“After This”
Revelation 4:1
* For the last several months we have been working our way though the “Revelation.” In only 3 chapters we have heard 14 messages. Be reminded that we find an outline of this book in 1:19. Jesus told John to ‘write – what you HAVE seen (1), what IS (2-3), and what will be (4ff).
* Today we begin the ‘what will be’ section and people always get excited about this part of scripture. Do you know why? Because inquiring minds want to know. The Revelation has already given us a picture of our living Lord, the proclamation that “He Is COMING in the clouds,” and have heard the impassioned plea of our Lord Jesus to the church and to each believer that we remember our salvation, repent of our sins which always separate us from Him, and return to Him (our Savior & Lord). Seven times Jesus has repeated Himself saying, “If you can hear at all, please listen to the Holy Spirit because He calls you to repentance; don’t leave this life unprepared to meet GOD!
* It does seem that many believe themselves to be ready to go to heaven, but few seem ready to meet God! Jesus pleads with us to make plans for eternity. (Text – let’s approach today’s message a little differently)
1. We begin with these two words, “After this.” Some translations read “after these things,” “after all this,” or even “after the vision of these things.” But all of these mean “after” or “beyond” NOW! What is the ‘this’ or these things?
* The first ‘after this,’ he speaks of, deals with time. It means after time has passed away. This is something we seem to forget today.
* The “beyond the grave” stage is called “eternity” while the “before the grave” is called ‘time.’ Time is our lives today, eternity is our lives then. Bro. Morgan Bailey has aptly said, “Time is but a boot camp for eternity.” This means we prepare today for tomorrow. How we live today, the decisions we make and the actions we take TODAY, determine our position and place throughout all eternity.
* As kids we were told ‘what you do before 20 determines who you are after 40.’ Whether this adage is completely true or not is debatable, but one thing that is not debatable, “Payday is coming.”
* This is why Jesus said, “Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: 20 But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: 21 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.”
* Once again, Jesus’ principle of the ‘eye of the needle’ is applied because, if we are honest, we have become that rich people who struggle to keep Jehovah ahead of the god of this culture, money. No one can serve God and money. After time has passed away, there will be no more money.
* As it came time to die, a rich man was having a problem turning loose of his wealth. Money had been his entire life. Yet, he did make a profession in Jesus. As the death angel came, the man requested to carry ONE SUITCASE of his earthly possessions with him. The request was denied & then repeated, and then repeatedly denied. Until finally, the angel said, “You may carry one suitcase.” The man packed his biggest case with bars of gold. After he died he showed up at the pearly gate carrying his case. Peter said, “What is this, this is not allowed,” to which the man replied, “I received special permission.” So Peter said, “Let’s see it,” and the man opened this suitcase with the gold bars which he was so proud of. Peter’s response, “You got special permission to bring ‘pavement?”
* After time has passed, the wealth of this world is pavement to God. Consider other things which will pass, ‘after this’. It will be after the last church is planted, the last sermon is preached, and the last gospel witness is shared, after the last invitation, and after the last person is saved. It is after THIS.
* Are you ready for the “after this?” God has placed it in every person to instinctively know that something exists beyond the grave. How we prepare now determines what then will be like.
* Is your soul ready today? Are you ready to stand before God?
* Hebrews 9:27 says, “It is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:”
* Are you ready for God to judge you? He will judge you in light of what you do with His Son, Jesus. Have you accepted His offer of Salvation? He offers forgiveness from sin, He offers life to the fullest, He offers an eternal home ‘after this’. If you haven’t will you?
2. After ‘this’ or ‘these things,’ scripture records that “John looks.” This word means he looked around to notice and perceive. After time is passed away, you and I will look around, because our soul will not be in the ground. What we see over there will be directly controlled by what we have DONE down here. Consider that John saw an OPEN DOOR.
* In the New Testament, the concept of the door is significant. Jesus said, “Ask, Seek, Knock, and the door will be opened to you.” In Mark 13 Jesus was teaching about the Second Coming and said, “The Lord is near – at the door.” When Jarius came to Jesus his words were, “My daughter is at death’s door.” And James tells us that the “judge stands at the door.” So the concept of the door is indeed a New Testament concept.
3. John sees an OPEN DOOR as opposed to a shut door, which again are much used New Testament pictures. The concept of this open door gives the idea of freedom. In Acts 5 the angel opened the door of the prison to let the Apostles out. It also carries the idea of being able to clearly see. John 1 says, “The heavens will open and you will be able to see…” When Jesus gave sight to the blind, the writers use the term OPEN to express their healing. We could mention several other ideas, but the one which we need to hear is “access.” We recall the church at Philadelphia to which Jesus spoke the words of OPEN DOOR meaning the same as Paul wrote to the Colossians from prison. “This is an opportunity.”
* But let’s not miss the obvious about this open door which John sees. It is an open door into heaven. There is only one door, one way, & one path to heaven, it is Jesus. He is the way and, by His words, He is the door.
* Could it be that John saw “Jesus” as the doorway? And if this was the image of the Lord Christ, how comforting to see the door open. Through this open door He could see into heaven and was welcomed, no he was invited inside. Let’s pause for second.
* John saw an open door, which may well be the one who came and said, “I am the door.” But what if the door had been closed. Just as surely as the Lord says, “What I open no one can close”, He also says, “What I close, no one can open.” And scripture gives us imagery that if we do not do it “HIS” was, we will see the door as closed and not as opened. In Matthew 25, Jesus tells the story of the virgins and reminds us that once God closes the door, nothing can open. Here’s the takeaway for every one of us: We need to make sure that we come to Him – HIS way, not ours. The last thing I will mention is the first thing He heard and we will hear.
4. Lastly, consider what John heard. The more I study God’s word the more I am convicted that Gabriel will not sound the trumpet. This is one message our Lord Christ will give. Let’s rewrite the words of every song which says, “Gabriel sounds the trumpet.” (this is another message) Every time we read of the voice of the glorified Christ it has a trumpet-like resonance! John says, “The first voice!” Not a voice, it was first.
* Are you looking forward to that first voice? Are you longing to hear Jesus speak? For years, I said yes in public while privately I was afraid. Know what I was afraid of? That instead of saying, “Come up here, well done.” He would say, “Depart from me you worker of iniquity, for I never knew you.” After THIS, after these things, I submit that the first voice we will hear will be the voice of Jesus. To John He says, “Come up here”, what will He say to you? After this is over, after this life is past, after time, and facing eternity, only those who have believed in Christ, followed Christ, and obeyed Christ, will see the open door and hear the inviting voice to come up here.
* A mother tells the following true story: My little boy of six had been to church when the song had been sung, "When the Roll Is Called Up Yonder, I'll Be There." After returning home he wanted to know what was meant by those words, so I explained it was like being at school, with the teacher calling their names to see if all the pupils were present. I asked him what he answered when they called his name and he said, "Here!" Then I told him I thought God would call out our names when we got to heaven. He will say, "Daddy Rogers" and Daddy will say, "Here!" then "Mother Rogers" will be called out, and I will say, "Here!" Then "Dennis Rogers, and Dennis will say, "Here!" Shortly after this time my boy was taken seriously ill. After having been unconscious for several hours, with no verbal response, in a firm voice, he suddenly called out "Here!" and then he was gone. When we understood his spirit had flown, we realized he had answered the heavenly roll call.
* “After THIS” comes the roll call, Are you ready?
