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Psalms
98:1-9 A
Psalm. Oh, sing to the LORD a new
song! For He has done marvelous things; His right hand and His holy arm have
gained Him the victory. The LORD has made known His salvation; His
righteousness He has revealed in the sight of the nations. He has remembered
His mercy and His faithfulness to the house of Israel; All the ends of the
earth have seen the salvation of our God. Shout joyfully to the LORD, all the
earth; Break forth in song, rejoice, and sing praises. Sing to the LORD with
the harp, With the harp and the sound of a psalm, With trumpets and the sound
of a horn; Shout joyfully before the LORD, the King. Let the sea roar, and all
its fullness, The world and those who dwell in it; Let the rivers clap their hands; Let the hills be joyful
together before the LORD, For He is coming to judge the earth. With
righteousness He shall judge the world, And the peoples with equity.
Father God we thank you for all that you do for us each
day. We praise you and give you all the glory. Thank you for having your
watchful eye on us at all times to guide, protect, and bless us. Bless our
loved ones and guide them through each day. In Jesus name we pray, Amen!
Revelation 4:6-11 NKJV
In
this lesson we will continue with the description of God’s Throne Room. The
four beast, casting down of crowns, and the praise given to God day and night.
6 Before
the throne there was a sea of
glass, like crystal. And in the midst of the throne, and around the throne, were four living creatures full of
eyes in front and in back.
Before
the throne there was a sea of
glass, like crystal; The
Throne Room of God has a floor as of glass that is crystal clear. This depicts
magnificence, holiness, perfection, purity, without spot or blemish, without
flaw. This floor is also depicted as pure gold, transparent gold that is
transparent as glass. Revelation
21:21 The twelve gates were twelve pearls: each individual
gate was of one pearl. And the street of the city was pure gold, like transparent glass. This Throne Room must be a vast
expanse of space since it was described with the word, “sea”.
And
in the midst of the throne, and around the throne, were four living creatures; These are creatures that we cannot comprehend but they
are part of Gods kingdom. There is so much we do not know about, when it comes
to God’s kingdom. Isaiah and Ezekiel also saw creatures of similarity. Isaiah 6:1-2 In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the
Lord sitting on a throne, high and lifted up, and the train of His robe filled the temple. 2 Above it stood seraphim; each one had six wings:
with two he covered his face, with two he covered his feet, and with two he
flew. Ezekiel 1:5-7 Also from within it came the likeness of four living
creatures. And this was their
appearance: they had the likeness of a man. 6
Each one had four faces, and each one had four wings. 7
Their legs were straight, and
the soles of their feet were
like the soles of calves' feet. They sparkled like the color of burnished
bronze. Ezekiel 1:10 As for the likeness of
their faces, each had the face
of a man; each of the four had the face of a lion on the right side, each of
the four had the face of an ox on the left side, and each of the four had the
face of an eagle.
Could it be these
creatures represent God’s character or attributes in some manner like; his
providential government, showing what sustains his throne; symbols denoting
intelligence, vigilance, the rapidity and directness with which the divine
commands are executed, and the energy and firmness with which the government of
God is administered? We do not know for sure what the purpose of these
creatures are, but one thing for certain is they are part of God’s plan and his
creation that fulfills something.
Full
of eyes in front and in back; Could
these creatures full of eyes represent or have some connection with God’s omniscience
or having the power of knowing the past, present, and future in other words
knowing all things? Could they represent watchful eyes and observing of all
things in the administration of God’s divine government, everything is
contemplated nothing escapes observation, and nothing can be concealed? We have
no answer, the only thing we know for sure God created them for His purpose.
The Living Creatures
Art used; by Pat Marvenko Smith, copyright 1992.
7 The first
living creature was like a
lion, the second living creature like a calf, the third living creature had a
face like a man, and the fourth living creature was like a flying eagle.
In researching these four living
creatures, no one knows what their significance, symbolism, or purpose is for
sure. One can see symbolism in scripture
like; Jesus is our King, King of the universe, he is the Lion of Judah. Revelation 5:5 But one of the elders said to me, "Do not
weep. Behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has prevailed
to open the scroll and to loose its seven seals." The calf was used in OT times for the
atonement of sin. Jesus became man and shed his blood for us so we can have
eternal life, if we so desire. An eagle is the king of the sky’s and as an
eagle cares for its young, God will care for His children. Exodus 19:4 'You have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles' wings and brought
you to Myself. Deuteronomy 32:11 As an eagle
stirs up its nest, Hovers over its young, Spreading out its wings, taking them
up, Carrying them on its wings.
We do know they play a
part in the recordings of John, because when the seals were opened up, the
first four seals were introduced by the four living creatures. Revelation 6:1-8 Now I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals;
and I heard one of the four living creatures saying with a voice like thunder,
"Come and see." 2 And I looked, and behold, a white horse. He who sat
on it had a bow; and a crown was given to him, and he went out conquering and
to conquer. 3
When He opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature saying,
"Come and see." 4 Another horse, fiery red, went out. And it was
granted to the one who sat on it to take peace from the earth, and that people should kill one
another; and there was given to him a great sword. 5 When He
opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature say, "Come and
see." So I looked, and behold, a black horse, and he who sat on it had a
pair of scales in his hand. 6 And I heard a voice in the midst of the four living
creatures saying, "A quart of wheat for a denarius, and three quarts of
barley for a denarius; and do not harm the oil and the wine." 7 When He
opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature saying,
"Come and see." 8 So I looked, and behold, a pale horse. And the name
of him who sat on it was Death, and Hades followed with him. And power was
given to them over a fourth of the earth, to kill with sword, with hunger, with
death, and by the beasts of the earth. In reading Ezekiel Chapter
10 we find out they are referred to as Cherubim and we also know
Cherubim were place at the gates of the Garden of Eden when Adam and Eve were
excommunicated from the garden. Genesis
3:24 So He drove out the man; and
He placed cherubim at the east of the garden of Eden, and a flaming sword which
turned every way, to guard the way to the tree of life. The only thing we know for sure is
they worship and serve God.
8 The four
living creatures, each having six wings, were full of eyes around and within.
And they do not rest day or night, saying: "Holy, holy, holy, Lord God
Almighty, Who was and is and is to come!"
These beings are spirit
and not flesh to be able to worship God day and night. It could be there are
many creatures of this type and these four were created to give glory to God
24/7. Isaiah also stated the creatures that he saw also said the same. Isaiah 6:3 They were calling out to each other, "Holy,
holy, holy is the LORD of Heaven's Armies! The whole earth is filled with His
glory!"
9 Whenever
the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to Him who sits on the
throne, who lives forever and ever,
If these creatures can
constantly give God “Glory, and Honor, and Thanks,” how can we not give God
praise for sending His only begotten Son for our Redemption! This phrase also
tells us the living creatures say more than Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God Almighty,
they give thanks. If we call ourselves Christians, shouldn’t we also give God
glory, honor, and thanks continuously? Aren’t we to pray unceasingly? Hebrews 13:15 Therefore by Him let us continually offer the
sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name. Luke
24:51-53 Now it came to pass, while He blessed them, that He was parted
from them and carried up into heaven. 52 And they worshiped Him, and returned to Jerusalem
with great joy, 53
and were continually in the temple praising and blessing God. Amen.
10 the twenty-four elders fall down before Him who
sits on the throne and worship Him who lives forever and ever, and cast their
crowns before the throne, saying:
Have you ever been in
church or a prayer group and when someone gives Jesus all the glory it unites
with your spirit and you cry out in agreement? This is what is happening with
the 24 elders when the four living creatures cry out, "Holy, holy, holy,
Lord God Almighty, Who was and is and is to come!" The elders can’t
contain themselves and fall down in worship and cast their crowns as a sign of
reverence, submission, and thankfulness to God for all that He has done and
will do.
11 "You are worthy, O Lord, To receive glory
and honor and power; For You created all things, And by Your will they exist
and were created."
The 24 Elders are
proclaiming God’s worthiness to receive all the glory and praise for all that
He has done since the beginning of time, and throughout future time till He
rules and reigns in the New Jerusalem. God created all things and has authority
over all things. He is all powerful, knowing, and present. There is nothing He
can’t do and it is His will that we submit our all to Him at all times.
Elders Casting Crowns
Art used; by Pat Marvenko Smith, copyright 1992.
Romans 1:16 For I am
not ashamed of the gospel of Christ,
for it is
the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes…...
Romans
3:23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
Romans
6:23 For the wages of sin is
death, but the gift of God is
eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
John
3:3
Jesus answered and said to him, Most assuredly, I say
to you,
unless
one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God."
Bill
Wiesbrock
Last
Week’s Trivia: Who
was Ahithophel?
Answer: Ahithophel was one of David’s most
influential advisors. Ahithophel was an astute, crafty politician who later
encouraged Absalom to rebel against David. When Absalom turned down the key
part of the plan that Ahithophel had prepared, Ahithophel shrewdly knew the
revolt was doomed and hung himself. This was the only suicide in the Old
Testament that was not motivated by war. 2
Samuel Chapters 15-17; 2 Chronicles
Chapter 27.
This
week’s Trivia: Who
was Aholiab?
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