End times series:
Revelation 4-5
By Liaf
The first three chapters of Revelation were "things which thou hast seen" and the "things which are". If you remember, I stated that Jesus himself divided the book of Revelation into three areas. Simply put, the three areas are past, present and future. Now the present was representative of the "church age" even if it post-dated John’s time. After all, whether one wants to adopt the theory that the seven churches represented the evolution of the church throughout the ages until Christ’s Second Coming, or whether they were applicable lessons to all churches throughout time, (or both), they still take place during the time that the church is present on this Earth. If we turn to Revelation chapter 4, we read about the "hereafter" in verse one:
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.
John, who represents a type of church, is told to "come up hither" where he will see the glories of heaven and the things "hereafter". Likewise, the church will be taken away from the world and the terrible events of the Tribulation will then unfold. Notice that trumpet voice again. The Feast of Trumpets was a solemn Jewish feast where the congregation of Israel was assembled under a trumpet blast (Rosh Hashana). The people of God are assembled, and Jews reflect on the upcoming "Day of Atonement" where moral inventory is taken (The Ten Days of Penitence). This later feast represents a type of end time judgement and yet has elements of mercy (more on that later). In the New Testament passages, indications show that the church will be taken away and judged (the Judgement Seat of Christ) that has definite parallels to the Jewish feasts which Paul taught were types and shadows of things to come. My readers out there are aware enough that I will not "spiritualize" everything in Old Testament to church events only. They have applications to the Israelites in end times as well. In addition, the judgement of the church will not be for salvation, but for rewards (thus one’s rank in the Kingdom) based on faithful service to God. Jesus’ shed blood already settled the salvation issue for the church.
Let’s continue reading the rest of Revelation 4:
Revelation 4:2-11: And immediately I was in the spirit: and, behold, a throne was set in heaven, and one sat on the throne.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
And the four beasts had each of them six wings about him; and they were full of eyes within: and they rest not day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come.
And when those beasts give glory and honour and thanks to him that sat on the throne, who liveth for ever and ever,
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,
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.
I can comment on this passage until the cows come home, but most people would not appreciate the symbolism without studying the ancient tabernacle tent of Moses. This tent had an inner and outer region to it that represented various depths of holiness. Pitched around the tabernacle was a court with linen hangings. What most people do not realize is that the outer court represented this world, the inside of the tent represented the life of the believer (an "insider" so-to-speak) in Christ, and the most holy inner place represented heaven. This inner holy place contained the famous ("Indiana Jones") Ark of the Covenant. The ark was a chest about 3x3x5 feet long with a "mercy seat" covering (with two cherubs). This mercy seat represented the Throne of God and it was here that the High Priest would enter only once a year on the Day of Atonement to sprinkle blood on the mercy seat. In the outer (less holy but still holy) part of the tent, there was a seven branched menorah always lit that is used as a symbol of Judaism. There was also an altar of incense with continual burning incense and a table of shewbread---- a term meaning twelve sanctified loaves of bread placed there weekly. All this "furniture" had spiritual significance and this becomes a study in and of itself. However, I can only make some comparisons here to show that this "furniture" has counterparts in heaven.
The jasper and sardine stones were green and blood red stones respectively. Around the throne were 24 elders. Twelve is a number that always represented God’s people and his government. There were twelve tribes of Israel. There were twelve apostles. There are twelve signs of the zodiac. The double portion implies his people in two different settings. They are the Old Testament saints and the New Testament saints (the church). Notice they have white raiment. In addition, they have crowns which they later present to the Lord. This "attire" together was never said of angels. Yet, this attire is something that is said of a saint throughout the Bible (e.g. Revelation 3:5 and 19:8). Maybe I am not making myself clear when I say "saint" to some folks. The word conjures up images of a kindly person, perhaps even a martyr that has given his or her life. Actually, the Bible uses the word "saint" for any believer. I believe these 24 elders are symbolic of all God’s people--- not actually 24 individual entities. Notice they are conscious and aware as to what is going on. This proves to me that people are conscious after death, the rapture (and resurrection) comes before the Tribulation, or possibly both. I believe both, namely because of apocryphal references that shed light on Biblical passages that otherwise are subject to various interpretations. Some people would have Jesus all alone up there in heaven with his angels until the "soul-sleeping" saints are resurrected at Jesus’ Second Coming. If that were the case, why are these 24 guys are conscious before all this happens?
Along with the elders are the seven lamps of fire representing the seven spirits of God. This is the heavenly "menorah" counterpart. Seven is symbolic of spiritual perfection--- the number of completion. The Earth was created (including the Sabbath) in seven days. The number 3 (divine manifestation or perfection) plus four (the number of all creation) together (the whole of everything) equals seven. The seven spirits or attributes can be found in Isaiah 11:2. The sea of glass before the throne was heaven’s counterpart of the laver in the court of the tabernacle. And notice the 4 beasts! These creatures are the same (or at least related) to the 4-faced cherubim in Ezekiel chapter one. Next time somebody calls you two-faced, think of these guys! The significance of the number four again has to do with creation. There are some (including myself) who believe that these four beasts are cherubs with astronomical overtones. Take notice of the faces and some corresponding constellations. The man--- Aquarius. The calf---- Taurus. The Lion ----Leo. The Eagle--- Scorpio (which was called the Eagle by Abraham according to Bullinger’s book--- see "God’s word in the stars"). These same objects that these constellations represented were also standards of certain tribes of Israel (according to Bullinger). These tribes were Reuben, Joseph, Judah and Dan respectively. Notice that these four constellations quarter the zodiac circle as opposed to being four randomly spaced constellations within the zodiac. These same constellations have four bright stars associated with them in the "four corners" of the heavens. I can go into Biblical numerology for a long time, but the idea I want to convey is that the number 24 relates to God’s redeemed people and four relates to angelic beings because of their connection to creation. The chapter ends with the praises offered to God by the elders and these creatures. With all this said about chapter four, let’s proceed and read all of chapter five.
Revelation 5:1-14: 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.
And I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, Who is worthy to open the book, and to loose the seals thereof?
And no man in heaven, nor in earth, neither under the earth, was able to open the book, neither to look thereon.
And I wept much, because no man was found worthy to open and to read the book, neither to look thereon.
And one of the elders saith unto me, 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.
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.
And he came and took the book out of the right hand of him that sat upon the throne.
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.
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.
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;
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.
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.
And the four beasts said, Amen. And the four and twenty elders fell down and worshipped him that liveth for ever and ever.
Revelation five begins with a book (or scroll) with seven seals (signets). This scroll was written on both sides. The scroll had writing on both sides to show that this is not some little punishment, but excessive and genuine as indicated by the seals. When we get to chapter six, we shall see that as each seal is opened, part of the scroll is revealed with the appropriate judgement of God. However, we see in this passage that no one was worthy to open the seals (i.e. to "dish" out the judgement of God). John no doubted wept because if this world could not be judged (because nobody was worthy to open the seals), then Satan has indeed won, and there is no judgement for all the sin and wickedness throughout the eons. The Bible records incidences where saints cry out for God’s justice. Some people do not know how a loving God can punish sin. I often wonder about all the injustice done because of sin. If there was no judgement, God would in effect be turning away and ignoring all wrongdoing. Where is the love in that? So that is why John was weeping. But an elder assured John there was one character who could do so…. the Lion of the tribe of Juda, the Root of David, hath prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof. That was Jesus. He descended from the tribe of Judah yet the He is the root of David. This shows his eternalness, or the "alpha and omega" concept. He is the source of King David (and certainly all of humanity) yet physically came from him which makes Jesus divine "bookends" in which everything fits in the middle. This passage further identifies Jesus with the phrase "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." Not only was this person worthy to open the seals divine and kingly, but he was the lamb slain for us. The seven horns and eyes show his complete strength and omniscience. He is all powerful and all seeing. By the way, Isaiah 11:2 are those seven attributes of Christ I mentioned earlier, and this passage in Revelation relate Christ to the seven Spirits of God sent forth into all the earth. See the connection?
The "golden vials full of odours, which are the prayers of saints." has its symbolism in the altar of incense in the tabernacle. I won’t go into detail in this message, but this is one of those instances where the study of the tabernacle makes one see the beauty in this.
Both the beasts and elders sang a new song, and the words clearly identify who they are. They sang: 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.
Needless to say, these elders are believers in Christ. Only sons of God have been and can be redeemed (not angels) . Likewise, only sons of God become kings and priests. This is not the estate or position of any angel, for the apostle Paul makes it clear that only believers in Christ (or sons of God) can achieve this. That is why Paul says that we will one day judge nations and angels! A King cannot judge himself. Only God can judge nations and angels and by extension the believer in Christ has equal status. That is because one born of God becomes the same (just as a dog begets a dog, a horse begets a horse, and a human begets another human). "Well, Liaf, why does the scripture say that the beasts joined in that same song if they were only angels?" a critic may ask. The answer is simple; they joined in the song of praise. Using logic here, if they all sang a new song (which is applicable only to them), then at least one of the two groups (i.e. the beasts or the elders) must represent God’s redeemed people. It matters not if another group joins in the praise, as long as the words are applicable to at least one of them. If the words were applicable to neither one, they would not sing the song, would they? Which of the two groups represent the people of God? As I have already said, the numbers gave that clue. Therefore, the elders clearly are identified as believers that are conscious (not soul-sleeping) before the start of the Tribulation since the seals were not opened yet. And notice where they will reign. They sing that they will reign on the earth. That means they will return with Christ at his Second Coming. The chapter ends with thousands of other angels and all of creation joining in to praise the Lamb. This is a fitting conclusion to the chapter, because we need to keep the praise and joy of God in perspective as terrible times come upon the Earth. In our next message, Revelation chapter six is where the seals are opened, and the Tribulation is just beginning. This chapter parallels Jesus’ "summary" of end times in Matthew chapters 24 and 25. See our message "When Shall These Things Be?" for an overview before proceeding.