(Revelation) Revelation 4:1-5:14 — Zac Poonen

Obedience as the Purpose of Prophecy

Revelation chapter 4. In our last three studies we looked at Revelation chapters 1, 2 and 3 and today we want to begin with chapter 4 verse 1. Now I want to draw your attention to a verse that we considered in our first study and that is chapter 1 verse 3.

Blessed is he who read and those who hear the words of the prophecy and heed the things which are written in it for the time is near. We know that the book of Revelation is mostly prophecy and it's called prophecy in this verse but generally speaking among Christians you find that they are interested in understanding prophecy and to know the meanings of various symbols and to understand it like in a chart fashion one following the other much more than what is written in verse 3 where it says the important thing is not understanding the prophecy but obeying the things that are written in it.

So prophecy also according to Revelation 1, 3 is meant for obedience and when we begin with chapter 4 we begin what we can say is the prophetic part of the book and it's very important for us to bear in mind right at the outset that the our aim is not understanding primarily but obedience because there are many symbols and signs used in the book of Revelation concerning which it's very difficult or almost impossible to be dogmatic and to say this means this with absolute certainty and I think God has left it like that so that he can separate between those who are preoccupied with explaining the symbols and those who are seeking to find well if whether I can explain it or not what do I have to obey.

And we want to be in the second category of people who even if we cannot dogmatically explain some of the symbols and signs we want to obey everything that is found in the book of Revelation for us to obey.

And when you come to the last chapter of the book of Revelation, Revelation 22 and verse 7 here we read something exactly similar again behold I'm coming quickly and the book of Revelation speaks about the coming of Jesus Christ and things related to that coming.

So blessed is he who heeds the words of the prophecy of this book. Now we are all familiar with what are known as the beatitudes in Matthew chapter 5. Blessed are the poor in spirit. Blessed are the meek.

Blessed are the gentle. Blessed are the pure in heart. Blessed are the three peacemakers. Blessed are those who mourn and hunger and thirst after righteousness and so on. Well here are some more beatitudes.

And in the book of Revelation altogether there are seven but here are two of them. One is what we saw in Revelation 1 3. Blessed is the one who reads this prophecy and obeys it. And that's repeated again in Revelation 22 7.

Blessed is the one who keeps or obeys the words of the prophecy of this book. Now notice this right at the beginning of Revelation you have this blessing promised upon those who obey what's written in this book.

When you come to the last chapter of Revelation again that blessing is repeated. Blessed are those who obey the words of the prophecy of this book. We can say these are like two big brackets. And within these two brackets we have the whole book of Revelation obedience and obedience.

And in no place in the book of Revelation do we find a blessing promised on those who can understand and interpret all the symbols and draw a prophetic chart to show when this happens and when that happens and when the other thing happens.

So we need to keep that in mind so that we approach the book of Revelation not from that human standpoint that we find many teachers are occupied with. And the reason they're occupied with that is because that's more interesting and tickles the ears of many people who are not interested in obedience.

But we want to seek for obedience and to seek for that which will purify our first love and devotion to Jesus Christ. So let's keep that in mind and turn to chapter 4. Now I want to mention also that as we begin chapter 4 the chapter 4 on till the end of the book is written for those who have already listened and hearkened to the call of the spirit that we heard in chapters 2 and 3.

What was the call of the spirit that we heard in chapters 2 and 3. We can say in one word overcome he who overcomes. Seven times we read that in revelation chapters 2 and 3. So if that call of the holy spirit to the believer has really gripped our hearts lord I want to be one of the overcomers.

Then we can move on into chapter 4 with understanding. We can say that it's primarily written for those who are overcomers. You remember in our first study we saw revelation 1 verse 1 which says that this is something which Jesus Christ which God gave to Jesus Christ to show to his bondservants.

In other words it's not something that God wants to conceal. Did you notice that in the first verse of revelation God gave this to Jesus Christ not to conceal it but to show it to his bondservants. So we must come with faith lord I want to be an overcomer I want to be a bondservant.

And I don't believe that you're going to conceal the message of this book from me according to your faith be it unto you if we come with faith lord if this is meant to be shown to your bondservants I want to see it.

I want to understand. I don't want to come with unbelief saying this is all full of ununderstandable symbols right now we can also turn to chapter 4 verse 1 and look at this verse. It says here after these things I looked and behold a door standing open in heaven.

A Heavenly Perspective on Earthly Events

Now in revelation 3 verse 20 we saw the necessity of a door being opened on earth. That is Jesus standing at the door and knocking. And if I open that door of revelation 320 and yield my will to Jesus then revelation 4 1 follows from that Jesus opens the door for me in heaven.

And I can't experience that opening of the door in heaven if I haven't opened my door to Jesus not just in the sense of having accepted him as my savior but as a but of having yielded my will to him as lord.

And what happens. It says here that when this door opened in heaven the first voice which I had heard that is the voice of Jesus came like the sound of a trumpet speaking with John and said come up here.

John at that moment was standing on the isle of Patmos on the earth. And this voice said come up here into heaven and I will show you what must take place after these things what is going to take place in the future.

And we can say that that is a picture of God lifting us up in the spirit. It says in verse 2 immediately I was in the spirit. And it is a picture of God lifting up our spirits so that we look at the things of earth from a heavenly standpoint.

It's very important as we approach the time of the end. And as we look at the things that are going to come going to take place upon the earth that we don't stand upon earth in this sense that we don't look at things from an earthly standpoint.

Jesus said in Luke chapter 21 he said when these things begin to come to pass lift up your head for your redemption draws very near. And that part of the meaning of that is I must let my mind look at the things that are happening on the earth not from the standpoint of men otherwise it will fill me with fear but from the standpoint of God who is in control of everything.

And so the experience that John had we need to have in our spirit too. I don't mean a trance or anything like that. I just mean simply that my mind that our minds are renewed to look at everything from God's viewpoints.

And that's I believe one of the most important things brothers and sisters that you and I need for the coming days to be transported up to look at things from God's viewpoint all the things that are happening in the earth.

Then I will be free from fear and I shall be free from sin. And when he was transported up in the spirit the first thing that he sees is not the antichrist. The first thing that he sees is not the things that are going to come upon the earth.

Very important and very interesting. The first thing that he sees is what God's throne a throne standing in heaven and one sitting on the throne. And that teaches us that the most important thing that we are to see when we are transported in our spirit to look at things from a heavenly standpoint the first thing we see is God Almighty ruling and in control of everything.

And if you are a child of God in the evil days that are to come in the future the most important thing that you will need to know is that there is a throne in heaven and that your father my father our father is sitting on that throne and he is in control of everything.

That's the first vision that we need to see. If we don't see that we're going to get into a lot of problems. When we begin to look at a lot of things that are going to take place on the earth. And we see here on sitting on the throne was one who was verse three like a jasper stone.

Now a jasper stone we read in later on in revelation 21 is something crystal clear. So we see that the first thing emphasized about the one who sits on the throne is his purity. And like a sardius in appearance a sardius is flaming red and that speaks about judgment on sin.

Now he was like a jasper stone and a sardius in appearance. So the emphasis in both of them is on God's absolute purity his total holiness and on God as truth and light in which there is in whom there is no darkness at all.

But that's not all. There is a second aspect to it and that is in the latter part of verse three we read there was a rainbow around the throne like an emerald in appearance. Now we know from genesis chapter 9 that the rainbow was given by God immediately after the flood.

When Noah came out of the ark God set the rainbow for the first time in the sky and he said this rainbow is the sign of my covenant with the people of the earth that I will never again destroy the earth with a flood.

We can say that the rainbow is a symbol of God's grace. So what do we see on the throne. We can say truth and grace just like we read in john 1 14 that when Jesus Christ was on the earth the word was made flesh and we beheld his glory the glory as of the only begotten of the father full of grace and truth.

It's the same thing that john sees when he gets up to heaven. And when we get to heaven and see God in his glory we'll find that he's full of grace and truth too. And that is what is symbolized in verse 3.

And then we find in verse 4 I just want to say this in passing that throughout the book of revelation you will see these two aspects of God alternately. Grace and truth. Grace and his holiness. Grace and judgment.

Grace and judgment coming again and again and again and again alternately we get a vision of God's grace and a vision of judgment. And a vision of grace and a vision of judgment because that is how God is behold the goodness of God and his severity.

We are told in Romans chapter 11 God is kind and he is severe. And we'll find his kindness and his severity and his kindness and his severity alternately throughout the book of revelation. Then in verse 4 we read about thrones 24 thrones around the throne of God.

The Holiness of God and the Worship of Heaven

And upon these thrones I saw 24 elders sitting clothed in white garments and golden crowns on their head. Now the bible says that among the angels among the beings that have been created by God as spirits there are powers and principality.

We read in Colossians chapter 1 verse 16 that there are thrones and dominions and rulers and authorities in heaven and on earth that have been created by God. Colossians 1 16. So these 24 people sitting on the thrones symbolize those who have authority among the spirit beings around the throne of God.

And as we look at them as they appear later in the book of revelation we will see that one of their primary tasks is to lead people in worshiping God. And that is the 24 elders sitting clothed in white garments which speak of their purity and golden crowns which speak of their authority.

And verse 5 from the throne proceed flashes of lightning and sounds and peals of thunder all meant to symbolize God's majesty and glory and his total control over everything that's going to come. And not only that in the middle of verse 5 it says there was seven lamps of fire burning before the throne.

And we are told we don't need to interpret that. We're told the meaning of that is the seven spirits of God. That is a another way of saying the seven fold spirit of God. We know that there is only one holy spirit of God and in many places he is referred to as the seven fold spirit of God.

We considered that last time in Isaiah chapter 11 and verse two and three where there are seven titles given to the holy spirit. And in the new testament too we find seven different titles given to the holy spirit.

But the thing which i want you to notice here is that these seven spirits of God seven fold holy spirit is represented by seven lamps of fire. Again the fire speaks of purity. You remember that verse in Hebrews 12 verse 29 which says our God is a consuming fire.

Now many people like to think of God as a God of love but he is also a consuming fire. Many homes you go to you'll find the verse God is love. Very difficult to find a home where you'll find the verse God is a consuming fire.

What is that teaching that teaches us that basically we don't like to think of God as a consuming fire. And that's why we suffer spiritual loss. Because whether we like to think of him or not he still is a consuming fire.

And it's good for us to keep that in before us. God is a consuming fire. He's not only love he is a consuming fire. And the holy spirit is symbolized by that fire. And it's very important to bear that in mind particularly when we think of the moving of the holy spirit.

And people speak about being filled with the spirit and of being led by the spirit and of having experiences in the holy spirit. And if only we could see that the holy spirit is like a fire I'd say whatever experience you have of the holy spirit if it doesn't bring something of the fire of God's purity into your life I would say it's a counterfeit.

It's a counterfeit it's a spurious experience. The spirit of God may bring us many things but if he himself is a lamp burning with fire sevenfold purification he's bound to bring some purification into our life when he fills us.

So let's bear that in mind that not only is his name holy spirit he is a loving spirit he is a gentle spirit. But he is called the holy spirit emphasizing what he primarily gives. And he is symbolized by seven burning lamps of fire.

The Cherubim and the Glory of God

And verse six. And before the throne there was as it were a sea of glass like crystal. Again speaking of transparent clarity and purity and in the center and around the throne four living creatures. Now it's very unfortunate that in the king james version it's translated as beasts not beasts.

It's four living creatures full of eyes in front and behind. And the first creature was like a lion the king of beasts. The second creature was like a cow the king of cattle. And the third creature had a face like that of a man the highest of God's created beings.

And the fourth creature was like a flying eagle the king of birds. 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 who is and who is to come. Now these four living beings are what the bible calls the cherubim or cherub. Uh cherubim is just the plural for cherub in the hebrew instead of saying cherubs they say cherubim.

Now if you turn to ezekiel chapter one we find something similar there. It's good for us to turn there for a moment. Ezekiel chapter one where ezekiel had a vision of this throne. And he says um verse four of ezekiel in the old testament.

Ezekiel chapter one. Verse four. And i looked and behold a storm wind was coming from the north and a great cloud with fire flashing forth continually and a bright light around it. Very interesting. Whenever people had a vision of god in the old testament and in the new testament there was a tremendous picture of fire always of purity and in its midst something like glowing metal in the midst of the fire and within it were figures resembling four living beings.

You see the similarity now this was their appearance. They had a human form. Each of them had four faces and four wings and their legs were straight. Their feet were like a calf. They gleamed like burnished bronze and under their wings on their four sides were human hands and their wings touched one another.

Verse 10. As for the form of their faces each had the face of a man. All four had the face of a lion on the right the face of bull on the left and the face of an eagle. All four have such were their faces.

Now there are slight differences in what we read here and what we read in revelation. But basically they are the same. And it says here in verse 14. Verse 13 in the midst of the living beings there was something like looked like burning coals of fire like torches darting back and forth among the living being and the living beings.

Verse 14 ran to and fro like bolts of lightning. And then it says in verse 15. Now as i looked at the living beings behold there was one wheel on the earth and beside the living beings. So each of the four of them.

And we read here verse 19 whenever the living beings moved the wheels moved with them. Now these wheels are a picture of circumstances that are taking place on the earth. And we read here that the spirit wherever verse 20 whenever the spirit was about wherever the spirit was about to go they would go in that direction and the wheels who closed behind them for the spirit of the living beings was in the wheel.

That's just a symbolic way of saying that god is in control of the wheels of our circumstances which seem to go round and round in different directions but god is in control of the direction in which our circumstances are going.

Now when you turn to chapter 10 and verse 20 ezekiel chapter 10 and verse 20 he says these are the living beings that i saw beneath the god of israel by the river kibar so i knew that they were cherubim.

There we have the answer. They were the cherubim. Each one had four faces and each one had four wings and beneath their wings was the form of two hands which was probably somewhat in the shape of two other wings.

And that's why john says he saw six wings. But the thing i want you to notice here is that these cherubim are connected with the glory of god. I don't have time to go into that in the book of ezekiel.

But what we see in ezekiel is basically the glory of god departing from god's people israel because they went into sin. And we read in verse 4 of ezekiel 10 the glory of the lord went up from the cherub to the threshold of the temple and the temple was filled with the cloud and the glory of god.

We read later on moved out and departed verse 18 the glory of the lord departed from the threshold of the temple and stood over the cherubim. And the last part of verse 19 the glory of god hovered over them.

So we can say the cherubim are the guardians. The cherubim sorry are the guardians of god's glory. And when you turn to genesis chapter 3 right in the beginning when adam and eve were turned out of the garden of eden we read in genesis 3 verse 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 cherubim are the guardians of god's glory. When adam and eve sinned here were the cherubim with the flaming sword to prevent sinners from coming and taking part of the tree of life. We know that that sword finally fell on jesus christ on calvary's cross so that now the way to the tree of life is open that we can come.

But the cherubim are the guardians of god's glory. That's why we sing in one of our songs here that the true servants of god stand like cherubim with their swords of flame in the church to guard god's glory and holiness.

So we turn back to revelation 4 and we see that there are these angelic principalities sitting on 24 thrones and there are these cherubim the guardians of god's glory. And what do they say. The last part of verse 8 day and night they keep on saying holy holy holy.

Notice the emphasis on the holiness of god. There is a rainbow. True god is gracious but the preeminent emphasis is on god's holiness. It says there that day and night they never stop saying holy holy holy.

This is the god we worship. And that's why it's an absolute disgrace when a person calls himself a christian and he does not seek to live in the light of this god who is holy and who calls us to be holy.

I want to show you one more verse in the old testament that's isaiah chapter 6 where isaiah had a vision of the throne of god. Isaiah chapter 6 and verse 1 it says. In the year of king isaiah's death i saw the lord sitting on a throne.

And verse 2 set of him stood above him each having six wings with two he covered his face with two he covered his feet to two he flew and one called out to another and said holy holy holy is the lord of hosts.

The whole earth is full of his glory. Again we see the same thing holiness holiness holiness is the emphasis right through out heaven. The cherubim and the seraphim they cover their faces. It's very interesting to see that that out of six wings they use only two to fly and with four they cover their faces because god is so holy that he cannot be looked at.

Remember those seraphs who have never sinned have to cover their faces when they come into the presence of a holy god. How much more you and i let's turn back to revelation 4 and verse 9. And when the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to him who sits on the throne to him who lives forever and ever.

The 24 elders fall down before him who sits on the throne and will worship him who lives forever and ever and will cast their crowns the throne saying worthy art thou. So there we see the 24 elders in their ministry of leading the worship of this holy almighty god.

They fall down before him who sits on the throne. When the living beings are saying holy holy holy. These 24 elders fall down and worship now. That's something they're doing all the time because the living beings are saying holy holy holy all the time.

And what is the song that they sing. First of all we read fall down before him who sits on the throne and worship him who lives forever and ever. And they cast their crowns before the throne. That is one way of saying lord you alone are worthy to have all authority and power if we have a crown on our head.

It's something that you have given to us. And there's a lesson that we can learn from those 24 elders that even when god does give us some position or authority it's not something for us to go around arrogantly showing off to others.

What a blessed lesson we can learn from the atmosphere of heaven that if god gives us a crown you know what it's meant for not for putting on our head but that we can have something to cast down at his feet.

Let's never forget that. And that's what man seldom realizes. God gives him something he thinks it is for him to go around displaying to others exalting himself above others. That's the spirit of hell in heaven.

If they have a crown they throw it down at the feet of god and they say thou alone art worthy our lord and our god to receive glory and honor and power for thou didst create all things. We know that. But they also add it is because of thy will that they exist and for thy pleasure that they were created.

They were created for your pleasure and to do your will. And that's very important also for us to remember god has created us so that we might do his will and bring pleasure to him. Now let's move on to chapter five.

Christ the Kinsman Redeemer

And i saw in the right hand of him who sat on the throne a book written inside and on the back sealed up with seven seals. And i saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice who is worthy to open the book and to break its seal.

Now again we need to turn to the old testament to understand what this book symbolizes. This book symbolizes the price to be paid for the redemption of this earth. And i want to turn you to the book of leviticus and chapter 25.

Leviticus chapter 25 the third book of the bible verse 23 where the lord says this is a law that he gave to the children of israel. The land moreover shall not be sold permanently for the land is mine in verse 24.

Thus for every piece of your property you are to provide for the redemption of the land. Leviticus 25. Now verse 25 if a fellow countryman listen to this this is where it applies to us. If a fellow countryman of yours or a brother of yours becomes so poor that he has to sell part of his property then his nearest relative is to come and buy back what his relative has sold.

There was a law in israel that if a man became so poor that he had to sell his property his nearest relative had to come and buy it back for him. That was called redeeming the land. How does this apply to us.

God gave adam the whole earth. You read that in genesis 128. Rule over the whole earth he says subdue it have dominion. But in the garden of eden through disobedience. Remember this verse leviticus 25 25.

Adam through disobedience sin and became poor and handed over the title deed for the earth to satan. That's what happened in the garden of eden when he sends that dominion which god had given adam. He gave it over to satan automatically.

And that's why when satan tempted jesus in the wilderness we read in luke chapter 4 satan said to jesus. And we know that satan wouldn't try to bluff the lord jesus. Satan said to jesus luke chapter 4 verse 5 he led jesus up to the mountain and showed him the whole world all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time.

And he told jesus look for six i will give you all this because notice the middle of verse 6 it has been handed over to me. Who handed it over to him adam. God gave it to adam. Adam gave it to the devil just like god gives something to man today and he hands it over to the devil.

God gives money to a man and man gives it to the devil. In all types of evil practices god gives a person a good appearance and he sells it to the devil and becomes a film star something like many things like this.

Whatever god gives they go and give it to the devil. Because that's what adam did. The devil said it's been handed over to me and now i give it to whomever i wish. Now this earth had to be redeemed. But what did we read in leviticus 25.

Only a close relative a near kinsman could come and redeem. And that's why it was important and essential that jesus had to come in our flesh in order to be our redeemer and in order to redeem the earth back to god.

That's what we read in leviticus. Now in jeremiah and chapter 32 we don't want to go into that in detail. But if you have the time you can read there from verses 6 to 44 we find something similar happened there where jeremiah his cousin came to him and told him please buy for me the field.

Jeremiah 32 verse 7 the lord said hannah mill the son of shalom your uncle is going to come to you saying buy for yourself my field which is at anathot. For you have the right of redemption to buy it.

And you know what jeremiah did because he was the nearest relative kinsman who was to redeem. Verse 9 he bought the fields he paid the money. Verse 10 i signed and i sealed the purchase deed. And in those days the purchase deed was in a scroll it was rolled up and it was sealed.

It was signed and sealed. And that's what we read in revelation chapter 5 of the purchase deed which has been signed and sealed. And the angel asking who is worthy to accomplish this redemption. I want to give you one more picture from the old testament and that's in the book of ruth.

Ruth that comes after the book of judges joshua judges and then ruth. Ruth chapter 4 ruth was not a jew. Ruth was a gentile a non-jew who married a jew but her husband died and she came back with her mother-in-law naomi to the land of israel.

And when they came to the land of israel they were very poor and someone had to redeem the land that belonged to ruth. And the one who was going to redeem it was a near relative called boaz. And so ruth went up to boaz and said can you redeem this for me.

Now there was another old testament law which is found in the book of deuteronomy chapter 25 verses 8 to 10 we don't brother must marry that woman. So here was a situation where boaz was a rich man had to purchase this land and also marry ruth.

But when ruth came to boaz boaz said i'm sorry there's someone who is a still closer relative to you than me. So we'll have to ask him first. And if he's not willing to purchase the land and marry you then i will purchase the land and marry you.

So we read that boaz called the other relative. And verse 3 of ruth 4 he said to the closest relative naomi has come back and there's a piece of land which belongs to our brother ellenlech. Now i thought i should inform you buy it before these who are sitting here.

And verse 5 on the day that you buy this field you must also acquire ruth the widow of the deceased to be your wife. Verse 6 the closest relative said i cannot redeem it. And then we read that boaz did it.

Now this is a very beautiful picture in the old testament where ruth is a picture of you and me you and i the church and we have to be redeemed. We are poor. And this close relative not boaz. The other one is the law and the law cannot redeem us.

But then boaz who is the picture of christ comes and says i will redeem the land and i will marry you. That's the picture in the old testament. And that's why we read in romans 7 verse 4 therefore my brethren you're dead to the law so that you can be married to christ.