A Visit To Heaven

Revelation 4:1-11........

As most of the sermons that I have preached have been lately this is one in the same. I sparked from this past Wed.’s study of John 8 about the adulterous woman that was brought to Jesus. The reality of Christ that was shown there and confirmation that He didn’t come to condemn us but to save us, is so clear and precise. The value of this TRUTH cannot be measured it is so great! I wonder how many us understand the reality of God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit? This is what I see, it seems sometimes we use them as trinkets or tokens for lives, rather than for Their TRUE existence.

This lead me to Revelation 4, this a true future vision of Heaven, that was given to John. The futuristic scene is set at the throne of God and it seems that the church has been called away from earth. This vision takes place after Jesus appears to John and gives what to write to the churches and then after that the church is not mentioned again. It also seems that God is preparing for judgement, because the scene continues in chapter 5 and then in chapter 6 the seals are opened and the events of the tribulation start to unfold as each seal is undone.

There are many people that say they have had heavenly experiences, I like only to refer to the ones that occur in the Bible, they also seem to match. Isaiah, Ezekiel, Paul, and John were ones that had visions of Heaven. Paul didn’t know if he was in the spirit or actually vision, he stated twice “whether in the body or out of the body, I do not know, but God knows.). What Paul saw there nobody knows, because no man could utter what he saw.

John on the other hand, saw lots of things and they are for our sakes. This is a prophecy that we should heed to. This connects some with Isaiah’s vision of Heaven and also Ezekiel’s. You can read Isaiah 6 and Ezekiel 1. We will make reference to some of their accounts throughout.

Revelation 4:1-11.....I want to set the scene, so we can get to the major point.

Verses 1-3.....John was called up to the Heaven, the abode of God. John said he heard a voice that sounded like a trumpet, to come up there.

Much has been made of this as being the rapture call of the church, it could be what John heard but the main part is the truth of Who is doing the calling and how we enter.

Notice the mention of the door that was opened into Heaven and the trumpet call that was a voice talking.....

Revelation 1:10-11 “I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day, and heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet, 11 Saying, I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last:.........” It was Jesus!

Jesus is also the door, John 10:9 “I am the door; by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and go out, and shall find pasture.”

John’s vision could very well be, associated with the rapture of the church, it seems to match up. 1 Thessalonians 4:16 speaks of a trump of God, sounding as the church is caught up, the dead bodies in Christ rising and those who are alive behind them.

As we read further it will seem to show the arrival of the church.

John is being shown in this vision, the things that will happen after the church age. He just finished writing a letter to the churches that Jesus dictated and now the things that John sees happen after the church age is finished.

He was in the spirit, a vision, and he sees a throne set and One that sat on the throne.

Daniel 7:9 “I beheld till thrones were placed, and one that was Ancient of days did sit: his raiment was white as snow, and the hair of his head like pure wool; his throne was fiery flames, and the wheels thereof burning fire.”

Ezekiel 1:26-27 “26 And above the firmament that was over their heads was the likeness of a throne, as the appearance of a sapphire stone: and upon the likeness of the throne was the likeness as the appearance of a man above upon it. 27 And I saw as the colour of amber, as the appearance of fire round about within it, from the appearance of his loins even upward, and from the appearance of his loins even downward, I saw as it were the appearance of fire, and it had brightness round about.”

Just a few things that John probably saw.

The throne is not just furniture, it represents sovereignty and authority!

The jasper stone is described by John in Rev. 21:11 “having the glory of God: her light was like unto a stone most precious, as it were a jasper stone, clear as crystal:”

John could be referring to a diamond, that would reflect all the other colors in wondrous brilliance!

The sardine stone is a stone that was found near Sardis, it was a fiery bright ruby stone.

The emerald like a rainbow, rainbow here has a meaning of a circle of light or halo.

These colors that John saw was the presence of God, many have speculated what they mean. One writer just simply wrote “The majesty of the Throne”. However, I would say it is the majesty of God.

Another writer said it better than I can: “He was to look upon like three sacred stones. 1. Here we behold the fulness of the Divine perfections. He is possessed of infinite, eternal, and immutable excellence—He is the source, the centre, and the sum of all worth and glory. 2. Here we behold the variety of Divine perfections: “I am the Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, long-suffering,” &c. 3. Here we behold the unity of Divine perfection. All these perfections are displayed in Immanuel, who is the image of the invisible God.”

Let’s move on, we could stuck in some of these places of this wondrous visit! Verse 4:

Around the throne was 24 elders. There is some debate about whether these are angels or if they represent the redeemed church.

The vision of John shows the elders dressed in white, in the 2nd coming of Christ (at the end of the tribulation) Jesus comes riding on a white horse, Rev. 19:14 “And the armies which are in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and pure.”

I believe these are the redeemed church and you will also see they are sitting and have crowns.

No mention of angels having crowns or sitting.

The crowns are what is received at what is called the “bema” seat. We find this in 1 Corinthians 3:10-15.........Just briefly, our works will be tried, whether they can stand the test of fire or are burned up......

1 Cor. 3:12-13 “But if any man buildeth on the foundation gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay, stubble; each man’s work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it is revealed in fire; and the fire itself shall prove each man’s work of what sort it is.”

1 Cor. 3:14-15 “If any man’s work shall abide which he built thereon, he shall receive a reward. If any man’s work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as through fire.”

Most believe the reward is to be made a ruler in the 1000 year reign of Christ, hence the crown.

Verse 5....John heard lightnings and thunderings, this does not seem to indicate the fury of nature but what some would call righteous fury, that is about to come from an awesome, powerful God upon a sinful world.

The 7 Spirits of God, could reference back to Isaiah 11 or Zechariah 4, either way, 7 is the number of completeness, it seems that John is identifying the fullness of the Holy Spirit.

Verse 6a........the sea of glass, like crystal.........this seems to be the floor of Heaven and so many have speculated on what it’s meaning of this is, but we must move on, let’s just see it as glorious and perfect!

Verse 6b-9........The word beast is poorly used here, the better phrase is living creatures. It seems these creatures are what Ezekiel saw in his prophecy, chapter 1 and also what Isaiah saw in his prophecy, chapter 6. Isaiah called them Seraphims.

They had eyes all around, like a wheel, Ezekiel tells us. Nothing escapes their scrutiny. Or it could be said they have eyes on creation and God at the same time.

I could be here all day explaining all the different theories that are giving about the faces, I will just give you one that I think they might represent, it could be right or wrong:

There is a rabbinic saying in its present form dating from c. AD 300, but possibly much older: ‘The mightiest among the birds is the eagle, the mightiest among the domestic animals is the bull, the mightiest among the wild beasts is the lion, and the mightiest among all is man’ (S Bk). This may give us the clue. As Swete puts it: ‘The four forms suggest whatever is noblest, strongest, wisest, and swiftest in animate Nature. Nature, including Man, is represented before the Throne, taking its part in the fulfillment of the Divine Will, and the worship of the Divine Majesty.’

I will make one more comment about the living creatures: they have 6 wings. I just wanted to point out what Isaiah said about his vision of these Seraphims, because this brings us close to the point: Isaiah 6:2 “Above him stood the seraphim: each one had six wings; with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly.”

The angels covered their face with their top wings as they were not even worthy to look upon the holiness of God and with the bottom 2 wings they covered their feet because below them was holy ground. This is speaking of the holiness of God!

Now, these Seraphims were worshipping night and day saying: HOLY, HOLY, HOLY, Lord God Almighty, which was and is, and is to come!

They declare the Holiness of God, the absolute rightness of His Nature and Purity of His Character, nothing is wrong in God, no imperfections at all!

I think sometimes I get to caught up in my imperfections, maybe even proud about it, instead of glorying in the absolute Holiness of God like these angels are doing! They never stopped!

Representative of all God’s creation is recognizing the Holiness of God!

They are also calling Him Lord God Almighty!

It seems these angels are anticipation of the coming judgement, by calling God the Lord, God, Almighty.......Isaiah 13:6 “Howl ye; for the day of the Lord is at hand; It shall come as a destruction from the Almighty.”

Or Joel 1:15 “Alas for the day! for the day of the Lord is at hand, and as destruction from the Almighty shall it come.”

Their was worship is also of the One Who is not a created being, God has always existed! That is hard to comprehend but it is the declaration of God’s Word and we must believe!

Now to the verses 10 & 11........The worship of the elders......as the angels are worshipping, the 24 elders get up and fall down before God....they join in with the angels worshipping the uncreated God, Who has always been and will always be!

The elders now do something that is so revealing, the crowns that they received from the “Bema” seat, where their works were tried, they take their works and lay them before God the Father!

What they say is important......You are worthy O Lord to receive, glory, honor, and power......

What are these representatives of the redeemed saying? They are declaring that God alone is responsible for any works they do, He created all things, for His pleasure!

They were not worthy to claim any crown, God alone was responsible for this!

This is the first of six times when these elders prostrate themselves before God and the Lamb, six times in the book of Revelation: chapter 5, verses 8 and 14; chapter 7, verse 11; chapter 11, verse 16; chapter 19, verse 4 complete the remaining five. And their posture is a posture of worship. They fall down prostrate before God.

They have no preoccupation with their own excellence. They have no concern about their own beauty, their own holiness, their own honor, their own reward. That means nothing to them. They are so lost in adoration, that if indeed these are representatives of the church – they have been to the bema seat judgment, as it were. They have received the reward that the Lord said was with Him to give to them when He appeared. They have received whatever is involved in the crown of life: the incorruptible crown, the crown of rejoicing, the glory crown, the victory crown, the runner’s crown. They have received for the gold and silver and precious stones of their life those fitting eternal rewards. And, as it were, they wear those rewards like a crown. Instantaneously, however, when the highest worship begins soon after the church enters into the presence of the Lord, and as it becomes time to unfold judgment, lost in love and wonder, lost in praise, they divest themselves of all honor and cast it all at the feet of their King.

I heard one preacher say, they got over themselves! Get over yourself and divulge yourself into the worship of God!

This is so revealing, amazing, and horrifying to me! The reason I am horrified is the lack of our realization of Who we are living under! This Holy, Pure, and Powerful God that was not created but created all things, is the Author and Finisher, through His Son Jesus Christ and we live like we deserve this and that!

I think of all the rioting that was done over race and all the talk that went along with it, telling people to repent because they are white. Then, I go to this scene and say that we all better get prostrate in our hearts!!

I think of all the things that I think I am worthy of, we say things like: I demand respect!

Jesus, while on this earth never was respected, nor any of the apostles, who am I to think that respect is what I deserve! Get over myself and bring myself prostrate before the Lord, God Almighty!

In light of this scene and the knowledge of it and also the unfolding events that are about to take place after John visit, it is an astounding measure of grace that God has poured upon us, who almost never truly and humbly, as the elders, worship the Lord God!

Oh yeah, we have worship scenes where we are seeming to call upon the Lord, but never do we take our worth and lay it before God and say it His and His alone and He is the only One worthy of honor, praise, and power, I deserve none!

Lastly, this takes me back to John 8:1-11, I won’ go through it all, but the last part where Jesus speaks to the woman that according to the law of God, should and was worthy of death.....

Leviticus 20:10 “And the man that committeth adultery with another man’s wife, even he that committeth adultery with his neighbor’s wife, the adulterer and the adulteress shall surely be put to death.”

Jesus tells her that He does not condemn her, now go and sin no more! If she realized Who it was that told her that, then the worship of the elders would of been her worship......I wonder if sometimes or most of the time we lose sight of this TRUTH..........

He says, "Hey, if there's nobody to accuse you, if nobody wants to prosecute, the trial is over." You say, "But how could He do that?" I mean how can a holy God just say, "Go on, okay, don't do it again." How can He do that? I mean how can God let her off the hook? Somebody has to die. That's just it. You know what Jesus knew as he stood there? I believe this with all my heart. When He said to that woman, "I don't condemn you; go, and sin no more," you know what He knew in His heart, that divine heart? He knew full well that He would die on a cross for her adultery. He knew that. That was the only way. The only reason He could give her forgiveness was because He would bear in His own body her sin. It's the only way, and He knew it.

That's why I say every time Jesus healed somebody, every time Jesus forgave somebody, He experienced the bitterness of the anticipation of the cross. That woman's sin wouldn't go unpunished. It would be placed on Christ, and He would die for her adultery. Now, lemme tell you something, friends. That is being a friend to sinners, isn't it?...You look at Jesus Christ, and He's willing to die for your adultery. He's willing to die for your lies. He's willing to die for your curses against His own name. He's willing to die for your inequities in life. He's willing to die for the foul thoughts and deeds and words that have come out of your mouth. He's willing to die for every sin you've ever committed or ever will...and He says to you what He said to the woman, "Woman, I don't condemn you anymore."

1 Peter 3:18 “For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit:”

Jesus tells us that anyone who will come after Him, must deny themselves and take up our cross and follow Him! If we believe that God is Who the Bible tells us He is and if we believe that all the fulness of the Godhead dwelt bodily in Jesus Christ, then we must believe that we are before the Only Holy, Right, Pure, Powerful being then we must get over ourselves, when we do we will see Jesus dying our death and making a way to the presence of God!