The Sovereign God of Heaven – Part 3
Revelation 4:1-11 (5-11)
July 31, 2016
As you know we are studying through the book of Revelation
And for the last couple of weeks we have traveled with John
Up into the throne room of heaven.
We are now glimpsing the end.
God is showing John “what must take place after these things”
Which is a reference to the church age.
God begins by giving John a view of heaven.
Since the only authoritative and accurate views of heaven are those which come to us from Scripture, we certainly love this one since it is by far the most extensive.
And as we have been looking at chapter 4 we quickly learned that
One thing dominated John’s gaze as he looked at heaven.
That one initial thing was the throne.
(2) “Immediately I was in the Spirit; and behold, a throne was standing in heaven”
John has then begun to describe all that he sees in relation to this throne.
• “on the throne”
• “around the throne”
• “from the throne”
• “before the throne”
• “in the center and around the throne”
The throne is the reminder to us
Of the ultimate sovereign authority of God.
We are reminded that He is in absolute control of all things.
Nothing happens outside of His sovereign control.
HIS SOVEREIGNTY INCLUDES:
• Everything regarding the systems of creation
• Everything regarding the reign and fall of kings and governments
• Everything regarding the birth, death, and geographical limits of man
• Everything regarding who has understanding and discernment
• Everything regarding salvation and the dispensing of grace
• Everything regarding the enemy and the limits of his activity
• Everything regarding the future and the determined end of all things
GOD IS IN CONTROL.
But also by looking at this throne we are establishing our theology
On the person and nature of God.
John didn’t see an empty throne, John saw “One sitting on the throne. And He who was sitting on the throne was like as jasper stone and a sardius in appearance; and there was a rainbow around the throne, like an emerald in appearance.”
He also saw that “Around the throne were twenty-four thrones; and upon the thrones I saw twenty-four elders sitting, clothed in white garments, and golden crowns on their heads.”
These realities begin to paint a wonderful picture for us
Regarding the nature of God.
• His appearance as “jasper stone and a sardius” are tremendous pictures
of His glorious nature and even of His holy wrath.
• We talked about how the “sardius” was a ruby and so in this glorious
refraction John saw a red hugh. Ezekiel said it was like molten metal or fire.
And we are reminded that our God is “a consuming fire”.
He is not to be messed with.
We read Psalms 2 about how all the nations took their stand in order to throw God’s authority off and God merely laughed from the heavens.
His answer was that they had better show discernment
And submit to God’s authoritative King.
We also saw the “rainbow around the throne” and remembered that the rainbow is a symbol of God’s faithfulness.
It was the bow He put in the heavens to remind earth and heaven that He will never again destroy the earth with water.
Also a picture of God’s faithfulness were the “twenty-four thrones” which surrounded His throne.
These we discerned could be no one other than the raptured church,
Who are only present in heaven because of God’s great faithfulness.
• He is the One who has kept them from stumbling.
• He is the One who has protected them for this time.
• He is the One who held them in His hand.
And so thus far when we gaze into heaven
We are overcome with three tremendous realities.
• The Authority of God
• The Glory of God (mixed with wrath)
• The Faithfulness of God to accomplish all that He purposes
This morning we wish to move on looking at this vision.
We have seen the throne, on the throne, and around the throne
#4 FROM THE THRONE
Revelation 4:5a
And here we read: “Out from the throne come flashes of lightning and sounds and peals of thunder.”
Of all the things John heard and saw,
This one is probably the EASIEST to understand.
This literally speaks of TERROR.
While that is easy to understand, it is difficult for most people to swallow.
If I tell you this morning that God is a God of terror,
Many of you would scoff and say, “NO!”
Many would argue: “God is gracious and loving and accepting and He only wants my fellowship and companionship. There is nothing terrible in Him. There is nothing in Him that causes terror. There is no reason to be afraid of God.”
Are you sure?
• I wonder then why Scripture speaks so much of “The fear of the Lord”.
• I wonder why His servants routinely hit the ground in trembling at His presence.
When God was making His covenant with Abraham:
Genesis 15:12 “Now when the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram; and behold, terror and great darkness fell upon him.”
When God called Israel out of Egypt and they came to Sinai:
Hebrews 12:18-21 “For you have not come to a mountain that can be touched and to a blazing fire, and to darkness and gloom and whirlwind, and to the blast of a trumpet and the sound of words which sound was such that those who heard begged that no further word be spoken to them. For they could not bear the command, “IF EVEN A BEAST TOUCHES THE MOUNTAIN, IT WILL BE STONED.” And so terrible was the sight, that Moses said, “I AM FULL OF FEAR and trembling.”
THAT’S NOT ALL
When God was sending Israel into the Promised Land:
Exodus 23:27 “I will send My terror ahead of you, and throw into confusion all the people among whom you come, and I will make all your enemies turn their backs to you.”
Micah even promised that the coming Day of the Lord would be described like this:
Malachi 4:5 “Behold, I am going to send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and terrible day of the LORD.”
It is actually this terror that is about to be released upon the earth. Isaiah prophesied:
Isaiah 2:10 “Enter the rock and hide in the dust From the terror of the LORD and from the splendor of His majesty.”
Look at:
Revelation 6:15-17 “Then the kings of the earth and the great men and the commanders and the rich and the strong and every slave and free man hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains; and they said to the mountains and to the rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the presence of Him who sits on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb; for the great day of their wrath has come, and who is able to stand?”
If God is not a God of terror, I’m curious about passages like:
1 Peter 1:17 “If you address as Father the One who impartially judges according to each one’s work, conduct yourselves in fear during the time of your stay on earth;”
Hebrews 4:1 “Therefore, let us fear if, while a promise remains of entering His rest, any one of you may seem to have come short of it.”
Hebrews 10:31 “It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God.”
Matthew 10:28 “Do not fear those who kill the body but are unable to kill the soul; but rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.”
There has always been a holy terror regarding God.
And please understand this.
HE IS NOT APPROACHABLE!
Which is what made this promise in Hebrews so amazing:
Hebrews 10:19-22 “Therefore, brethren, since we have confidence to enter the holy place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He inaugurated for us through the veil, that is, His flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.”
Jesus makes it possible for us to approach the throne.
Jesus makes it possible for us to draw near to God.
But God’s presence is literally terrifying.
And that is certainly signified here.
It is a picture of His divine judgment.
• On the throne is glory
• Around the throne is faithfulness
• From the throne comes judgment
TURN TO: Psalms 18:1-19
It was the terror of the Lord which was unleased on his enemies.
Judgment comes from the throne of God.
David was prophetically speaking of the coming deliverance for all Israel.
He will return with fury and terrible judgment.
From the throne comes judgment.
#5 BEFORE THE THRONE
Revelation 4:5a-6a
“And there were seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God; and before the throne there was something like a sea of glass, like crystal;”
So first we see “seven lamps of fire”
And we already know that this represents the Holy Spirit in His fullness
He is “the seven Spirits of God”
(We learned that back in chapter 1.)
Isaiah 11:2 “The Spirit of the LORD will rest on Him, The spirit of wisdom and understanding, The spirit of counsel and strength, The spirit of knowledge and the fear of the LORD.”
We know that this is a picture of the Holy Spirit in His fullness.
When you read about the Holy Spirit in His fullness
All His attributes speak of accurate judgment.
“wisdom” “understanding” “counsel” “knowledge”
It is a picture of Perfect Understanding, Perfect Discernment,
Perfect Judgment in all things.
Now hold on to that for just a second.
Because John also says, (6) “and before the throne there was something like a sea of glass, like crystal.”
John is not the only one to have seen this sight.
In Ezekiel’s vision:
Ezekiel 1:22-25 “Now over the heads of the living beings there was something like an expanse, like the awesome gleam of crystal, spread out over their heads. Under the expanse their wings were stretched out straight, one toward the other; each one also had two wings covering its body on the one side and on the other. I also heard the sound of their wings like the sound of abundant waters as they went, like the voice of the Almighty, a sound of tumult like the sound of an army camp; whenever they stood still, they dropped their wings. And there came a voice from above the expanse that was over their heads; whenever they stood still, they dropped their wings.”
In the Old Testament we read:
Exodus 24:9-10 “Then Moses went up with Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel, and they saw the God of Israel; and under His feet there appeared to be a pavement of sapphire, as clear as the sky itself.”
From both of those accounts we find that this “sea of glass”
Wasn’t just BEFORE the throne, but was in fact BENEATH the throne.
We are talking about then THE FOUNDATION of God’s throne.
We are talking about what God’s throne stands upon.
Psalms 89:14 “Righteousness and justice are the foundation of Your throne; Lovingkindness and truth go before You.”
Psalms 97:1-6 “The LORD reigns, let the earth rejoice; Let the many islands be glad. Clouds and thick darkness surround Him; Righteousness and justice are the foundation of His throne. Fire goes before Him And burns up His adversaries round about. His lightnings lit up the world; The earth saw and trembled. The mountains melted like wax at the presence of the LORD, At the presence of the Lord of the whole earth. The heavens declare His righteousness, And all the peoples have seen His glory.”
Not only are we dealing with what is “before” the throne,
But literally what is the foundation of His throne.
And that fits perfectly with what we just saw regarding the Holy Spirit.
God’s throne rests upon perfect “wisdom”, perfect “understanding”, perfect “counsel”, perfect “strength”, perfect “knowledge”.
Righteousness and justice are the foundation of his throne.
AND THAT IS A VERY ENCOURAGING REMINDER TO US.
We live in a day where we see people in authority
Without any of those qualities.
People without wisdom or counsel or knowledge or strength
Or righteousness or justice.
WE LIVE IN A WORLD OF CORRUPTED AUTHORITY.
BUT NOT THE ULTIMATE AUTHORITY
Every judgment He makes; every verdict He renders
Is absolutely right and just.
The wrath and terror that is coming from His throne
Are absolutely justified and right.
He is not acting carelessly or uninformed or out of corruption.
God’s judgments are true and righteous and perfect.
What a glory to see that the foundation of all that God does
Is done in perfect wisdom and righteousness.
So now let’s ZOOM BACK and take a quick look at the God we are seeing in the heavens.
• He is a God of AUTHORITY
• He is a God of GLORY AND WRATH
• He is a God of FAITHFULNESS
• He is a God of JUDGMENT AND TERROR
• He is a God of WISDOM AND RIGHTEOUSNESS
These are the attributes that overcome John as he sees heaven.
And realities like this help us understand then
What the Psalmist meant when he wrote:
Psalms 15 “O LORD, who may abide in Your tent? Who may dwell on Your holy hill? He who walks with integrity, and works righteousness, And speaks truth in his heart. He does not slander with his tongue, Nor does evil to his neighbor, Nor takes up a reproach against his friend; In whose eyes a reprobate is despised, But who honors those who fear the LORD; He swears to his own hurt and does not change; He does not put out his money at interest, Nor does he take a bribe against the innocent. He who does these things will never be shaken.”
Do you see now why the Psalmist wrote such things?
We are not talking about a softy, ignorant, complacent, apathetic, tolerant, push-over God.
He is filled with wrath and glory and justice and faithfulness
And if you ever plan to stand before Him,
You had better be righteous
Because the wicked will not stand before Him.
Psalms 1:4-6 “The wicked are not so, But they are like chaff which the wind drives away. Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, Nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous. For the LORD knows the way of the righteous, But the way of the wicked will perish.”
Psalms 5:4-7 “For You are not a God who takes pleasure in wickedness; No evil dwells with You. The boastful shall not stand before Your eyes; You hate all who do iniquity. You destroy those who speak falsehood; The LORD abhors the man of bloodshed and deceit. But as for me, by Your abundant lovingkindness I will enter Your house, At Your holy temple I will bow in reverence for You.”
Do you understand that?
It certainly then emphasizes the necessity of
Being clothed in the righteousness of Christ.
Mankind is utterly foolish to assume they can stand before this Holy God
Apart from the imputed righteousness of Christ.
You’d be a fool to try and draw near to God without Christ.
John 14:6 “Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.”
That verse takes on new meaning in view of the One John saw in heaven.
JOHN SAW ONE WHO IS HOLY.
That’s really the key word here.
You can take all of those other attributes we just discovered
And to sum them up in one word, that word is: HOLY.
And that makes what we see next fit so perfectly.
The Throne, On The Throne, Around The Throne, From The Throne, Before The Throne
#6 NEAR THE THRONE
Revelation 4:6b-11
After having sort of panned the camera out and saw the big picture,
John now begins to zoom back in.
“and in the center and around the throne”
John says he saw, “four living creatures full of eyes in front and behind. The first creature was like a lion, and the second creature like a calf, and the third creature had a face like that of a man, and the fourth creature was like a flying eagle. And the four living creatures, each one of them having six wings, are full of eyes around and within;”
WOW, WHAT IN THE WORLD?
I don’t want to spend a ton of time here because these creatures are not the focus, but they do in fact teach us such a valuable lesson.
If you were to turn and read Ezekiel 1 you would see these creatures again.
• Ezekiel 1 we see God’s throne on the move.
• I’ve always likened it to a war chariot, which is certainly fitting to the message of Ezekiel, where Ezekiel literally sees God’s glory depart on that chariot from Israel.
• But Ezekiel sees these same creatures with a few slight differences.
• Ezekiel says they all four have all four faces on all four sides.
• And in Ezekiel 10 he calls them “cherubim”
This is important because throughout Scripture
Cherubim are the protectors of the holiness of God.
• When Adam and Even were removed from the garden it was a cherubim who was stationed at the gate with a flaming sword.
• It was cherubim who literally spread over the mercy seat in the holy of holies.
• Just by way of reference, Ezekiel 28:11-19 describes Satan and his fall from heaven. Of him God said in verse 14, “You were the anointed cherub who covers” (or literally, “who guards”)
Cherubim are guardians of the holy.
Now, were we don’t want to bog down
Is in attempting to understand what their appearance means.
There have been multitudes of people guess as to what the four faces represented.
I’ve heard they represent Christ.
Lion = King, Ox = Sacrifice, Man = Man, Eagle = God
I’ve heard they represent the four gospel accounts in the same way.
Some say they represent
Power – lion, Service – ox, Intellect – man, Glory – eagle
And on and on and on
I do know that according to Jewish history when the 12 tribes of Israel broke into their 4 formations.
• Reuben was one head and flew the banner of a man.
• Dan was a head and flew the banner of an eagle.
• Ephraim was a head and flew the banner of an ox.
• Judah was a head and flew the banner of a lion.
But even then I don’t know why.
So we’ll just leave them at that
Until some day when we understand things more fully.
We do see however that they each have “six wings”
THIS IMPLIES ACCESS.
They are not omnipresent, but they can go anywhere they desire to go.
We see that they are “full of eyes around and within”
This implies perception.
They are not omniscient, but they can see whatever they desire to see.
And yet when dealing with creatures
Who can be anywhere they want to be
And see anything they want to see
We only find them near the throne of God.
“and day and night they do not cease to say, “HOLY, HOLY, HOLY is THE LORD GOD, THE ALMIGHTY, WHO WAS AND WHO IS AND WHO IS TO COME.”
• They can be anywhere they want to be and they surround the throne of God.
• They can see anything they want to see and they surround the throne of God.
• They can do anything they want to do and all they do is worship.
All they do 24-7-365 is proclaim the Excellency of God.
They never tire, they never quit, they never go on break,
They worship “day and night” and they “do not cease” in their worship.
Do you know why they never stop worshiping?
Because they never leave the presence of God and they never cease to see Him as He is.
WORSHIP IS NEAR THE THRONE OF GOD.
Worship is the automatic response
To gazing upon the glory of God
It is the proper response, it is the only response,
It cannot be helped.
• We fail to worship because we fail to draw near to God.
• We fail to worship because we set our gaze on other things.
Why do you suppose that the natural result to being filled with the Spirit is that (according to Ephesians 5) we speak to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs?
It is because worship is the natural response
To having drawn near to God.
You may not realize it but failure to worship God (like when we gather at church like today) Is not only the most unbelievable form of arrogance,
But it is also quite a condemning testimony for yourself.
If you go through life or attend church without participating in worship,
You might as well hang a sign around your neck that says,
“I’m not close to God.”
Because everyone and everything that is close to God worships God.
Psalms 84:4 “How blessed are those who dwell in Your house! They are ever praising You.”
Psalms 29:3-9 “The voice of the LORD is upon the waters; The God of glory thunders, The LORD is over many waters. The voice of the LORD is powerful, The voice of the LORD is majestic. The voice of the LORD breaks the cedars; Yes, the LORD breaks in pieces the cedars of Lebanon. He makes Lebanon skip like a calf, And Sirion like a young wild ox. The voice of the LORD hews out flames of fire. The voice of the LORD shakes the wilderness; The LORD shakes the wilderness of Kadesh. The voice of the LORD makes the deer to calve And strips the forests bare; And in His temple everything says, “Glory!”
THESE CREATURES NEVER STOP WORSHIPING.
And incidentally their song is so important.
“HOLY, HOLY, HOLY”
Did you know that this is the only attribute of God that is 3 times repeated like this in Scripture?
• You never hear God called “love, love, love” or “mercy, mercy, mercy”.
• But He is called “HOLY, HOLY, HOLY”
And that is certainly true based on who we saw on the throne isn’t it?
They worship because of His authority, His faithfulness, His glory, His wrath,
His judgment, His righteousness, His justice, His wisdom.
THEY CONTINUALLY DECLARE WHO GOD IS.
Look at what else they say.
They call Him “THE LORD GOD, THE ALMIGHTY”
“ALMIGHTY” is an amazing term.
I heard it defined as “Power equal to one’s will”
Think about that. You can have a will for all sorts of things to happen,
But you don’t have the power to put it into play.
God has power equal to His will.
There is nothing that He desires that He can’t do.
Psalms 115:3 “But our God is in the heavens; He does whatever He pleases.”
That is an amazing truth about our God.
They also call Him “WHO WAS AND WHO IS AND WHO IS TO COME.”
That speaks of His transcendence.
• We talked about this last Sunday night.
• You and I dwell in the dimension of time and space. It is a box that we cannot
escape.
But God is not limited by such things.
He transcends time, He transcends space.
And the creatures, who are themselves created,
Recognize that God is beyond them in all things.
It is non-stop worship near the throne.
AND CAN WE MAKE ANOTHER OBSERVATION HERE?
Their worship is absolutely contagious.
(9-11) “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 twenty-four elders will fall down before Him who sits on the throne, and will worship Him who lives forever and ever, and will cast their crowns before the throne, saying, “Worthy are You, our Lord and our God, to receive glory and honor and power; for You created all things, and because of Your will they existed, and were created.”
In fact the worship is just going to keep escalating on through chapter 5.
The song gets bigger and so does the choir.
The worship is contagious.
And once the raptured church hears the cherubim sing
They instantly fall on their face, cast their victor’s crowns before Him (that’s all they have to give)
And join in the song of worship.
“Worthy are You, our Lord and our God, to receive glory and honor and power [authority]; for You created all things, and because of Your will they existed, and were created.”
They are sensing what God is about to do.
They are sensing that God is about to redeem creation.
Romans 8:18-21 “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us. For the anxious longing of the creation waits eagerly for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself also will be set free from its slavery to corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God.”
• Paul said that creation itself groans waiting to be redeemed from the curse
• Here we find that heaven senses that the time is close.
The twenty-four elders instantly begin to sing that
God alone is the rightful ruler of creation.
Remember Satan is presently referred to as the “god of this world” and “the prince of the power of the air”, but heaven knows those are temporary titles.
God alone is worthy of the praise of creation.
• He alone “created all things”
• It is because of His “will they existed, and were created.”
Interesting too to note that while the earth seems confused
About how the earth appeared, speaking of things like evolution,
HEAVEN ISN’T CONFUSED AT ALL.
The heavens know how this all started.
And they worship God because they can sense that
GOD IS ABOUT TO REDEEM ALL THINGS BACK TO HIMSELF.
• You’ll see in chapter 5 that God is in fact holding a sealed up book in His
hand.
• It is the title deed to the earth, and the enthusiasm of heaven is beginning to
erupt as they sense what God is about to do.
And worship breaks out!
LET ME SHOW YOU SOMETHING YOU DON’T SEE IN HEAVEN.
Do you see even the slightest hint of panic in heaven?
Psalms 2:1-9 “Why are the nations in an uproar And the peoples devising a vain thing? The kings of the earth take their stand And the rulers take counsel together Against the LORD and against His Anointed, saying, “Let us tear their fetters apart And cast away their cords from us!” He who sits in the heavens laughs, The Lord scoffs at them. Then He will speak to them in His anger And terrify them in His fury, saying, “But as for Me, I have installed My King Upon Zion, My holy mountain.” “I will surely tell of the decree of the LORD: He said to Me, ‘You are My Son, Today I have begotten You. ‘Ask of Me, and I will surely give the nations as Your inheritance, And the very ends of the earth as Your possession. ‘You shall break them with a rod of iron, You shall shatter them like earthenware.'”
Psalms 37:12-13 “The wicked plots against the righteous And gnashes at him with his teeth. The Lord laughs at him, For He sees his day is coming.”
There is no panic in heaven, only worship.
That is certainly the expectation from all of creation,
Both of those in heaven and those still on earth.
The world has a tainted view of who God is.
We hear so much bad theology and bad doctrine about God and what He is like.
John saw Him! He saw Him!
And John was overcome by
• His sovereign authority,
• His magnificent glory,
• His faithfulness,
• His terrible wrath,
• His wisdom and justice.
And all of heaven is literally overwhelmed by His holiness
And divine ability to do whatever He pleases.
Do not get sucked in to the common notions that
He is a God who is fine regarding sin and sinners. He is not!
He is a holy and terrifying God of wrath and judgment and perfect justice.
AND PEOPLE ARE SHOCKED BY THIS!
BUT LISTEN:
The remarkable revelation is NOT that God is holy and judges sin.
The remarkable revelation is that this Holy God
Chose to offer pardon to unworthy sinners.
Romans 5:8 “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”
This God of holiness and wrath was yet willing to justify sinners
Through the horrible death of His own Son.
• Do you see the necessity of the cross?
• Do you see the beauty of what Christ did for us?
• Do you see the exclusivity of the cross and why there is no other way?
We now as wretched sinners
Can come before the throne of this holy and terrifying God,
And Scripture says we can go there boldly or with confidence
Because of what Christ has accomplished for us.
(Incidentally that is the theme and point of chapter 5)
• How could there be any other response aside from worship?
• How could there be any other response aside from awestruck wonder and gratitude?
Worship this Holy God who deserves it.
Worship the Lamb who died on our behalf.
And regardless of what this world throws at you,
Don’t fret it, don’t worry.
We have a sovereign God who reigns in the heavens.
