Isa_40:28 Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard,
that the everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth,
fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of his understanding.
Psa 138:8 The LORD will perfect that which concerneth
me: thy mercy, O LORD, endureth for ever: forsake not the works of thine own
hands.
Psa 146:5 Happy is he that hath the God of Jacob for
his help, whose hope is in the LORD his God
Psa 146:6 Which made heaven, and earth, the sea, and
all that therein is: which keepeth truth for ever
Isa 40:27 Why sayest thou, O Jacob, and speakest, O
Israel, My way is hid from the LORD, and my judgment is passed over from my
God?
Isa 40:28 Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard,
that the everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth,
fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of his understanding.
Isa 43:7 Even every one that is called by my name: for
I have created him for my glory, I have formed him; yea, I have made him.
Isa 43:21 This people have I formed for myself; they
shall shew forth my praise.
Col 1:16 For by him were all things created, that are
in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be
thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by
him, and for him
Col 1:17 And he is before all things, and by him all
things consist.
Col 1:18 And he is the head of the body, the church:
who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might
have the preeminence.
Col 1:19 For it pleased the Father that in him should
all fulness dwell;
Col 1:20 And, having made peace through the blood of
his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether
they be things in earth, or things in heaven.
Heb 1:1 God, who at sundry times and in divers
manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets,
Heb 1:2 Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his
Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the
worlds;
Heb 1:3 Who being the brightness of his glory, and
the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his
power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of
the Majesty on high
Rev 4:10 The four and twenty elders fall down before
him that sat on the throne, and worship him that liveth for ever and ever, and
cast their crowns before the throne, saying,
Rev 4:11 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.
******* Continuing our prophecy study-- Please
GO back and READ the study from the beginning to gain full understanding of
where we are if you haven't been following this study daily. Thank you
:) We are on lesson number 72. God bless you! ******
Revelation {1:10} I
was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day, and heard behind me a great voice, as of a
trumpet
{1:11} Saying, I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last: and, What thou
seest, write in a book, and send [it] unto the seven churches which are in
Asia; unto Ephesus, and unto Smyrna, and unto Pergamos, and unto Thyatira, and
unto Sardis, and unto Philadelphia, and unto Laodicea.
Revelation {4:1}
After this I looked, and, behold, a door [was] opened in heaven: and the first
voice which I heard [was] as it were of a trumpet talking with me; which said,
Come up hither, and I will shew thee things which must be hereafter.
The voice as if a trumpet told John to write in a book and send what he'd
written onto God's people in various areas- a message truly for God's people
throughout time.
The voice as if a trumpet
afterwards said - 'Come up hither and I will shew thee things which MUST
be hereafter.'
Must be- not might be, this isn't any fictional character of a spirit nature
with a big scary voice saying he was going to show John things that might come
to pass. This big voice (for how else would you categorize a voice as if a
trumpet?) told John he was going to be shown things which MUST be hereafter. So
all that would be shown is factual in the nature of having to come to pass at
some point in time after the vision.
Prophecy.
Revelation {4:2} And immediately I was in the spirit: and, behold, a throne was
set in heaven, and [one] sat on the throne
When we talk of John being in the spirit it's sufficient to note that He was
caught up into heavenly things, yes? All the while he's being shown things,
hearing things he's in the spirit- the Holy Spirit is there opening his eyes,
his heart, his mind to all that is going on-- he's truly being led by the
spirit he's not doing any of this of his own accord and refuses to have anyone
even think he is. He was in the spirit as all this took place, this was of
God.
The vision given to Him was one of heaven- a throne in heaven with someone upon
that throne.
{4:3} And he that
sat was to look upon like a jasper and a sardine stone: and [there was] a
rainbow round about the throne, in sight like unto an emerald.
That someone sitting
there was amazing to look upon- they weren't like humans, but rather they had
an appearance of precious stones, not only precious stones but a rainbow was
around the throne and then there is mention of an emerald- again a precious stone.
We know for a fact God had Moses use precious stones when creating the
Breastplate of Judgment-
Exo 28:15 And thou shalt make the breastplate of
judgment with cunning work; after the work of the ephod thou shalt make it; of
gold, of blue, and of purple, and of scarlet, and of fine twined linen, shalt
thou make it.
Exo 28:16 Foursquare it shall be being doubled; a span
shall be the length thereof, and a span shall be the breadth thereof.
Exo 28:17 And thou shalt set in it settings of stones,
even four rows of stones: the first row shall be a sardius, a topaz, and a
carbuncle: this shall be the first row.
Exo 28:18 And the second row shall be an emerald, a
sapphire, and a diamond.
Exo 28:19 And the third row a ligure, an agate, and an
amethyst.
Exo 28:20 And the fourth row a beryl, and an onyx, and
a jasper: they shall be set in gold in their inclosings.
Exo 28:21 And the stones shall be with the names of the
children of Israel, twelve, according to their names, like the engravings of a
signet; every one with his name shall they be according to the twelve tribes.
The breastplate of judgment- modeled after the Ephod.
It's amazing to imagine such a sight isn't it? Such beauty- and with a rainbow
round about the throne- yes, it certainly gives the imagination something to
work with- something amazing.
Rev 4:4 And round about the throne were four and
twenty seats: and upon the seats I saw four and twenty elders sitting, clothed
in white raiment; and they had on their heads crowns of gold.
Rev 4:5 And out of the throne proceeded lightnings
and thunderings and voices: and there were seven lamps of fire burning before
the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God.
Such a vivid picture! A throne and around about the throne 24 seats.
In those 24 seats
were 24 elders.
These 24 elders have
to be very important just by the fact they are surrounding the throne of God.
You don't get such an important seating unless there is something special about
you- as a rule. We can't help but think of the two important 12's in the Bible-
the 12 tribes of Israel (the 12 sons of Joseph) of the Old Testament and the 12
Apostles of Jesus of the New Testament (12 being the one that replaced Judas
after Jesus' death). The old and the new brought together- yes, this is pure
conjecture it doesn't say the 24 elders are such, but it's one possibility.
The mention of their clothing is important- white raiment. We just studied
about the various churches Jesus gave admonishments and promises to. Remember
this-
'Rev. {3:5} He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and
I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his
name before my Father, and before his angels.'
He that overcomes will be clothed in white raiment- the symbolism of overcoming
through Christ. Only the worthy are clothed in white raiment so the 24 elders
are obviously worthy of such garments depicting their overcoming.
What about the crowns they wore- 'Rev. {2:10} Fear none of those things which
thou shalt suffer: behold, the devil shall cast [some] of you into prison, that
ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days: be thou faithful unto
death, and I will give thee a crown of life.'
There's the 'crown of life'.
James 1:12 Blessed
is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the
crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him.
1 Pet. 5:4 And when the chief Shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a crown
of glory that fadeth not away.
Interesting bit of information here-
http://refbible.com/c/crown.htm
One of two Greek
words for crown-
(1) Stephanos means a chaplet (wreath) made of leaves or leaf-like gold, used
for marriage and festive occasions, and expressing public recognition of
victory in races, games and war; also figuratively as a reward for efficient
Christian life and service (see GAMES). This symbol was more noticeable and
intricate than the plain fillet. Only in the Re of John is stephanos called
"golden." The "crown of thorns" which Jesus wore was a
stephanos (woven wreath) of thorns; the kind is not known (Matthew 27:29 Mark
15:17 John 19:2, 5). Luke makes no mention of it. Whether intended to represent
royalty or victory, it was caricature crown. Stephanos is found in 1
Corinthians 9:25 Philippians 4:1 1 Thessalonians 2:19; 2 Timothy 4:8 James 1:12
1 Peter 5:4; Revelation 2:10; Revelation 3:11; Revelation 6:2; Revelation 12:1;
Revelation 14:14; plural in Revelation 4:4, 10; Revelation 9:7;
"crowned" in 2 Timothy 2:5 Hebrews 2:9; "crownedst" in
Hebrews 2:7.
A reward for efficent Christian life and service. These 24 elders wore the
raiment of white- the righteousness of Christ and the golden crown of victory
in Christ, life in Christ - the elders service, their devotion to Christ is
uncontested and rewarded by their positions on thrones, their clothing, their
crowns. We might not know exactly who the elders are but we know beyond a doubt
they are worthy and overcomers in Christ. Some might say they can't be
representatives of the 12 tribes of Israel and have the white raiment of
Christ, and they'd be wrong. The hope of the Savior is known throughout the
entire Old Testament. That hope is Christ.
Rev. {4:4} And round about the throne were four and twenty seats: and upon the
seats I saw four and twenty elders sitting, clothed in white raiment; and they
had on their heads crowns of gold. {4:5} And out of the throne proceeded
lightnings and thunderings and voices: and there were seven lamps of fire
burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God.
Out of throne came
lightning, thundering, and voices. Wow! Such noise!
Also amongst all of this were seven lamps of fire burning before the throne of
God, the seven Spirits of God. Seven the number of perfection, of
completeness.
This is an amazing heavenly vision to behold, it's powerful and thought
provoking.
Rev. {4:6} And
before the throne there was a sea of glass like unto crystal: and in the midst
of the throne, and round about the throne, were four beasts full of eyes before
and behind.
A sea of glass like crystal- we have a saying that something is- crystal clear.
This sea of glass like crystal- a clear sea, such an amazing sea. Can you for a
moment imagine a sea of glass, a sea of crystal clear glass? It boggles the
mind it really does and it invokes such beauty.
Now the next bit- 'round about the throne were four beasts...' This immediately
seems to take away from what we envision to be a perfect, glorious scene-
beasts introduced to such beauty. Beasts full of eyes before and behind. Truly
the imagination can picture these beasts and they're not very pretty at all. Of
course that's because of the translation really- read this--
'Four beasts. Four living creatures, as in the Revised Version. Four beasts, as
in the Common Version, is an incorrect idea. The Greek for beasts is different
( thiria ). They are four zoa, living forms.'
http://bible.cc/revelation/4-6.htm
Invoking the image of a beast doesn't do justice to this vision at all-
changing that word to 'four living creatures' lets the imagination free to see
beauty once more- not something hideous at all. Living creatures with the
ability to see everything for what else could having eyes everywhere front and
back mean? The ability to see the past and the future?
We're not left to imagine just any old living creatures though, we are given
examples to implement-
'And the first beast [was] like a lion'
Like a lion. Lions are majestic creatures aren't they? Powerful to be sure.
'and the second beast like a calf'
Like a calf. What do you think of when you think of a calf? Young and yet
powerful, right? A calf with the ability to grow up into an amazing creature.
'and the third beast had a face as a man'
Well we know what men look like so having a beast with a face of a man does
what? Tends to let us believe that there is intelligence beyond what is normal
in an animalistic living creature.
'and the fourth
beast was like a flying eagle.'
We imagine eagles and can't help but envision the sheer majesty and power of
that bird, it's truly in a class by itself for invoking power and majesty isn't
it? The strength of an eagle is something often used as a descriptive term.
Strong as an eagle, swift as an eagle. Power.
{4:8} And the four beasts had each of them six
wings about him
These four living creatures with attributes of the familiar all had six wings!
Wings we know depict swiftness,
speed. Two powerful wings can get you far, four double that, six triple the
powerful speed behind such wings.
'and [they were]
full of eyes within'
Again the mention of
eyes- of having that ability to see all and it has to be all. To be full of
eyes you are seeing every which way. You are limited by two eyes looking
forward but if you're full of eyes you are seeing everything at once without
limits.
'and they rest not
day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is,
and is to come. '
Amazing! A constant
praise of our Lord God almighty! These super amazing living creatures using
their voices to praise God, so wondrous.
{4:9} And when those beasts give glory and honour and thanks to him that sat on
the throne, who liveth for ever and ever, {4:10} The four and twenty elders
fall down before him that sat on the throne, and worship him that liveth for
ever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying, {4:11} 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.
Too awe inspiring for words really. True worship, true honor, true praise to
our Creator! Our Lord! None deserves such worship but God and God alone by whom
ALL things were created! What a privilege for John to be able to see such
wonders. How blessed we are to have the vision told to us. Blessed.
*
In the book of
Daniel which we studied recently, we learned that in prophecy beasts usually
represent what? Kingdoms, kings, rulers.
Another aspect for us to look at is these beasts surrounding the throne
as representative of kingdoms.
We just read what
the beasts were but let's do it again-
Rev 4:7 And the first beast was like a lion, and the
second beast like a calf, and the third beast had a face as a man, and the
fourth beast was like a flying eagle.
A lion.
A calf.
A man.
A flying eagle.
All these beasts
full of eyes.
These four beasts,
these four living creatures will give glory and honor and thanks to God.
When these beasts do
this those 24 elders fall down before the throne. Will kingdoms, will rulers bow down before
God? Yes.
Rev 15:4 Who shall not fear thee, O Lord, and glorify
thy name? for thou only art holy: for all nations shall come and worship before
thee; for thy judgments are made manifest.
Whatever these
living creature are representative of we know they are all seeing, we know they
give honor, glory, and thanks to God. We know that the 24 elders will fall down
before the throne- no longer sitting around it but on the sea of glass before God.
Moved out of their place of honor- an honor bestowed upon them by God, all in
order to give worship unto God.
{4:11} 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.
God the creator of
all things.
God the creator of
all things for His pleasure.
Our CREATOR.
If only all people
would realize the love of their Creator.
There will be a day
when all will bow down before their Creator- the God of love. That day is fast approaching. May God find us
worthy through His Son's sacrifice, through His Son's righteousness!
By His grace, by His
mercy may we be witnesses to this scene before the throne of God, may we find
understanding in all that our Savior has given us in this prophecy to
understand.
Amen.
