Revelation For Now & Future Part 11
Revelation For Now & Future • Sermon • Submitted
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21 The one who conquers, I will grant him to sit with me on my throne, as I also conquered and sat down with my Father on his throne.
The first question is to the fact of when does this reign begin.
What is Christ referring to when He says the one who conquers?
Is this reign present or future?
5 And now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had with you before the world existed.
Jesus is referring to His position prior to the incarnation, one which He was to return as before.
Reigning.
This not just a future reign. It is a REIGN that began at the Resurrection.
5 The one who conquers will be clothed thus in white garments, and I will never blot his name out of the book of life. I will confess his name before my Father and before his angels.
18 I counsel you to buy from me gold refined by fire, so that you may be rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself and the shame of your nakedness may not be seen, and salve to anoint your eyes, so that you may see.
Both verses justify the beginning of the Saints reigning presently with Christ.
We will find the following passage to be a great comparison to the the next two chapters.
9 “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.
10 A stream of fire issued and came out from before him; a thousand thousands served him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him; the court sat in judgment, and the books were opened.
11 “I looked then because of the sound of the great words that the horn was speaking. And as I looked, the beast was killed, and its body destroyed and given over to be burned with fire.
12 As for the rest of the beasts, their dominion was taken away, but their lives were prolonged for a season and a time.
13 “I saw in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven there came one like a son of man, and he came to the Ancient of Days and was presented before him.
14 And to him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him; his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom one that shall not be destroyed.
Let’s Read our passage for tonight.
1 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.”
2 At once I was in the Spirit, and behold, a throne stood in heaven, with one seated on the throne.
3 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.
4 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.
5 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,
6 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:
7 the first living creature like a lion, the second living creature like an ox, the third living creature with the face of a man, and the fourth living creature like an eagle in flight.
8 And the four living creatures, each of them with six wings, are full of eyes all around and within, and day and night they never cease to say, “Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come!”
9 And whenever the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to him who is seated on the throne, who lives forever and ever,
10 the twenty-four elders fall down before him who is seated on the throne and worship him who lives forever and ever. They cast their crowns before the throne, saying,
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.”
Vision
Vision
1 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.”
It is a new vision that John is about to receive.
After this is actually referring to the order in which things are about to take the place.
So if we see the repetition in the text of the words “After this” it alludes to the fact that we are not referring to distant future.
What is being said is a reference to Dan. 2:28.
28 but there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries, and he has made known to King Nebuchadnezzar what will be in the latter days. Your dream and the visions of your head as you lay in bed are these:
In the text of Daniel, Daniel speaks of the latter days. Christ is revealing through Daniel the latter days. So he is referring in the present of the latter days.
These latter days started at the resurrection of Christ.
Notice how Acts 2:17-21
17 “ ‘And in the last days it shall be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams;
18 even on my male servants and female servants in those days I will pour out my Spirit, and they shall prophesy.
19 And I will show wonders in the heavens above and signs on the earth below, blood, and fire, and vapor of smoke;
20 the sun shall be turned to darkness and the moon to blood, before the day of the Lord comes, the great and magnificent day.
21 And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.’
is a fulfillment of Joel 2:28-32
28 “And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, and your young men shall see visions.
29 Even on the male and female servants in those days I will pour out my Spirit.
30 “And I will show wonders in the heavens and on the earth, blood and fire and columns of smoke.
31 The sun shall be turned to darkness, and the moon to blood, before the great and awesome day of the Lord comes.
32 And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved. For in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there shall be those who escape, as the Lord has said, and among the survivors shall be those whom the Lord calls.
Everything that is in the visions of 6:1-22:5 will flow from the vision in chapters 4-5. They are from the book in 5:1
Each has a mixture of Past, Present, & Future
Each has a mixture of Past, Present, & Future
2 At once I was in the Spirit, and behold, a throne stood in heaven, with one seated on the throne.
Notice that the vision is reminiscent of Isaiah and other O.T. Prophets.
Caught up in the Spirit.
Why is this important?
Because there is no reason to apply this as a rapture of the church. It is more John’s prophetic calling to speak to the church about the things to come.
Just as an aside: divine throne is mentioned 17 times in these two chapters and an additional 21 in chapters 6-22. It emphasizes God’s sovereign hand over humanity.
Notice the Stones and The Connection to the Glory and Majesty of God
Notice the Stones and The Connection to the Glory and Majesty of God
3 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.
Compare with the full list in Chapter 21
10 And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great, high mountain, and showed me the holy city Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God,
11 having the glory of God, its radiance like a most rare jewel, like a jasper, clear as crystal.
18 The wall was built of jasper, while the city was pure gold, like clear glass.
19 The foundations of the wall of the city were adorned with every kind of jewel. The first was jasper, the second sapphire, the third agate, the fourth emerald,
20 the fifth onyx, the sixth carnelian, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth chrysoprase, the eleventh jacinth, the twelfth amethyst.
21 And the twelve gates were twelve pearls, each of the gates made of a single pearl, and the street of the city was pure gold, like transparent glass.
22 And I saw no temple in the city, for its temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb.
23 And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and its lamp is the Lamb.
Look to 1 Tim. 6:16 and Ps. 104:2
To give clear insight to this great brilliant appearance. The comparison of brightness, but almost a rainbow like stone appearance in the reflection of the light.
28 Like the appearance of the bow that is in the cloud on the day of rain, so was the appearance of the brightness all around. Such was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the Lord. And when I saw it, I fell on my face, and I heard the voice of one speaking.
Can you see the connection to the O.T. descriptions both prophetically and descriptively?
We should easily see a connection to the flood, the Ark, and the Rainbow.
In Essence, God is revealing that He is merciful and faithful.
The fact that we have in Christ the redemption of God’s people.
24 -Thrones/Elders
24 -Thrones/Elders
4 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.
What is the significance of 24?
Could it be:
24 priests orders under David (1Chron. 24:3-19)
24 Levitical gatekeeprs (1 Chron. 26:17-19)
24 Levitical Worship Leaders (1 Chron. 25:9-31)
These would represent the church.
12 Patriarch and 12 Apostles (Rev. 21:12-14)
The reality, it is only a guess or an assumption based ; upon t:he implications.
5 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,
6 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:
A refocus on the throne in the center.
Lightning
Rumblings
Thunder
These are resembling the of Ex. 19:16; Rev. 8:5; 16:19
16 On the morning of the third day there were thunders and lightnings and a thick cloud on the mountain and a very loud trumpet blast, so that all the people in the camp trembled.
Possibly a reminder that God will not forget them as He surely has not forgotten their persecutors.
7 torches
7 Spirits
2 And he said to me, “What do you see?” I said, “I see, and behold, a lampstand all of gold, with a bowl on the top of it, and seven lamps on it, with seven lips on each of the lamps that are on the top of it.
3 And there are two olive trees by it, one on the right of the bowl and the other on its left.”
12 Then I turned to see the voice that was speaking to me, and on turning I saw seven golden lampstands,
20 As for the mystery of the seven stars that you saw in my right hand, and the seven golden lampstands, the seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches.
So we have a clear picture of the church before the thrones.
Vision Continued
Vision Continued
6 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:
7 the first living creature like a lion, the second living creature like an ox, the third living creature with the face of a man, and the fourth living creature like an eagle in flight.
8 And the four living creatures, each of them with six wings, are full of eyes all around and within, and day and night they never cease to say, “Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come!”
Notice the appearance of the Temple in Heaven.
Sea of Glass — “bronze sea” in the courtyard of Solomon’s Temple
Also comparable to the Red Sea.
4 creatures
Compared to Ezekiel 1:1-28 and Isa. 6:1-7
Cherubim & Seraphim
hierarchy of angelic beings.
It is more than possible that the 4 creatures, the 24 elders, the book, seals, lion, lamb, horns, and seven eyes.
8 And the four living creatures, each of them with six wings, are full of eyes all around and within, and day and night they never cease to say, “Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come!”
9 And whenever the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to him who is seated on the throne, who lives forever and ever,
10 the twenty-four elders fall down before him who is seated on the throne and worship him who lives forever and ever. They cast their crowns before the throne, saying,
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.”
8b Holy
8b/11b Sovereign over creation
11a Demonstrates His worthiness