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Revelation chapter 4 a glimpse into heaven · The TakeAway

• 0:01
  SPEAKER_01: Hello, and welcome to the Takeaway, where we teach through the Bible, chapter by chapter, and verse by verse, to help you understand God's Word so that you can have a more intimate relationship with Jesus, our Lord and Savior.
• 0:25
  SPEAKER_00: Hello, and welcome again to the Takeaway.
• 0:28
  SPEAKER_00: I'm your host, Pastor Harry Barns, and on today's episode, we will be looking at Revelation chapter 4.
• 0:33
  SPEAKER_00: In this chapter, we're going to get a glimpse of heaven and a look into God's throne room.
• 0:37
  SPEAKER_00: I can't stress enough what a privilege privilege this is for us to have.
• 0:41
  SPEAKER_00: We tend to take this for granted as if this is some just some story written long ago and far away that has no real impact on our lives today.
• 0:48
  SPEAKER_00: Let me tell you something that couldn't be any further from the truth.
• 0:51
  SPEAKER_00: Let's not forget 2 Timothy chapter 3, verses 16 and 17.
• 0:56
  SPEAKER_00: All scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.
• 1:09
  SPEAKER_00: If that's the case, then these next few chapters have just as much meaning and purpose in them as anything else written in the Bible.
• 1:17
  SPEAKER_00: As we read through chapter four today, try to picture yourself in John's shoes, because the reality is, if you are a true believer in Jesus, then you will be here for this event in heaven.
• 1:27
  SPEAKER_00: Make no mistake about it.
• 1:29
  SPEAKER_00: What an awesome God we have to give us a glimpse of our future home and to allow us to prepare ourselves now for this future event.
• 1:38
  SPEAKER_00: Now in verse one, we read, After this I looked, and behold, a door standing open in heaven, and the first voice which I had heard speaking to me like a trumpet said, Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this.
• 1:53
  SPEAKER_00: To uh to help us stay in the context of scripture, let's ask ourselves the first obvious question.
• 2:01
  SPEAKER_00: After what?
• 2:02
  SPEAKER_00: Well, if you have been following along, in our last episode, we finished reading about the seven churches.
• 2:08
  SPEAKER_00: So this would be directly after that.
• 2:11
  SPEAKER_00: Jesus is now showing John an open door in heaven and calls him to come up here.
• 2:16
  SPEAKER_00: Now I want to say something about this event.
• 2:18
  SPEAKER_00: Some people take this statement to come up here as a picture of the rapture of the church.
• 2:24
  SPEAKER_00: The thought is that since Jesus just dealt with the church, he then raptures them into heaven, and that this is proof of that.
• 2:31
  SPEAKER_00: Also, in that the church isn't mentioned again until Jesus comes back with his bride until the end of the tribulation.
• 2:38
  SPEAKER_00: So therefore, they conclude this is the rapture event.
• 2:42
  SPEAKER_00: Now, I do believe the church is removed from the tribulation and that there's plenty of other scripture evidence to support that.
• 2:49
  SPEAKER_00: However, to apply that here, we would have to yet again apply our own understanding and not use scripture to interpret itself.
• 2:56
  SPEAKER_00: As we read this chapter, there is nothing to imply that John being caught up at this moment is a picture of the church being raptured.
• 3:04
  SPEAKER_00: To take this in its plain meaning, it's just Jesus catching John up into heaven to show him some things he wants him to witness and to write about for our benefit.
• 3:15
  SPEAKER_00: Now, Paul also talked about being caught up into the third heaven as an experience he had.
• 3:20
  SPEAKER_00: And you will never hear anyone say that that's a picture of the church being raptured.
• 3:24
  SPEAKER_00: Again, I do believe fully uh the church will be removed prior to God's judgment, but this is just this this is not the scripture to use to prove that point.
• 3:34
  SPEAKER_00: Now, verse two, at once I was in the spirit, and behold, a throne stood in heaven, with one seated on the throne, and he who sat there had the appearance of Jasper and Carnelian, and around the throne was a rainbow that had the appearance of an emerald.
• 3:49
  SPEAKER_00: So John is now before the throne of God and is trying to explain what he is seeing.
• 3:54
  SPEAKER_00: Notice he says that he who sat on the throne had the appearance of.
• 3:59
  SPEAKER_00: John is again just doing the best he can to describe what he is seeing in terms that make sense.
• 4:05
  SPEAKER_00: Now the rainbow around the throne is clear.
• 4:08
  SPEAKER_00: This has meaning as to who this is on the throne.
• 4:11
  SPEAKER_00: Now in Genesis chapter 9, verses 13 through 17, we read, I set my rainbow in the cloud, and it shall be for the sign of the covenant between me and the earth.
• 4:21
  SPEAKER_00: It shall be when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the rainbow shall be seen in the cloud, and I will remember my covenant, which is between me and you, and every living creature of all flesh.
• 4:32
  SPEAKER_00: The waters shall never again become flood, become a flood to destroy all flesh.
• 4:37
  SPEAKER_00: The rainbow shall be in the cloud, and I will look on it to remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth.
• 4:45
  SPEAKER_00: And God said to Noah, This is the sign of the covenant which I have established between me and all flesh that is on the earth.
• 4:53
  SPEAKER_00: So as we can see, the rainbow is around God the Father's throne as a covenant, that he will never judge the world by a flood again.
• 5:00
  SPEAKER_00: Some will say, But Jesus is God, and Jesus must be the one sitting on the throne.
• 5:04
  SPEAKER_00: As we read on, we will see that isn't the case, as Jesus will be taking, will be the one taking the scroll out of the hand of the one sitting on the throne.
• 5:13
  SPEAKER_00: That doesn't mean Jesus isn't God.
• 5:16
  SPEAKER_00: Remember, we believe in a triune God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and the three are one.
• 5:21
  SPEAKER_00: Jesus said to John, uh said in John chapter 14, verse 7, If you had known me, you would have known my father also.
• 5:30
  SPEAKER_00: From now on, you do know him and have seen him.
• 5:33
  SPEAKER_00: Jesus makes it abundantly clear that they are one and the same.
• 5:38
  SPEAKER_00: Just because we can't manifest ourselves in different ways doesn't limit God from being who he is.
• 5:43
  SPEAKER_00: He is God and well beyond our understanding.
• 5:46
  SPEAKER_00: All we need to do is believe what he says.
• 5:49
  SPEAKER_00: Verse 4 we read, Around the throne were twenty-four thrones, and seated on the thrones were twenty-four elders, clothed in white garments, with golden crowns on their heads.
• 6:01
  SPEAKER_00: Now, what and who are the twenty-four thrones and elders?
• 6:05
  SPEAKER_00: Well, they are most likely representative of the church.
• 6:09
  SPEAKER_00: It is unlikely that they are angelic beings, as some suggest.
• 6:13
  SPEAKER_00: The fact that they sit on the thrones indicates that they are they reign with Christ.
• 6:17
  SPEAKER_00: Nowhere in Scripture do angel angels ever rule or sit on thrones.
• 6:22
  SPEAKER_00: The church, however, is repeatedly said to rule and to reign with Christ.
• 6:26
  SPEAKER_00: We see this in Revelation chapter 2, verses 26 to 27.
• 6:31
  SPEAKER_00: We see it in Revelation chapter 5, verse 10.
• 6:33
  SPEAKER_00: We see it in chapter 20, verse 4.
• 6:36
  SPEAKER_00: We see it in Matthew chapter 19, verse 28.
• 6:39
  SPEAKER_00: And we see it in Luke chapter 22, verse 30.
• 6:43
  SPEAKER_00: I would suggest you go and read those for yourself and just read it and you'll see.
• 6:48
  SPEAKER_00: Uh now in verse 5, from the throne came flashes of lightning and rumblings and peals of thunder, and before the throne were burning seven torches of fire, which are the seven spirits of God.
• 6:59
  SPEAKER_00: There it is being defined for us, the seven torches of fire, which are the seven spirits of God.
• 7:03
  SPEAKER_00: So what are the seven lamps?
• 7:05
  SPEAKER_00: Are they different from the lampstands?
• 7:07
  SPEAKER_00: Well, seven lamps equals seven spirits of God, and the seven lampstands equals seven churches.
• 7:14
  SPEAKER_00: We've seen this as we write scripture.
• 7:16
  SPEAKER_00: What's interesting is that the spirits of God is the light of the church.
• 7:20
  SPEAKER_00: We become the church, the lampstand.
• 7:22
  SPEAKER_00: That allows the spirit of God, the lamp, to shine forth.
• 7:26
  SPEAKER_00: Now, do we allow the spirit of God to shine in us?
• 7:29
  SPEAKER_00: This is a picture we have in heaven and the desire God has for us today.
• 7:34
  SPEAKER_00: He wants us to receive the Holy Spirit through believing in Jesus so that he can shine in our lives.
• 7:40
  SPEAKER_00: Now, the seven spirits, if you remember, is the fullness of God indicated in number seven.
• 7:44
  SPEAKER_00: In Isaiah chapter 11, verse 2, it was the spirit of the Lord, wisdom, knowledge, power, understanding, counsel, and the fear of the Lord.
• 7:53
  SPEAKER_00: This would indicate the fullness of God.
• 7:56
  SPEAKER_00: Now in verse 6, and before the throne there was, as it were, a sea of glass, like crystal.
• 8:02
  SPEAKER_00: And around the throne, on each side of the throne, are four living creatures, full of eyes, in front and behind.
• 8:08
  SPEAKER_00: A question we have here is does the sea of glass represent anything?
• 8:12
  SPEAKER_00: Well, not all things can be explained, nor do they have to be.
• 8:15
  SPEAKER_00: When talking about heaven, it is beyond our comprehension, and in this case, we aren't given any further detail, so we should just take it at face value.
• 8:24
  SPEAKER_00: Verse 7 and 8.
• 8:26
  SPEAKER_00: The first living creature like a lion, the second living creature like an ox, the third living creature with the face of a man, and the fourth living creature like an eagle in flight.
• 8:35
  SPEAKER_00: And the four living creatures, each of them with six wings, are full of eyes all around and within, and day and night they never cease to say, Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come.
• 8:49
  SPEAKER_00: So what are the four living creatures?
• 8:51
  SPEAKER_00: We have in Isaiah chapter six, verses one and seven, and Ezekiel chapter one, four through fourteen, and Ezekiel chapter ten, verses twenty and twenty-two, similar creatures.
• 9:02
  SPEAKER_00: However, there are slight differences in the descriptions given to us.
• 9:06
  SPEAKER_00: This could be the perspective of the writer of these creatures and what they were able to see, or it could be that they are different creatures altogether.
• 9:15
  SPEAKER_00: It is, however, an interesting study if you want to dive into it for yourself.
• 9:19
  SPEAKER_00: But for the context of our reading today, the scripture defines these creatures for us.
• 9:23
  SPEAKER_00: They are beings that never cease from praising God around his throne.
• 9:27
  SPEAKER_00: Now, as for the faces of these creatures, why do they have these attributes?
• 9:31
  SPEAKER_00: Some commentators offer a variety of explanations of the four living creatures.
• 9:35
  SPEAKER_00: Some argue simply that these are exalted angels who extol the attributes of God.
• 9:40
  SPEAKER_00: Others say they represent Christ as seen in the four gospels, in Matthew, the lion of the tribe of Judah, in Mark, the ox, or calf as the servant of Yahweh, in Luke, the incarnate Son of Man, and in John the Eagles as the divine Son of God.
• 9:54
  SPEAKER_00: J.
• 9:54
  SPEAKER_00: F.
• 9:54
  SPEAKER_00: Walvard and R.B.
• 9:56
  SPEAKER_00: Zuck offer this view.
• 9:57
  SPEAKER_00: As the Holy Spirit was seen symbolically in the seven lamps, probably the four living creatures symbolically represent the attributes of God, including his omniscience and omnipresence, indicating by the creatures being full of eyes, with the four animals bringing out other attributes of God, the line indicating majesty and omnipotence, the ox, typical of faithful labor and patience, man indicating intelligence, and the eagle, the greatest bird representing supreme sovereignty.
• 10:29
  SPEAKER_00: Now, regardless of what they look like, the role is clear to glorify and worship God continually.
• 10:35
  SPEAKER_00: I am sure that when we are in heaven, there will be many other things and creatures that would defy explanation here on earth.
• 10:41
  SPEAKER_00: In time all things will be revealed.
• 10:45
  SPEAKER_00: So as we move on to verses nine and eleven, and whenever the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to him who's who's seated on the throne, who lives forever and ever, the twenty-four elders fall down before him who is seated on the throne and worship him who lives forever and ever.
• 11:01
  SPEAKER_00: They cast their crowns before the throne, saying, Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they exist and were created.
• 11:14
  SPEAKER_00: These last few verses give us a clear indication of why Jesus said, Store up for yourselves treasures in heaven.
• 11:20
  SPEAKER_00: We have seen already in previous chapters that if we endure, we will be given a crown.
• 11:25
  SPEAKER_00: Trust me on this, you want to send your treasures ahead of you, because you can't take what you have here on earth, and you will definitely want something to lay at the feet of the king.
• 11:35
  SPEAKER_00: In Matthew chapter six, verse 19, says, Do not lay up for yourselves treasures here on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.
• 11:45
  SPEAKER_00: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in and steal.
• 11:52
  SPEAKER_00: For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
• 11:55
  SPEAKER_00: In first John chapter two, verse twenty-eight.
• 11:57
  SPEAKER_00: And now, little children, abide in him, so that when he appears we may have confidence and not shrink from him in shame at his coming.
• 12:06
  SPEAKER_00: If you know that he is righteous, you may be sure that everyone who practices righteousness has been born of him.
• 12:13
  SPEAKER_00: In first Corinthians chapter three, verse twelve, we read, Now, if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, and straw, each one's work will become manifest, for the day will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done.
• 12:33
  SPEAKER_00: If the work that anyone has built on the foundation survives, he will receive a reward.
• 12:39
  SPEAKER_00: If anyone's work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire.
• 12:46
  SPEAKER_00: So there will definitely be people showing up in heaven empty-handed.
• 12:50
  SPEAKER_00: I would say that for sure that's better than not showing up at all.
• 12:54
  SPEAKER_00: However, it is our Lord's desire that we don't show up empty-handed.
• 12:58
  SPEAKER_00: As we have seen in chapters two and three to the churches, Jesus wanted desperately for them to receive the reward he had for them.
• 13:06
  SPEAKER_00: He wants that for us also.
• 13:08
  SPEAKER_00: Now I know for the uh I, for one, do not want to find myself before God with nothing to offer.
• 13:15
  SPEAKER_00: Who would dare go before an earthly king empty-handed?
• 13:19
  SPEAKER_00: How much more does our heavenly king deserve?
• 13:22
  SPEAKER_00: I could tell you plainly, he deserves everything.
• 13:26
  SPEAKER_00: By grace we are saved, not because we had anything to offer while we were still sinners to atone for our own sin, but because God first loved us.
• 13:36
  SPEAKER_00: John 3 16, for God so loved the world that he gave his only son, that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life.
• 13:44
  SPEAKER_00: For God did not send his son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him, whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.
• 14:00
  SPEAKER_00: Many people have received this truth and are saved because of it.
• 14:04
  SPEAKER_00: But how many more have not taken the step to know and follow Jesus so that they may receive the crown of life and be able to leave it at the Father's feet in heaven as a sign of gratitude that he gave his one and only son for them?
• 14:18
  SPEAKER_00: If someone sacrificed their child so that you could live, what would be your response to them?
• 14:25
  SPEAKER_00: Once you answer that, then answer this.
• 14:28
  SPEAKER_00: Why would your response to God be anything less?
• 14:32
  SPEAKER_00: Only you can answer that question.
• 14:34
  SPEAKER_00: Let me pray for you today.
• 14:36
  SPEAKER_00: Father God, thank you so much for your revelation, for the truth that you revealed to us.
• 14:40
  SPEAKER_00: Thank you for your son Jesus.
• 14:42
  SPEAKER_00: Thank you that we have an opportunity to store up for ourselves treasures in heaven, so that we can have a reward to present to you, an offering to present to you in heaven, a perfect offering, because we allowed your son Jesus to work in us and through us in this world as we are the body of Christ, God.
• 14:59
  SPEAKER_00: I pray for my listeners today that they would be obedient to your word, that they would seek you out to know you, to know truth, and to live for you every day of their lives, so that they too would have treasures in heaven.
• 15:12
  SPEAKER_00: Thank you, God, for your word and for your revelation, that we can know these truths and know how to live for you.
• 15:16
  SPEAKER_00: We pray in your precious name, Jesus.
• 15:19
  SPEAKER_00: Amen.
• 15:20
  SPEAKER_00: Thank you again for listening in today.
• 15:22
  SPEAKER_00: I hope today's message helped you better understand how and why to have a more intimate relationship with Jesus.
• 15:28
  SPEAKER_00: On our next episode, we will be looking at chapter five, a continuation of John's vision of heaven and the events that are about to take place.
• 15:35
  SPEAKER_00: God bless, and thank you for listening to the takeaway.