The Lord’s personal message to the individual churches is now over. He has told them who He is, pointed out their failures, and warned and counseled them to correct their failures. He has also given them the great promises of heaven if they will only overcome.
Now we begin a new vision—the second vision given to John the Apostle. Now it’s time for the churches to see the future events that are coming upon the earth. Now it’s time for the churches to know that Jesus is coming back to earth. For the next 19 chapters we will see enormous detail of things to come.
READ verses 1 & 2. Tonight we see just a part of the vision—the throne of God. In tonight’s vision, John is transported into heaven and the very first thing he sees is the throne of God. And he sees God Himself seated upon this great throne. There are five quick things that happen to John in these 2 verses.
1. He saw a door opened in heaven. What he was about to see was coming from heaven. This means that we can trust the events written down in Revelation. It is the Word of God coming from heaven, from God’s great throne.
a. There are three doors mentioned in Revelation. There is the open door for evangelism and missions. This is the door that God opens for us as we attempt to share the gospel message with the world. There is the door of the human heart. We saw last week how we must open our heart to allow Jesus to come in. Then there is the door of revelation. Once a person has opened the door of his heart to Christ, Christ reveals the glorious things of Himself, of God, of heaven, and of this world. But Christ also reveals some of the events that will take place when Jesus comes again.
2. The second thing that happens to John is that he heard a commanding voice, the very same voice he had heard in the first vision (Rev. 1:10).
3. Thirdly, John was called to come up here into heaven. Why? To see future events, things that must take place. This is our revelation that things in this world don’t just happen. They are not by chance. There is no coincidence with God. It is all planned. All is of God, of His will—things that must (v.1) happen. God works them out. They are according to His will. History is in His hands and under His ultimate control.
4. Fourthly, John was immediately in the Spirit. He was having a deep, intense spiritual experience with God. In this ecstatic state, in his mind and spirit he was taken up and above this world into heaven.
5. Fifth, John saw the most astounding sight imaginable—God and the throne of God. John declares that he saw God sitting on the throne of God. This assures us that God is above all. He controls all. He sets the things that are to happen. And there will never be an end to His rule.
This should give us a peace in our hearts in knowing that we are secure. God has promised to deliver and keep the believer from the hour of trial, the great tribulation mentioned in Rev. 3:10. Then John describes God in verse 3. READ verse 3.
Note that the glory of God was so astounding that He is indescribable. No human shape or form can describe Him. He is described in terms of light, the dazzling light of the most precious gems and jewels of that day.
I have to say right here that that is the way we try to depict heaven. It is so beautiful that words cannot describe it. As you read about heaven, you will see that it is like a beautiful park. It is like a quiet meadow. It has streets that are like gold. It has seas that are like crystal. That’s as close as we can come. But it is better than all that.
The jewels used to describe God were the most precious of that day and they all represented something.
a. Jasper – This jasper was different from the jasper stone of today. This stone was translucent. A crystal through which light was shining. It was shining so brightly that it was like the concentrated light of a laser. This represents the penetrating perfection and purity of God.
b. The carnelian stone was a fiery red stone and it represents the justice of God.
c. The rainbow that surrounded the throne looked like emerald green. This represents the mercy of God and the new covenant of grace given to man by God.
Note that the throne of God covers the whole scope of salvation. There is God is all His perfection and purity. Man comes short of God’s perfection and purity.
There is God’s justice and judgment. God is perfect. Man is not. God can only allow perfection to come into His presence. So God must execute judgment upon sin and unrighteousness.
Then there is God’s mercy and grace. That is why God sent Jesus to earth. Because He is merciful and full of grace.
All of this is seen in the throne of God. Note how the throne of God is exactly what man needs: he needs perfection, and he needs justice to be executed upon the evil and unrighteousness of this earth. He needs to receive mercy and grace so that he can live forever in perfection. This is the light of God that John describes. God is light and in Him is no darkness.
In verse 4 we have the sight of the 24 elders sitting around the throne of God. READ verse 4. John nowhere says who the elders are. There are a number of theories about who they are.
1. The majority think that they are the twelve patriarchs and twelve apostles combined. The heads of the believers of the OT and the NT.
2. Some think they are angelic beings
3. And others believe they are the chief priestOf course, they all couldn’t serve in the temple. So King David divided the priests into 24 groups, each group to serve 2 weeks at a time. They were symbolic representatives of all the redeemed of the Lord.
We really don’t know who they were and it is not the purpose of this study to speculate and give opinions. We are looking solely at the Scriptures.
We do know that the elders sit on thrones surrounding the throne of God. We know that they cast their crowns before the throne of God. We know that the elders worship God. In chapter 5 one elder encourages John when he weeps. Also in chapter 5 one elder brings the progress of saints to God.
In chapters 5 and 7 one elder explains part of the vision to John. These elders are mentioned right along with God, Christ, the living creatures, angels, and with the redeemed believers who are already in heaven.
They are clothed in white garments which is symbolic for being dressed in the purity and holiness of God. They have crowns of gold on their heads. This means they hold positions of authority. There is some duty or responsibility they oversee for God. But that is all we know about them.
READ verses 5 & 6a. Three things are now added to the throne of God to show how awesome His presence is.
1. There is the voice of God which is so commanding that it sounds like a combination of lightning and rumbles of thunder. His voice flashes and thunders the great pronouncements of God. It is sounded forth with the speed of lightning and the awesomeness of thunder. This is a glimpse, a preview, of the coming judgment.
2. The second thing added to the throne of God is the seven torches. This is symbolic of the Holy Spirit in all of His fullness and completeness.
3. The third thing added to the throne of God is a sea of glass stretching out before the throne. Again the sea is LIKE crystal. We have several instances where this similar scene was seen.
In Ex. 24:10 the elders of Israel saw a similar sight under God’s feet.
In Ezek. 1:22,26, Ezekiel saw a similar sight.
In 1 Kings 7:23, God had instructed the temple to have a brazen sea stretched out before it, and if you remember, the tabernacle and the temple were shadows of real things in heaven.
We sing in our hymns about this crystal sea. What does this crystal symbolize to you? The sea of glass symbolizes at least three things:
1. The glassy sea shows us the value and preciousness of God’s presence. In the old days it was almost impossible to make pure glass. Pure glass that was as clear as crystal was considered to be as valuable and precious as gold.
2. The glassy sea shows us how clearly God is able to see everything that is out before His throne. It stands for His omniscience and penetrating vision into all things. Nothing is hid from Him who is upon the throne of heaven.
3. The glassy sea shows us the spectacular purity of God, as clear and pure as perfect glass and crystal. The glassy sea shows us how far away God is from the impurities of a contaminated world. He is as far away as a sea made of pure glass and pure crystal.
In the last part of verse 6 and through verse 9 we have described 4 creatures that surround the throne of God. READ verse 6b – 9. There are three things that we will note about these creatures
1. First is their position. They are the closest beings to God. They are posted in the middle of each side of the throne. They are guardians of God’s throne. They are always found near the throne of God
2. Second is their description. Who are these privileged beings who are in the presence of God day and night, who declare His majesty and holiness, these beings who never have to leave God’s presence, who would be so honored as to have this glorious privilege?
It looks like they were beings who were created for this very purpose. They seem to be the same beings as the cherubim seen in Isaiah’s vision. John chooses earthly creatures to compare them to.
a. One being is like a lion. This symbolizes supremacy.
b. One being was like an ox (calf): this symbolizes strength.
c. One being was like a man: this symbolizes intelligence.
d. One being was like an eagle: symbolizing swiftness.
3. The third thing we want to note about these creatures is their function. It was to glorify God day and night.
These creatures show us two things about God. First, they show us the supremacy, strength, intelligence, and swiftness of God. They all stand for what God is. Second, they show us that all of nature owes its worship to God, both animals and man.
In verse 8 the creatures cry out to God, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God almighty, who was, and is, and is to come.” All the world is to praise God for His holiness. All the world is to praise God for His sovereignty and omnipotence. All the world is to praise God for His eternal existence.
READ verses 10-11. Now we see the function of the 24 elders. It is four-fold.
1. They show subjection and subservience. They fall down before the throne of God. They yield all they are and have to Him. We should learn from this.
2. They worship God as the eternal God. He alone is our hope for living forever. If we fail to worship Him in truth, then we miss what eternal life will be.
3. They show the supreme worthiness of the Lord. They lay their crowns before the Lord. The Lord has given the right to rule with him to these elders but in humility and thankfulness the elders cast their crowns down before Him. Why? To show that He alone is worthy.
4. They vocally declare His worthiness, and they praise Him as the Lord God of the universe and of creation. The original Greek phrase for “You are worthy, our Lord and our God,” means God is supreme; He is the first Being of the universe. He is the glorious Creator of all things. He is the One who created all things by His will.
And on that note, before we get to our response time, I would like you to listen, (Sing along) to the words of “Thou Art Worthy.”
