the kind of disciple who can appreciate or experience the life in the Spirit.
field.
The words, “Be still, and know that I am God,” mean next to nothing to the self- confident, bustling worshipper in this current time.
According to Barna, the modern seeker wants community discovery, refreshing, concert like performance, and possibly a workout but what bothers me is not that modern seekers chose these categories but that the Barna Group did not include one image, not one graphic to say, “Are You Interested in the Majesty of God?” So with this new information in hand by the new prophets of our age (the demographers and church growth specialist) an army of churches and messianic congregations re-orient every ministry around these categories and God’s majesty, honor, glory is shown the door based on what a “survey.”
This loss of the concept of majesty has come just when the forces of religion are making dramatic gains and congregations are more prosperous than at any time within the past several hundred years. But the alarming thing is that our gains are mostly external and our losses wholly internal; and let us be careful about all of our boasts since, it may be that our supposed gains are but losses spread over a wider field.
That night over 20 years ago I kept hearing this one line over-and-over again, “The decline of the knowledge of the holy has brought on our troubles. A rediscovery of the majesty of God will go a long way toward curing them.” The answer to all the ills of the seven congregations, to all the ills of all of the history of Israel is a re-discovery of the Majesty of God. It is impossible to keep our moral practices sound and our inward attitudes right if your idea of God is too low, too earthly, too tamed down, watered down, not even worthy of being called “God thoughts”.
If we would bring back spiritual power to our lives, to be the kind of congregation worthy of the title “overcomer,” we must begin to think of God more nearly as He is. To do that, we must ask a dangerous question. A question that I will answer in two parts, one part today and one part on Tuesday night at Yom Kippur. Here is the question, “Who can ascend to the throne of God?”
The Bible
The Ascent (v. 1) - Only The Summoned Can Ascend -
The revelation of Yeshua the Messiah, which God gave Him to show to His servants the things that must soon take place. He made it known by sending His angel to His servant John,
After these things I looked, and behold, a door was standing open in heaven. And the first voice, which I had heard speaking with me like a trumpet, said, “Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after these things.”
Called to the Palace (1a) - You have to be invited to go through this door.
The Location of the Sky Palace
The Location of the Servant of Messiah
Called to See Providence (2b) - You have to accept the future is a set thing.
Called to See Providence (2b) - You have to accept the future is a set thing.
This is not a “peep-show” for curiosity. It is for warning and comfort.
The Set Nature of the Future of Human History
Who can ascend? One who is called by Yeshua to the sky palace. But who can ascend to the throne of God? Too this question we must think deeply. We must think majestically. We must think humbly.
The Cosmic Throne (2-3, 5-6, 8b, 11) - Only The Sinless Can Approach
The Cosmic Palace – John is taken to God’s Sky Palace ()
To the angel of Messiah’s community in Ephesus write: “Thus says the One who holds the seven stars in His right hand, the One who walks in the midst of the seven golden menorot:
I know all about your deeds and your toil and your patient endurance, and that you cannot bear those who are evil. You have tested those who call themselves emissaries and are not, and have found them to be liars.
You have perseverance and have endured for My name’s sake, and you have not grown weary.
“But this I have against you, that you have forsaken your first love.
Remember then from where you have fallen. Repent and do the deeds you did at first. If not, I will come to you and remove your menorah from its place—unless you repent.
“Yet you have this going for you, that you hate the deeds of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate.
He who has an ear, let him hear what the Ruach is saying to Messiah’s communities. To the one who overcomes, I will grant the right to eat from the Tree of Life, which is in the Paradise of God.”
To the angel of Messiah’s community in Smyrna write: “Thus says the First and Last, who was dead and came to life.
I know your tribulation and your poverty (yet you are rich), as well as the slander of those who say they are Jewish and are not, but are a synagogue of satan.
Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, so that you may be tested, and you will have tribulation for ten days. Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life.
He who has an ear, let him hear what the Ruach is saying to Messiah’s communities. The one who overcomes shall never be harmed by the second death.”
To the angel of Messiah’s community in Pergamum write: “Thus says the One who has the sharp two-edged sword:
I know where you live—where satan’s throne is. Yet you continue to hold firm to My name, and you did not deny your faith in Me even in the days of Antipas, My faithful witness, who was killed among you, where satan resides.
“But I have a few things against you. You have some there who hold to the teaching of Balaam, who was teaching Balak to put a stumbling block before Bnei-Yisrael, to eat food sacrificed to idols and to commit sexual immorality.
Likewise you also have those who hold to the teaching of the Nicolaitans.
Repent then! If not, I will come to you soon and make war against them with the sword of My mouth.
He who has an ear, let him hear what the Ruach is saying to Messiah’s communities. To the one who overcomes I will give some of the hidden manna, and I will give him a white stone—and written on the stone a new name that no one knows except the one who receives it.”
To the angel of Messiah’s community in Thyatira write: “Thus says the Son of God, who has eyes like a flame of fire and feet like polished bronze:
I know your deeds and your love and faith and service and patient endurance, and that your last deeds are greater than the first.
“But this I have against you, that you tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess—yet she is teaching and deceiving My servants to commit sexual immorality and to eat food sacrificed to idols.
I gave her time to repent, but she refuses to repent of her immorality.
Behold, I will throw her into a sickbed, and those who commit adultery with her into great tribulation—unless they repent of her doings.
I will also strike her children with a deadly disease. Then all of Messiah’s communities will know that I am the One who searches minds and hearts, and I will give to each of you according to your deeds.
“But to the rest of you in Thyatira, who do not hold to this teaching and have not learned the so-called ‘deep things’ of satan—I place on you no other burden.
Only hold firm to what you have until I come.
To the one who overcomes and guards My deeds until the end, ‘I will give him authority over the nations
and he shall rule them with an iron rod, as when clay pots are broken into pieces.’
Even as I have received from My Father, so I will give him the morning star.
He who has an ear, let him hear what the Ruach is saying to Messiah’s communities.”
Immediately I was in the Ruach; and behold, a throne was standing in heaven, and One seated on the throne.
Palace – John is taken to God’s Sky Palace (v. 2).
The Spirit is Required.
The Seated King on His Throne is See. Remember, John is in a visionary state. Everything that He is seeing is symbolic and represents reality.
He is not shown a strategy, nor a hyped up vision meant to engage the listeners. He is shown...
The Cosmic King – God sees the Sovereign One who is immovable, unchanging covenant-keeping God of judgment and redemption(v.3, 5-6).
The God of All Glory 3a (v. 11, 9) - He is seated on His throne as the King.
Perfect Rest on His Throne (3a). - 3x Says He is Seated.
And the One who was seated was like jasper and carnelian in appearance, and a rainbow around the throne, like an emerald in appearance.
Perfect Holiness (v. 8) -
The four living creatures, each having six wings, were full of eyes all around and within. They do not rest day or night, chanting, “Kadosh, kadosh, kadosh Adonai Elohei-Tzva’ot, asher haya v’hoveh v’yavo! Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God of Hosts, who was and who is and who is to come!”
Perfect Holiness (v. 8)
Perfect Life in Himself (v. 9) -
And whenever the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to the One seated on the throne, who lives forever and ever,
Perfectly Created All Things (v. 11) -
“Worthy are You, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, For You created all things, and because of Your will they existed and were created!”
He is the God of all Glory because His Glory is matchless. To ascend to this throne, you must be able to bear the weight of this glory. You must match this glory and none can match His glory because His is not a glory that is a reflection of another’s His glory emerges from Himself.
The God of All Honor 3b-c - Covenant Keeping God of Israel and Nations
The God of All Honor 3b-c - Covenant Keeping God of Israel and Nations -
And the One who was seated was like jasper and carnelian in appearance, and a rainbow around the throne, like an emerald in appearance.
He Deserves Honor Because He Keeps Covenant with Israel 3b
Significantly, the jasper and the sardine stone are the first and last of these twelve stones (cf. ).
Set within it four rows of jewels: a row of ruby, topaz and emerald for the first row;
a turquoise, a sapphire and a diamond for the second row;
a jacinth, an agate and an amethyst for the third;
and a beryl, an onyx and a jasper for the fourth row. They are to be enclosed in gold filigree settings.
The stones are to be engraved in the order of the names of Bnei-Yisrael, twelve according to their names, like the etchings of a signet seal, one corresponding to each name of the twelve tribes.
The Carnelian stone represented Reuben, the first of the tribes, since Reuben was the firstborn of Jacob. The jasper stone represented Benjamin, the youngest of the twelve sons of Jacob. In other words the two stones represented the first and the last and therefore may be regarded as including all the other stones in between, that is, the whole of the covenanted people.
Significantly, the jasper and the sardine stone are the first and last of these twelve stones (cf. ). The Carnelian stone represented Reuben, the first of the tribes, since Reuben was the firstborn of Jacob. The jasper stone represented Benjamin, the youngest of the twelve sons of Jacob. In other words the two stones represented the first and the last and therefore may be regarded as including all the other stones in between, that is, the whole of the covenanted people.
Furthermore, the names Reuben and Benjamin have significance. The word Reuben means “behold, a son.” The word Benjamin means “son of my right hand.” In both cases these terms seem to have a double meaning: first, the fact that though Messiah is the representative of Israel, He is also the Son of God. Like Reuben, Messiah is the first begotten son. Second, like Benjamin, Messiah is also the “son of my right hand” in relation to God the Father. The person whom John sees on the throne looking like a jasper and sardine stone is, therefore, God in relation to the nation Israel.
This the God who deserves Honor because He keeps covenant when other break it.
And the One who was seated was like jasper and carnelian in appearance, and a rainbow around the throne, like an emerald in appearance.
He Deserves Honor Because He Keeps Covenant with Gentiles 3c
Who is worthy to ascend to this throne? Only one who perfectly keeps covenant. Only one is faithful when everyone else is faithless.
The God of All Power
And out from the throne come flashes of lightning and rumblings and clashes of thunder—and seven torches of fire burning before the throne, which are the seven spirits of God.
And before the throne was something like a sea of glass, like crystal. In the middle of the throne and around it were four living creatures, full of eyes in front and behind.
And out from the throne come flashes of lightning and rumblings and clashes of thunder—and seven torches of fire burning before the throne, which are the seven spirits of God.
And out from the throne come flashes of lightning and rumblings and clashes of thunder—and seven torches of fire burning before the throne, which are the seven spirits of God.
God of Wrath - 5a - His judgments are coming on the earth.
God of Raw Power - 5b - His Spirit is full and untouched.
And before the throne was something like a sea of glass, like crystal. In the middle of the throne and around it were four living creatures, full of eyes in front and behind.
God of Order - 6 - His Sea has no monsters and is undisturbed.
To Be Right with God We Must Think Worthily of God.
The Central Claim of our faith is that God is all important and not man.
The Central Problem our faith today is that we think too little about the Majesty, burning Glory, Honor and Power of God. It is not that we think too much of the human Yeshua, the one who approaches children, widows, and sinners. It is that we don’t think enough about the God-Man Yeshua. We tend to only think about the Man Yeshua, the Rabbi Yeshua. We empty him of all his divinity and that is what has made grace sloppy and unbiblical.
That night as I lied in my bed all I could think of was the incredible majesty of the Messiah. The incredible glory of a self-sufficient God. All I could do is say to my ceiling, “I am unworthy! I am unclean! I am like a dead man before you.”
And anyone who thinks that they would ascend this throne would have to get past the Guardians of the Galaxy (ha-ha).
The Cosmic Guard - The Greatest of God’s Angels Protect the Throne
Angelic Elders ()
After these things I looked, and behold, a door was standing open in heaven. And the first voice, which I had heard speaking with me like a trumpet, said, “Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after these things.”
Immediately I was in the Ruach; and behold, a throne was standing in heaven, and One seated on the throne.
And the One who was seated was like jasper and carnelian in appearance, and a rainbow around the throne, like an emerald in appearance.
Around the throne were twenty-four thrones, and seated on the thrones were twenty-four elders dressed in white clothes with golden crowns on their heads.
And out from the throne come flashes of lightning and rumblings and clashes of thunder—and seven torches of fire burning before the throne, which are the seven spirits of God.
And before the throne was something like a sea of glass, like crystal. In the middle of the throne and around it were four living creatures, full of eyes in front and behind.
The first living creature was like a lion, the second living creature was like an ox, the third living creature had a face like a man, and the fourth living creature was like a flying eagle.
The four living creatures, each having six wings, were full of eyes all around and within. They do not rest day or night, chanting, “Kadosh, kadosh, kadosh Adonai Elohei-Tzva’ot, asher haya v’hoveh v’yavo! Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God of Hosts, who was and who is and who is to come!”
And whenever the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to the One seated on the throne, who lives forever and ever,
the twenty-four elders fall down before the One seated on the throne and worship Him who lives forever and ever. And they throw their crowns down before the throne, chanting,
“Worthy are You, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, For You created all things, and because of Your will they existed and were created!”
Around the throne were twenty-four thrones, and seated on the thrones were twenty-four elders dressed in white clothes with golden crowns on their heads.
Angelic Guardians ()
And before the throne was something like a sea of glass, like crystal. In the middle of the throne and around it were four living creatures, full of eyes in front and behind.
The first living creature was like a lion, the second living creature was like an ox, the third living creature had a face like a man, and the fourth living creature was like a flying eagle.
The first living creature was like a lion, the second living creature was like an ox, the third living creature had a face like a man, and the fourth living creature was like a flying eagle.
Angelic Worship (8—9)
The four living creatures, each having six wings, were full of eyes all around and within. They do not rest day or night, chanting, “Kadosh, kadosh, kadosh Adonai Elohei-Tzva’ot, asher haya v’hoveh v’yavo! Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God of Hosts, who was and who is and who is to come!”
And whenever the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to the One seated on the throne, who lives forever and ever,
the twenty-four elders fall down before the One seated on the throne and worship Him who lives forever and ever. And they throw their crowns down before the throne, chanting,
“Worthy are You, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, For You created all things, and because of Your will they existed and were created!”
The four living creatures, each having six wings, were full of eyes all around and within. They do not rest day or night, chanting, “Kadosh, kadosh, kadosh Adonai Elohei-Tzva’ot, asher haya v’hoveh v’yavo! Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God of Hosts, who was and who is and who is to come!”
And whenever the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to the One seated on the throne, who lives forever and ever,
God’s Holiness Adored (v.8)
God’s Worthiness Never Questioned (v. 11).
Who Can Ascend to this Throne?
The Scroll - None is Worthy to Ascend to the Throne (5:1-4)
And I saw in the right hand of the One seated upon the throne a scroll, written on both the front and the back, sealed with seven seals.
I also saw a mighty angel proclaiming with a loud voice, “Who is worthy to open the scroll and to break its seals?”
No one in heaven or on the earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll or to look into it.
I began to weep loudly because no one was found worthy to open the scroll or to look into it.
Conclusion
I want to leave you with this question, “Do you think worthily of God?” What anchors your hope? Because to think wrongly about the majesty God is to find yourself in the spiritual trench, spinning out, and close to ruin as was the case in 5 out of 7 of the messianic synagogues. To not think rightly about the majesty of God will cause you to flee when the false gods of this world, pseudo-religions, and false prophets come. What is worse you will miss the powerful grace of God. You will miss just how far God had to go to rescue you. He did not have to just overcome your sin but overcome his glory, honor, and power that resists, refuses and pushes