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The Throne of God | Revelation 4:1-11 | Pastor Daniel Batarseh (Revelation Bible Study Series) · Bible Study with Pr. Daniel Batarseh | Verse by Verse Series | Maranatha Bible Church - Chicago

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  In Revelation 119, the Lord Jesus Christ instructed the
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  apostle to write down three main things.
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  The first are the things that you have seen, the things that
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  you have seen, John, which he faithfully records in chapter 1.
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  Following that, he said write down the things that are, the
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  things that are, which he covers in chapters 2 and 3, addressing
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  the spiritual condition of seven ancient churches.
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  And lastly, Jesus asked John and commanded John really to write
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  down those things that will take place after this.
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  And those things surely begin to unfold in chapter 4 and beyond.
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  And many have observed that Jesus instruction in that verse
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  divide the Book of Revelation into three main sections.
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  And where we are today will be the beginning of the final and
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  longest part of this marvelous book.
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  So I invite you now to turn with me to the Book of Revelation
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  chapter 4. And we are going to read this
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  chapter in its entirety. Now listen as you do this with
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  me, do not allow yourself to get distracted.
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  I know it's a little warm in here.
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  It might be like this for a little bit, but focus.
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  Do you know why we must focus? Because we've been told in the
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  beginning of this book that there is a special blessing for
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  those who read aloud the words of this prophecy and who hear
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  them. So don't allow anything to
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  interfere with your hearing at this moment.
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  Revelation chapter 4, beginning in verse one.
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  After this I looked and behold a door standing open in heaven.
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  And the first voice which I heard speaking to me like a
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  trumpet said, Come up here and I will show you what must take
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  place after this. At once I was in the spirit and
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  behold the throne stood in heaven with one seated on the
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  throne and he was sat there had the appearance of Jasper and
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  carnelian, and around the throne was a rainbow that had the
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  appearance of an emerald. Around the throne were 24
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  Thrones and seated on the Thrones were 24 elders clothed
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  in white garments with golden crowns on their heads.
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  From the throne came flashes of lightning and rumblings and
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  peals of Thunder. And before the throne were
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  burning 7 torches of fire which are the seven spirits of God.
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  And before the throne there was, as it were, a sea of glass like
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  crystal. And around the throne, on each
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  side of the throne, are four living creatures full of eyes in
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  front and behind. The first living creature like a
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  lion, the second living creature like an ox, the third living
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  creature with the face of a man, and the fourth living creature
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  like an eagle in flight. And the four living creatures,
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  each of them with six wings, are full of eyes all around and
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  within, and day and night they never cease to say Holy, holy,
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  holy is the Lord God Almighty who was and is and is to come.
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  And whenever the living creatures give glory and honor
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  and thanks to them, who is seated on the throne, who lives
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  forever and ever? The 24 elders fall down before
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  him who is seated on the throne and worship him who lives
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  forever and ever. They cast their crowns before
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  the throne, saying, Worthy are you, O Lord our Lord and God, to
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  receive glory, honor, and honor and power.
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  For you created all things, and by your will they existed and
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  were created. Revelation chapter 4 is a
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  theological bridge that connects the condition of the church and
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  the calamities that are prepared to be unleashed on the earth in
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  preparation for the return of Jesus Christ.
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  Now in these 11 verses that we just read, the word throne
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  appears a total of 14 times and 12 of those times referenced
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  directly the throne of God. So it's so obvious what the Holy
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  Spirit wants to bring into our focus, isn't it?
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  As much as we might be tempted to examine and decode the
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  details, the text continually draws our attention back to 1
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  main thing, the throne of God. Now, it's no mystery to us to
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  know what a throne symbolizes. It speaks of authority,
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  sovereignty, power, kingship, and judgment.
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  And that is exactly what the Holy Spirit wants to bring into
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  our vision at this time. The divine authority, God's
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  unmatched power, His unstoppable rule, His holy justice.
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  And when you think about it, it makes perfect sense why this is
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  taking place here. Why mention this now?
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  Why this vision right here? Remember, Chapter 4 is a hinge
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  point. It's a bridge of the description
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  of the generally discouraging state of the Church and the
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  series of judgments that will be poured out upon the earth
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  leading up to the culmination of the age.
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  It's as though the Lord wants us to be reminded so strongly and
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  vividly about His sovereignty, no matter which direction you
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  look, lest you and I become fatigued by the faithlessness of
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  Christians in some ministries. Unless we might fall into the
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  temptation of being paralyzed by fear as we consider the
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  apocalyptic events and the rising evil that will intensify
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  as we approach the end, we are called to remember how God is
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  enthroned above it all. He is seated on the throne.
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  And when I was meditating on this yesterday, I believe that
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  there are at least six truths concerning the throne of God
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  that will strengthen your faith and mine if we wholeheartedly
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  embrace these truths and apply them to our lives.
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  The overarching point of the passage is no matter which
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  direction you look, you look at the church, you go, what's going
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  on there? You look at the world, you say,
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  what's going on here, Look up at the sovereignty of God above
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  everything. But more specifically, what is
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  it about the throne of God that should move us and anchor us and
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  make us immovable, make us Worshipful, even though
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  everything around us seems to give us reasons not to worship?
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  Let's consider 6 things, shall we?
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  The first thing that I want us to consider about the throne of
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  God. And remember, when I'm talking
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  about the throne, I'm not talking about the actual seat.
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  What the seat represents His authority, His sovereignty, His
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  power, His judgement, His Holiness.
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  Oh, if you're a note taker, this will be helpful.
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  The first thing that we must consider about the throne of God
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  is that the throne of God is in heaven.
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  Look again at verse one and two with me.
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  After this I looked, and behold the door standing open in
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  heaven, and the first voice which I heard speaking to me
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  like a trumpet, said, Come up here, and I will show you what
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  must take place after this. At once I was in the spirit.
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  And behold, in other words, look at this, a throne stood in
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  heaven, with one seated on the throne.
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  Now there are some who would interpret the words of John and
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  his experience of a heavenly session ascension to define a
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  symbolic representation of a pre tribulation rapture.
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  That John here represents a church.
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  And noting here that this invitation that come up came
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  after the description of the condition of the churches and
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  before the wrath of God was poured out on the earth, a case
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  is often made. It's also worth noting that the
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  word church will never appear from this point forward until
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  the very end of the Book of Revelation.
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  And with that somewhat add that it's quite telling that the
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  voice that called John upward was like that of a trumpet,
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  echoing the imagery that Paul gives in First Thessalonians 4
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  when he describes the swift events of the catching away of
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  the church in the air to meet our Lord above.
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  I'm sure we're all very much willing to debate the timing of
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  the rapture. But again, that's not the point
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  of the passage, is it? Our our eyes are drawn back to
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  the throne of God, and we'll have plenty time in Revelation
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  to discuss the timing of certain things.
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  The throne of God is what's in view.
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  And the first thing that he sees about this throne is that it
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  stands in heaven. Now that might seem like an
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  obvious truth. God's throne is where God lives,
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  or at least he is most obvious, His abode in heaven.
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  So why are we even being told this?
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  Well, because when you understand God's throne being in
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  heaven, the implications are absolutely massive.
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  Let me read this verse to you. In Psalm one O 3, verse 19, the
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  Lord has established His throne in the heavens and His Kingdom
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  rules over all. So what are you to make of this?
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  The reality of God's throne being established in heaven
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  declares that there is not one corner in all of the universe
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  that is untouched by His sovereign rule.
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  That's what the psalmist says. His throne is in the heavens,
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  which implies what His Kingdom rules over all.
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  So his governance sits above the galaxies.
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  It stretches beyond the countless stars.
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  It extends even to planets yet to be discovered.
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  It scans from sky to sky. It watches over every mountain
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  peak. It hovers over the oceans.
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  And there is not one major city or hidden village that can
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  escape His decree. Fact.
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  There is not one throne in all of human history that is not
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  stood in the transcendent shadow of this one supreme, eternal
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  throne. God's throne is in heaven.
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  You know, as I was looking at this early yesterday morning, I
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  couldn't help but think of another throne that's mentioned
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  earlier in the Book of Revelation.
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  Do you remember where we are told Satan's throne was located
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  at this time? Let's refresh our memories.
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  Go to chapter 2 and look at verse 12.
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  And to the Angel, the church in Pergamum, right?
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  The words of him who has the sharp 2 edged sword.
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  I know where you dwell, where Satan's throne is.
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  Isn't that interesting? So Satan's throne is in
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  Pergamum, while God's throne is in the heaven of heavens.
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  What are we to make of this? It's so obvious, is it not?
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  It's a staggering illustration of just how much greater our God
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  is than the devil himself and all his hordes of demons.
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  Don't you dare make the mistake of thinking that the devil is
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  just a little less powerful than God.
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  He is significantly less powerful than God.
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  God's throne is in the heavens, and at this time Satan made his
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  headquarters in a particular city.
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  How pathetic to even dare to compare the devil to our God.
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  And while you and I may be overwhelmed by the injustice
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  carried out by evil men who sit on powerful Thrones, you can
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  never afford to lose sight of the fact that God ultimately
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  supervises the affairs of our world.
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  His Kingdom rules over all from the beginning to the end of
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  human history. And we do, you and I good to
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  remember that God can never be voted out.
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  He can never be replaced. No one can ever usurp his
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  position. The fact that it's in heaven
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  means it's eternal. He remains the King forever and
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  ever. Well, how does that work for you
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  and I? Well, Isaiah had a similar
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  experience in Isaiah 6-1, in the year that King Uzziah died.
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  What happened? I saw the Lord sitting upon a
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  throne. So with all this shifts, how
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  relevant is this in governments and geopolitics and laws and all
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  these things that seem to be wreaking havoc around us?
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  Both John and Isaiah tell us, look up and realize who sits
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  upon the throne in heaven. Interpret every news headline,
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  every shock, every conspiracy that you hear with this glorious
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  picture. God sits upon a heavenly throne.
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  Number one. God's throne is in heaven #2 #2
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  the second truth about God's throne.
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  God's throne is gloriously grand.
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  Gloriously grand. Look at verse 3, the beginning
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  part at least. And he who sat there had the
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  appearance of Jasper and carnelian, and around the throne
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  was a rainbow that had the appearance of an emerald.
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  Isn't it remarkable that the only way that John could
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  describe the beauty of God and where he sat was to attribute to
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  it precious stones, valuable stones.
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  Now, as you can imagine, there are many who try to help us
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  understand what these jewels represent, some aspects of His
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  attributes and His character and nature.
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  I'm sure you can do that, but I'd like to take all these
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  jewels as a unit. When considering the combination
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  of what we have, Jasper and carnelian and emerald.
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  You're supposed to understand that what's being highlighted
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  here is the abundance of God's riches, and now He is the owner
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  of everything. How opulent, how rich, how
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  abundant. And it's not difficult to
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  recognize in your Bible that these authors, inspired by the
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  Holy Spirit, often associate God's power, God's majesty,
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  God's sovereignty, with the fact that everything in heaven and
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  under heaven is owned by him. He owns it all.
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  So let me give you an example of the words that David chose to
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  give to the Lord when blessing him in the preparation of the
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  building of the temple. Listen to these words.
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  You don't have to turn there unless you'd like to.
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  In First Chronicles, 2911 to 12. First Chronicles 2911 to 12.
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  Notice what David says. Yours, O Lord, is the greatness
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  and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty.
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  Pause. Isn't that what we're looking at
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  in Revelation 4? Yes, but it continues.
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  For all that is in the heavens and in the earth is yours.
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  Yours is the Kingdom, O Lord, and you were exalted as Head
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  above all. Both riches and honor come from
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  you, and you rule over all. In Your hand our power and
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  might, and in Your hand it is to make great and to give strength
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  to all. In case you didn't get it,
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  listen to what God Himself says about Himself in Job 4111.
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  Listen to this Who has first given to me that I should repay
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  Him Translation. Can you imagine anybody that's
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  ever I've ever borrowed from. Can you imagine at any time in
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  history where I took a loan? No, of course not.
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  Why? Look at the last part of the
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  verse. Whatever is under the whole
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  heaven is mine. It's all mine, everything.
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  And so you see, the radiance of of God's throne communicates
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  that he is not only incomparably beautiful, that he's also
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  inexhaustibly resourceful. He owns everything and the
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  source of all blessings, material or spiritual, come from
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  him. OK, preacher, I have a question.
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  How does that help me? I'll tell you how helps you.
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  The same God who sits on this glamorous, luxurious throne is
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  your Father. And I'm reminded of the promise
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  that Paul made to the Philippians when he said in that
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  famous verse in Philippians 419, My God will supply every need of
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  yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.
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  He will supply. He will do it.
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  Have you seen his throne? Have you seen the decoration?
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  Have you seen the light? Have you seen the beauty and the
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  context of Paul's words specifically addresses material
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  needs? If you ever find yourself
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  doubting God's ability to provide for you practically or
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  physically, have you ever thought about his throne, What
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  he sits upon? He's your father.
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  God's throne is gloriously grand.
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  I'm sure more can be said about these jewels.
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  Well, let's just leave it at that and come to number 3 point
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  #3 truth #3 about God's throne. God's throne is faithful.
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  Look at the second part of verse 3.
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  What does He say? That around the throne was a
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  rainbow that had the appearance of an emerald.
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  A rainbow, of all things. A rainbow.
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  And you are a careful student of the Old Testament.
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  You know that in Genesis 9, God created the rainbow and
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  established it as a sign of a covenant of His mercy and
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  compassion toward all humanity, namely in the promise that He
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  would never destroy mankind by way of a flood.
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  And that symbol, for whatever reason, does not only appear in
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  the clouds after it rains, but is found surrounding the throne
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  of God. And I thought to myself, why is
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  that? And I think the answer is quite
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  obvious, to provide an eternal reminder of God's mercy even as
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  He executes judgment. That though He is perfectly just
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  and perfectly holy, anything that He decrees is always guided
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  by His faithful promises. In other words, you and I have
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  no reason to ever worry that the fury of God's wrath will ever
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  cancel any of His promises, especially those promises that
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  assure our preservation and our protection and our status before
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  God. As God sits on this glorious
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  throne, it is surrounded by a visual reminder of His
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  faithfulness, A faithfulness pertaining to His mercy and
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  grace and long-suffering. Imagine the kind of fear you and
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  I would have to try to manage if we were given even the slightest
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  impression that this God, who is all powerful and owns all
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  things, can at any moment forget His promise or break a vow.
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  What kind of terror would you and I live in?
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  All hope would be lost. Instead, our hope is
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  strengthened because we come up with John to the throne room of
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  God and we realize that there's a rainbow around it, realizing
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  that God's covenant that he made listen to this in Genesis is
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  upheld even in Revelation. What God said in the beginning
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  of the book, he still remembered at the end of his book.
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  Anything that he has ever promised, anything that he's
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  ever pledged, he keeps. He holds on to his trustworthy
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  is ever alive, ever alive and well.
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  And I wonder if that's the reason why this rainbow, Did you
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  notice that I had a hue of green?
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  The appearance of a rainbow, yes, which also had the
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  appearance of an emerald. Now, an emerald is a precious
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  gemstone that is known for its deep, rich green color.
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  And I can't help but wonder if this color is used.
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  It was highlighted by God in order to emphasize the
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  liveliness of His faithfulness. It's fresh, it's there, it never
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  grows stale. It's ever true, ever present.
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  God's throne is faithful because the one who sits upon it is
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  faithful. We come to the 4th reality of
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  God's throne. This one excites me.
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  Let's read it together in Revelation 4 and verse 4.
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  Around the throne were 24 Thrones, and seated on the
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  Thrones were 24 elders clothed in white garments with the
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  golden crowns on their heads. The 4th truth about God's throne
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  is that it is accessible. It is accessible.
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  So God's throne is in heaven. We know that God's throne is
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  gloriously grand. We know that God's throne is
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  faithful. But fourthly, God's throne is
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  accessible. Naturally, we are inclined to
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  wonder, who are these 24 elders? And there is no little debate
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  about who they are. And the center of the debate is
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  on whether these elders are angels or if they are human
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  beings. I think you can answer that
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  quite easily. Why?
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  For a few reasons #1 Elders in the Bible are never attributed
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  to angels. There is never an Angel who is
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  given the description of an elder.
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  Moreover, these elders all possess their own crown, and
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  there is not a hint in the Bible that would suggest that an
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  angel's ever promised or granted a crown.
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  Ever. You might make a case that they
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  wear white or they have dazzling clothes, sure.
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  But here's what we make of this. The only created beings who
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  fully match the description in this verse, elders clothed in
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  white garments and wearing crowns, are the redeemed.
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  The redeemed. Now you remember we've been
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  together for a few weeks, looking at the churches in
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  chapters 2 and three. And with each of those churches,
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  God gave them a reward, at least promised them a reward if they
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  would become overcomers included in those rewards.
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  Do you remember? Some of them were promised a
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  throne, others a crown, and even more so white garments.
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  And so when you look at the wider context, when you honor
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  the flow of the text, then the identity of these beings becomes
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  clear. What you have before us, you are
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  a select group who have been redeemed and rewarded in the
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  eternal presence of God. These are people.
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  But the debate is not quite over.
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  If we have concluded that these 24 elders are indeed those, at
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  least a select few, who have been saved and secured in the
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  presence of God, then who are they exactly?
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  And that's where things get a little fun.
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  There's the fact that there are 24 of them mean that there are a
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  number that represents the church that will be taken up to
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  heaven before the tribulation begins.
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  Some who don't regard the chronology of the Book of
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  Revelation will say that you have 24 here.
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  So you have 12 and 12. You have the 12 tribes of Israel
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  and also the 12 holy apostles. And they'll get that from
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  chapter 21 where you see the New Jerusalem coming down, and on
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  the gates of the city, the names of the sons of Israel are
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  inscribed. And on the foundations of that
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  city you have the names of the 12 apostles.
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  I remember what the focus of this text really is.
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  It's the throne of God. We can debate over lunch.
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  And if we're just to take the throne of God as the hub and how
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  everything else orbits around it, then we have this
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  fascinating truth presented to us.
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  God, in His infinite glory and majesty, has graciously granted
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  us the privilege to draw near to His throne.
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  Not just at a future time when He will literally reward some
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  with authority and unique responsibilities, but even now,
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  God in His throne in heaven invites us who are undeserving
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  to come into any close proximity of His glory and to actually
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  come there with our weakness and our brokenness and our
• 27:35
  neediness, and we'll have His full attention.
• 27:38
  That's what I take from this. You're allowing 24 people to not
• 27:44
  just, I would understand if they're standing around your
• 27:46
  throne with a Butler outfit ready to do whatever you ask of
• 27:51
  them. No, no, no, no.
• 27:52
  Lesser Thrones, yes, but still positions of dignity and honor.
• 27:57
  Crowned. Who is this God?
• 28:04
  And the same God who sits on this throne tells us in Hebrews
• 28:07
  416. Let us then, with confidence
• 28:10
  draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy
• 28:14
  and find grace to help in a time of need.
• 28:18
  Let us draw near to the throne of grace with confidence.
• 28:26
  Can I ask you something? How frequently do you make your
• 28:32
  way to the throne of grace? Understanding that it's in
• 28:37
  heaven, Understanding that the one who sits on that throne owns
• 28:41
  everything, that he is incredibly faithful, and that He
• 28:45
  has made a way into it for you and I How?
• 28:49
  How much do you take advantage of that?
• 28:54
  How frequently do you find yourself rushing into the
• 28:58
  presence of the Lord in your time of need, realizing that
• 29:03
  there is one here who delights to establish and station
• 29:07
  forgiven sinners to sit around His throne?
• 29:17
  Do you think that He will be indifferent as you approach him
• 29:20
  in your weakness and lack? Never, never.
• 29:26
  His throne is accessible and He can make commands from that
• 29:34
  throne on your behalf. That would blow your mind if you
• 29:38
  just knew how to make your home there and to call upon Him.
• 29:45
  Do you realize that you can close the door of one of your
• 29:48
  bedrooms at home and you can enter into the throne room of
• 29:51
  God? It's accessible not just at a
• 29:57
  future time, even now, and as accessible as it is number 5,
• 30:08
  God's throne is righteous. Look at verse 5 again.
• 30:13
  From the throne came flashes of lightning and rumblings and
• 30:17
  peals of Thunder. And before the throne were
• 30:20
  burning 7 torches of fire which are the seven spirits of God.
• 30:26
  And before the throne there was as it were a sea of glass like
• 30:30
  crystal. And around the throne, on each
• 30:31
  side of the throne, are four living creatures, full of eyes
• 30:35
  and front and behind. So the same throne that forgiven
• 30:42
  sinners may approach freely is also the same throne that will
• 30:47
  consume unrepented sinners. Where do we get that from?
• 30:54
  This imagery of flashes of lightning, rumblings, and peals
• 30:58
  of Thunder is consistently used in the Book of Revelation in
• 31:03
  connection to a manifestation of God's intense indignation.
• 31:08
  Let me give you an example. Look at Revelation 6/1.
• 31:12
  Now I watch when the Lamb opened one of the seven seals and I
• 31:15
  heard one of the four living creatures say with a voice like
• 31:17
  Thunder, come, there is Thunder. There's other things to consider
• 31:23
  with this as well. You have this consistent picture
• 31:28
  that when something was about to manifest pertaining to God's
• 31:31
  wrath, it would be accompanied by these sights and these
• 31:35
  sounds, as well as the four living creatures in some
• 31:37
  instances as we just read. So what we're supposed to take
• 31:41
  from this year is that there is a day coming.
• 31:43
  Please pay attention to this when everyone, including Satan
• 31:48
  himself, will be held accountable by a holy God who
• 31:52
  has kept a perfect record of every wrong that has been
• 31:55
  committed. And that accounting is
• 32:00
  accomplished in part by the ministry of the Holy Spirit.
• 32:04
  Go back to our main text. Did you notice who was before
• 32:07
  the throne? We read here that before the
• 32:10
  throne are 7 torches of fire in the latter part of verse 5,
• 32:14
  which are the seven spirits of God.
• 32:18
  So John, he sees these thunderings and the rumblings
• 32:23
  and the clapping of the the skies, and he's getting a
• 32:27
  preview of what's about to be launched on the earth.
• 32:32
  God's wrath is about to be unleashed and he also sees that
• 32:37
  the Holy Spirit symbolize with these 7 torches, 7 spirits of
• 32:43
  God is before the throne. What's the connection?
• 32:47
  Here's the connection. The Holy Spirit, the omniscience
• 32:53
  of God, who is everywhere all times, who sees and hears
• 32:58
  everything in private or in public, who knows what is in the
• 33:02
  heart, whether it's expressed or hidden, will bring all
• 33:06
  disobedience before the throne of God.
• 33:10
  And the same Holy Spirit who has convicted the hearts of men and
• 33:13
  was given them a taste of the beauty of the gospel and has
• 33:17
  been rejected by men, will hold such individuals to account and
• 33:23
  bring them to trial before the throne of God.
• 33:26
  And even the Holy Spirit, who has issued unique miracles or
• 33:30
  made incredible supernatural interventions a reality before
• 33:33
  some, will hold those individuals accountable for the
• 33:37
  special advantages that they had and rejected the Gospel.
• 33:43
  The Holy Spirit who is before the throne, accompanied by the
• 33:46
  sights and sounds of judgement, shows us that as much as he is a
• 33:51
  comforter, one day He will expose those who have denied his
• 33:58
  ministry. And he's not the only powerful
• 34:03
  being that grips John. He looks around the throne and
• 34:05
  he sees these four living creatures and we read the
• 34:08
  description of them. Is this the first time that they
• 34:10
  appear in our Bibles? No, they are prevalent in the
• 34:14
  book of Ezekiel and Ezekiel calls them the cherubim.
• 34:18
  The cherubim. The cherubim are a high-ranking
• 34:21
  order of heavenly creatures, and in the Book of Revelation, as we
• 34:25
  read in chapter 6, verse one, they are often found as
• 34:31
  instruments of God's judgement that will be realized in the
• 34:35
  tribulation. They are in some measure the
• 34:39
  means of God executing his vengeance on the earth.
• 34:43
  And that is quite remarkable because when you look at these
• 34:48
  creatures, you can't help but feel like this is the heart of
• 34:52
  the matter. You and I listen carefully here.
• 34:56
  If you're a curious attender or visitor, or maybe just a blatant
• 35:00
  blasphemer, listen to this. Each of us have a choice.
• 35:04
  We all have the choice to face the fierce wrath of God
• 35:07
  performed by these heavenly creatures in some measure or not
• 35:15
  to face them, but to stand alongside them and face the
• 35:19
  throne of God with them and give worship to the one who sits on
• 35:24
  the throne. And the determining factor that
• 35:28
  will establish whether we are facing these fierce creatures or
• 35:33
  an extension of God's holy wrath or to be in the choir with them
• 35:39
  in heaven is one thing. Faith and allegiance to the
• 35:44
  person of Jesus Christ. Which brings me to my final
• 35:50
  point about God's throne. The 5th is that God's throne is
• 35:54
  righteous. But lastly, and this is my
• 35:56
  favorite. So if you've made it to the end,
• 35:59
  welcome to what I think is the most exciting point about God's
• 36:02
  throne. God's throne is the center of
• 36:07
  worship. Look at verse 8 and the four
• 36:13
  living creatures, each of them with six wings, are full of eyes
• 36:16
  all around and within and day and night.
• 36:18
  They never cease to say holy, holy, holy is the Lord God
• 36:23
  Almighty who was and is and is to come.
• 36:27
  I find it amazing that these magnificent creatures are not
• 36:30
  just agents of justice, but they are primarily preoccupied with
• 36:34
  worshipping the one who sits on the throne.
• 36:35
  Doesn't that move you? It moves me.
• 36:41
  And there are many things to make of this observation, but
• 36:46
  one of the main points that John wants us to see, and ultimately
• 36:50
  Jesus wants John to see so he can share with us, is that one
• 36:53
  of the activities that will preoccupy us in heaven is giving
• 36:58
  God endless praise. And I've heard some people who
• 37:05
  innocently, maybe even fearfully, have inquired when
• 37:10
  trying to make sense of the eternality of everlasting life,
• 37:15
  are we just going to sing all the time?
• 37:19
  Have you been asked that? Maybe you've wondered that as
• 37:23
  though heaven is going to be this mundane, boring eternal
• 37:29
  church service. Church shouldn't be boring
• 37:33
  anyway, and these four living creatures along with the 24
• 37:42
  elders would answer you if you have that question.
• 37:46
  That is absolutely not the case, although praise will be
• 37:53
  prevalent in the world to come. There'll be other things that we
• 37:57
  will do that, surely. I mean, we're going to get an
• 38:00
  idea of that in this book as we study it.
• 38:04
  But I find it amazing again, that the same living creatures,
• 38:08
  though they are, the cherubim, resemble the seraphim in some
• 38:11
  measure. And when you go to Isaiah 6, you
• 38:14
  realize that they are singing holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord of
• 38:20
  hosts. The whole earth is full of His
• 38:22
  glory. And Isaiah was centuries before
• 38:25
  the Book of Revelation was penned.
• 38:27
  And yet now you come to the final text of divine revelation,
• 38:31
  and you discover that these heavenly creatures are still
• 38:34
  singing the same song. That's a very long time and our
• 38:43
  difficulty in imagining ourselves participating.
• 38:47
  And that kind of adoration often stems from one main thing.
• 38:50
  You ready for this? Failing to understand our wiring
• 38:55
  to praise and why we praise to begin with?
• 39:01
  Let me elaborate. Men and women, religious or non
• 39:06
  religious, truly Christian or nominal Christian, offer praise
• 39:12
  on this side of heaven more than you think, just toward different
• 39:18
  objects. You and I actually praise more
• 39:24
  than you realize. Some of you rightfully praise
• 39:28
  the the beauty of your spouse. Others praise the achievement of
• 39:35
  their children. Some of you can't just whisper
• 39:43
  Wow under your breath when you are standing before a glorious
• 39:47
  sunset. You capture it with your phone
• 39:50
  and you send it to others. That's praise.
• 39:53
  Look at this, and some of you, and I know some of you.
• 39:59
  You love to visit the newest restaurant in town, and you love
• 40:03
  to introduce your taste buds to new blending of flavors as they
• 40:08
  explode in your mouth. And guess what you do?
• 40:10
  You become an evangelist after that.
• 40:14
  Because you go to friends and family and after church on
• 40:16
  Sunday, you got to try this place.
• 40:23
  Every single one of us effortlessly praises what we
• 40:26
  enjoy, and CS Lewis brilliantly said the following.
• 40:29
  We delight to praise what we enjoy because the praise not
• 40:34
  merely expresses it, but completes the enjoyment.
• 40:41
  Isn't that a deep thought? In other words, all of us can
• 40:46
  testify that one of the reasons why we verbally or even
• 40:50
  physically express praise toward anything that we delight in is
• 40:55
  because there is pleasure in the very act of expressing it.
• 41:01
  Nobody twists your arm or forces you to acknowledge something.
• 41:06
  It's the overflow of your experience of something that you
• 41:09
  enjoy. And the psalmist says that there
• 41:14
  is a limit to all perfection, which then would apply that
• 41:19
  there would be a limit to our praise.
• 41:25
  And here's what John's vision is teaching us.
• 41:28
  Endless praise is not going to be a forced chore in heaven.
• 41:34
  It is going to be spontaneous and satisfying overflow of
• 41:41
  encountering the limitless beauty of the sight and sound
• 41:47
  and sensation of God's unveiling glory that will be ever before
• 41:52
  us. So it's not are we going to
• 41:58
  actually do this for like millions of years?
• 42:00
  You won't be able to help yourself and in your mind and in
• 42:06
  mind, you think that what's going to happen.
• 42:09
  And I think what's going to happen in heaven is that it's
• 42:11
  just going to be a little better of a church service with a with
• 42:14
  a more functioning screen and better lights.
• 42:17
  Dead wrong. The throne of God will be before
• 42:24
  us, and you won't be able to help but give spontaneous and
• 42:32
  satisfying praise, not just because the sight and the sounds
• 42:37
  and the sensation demands it, but because you will delight to
• 42:41
  give it. To which someone may respond, Is
• 42:47
  there really that much to take in about God?
• 42:51
  And my answer would be, did you notice how many eyes these four
• 42:55
  living creatures have? Go back to verse 8 and the four
• 43:02
  living creatures, each of them with six wings, are full of eyes
• 43:07
  all around and within. Now notice what follows.
• 43:10
  And day and night they never cease to say, and they worship.
• 43:16
  I like to think that what's happening here, the reason why
• 43:18
  God created these cherubim to have these eyes everywhere, to
• 43:24
  signify that two eyes are not enough to register all that God
• 43:31
  is, these gigantic, blazing holy beings, even them, they need
• 43:38
  eyes all around and within to take in all that God is.
• 43:47
  Two eyes aren't enough. And notice it's what they saw
• 43:51
  that led them to say. So what you have here is really
• 43:56
  a model for how heavenly worship can inform and guide our worship
• 44:00
  here on earth. What do I mean by that?
• 44:03
  The strength of your worship and mind will be in proportion to
• 44:08
  the depth of your understanding in mind.
• 44:12
  What they saw, what they perceived, what they understood
• 44:16
  was the means by which they were able to say and not stop saying,
• 44:20
  holy, holy, holy. So in the same way that these
• 44:25
  four living creatures first beheld God and then as a result
• 44:29
  offered genuine and lasting worship to God, means that you
• 44:34
  and I can only give the same from a clear and complete vision
• 44:39
  of who God is. Let me put it this way.
• 44:43
  If you and I find ourselves struggling to truly praise God
• 44:48
  and worship it with our words and with song, with music and
• 44:51
  with poetry and with with intentional prayers, that can
• 44:55
  stem from only one main thing, a lack of insight of who He is and
• 45:02
  a vision that is poor of His glory.
• 45:09
  And so the way to fix it is to invest your energy in seeing Him
• 45:16
  with the eyes of your heart. And you may say, well, I don't
• 45:21
  have the advantage of these four living creatures.
• 45:22
  I'm not one of the 24 elders who have a direct access to the
• 45:26
  unfiltered presence and power majesty of God.
• 45:29
  Sure. But it wasn't just the sight
• 45:34
  that moved them in this way. There were certain truths that
• 45:37
  move them as well. Here's what we're ending.
• 45:41
  Did you notice what they sang at the end of our chapter?
• 45:44
  Look at verse 11 of chapter 4, because we're learning here that
• 45:49
  we're not left without any heavenly material to help us.
• 45:52
  Worthy are you, our Lord and God to receive glory and honor and
• 45:56
  power, for you created all things, and by your will they
• 46:01
  existed and were created. What are they singing about
• 46:04
  here? God is the creator and
• 46:06
  sustainer. And when you come to chapter 5,
• 46:11
  which is a continuation of the vision here in chapter 4, notice
• 46:14
  what they sing about as well. Go to chapter 5, verse 8.
• 46:19
  And when he had taken the scroll, the four living
• 46:21
  creatures and the 24 elders fell down before the Lamb, each
• 46:25
  holding a harp and golden bowls full of incense, which are the
• 46:28
  prayers of the Saints. And they sang a new song,
• 46:30
  saying, Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its
• 46:34
  seals. For you were slain.
• 46:36
  And by your blood you ransom people for God from every tribe
• 46:40
  and language and people and nation, and you have made them a
• 46:43
  Kingdom and priests to our God, and they shall reign on the
• 46:47
  earth. What do they sing about in
• 46:49
  chapter 5? God as savior and Redeemer.
• 46:56
  So the theme of these hymns, which are the first hymns really
• 47:00
  of the Book of Revelation in chapter 4, you created
• 47:04
  everything. You're the brilliant mind behind
• 47:06
  all of this, every part of the universe, all the systems that
• 47:09
  we take for granted. You're the one who created all
• 47:12
  things. And then they come to chapter 5.
• 47:14
  And you also redeemed man. You shed your blood.
• 47:16
  You delivered us. Can we not see the same?
• 47:21
  Oh yes, I know. Not to the level and to the
• 47:23
  degree that they know it, but we still have access to God's
• 47:28
  creation and the revelation of salvation.
• 47:33
  And I encourage you and I today to ask God for the eyes to see,
• 47:40
  because your eyes are not just here.
• 47:42
  You have eyes here. Lord, I want to know your
• 47:45
  wisdom. I want to the breadth of your
• 47:47
  power of all the things that are around me.
• 47:49
  Isn't it funny how lately in our age, I mean, I think it's dying
• 47:52
  out a little bit now, but there was a, there was a time where
• 47:54
  there was a tsunami of arguments and philosophies of how all of
• 48:00
  this that we know of our created universe just came about.
• 48:03
  I've mentioned this before, many, many months ago.
• 48:05
  Let me say it again, that is not scientific advancement.
• 48:08
  That's a satanic strategy to take glory away from God.
• 48:12
  Satan doesn't want God to receive worship and clearly in
• 48:16
  heaven one of the things that he has adored for is how he created
• 48:18
  all things. So take God out of the picture.
• 48:22
  Let's give credit to a big explosion and goo.
• 48:28
  Not a God whose throne sits in heaven and the cross.
• 48:34
  Oh, how Satan hates the cross. Oh, he hates a church that makes
• 48:38
  Christ preeminent and central. And that's why I praise God for
• 48:45
  this church. Because we do sing about his
• 48:46
  creation and we do sing about his salvation.
• 48:50
  And the more we see it and understand it and develop
• 48:53
  greater perception of it all, the stronger and the longer our
• 48:57
  praise will be. And I invite you to prepare for
• 49:01
  the endless praise that we will give to God, which would be our
• 49:04
  satisfaction, and to His glory forever and ever.
• 49:09
  Let's pray. What man can do, O God has been
• 49:29
  done, but only you can open the eyes of the heart.
• 49:34
  So we ask that in this place on this Sunday afternoon, give us a
• 49:42
  glimpse of the throne of God. Thank you that you reign from
• 49:49
  heaven. Thank you that you own
• 49:54
  everything. Thank you, Lord, that you are
• 49:59
  faithful on that throne. Thank you that you've made it
• 50:02
  accessible. Thank you that it is righteous.
• 50:08
  No sin will go unpunished. No injustice will.
• 50:12
  We'll just go Scott free. You will.
• 50:15
  You will perform justice and thank you.
• 50:22
  It is a center of worship and we will delight in your presence
• 50:28
  and you will place before us a sight and sounds and a sensation
• 50:34
  that will secure our joy for eternity.
• 50:39
  And for this we want to join the Cherubim and the Seraphim and
• 50:45
  anything or anyone else that is in your presence and give you
• 50:48
  your due. We praise you today in Jesus
• 50:52
  name, Amen. It would be very appropriate for
• 50:59
  us to, at this moment, as a praising comes to help us, to
• 51:05
  call every faculty of our being and to give God what he
• 51:11
  deserves. Because as we had this church
• 51:13
  service, he has been sitting on a throne and He is our Father.
• 51:20
  Let's stand and sing to Him, shall we?