Please turn in your Bibles this evening to Revelation chapter 4 as we continue our study through the Word of God. This evening we will begin the third and final division of this book as it is outlined for us in Revelation 1:19, where we are told, “Write the things which you have seen, and the things which are, and the things which will take place after this.” The first division of this book Jesus tells us is “the things which you have seen.” It speaks of the things that John saw in Revelation chapter 1. In that chapter we have a glorious picture of Jesus and thus, the basis for this book, the unveiling of Jesus in all of His glory as He comes to set-up His kingdom on this earth.
From there we move to the second division of this book as Jesus tells us, “the things which are.” The focus here is the seven letters that Jesus wrote to the seven churches located in the Roman Province of Asia Minor or the western part of modern day Turkey. We saw how those churches existed in John’s day, that they were real churches. Thus, this second division of this book covers Revelation chapters 2 and 3 or what we would call the Church Age or the Age of Grace. This period of time began on the day of Pentecost when the church got started with a bang as Peter, empowered by the Holy Spirit spoke forth the Words of God and 3,000 people were saved that day! And this period of time continues on until that last soul is saved and the church is caught up to be with the Lord, meeting Him in the air!
Also, as we looked at these churches we saw the prophetic significance of them or how they give to us a picture of the church throughout history, from its beginnings to the last days church. We saw that the church in Ephesus represented the Apostolic Church or the church of the first century to about 100 AD and this church had left their first love, Jesus Christ. They did all the motion but there was no emotional relationship with Him. From there we moved to Smyrna or the persecuted church that was crushed by the power of Rome for their faith in Jesus Christ and as they were they released the fragrance of Jesus. This covered a period of time from around 100 AD to 312 AD where some 5 to 6 million Christians were martyred for their faith. Then we moved to Pergamos where the church and state united together, first under Constantine and this compromise weakened the church. You can’t mix light and darkness and that is what they were trying to do. This covered a period of time from around 312 AD to 590 AD.
As we move to the church of Thyatira and onward, these churches are in existence today and only one is worthy to escape the Tribulation Period but the others, if they would only repent of their sin, they too can escape. Now the church of Thyatira represented the Roman Catholic Church and their false doctrine of working your way into heaven, Jesus did not complete the sacrifice for us. The compromise of Pergamos lead into the corruption of the church of Thyatira or the Roman Catholic Church and for almost 1,000 years, from 590 AD to 1517 AD this corruption continued on and it still continues today!
But out of that darkness of the Dark Ages came new life, a period of time known as the Renaissance or “rebirth.” This great awakening or Protestant Reformation was a move by those who loved the Lord and His Word and they believed that salvation is by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone and not by our good works! Jesus completed the work on the cross of Calvary for us. The time frame here is 1517 AD to 1750 AD. Now out of this great work of God, over time, the church became lifeless, cold, and rigid to what the Spirit of God was doing and the work died. Just look at the Protestant churches today and you can see this played out. Obviously not every one of them, but many of them have died long ago!
Now out of this movement came two branches of churches. The church of Philadelphia or the faithful church that loved the Lord and His Word represents the first branch. This represented the spiritual awakening of the eighteenth, nineteenth and even into the early twentieth centuries. The other branch is the church of Laodicea or the lukewarm church that are not even saved – Jesus is outside this church knocking to get in! It begin in the 1900’s with higher criticism and continues today where churches, supposedly Christians are denying God’s Word, His deity, all that He stood for and are adopting a social Jesus, a social Gospel where Jesus is left out! And folks, this apostate church is growing fast in these last days and the only way to overcome their deceptions is by our faith in the Lord and His Word!
Now that brings us to the last division of this book and we will see how that unfolds as we begin reading this evening in Revelation chapter 4, starting in verse 1, and let’s see what the Lord has for us.
VERSE 1
The last division of this book, according to Revelation 1:19 is, “the things which will take place after this.” The Greek words that John uses for “after this” are META TAUTA. As John opens up Revelation chapter 4 he does so by saying META TAUTA or “After these things.” You see, after the things of the church have been completed, as the Church Age comes to an end, then these things will take place, the Tribulation Period will begin. Revelation chapters 2 and 3 cover the Church Age, as we have seen, and now we are focusing on what takes place after this. What happened to the church? We will deal with that in a few minutes.
First, let’s look at how this last division of this book is broken down. In Revelation chapters 4 through 18 the events are focused upon the things that lead up to the second coming of Jesus Christ. We see the seal judgments, the trumpet judgments, the bowl judgments and-so-on. Then in Revelation chapter 19 we have the second coming of Jesus Christ. In Revelation chapter 20 we have the aftermath and the millennial kingdom. And we then will conclude with Revelation chapters 21 and 22 with the creation of a New Jerusalem, a New Heavens and a New Earth for us to dwell in with our Lord. As you can see, there is a lot of ground for us to cover so we will be taking our time going through this book because I believe it is important that we understand it.
Now let me lay some groundwork that will help lead us into verse 2 of Revelation chapter 4. As the Church Age comes to an end John sees a door opened in heaven and then a voice like a trumpet sounded, calling him to heaven. Who is that voice that sounds like a trumpet? Again, we don’t have to guess because the Scriptures tell us. In Revelation 1:10-11 we are told, “I was in the Spirit on the Lord's Day, and I heard behind me a loud voice, as of a trumpet, saying, ‘I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last,’ and, ‘What you see, write in a book and send it to the seven churches which are in Asia: to Ephesus, to Smyrna, to Pergamos, to Thyatira, to Sardis, to Philadelphia, and to Laodicea.’” It is Jesus who is calling John up into heaven as the Church Age comes to an end. Thus, I believe John is a picture or a type of the church, and look at what takes place as the trumpet sounds, as Jesus speaks.
VERSE 2
John was caught up into heaven, he was immediately before the throne of God and the Greek word for “immediately” is EUTHEOS, (yoo-theh’-oce) and it means just that, at once or soon! I believe this is a picture of the Rapture of the Church and we will deal more with this on Sunday because it is such a controversial subject, and yet, it doesn’t have to be because I believe the Scriptures are very clear.
Also, in the first 3 chapters of the book of Revelation the Church is mentioned 19 times and then the Church is not seen again on this earth until we return with our Lord in Revelation chapter 19. We have been taken out of this trial that is coming upon those who dwell on the earth, those who have rejected Jesus as their Lord and Savior and the Lord’s wrath will be poured out upon them. We will see that taking place beginning in Revelation chapter 6 as the seal judgments are opened. And so here at Calvary Chapel we believe in the pre-tribulation Rapture of the Church or that we will meet the Lord in the air prior to the start of the Tribulation Period because we are not earth dwellers, our citizenship is in heaven and thus, this trial is not for us!
And folks, there is a difference between the Rapture of the Church and the second coming of Jesus Christ; they are not the same event. David Breese says this regarding the difference of these two events. He tells us, “The rapture, therefore, comes before the tribulation, and takes Christians out of this world before that seven-year period of the wrath of God. Notice that, in the Rapture, Christ does not come all the way to this world. Rather, Christians are caught up to meet Him in the air (I Thes. 4:17). At the second coming of Christ, His glorious return, He comes with the saints. In fact, He returns with an army from heaven for the conquest of the world (Rev. 19:11-16). Remember, in that this is an army of His saints (Jude 14), you and I will be a part of that glorious conquest that centers on the return of Christ in power.” Folks, I agree with him, I think the Rapture of the church is the next big event before the Tribulation Period begins.
The setting is heaven and the focus is the throne of God but who is sitting on this throne? Let’s read on and see.
VERSE 3
I believe this is God the Father who is sitting on this throne. First of all how do I know this is God the Father and not God the Son? In Revelation 6:15-16 we are told, “And the kings of the earth, the great men, the rich men, the commanders, the mighty men, every slave and every free man, hid themselves in the caves and in the rocks of the mountains, and said to the mountains and rocks, ‘Fall on us and hide us from the face of Him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb!’” Also, in Revelation 7:10 we are told, “and crying out with a loud voice, saying, ‘Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!’” God the Father’s throne is in heaven, (See also Mark 16:19 and Hebrews 1:3).
Also, Jesus is coming back to set-up His throne on this earth. In Luke 1:31-33 we are told, “And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name JESUS. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David. And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end.” Thus, here is a picture of God the Father for us and Jesus is going to be introduced to us in chapter 5 of Revelation.
John does not give to us a description of the Father but he gives to us a picture of His glory, that which radiates from His life. John describes the brilliant colors that emanate from Him. In Psalm 104:1-2 we are told, “Bless the LORD, O my soul! O LORD my God, You are very great: You are clothed with honor and majesty, Who cover Yourself with light as with a garment, Who stretch out the heavens like a curtain.” You see, this represents the glory of the invisible God for light is used figuratively as it speaks of the holiness and purity of God, that there is no darkness in Him at all!
John also speaks of the light being like a jasper stone or maybe a diamond, it was clear. He also sees a light like a sardius stone or a ruby red stone. What does this mean? In Exodus 39:8-13 the breastplate of the high priest is described. And on this breastplate where 12 stones, which represented the 12 tribes of Israel. The first stone was sardius representing Jacob’s firstborn son, Rueben. The last stone was jasper representing Jacob’s last son born, Benjamin. Their names give to us a picture of Jesus. Benjamin’s name means, “Behold a son” and Ruben’s means “Son of my right hand.” Thus, it may be saying to us “Behold, the son of my right hand.” Let me explain.
In John 1:5 we are told, “This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all.” The holy and pure God, the clear stone, became flesh and blood for us so that He could pay in full the penalty for our sins by the shedding of His blood. It is as Paul tells us in Romans 5:8, “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Thus, the shedding of His blood is representative of the red stone.
One more point here. This can also be speaking of the fact that one day all Israel will be saved as they turn to Jesus to save them from their sins. They will be saved by grace through faith in Christ, just as we are!
Now this emerald or green rainbow around the throne of God is not just a half circle. You see, that word for “around” is the Greek word IRIS and it literally means halo. So this emerald rainbow makes a complete circle around the throne of God. What does that mean? Again, look at the Scriptures and see where a rainbow is first mentioned because that is the definition of the word, biblically speaking, it is called the law of first mention.
The first time we see a rainbow mentioned in the Bible is when the Lord put one in the sky after the flood as a sign or covenant that He will never destroy the world by a flood. The green emerald is also seen in the breastplate of the high priest representing the tribe of Judah, which means praise. What tribe was Jesus from? He is called the lion from the tribe of Judah! Thus, this emerald rainbow encircled around the throne of God speaks of His eternal covenant with us. You see, as we believe Jesus to be our Lord and Savior God’s judgment passes us by and God’s mercy is poured out upon us, which causes us to praise Him!
VERSE 4
It seems that the number 24 in the Scriptures is the number of representation as there were 24 orders of priests. We see that in I Chronicles chapters 23 and 24 as David divided the priests into what we might call shifts. Each group of 24 would serve for about 2 weeks and when they gathered together they were representative of all the priests.
Thus, the 24 elders or PRESBUTEROS in the Greek, represent a group of people, but who? Some say angels or cherubim. Some feel it represents the 12 tribes of Israel and the 12 apostles, 24 linking Jew and Gentile together. It may sound good, but I don’t believe that is correct.
I believe these 24 elders represent the church. If you remember when Ezekiel had his vision of the throne of God in Ezekiel chapter 1 and when Isaiah had his vision in Isaiah chapter 6, these elders were not there, why? Because the church was not born yet, we don’t see the church until Pentecost in Acts chapter 2, as the church is born. Also, they are clothed in white garments, which we see the saints of God clothed in the righteousness of Christ and we see the saints wearing these garments in Revelation 19:8. The gold crowns or STEPHANOS in the Greek were victors crowns, which again our victory is in Christ as Paul tells us in II Timothy 4:8, “Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing.” Also, in Revelation chapter 5 we see a song that is sung that is the song of the redeemed, something that angels can’t be. So I believe that the 24 elders represent the redeemed, the church!
VERSE 5
Not only do we see God the Father sitting on this throne but we also see the Holy Spirit represented by the seven lamps of fire. I see here a picture of the seven-branched oil-burning lamp that stood to the left side of the tabernacle, in the Holy Place just outside the Holy of Holies. This lighted the way to the presence of God and it is the Holy Spirit who opens our eyes and brings us to Jesus. The seven spirits represent the manifold working or the complete working of the Holy Spirit. Thus, we see God the Father sitting on the throne, the Holy Spirit around the throne, but where is Jesus? He will be revealed to us in chapter 5!
Now the lightning and thundering and voices could represent the judgment of God that is about to be poured out upon a Christ rejecting world!
VERSE 6a
Before the throne of God is a sea of glass, like crystal. What does this sea of glass represent? In the Old Testament, in the tabernacle there was this sea of brass or the laver where the priests would wash themselves before they engaged in their service to the Lord. Here we see this sea as being crystal clear and this could be a picture of all of our sins being washed by the blood of Christ and as we stand before the Lord we are cleansed from our sin, we don’t need to wash anymore. Yes, in this life we need to get rid of the dirt that builds up as we are in this world, and that is done as we read God’s Word, but once we go to be with the Lord, when we get our new bodies, sin will no longer affect us!
Thus, this can also represent the Word of God, which cleanses us from our daily filth as I have said. It is as David said in Psalm 119:9-11, “How can a young man cleanse his way? By taking heed according to Your word. With my whole heart I have sought You; Oh, let me not wander from Your commandments! Your word I have hidden in my heart, That I might not sin against You.” And in Revelation 15:2 we see those who come out of the Tribulation Period standing upon the sea of glass or the Word of God. You see, it is the truth and it cleanses us as we read and apply it to our lives!
VERSES 6b-8a
These four living creatures described here in Revelation can also be found in Ezekiel chapter 1 and in Ezekiel chapter 10 and they are called Cherubim. Now their description here is not as elaborate as we saw in Ezekiel, but I find this amazing, as you will see.
The faces of the creatures are all different and I believe there is a reason for that. They represent the four-fold picture of Christ in the Gospel’s and that idea goes way back to the early church father, Irenaeus and others who saw this. Let’s look at these and you will see what I mean.
The lion is a picture of majesty, royalty and this is seen in the Gospel of Matthew as he paints for us a picture of Jesus as the lion from the tribe of Judah. He is primarily writing to Jewish people and thus, he uses the Old Testament prophecies to show that Jesus is the Messiah as He fulfilled what the Old Testament prophets wrote about the Messiah and He fulfilled them down to the tiniest detail! The genealogy that Matthew uses takes us all the way back to Abraham, the father of the Jewish people.
Next is the calf or the ox, a beast of burden. As we move to the Gospel of Mark we see Jesus presented as the suffering servant. In Mark 10:45 we are told of Jesus, “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.” What is interesting to me is that Mark does not give us any genealogy of Jesus, why? Because he is writing of Jesus being a servant and you don’t keep records of slaves!
From there we go to the face of a man and the Gospel of Luke presents Jesus as the Son of Man, a phrase that is used some 25 times in this Gospel. In the genealogy here we see it go all the way back to Adam, the first man, showing the humanity of Jesus!
And lastly we see the face of an eagle and we see this presented to us in the Gospel of John as John presents Jesus as the Son of God, a phrase that he uses some 11 times in this Gospel. The eagle speaks of power, majesty, as they sore higher than any other creature. It speaks of supreme sovereignty. Thus, John paints a picture of Jesus showing us His deity that He is God! Now many miss the genealogy that is spoken of in John, but it is very important. In John 1:1-2 we see this genealogy as John tells us, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God.” You see, John is speaking of the eternal existence of Jesus, and attribute of God and thus, He is God!
And so what we see here is Jesus as the KING, who came to SERVE as a MAN, but who was fully GOD! And there is more we can look at, including the camp of Israel and how they set up camp in the wilderness, it is a beautiful picture of Jesus and the work He was to do. You can check that study out in our in-depth Revelation study we did about 6 years ago on this chapter, I believe it is the third study in chapter 4 of Revelation.
VERSES 8b-11
Heaven is a place of worship, the worship of the true and living God. In Psalm 29:1-2 we are told, “Give unto the LORD, O you mighty ones, Give unto the LORD glory and strength. Give unto the LORD the glory due to His name; Worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness.” And here in Revelation we see these angelic beings worship the Lord by saying “Holy, holy, holy” which speaks of the triune God. You see, these creatures are totally overwhelmed by the beauty of His holiness and their worshiping Him, their action, represents it. They not only declare the holiness of God in their worship of Him but His power. In Jeremiah 51:15 we are told, “He has made the earth by His power; He has established the world by His wisdom, And stretched out the heaven by His understanding.” And they sing of His eternal existence, as Psalm 90:2 tells us, “Before the mountains were brought forth, Or ever You had formed the earth and the world, Even from everlasting to everlasting, You are God.” That is our God and He deserves our worship and thus, Heaven is filled with the worship of Him!
As I have said already in this study, I believe that the twenty-four elders with the gold crowns on their heads are a representation of the church. In Revelation 5:9-10 we are told, “And they sang a new song, saying: ‘You are worthy to take the scroll, And to open its seals; For You were slain, And have redeemed us to God by Your blood Out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation, And have made us kings and priests to our God; And we shall reign on the earth.’” That is the song of the redeemed that is being sung and thus, this must be the church because angelic beings can’t be redeemed!
And as they are worshiping the Lord they cast their crowns before the Lord. Now, what are some of these crowns? The crown of life spoken of in Revelation 2:10; the crown for righteous living spoken of in II Timothy 4:8; the crown for faithful pastors spoken of in I Peter 5:4; the crown of gold speaking of our redemption spoken of in Revelation 4:4; the crown of rejoicing or soul saving spoken of in I Thessalonians 2:9; the crown that is incorruptible spoken of in I Corinthians 9:25. Now, why do we cast our crowns that the Lord has given to us at His feet? Because all that we do is all a result of God giving us the ability to do them and thus, He alone receives the glory!
Also, we live in a society that is frustrated, depressed; they just can’t seem to get any SATISFACTION with life, but why? Before I answer that, listen to how verse 11 is translated in the King James Version, I think it is a better translation of this verse. We are told, “Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.” You see, people can’t find satisfaction in their life even though their life is filled with all kinds of things, because they are not doing what they have been created for, to bring pleasure to God! Folks, I can’t imagine not coming to worship the Lord, I would be here every night if I could, but that is not the only way we worship the Lord. We worship the Lord in all that we do! And thus, if you want true satisfaction in your life, if you want peace like a river flowing from your life, if you want true fulfillment in your life, you need to submit your life to the King of kings and Lord of lords!
What a glorious place heaven is. And don’t forget that John is just giving to us a glimpse of what it is like. It is far more glorious than we could ever imagine. But don’t miss out on the focus, it is the worship of God. I truly believe that the reason so many people are not satisfied is because they are not doing those things that they were created for, as I have said. Bring Him pleasure, serve Him, that is what God desires of your life. You can fight it all you want but it will be like running into a brick wall. You will have a void in your life. God is looking for people who will worship Him in spirit and in truth! You see, you will never be satisfied until you do what you were created for – TO WORSHIP GOD! And folks, we might as well enjoy it now, for in heaven it is what flows unto Him! In I Chronicles 16:29 we are told, “Give to the LORD the glory due His name; Bring an offering, and come before Him. Oh, worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness!” May we be known as a people who do these things, who love to worship the Lord not only when we gather here but throughout our live, in all we do!
As I close this evening we have seen God the Father, God the Holy Spirit, but where is God the Son? As I have said, we will see Him revealed to us next time in chapter 5, probably in a way that you would not picture Him. When I first read and understood what was being said in Revelation chapter 5, it changed me forever, the way I think of my Lord and what He has done for me and I believe it will change the way you think of Him also! Folks, let me leave you with these words from Jesus as He tells us, “But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.” John 4:23-24. May we do that!