Studies In Revelation Chapter 4 Series

Note: I used many sources to study this book, one of my favorites is Revelation: God’s Word for the Biblically-Inept by Daymond Duck and some out of different study bibles.

Title: Worship of the Creator

Text: Rev 4

Why is there a break? and why we believe the rapture happened.

1. The church is no longer seen in the world. The word church is not mentioned again until chapter 21 in reference to concluding testimony of the world's day as ended

2. The scene shifts to heaven as we see in chapter 4

3. The church is not a name but a people who trust Christ.

4. The judgments happen in chapter 6 and Christ said that those who are of the

church would be able to avoid it.

5. Mainly because of the natural division.

Revelation 1:19 Write the things which thou hast seen(ch. 1), and the things which are(ch. 2-3), and the things which shall be hereafter;(ch. 4-22)

First vision chapter 4-5

ch. 4 Worship of God as creator

ch.5 Worship of Christ as redeemer

Revelation 4:1. After this I looked, and, behold, a door [was] opened in heaven:

This actually means that a door was already open. It was not opening before John.

Four doors in the book of Revelation

1. (3:8) Door of opportunity.

2. (3:20) Door to our heart

3. (4:1) Door to God through Christ.

John 14:16 And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever;

John 10:9 I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.

4. (19:11) Door that Christ will come at His second coming.

and the first voice which I heard [was] as it were of a trumpet talking with me;

John heard the voice of Jesus calling.

1Thessalonians 4:16 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: 17 Then we which are alive [and] remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.

which said, Come up hither, and I will shew thee things which must be hereafter.

1John 1:3 That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship [is] with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ.

John knew because he saw. To be an apostle one of the qualifications was that one must have seen Christ.

2 And immediately (at once) I was in the spirit: and, behold, a throne was set in heaven, and [one] sat on the throne.

immediately-in the twinkling of an eye 1/60th of a second. What happened? He was in the Spirit. This is a good place to be. When you are in the spirit you are open to the leading of Christ. You are open to his visions. You are open to his work.

In the spirit in John’s sense means that he was not in his body but his soul was taken to heaven. Why could his body not go? It was not yet glorified

What do you think the throne represents? the universal sovereignty and rulership of God. God is in control. The headquarters of this universe is not in Washington, DC, or any other capital but in heaven at the throne. We will see that this throne has changed. At one time it was a throne of grace. God pulling back his full judgment. But we will see soon that it is a throne of judgment. God's justice to be done.

3 And he that sat was to look upon like a jasper and a sardine stone: and [there was] a rainbow round about the throne, in sight like unto an emerald.

Description of Jesus as our high priest jasper-stone of Benjamin-treasured son(white flashing light-purity) sardine(carelian)-stone of Reuben-first born (red flashing light-blood)

these were the first and the last stones on the breast plate of the high priest.

Jesus who sits on the throne is our high priest.

rainbow-around the throne

What was the purpose of the rainbow? What about here? maybe a reminder of the fact that God would not destroy the earth, the grace of God

Emerald-green is the symbol of life eternal

Can you describe God? this would be a good start. 4 And round about the throne [were] four and twenty seats (thrones): and upon the seats I saw four and twenty elders sitting,

Who are these four and twenty elders? we know that elders are leaders. It was the same term used for the early church leaders. So we know that the early church is represented. What about the number? Some have suggested 12 from OT and 12 from the NT. 12 tribes and 12 apostles. Or 12 patriarches and 12 apostles.