Revelation Chapter 5

“And I saw in the right hand of Him who sat on the throne a scroll written inside and on the back, sealed with seven seals. Then I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, ‘Who is worthy to open the scroll and to loose its seals?’

“And no one in heaven or on the earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll, or to look at it. So I wept much, because no one was found worthy to open and read the scroll, or to look at it. 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.’

“And I looked, and behold, in the midst of the throne and of the four living creatures, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as though it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent out into all the earth. Then He came and took the scroll out of the right hand of Him who sat on the throne. Now when He had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each having a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints.

“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.’

“Then I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels around the throne, the living creatures, and the elders; and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands, saying with a loud voice: ‘Worthy is the Lamb who was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom, and strength and honor and glory and blessing!’

“And every creature which is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, I heard saying: ‘Blessing and honor and glory and power be to Him who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb, forever and ever!’ Then the four living creatures said, ‘Amen!’ And the twenty-four elders fell down and worshiped Him who lives forever and ever.”

Last week we looked at the John’s entrance into the Heavens and his reaction. He is astonished and simply awestruck by what he sees. There are angels and thrones, strange beasts and lots of singing. Worship is everywhere, music is loud, and all glorify God.

I had the privilege of attending an associational meeting this past week in Grand Rapids Michigan, and it was great to sing with the people there. We had a wonderful time singing the Lord’s praises. Let the redeemed of the Lord sing loud and often of His grace and mercy, of His love and kindness, of His provisions and His faithfulness and of His sacrifice on the cross that He bore for our sins. Let us sing about the empty tomb and the retuning King with gusto and energy. Let there be harmonies and descants, quartets, choirs and chorales.

There should never be an end of singing amongst those that have been redeemed. The story of redemption should never get old for those of us that have been redeemed; it should simply get sweeter and sweeter, and we should want to hear more about it.

Today we will continue in John’s observations in Heaven. We are about to see a legal transaction take place that will turn the tide of the earth for eternity. We are about the witness the second Adam redeem the earth from Satan, the “prince of the power of the air.” Once the redemption begins, things on earth will take a sudden and irreversible turn – a turn that the people on earth did not see coming, and the events that will culminate in the Millennial kingdom being established.

John is in a transition period here in Revelation chapters 4–5. The Tribulation has not yet begun; but we, the Lord’s churches, have been raptured. And there are proceedings in Heaven that need to take place before the Tribulation begins, just like there are proceedings on earth that need to take place before the Tribulation begins.

The Scroll – Revelation Chapter 5, verses 1-3

John sees a scroll. It was typical in the days of the Roman Empire to have wills, leases, even marriage agreements and various kinds of contracts written on scrolls. These were large pieces of ‘paper’ with the details of the contract on the inside of the scroll, and then the summary of the contents on the back. In the context that we are reading, it would seem that many commentaries see this as a deed.

Roman scrolls were often sealed with 7 seals; this protected the scroll from prying eyes. Jewish scrolls had a minimum of 3 witnesses and three seals, with the most important documents having more and more witnesses and seals.

In Jeremiah 32: 6-10, we see that Jeremiah was told by God to buy a piece of land. In verse 10 we see that the deed is signed in the sight of witnesses. This was a common transaction in Israel, the redemption of land from the current owner to the previous owner. Often someone would get into debt, and they would have to sell the land to cover the debt. But once the debt was paid or the Jubilee year came, the debts were cancelled and the land was returned to its rightful owner.

In Isaiah 62: 6-15, we find that God makes a promise to Israel that her ‘salvation’ is coming and that Jerusalem will be the praises of the earth. This is yet to happen, but it will very, very soon.

This is what we have here. God created the earth for Man. Adam in his disobedience sold the land to another owner; and now Jesus, our Kinsmen redeemer has not only come to redeem us on the cross but also to redeem the land. The debt has been paid in full for our sins, and the time has come to reclaim the land, the earth from Satan.

In Revelation 5:4, John begins to weep as there does not appear to be anyone who can open the scroll. No one to redeem the earth, no one strong enough to reverse the ways of the earth and conquer the kingdom of Darkness.

The Lamb of God – Revelation Chapter 5, verses 5-7

BUT this is one of the most powerful words in the entire Bible. John wept because it appeared that there was no one able to open the scroll, BUT then he saw the Lamb of God. We see Jesus revealed in His two-fold nature; we see Him as the Lion of Judah, the Root of David, and we see Him as the Lamb that was slain. In verse 2, a ‘strong angel’ asks who can open the scroll, and no human on earth or in heaven could open it.

Human strength and ingenuity will not conquer the earth and restore it to its glory. We hear this all the time; we hear men attempting to be the savior of the planet. We enact measures to save the seas, the lands, the animals, the coral beds and on and one; yet the earth is eroding, and no one but Jesus can stop it and make it right.

The Lion of Judah steps up and proves that He is able to open the scroll. He alone is able to open the seals—The Lamb that was slain. MacArthur points out that ‘his scars were visible.’ John had seen these scars before many times after the resurrection. He knew who he was looking at.

The Lamb (literally ‘a little pet lamb’), the people were required to bring for the Passover into their homes; and it was essentially a pet for 4 days before you killed it. Jesus was the true Passover Lamb “who takes away the sins of the world” (John 1:29). The Lamb has seven horns, perfect strength and perfect sight, and seven eyes. This is the Tri-unity shown here as well.

In verse 1 we have Him who sat on the throne; then we see Jesus and the Holy Spirit. Jesus has complete Sovereign power, and we know this from Matthew 28:18, “all power is given unto me.” The Lamb, Jesus, takes the scroll from God in verse 7.

The Worthiness of Jesus – Revelation Chapter 5, verses 8-14

They sang a new song once Jesus took the scroll, “You are worthy.” Jesus is worthy. He is worthy because he was slain, killed (verse 9). He redeemed a people from every tribe, tongue and nation on earth.

In our little church we have people from Barbados, England, Jamaica, Montserrat and even some from Canada. I was just at an associational meeting, and we had missionaries from the US, Argentina, Thailand and others. Our guest speaker was a mix of Mexican and the US, and I was sitting next to one of my missionary friends from the Philippians. We have many of the tribes and tongues represented in our little group. We all got saved by the same Gospel and the same Jesus.

Many times, in the Bible, the people sang a new song to commemorate an event. We are told in Psalm 33:3 to “sing to the Lord a new song” and to play skillfully with a shout. I am so impressed with a lot of the modern musicians that play and write the wonderful songs that we sing; they move us and humble us. The ‘old’ hymns that take us to the cross, walk us by the empty tomb, recount God’s faithfulness and cry about His grace and mercy are beautiful as well.

As long as there is breath in our lungs, we should be writing and singing new songs about Jesus’ grace, His mercy, His sacrifice, His powerful blood, His resurrection and His return. Those of us who have been redeemed will never run out of new songs, new poems, and new ways to express our appreciation for all He has done and is doing.

In Revelation 5:11 we have an immeasurable number of people in heaven singing this song along with the elders and the beasts. The literal term for the 10,000 times 10,000 is ‘myriads upon myriads.’ Forget your calculator; no machine can count that high. From Adam and Eve, to the last Gentile to be redeemed before the Tribulation, some 6,000 years of redeemed souls stand before the Throne of God singing about the worthiness of the Lamb of God, Jesus the King of the Jews, the Lion of Judah and the Savior of the world.

Yes, sadly, there will be many in Hell. But (remember the word BUT) there will be billions if not trillions in Heaven. We need to stop this defeatist mentality that often permeates the Lord’s churches. We sound like Elijah, ‘oh woe is me; we are all that is left.’ But make no mistake; Satan is not going to defeat God at HIS OWN game. God wrote the book, wrote the rules, and set the limits, and He alone will be the victor in this mess.

Will you be there to sing amongst the throngs? Will your voice be heard as they sing “Worthy is the Lamb?” Will you be singing blessings and honor with the myriads of people? You can be.

Jesus is the Lamb of God that takes away the sins of the world. He is the One slain for our sins. He is the One who was wounded for our transgressions and the One who paid it all, the One who has the absolute power to redeem you from death and Hell, and the One who rose from the grave. Call on Him, and you too can be there with John singing.

John 3:16-17 “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.”

https://youtu.be/cgsbaBIaoVc 

Another song for you. Enjoy!

Missionarybaptistchurch76@yahoo.ca

 

Revelation Lesson 13: The Throne Room of Heaven

Revelation Chapter 4:2-11

“Immediately I was in the Spirit; and behold, a throne set in heaven, and One sat on the throne. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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!’

“Whenever the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to Him who sits on the throne, who lives forever and ever, 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:

“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.’”

Last week we talked about the Tribulation and the Rapture. These are events that are soon to happen; and we Christians need to be ready and watching for the Lord Jesus to call us. It is amazing some of the things that are out there. I have very devout brothers of mine that will tell you they have no idea what is going to happen; we will know when it happens. Others were set on one understanding and then changed based on some ‘new’ information. I understand their dilemma.

Just yesterday I saw a short video outlining four (4) views of the end times; and if you were not familiar with the scripture, maybe a newly born Christian or an inexperienced one, it would be easy to find yourself confused or maybe not even willing to investigate because you think it does not matter. There are some important things that help us to frame our thoughts and come to the right conclusions on a matter in the scripture.

Last week we mentioned Enoch and Elijah; these two men for sure were ‘caught up’ to be with the Lord. So, we have clear examples of the rapture in the scriptures. In the New Testament, we are told often by Jesus that we are to watch (Matthew 24:42-44). The idea of watching is paired with the fact that we do not know the ‘hour’ that the Lord is coming back. If, as some teach, the Tribulation begins and then Jesus comes for us, we could predict with some degree of accuracy when Jesus would return for us.

In Daniel 9:27 we are clearly told that they, the world system at the end, will sign a treaty with Israel for 7 days (7 years); and in the middle of the week (3.5 years), the agreement will be broken. There is no mystery here. If the world system announces, and they will, that a Peace Agreement has been met and we see the Temple being built, we could literally count 3.5 years and know exactly when Jesus would return for us. We would know the ‘hour.’ The same is true for any scenario that happens after the Tribulation starts and we are still here.

We are told over and over again exactly how long that period is. There are some that believe that the events of the Tribulation have already started and we have been experiencing them since Jesus left. But the Apostle Paul was very clear that this was not the case; and in fact, he believed that Jesus could return in his lifetime. In 1 Thessalonians 4:13-17 when talking about the return of the Lord to get the ‘dead in Christ’ and ‘we’ that remain, Paul uses the term ‘we’ 4 or 5 times to refer to the immediacy of the Lord’s return. He thought that Jesus could come at any time, even in his time; and he expected it.

This epistle, 1 Thessalonians, was written in about 52 AD. The city of Jerusalem had not even been sacked by Rome as yet; but Paul taught that Jesus’ return was imminent. This should be the position of the New Testament church; any other scenario leaves no room for the idea of immediacy.

Finally, the rebirth of Israel puts us on a direct path with prophecy. There is an Israel around that will require a ‘covenant’ as explained in Daniel 9:27. If you have been alive in the last 50 years and care to know, the world led by the US has made 11 attempts since 1967 to get a lasting peace treaty with Israel. And, as I write, the current US administration is working to this end. If Paul was still around, he would be outside doing jumping jacks as rapture practice.

His Majesty

John leaves the earth and its confines and finds himself in the Throne room of the Living God. There is a Supreme Being to whom we will all answer. God is that Person. Mankind hates the idea that we have someone to answer to. We love the idea of being the captains of our own ships, but this is not the truth.

John sees a throne and One who sits on it. He is covered in jasper (bright white) and Sardis (red). These are also the first and last stones in the High Priest’s breastplate (Exodus 38:8-13) and may give us the idea that the One on the throne is both the First and the Last. John sees an emerald green rainbow over the throne, God’s reminder to us that He will never again destroy the earth by the means of a global flood.

While we do have a few monarchs still living today, the idea of absolute sovereignty is lost on them. We in Canada have the Queen of England as a head of state, but she does not command life and death like monarchs in the Biblical days. Even the POTUS is not absolute; he has the Congress and the Senate to answer to, so to speak. But the One who sits on the throne in Heaven is an absolute ruler; no one will judge Him. He in turn judges everyone from Adam to the last person on earth, to Lucifer and his minions and his earthly counterparts, the Antichrist and false prophet. There is an absolute and final authority, the King of Heaven.

John sees 24 other thrones and 24 elders who sit on them. There is much speculation about these; and I will admit that I am still researching them, but in Matthew 19:28 we find this verse and a promise from Jesus,

“Jesus said to them, ‘I assure you: In the Messianic Age, when the Son of Man sits on His glorious throne, you who have followed Me will also sit on 12 thrones, judging the 12 tribes of Israel.’”

The apostle Peter testifies to having left all to follow Jesus during his earthly ministry, and Jesus promises him, ‘I assure you’ that he would sit on one of the 12 thrones in heaven judging the 12 tribes of Israel. From the context, we can get that Jesus was addressing the 12 apostles.

We know that Judas was not going to be in heaven; and that later on they added Matthias in Acts 1 to replace Judas; and then God called Paul, and he was an apostle out of season. In 1 & 2 Timothy, Paul introduces himself as an apostle. So, it is God who knows who makes the final cut. But those who followed Jesus during His earthly ministry would have 12 thrones to judge from.

I still do not know who will be on the other 12; they may be for the nation of Israel representing the two vessels of the Gospel, Israel and the New Testament church. John sees lightning, and he hears thunder and voices. He sees the Holy Spirit represented in Seven lamps of fire and Seven spirits. In Isaiah 11:2,

“And the spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord.”

We see seven workings of the Holy Spirit mentioned here in Isaiah, beginning with the “Spirit of the Lord,” and then 6 other functions of the Holy Spirit. He is also like Jesus, a source of Light to the world. He illuminates us and lives in us, bringing understanding and wisdom into our frail and failing bodies.

John sees the Majesty of the Throne Room; it is bright and filled with the power of God. We are in for a sight in Heaven when we get there. As Paul says 1 Corinthians 2:9, “Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, the things that God has prepared for those who love Him.”

His Praise and Worship

With His Majesty, God deserves praise and worship. His glory, His holiness and His goodness are worthy of constant praise. I do not think that the ones praising Him are doing so out of compulsion but out of a genuine regard for the Majesty of the One on the Throne.

We will look at the two songs that are sung:

“Holy, Holy, Holy, is the Lord God almighty who was, and is and is to come” – this song marks God as one with neither beginning nor end and one who is ever present. There is no time outside of God, and God is not bound by time. We have past, present and future; God simply IS! He sees the beginning and the end at the same time since He is not bound by time. As such, He can reign supreme over every stage of man’s existence and have His sovereign will executed as he pleases.

The second song celebrates His creative power and that He and He alone sustains us.

We live in an arrogant time; we, mere men, have this idea that we can – through some power of our doing – destroy God’s creation. As if we can destroy what God intended to last for an eternity. As if we can destroy what God has built. God is the God who created and sustains the earth, and one day He and He alone will melt it back to its foundations and build a new one.

God is worthy to receive praise because He made all things and He keeps all things. But, as a society, we have forgotten God; and our pride has fooled us into thinking we can destroy God’s work. How God must laugh at these pundits who rail at Him in futility. Sadly, a lot of so-called evangelical Christians have fallen into this trap of the devil. This is not to say that we should not be careful with creation. God has given us the earth to feed us, bewilder us with its beauty, and its primary purpose is to bring glory to God. “The heavens declare the glory of God,” we are told by the Psalmist.

In the midst of these thrones and the constant worship are four living creatures. There is much discussion as to what these represent, and each one sounds so well laid out as you read it. But as I was studying, two of the ideas made the most sense to me and seemed to tell the story that we are to get here. These 4 represent the height of creation in four areas according to Rabbi Anin,

“There are four which have principality in this world: among intellectual creatures, man; among birds, the eagle; among cattle, the ox; and among wild beasts, the lion: each of these has a kingdom and a certain magnificence, and they are placed under the throne of glory, Ezekiel 1:10, to show that no creature is to exalt itself in this world, and that the kingdom of God is over all.”

But then we see that the person of Jesus can also be seen in these 4 creatures; and as this is the Revelation of Jesus, this may also work together with the previous ideas,

“The four different faces of the cherubim are often taken as symbols of Jesus as represented in each gospel. In classical church architecture, these four “characters” are repeated often as a motif that signifies both heaven and the four gospels.

“Most have seen Matthew as the “Lion” gospel, showing Jesus as the Lion of the Tribe of Judah. Mark is seen as the “Ox” gospel, showing Jesus as a humble servant, a worker. Luke is seen as the “Man” gospel, showing Jesus as the perfect man, the second Adam. John is seen as the “Eagle” gospel, showing Jesus as the man from heaven, the sky.”

Whenever these creatures gave thanks, honor and glory to the One on the Throne, everybody chimes in. The elders throw their crowns on the floor, and the whole group raises their voices to praise and worship the One on the Throne. Heaven is loud, bright and busy. God is the center of the universe, and we need to understand that and appreciate that.

What does this mean for you and me?

Is the Lord God the Majestic Ruler of your life? Have you and I given in to His Sovereignty over every aspect of us?

We have been bought with a price, and we are not our own. Jesus paid for redemption with His precious and priceless blood. Yet so many of us live as if we rescued ourselves and we are not owned by someone else. We are free in Jesus, but not just free to ourselves. We are free to serve Him.

And lastly, how is your praise and worship? Do we praise God with fervour and effervescence? Is it genuine and from a truly thankful and reverent heart that simply cannot but cry out in praise, “Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord God almighty?” Or, “You are worthy O Lord to receive glory and honor,” and we mean it.

I make a joke every now and then that a lot of Baptists like me are going to be a bit out of place for the first while in Heaven – some who like it as just piano music only, with a reverent level of singing. Heaven, as I said before, is loud, bright, musical and filled with awe. For too many of us ‘old’ Christians have lost the ‘awe’ of God. We have forgotten that it is okay to praise God with the same energy that we cheer our favorite team or band. It is okay to sing at the top of our lungs and to sing the angels quiet because they have no clue what redemption is.

I have attached the Revelation Song performed by the Newsboys; crank it up and get ready to sing in heaven. If you don’t like the style of music, there are multiple versions online.

“Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, Who was and is and is to come!”

https://youtu.be/wprJfbw2zMI

Missionarybaptistchurch76@yahoo.ca