Note: To download/print the document, click on the
title below.
Psalms
96:1-13 Oh, sing to
the LORD a new song! Sing to the LORD, all the earth. Sing to the LORD, bless
His name; Proclaim the good news of His salvation from day to day. Declare His
glory among the nations, His wonders among all peoples. For the LORD is great and greatly to be praised;
He is to be feared above all
gods. For all the gods of the peoples are
idols, But the LORD made the heavens. Honor and majesty are before Him; Strength and beauty are in His sanctuary. Give to the LORD, O families of the
peoples, Give to the LORD glory and strength. Give to the LORD the glory due His name; Bring an offering, and
come into His courts. Oh, worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness! Tremble
before Him, all the earth. Say among the nations, "The LORD reigns; The
world also is firmly established, It shall not be moved; He shall judge the
peoples righteously." Let the heavens rejoice, and let the earth be glad;
Let the sea roar, and all its fullness; Let the field be joyful, and all that is in it. Then all the trees of the
woods will rejoice before the LORD. For He is coming, for He is coming to judge
the earth. He shall judge the world with righteousness, And the peoples with
His truth.
Father God we thank you for all that you do for us each
day. We give you all the praise and glory. Bless our loved ones and guide them
and us through each day. In Jesus name. Amen!
Revelation 4:1-5 NKJV
The
last 3 chapters have been very informative, thought provoking, humbling, and
eye openers at times. Just studying the seven churches which represents the
history of the Church Age puts many things in perspective as to why our churches
and society is the way it is. Jesus told us these things will happen 2,000
years ago, and they are coming into existence. I understand the different
phases of the Church Age and see the evolution of our modern day churches.
With
the apostasy that is taking place worldwide in the modern day churches, people,
government, etc., we are getting close to the prophecies in the Book of
Revelation. We are moving closer and closer to the condition of the society of Sodom,
Gomorra, and prior to the flood. People were practicing homosexuality,
fornication, and other forms of sexual immorality then, and presently what is
in the news on a daily basis is sexual immorality. It isn’t just here in the
US, but around the world. We are heading for destruction just like the people
of Sodom, Gomorra, and the great flood, but not all of humanity will be wiped
out, because God has promised that He would not do that again, but He will
remove the evil people and spirits from earth at the Second Coming of Jesus
Christ. Genesis 8:21 And the LORD smelled a soothing aroma. Then the
LORD said in His heart, "I will never again curse the ground for man's
sake, although the imagination of man's heart is evil from his youth; nor will I again destroy every living
thing as I have done.
This chapter
and chapter 5 are describing activities and beings in Heaven, and chapters 6
through 19 we will learn what will happen to those left here on earth through
the Tribulation. Starting with chapter 4 through 19 there is no mention of the
Church, the children of God, they will be in Heaven by means of the Rapture.
They will not endure the Tribulation period. Chapter 4 starts out with a new
vision or experience by John, so let’s see what he sees.
1 After
these things I looked, and behold, a door standing open in heaven. And the first voice which I heard was like a trumpet speaking with me,
saying, "Come up here, and I will show you things which must take place
after this."
After
these things I looked, and behold, a door standing open in heaven; “After these things”, John is referring to all that was stated
in the first 3 chapters. We don’t really know if this experience happened right
away or if there was a period of time that elapsed, but base on John’s
statement it is a new vision/experience. Unlike the scene in Revelation
1:10-12, of seeing the Saviour standing before him, the scene is transferred to
heaven, and he is permitted to look in upon the throne of God, and upon the
worshippers there.
And
the first voice which I heard was
like a trumpet speaking with me, saying, "Come up here, and I will show
you things which must take place after this; As he was gazing at the open door of Heaven a loud, and
distinct, voice commanding him to come up to Heaven and observe what will take
place during the Tribulation. The voice was loud and no mistaking that it was
coming from Heaven, a voice of Jesus. There was no confusion thinking it was a
voice from within one’s self. It was a voice of authority.
|
The Open Door to
Heaven
 |
Art used; by Pat Marvenko Smith, copyright 1992.
|
2
Immediately I was in the Spirit; and behold, a throne set in heaven, and
One sat on the throne. This phrase, “immediately I was in the
Spirit” is referring to a vision, a vision that probably no other has ever
experienced. A vision so vivid and real it would seem as though it was actually
happening. Have you ever had a vision of any kind? I have once, only a split
second during morning prayer and to this day I still don’t know the meaning. The
throne of course is referring to the Throne of God and also to God being seated
there.
3 And He
who sat there was like a jasper and a sardius stone in appearance; and there was a rainbow around the
throne, in appearance like an emerald.
John describes God’s
appearance and not his form. His appearance is of great light, brilliance, transparency,
and splendor. His form is not distinguishable due to the pure white light that
He puts forth. He is light, the light of
the world. Moses had to cover his face when he came down from the mountain
because he had been in the presence of God and God’s light was shining from
Moses face which frightened the Israelites. Exodus 34:30 So when
Aaron and all the children of Israel saw Moses, behold, the skin of his face
shone, and they were afraid to come near him. God will be the light in the New Jerusalem, there will be
no need of any other source of light. Revelation 21:23 The city
had no need of the sun or of the moon to shine in it, for the glory of God
illuminated it. The Lamb is its
light.
The characteristics of the
Jasper stone, as far as they are specified in Scripture, Revelation 4:3 &_21:11, is that it was most
precious and crystal like. From these verses we know it was a stone of
brilliant and transparent light. The stone which we name jasper does not agree with this
description, a diamond would
more adequately describe it.
There are two special
varieties of the sardius stone; one a flesh color, the other a transparent red.
The beauty of the stone, its transparent brilliance, the high polish capabilities,
made it a favorite in ancient times.
The
appearance of the rainbow, therefore, around the throne, was a beautiful emblem
of the mercy of God, and of the peace that was to pervade the world as the
result of the events that were to be disclosed to the vision of John. (Barnes)
The emerald is a
transparent stone of a light green color. With the splendor of these precious
stones and the colors of a rainbow, John gives us a grand picture of God
sitting on His Throne. A picture we can’t fully comprehend, but will one day
take our breath away.
|
The Emerald Throne
 |
Art used; by Pat Marvenko Smith, copyright 1992.
|
4 Around
the throne were twenty-four
thrones, and on the thrones I saw twenty-four elders sitting, clothed in white
robes; and they had crowns of gold on their heads.
Around
the throne were twenty-four
thrones; Who sits on
these 24 thrones around God’s throne? We don’t know for sure and John doesn’t
give us a clue either. There are several speculations, but no one knows for
sure. Some think they are a representation of the 12 tribes of the OT and the
12 apostles of the NT; some think it is a representation of OT Jews and NT
Gentiles; some think it represents the 12 Patriarchs and 12 Apostles. In a
sense all these thoughts are the same and the only thing we know for sure it
that these 24 represent the complete Work of God thorough out OT & NT
times. They are people that did the work of God, believed if God, and placed
their faith in God. They are individuals from the Bible and have been redeemed
by the Blood of Jesus Christ. If they represent the entire time span, which the
Book of Revelation does, then is it possible that not all 24 thrones are
occupied at the present time? Hmmmmm!
On
the thrones I saw twenty-four elders sitting; Elders mean a minister of the Gospel in some way whether
from OT or NT times.
Clothed
in white robes; White
robes signify an emblem of purity that represents the sanctified church.
They
had crowns of gold on their heads;
Crowns of gold signifies a kingly office someone special in God’s eyes. Some
believe them to be a blend of kings and priests. 1 Peter 2:9-10 But you are a chosen generation, a royal
priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the
praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; 10 who once were not a people but are now the people of God, who had
not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy.
5 And from
the throne proceeded lightnings, thunderings, and voices. Seven lamps of fire were burning before the throne, which
are the seven Spirits of God.
From the throne proceeded lightnings,
thunderings, and voices; We don’t really know what the lightning,
thunder, and voices are or what causes them, but they portray God Almighty. Exodus 19:16 Then it
came to pass on the third day, in the morning, that there were thunderings and
lightnings, and a thick cloud on the mountain; and the sound of the trumpet was
very loud, so that all the people who were
in the camp trembled.
Seven
lamps of fire were burning
before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God;
The "seven Spirits of God" is another name for the Holy Spirit. The
number seven of course represents God’s perfection and totality.
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 Ahishahar?
Answer: Ahishahar was one of the sons of
Bilhan and a grandson to Benjamin. He is listed in the genealogical tables of
the tribe of Benjamin. 1 Chronicles 7:10.
This
week’s Trivia: Who
was Ahishar?
No comments:
Post a Comment