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If you would care to take your sheaf of notes with which you have been provided, and turn to page two of those notes, you will find that there we have suggested that the book of the Revelation consists of six major movements of thought. Tonight we are to consider the second of those major movements of thought, and a very brief and skeleton outline is provided for you there upon the sheet. The second movement begins in chapter four and verse one and proceeds to the end of chapter seven.
And we shall begin our study now by reading together from the book of the Revelation, the first chapter, that is chapter four, the first in this movement that introduces us to what is its major topic. So then, the book of the Revelation and chapter four. After these things I saw, and behold, a door opened in heaven. And the first voice which I heard, a voice as of a trumpet speaking with me, one saying, come up hither, and I will show thee the things which must come to pass hereafter.
Straightway I was in the spirit, and behold, there was a throne set in heaven, and one sitting upon the throne, and he that sat was to look upon like a jasper stone and a sardius. And there was a rainbow round about the throne, like an emerald to look upon, and round about the throne were four and twenty thrones, and upon these thrones I saw four and twenty elders sitting, arrayed in white garments, and on their heads crowns of gold. And out of the throne proceed lightnings and voices and thunders.
There were seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, which are the seven spirits of God, and before the throne, as it were a glassy sea like unto crystal. And in the midst of the throne and round about the throne, four living creatures, full of eyes before and behind. And the first creature was like a lion, and the second creature like a calf, and the third creature had a face as of a man, and the fourth creature was like a flying eagle. And the four living creatures, having each one of them six wings, are full of eyes round about and within.
They have no rest day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God, the Almighty, which was and which is and which is to come. And when the living creatures shall give glory and honor and thanks to him that sitteth on the throne, to him that liveth forever and ever, the four and twenty elders shall fall down before him that sitteth on the throne, and shall worship him that liveth forever and ever, and shall cast their crowns before the throne, saying, Worthy art thou, our Lord and our God, to receive the glory and the honor and the power, for thou didst create all things, and because of thy will they were and were created.
And may God give us good understanding of his holy word. And so we come this evening to the second major movement of thought in this fascinating book of the Revelation. And as chapter four, its introductory chapter, points out to us beyond all doubt and mistake, the scene of this second movement of the book of the Revelation is going to be the throne of the Creator. But let me spend just a moment demonstrating to you that as this movement begins, so it continues.
For not only is it true that in chapter four the major theme is the throne of the Creator, it is likewise true that running through the whole of this great movement of thought is this constantly repeated idea of the throne of the Lord. Let us follow in slightly more detail the flow of thought as it runs through the movement. In chapter four, John sees the great vision of the throne of God and a vision of its all majestic occupant. And here's the choirs of heaven constantly worshiping him that sits upon the throne that lives forever and ever.
Without a break in the proceedings, as we enter chapter uh five, we see the Lamb approach that august throne, and from the hand of his divine majesty, who sits upon that throne, the Lamb of God receives a scroll, a book written on the inside and the outside, full of the counsels and plans of God, a book which at the present is tightly sealed with seven seals. And the question is asked throughout the courts of heaven, as of earth and of hell, who is worthy to open the book?
Indeed, who is able even to look upon the book and worthy to open the seals of the book that came from the right hand of him that sat upon the throne? None in heaven and earth is found worthy, save the Lamb, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, and he takes the book from his divine majesty. And as he takes it, now we enter chapter six and watch him as one by one he unlooses those six seals, leaving the seventh to the beginning of the third movement of the book.
As he unleashes those seals, so do judgments begin to fall from the throne of God on this unhappy and sinful world. They come to a crescendo at the end of chapter six, when of a sudden that veil that hides the unseen world from our seen world is now pulled aside. Mortal men look up and see the throne of God and the glorious occupant, and they cry in their terror to the rocks to fall on them and hide them from the face of him that sits upon the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb.
You will have seen, as we have been speaking, how the central feature all the way through these chapters is the throne of God. No different is it when we come to the final chapter in this sequence, chapter seven. For at the beginning of chapter seven we are given to see two distinct companies of people. We see one hundred and forty four thousand. Twelve thousand of each of the twelve tribes of Israel, and we watch as they are sealed in their foreheads so that no drop of the wrath of God shall ever descend upon them.
Then we see and hear of us innumerable hosts come waving their palm branches and dressed in white, crying salvation to our God and to him that sits upon the throne. Thereupon, one of the elders of the heavenly court approaches John and asks him, these, who are these? And John confesses his ignorance and asks the elder to explain who they are. So that now we come to the final comment of this great sequence of thought, as one of the twenty four elders that surround the throne of God explains to John who this, this innumerable host is.
And in the course of his remarks, he comments as follows. These that are arrayed in white robes, their robes are white because they have washed their robes in the blood of the Lamb, and therefore, says he, they are before the throne. Or do you see, we have been talking of this throne all the way through. In stark contrast to these people who call to the rocks to fall on them and hide them from the face of him that sits upon the throne. These have found the ground of standing before that throne, therefore are they before the throne, because they have washed their robes and made them white.
Moreover, says the elder to John, and you will notice his phraseology. He does not say God shall spread his tabernacle over them, though it is true it is God who shall spread his tabernacle over them. But choosing his words by divine inspiration exceedingly carefully, he says, he who sits on the throne shall spread his tabernacle over them. And then he adds, and again we notice the careful way he phrases himself. He does not say the Lord Jesus shall be their shepherd, though to be sure it is he.
Nor does he say the Redeemer, nor yet the Son of God, but he says the Lamb who is in the midst of the throne shall be their shepherd, and he shall guide them to life's living waters. I think then we have seen enough to show us that here in chapters four, five, six, and seven we have not simply some miscellaneous visions that happen to have got put together in our Bibles cheek by jowl. We have, as a masterpiece of music, a movement of thought that is concerned with the all-glorious throne that is established in the heaven.
Now, if you look back to your sheet to which I called your attention a moment ago, you will find that herein lies a key to the understanding of this very detailed book. Movements 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6. Every time the movement begins by heaven being opened, or something being opened in heaven. And then we are, in movements two, three, four, and five shown through the eyes of John some significant piece of the furniture of the heavenly temple.
Here in movement two, it is the throne. In movement three, it will be the ar- the altar of incense. In movement four, the Ark of the Covenant. In movement five, it will be the vessels of the ministry. These things, of course, were not shown to John haphazardly. For each time as the heaven opens, our vision is caught by one outstanding object of heavenly furniture, and it sets the key for the drama that is now to follow. And tonight, all comes from this central throne.
What comes from it, you say? We noticed last night that the book of the Revelation is a solemn book because it tells of judgments that will and must fall on our world in days to come. Who knows how soon they shall fall. For all that it is a solemn book, it is not altogether a sad book, is it? Perhaps of all the books in the whole of the New Testament, there is more praise and music to be heard in the book of the Revelation as in any other book.
And when it comes to the worship of God by his people, then surely the book of the Revelation will outdo even Matthew's gospel in his frequency of use of the very word worship. So much so that if this week God's Holy Spirit gives us any insight into the meaning of this book, and it begins to grip our hearts and fuel our minds and capture our imaginations, presently we shall find ourselves moved to the worship of our blessed Lord, and move fervently to worship our blessed Savior, worshiping him for his salvation, but yes, also worshiping him for his true and righteous judgment.
So then what is happening in these great movements of thought two, three, four, and five is this, that before the judgments fall in these various series of judgments, God invites us through the eyes of John the Seer to enter the very throne room of heaven, to be shown the reasons why those judgments must come. God is no arbitrary dictator, lashing out in wild, irrational, and uncontrolled fury.
Sure enough, our world does enough to provoke him, would you not agree? But when at last, at long last, he who is long suffering to us warred, not willing that any should perish, when at long last he gives the word and those judgments begin to fall, then there will be reasons behind that ju- those judgments. And he invites us now, before they come, to have counsel and conversation with him, that he may explain to us why the judgments must come.
The first, and rightly the first of all the reasons why those judgments must come is because of the throne that is in the heavens. Let us therefore immediately observe whose throne it is. We heard, did we not, in our reading, not only the elders, but the four living creatures that are seen supporting the throne of God. We heard them hymning their constant praise to the Creator, and glorious praise it is. They are living creatures. And as the elders praise him that liveth forever and ever, the sheer instinct of created life in all its colorful fullness, its irresistible energies.
Created life cries out to him who gave it, to him who lives. Cries out in its praise. As I could trust you from time to time have been moved in your praise, perhaps a little bit more in your youth than now. Weren't there mornings when the spring was sunny? There were some, I think. When the spring was sunny and the daffodils bloomed and the blood coursed in your young veins and you thought nobody was looking. You were hopping over warden law for the sheer, sheer joy of living. Yes.
What man hasn't flexed his muscles with satisfaction? What woman hasn't looked at her beauty in a mirror and and been exceedingly pleased? Found that life is a wonderful thing, whether consciously or with the dim perception of the unregenerate, has felt life within them surging up to praise the source of life, him that liveth forever and ever. Life is one of those things that longs to go on forever and ever.
Yes, but you'll see, this is the creator's throne, and as the living creatures hymn their creator, they are heard to be saying this, worthy art thou, O Lord our God, to receive the glory and the honor and the power, for thou didst create all things, and for thy pleasure, because of thy will they were and were created. Now they observe that because he made it, it was his will, his plan, his purpose as the sovereign creation- creator, he has the right to receive the honor and the glory from his creation.
It should serve his will. You need not be informed that the creation as we know it now, and particularly the department of human beings, does not normally and generally and in all things serve the creator's will. How serious is it? I remember years ago on my peregrinations from the south of England to the north, when rationing was still in force, I was traveling on a train. Opposite me was a young gentleman.
I had sandwiches, he had tea, and we came to a bargain that I shared my sandwiches with him, and he shared his tea with me. We got talking. Presently, things came round to the topic of spiritual matters, and the word sin being mentioned, he informed me that, oh, he didn't take any notice of sin. He, he didn't even believe in the concept. It's all sin. Who would worry about sin? Oh, I said, fine, my good chap. I said, tell me you look an intelligent fellow. Suppose you could make a motor car. Well, he thought he could, perhaps. I said, and suppose the old motor car, when you got in it and were behind the wheel.
five times out of ten went where you wanted it to go. But the other five, when you started it up and put it in gear, no matter how you tugged upon the old wheel, it took no notice and went where it wanted to go itself. I said, what would you do with it? Scrap it, came the reply. I said, I thought so. I said, but tell me, old chap, suppose nine times out of ten it went where you wanted it to go, and only one in ten persisted in going its own way. What would you do with it then? Scrap it, of course, he said. If I made a motor car, I should want it to go every time where I wanted it to go.
I said, I thought so somehow. And I said, God, your creator has made you, my good man, to go ten times out of ten where he wants you to go. And if you persist going your own way, let me tell you bluntly, he will put you on the scrap heap of eternity. Oh, let our generation hear it again. We didn't make ourselves. And we better give up living a lie, living as though we had made ourselves and could set our own rules. I was listening recently to a discussion, as we all have been, of the problem and plague of AIDS, and had it not been so serious, I would have been amused at the nonsense spoken by one good member of a panel that was being put questions to.
Said she, but now, now let's be careful. We mustn't make it a moral problem. Oh, said I, is that so to myself? What then? Ah, but she said we have a duty to help each other. I said, how could that be if it isn't a moral problem? A duty to help each other, but pray don't interpret duty as a moral problem because that might imply a creator. And women can't forever abuse God's laws and the way and the purpose for which the creator made us. What we shall find, creation itself will rise up in rebellion against us.
It is because we live in a created world made by a creator to do his glorious will, and we have gone astray. And creation does not conform at this moment, the world through, to the creator's desire that one day the judgment must come. Not to blot out creation, but to bring it at last to where it will exist and perform to the will and glory of him who made it. And anybody who values life will at this moment praise God for the glorious hope that this vista opens up before us.
Not forever will creation grow, for the Creator himself will move in to deliver. So then the judgments come because of the Creator's throne. And now let us look in a little bit more detail at that very throne to see what kind of a throne it is. But at this juncture, I have an apology and an explanation. I'm about to put up here a very modern work of art. It wasn't done till this afternoon. A- a- and when you have seen it, I'm thinking of offering it to the Tate so you cannot buy it. If it isn't to your taste or according to your expertise, pray consider it is modern art.
So there it is. An attempt to, um, just remind you visually of some of the major details of the vision that John saw. We shall notice how carefully, in geometrical terms, John describes the throne and the things related to it. Some of them come in pairs. There was, of course, the central throne. But the first pair that we should notice is this, that there was a rainbow like an emerald, and therefore presumably green, running in full circle round the throne.
Presumably, it was going vertically. And bef- and around the throne, says John, there was another circle, a circle of twenty four thrones. Again, in full circle round the throne, uh, presumably going horizontally. Let us pause with those two important details. My picture is so inadequate to show you the significance of it, but try and do your best, as you have to with any modern art, to understand it.
If there are two circles, the one going vertically round the throne and the other going horizontally round the throne, and the throne is in the middle of those two circles. Then in the symbolism of the thing, anything that comes out of those throne, that throne, must pass through those two circles. That is true physically. That, of course, is true now at the metaphorical and spiritual level. Round that throne, two circles.
Now, what word shall I use to describe them? If I should say they limit this throne, you would object because this is the throne of Almighty God, and you say God, God would never limit his own power. We shall see about that in a minute. Any rate, they go round. They border the throne in the two dimensions. Anything that goes out from the throne, the decisions, the actions, the judgments, must pass the realm of those two circles. Let us fall to thinking, therefore, of their significance. And the first of those two circles is the circle of the rainbow, now in color like an emerald.
And immediately, you, with your knowledge of Old Testament, are beginning to remember where first we read of the rainbow in Holy Scripture. It was after the flood, you remember, when Noah and his family walked again on terra firma in a cleansed earth, and God said, I make my covenant with you, Noah. Now I will put my bow in the cloud, so that when the clouds begin to roll up, Noah, you may look upon the rainbow and be assured of my promise that I will never destroy the earth by water again.
Now that is marvelous, isn't it? Because God, as I said, is almighty. But if you'll excuse the term now, here is God himself limiting his judgment. God may do what he please, but oh, what a heart there is that beats on the creator's throne. Judgment is his strange work. When once he had to judge this world and destroy it by a flood of water and allow chaos to ar- to reign again. When it had been restored, he pledged himself and his own hand put the encircling rainbow round his throne, a promise to all mankind. Forever and ever on this earth, God's judgment is limited, in this at least, he will never judge it again by water.
That tells me immediately something about the heart of God. When I, as a Christian, read this Old Testament story, I first of all let my heart imagine what Noah felt like. If you had been through a flood and seen the vast, vast powers of heaven and earth seeming to return to terror-stricken chaos. When now you stood on dry land and you saw the black clouds begin to come up, would not your heart miss a beat and your knees begin to knock? What if it were coming all again?
God was assuring Noah that no, it should not happen again. And then I forget all about Noah and his family, and I think of my little self. And I think of the judgment clouds that are rolling up and shall one day burst upon our planet. And where shall I stand? Oh, thank God, we have met the very Son of God, the agent of creation. Once he walked upon our world, and he told us a marvelous thing. He said, verily, verily, I say unto you, he who hears my word and believes on him that sent me has everlasting life and shall not come into judgment, but is passed from death unto life.
Shout your praises of God, our Redeemer. That in his mercy for all who trust the Savior, he has put the rainbow of his limit around his judgment, and no drop of the wrath of God shall ever fall on a genuine believer. Oh, what a God he is. His mercy is open still to all who come in their spiritual bankruptcy and waywardness, in repentance, to bow at his footstool in the name of Christ. The offer of mercy is open. This is a throne surrounded by the emerald rainbow of a God prepared to limit his judgment.
That is wonderful in itself, but look, if you will, to that other circle that goes in the horizontal plane around that throne. Make sure your translation here is modern enough to make you see the punt. Not seats, twenty four seats, but twenty four thrones. And on his throne, an elder sitting, clothed in white, and a golden crown upon his head. I think I read your hearts. And some of you are saying now, now what's he going to say now? Who are those elders? Let him hurry up and say, and we shall know whether he's right or wrong.
To your frustration, I'm not going to say, ladies and gentlemen, who they are. Isn't that perverse of me? While you argue about who they are, however, I ask permission to tell you what they are. And start with the simple things, you add the more complicated later. First, let us start with the astounding revelation that the almighty transcendent Lord Creator not only has a throne himself, but has delegated power to persons that on any explanation must be his creatures.
We leave aside who they are. The impressive fact is what they are. By definition, they are creatures. Consider, I pray you, what that tells us about God. Almighty though he is, he pleases to delegate power to his creatures. Oh, this is no divine dictator, arbitrary, and sharing his government with none. He delights to share it with creatures.
You say, ah, tell me a thing about those thrones and they who sit on them. What is their status? You say, are they real thrones, or are they a little bit of Christmas decoration hung around the central throne? Are they real thrones? Do they have real power? That's a big question, isn't it? We better inquire further. Whoever they are, would you imagine they have free will? Or are they a lot of mechanical toys that say yes to every proposition put to them? You know, programmed computers or something. Oh no, says John, they were rage of sin, fine linen, and the quality of their government, they had golden crowns.
You may be sure, sir, that these are not yes men, and you can know that from this, that you're not either, are you? Wonder of God the Creator is that whereas he made bumblebees who couldn't sin if they tried because they haven't got free will, when he came to make us his lowly human creatures, he gave us free will. And as for delegating governmental power and creation, of course, you've already had experience of it, haven't you? You who are parents, for instance. God didn't come down from heaven to bring up your children for you, did he? He entrusted that responsibility, that bit of the government of the universe to you parents, didn't he?
You had to control the child. You had to train it. Some people might say, wasn't that a little bit risky, giving so much power to parents? I mean, all parents here present are excellent parents, but some outside are not, are they? And wouldn't children sometimes get a wrong idea of the Creator through the false way their parents governed them? Well, they could do, couldn't they? God chose to do it. He's no dictator, my friend. Not only at that level of creation that, alas, has gone wrong.
Let me briefly remind you what is involved in the great plan of redemption when God restores all things. It is written that the Lord's people, if we suffer with him, we shall reign with him. Oh, catch your breath for sheer excitement at this stupendous revelation. The transcendent Lord, having made us as his humble creatures when we rebelled and went our own way, not only provided the Lamb to redeem us and to forgive us our sins, but to propose us to share the government of eternity with us.
If we suffer with him, we shall reign with him. What a magnificent God. And I ask you to see the point that whatever comes from that central throne must pass by that rainbow, must pa- must pass by this other circle of thrones. Meaning this, that no judgment will come past that, out of that throne, but what it will respect that limitation. No judgment shall come out of that throne, but what these twenty four elders shall approve of.
For they're not yes men, are they? Given creatures of perfect personal righteousness and perfect government, their throne, their crowns are gold. They shall approve of the judgments that the Creator lets pass. I tell you something else. When at last the final judgment comes, the Father who occupies this throne shall not do the judging. Our blessed Lord told us he has committed all judgment to the Son. Why so? Because he is the Son of man.
Man shall be judged by that perfect man. Oh, what an amazing God he is, isn't he?
