Latest / Bible in a Year with Jack Graham / The Throne Room of God - The Book of Revelation

Transcript

The Throne Room of God - The Book of Revelation · Bible in a Year with Jack Graham

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: Let us pray. And immediately I saw in the Spirit,
• 0:05
  Speaker 1: and behold a throne was set in heaven, and one
• 0:09
  Speaker 1: sat on the throne. Revelation 4, 2. Jesus, as I
• 0:15
  Speaker 1: press into the deeper things of God, I thank you
• 0:19
  Speaker 1: that your familiar spirit of comfort and love surrounds me.
• 0:24
  Speaker 1: As I bask in your glory, I thank you that
• 0:28
  Speaker 1: through the reading of Revelation, I can be taken up
• 0:31
  Speaker 1: into the beauty and splendor of your throne room. In
• 0:36
  Speaker 1: the same way that John heard and saw the angels
• 0:39
  Speaker 1: flying around your throne, Lord, show me and let me
• 0:44
  Speaker 1: hear the praises of your greatness in everything that I do.
• 0:50
  Speaker 1: When I look around, let the evidence of your glory
• 0:54
  Speaker 1: and splendor fill my sight as the beauty of your
• 0:58
  Speaker 1: throne room is revealed to me in spirit and in truth.
• 1:03
  Speaker 1: May your continued faithfulness be felt in my life. May
• 1:09
  Speaker 1: my praises echo loud in the throne room of grace,
• 1:13
  Speaker 1: like the angels above. For no matter how glorious I
• 1:18
  Speaker 1: think you are, I know that, like your throne room,
• 1:22
  Speaker 1: there are different levels of your greatness. And I can't
• 1:27
  Speaker 1: wait to explore them all. In Jesus' name.
• 1:34
  Speaker 2: Amen.
• 1:36
  Speaker 1: Thank you for praying with us today. Continue your time
• 1:40
  Speaker 1: with God by listening to today's Bible story. Brought to
• 1:44
  Speaker 1: you by BibleInAYear.com.
• 1:55
  Speaker 3: The Throne Room of God In this story, John has
• 1:59
  Speaker 3: been exiled after being dipped in a vat of boiling oil.
• 2:04
  Speaker 3: As he sits on the shores of Patmos, God comes
• 2:06
  Speaker 3: to him in a vision. John writes in poetry and
• 2:10
  Speaker 3: metaphor to describe his vision of God's throne room. We
• 2:13
  Speaker 3: are taken up with John, beholding God's majesty and glory,
• 2:18
  Speaker 3: inspired by the book of Revelations.
• 2:23
  Speaker 2: Hello, I'm Jack Graham with today's episode of the Bible
• 2:26
  Speaker 2: in a Year podcast. But before we begin, I want
• 2:29
  Speaker 2: to let you know about a unique e-book that's yours
• 2:32
  Speaker 2: to download absolutely free today. It's called Breaking Free from Stress.
• 2:38
  Speaker 2: And my prayer is that it will help you conquer
• 2:40
  Speaker 2: the daily tasks and pressures and burdens that bring stress
• 2:44
  Speaker 2: in your life. Download your free copy of Breaking Free
• 2:47
  Speaker 2: from Stress today by visiting jackgram.org slash stress. That's jackgram.org
• 2:54
  Speaker 2: slash stress. In our previous episode, we heard the conclusion
• 3:00
  Speaker 2: of the book of Acts as Paul arrived in Rome
• 3:02
  Speaker 2: and was able to openly share the gospel there for
• 3:05
  Speaker 2: two years. Though his life eventually ended at the hands
• 3:09
  Speaker 2: of a cruel Roman despot, an evil emperor by the
• 3:12
  Speaker 2: name of Nero, his work and witness continues bearing fruit
• 3:17
  Speaker 2: even to this very day. Today we'll begin to see
• 3:20
  Speaker 2: through the eyes of the Apostle John and the inspiration
• 3:24
  Speaker 2: of the Holy Spirit a vision for the future and
• 3:27
  Speaker 2: an opportunity to look at the very throne room of
• 3:30
  Speaker 2: God and the hope that we have in heaven. So
• 3:34
  Speaker 2: let's listen now to reading from the Revelation, the last
• 3:37
  Speaker 2: book of the Bible.
• 3:41
  Speaker 3: Exiled on the island of Patmos, I was sitting on
• 3:44
  Speaker 3: the bluffs, watching the darkened waves crash against the jagged
• 3:48
  Speaker 3: rocks below. The clouds were dark and heavy, soon to
• 3:52
  Speaker 3: burst forth with rain. The wind howled against my bruised
• 3:56
  Speaker 3: and scarred skin. Persecution for the gospel had left me
• 4:00
  Speaker 3: scarred and alone, destined to die on an island away
• 4:04
  Speaker 3: from my loved ones. I closed my eyes and sought God,
• 4:08
  Speaker 3: and what I heard behind me was like a bellowing thunder.
• 4:11
  Speaker 3: A trumpet-like voice shook my bones, saying, Everything you are
• 4:15
  Speaker 3: about to see, write down, for these will be spread
• 4:19
  Speaker 3: among the churches of Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia,
• 4:26
  Speaker 3: and Laodicea. Discerning that it was the voice of God,
• 4:30
  Speaker 3: I got my parchment and quill and began to write.
• 4:34
  Speaker 3: I turned away from the waves to see behind me
• 4:36
  Speaker 3: a vision of the Lord. I saw seven golden lampstands
• 4:39
  Speaker 3: glistening with flames and wonder. Among the lamps was one
• 4:43
  Speaker 3: like the Son of Man, clothed with a long robe
• 4:46
  Speaker 3: and golden sash around his chest. The hair on his
• 4:49
  Speaker 3: head was pure white, not from age, but from sheer glory.
• 4:53
  Speaker 3: His feet were like steady bronze, and his voice was
• 4:56
  Speaker 3: like the roar of many waters. I looked to see
• 4:59
  Speaker 3: seven stars held in his right hand, and from his
• 5:02
  Speaker 3: mouth was a sharp, two-edged sword. His face shone like
• 5:06
  Speaker 3: a thousand galaxies. His presence was indescribable. When I saw him,
• 5:12
  Speaker 3: I fell onto my face as though dead. I could
• 5:15
  Speaker 3: not comprehend what my eyes were seeing, and I became afraid.
• 5:19
  Speaker 3: A gentle hand reached out to me and touched my shoulder.
• 5:23
  Speaker 3: His presence was as warm as I remembered. It was Jesus.
• 5:27
  Speaker 3: His voice was like rushing waves in a gentle stream,
• 5:30
  Speaker 3: all at once. Fear not, he told me, for I
• 5:33
  Speaker 3: am the first and the last. I died and now
• 5:36
  Speaker 3: I live forevermore. I alone hold the keys of death
• 5:40
  Speaker 3: and Hades. My mind was fixed on his greatness, so
• 5:44
  Speaker 3: he reminded me to write what he was saying down
• 5:47
  Speaker 3: so that it might be known to the churches. He
• 5:50
  Speaker 3: then uttered encouragements, rebukes, and calls to all seven churches, Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia,
• 6:01
  Speaker 3: and Laodicea. His voice was gentle, but his tone was resolute.
• 6:07
  Speaker 3: After this I looked up. There was a door standing
• 6:09
  Speaker 3: by itself, opened up to heaven. From the door I
• 6:12
  Speaker 3: heard a resounding voice shouting, Come and see! As the
• 6:16
  Speaker 3: voice commanded, I was taken off of my feet and
• 6:19
  Speaker 3: lifted to heaven. rushed through the gates of time and space.
• 6:23
  Speaker 3: I was in the spirit and standing before the throne
• 6:26
  Speaker 3: of God. He who sat on the throne had the
• 6:28
  Speaker 3: appearance of Jasper and Carnelian, the depth of red almost
• 6:32
  Speaker 3: like blood. Around the throne was a rainbow, its color
• 6:36
  Speaker 3: was a deep emerald. I looked around the throne and behold,
• 6:40
  Speaker 3: there were twenty-four smaller thrones surrounding it. Seated on the
• 6:45
  Speaker 3: thrones were twenty-four elders, clothed in pure white with gold crowns.
• 6:50
  Speaker 3: Lightning flashed violently, and I fixed my gaze on the
• 6:53
  Speaker 3: throne above all. Thunder rolled. Emerging from the floor were
• 6:58
  Speaker 3: seven torches of pure fire. It forced me to look
• 7:01
  Speaker 3: below where I was standing. The floor was like a
• 7:04
  Speaker 3: calm sea, as still as glass, yet still alive and moving.
• 7:09
  Speaker 3: I gazed upon the beings standing behind the throne and
• 7:12
  Speaker 3: fell backwards. Behind and beside the throne were four living creatures—
• 7:17
  Speaker 3: They were massive and looming above the throne room like
• 7:19
  Speaker 3: majestic guardians. One creature was like a lion, the second
• 7:24
  Speaker 3: had the strength of an ox, the third had the
• 7:26
  Speaker 3: face of a man, and the fourth was like an
• 7:29
  Speaker 3: eagle flying in the midst of the throne room. All
• 7:32
  Speaker 3: beasts had six wings and eyes wrapping around their heads.
• 7:36
  Speaker 3: They dwelled in majesty, singing with deep voices like thunder, saying, Holy, holy,
• 7:42
  Speaker 3: holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is
• 7:46
  Speaker 3: and is to come. All were in reverence to the
• 7:50
  Speaker 3: one sitting on the throne, and as the mighty beasts
• 7:53
  Speaker 3: flapped their wings and sang glory to God, the twenty-four
• 7:57
  Speaker 3: elders knelt before him, laying their crowns at his feet.
• 8:01
  Speaker 3: Their voices were as one, singing poetry to God. It
• 8:05
  Speaker 3: resounded in my very soul as they sang, Worthy are you, God,
• 8:09
  Speaker 3: to receive glory and power, for you are the creator
• 8:12
  Speaker 3: of all things, and by your will they exist. Then
• 8:16
  Speaker 3: all became silent. The one sitting on the throne held
• 8:20
  Speaker 3: a scroll in his hand with seven seals. An angel
• 8:23
  Speaker 3: spoke behind me, saying, Who is worthy to open the
• 8:26
  Speaker 3: seven seals? I looked and saw a vision of many
• 8:30
  Speaker 3: men and women attempting to break the seals. Yet no
• 8:33
  Speaker 3: one could open the scroll. I knew in my heart
• 8:35
  Speaker 3: it contained life itself and wisdom beyond measure. So I
• 8:39
  Speaker 3: began to weep, lamenting the unopened scroll. One of the
• 8:43
  Speaker 3: elders touched my shoulder from behind and whispered, Weep no more,
• 8:47
  Speaker 3: for the Lion of Judah, the Root of David, has
• 8:50
  Speaker 3: conquered death. He can open the scroll. My tears ceased
• 8:54
  Speaker 3: when I saw him. Behold, standing before me was him,
• 8:58
  Speaker 3: the Lamb of God. He bore the scars of slaughter,
• 9:03
  Speaker 3: still bloodied and bruised by the cruelty of man. He
• 9:06
  Speaker 3: took the sealed scroll in his hand. All the elders
• 9:09
  Speaker 3: and creatures erupted in praise, singing, Worthy are you to
• 9:13
  Speaker 3: open its seals, for you were slain, and by your
• 9:16
  Speaker 3: blood we are ransomed for God. Every tribe, language, and
• 9:20
  Speaker 3: nation will know that you are God. Even more angels emerged, singing,
• 9:26
  Speaker 3: Worthy is the lamb who was slain. Honor, glory, and blessings.
• 9:31
  Speaker 3: I watched as every living creature in heaven and on
• 9:33
  Speaker 3: earth worshipped the bruised and crucified king. Its beauty was
• 9:38
  Speaker 3: beyond words.
• 9:44
  Speaker 2: We begin today's reading with John on the island of Patmos.
• 9:48
  Speaker 2: He is an older man, exiled because of persecution. As
• 9:52
  Speaker 2: he said, for the word of God. and the testimony
• 9:55
  Speaker 2: of Jesus. Many if not all of his friends had
• 9:58
  Speaker 2: faced death for the cause of the gospel, but God
• 10:01
  Speaker 2: had not yet called him home. He was not yet
• 10:03
  Speaker 2: finished with the apostle John, though he was the last
• 10:07
  Speaker 2: man standing. The Lord had a message for John to deliver,
• 10:11
  Speaker 2: one of extreme importance, about hope, the hope of heaven,
• 10:14
  Speaker 2: and how we can endure even under persecution as we
• 10:18
  Speaker 2: look forward to the return of Christ. and the promise
• 10:21
  Speaker 2: of heaven. We heard how God spoke to John with
• 10:24
  Speaker 2: a thundering voice like a loud trumpet and told him
• 10:27
  Speaker 2: to write down what he was about to say and
• 10:30
  Speaker 2: about to show him. He was to record what he
• 10:33
  Speaker 2: saw and send it in a book to the seven
• 10:35
  Speaker 2: churches throughout Asia. As John turned towards the voice that
• 10:39
  Speaker 2: he heard, he saw something that was incredible. Seven golden lampstands,
• 10:45
  Speaker 2: and in the center was a marvelous man wearing a
• 10:48
  Speaker 2: long robe and a golden sash, And this picture portrait
• 10:52
  Speaker 2: was none other than Jesus himself. He looked so different
• 10:56
  Speaker 2: from when John had last seen him on a cross,
• 11:00
  Speaker 2: then in a resurrection, and ascending into the clouds. But
• 11:04
  Speaker 2: it was truly Jesus. Symbolically, he held seven stars in
• 11:08
  Speaker 2: his hands, signifying his sovereignty and ownership over all who
• 11:13
  Speaker 2: follow him. Out of his mouth came a double-edged sword,
• 11:16
  Speaker 2: indicating that he is the judge supreme. So what did
• 11:20
  Speaker 2: John do? Did he at first run joyfully to greet
• 11:24
  Speaker 2: his friend Jesus, whom he had not seen for decades?
• 11:27
  Speaker 2: He was, after all, the one Jesus loved, and John
• 11:30
  Speaker 2: loved Jesus. Well, in reality, John fell on his face.
• 11:35
  Speaker 2: It was as though he were dead. He was in
• 11:39
  Speaker 2: awe and wonder of what he was seeing. He saw
• 11:42
  Speaker 2: the glory and majesty of Christ. John felt unworthy and
• 11:46
  Speaker 2: even terrified. Surely he was as good as dead because
• 11:49
  Speaker 2: he had seen the face of God. But Jesus spoke
• 11:52
  Speaker 2: to him tenderly and gently, telling him, Do not fear,
• 11:56
  Speaker 2: for he, Jesus, is the first and the last, the
• 11:59
  Speaker 2: Alpha and Omega, the one who holds the keys to
• 12:02
  Speaker 2: death and Hades. Jesus again told him to write down
• 12:06
  Speaker 2: what he was about to see and hear. These were
• 12:09
  Speaker 2: important messages beginning with specific words to the seven churches
• 12:13
  Speaker 2: in Asia Minor. These were words of encouragement, rebuke, comfort, correction, warning,
• 12:19
  Speaker 2: and witness. Words like these to the church at Laodicea,
• 12:23
  Speaker 2: found in Revelation 3, 19 and 20. Those whom I love,
• 12:28
  Speaker 2: I reprove and discipline, so be zealous and repent. Behold,
• 12:32
  Speaker 2: I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears
• 12:35
  Speaker 2: my voice and opens the door, I will come into
• 12:38
  Speaker 2: him and eat with him and he with me. And
• 12:42
  Speaker 2: though these were specific instructions given to specific strategic churches
• 12:47
  Speaker 2: at the time, These are words we need to hear today.
• 12:50
  Speaker 2: As a matter of fact, there are no doubt people
• 12:53
  Speaker 2: listening to me right now and God's word today that
• 12:57
  Speaker 2: need to open the door of their hearts and receive
• 13:00
  Speaker 2: Jesus as Lord and Savior. He is knocking at your
• 13:03
  Speaker 2: heart's door. And if you will open the door by
• 13:06
  Speaker 2: faith and invite him in, he will come in and
• 13:09
  Speaker 2: live in your life and you will know eternal life
• 13:11
  Speaker 2: and the forgiveness of your sins. Next, John looked up
• 13:15
  Speaker 2: and saw heaven opening. when he heard a voice calling
• 13:18
  Speaker 2: him to come up and see. He was lifted off
• 13:21
  Speaker 2: his feet and translated up into heaven, into a place
• 13:25
  Speaker 2: that he had never seen. It was God's throne room,
• 13:28
  Speaker 2: and it was marvelous, majestic, magnificent. The description John gives
• 13:34
  Speaker 2: conveys immense beauty and majesty and glory. And in this
• 13:38
  Speaker 2: incredible room, there were 24 elders dressed in white and
• 13:41
  Speaker 2: wearing crowns. These were very important figures, this much is clear.
• 13:47
  Speaker 2: These 24 elders represent the church of all ages, God's people,
• 13:52
  Speaker 2: both Old Testament and New Testament saints. But they weren't alone,
• 13:56
  Speaker 2: for John saw four living creatures with wings. The creatures
• 14:00
  Speaker 2: sang praises to God, worshiping him in his throne room.
• 14:03
  Speaker 2: These were angelic messengers and witnesses and worshipers. What an
• 14:07
  Speaker 2: incredible sight. I can only begin to imagine how overwhelming
• 14:11
  Speaker 2: this would have been for John. As he looked around
• 14:14
  Speaker 2: the room, the throne room of God, There was one
• 14:17
  Speaker 2: unmistakable reality. God is holy, holy, holy, and Jesus Christ
• 14:22
  Speaker 2: is Lord. He is worthy of all of our praise.
• 14:25
  Speaker 2: He is alone worthy, he is altogether worthy, and he
• 14:30
  Speaker 2: is always worthy. All these beings were created beings, and
• 14:35
  Speaker 2: it was God who created them all. Let us never
• 14:39
  Speaker 2: lose the wonder of the greatness of God and the
• 14:42
  Speaker 2: glory in the presence of God, not only in his
• 14:44
  Speaker 2: spirit today, but when we are in his presence forever.
• 14:48
  Speaker 2: As we heard in the scripture today, something then amazing happens.
• 14:53
  Speaker 2: A question is asked, who is worthy to open the seals,
• 14:57
  Speaker 2: the seals of judgment? And only one could come forward
• 15:00
  Speaker 2: who was worthy, the one whom we just proclaimed, Jesus.
• 15:05
  Speaker 2: And John, though he was greatly saddened that no one
• 15:07
  Speaker 2: was worthy to open the seals in heaven or in earth,
• 15:10
  Speaker 2: he then rejoiced and was told not to weep. For
• 15:14
  Speaker 2: Jesus himself would open the seals. The root of David,
• 15:17
  Speaker 2: the lion of Judah. He had conquered death and he
• 15:21
  Speaker 2: could open the scroll. He is commanding all of the
• 15:25
  Speaker 2: history and the destiny of the world and eternity. John
• 15:30
  Speaker 2: saw Jesus in all of his glory. The Lamb of
• 15:33
  Speaker 2: God standing before him. Jesus took the scroll and all
• 15:38
  Speaker 2: began to cry out, worthy, worthy, worthy. Why? Why? because
• 15:43
  Speaker 2: Jesus is God. God is Jesus, and He is the
• 15:49
  Speaker 2: one we worship. It was this truth that John had
• 15:52
  Speaker 2: embraced so many years ago when he followed Christ on earth.
• 15:55
  Speaker 2: And though he had only a faint understanding of what
• 15:58
  Speaker 2: all of this meant, he was now given a vision
• 16:00
  Speaker 2: of heaven itself and the hope that we have in Christ.
• 16:03
  Speaker 2: We are told of things that are yet to come
• 16:06
  Speaker 2: in the earth, of great tribulation, and of an antichrist,
• 16:09
  Speaker 2: and of judgment, but we're told most of all that
• 16:12
  Speaker 2: our God reigns. What a marvelous sight to behold. And
• 16:16
  Speaker 2: this was just the beginning. Let's pray. God, we thank
• 16:20
  Speaker 2: you for the book of Revelation, which not only speaks
• 16:23
  Speaker 2: to yesterday, but speaks to today and tomorrow and forever.
• 16:27
  Speaker 2: The hope that we have in Christ, what we know
• 16:30
  Speaker 2: is that he is alive, that Jesus is Lord, and
• 16:33
  Speaker 2: that we can put our faith and trust in him.
• 16:36
  Speaker 2: May we live every day in this hope. And look
• 16:39
  Speaker 2: forward to the day we see Jesus face to face. Amen.
• 16:44
  Speaker 2: Thank you for listening to today's Bible in a Year podcast.
• 16:48
  Speaker 2: Before we go, I want to let you know about
• 16:50
  Speaker 2: a unique e-book that's yours to download absolutely free today.
• 16:54
  Speaker 2: It's called Breaking Free from Stress. And my prayer is
• 16:59
  Speaker 2: that it will help you conquer the daily task and
• 17:01
  Speaker 2: pressures and burdens that bring stress into your life. Download
• 17:05
  Speaker 2: your free copy of Breaking Free from Stress today by
• 17:09
  Speaker 2: visiting jackgram.org slash stress. That's jackgram.org slash stress.