Villa Rica
4-24-05
Revelation 4:1-11
A
little boy got on the elevator in the Empire State Building in New York
City. He and his daddy started to the top. The boy watched the signs
flashing as they went by the floors: 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70. They
kept going, and he got nervous. He took his daddy's hand and said,
"Daddy, does God know we're coming?"
The apostle John had a vision and with
wide-eyed wonder he beheld a door standing open in heaven. While he was
looking the voice of Christ, says to him "Come up here.” That meant of
course to the throne as it appears in the vision!
What John
sees in the vision is not to be understood in a material, literal sense.
The entire vision is cast in the language of symbolism. The things he
sees are symbols that depict and convey truth about the throne and God'
s dealings with his creation. The purpose of this vision is to show us,
in beautiful symbolism, that the Throne occupant governs all things.
The term Throne occurs seventeen times in
chapters four and five. The Throne is not on earth but in heaven. It
stands in the Holy of holies of the heavenly temple just as the Ark of
the Covenant stood in the Holy of ho11es of the earthly tabernacle or
temple.
The Throne is the very center of the
universe.
The Occupant on the Throne exercises absolute
control over all things that occur in heaven and on earth. Nothing is
excluded from his sovereign dominion.
Upon the Throne sits – in His holy and
sovereign majesty – Almighty God. What the apostle describes is not God
Himself for He cannot be described (Ex. 20:4) but his effulgence, his
radiance. In the vision He
who was sitting was like a jasper stone and a sardius in
appearance; and there was a rainbow around the throne, like an
emerald in appearance.
The jasper stone was a many faceted
brilliantly white crystalline stone that speaks of the purity and
holiness of God. The bloody red of the sardius would reveal that the
holy character of Jehovah expresses itself in judgments. He cannot
tolerate sin in any form, hence also the seven lamps of fire, flashes of
lightening, rumblings and peals of thunder proceed from the throne. Such
is God, the Holy One! Such is his Throne of Majesty. Tremble before Him
O earth and its inhabitants!
Around the Throne John sees 24 thrones
and upon these thrones 24 elders who represent the entire church of the
old and new testaments. Think of the 12 Patriarchs and the 12 apostles.
They wear garments of holiness and upon their heads there are golden
crowns of victory and authority.
These 24 elders are mentioned first for
the simple reason that they are first in importance and in glory of all
creatures in heaven. But the real reason why these 24 thrones with their
occupants are mentioned is to enhance the glory of the Throne that
stands in the center. The Throne represents God's sovereignty. The 24
elders are constantly-rendering homage to the ever-living Being upon the
Throne.
And
before the throne there were seven lamps of fire burning, which are the
7 Spirits of God. This represents the perfect Person and office of the
One Holy Spirit.
Then the cherubim, that very high order
of angels, glorify the occupant of the throne. They are pictured as
being in strength like the 1ion, in ability to render utility like the
calf, in intelligence like men, in swiftness like the eagle, ever ready
to obey God’s commands and to render service. So majestic is the throne
that even the glorious and holy cherubim arrange themselves around it in
reverence, humility and awe, ever ready to carry out the will of the
Sovereign of the universe! They ascribe glory and honor and thanksgiving
to to the ever-living One who sits upon the Throne.
Scripture says,
8And
the four living creatures, each one of them having six wings, are full
of eyes around and within; and day and night they do not cease to say,
“Holy,
holy, holy is the Lord God, the Almighty, who was
and who is and who is to come.”
But wait, the
description of the throne and its
Occupant cannot be complete unless we go
on and read
Chapter 5.
In chapter 5 we read:
1I
saw in the right
hand of Him
who sat on the throne a book written inside and on the back, sealed up
with seven seals.
What does that mean? Simply this: the
sealed book or scroll indicates the redemptive plan and purpose of God
unrevealed and unexecuted. If the scroll remains sealed, God’s
redemptive purpose will not be realized: His plan will not be carried
out.
To open that scroll by breaking the
seals means not mere1y to reveal but to carry out God’s plan. Hence, a
strong angel proclaims with a loud voice- -- loud and strong so that
every creature in the entire universe may hear --
“Who
is worthy to open the book and to break its seals?” 3And no
one in heaven or on the earth or under the earth was able to open the
book or to look into it. 4Then I began to weep greatly
because no one was found worthy to open the book or to look into it.
You will understand the meaning of John’s
tears if you bear in mind that in this beautiful vision only the opening
of the scroll by breaking the seals by someone worthy will set in motion
the plan of God for the redemption of his elect people. When the seals
are broken and the scroll is opened the redemptive purpose of God is
assured. But if the scroll is not opened there is no salvation and no
future for any of the sinners of the earth, no forgiveness, and no
victory over the world, the flesh and the Devil. What a sad thing that
would be!
But now it is an elder's turn to speak.
Not an angel, but an elder, that is, one who himself has experienced the
effects of redemption in his own soul,
Stop weeping; behold, the Lion that is from the tribe of
Judah, the Root of David, has overcome so as to open the book and its
seven seals.”
Then John records:
6And
I saw between the throne (with the four living creatures) and the elders
a Lamb standing, as if slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which
are the seven Spirits of God, sent out into all the earth. 7And
He came and took the book out of the right hand of Him who sat on the
throne. 8When He had taken the book, the four living
creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each one
holding a harp and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers
of the saints. 9And they sang* a new song, saying,
“Worthy
are You to take the book and to break its seals; for You were slain, and
purchased for God with Your blood men from every tribe and tongue
and people and nation. 10 “You have made them to be
a kingdom and priests to our God; and they will reign upon the earth.”
11Then
I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels around the throne and the
living creatures and the elders; and the number of them was myriads of
myriads, and thousands of thousands, 12saying with a loud
voice,
“Worthy
is the Lamb that was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom and
might and honor and glory and blessing.”
13And
every created thing which is in heaven and on the earth and under the
earth and on the sea, and all things in them, I heard saying,
“To Him
who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb, be blessing and honor
and glory and dominion forever and ever.” Rev. 5:6-13
God, by
and through the Lamb, governs the entire universe. The apostle Paul
wrote the Ephesians,
18I
pray that
the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you will know what is
the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His
inheritance in the saints, 19and what is the surpassing
greatness of His power toward us who believe. These are in
accordance with the working of the strength of His might 20which
He brought about in Christ, when He raised Him from the dead and seated
Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, 21far
above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and every name that
is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. 22And
He put all things in subjection under His feet, and gave Him as head
over all things to the church, 23which is His body, the
fullness of Him who fills all in all.
Eph.
1:18-23
All
things glorify God as the sovereign Lord who ever and always executes
his will by and through the Son Jesus Christ. Therefore believers need
not fear in times of tribulation, persecution and anguish. We are more
than conquerors through him that loved us and. gave himself for us.
Now note this:
3Another
angel came and stood at the altar, holding a golden censer; and much
incense was given to him, so that he might add it to the prayers of all
the saints on the golden altar which was before the throne. 4And
the smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, went up before
God out of the angel’s hand. 5Then the angel took the censer
and filled it with the fire of the altar, and threw it to the earth; and
there followed peals of thunder and sounds and flashes of lightning and
an earthquake. Rev. 8:3-5.
As the
saints offer their prayers there follows thunder and flashes of
lightning and an earthquake. Momentous events transpire. Seven trumpets
by seven angels begin to sound and various plagues and calamities are
poured out on the earth. The prayers of saints affect the conditions of
the earth. Judgments are sent in answer to prayers.
We who
live in this world are surrounded by evil on every hand and may find it
hard to believe in the sovereignty of the reigning Christ. But our
weakness of faith does not alter this truth in the slightest. The throne
of God rules over all. Through our prayers we enter into his sovereign
dominion in a very real sense.
In chapter one of Revelation
we read
To Him who loves us and released us from our sins by His blood— 6and
He has made us to be a kingdom, priests to His God and Father—to
Him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen. 7Behold,
He is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see Him, even
those who pierced Him; and all the tribes of the earth will mourn over
Him. So it is to be. Amen.
8“I
am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is and who was and
who is to come, the Almighty.”
Rev. 1:4-8
Truly, this is an astonishing,
amazing and staggering message. The Son of God who came to this earth,
died on the cross for the sins of his people. He rose again as the first
born of the dead and then returned to His Father and sat down in the
throne of glory. He is coming back again in judgment power and before
that happens he gave this message to the churches from the Throne of
God.
Have you
ever wanted to know the outcome of a contest ahead of time, a football
game, a boxing match, an election? Or have you ever wanted knowledge of
the outcome of a war while it is going on? Then here is something more
precious than silver and gold. The absolute certainty that Christ sits
on the throne of glory and that he cannot fail to be victorious. Simply
read and believe the vision message given by Jesus Christ Himself to
the apostle John and you have that certain knowledge.
He is
called the Prince of the kings of the earth. That means he is the
commander of the kings of the earth. They do his bidding one way or
another. His purposes are being worked out in the earth in spite of
appearances and in spite of what unbelieving men may say. To Him be
glory and dominion forever and ever. Hallelujah!
But that
is not all. The message to the churches also affirms and reaffirms over
and over again joyous assurance of the fact that Jesus Christ has loved
us and washed us from our sins in his own precious blood.
That fact
is accomplished and true forever. Do you know and serve him this
morning? Have you washed your robes in the blood of the Lamb? Repent of
your sins and ask him to be your Savior and Lord today and enter into a
ministry for him with the time you have remaining on this earth.
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The paper and sermon manuscripts from
Pastor
Todd W. Allen
are made freely available for review and
distribution. We only request that proper
web page attribution be provided if
distributed for any reason. Please be
gracious to forgive typos and errors of
expression. These notes are faithful
approximations of what has been preached.
May God be glorified in the preaching of
His Word.