The Final Triumph

Before we turn to Chapter Four, it will be good to remember what we read earlier, Blessed is he who reads and those who hears the words of the prophecy, and obeys the things which are written in it; for the time is near (Revelation 1:3). When believers study prophecy, their interest is usually related to knowing all about the tribulation, the millennium and the symbolism of the trumpets and vials etc. But the important thing is not understanding prophecy but obeying what is written. Prophecy, like the rest of Scripture, is also meant for obedience! There are many symbols and signs used in the book of Revelation. It is impossible for anyone to be dogmatic in interpreting them. God has deliberately left these things vague, so that He can separate those believers who are preoccupied with explaining the symbols from those who are seeking to obey His commands. We are all familiar with the beatitudes - the Blessed"s in Matthew 5. There are seven Blessed"s in Revelation too. There is one in the first chapter: "Blessed is the one who reads and obeys" (Revelation 1:3). And there is one in the last chapter "Blessed is the one who keeps on obeying the words of this book" (Revelation 22:7). Right at the beginning and at the very end of this book, you have this blessing promised to all who obey what is written in this book. Between these two Blessed"s lies the whole book of Revelation. Obedience is what God requires even in the last book of the Bible. In no place in Revelation, do we find a blessing promised on those who understand and interpret all the symbols or on those who can draw a prophetic chart to show the time-schedule for the various events prophesied etc. It is obedience that God looks for - right from Genesis 3 to Revelation 22. Revelation 4 to 22 is written for those who have already listened to the call of the Spirit in chapters 2 & 3, to overcome. Never forget that. These chapters have not been written for those who want to merely increase in understanding. In Revelation 1:1, we saw that God gave this revelation to Jesus Christ to be shown to His servants. The meaning of this book is not something that God wants to conceal from us. No. He wants to reveal its meaning to us. This is the faith that we must have as we study this prophecy. According to your faith, be it unto you! If you come in faith saying, "Lord, I am Your bondservant. I want to be an overcomer. I believe You will make me understand this prophecy", then you will understand - not otherwise. Verse 1: After these things I looked, and behold, a door standing open in heaven, and the first voice which I had heard, like the sound of a trumpet speaking with me, said, 'Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after these things.' In Revelation 3:20 we saw the necessity of a door being opened on earth. There we saw Jesus standing at the door of our hearts and knocking. If we open that door (yield our wills) to Jesus, then Jesus opens a door for us "in heaven", as we see here. We cannot experience the opening of the door in heaven, if we haven't yielded our wills to Him and made Him Lord of our lives. And then we hear Jesus saying, "Come up here". John was on Patmos on earth. And Jesus told him to come up higher - to heaven - so that he could see what would happen in the future. God is always calling us to come up higher. But we have to respond to that call. If we don't respond, we will remain forever where we are. If John had not responded, the book of Revelation would have closed with just three chapters!! Verse 2: Immediately I was in the Spirit; and behold, a throne was standing in heaven, and One sitting on the throne. This is how God lifts us up also in the Spirit so that we can see the things of earth from a heavenly standpoint! As we approach the end of time, it is important that we learn to look at the things that are going to happen on earth, not from an earthly standpoint, but a heavenly one. Jesus told us in Luke 21:28, "When these things begin to take place, straighten up and lift up your heads". That means the same thing - to look at things from heaven's viewpoint. Otherwise, we will be filled with fear. But when we look up, we see that our Father is in control of everything. And so we need to experience what John experienced too - in our spirits. And what was the first thing that John saw? Not the antichrist or the tribulation, but "GOD'S THRONE". That's what we need to see in these days - God Almighty RULING and CONTROLLING everything. If we don't see that first of all, we will have many problems and difficulties on earth. Verse 3: And He who was sitting was like a jasper stone and a sardius in appearance; and there was a rainbow around the throne, like an emerald in appearance. The jasper stone is a stone that is crystal clear (Revelation 21:11). And the sardius is flaming red in colour, speaking of God's judgement on sin. So we see that the very first thing emphasized about the One who sits on the throne through both these symbols is His holiness and purity. There was a rainbow around the throne. The rainbow was given by God immediately after the flood, when Noah came out of the ark. It was a sign of God's covenant with the people of the earth that He would never again destroy the earth with a flood". The rainbow therefore is a symbol of God's grace. So we see "TRUTH AND GRACE" on the throne. This is the glory that was seen in Jesus too (John 1:14). Throughout the book of Revelation we see these two aspects of God's glory alternately - grace and judgement. God is both good and severe (Romans 11:22). Verse 4: And around the throne were twenty four thrones; and upon the thrones I saw twenty four elders sitting, clothed in white garments, and golden crowns on their heads. Among the angels whom God created, we read in Colossians 1:16 that there are "thrones, dominions, rulers and authorities". So these 24 elders symbolize such spirit-beings who have authority around the throne of God. And we will see, later in Revelation that one of their primary tasks is to lead people in the worship of God. Their white garments speak of their purity, and their golden crowns speak of their authority. Verse 5: And from the throne proceed flashes of lightning and sounds and peals of thunder. And there were seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God. The lightning and thunder are meant to emphasise God's majesty and glory, and the fact that He has total control over everything that is going to come. And the seven lamps of fire we are told are the seven Spirits of God - or in other words, the sevenfold Holy Spirit (Isaiah 11:2, 3). Notice that the Holy Spirit is represented by seven lamps of fire - symbolising perfect purity. "Our God is a consuming fire" (Hebrews 11:29). Many would like to think of God always as a God of love. But He is also a consuming fire. I have seen wall-plaques in many homes with the words, "GOD IS LOVE". But it is rare to find a wall-plaque with the words, "GOD IS A CONSUMING FIRE". Man does not like to think of God as a consuming fire. But whether we like to think of this fact or not, He is still a consuming fire. When people speak about their being filled with the Holy Spirit, and of having experiences in the Holy Spirit, they must remember that any genuine experience of the Holy Spirit will bring the fire of God's purity into their lives. If that doesn't happen, the experience must be regarded as counterfeit. Verses 6-8: And before the throne there was, as it were, a sea of glass like crystal; and in the center and around the throne, four living creatures full of eyes in front and behind and the first creature was like a lion, and the second creature like a calf and the third creature had a face like that of a man, and the fourth creature was like a flying eagle. And the four living creatures, each one of them having six wings, are full of eyes around and within; and day and night they do not cease to say, "Holy, Holy, Holy, is the Lord God, the Almighty, who was and who is and who is to come. The lion is the king of beasts, the calf the king of cattle, the eagle the king of birds and man the king of creation. The four living beings represent the heavenly cherubs. This is clear when we compare this passage with Ezekiel 1:4-20 and 10:20. There we read that there were wheels on earth for each of the cherubs, and that whenever the cherubs moved, the wheels moved with them. We also read that the wheels moved in the same direction as the Spirit was moving. Those wheels represent earthly events and circumstances, and the vision was meant to portray this truth that "Although our circumstances may seem to go round and round in different directions like wheels, God is in total control of every one of them". God alone determines the direction in which our circumstances move. These cherubim are the guardians of the glory of God. The book of Ezekiel deals with the subject of the glory of God departing from Israel, because Israel sinned. We read, "Then the glory of the Lord went up from the cherub to the threshold of the temple, and the temple was filled with the cloud" (Ezekiel 10:4). And then in verse 18, we read, "the glory of the Lord departed". When Adam and Eve were turned out of the garden of Eden, we read in Genesis 3:24 that "God drove the man out; and at the east of the garden of Eden He stationed the cherubim and the flaming sword which turned every direction, to guard the way to the tree of life". The cherubs with their flaming sword were to prevent sinners from taking part of the tree of life. That sword finally fell on our Lord Jesus Christ on Calvary's cross and now the way to the tree of life has been opened. Today, we can all partake of the tree of life, if we agree with God's judgment on our flesh - if we allow His sword to fall on our flesh. It is impossible to enter into the Divine life, without first being crucified with Christ. True servants of God stand in the church today, like those cherubs, with flaming swords, and guard the glory of God and His holiness. These cherubs keep on crying "Holy, Holy, Holy", day and night. Isaiah too had a vision, where he saw the seraphs in heaven crying, "Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord of hosts" (Isaiah 6:1-3). Isaiah saw those seraphs using only two of their six wings to fly. With the other four they covered their faces and worshipped God. Those seraphs had never sinned. Yet they had to cover their faces when they came into the presence of God. How much more you and I need to do that! This is the God we worship. "HOLINESS" is the predominant characteristic of heaven - whether of cherubs or of seraphs. That's why it is a disgrace when a person calls himself a Christian and doesn't seek to live in purity. Verses 9-11: And when the living creatures give glory and honour and thanks to Him who sits on the throne, to Him who lives forever and ever, the twenty-four elders will fall down before Him who sits on the throne and will worship Him who lives forever and ever, and will cast their crowns before the throne, saying, 'Worthy art Thou, our Lord and our God, to receive glory and honour and power, for Thou didst create all things, and because of Thy will they existed, and were created'. The 24 elders are quick to cast their crowns down before God. In other words, they are saying, "Lord, if we have crowns upon our heads, they are what YOU gave us, and so we give them back to You." When God gives us some position or authority in the church, that is not something we are to be proud of. If God places a crown on our head, we must immediately cast it down at His feet, recognising that He alone is worthy of all honour. To show off our authority or gift is of the very spirit of hell. In heaven, they cast their crowns down and say, "Thou alone are worthy, our Lord and our God, to receive glory and honour and power." The elders remind us in their song of another matter that we must never forget: That God created us according to His will, and we fulfil the purpose of our creation only when we do His will, and not our own.