Rev.
And I saw in the right hand of him that sat on the throne a book written within and on the backside, sealed with seven seals.
...
John saw a book in God's hand. A book that had words inside it (as most books do) and words on the back of the book. And the book was sealed not with just a single seal, but seven seals! This book is important, very important. Someone wanted that very important book sealed up good and tight. In our ficitional movies of fantasies with dragons and wizards and such it hasn't been unheard of to have special books sealed up and always the sealed books are of great importance. This is in a REAL book. This is a HEAVENLY book and even if it is figurative in a vision that John is witnessing it is symbolic of something extremely important.
...
And I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, Who is worthy to open the book, and to loose the seals thereof?
...
A strong angel is seen. Clearly an angel that is different from the rest so far seen by John- this angel appeared to be strong- bigger perhaps, wider in the shoulders? However the difference is- it is clearly noted.
This strong angel asks in a loud voice- Who is worthy to open the book, to loose the seals on the book. Obviously just like those fictional movies and such only someone who is worthy can open the special books. This reality isn't fiction. This amazing book sealed with seven seals needs someone worthy to loose the seals and open the book.
...
And no man in heaven, nor in earth, neither under the earth, was able to open the book, neither to look thereon.
...
No man any where- no man in heaven, no man in earth, no man under the earth- that just about covers everywhere. No man was worthy to open the book or to even LOOK at the book.
...
And I wept much, because no man was found worthy to open and to read the book, neither to look thereon.
...
No wonder John wept. The special book he's shown, this amazing book containing something equally amazing has to remain unopened because there is no one worthy to open it, no one. The champion, the worthy is no where to be found. And it is tragic to lose that hope of enlightenment for books hold enlightenment, don't they? Their hidden contents so special we can't even imagine.
...
And one of the elders saith unto me,
...
One of the four and twenty elders surrounding the throne speaks to John as he's crying.
...
Weep not: behold, the Lion of the tribe of Juda, the Root of David, hath prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof.
...
What does the angel say to John, weep not. Why? Because there is one worthy! A worthy one has been found! The Lion of the tribe of Juda, the Root of David- Rev. 22:16 - I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, [and] the bright and morning star.
JESUS! Jesus is worthy!
...
And I beheld, and, lo, in the midst of the throne and of the four beasts, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent forth into all the earth.
...
A lamb- a lamb as slain- seven horns and seven eyes - perfect king, perfect ruler, perfect sight - perfect Spirit! A complete, a whole, a perfectness sent from God into all the earth! Perfect Savior! The worthy, the only one worthy to open the book bound by seven seals.
...
And he came and took the book out of the right hand of him that sat upon the throne.
...
Jesus took the book from God, from His father.
...
And when he had taken the book, the four beasts and four [and] twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps, and golden vials full of odours, which are the prayers of saints.
...
As the book changed hands the four beasts, the twenty-four elders fell down before Jesus. The beasts, the elders all having harps, and golden vials full of odours-- the prayers of saints. How amazing is this, how amazing. All those surrounding the throne of God bow down before Jesus, and with them they bow holding the prayers of saints. The prayers of God's people - in essence our very words to Jesus are there present before Him- we are represented in our prayers.
...
And they sung a new song, saying,
Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation; And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.
...
Such amazing words! Jesus is worthy to take the book to open the seals because He gave His life for us! Because He gave His life to save us. All glory to God! Jesus who alone is worthy died to make us kings and priests, true followers of God that will reign on earth with our Glorious Maker!
...
And I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne and the beasts and the elders: and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands
...
WOW! Suddenly John can hear the voice of many angels- thousands and thousands and thousands of angels! So amazing!
...
Saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing.
...
The voices were saying Jesus is worthy! Worthy to receive power, riches, wisdom, strength, honor, glory and blessing! Amen!
...
And every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying, Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, [be] unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and
ever.
...
Blessing, honor, glory, power unto God and to the Lamb-Jesus forever! All, everywhere in existence will give this praise. So amazing!
...
And the four beasts said, Amen.
And the four [and] twenty elders fell down and worshipped him that liveth for ever and ever.
...
So wonderful! The four beasts say- amen. The 24 elders fell down and worshipped Jesus who lives forever and ever!
9/6/10
Psa 50:21 These things hast thou done, and I kept silence; thou thoughtest that I was altogether such an one as thyself: but I will reprove thee, and set them in order before thine eyes.
Do we do this? Do people do this? Do we imagine God to be one like ourselves? We who have so many flaws, we who are filled with the results of sin have the audacity to imagine that God is anything like us?
In this passage the wicked are being talked of…
Psa 50:16 'But unto the wicked God saith, …'
God is not a man.
Yes, God's Son became man in all ways without sin, but God is Spirit and not man. We are made in God's image but the image of something is not necessarily anything like the composition. You can decorate a cake to make it look like a *real* car but in the end you can cut into that cake and eat it while you can't cut into a real car eat it. The composition of cake and metal are completely different. The image might look the same, but the substance is not. Am I saying we in our sin depreciated state are anything like the first man created out of dust? Yes. We are like the first man but not in the newly created state. Made in the image of God and yet God is not altogether one like we are- either in a physical state or any other.
The wicked imagine God to be like themselves, that God condones their actions but He doesn't. Many wicked people live healthy and happy in themselves and the godly suffer painfully. The wicked and the godly might associate this fact with having God's favor or not. The wicked might go on believing that God understands them and is like them and that is why they are allowed to prosper, never fully realizing that is far from the truth. On the same token, the godly might believe God has abandoned them when He hasn't. God's ways are not our ways. To even imagine believing God is 'altogether such an one as the' wicked is ludicrous and yet the arrogance of the wicked blind them.
Lucifer imagined Himself as God and has been proven wrong and he is an angel. The wicked imagine God like themselves and they will be proven wrong as well. God does not agree to anything evil.
Psa 50:16 But unto the wicked God saith, What hast thou to do to declare my statutes, or that thou shouldest take my covenant in thy mouth?
Psa 50:17 Seeing thou hatest instruction, and castest my words behind thee.
Psa 50:18 When thou sawest a thief, then thou consentedst with him, and hast been partaker with adulterers.
Psa 50:19 Thou givest thy mouth to evil, and thy tongue frameth deceit.
Psa 50:20 Thou sittest and speakest against thy brother; thou slanderest thine own mother's son.
The wicked HATE instruction.
The wicked cast God's words behind them.
The wicked consent to evil.
The wicked partake with evil.
The wicked give their mouths-their tongues to evil.
The wicked speak against their own flesh and blood.
God is NOTHING like the wicked and will not accept the wicked. The wicked can imagine God to be like them all they want. The wicked can delude themselves and will delude themselves, believing God understands their evil and accepts them anyway- they don't know God at all. God will not accept evil.
We can let ourselves be fooled into believing God will accept us when we refuse His instruction, when we ignore His words, when we consent to evil and partake in it. We need to seek repentance and forgiveness from God, believing in His words fully, knowing that He will NOT consent to evil even if the most supposedly God-fearing person believes He will. People are led astray when they bring God down to their level and imagine Him to be like them. God will NOT consent to evil in any way, shape, or form. Evil must be confessed. Evil must be repented of. Evil will be destroyed never accepted. Our sins, by the grace of God, will be forgiven and this is the plan of salvation offered to us through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, our Lord, our Savior.
As I think about what I've just written it strikes me once again that this is on point with the theme introduced with C.S. Lewis' writing on excusing sin… I'm going to copy it once again here.
Excerpt from Weight of Glory - "On Forgiveness" C.S. Lewis
'I find that when I think I am asking God to forgive me I am often in reality (unless I watch myself very carefully) asking Him to do something quite different. I am asking Him not to forgive me but to EXCUSE me. But there is all the difference in the world between forgiving and excusing.
Forgiveness says--
"Yes, you have done this thing, but I accept your apology; I will never hold it against you and everything between us two will be exactly as it was before. "
But excusing says--
"I see that you couldn't help it or didn't mean it; you weren't really to blame."
If one was not really to blame then there is nothing to forgive.
In that sense forgiveness and excusing are almost opposites.
Of course, in dozens of cases, either between God and man, or between one man and another, there may be a mixture of the two. Part of what seemed at first to be the sins turns out to be really nobody's fault and is excused; the bit that is left over is forgiven.
…. But the trouble is that what we call "asking God's forgiveness" very often really consists in asking God to ACCEPT our excuses.
What leads us into this mistake is the fact that there usually is some amount of excuse, some
"extenuating circumstances."
We are so very anxious to point these out to God (and to ourselves) that we are apt to FORGET the really important thing; that is, the bit left over, the bit which the excuses don't cover, the bit which is INEXCUSABLE but NOT, thank God, UNFORGIVEABLE . And if we forget this, we shall go away IMAGINING that we have repented and been forgiven when all that has really happened is that we have satisfied ourselves with our OWN EXCUSES. They may be very bad excuses; we are all too easily satisfied about ourselves. '
End excerpt.
We really are to blame for our sins and God- who is NOT like us- will not excuse our sins. Let's stop fooling ourselves. Let us not be afraid to speak out against sin and the inexcusability of it. Yes, we sin- and we can be forgiven of our sins, but NEVER excused for them.
By the grace of God may we never, ever try to place God on our level, never!
In His love, in His mercy, only by His grace and love!
Amen.
9/6/11
Revelation {1:10}
I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day, and heard behind me a great voice, as of
a trumpet
{1:11} Saying, I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last: and,
What thou seest, write in a book, and send [it] unto the seven churches which
are in Asia; unto Ephesus, and unto Smyrna, and unto Pergamos, and unto
Thyatira, and unto Sardis, and unto Philadelphia, and unto Laodicea.
Revelation {4:1}
After this I looked, and, behold, a door [was] opened in heaven: and the first
voice which I heard [was] as it were of a trumpet talking with me; which said,
Come up hither, and I will shew thee things which must be hereafter.
The voice as if a trumpet told John to write in a book and send what he'd
written onto God's people in various areas- a message truly for God's people
throughout time.
The voice as if a trumpet
afterwards said - 'Come up hither and I will shew thee things which MUST
be hereafter.'
Must be- not might be, this isn't any fictional
character of a spirit nature with a big scary voice saying he was going to show
John things that might come to pass. This big voice (for how else would you
categorize a voice as if a trumpet?) told John he was going to be shown things
which MUST be hereafter. So all that would be shown is factual in the nature of
having to come to pass at some point in time after the vision.
Prophecy.
Revelation {4:2} And immediately I was in the spirit: and, behold, a throne
was set in heaven, and [one] sat on the throne
When we talk of John
being in the spirit it's sufficient to note that He was caught up into heavenly
things, yes? All the while he's being shown things, hearing things he's in the
spirit- the Holy Spirit is there opening his eyes, his heart, his mind to all
that is going on-- he's truly being led by the spirit he's not doing any of this
of his own accord and refuses to have anyone even think he is. He was in the
spirit as all this took place, this was of God.
The vision given to
Him was one of heaven- a throne in heaven with someone upon that throne.
{4:3} 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.
That someone
sitting there was amazing to look upon- they weren't like humans, but rather
they had an appearance of precious stones, not only precious stones but a
rainbow was around the throne and then there is mention of an emerald- again a
precious stone. We know for a fact God had Moses use precious stones when
creating the Breastplate of Judgment-
Exo 28:15 And thou shalt make the breastplate of
judgment with cunning work; after the work of the ephod thou shalt make it; of
gold, of blue, and of purple, and of scarlet, and of fine twined linen, shalt
thou make it.
Exo 28:16 Foursquare it shall be being doubled; a
span shall be the length thereof, and a span shall be the breadth thereof.
Exo 28:17 And thou shalt set in it settings of
stones, even four rows of stones: the first row shall be a sardius, a topaz, and
a carbuncle: this shall be the first row.
Exo 28:18 And the second row shall be an emerald,
a sapphire, and a diamond.
Exo 28:19 And the third row a ligure, an agate,
and an amethyst.
Exo 28:20 And the fourth row a beryl, and an
onyx, and a jasper: they shall be set in gold in their inclosings.
Exo 28:21 And the stones shall be with the names
of the children of Israel, twelve, according to their names, like the engravings
of a signet; every one with his name shall they be according to the twelve
tribes.
The
breastplate of judgment- modeled after the Ephod.
It's amazing to
imagine such a sight isn't it? Such beauty- and with a rainbow round about the
throne- yes, it certainly gives the imagination something to work with-
something amazing.
Rev 4:4 And round about the throne were four
and twenty seats: and upon the seats I saw four and twenty elders sitting,
clothed in white raiment; and they had on their heads crowns of gold.
Rev 4:5 And out of the throne proceeded
lightnings and thunderings and voices: and there were seven lamps of fire
burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God.
Such a
vivid picture! A throne and around about the throne 24 seats.
In those 24 seats
were 24 elders.
These 24 elders
have to be very important just by the fact they are surrounding the throne of
God. You don't get such an important seating unless there is something special
about you- as a rule. We can't help but think of the two important 12's in the
Bible-the 12 tribes of Israel (the 12 sons of Joseph) of the Old Testament and
the 12 Apostles of Jesus of the New Testament (12 being the one that replaced
Judas after Jesus' death). The old and the new brought together- yes, this is
pure conjecture it doesn't say the 24 elders are such, but it's one possibility.
The mention of their clothing is important- white raiment. We just
studied about the various churches Jesus gave admonishments and promises to.
Remember this-
'Rev. {3:5} He that overcometh, the same shall be
clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of
life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels.'
He that overcomes will be clothed in white raiment- the symbolism of
overcoming through Christ. Only the worthy are clothed in white raiment so the
24 elders are obviously worthy of such garments depicting their overcoming.
What about the crowns they wore- 'Rev. {2:10} Fear none of those things
which thou shalt suffer: behold, the devil shall cast [some] of you into prison,
that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days: be thou faithful
unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life.'
There's the
'crown of life'.
James 1:12 Blessed is the man that endureth temptation:
for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath
promised to them that love him.
1 Pet. 5:4 And when the chief Shepherd
shall appear, ye shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away.
Interesting bit of information here- http://refbible.com/c/crown.htm
One of two Greek
words for crown-
(1) Stephanos means a chaplet (wreath) made of leaves
or leaf-like gold, used for marriage and festive occasions, and expressing
public recognition of victory in races, games and war; also figuratively as a
reward for efficient Christian life and service (see GAMES). This symbol was
more noticeable and intricate than the plain fillet. Only in the Re of John is
stephanos called "golden." The "crown of thorns" which Jesus wore was a
stephanos (woven wreath) of thorns; the kind is not known (Matthew 27:29 Mark
15:17 John 19:2, 5). Luke makes no mention of it. Whether intended to represent
royalty or victory, it was caricature crown. Stephanos is found in 1
Corinthians 9:25 Philippians 4:1 1 Thessalonians 2:19; 2 Timothy 4:8 James 1:12
1 Peter 5:4; Revelation 2:10; Revelation 3:11; Revelation 6:2; Revelation 12:1;
Revelation 14:14; plural in Revelation 4:4, 10; Revelation 9:7; "crowned" in 2
Timothy 2:5 Hebrews 2:9; "crownedst" in Hebrews 2:7.
A reward for
efficent Christian life and service. These 24 elders wore the raiment of white-
the righteousness of Christ and the golden crown of victory in Christ, life in
Christ - the elders service, their devotion to Christ is uncontested and
rewarded by their positions on thrones, their clothing, their crowns. We might
not know exactly who the elders are but we know beyond a doubt they are worthy
and overcomers in Christ. Some might say they can't be representatives of the 12
tribes of Israel and have the white raiment of Christ, and they'd be wrong. The
hope of the Savior is known throughout the entire Old Testament. That hope is
Christ.
Rev. {4:4} And round about the throne were four and twenty
seats: and upon the seats I saw four and twenty elders sitting, clothed in white
raiment; and they had on their heads crowns of gold. {4:5} And out of the throne
proceeded lightnings and thunderings and voices: and there were seven lamps of
fire burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God.
Out of throne
came lightning, thundering, and voices. Wow! Such noise!
Also
amongst all of this were seven lamps of fire burning before the throne of God,
the seven Spirits of God. Seven the number of perfection, of completeness.
This is an amazing heavenly vision to behold, it's powerful and thought
provoking.
Rev. {4:6} And
before the throne there was a sea of glass like unto crystal: and in the midst
of the throne, and round about the throne, were four beasts full of eyes before
and behind.
A sea of glass like crystal- we have a saying that
something is- crystal clear. This sea of glass like crystal- a clear sea, such
an amazing sea. Can you for a moment imagine a sea of glass, a sea of crystal
clear glass? It boggles the mind it really does and it invokes such beauty.
Now the next bit- 'round about the thrown were four beasts...' This
immediately seems to take away from what we envision to be a perfect, glorious
scene-beasts introduced to such beauty. Beasts full of eyes before and behind.
Truly the imagination can picture these beasts and they're not very pretty at
all. Of course that's because of the translation really- read this--
'Four beasts. Four living creatures, as in the Revised Version. Four beasts, as
in the Common Version, is an incorrect idea. The Greek for beasts is different
( thiria ). They are four zoa, living forms.' http://bible.cc/revelation/4-6.htm
Invoking the image of a beast doesn't do justice to this vision at all-changing
that word to 'four living creatures' lets the imagination free to see beauty
once more- not something hideous at all. Living creatures with the ability to
see everything for what else could having eyes everywhere front and back mean?
The ability to see the past and the future?
We're not left to imagine
just any old living creatures though, we are given examples to implement-
'And the first beast [was] like a lion'
Like a lion. Lions
are majestic creatures aren't they? Powerful to be sure.
'and the
second beast like a calf'
Like a calf. What do you think of when you
think of a calf? Young and yet powerful, right? A calf with the ability to grow
up into an amazing creature.
'and the third beast had a face as a
man'
Well we know what men look like so having a beast with a face of
a man does what? Tends to let us believe that there is intelligence beyond what
is normal in an animalistic living creature.
'and the fourth
beast was like a flying eagle.'
We imagine eagles and can't help but
envision the sheer majesty and power of that bird, it's truly in a class by
itself for invoking power and majesty isn't it? The strength of an eagle is
something often used as a descriptive term. Strong as an eagle, swift as and
eagle. Power.
{4:8}
And the four beasts had each of them six wings about him
These four
living creatures with attributes of the familiar all had six wings! Wings we
know depict
swiftness, speed. Two powerful wings can get you far, four double that,
six triple the powerful speed behind such wings.
'and [they were]
full of eyes within'
Again the mention
of eyes- of having that ability to see all and it has to be all. To be full of
eyes you are seeing every which way. You aren't limited by two eyes looking
forward but if you're full of eyes you are seeing everything at once without
limits.
'and they rest
not day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and
is, and is to come. '
Amazing! A
constant praise of our Lord God almighty! These super amazing living creatures
using their voices to praise God, so wondrous.
{4:9} And when those
beasts give glory and honour and thanks to him that sat on the throne, who
liveth for ever and ever, {4:10} The four and twenty elders fall down before him
that sat on the throne, and worship him that liveth for ever and ever, and cast
their crowns before the throne, saying, {4:11} Thou art worthy, O Lord, to
receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for
thy pleasure they are and were created.
Too awe inspiring for words
really. True worship, true honor, true praise to our Creator! Our Lord! None
deserves such worship but God and God alone by whom ALL things were created!
What a privilege for John to be able to see such wonders. How blessed we are to
have the vision told to us. Blessed.
*
In the book of
Daniel which we studied recently, we learned that in prophecy beasts usually
represent what? Kingdoms, kings, rulers.
Another aspect for us to look at is these beasts surrounding the throne
as representative of kingdoms.
We just read what
the beasts were but let's do it again-
Rev 4:7 And the first beast was like a lion,
and the second beast like a calf, and the third beast had a face as a man, and
the fourth beast was like a flying eagle.
A lion.
A calf.
A man.
A flying
eagle.
All these beasts
full of eyes.
These four
beasts, these four living creatures will give glory and honor and thanks to God.
When these beasts
do this those 24 elders fall down before the throne.
Will kingdoms, will rulers bow down before God? Yes.
Rev 15:4 Who shall not fear thee, O Lord, and
glorify thy name? for thou only art holy: for all nations shall come and worship
before thee; for thy judgments are made manifest.
Whatever these
living creature are representative of we know they are all seeing, we know they
give honor, glory, and thanks to God. We know that the 24 elders will fall down
before the throne- no longer sitting around it but on the sea of glass before
God. Moved out of their place of honor- an honor bestowed upon them by God, all
in order to give worship unto God.
{4:11} Thou art
worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created
all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.
God the creator
of all things.
God the creator
of all things for His pleasure.
Our CREATOR.
If only all
people would realize the love of their Creator.
There will be a
day when all will bow down before their Creator- the God of love.
That day is fast approaching. May God find us worthy through His Son's
sacrifice, through His Son's righteousness!
By His grace, by
His mercy may we be witnesses to this scene before the throne of God, may we
find understanding in all that our Savior has given us in this prophecy to
understand.
Amen.
Psa 50:21 These things hast thou done, and I kept silence; thou thoughtest that I was altogether such an one as thyself: but I will reprove thee, and set them in order before thine eyes.
Do we do this? Do people do this? Do we imagine God to be one like ourselves? We who have so many flaws, we who are filled with the results of sin have the audacity to imagine that God is anything like us?
In this passage the wicked are being talked of…
Psa 50:16 'But unto the wicked God saith, …'
God is not a man.
Yes, God's Son became man in all ways without sin, but God is Spirit and not man. We are made in God's image but the image of something is not necessarily anything like the composition. You can decorate a cake to make it look like a *real* car but in the end you can cut into that cake and eat it while you can't cut into a real car eat it. The composition of cake and metal are completely different. The image might look the same, but the substance is not. Am I saying we in our sin depreciated state are anything like the first man created out of dust? Yes. We are like the first man but not in the newly created state. Made in the image of God and yet God is not altogether one like we are- either in a physical state or any other.
The wicked imagine God to be like themselves, that God condones their actions but He doesn't. Many wicked people live healthy and happy in themselves and the godly suffer painfully. The wicked and the godly might associate this fact with having God's favor or not. The wicked might go on believing that God understands them and is like them and that is why they are allowed to prosper, never fully realizing that is far from the truth. On the same token, the godly might believe God has abandoned them when He hasn't. God's ways are not our ways. To even imagine believing God is 'altogether such an one as the' wicked is ludicrous and yet the arrogance of the wicked blind them.
Lucifer imagined Himself as God and has been proven wrong and he is an angel. The wicked imagine God like themselves and they will be proven wrong as well. God does not agree to anything evil.
Psa 50:16 But unto the wicked God saith, What hast thou to do to declare my statutes, or that thou shouldest take my covenant in thy mouth?
Psa 50:17 Seeing thou hatest instruction, and castest my words behind thee.
Psa 50:18 When thou sawest a thief, then thou consentedst with him, and hast been partaker with adulterers.
Psa 50:19 Thou givest thy mouth to evil, and thy tongue frameth deceit.
Psa 50:20 Thou sittest and speakest against thy brother; thou slanderest thine own mother's son.
The wicked HATE instruction.
The wicked cast God's words behind them.
The wicked consent to evil.
The wicked partake with evil.
The wicked give their mouths-their tongues to evil.
The wicked speak against their own flesh and blood.
God is NOTHING like the wicked and will not accept the wicked. The wicked can imagine God to be like them all they want. The wicked can delude themselves and will delude themselves, believing God understands their evil and accepts them anyway- they don't know God at all. God will not accept evil.
We can let ourselves be fooled into believing God will accept us when we refuse His instruction, when we ignore His words, when we consent to evil and partake in it. We need to seek repentance and forgiveness from God, believing in His words fully, knowing that He will NOT consent to evil even if the most supposedly God-fearing person believes He will. People are led astray when they bring God down to their level and imagine Him to be like them. God will NOT consent to evil in any way, shape, or form. Evil must be confessed. Evil must be repented of. Evil will be destroyed never accepted. Our sins, by the grace of God, will be forgiven and this is the plan of salvation offered to us through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, our Lord, our Savior.
As I think about what I've just written it strikes me once again that this is on point with the theme introduced with C.S. Lewis' writing on excusing sin… I'm going to copy it once again here.
Excerpt from Weight of Glory - "On Forgiveness" C.S. Lewis
'I find that when I think I am asking God to forgive me I am often in reality (unless I watch myself very carefully) asking Him to do something quite different. I am asking Him not to forgive me but to EXCUSE me. But there is all the difference in the world between forgiving and excusing.
Forgiveness says--
"Yes, you have done this thing, but I accept your apology; I will never hold it against you and everything between us two will be exactly as it was before. "
But excusing says--
"I see that you couldn't help it or didn't mean it; you weren't really to blame."
If one was not really to blame then there is nothing to forgive.
In that sense forgiveness and excusing are almost opposites.
Of course, in dozens of cases, either between God and man, or between one man and another, there may be a mixture of the two. Part of what seemed at first to be the sins turns out to be really nobody's fault and is excused; the bit that is left over is forgiven.
…. But the trouble is that what we call "asking God's forgiveness" very often really consists in asking God to ACCEPT our excuses.
What leads us into this mistake is the fact that there usually is some amount of excuse, some
"extenuating circumstances."
We are so very anxious to point these out to God (and to ourselves) that we are apt to FORGET the really important thing; that is, the bit left over, the bit which the excuses don't cover, the bit which is INEXCUSABLE but NOT, thank God, UNFORGIVEABLE . And if we forget this, we shall go away IMAGINING that we have repented and been forgiven when all that has really happened is that we have satisfied ourselves with our OWN EXCUSES. They may be very bad excuses; we are all too easily satisfied about ourselves. '
End excerpt.
We really are to blame for our sins and God- who is NOT like us- will not excuse our sins. Let's stop fooling ourselves. Let us not be afraid to speak out against sin and the inexcusability of it. Yes, we sin- and we can be forgiven of our sins, but NEVER excused for them.
By the grace of God may we never, ever try to place God on our level, never!
In His love, in His mercy, only by His grace and love!
Amen.
9/6/11
Revelation {1:10}
I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day, and heard behind me a great voice, as of
a trumpet
{1:11} Saying, I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last: and,
What thou seest, write in a book, and send [it] unto the seven churches which
are in Asia; unto Ephesus, and unto Smyrna, and unto Pergamos, and unto
Thyatira, and unto Sardis, and unto Philadelphia, and unto Laodicea.
Revelation {4:1}
After this I looked, and, behold, a door [was] opened in heaven: and the first
voice which I heard [was] as it were of a trumpet talking with me; which said,
Come up hither, and I will shew thee things which must be hereafter.
The voice as if a trumpet told John to write in a book and send what he'd
written onto God's people in various areas- a message truly for God's people
throughout time.
The voice as if a trumpet
afterwards said - 'Come up hither and I will shew thee things which MUST
be hereafter.'
Must be- not might be, this isn't any fictional
character of a spirit nature with a big scary voice saying he was going to show
John things that might come to pass. This big voice (for how else would you
categorize a voice as if a trumpet?) told John he was going to be shown things
which MUST be hereafter. So all that would be shown is factual in the nature of
having to come to pass at some point in time after the vision.
Prophecy.
Revelation {4:2} And immediately I was in the spirit: and, behold, a throne
was set in heaven, and [one] sat on the throne
When we talk of John
being in the spirit it's sufficient to note that He was caught up into heavenly
things, yes? All the while he's being shown things, hearing things he's in the
spirit- the Holy Spirit is there opening his eyes, his heart, his mind to all
that is going on-- he's truly being led by the spirit he's not doing any of this
of his own accord and refuses to have anyone even think he is. He was in the
spirit as all this took place, this was of God.
The vision given to
Him was one of heaven- a throne in heaven with someone upon that throne.
{4:3} 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.
That someone
sitting there was amazing to look upon- they weren't like humans, but rather
they had an appearance of precious stones, not only precious stones but a
rainbow was around the throne and then there is mention of an emerald- again a
precious stone. We know for a fact God had Moses use precious stones when
creating the Breastplate of Judgment-
Exo 28:15 And thou shalt make the breastplate of
judgment with cunning work; after the work of the ephod thou shalt make it; of
gold, of blue, and of purple, and of scarlet, and of fine twined linen, shalt
thou make it.
Exo 28:16 Foursquare it shall be being doubled; a
span shall be the length thereof, and a span shall be the breadth thereof.
Exo 28:17 And thou shalt set in it settings of
stones, even four rows of stones: the first row shall be a sardius, a topaz, and
a carbuncle: this shall be the first row.
Exo 28:18 And the second row shall be an emerald,
a sapphire, and a diamond.
Exo 28:19 And the third row a ligure, an agate,
and an amethyst.
Exo 28:20 And the fourth row a beryl, and an
onyx, and a jasper: they shall be set in gold in their inclosings.
Exo 28:21 And the stones shall be with the names
of the children of Israel, twelve, according to their names, like the engravings
of a signet; every one with his name shall they be according to the twelve
tribes.
The
breastplate of judgment- modeled after the Ephod.
It's amazing to
imagine such a sight isn't it? Such beauty- and with a rainbow round about the
throne- yes, it certainly gives the imagination something to work with-
something amazing.
Rev 4:4 And round about the throne were four
and twenty seats: and upon the seats I saw four and twenty elders sitting,
clothed in white raiment; and they had on their heads crowns of gold.
Rev 4:5 And out of the throne proceeded
lightnings and thunderings and voices: and there were seven lamps of fire
burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God.
Such a
vivid picture! A throne and around about the throne 24 seats.
In those 24 seats
were 24 elders.
These 24 elders
have to be very important just by the fact they are surrounding the throne of
God. You don't get such an important seating unless there is something special
about you- as a rule. We can't help but think of the two important 12's in the
Bible-the 12 tribes of Israel (the 12 sons of Joseph) of the Old Testament and
the 12 Apostles of Jesus of the New Testament (12 being the one that replaced
Judas after Jesus' death). The old and the new brought together- yes, this is
pure conjecture it doesn't say the 24 elders are such, but it's one possibility.
The mention of their clothing is important- white raiment. We just
studied about the various churches Jesus gave admonishments and promises to.
Remember this-
'Rev. {3:5} He that overcometh, the same shall be
clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of
life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels.'
He that overcomes will be clothed in white raiment- the symbolism of
overcoming through Christ. Only the worthy are clothed in white raiment so the
24 elders are obviously worthy of such garments depicting their overcoming.
What about the crowns they wore- 'Rev. {2:10} Fear none of those things
which thou shalt suffer: behold, the devil shall cast [some] of you into prison,
that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days: be thou faithful
unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life.'
There's the
'crown of life'.
James 1:12 Blessed is the man that endureth temptation:
for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath
promised to them that love him.
1 Pet. 5:4 And when the chief Shepherd
shall appear, ye shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away.
Interesting bit of information here- http://refbible.com/c/crown.htm
One of two Greek
words for crown-
(1) Stephanos means a chaplet (wreath) made of leaves
or leaf-like gold, used for marriage and festive occasions, and expressing
public recognition of victory in races, games and war; also figuratively as a
reward for efficient Christian life and service (see GAMES). This symbol was
more noticeable and intricate than the plain fillet. Only in the Re of John is
stephanos called "golden." The "crown of thorns" which Jesus wore was a
stephanos (woven wreath) of thorns; the kind is not known (Matthew 27:29 Mark
15:17 John 19:2, 5). Luke makes no mention of it. Whether intended to represent
royalty or victory, it was caricature crown. Stephanos is found in 1
Corinthians 9:25 Philippians 4:1 1 Thessalonians 2:19; 2 Timothy 4:8 James 1:12
1 Peter 5:4; Revelation 2:10; Revelation 3:11; Revelation 6:2; Revelation 12:1;
Revelation 14:14; plural in Revelation 4:4, 10; Revelation 9:7; "crowned" in 2
Timothy 2:5 Hebrews 2:9; "crownedst" in Hebrews 2:7.
A reward for
efficent Christian life and service. These 24 elders wore the raiment of white-
the righteousness of Christ and the golden crown of victory in Christ, life in
Christ - the elders service, their devotion to Christ is uncontested and
rewarded by their positions on thrones, their clothing, their crowns. We might
not know exactly who the elders are but we know beyond a doubt they are worthy
and overcomers in Christ. Some might say they can't be representatives of the 12
tribes of Israel and have the white raiment of Christ, and they'd be wrong. The
hope of the Savior is known throughout the entire Old Testament. That hope is
Christ.
Rev. {4:4} And round about the throne were four and twenty
seats: and upon the seats I saw four and twenty elders sitting, clothed in white
raiment; and they had on their heads crowns of gold. {4:5} And out of the throne
proceeded lightnings and thunderings and voices: and there were seven lamps of
fire burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God.
Out of throne
came lightning, thundering, and voices. Wow! Such noise!
Also
amongst all of this were seven lamps of fire burning before the throne of God,
the seven Spirits of God. Seven the number of perfection, of completeness.
This is an amazing heavenly vision to behold, it's powerful and thought
provoking.
Rev. {4:6} And
before the throne there was a sea of glass like unto crystal: and in the midst
of the throne, and round about the throne, were four beasts full of eyes before
and behind.
A sea of glass like crystal- we have a saying that
something is- crystal clear. This sea of glass like crystal- a clear sea, such
an amazing sea. Can you for a moment imagine a sea of glass, a sea of crystal
clear glass? It boggles the mind it really does and it invokes such beauty.
Now the next bit- 'round about the thrown were four beasts...' This
immediately seems to take away from what we envision to be a perfect, glorious
scene-beasts introduced to such beauty. Beasts full of eyes before and behind.
Truly the imagination can picture these beasts and they're not very pretty at
all. Of course that's because of the translation really- read this--
'Four beasts. Four living creatures, as in the Revised Version. Four beasts, as
in the Common Version, is an incorrect idea. The Greek for beasts is different
( thiria ). They are four zoa, living forms.' http://bible.cc/revelation/4-6.htm
Invoking the image of a beast doesn't do justice to this vision at all-changing
that word to 'four living creatures' lets the imagination free to see beauty
once more- not something hideous at all. Living creatures with the ability to
see everything for what else could having eyes everywhere front and back mean?
The ability to see the past and the future?
We're not left to imagine
just any old living creatures though, we are given examples to implement-
'And the first beast [was] like a lion'
Like a lion. Lions
are majestic creatures aren't they? Powerful to be sure.
'and the
second beast like a calf'
Like a calf. What do you think of when you
think of a calf? Young and yet powerful, right? A calf with the ability to grow
up into an amazing creature.
'and the third beast had a face as a
man'
Well we know what men look like so having a beast with a face of
a man does what? Tends to let us believe that there is intelligence beyond what
is normal in an animalistic living creature.
'and the fourth
beast was like a flying eagle.'
We imagine eagles and can't help but
envision the sheer majesty and power of that bird, it's truly in a class by
itself for invoking power and majesty isn't it? The strength of an eagle is
something often used as a descriptive term. Strong as an eagle, swift as and
eagle. Power.
{4:8}
And the four beasts had each of them six wings about him
These four
living creatures with attributes of the familiar all had six wings! Wings we
know depict
swiftness, speed. Two powerful wings can get you far, four double that,
six triple the powerful speed behind such wings.
'and [they were]
full of eyes within'
Again the mention
of eyes- of having that ability to see all and it has to be all. To be full of
eyes you are seeing every which way. You aren't limited by two eyes looking
forward but if you're full of eyes you are seeing everything at once without
limits.
'and they rest
not day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and
is, and is to come. '
Amazing! A
constant praise of our Lord God almighty! These super amazing living creatures
using their voices to praise God, so wondrous.
{4:9} And when those
beasts give glory and honour and thanks to him that sat on the throne, who
liveth for ever and ever, {4:10} The four and twenty elders fall down before him
that sat on the throne, and worship him that liveth for ever and ever, and cast
their crowns before the throne, saying, {4:11} Thou art worthy, O Lord, to
receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for
thy pleasure they are and were created.
Too awe inspiring for words
really. True worship, true honor, true praise to our Creator! Our Lord! None
deserves such worship but God and God alone by whom ALL things were created!
What a privilege for John to be able to see such wonders. How blessed we are to
have the vision told to us. Blessed.
*
In the book of
Daniel which we studied recently, we learned that in prophecy beasts usually
represent what? Kingdoms, kings, rulers.
Another aspect for us to look at is these beasts surrounding the throne
as representative of kingdoms.
We just read what
the beasts were but let's do it again-
Rev 4:7 And the first beast was like a lion,
and the second beast like a calf, and the third beast had a face as a man, and
the fourth beast was like a flying eagle.
A lion.
A calf.
A man.
A flying
eagle.
All these beasts
full of eyes.
These four
beasts, these four living creatures will give glory and honor and thanks to God.
When these beasts
do this those 24 elders fall down before the throne.
Will kingdoms, will rulers bow down before God? Yes.
Rev 15:4 Who shall not fear thee, O Lord, and
glorify thy name? for thou only art holy: for all nations shall come and worship
before thee; for thy judgments are made manifest.
Whatever these
living creature are representative of we know they are all seeing, we know they
give honor, glory, and thanks to God. We know that the 24 elders will fall down
before the throne- no longer sitting around it but on the sea of glass before
God. Moved out of their place of honor- an honor bestowed upon them by God, all
in order to give worship unto God.
{4:11} Thou art
worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created
all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.
God the creator
of all things.
God the creator
of all things for His pleasure.
Our CREATOR.
If only all
people would realize the love of their Creator.
There will be a
day when all will bow down before their Creator- the God of love.
That day is fast approaching. May God find us worthy through His Son's
sacrifice, through His Son's righteousness!
By His grace, by
His mercy may we be witnesses to this scene before the throne of God, may we
find understanding in all that our Savior has given us in this prophecy to
understand.
Amen.