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We'll show you things which must take place after this.

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Immediately, I was in the Spirit, and behold, a throne sat in heaven, and one sat on the

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throne.

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And he who sat there was like a jasper and a sardius stone in appearance, and there was

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a rainbow around the throne in appearance like an emerald.

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From the throne there were twenty-four thrones, and on the thrones I saw twenty-four elders

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sitting, clothed in white robes, and they had crowns of gold on their heads.

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And from the throne proceeded lightnings, thunderings, and voices.

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And there were seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, which are the seven spirits

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of God.

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Before the throne there was a sea of glass like crystal.

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And in the midst of the throne and around the throne were four living creatures full

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of eyes in front and in back.

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The first living creature was like a lion, the second living creature like a calf.

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The third living creature had a face like a man, and the fourth living creature was

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like a flying eagle.

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And the four living creatures, each having six wings, were full of eyes around and within.

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And they do not rest day or night, saying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, who was

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and is and is to come.

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Whenever the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to him who sits on the throne,

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who lives forever and ever, the twenty-four elders fall down before him who sits on the

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throne and worship him who lives forever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne,

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saying, You are worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created

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all things, and by your will they exist and were created.

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Let's pray.

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Father, we read these words, nearly holding our breath with the majesty and the awe that

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they bring to our minds.

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This evening, as we begin to probe these words to grasp from them the meaning, would you

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by your spirit be our teacher and show us the things of Christ that are here.

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We pray this in his lovely and eternal name.

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Amen.

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Several times we see the word heaven in these two chapters that describe the vision of John.

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Heaven singular is used almost exclusively by John rather than the plural heavens.

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In fact, in this book, fifty-one times he uses the word heaven compared to one time

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when he uses the word heavens.

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The meaning of the word heaven in John's writings depends upon the context.

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It can be used of God's dwelling place as here, or as in chapter three in verse twelve.

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The word heaven can be used by John as the heaven that will be destroyed and replaced

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by the new heaven and the new earth, chapter twenty-one verse one, which has some far greater

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meaning than the sky heaven, but is certainly something short of God's dwelling place.

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It is the starry heavens as we see them.

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The word heaven is also used of the place of conflict with Satan, chapter twelve and

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verse seven.

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Satan is cast out of heaven at that point onto the earth.

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Though we'll study it when we get there, it seems to have relation to what is called

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by Paul in the book of Ephesians, the heavenlies.

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And then John does use the word heaven in reference to the sky heavens, chapter six

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and verse thirteen.

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But as I say clearly in chapter four, and then also into chapter five as the vision

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continues, John is using the term of God's dwelling place.

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We have spent three weeks studying the letters in chapters two and three to the seven churches

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of Asia Minor.

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I think it is worthy of note that the word church now disappears from John's book.

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Nineteen times it has been used in the first three chapters, but it's not found again

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once in the rest of the book.

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And I believe that there is a reason for that, and the reason is that the church leaves the

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earth before the events that begin now to unfold take place.

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Indeed, the experience that we're going to see that John had portends the experience

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the church will have in the rapture.

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Acknowledgedly, it's not a direct parallel, but what happened to John will in a certain

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sense also happen to the church.

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Well, I think you received an outline coming in tonight that looks something like this.

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After these things, John saw heavenly sights.

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You notice he says, after these things I looked and behold a door standing in heaven.

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So John now begins to tell us what he saw in heaven.

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In chapter four, we see that he saw a door, a throne, 24 elders, and four living creatures.

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Now this evening and the rest of our time, we want to take a look at those things that

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John saw.

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The first thing that John saw was a door in heaven, described in verses one and the first

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part of verse two.

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When did he see this door?

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Well, John says it was after these things.

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What is he talking about?

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Well, in the context of the book, it's after the things that he's written about, chapters

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two and three.

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After these things, the things which are said earlier in the book to be the things which

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are.

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Turn back to chapter one, verse 19 for a moment and look at what we believe is a Spirit-inspired

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outline of the book of the Revelation.

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To John, Jesus says in verse 19 of chapter one, write the things which you have seen,

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as chapter one, the vision that John had of Jesus on the Isle of Patmos.

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And secondly, write the things which are, the letters to the churches, chapters two

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and three.

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And as we suggested in our rather brief study of those seven letters, they form something

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of an overview of this whole age in which we're now living, the progression of it.

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Those seven churches likewise give us characteristics of local churches throughout this age.

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We could see Grace Church Roseville, bits and pieces of it in probably all of those

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letters.

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And so the chapters two and three form that part of the book of the Revelation in which

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Jesus said to John, write the things which are.

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The number three, he says, write the things which will take place after these things or

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after this.

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And so Jesus tells John, there's going to be something said to you, revealed to you,

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which will encompass what will take place after the things which are, this period of

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the church.

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And so now as we come to chapter four, John seems to divide the book just this way.

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It's not divided evenly by any means.

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The first section is chapter one, the second section is chapters two and three, the third

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section is the rest of the book, beginning with chapter four.

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And he says, after these things, the very same phrase that was used by Jesus in chapter

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one and verse 19, after these things I looked and behold a door open in heaven.

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Now what did John hear?

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Well he heard a voice, like a trumpet speaking to him.

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This is the very same voice that he described in chapter one and verse 10 with the same

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language and there as here it is the voice of the Lord Jesus Christ.

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It is the same voice, I believe, that Paul describes to us in 1 Thessalonians 4 when

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he says that the Lord will come and when he comes he will shout with a voice of an archangel

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and with a trumpet of God.

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The language that Paul uses in that text describes the majesty and the authority of the voice

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and what would be said.

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The Lord will come with a shout and he says the dead in Christ shall rise first then we

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who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds.

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John hears the same voice and he describes the voice here as that of a trumpet, that

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is it has clarity as of a trumpet.

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The authority, the power of the voice is what is in mind here and what does he say?

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He says to John come up here, come up here.

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I wonder if that is what Jesus is going to say at the rapture.

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Is that what we are going to hear?

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Come up here.

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I don't know.

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But certainly that was the word of Jesus to John on the Isle of Patmos.

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John was there on the island and Jesus says come up here, up into heaven.

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He says I will show you things, notice, which must take place after these things.

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So again there is that phrase.

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That is after the church age.

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John I am going to show you what is going to come when the church is no longer on the

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earth.

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I am going to show you what is coming after these things having to do with the churches.

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Notice he says things which must take place after this.

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It is not merely that he is going to show John things that will take place and therefore

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they should be interesting to him.

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He is going to show John things that must take place because these things are the outworking

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of God's divine will.

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John is about to see a part of the future unfold and he is going to see it unfold from

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the divine perspective.

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He is going to see it unfold from the throne room of God.

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We ask the question how?

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John says immediately I was in the spirit.

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It is suddenly all at once, zap, or we might say in the twinkling of an eye.

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It is the same thought as Paul used regarding the rapture.

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When we hear the Lord's voice, when that trumpet sounds at the end of this age and the church

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is caught up, we will be changed in the twinkling of an eye.

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A bit of time that is impossible really to measure.

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Instantly, suddenly, and John uses the same kind of language here as describing his experience.

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In just a moment he was in the spirit.

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We are not exactly sure what that means in the spirit.

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John didn't receive his glorified body then as we shall in the twinkling of an eye at

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the last trumpet.

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John seems to be describing here his state, perhaps his mode of divine transportation.

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In some miraculous way, even like Elijah and the chariot of fire and the horses of fire,

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in some miraculous way John was literally caught up and taken through that door into

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heaven.

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John did not see the door open, it was already open there in heaven.

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Some people say that is the same door that is open all the time, and through which believers

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pass when they leave this earth.

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I can't argue with that at all and I wouldn't argue with it.

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What kind of a door it was?

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Well I am not sure whether it was a door like on your house or my house.

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The point is that there was an entrance into heaven, an entrance into heaven.

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John saw into another dimension as he looked through that door.

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There was another whole sphere of reality that John had never seen, but he was given

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to see that door that was open and Jesus said come up here.

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Now, this is speculation, but it may be that that door, if we had eyes to see it, we could

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see it tonight.

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It may be that if that door were visible to us, that if we could see it, the door would

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be there in another invisible realm to our physical eyes.

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Because this is not a door that God especially opened for John, it was already standing open

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when he looked.

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And it may be that when a believer departs from his body in death to go to be with Christ,

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that those angels who have been assigned to him, as I believe is the case, as his guardian

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angels, as we often speak of them, that they escort his spirit through that door into the

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next realm, which is not some billions and billions of miles into the universe, but which

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is rather another realm that is right there, but we can't see it.

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But it's up because Jesus said to John, come up here.

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And so there was that door in heaven.

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The next thing that John says he saw is a throne in heaven.

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Verses two and three, and then again verses five and six.

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And we ask the question, who does John see on that throne?

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He says there was one sitting on the throne.

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By the way, when we think of the throne of God, we need to recognize that it is a throne

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of universal sovereignty.

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It has absolutely no limitations whatsoever.

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God is sovereign over all.

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He is the Almighty, as we've read.

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John uses the word throne in the book of Revelation some 47 times.

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It's only used 15 times in the rest of the New Testament.

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So you get the idea he's emphasizing that this book is about God's sovereign control

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of all things, including human history.

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The throne of God is the center, the pivot, of the whole rest of this book.

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Now John sees one who is sitting on the throne.

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He doesn't say particularly that there is a person distinguishable, but there on the

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throne he sees this brilliance.

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There is a splendor of color which he describes to us.

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Now John lacked scientific terminology to give us the exact identification of these

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things as we might understand them today.

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But he uses the word jasper to describe the brilliance in part.

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The best understanding of this seems to be that of a diamond sparkling.

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Clear as crystal is the way it's described in chapter 21 verse 11.

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The jasper is said there to be as clear as crystal.

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And so we think of the clarity, the sparkling quality of a diamond.

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And it suggests to us the purity and the holiness of the one who is there.

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And then John uses the term like a sardius stone.

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Some have suggested this is a carnelian, others a ruby.

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The point seems to be that it is a fiery red color.

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The sardius stone by the way was named for sardius, one of the churches that we've

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studied about or the city of the church.

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And red seems to be the color of judgment.

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And so we have one who is on the throne and the brilliance that is exuding from his person

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is that of sparkling diamonds and brilliant red.

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And symbolically it means that he is the one who is holy and he is the one who possesses

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the power of all judgment.

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Now what does John see here around the throne?

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Well he sees a rainbow.

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It's not your kind of rainbow or mine that we're used to.

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This is a rainbow of solid color.

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It's said to be emerald in color.

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And the language at least suggests that instead of a half circle as we're used to with the

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rainbow that what we have here is a complete rainbow.

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If that is the case then the circle would represent the eternal life of the one over

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whom it rests, that one on the throne.

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It is a green circle representing eternal life.

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And it may be that that circle instead of being this way is this way around the throne.

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And then John says that he saw lightning and thunder.

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Now when you and I see that we know there's a storm brewing.

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When we see lightning and thunder we know that it's time to pack up and go in the house.

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John sees coming from the throne lightning and thunder and it's continuous.

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It's just a constant rumble.

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And it seems to suggest the severity of the judgment that is about to be poured out and

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the finality of this judgment that God is going to meet out to those who dwell upon

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the earth.

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And John says I heard voices.

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And he says before the throne were seven lamps which symbolize it seems the fullness of the

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Holy Spirit in his ministry in the church.

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Where did we last see these lamps?

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Does anybody remember?

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They were on the Isle of Patmos weren't they?

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And Jesus was standing in the midst of them.

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Notice the lamps are not there anymore, they're in heaven.

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Which I think is another subtle indication that these lamps representing the ministry

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of the Holy Spirit in those seven local churches have now been moved to heaven suggesting the

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church has been moved to heaven in the rapture.

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John sees those lamps burning brightly before the throne of God.

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And then he says he saw a sea of glass.

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A sea of glass.

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John was used to looking at the sea.

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Those were his prison bars.

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He had been taken to the Isle of Patmos and there he had been left.

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The sea was his prison wall.

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He could not escape from the island.

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But here is not a sea of water, it's a sea of glass.

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Now we need to remember that modern glass was not present in the first century.

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But this glass is nonetheless said to be like crystal.

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And so we understand it to be sparkling and clear.

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Some suggest that this sea that is before the throne of God is like that sea, as it's

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called, of cast metal, or that laver of cast metal that was before the temple of God in

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the Old Testament.

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You can read about it in the Second Chronicles chapter 4.

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But there it was a large sea, actually it's called, but a laver, a large container for

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water.

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And it was set upon lions and so on, or bulls rather, and the water then came out to individual

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lavers where the priests could wash themselves and cleanse themselves for their priestly

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duty.

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Some have suggested that there's some kind of relation here with this sea before the

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throne of God.

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But I think that it's easier to see this sea, S-E-A, as representing the separation that

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is between a holy God and the rest of his creation.

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There's a vast distance, it seems, between John and the throne, a sea of glass representing

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the holiness, the separateness of God.

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And yet, it seems to be a solid sea upon which John can walk.

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And so although there is separation from the throne, there is nonetheless accessibility

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to the throne.

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These are amazing sights that John saw, and undoubtedly John sought words in his vocabulary

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as he tried to explain what he saw.

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Then John saw 24 elders in heaven.

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We read about them first in verse 4.

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"'Around the throne were 24 thrones, and on them I saw 24 elders.'

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And then he mentions them again in verses 10 and 11.

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And of course the question that comes to mind is, who are these 24 elders said to be there?

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Well, there are actually more than a dozen different explanations by Bible commentators

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as to the identity of 24 elders.

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It is difficult to pin this down, certainly, as to who they represent.

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But it seems to me that the best understanding of them, and it's not without problems, I

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acknowledge, but the best understanding of them, I think, is that they represent the

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glorified church.

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You say, why are there 24?

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Well, I'm not real sure.

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But I do know this, that the church is called to be a holy priesthood unto God.

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We're all priests.

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And on this earth we have priestly duty.

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We're not only a holy priesthood, we are a royal priesthood, says Peter.

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That is, we are reigning priests.

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We are royalty.

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And here you see a suggestion of the same mix.

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You may recall that in the Old Testament the priesthood was divided into 24 courses, or

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groups of priests.

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And there was a leader over each one of these 24 courses of priests.

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So that when the 24 of them met together, they represented the entire priesthood.

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It seems to me that what we have here is like that representative group.

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It's as though the church also is divided into 24 courses of priests.

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And what John seems to see here symbolically is a representation of the whole priesthood

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that the church is, this holy and royal priesthood.

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Now what does John see the elders doing?

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Well, he says they're sitting.

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They're sitting.

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That means they're enthroned.

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They're sitting on their thrones.

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They are reigning with Christ.

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He sees them clothed in what he describes as white remit.

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Fence of brilliant white representing the righteousness of the saints in the Lord Jesus

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Christ.

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And he sees these 24 elders at a given point fall down in worship.

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Verse 10 says, the 24 elders fall down before him who sits on the throne and worship him

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who lives forever and ever.

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And he says they cast down their throne, their crowns rather, before the throne.

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And so we see them in submission to the one who sits on the throne and worshiping him

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with what is sometimes called the song of creation.

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In verse 11, you are worthy O Lord to receive glory and honor and power for you created

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all things.

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Not only did God create them, but he sustains them.

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He says, and by your will they exist and were created.

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And so there is this song of creation, the song worshiping the creator who sits upon

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the throne.

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Leon Morris in his book writes, John's readers lived in a world as we do where evil was rampant

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and apparently all powerful.

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Do you ever feel like that evil is more powerful than good?

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At least that it's growing that way?

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We hear so much about the evil in our society and the evil in the world when you hear about

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things like happening in Croatia.

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Do you ever have the feeling that evil is winning?

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Well, we're tempted to think that way.

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He goes on to write, goodness was weak and frustrated and ineffectual, but John's very

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first vision of heaven shows that these appearances are deceptive.

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God is holy.

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The word means primarily separate, that is holy, and this separateness includes complete

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purity.

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Our God is good and he is the Lord God Almighty.

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Evil power is not with evil, but with God who is holy.

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Nor is this a passing phase.

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God is he who was and is and is to come.

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God's power and eternal being ensure that his holiness will triumph over all evil.

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We must not allow ourselves to accept the perception that evil wins.

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Evil may be victorious in a skirmish here or there, and for a period of time, short

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or long, but in the end, evil doesn't win.

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God wins.

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God is holy.

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God is on the throne, and I believe that that is truly why John was caught up to see this

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vision.

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He needed to know, like you and I need to know, that in the end, God is on the throne.

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God is on the throne.

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Well, John sees one other site that he describes to us, which are called the four living creatures.

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They are described really in some detail in verses 6-9.

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All of our questions aren't answered to be sure.

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In fact, what we read about them only stimulates our questions.

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John says about them, first of all, that they were full of eyes.

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Did your mother have eyes in the back of her head like mine did?

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Well, literally, these creatures do.

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They're all seeing.

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The eyes seem to speak of their intelligence.

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Now, they are not God.

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They are not God.

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God sits on the throne.

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These are creatures.

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He created them, but He created them to see everything.

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He created them with great intelligence.

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Each of them is distinct.

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He says that one of them looked like a lion.

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Another looked like a calf.

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Another like a man.

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And another like an eagle.

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Let's talk about those things.

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A lion.

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What is the meaning of this creature before the throne of God that looks like a lion?

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Well, a lion represents that which is majestic, that which is strong.

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It represents the strength and the majesty of God.

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A calf is that which serves.

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It's like an oxen.

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There is endurance that is there.

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Jesus Christ is the servant as well as the king.

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A man, man is the most intelligent of God's creatures.

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And so in the one who looks like a man we see intelligence, and we're reminded that

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Jesus Christ is the Son of Man.

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Then the eagle, the eagle which is known for its swiftness.

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Jesus Christ is represented in the eagle as the Son of God who swiftly comes to rescue

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those whom he loves.

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Some have pointed to the parallel here in the gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.

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Matthew who presents him as the king.

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Mark who represents him as the servant of the Lord.

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Luke who represents him as the Son of Man and John who presents him as the Son of God.

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There's another interesting parallel with the camp of Israel in the wilderness.

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Do you remember that God arranged for the Israelites to put themselves around the tabernacle

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in a certain fashion and he told every tribe exactly where it was to be.

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To the east, nearest the tabernacle was the tribe of Judah.

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And interestingly Judah had a banner as did all of the tribes and on that banner was the

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picture of a lion.

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To the west was the tribe of Ephraim.

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The banner of Ephraim had on it an ox.

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To the south was the tribe of Reuben.

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On its banner a man.

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And to the north the tribe of Dan on its banner an eagle.

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So again we see an interesting parallel.

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For these are four creatures not around an earthly tabernacle but around the very throne

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of God.

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And then it's likewise been pointed out that these four creatures represent the four aspects

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of all of creation with whom God has made a covenant in Genesis chapter 9 verse 10 where

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God makes his covenant with man, with fowl, with cattle, and with beasts representing

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all of creation.

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And so we see around the throne the four creatures, the four living creatures as they're described,

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and we see the 24 elders around the throne representing I believe the church, the redeemed.

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And these all fall down before the throne of God proclaiming his praise in worship.

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Again Leon Morris applies some of this in saying, in view of the troubled state of the

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little church, this is a noteworthy affirmation in the first heavenly vision.

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God has not abandoned the world and it is indeed his world.

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He made all things and made them for his own purpose.

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John's readers must not think that evil is in control.

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Evil is real but the divine purpose still stands.

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Now the vision goes on and we shall go on with that in a couple of weeks as we go into

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chapter 5.

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But we see in chapter 4 what is called the song of redemption.

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The four living creatures cry out before God, holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty who was

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and is and is to come.

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And then we have the song of creation delivered by the 24 elders.

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God like for us to do some singing ourselves tonight.

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For this reason, what is it that takes place in heaven which we can experience now?

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What is it?

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Worship.

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Worship is the central function in heaven before God.

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To bring praise and glory and honor to him who sits on his eternal throne, this glorious

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majestic creator.

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I'd like for us to sing first a verse of 262.

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And I'd like for us to sing the second verse of this hymn, holy, holy, holy.

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Would you stand please and turn in your hymnal as we sing together the verse, second verse

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00:36:27,900 --> 00:36:38,600
of 262.

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Verse 2.

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Holy, holy, holy, all the saints adore thee.

435
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Casting down their golden crowns around the world,

436
00:36:41,600 --> 00:36:58,400
Cheremim and Seraphim falling down before thee.

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00:36:58,400 --> 00:37:26,540
Each word and arm and evermore shall be.

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You can see the words are based upon that vision that John had in chapter 4.

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00:37:31,160 --> 00:37:34,600
Let's turn now to hymn 73.

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More of a chorus than a hymn.

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00:37:36,060 --> 00:37:41,840
One that we're used to singing, thou art worthy, O Lord, thou art worthy.

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For thou has created all things.

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Let's sing it together.

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Thou art worthy, thou art worthy, thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory, glory and

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honor, glory and honor.

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Thou art created as all things created, thou has created all things.

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And for thy pleasure they are created, thou art worthy, O Lord.

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Let's pray together.

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Lord, these words we have sung in tunes that fit our ears are for the earth, but we can

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only begin to imagine how beautiful must be these words in the tunes of heaven.

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And we anticipate that day when we will be there and a part of this scene represented

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by the 24 elders.

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When we join with the four living creatures whom we shall see also before your throne,

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we join with them in praising you for your holiness, your eternity, your all-mightiness.

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And we praise you for your power revealed in creation.

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Father, we live in a world that is somewhat like John's was 2,000 years ago.

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It is under the domination of the usurper Satan.

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And this prince of evil, this master of darkness and wickedness has charted a course for the

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age and the unregenerate are following along, mostly ignorant of the one they follow, not

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00:40:28,440 --> 00:40:34,040
realizing the deception in which they've fallen.

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00:40:34,040 --> 00:40:40,760
Thank you for redeeming us from that, for we once walked among them, we too were dead

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in trespasses and sins, but you in your great love, wherewith you've loved us, caused us

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to be raised from that death and to be exalted and to be seated with Jesus Christ in the

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heavenly places.

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We worship you.

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Find us as we live though in this world, that you are still on the throne.

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And though evil may win the day, it will not win in the end, because you reign in your

468
00:41:21,200 --> 00:41:24,600
holiness.

469
00:41:24,600 --> 00:41:28,280
There are some of us who are perplexed about the direction of things in this country and

470
00:41:28,280 --> 00:41:32,360
we hear of things that the new administration is planning.

471
00:41:32,360 --> 00:41:40,320
Father, I thank you that behind all of that, you are on the throne and that your purposes

472
00:41:40,320 --> 00:41:43,960
are going to be fulfilled.

473
00:41:43,960 --> 00:41:52,160
We hear about the difficulty of finding a way for peace in various parts of the world.

474
00:41:52,160 --> 00:42:02,200
It is difficult for us to see the suffering of those whom we call innocent.

475
00:42:02,200 --> 00:42:07,960
And yet, Father, behind all of that suffering, you are on the throne and your purposes are

476
00:42:07,960 --> 00:42:10,400
going to be realized.

477
00:42:10,400 --> 00:42:12,760
You do not delight in the evil of men.

478
00:42:12,760 --> 00:42:16,840
Indeed, you will one day judge.

479
00:42:16,840 --> 00:42:23,120
May we walk as holy people, as priests unto God.

480
00:42:23,120 --> 00:42:28,800
May we keep ourselves unspotted from the world.

481
00:42:28,800 --> 00:42:38,040
May we be ready to hear the voice of the Lord Jesus to us as it came to John, come up here.

482
00:42:38,040 --> 00:42:45,840
Come Lord Jesus, we pray, and bring to an end this day of man, and bring in the day

483
00:42:45,840 --> 00:42:52,240
of the Lord, and establish your kingdom upon the earth.

484
00:42:52,240 --> 00:43:02,260
We pray as you taught us to pray, Lord Jesus, thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth

485
00:43:02,260 --> 00:43:05,260
as it is in heaven.

486
00:43:05,260 --> 00:43:07,160
Amen.

487
00:43:07,160 --> 00:43:22,600
Good night.