A Word in Season: A Glimpse of the Throne (Revelation 4:2)

Media Gratiae

Subscribe

Download

Share

00

00:00

Language often fails a preacher, sometimes it even fails an apostle, in some sense it fails

00:07

John the man who was on the island of Patmos because of his faith, who saw the risen

00:13

Christ in his glory and was given a succession of visions of what the world held in those and coming days.

00:23

He sees through a door that stands open in heaven and he's caught up in the spirit so that he beholds a throne set in heaven and one sat on the throne,

00:36

Revelation chapter 4 and verse 2. And at this point John is struggling to find the words that will properly communicate on a human level what he sees in this heavenly scene.

00:51

He's a bit like Ezekiel and Daniel who, writing with a similar style because of the similar genre, when they see those heavenly visions of the

01:02

Lord high and lifted up, they're struggling to take the most bright and the most beautiful of the things that they know on earth and to somehow communicate the radiance of the glory that they see.

01:17

So they end up with something that was like the likeness of something. John sees one who was like a jasper and a sardius stone in appearance.

01:27

There's a rainbow around the throne in appearance like an emerald. There are 24 elders there.

01:33

There are these four living creatures who are in the midst of the throne and around the throne, a sea of glass that's like crystal and the host of heaven is bowing down and praising the

01:47

Lord Almighty. Holy, holy, holy Lord God Almighty who was and who is and who is to come and the elders are casting their crowns before the throne.

01:58

You are worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power for you created all things and by your will they exist and were created.

02:07

And then you have the lamb who's in the midst of the throne, a lamb as if he had been slain and John sees him taking from the hand of him who's in the throne the scroll by which he works out all the purposes of the ruler of the universe and that's the glory that John saw when he was taken up in the spirit into the heavenlies and saw the truth, saw what really is.

02:38

You see amidst all the trouble, all the trial and tribulation, amidst all the confusion and the cruelty and the wickedness, there is one who sits in radiant glory upon the throne of the universe and with him in the midst of the throne, a lamb as if he had been slain who is the lion of the tribe of Judah and God and his

03:05

Christ are carrying out all their purposes all the time.

03:11

Here there is absolute serenity, there is perfect government, wisdom and justice, mercy and strength.

03:21

All of these things are being exercised in all their divine perfections in order to accomplish all the divine purposes.

03:30

Nothing can threaten the stability or the serenity of the heavenly throne.

03:37

God is here and God is ruling. God through his son is working out everything that he has always intended from before the foundation of the world and his angel hosts and his redeemed people are gathered around him to give to him and to the lamb the praise of which they are worthy and our

04:02

Lord's days ought to give us a glimpse at the heavenly throne. They ought to give us an insight into the perfections of our

04:12

God, the purposes that he is working out through his son, the stability and the serenity of heaven, the accomplishments that God is working out, the glory that belongs to him, the adoration to which he is entitled.

04:29

We ought to be singing blessing and honour and glory and power be to him who sits on the throne and to the lamb forever and ever.

04:38

So as we come to our public and private worship on the Lord's day, let us pray for and seek after through the preaching of the word and our engagement in whatever worship we can, a glimpse into the heavenly throne room where God sits on his throne and the lamb is with him and the purposes of God are being worked out.