Apocalypse: The Revelation of Jesus Christ
01/30/2005 - Let the Adventure Begin!
This morning we begin an incredible adventure together, a journey that will take us to the end of the world as we know it and to the end of time. But even more, it will take us right into heaven itself, into the Oval Office of the universe, right to God's throne. This morning we begin a study of the very last book of the Bible, the Revelation of Jesus Christ. We just finished a series that took us through chapters 1, 2, and 3 and now we're going to work our way through the rest of the book all the way to the end in a series we're simply calling Apocalypse: The Revelation of Jesus Christ. The word apocalypse is a Greek word that means, "to unveil or reveal something" and that's going to happen every week during this series, something new will be unveiled, something new will be revealed to us.
My very first exposure to the book of Revelation came in a 12thgrade, all boys Sunday School class, in the church where I grew up. Now who would have the nerve to teach Revelation in a Sunday school class to a group of boys? To be honest, to this day I don't know what our teacher was thinking when he told us we were going to study Revelation. We were a bunch of rowdy kids that saw it as our mission every Sunday to create as much chaos in church as possible. We were responsible for the tribulation! I don't know, maybe he just ran out of bullets and thought that a series in Revelation would scare the begebees out of us and get us to behave or at least keep us in our seats for an hour on a Sunday morning.
And you know what? It did. It worked. We were fascinated each week as we learned about the horrors of the tribulation and the anti-Christ, and the mark of the beast, 666. It turned out to be a pivot point in my spiritual life and boosted my confidence in the authority of the Bible as God's Word. I've studied Revelation a few times since then, but have never taught it until today. But since you can be a rowdy group too, I thought maybe this would keep you in your seats for an hour on Sunday morning!
Let me encourage to read through the entire book as part of your own study during this series. It's not too long, only twenty-two chapters and we've already covered the first three. You'll be blessed by reading it. That's God's promise. In fact, Revelation is the only book in the Bible that promises a blessing to those who just read it.
Look at Revelation 1:3, Blessed is the one who reads the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear it and take to heart what is written in it, because the time is near.
I have three goals for this series in Revelation. First of all, my goal is that this series will help us better understand the future. That's one reason God gave us this book. It wasn't written to confuse us about future events, but to help us understand them.
But it's not just a book about the future. It is a book about your future and my future. You see, every single one of us is mentioned in the book of Revelation. Not by name, but all of us, believers and unbelievers alike, show up in this book. Everybody who has ever lived shows up in the book of Revelation. So as we study it keep yourself in mind. You and I will participate in many of the events recorded in Revelation.
Second, my goal is that this book will give us hope. Revelation was not written to scare Christ followers. It can have that affect on those who don't know Jesus Christ. It can put the fear of God in them. But for those of us who do know him, it was written to give us hope for the future. The believers who first read this book were experiencing incredible persecution at the hands of the Romans and they needed to know that God was in control and would bring it all to a glorious end someday so that when the game was over he would win and so would we.
And third, my goal is that this series, as in every series that we teach here at Valley View, will make us better lovers of Jesus Christ and one another. If the Word of God isn't transforming us into better lovers than something is wrong. And there is a lot in this book that will fuel our love for Jesus. It will drive us to worship. Remember the book is called the Revelation of Jesus Christ not the Revelation of the Future. It was not written so much to satisfy our curiosity about future events, but to cause us to worship Jesus. Jesus Christ is the main character of this book, not the apostle John, or Satan, or the beast. Jesus is. So don't miss him!
The outline for the book can be found in Revelation 1:19, "Write, therefore, what you have seen, what is now and what will take place later." These are the three divisions of the book.
What you have seen refers to Revelation 1 where John records what he saw in his initial vision of Jesus Christ, eyes blazing like fire, feet glowing like bronze, hair white as snow, a voice like rushing waters, a face shining like the sun. It's the picture of raw power. That's what John has seen, although he will see much more. What is now refers to Revelation 2-3 where John records the condition of the seven churches that existed in his day and to which Jesus wrote his letters. What will take place refers to Revelation 4-22 and the dramatic events that still lie ahead.
As I mentioned a few weeks ago, this book will stretch us. It's not the first book of the Bible you want to study. Which is why there are some keys that will help us understand Revelation. The first key is the Old Testament. Revelation assumes a pretty good grasp of the Old Testament which most of us don't have. There are over 300 references to the Old Testament in this book. And so as we learn the book of Revelation we're also going to be learning the Old Testament too over the next few months.
It reminds of my seminary days when I was learning Greek, the language of the New Testament. It was really tough for me because my Greek professor assumed we all knew English. And I didn't know English. I was messing around in middle school when I was supposed to be learning grammar and syntax. So I didn't know a participle from a preposition from a piece of pumpernickel bread! It was a steep learning curve for me, learning English along with Greek. So we'll be learning the Old Testament right along with Revelation, but the challenge will be good for us.
Not only do we need to understand the Old Testament to understand Revelation, but we need to understand the culture of first century too. That was the century in which John lived. The apostle John recorded the Revelation when he was alone in exile on the Greek island of Patmos, the Alcatraz of the Roman Empire, about 95 A.D.
And many of the symbols and pictures that he uses, that sound strange to us, would have been very clear to his first century audience, especially those who were familiar with the Old Testament. This is apocalyptic literature. And apocalyptic literature is filled with images and symbols. It was common to write this way in John's day.
We use symbols today, but not nearly as much as they used them 2,000 years ago. For instance, when we see Uncle Sam we immediately think of the United States of America, the donkey represents the Democratic Party, and the elephant represents the Republican Party. When we see this sign we think of peace. Editorial cartoons use symbols all the time to communicate and so does apocalyptic literature.
Sometimes when a symbol appears in Revelation it will be interpreted for us like in Revelation 12:9 where we're told that the great dragon is Satan. At other times, the Old Testament will help us understand a symbol. But some of the symbols aren't real clear. We discovered that in the series we just finished. It was hard for us to know what some of the rewards were that Jesus offered to overcomers. He talked about hidden manna and white stones and new names and pillars in temples. This is one reason Revelation is the last book of the Bible and not the first book you want to read or to study. It does get difficult at times.
But not only do we need to understand the Old Testament and the symbols of the first century, we need to understand how time works in heaven. Because heaven is where John is and there are no clocks in heaven. Look at Revelation 4:1, After this I looked, and there before me was a door standing open in heaven. And the voice I had first heard speaking to me like a trumpet said, "Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this."
John is seeing these events through heaven's window and heaven is above space and time. So he is seeing these events that are still in the future as if they are happening at that very moment. On earth events happen sequentially, one after another, but in heaven there is no sequence. Everything that we call history and everything that we call the future is happening right now for God. That's why it's not always easy to figure out when these events occur. Some appear sequential and others appear to jump back and forth. Which presents another challenge in studying Revelation. It's not easy to know when these events will occur or in what sequence they will unfold.
So are you ready? Do you still want to do this? I think I just talked myself out of it! Let's begin with Revelation 4. Revelation 4:1-11, After this I looked, and there before me was a door standing open in heaven. And the voice I had first heard speaking to me like a trumpet said, "Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this." 2At once I was in the Spirit, and there before me was a throne in heaven with someone sitting on it. 3And the one who sat there had the appearance of jasper and carnelian. A rainbow, resembling an emerald, encircled the throne. 4Surrounding the throne were twenty-four other thrones, and seated on them were twenty-four elders. They were dressed in white and had crowns of gold on their heads. 5From the throne came flashes of lightning, rumblings and peals of thunder. Before the throne, seven lamps were blazing. These are the seven spirits of God. 6Also before the throne there was what looked like a sea of glass, clear as crystal. In the center, around the throne, were four living creatures, and they were covered with eyes, in front and in back. 7The first living creature was like a lion, the second was like an ox, the third had a face like a man, the fourth was like a flying eagle. 8Each of the four living creatures had six wings and was covered with eyes all around, even under his wings. Day and night they never stop saying: "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was, and is, and is to come." 9Whenever the living creatures give glory, honor and thanks to him who sits on the throne and who lives for ever and ever, 10the twenty-four elders fall down before him who sits on the throne, and worship him who lives for ever and ever. They lay their crowns before the throne and say: 11"You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being."
Wow! Welcome to heaven. Sometimes we think that heaven is like another planet, somewhere hanging out there in space, far, far away, a place that we could one day explore with a space shuttle, like we're exploring Mars. That's not heaven. Heaven is not so much another place out there as it is another dimension all around us. Heaven is right here, right now. We just can't see it yet. But a doorway opens for John to enter heaven and a voice says, "Come up here and let me show you something that will blow you away!"
John is given the privilege of entering heaven and then coming back to write about it. Does that sound like a bestseller or what? Talk about the five people you're going to meet in heaven. John's been there. He's met them and many more! And what does he walk into when he enters heaven? He walks into a worship gathering. He sees a throne with someone sitting on it. The image of a throne is a big symbol in Revelation. The word "throne" is used 42 times in the book and only eleven times in the whole rest of the New Testament. In fact, the word throne appears eleven times just in this chapter alone. The throne is a symbol of power.
We don't see many people sitting on thrones these days, at least not in our country. When we talk about symbols of power in the United States we talk about the White House or about the Oval Office. But in John's day the throne was the place of power and authority and security if you were on the same side as the one sitting on the throne.
So let's take advantage of this peek into heaven and see who's on the throne and who's around the throne and what comes from the throne. John sees someone sitting on the throne. Is it God? In other places the Bible tells us that no one has ever seen God. There's a story in the Old Testament where Moses encounters God, but he can't see his face. Instead, God hides him in a cleft in a rock and covers him with his hand and then says to him in Exodus 33:23, Then I will remove my hand and you will see my back. But my face must not be seen.
So what is it that John sees on the throne? God, but he appears in these dazzling images. John sees color. He sees beauty. He sees things that he's never seen before and he struggles to put them into words. He sees two jewels, jasper and carnelian. Every Jewish reader would have recognized these stones right away. These were two of the stones that the high priest, the most powerful person in Israel, would wear on his garment. There were twelve stones altogether and carnelian and jasper are the first and last stones mentioned in Exodus 28. Carnelian was red like a ruby and jasper was brilliant like a diamond. And a rainbow like a green emerald encircled the throne. Breathtaking beauty!
From the throne came flashes of lighting and thunder which again remind us of God's revelation of himself in Exodus 19 when he established the Ten Commandments. There are lamps blazing and the seven spirits of God, which could be a reference to the Holy Spirit, and a sea of glass clear as crystal. This is the control center of the universe. This is a place of power and authority and beauty and wonder and judgment. This is a holy place. This is like nothing any of us has ever seen. God is on the throne and in control of all that is going to take place in this book.
But he's not alone there. God is surrounded by twenty-four other thrones and on those thrones sit twenty-four elders dressed in white and wearing crowns of gold on their heads. Who are these people? This is where it gets difficult. Some believe they are angels whose full-time job is to worship God. Others believe that the twenty-four elders represent believers down through the ages.
In Old Testament Israel there were twenty-four orders of priests that actually represented the thousands of priests who took turns serving God in the temple. And each of the twenty-four orders was represented by one priest whom all together represented the nation of Israel. That could be the symbolism here. The twenty-four elders might represent all the people of God down through the ages.
But not only do we have God and twenty-four elders in the picture, but John sees four living creatures standing around the throne. The first looks like a lion, the second is like an ox, the third has the face of a human being, the fourth is like a flying eagle. Each of them has six wings and is covered with eyes all around, even under their wings and day and night they never stop saying, "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was, and is, and is to come."
Who are these four bizarre creatures? Well, those who first read this description and who were aware of the Old Testament would have recognized that these are the same creatures that Isaiah had seen in heaven and that Ezekiel had also seen in his description of heaven.
Look at Isaiah 6:1-3, In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord seated on a throne, high and exalted, and the train of his robe filled the temple. 2Above him were seraphs, each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying. 3And they were calling to one another: "Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory."
Isaiah calls these creatures, seraphs, which are angels and each has six wings as John says and they are saying exactly the same thing, "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty."
Now look at Ezekiel 1:1, In the thirtieth year, in the fourth month on the fifth day, while I was among the exiles by the Kebar River, the heavens were opened and I saw visions of God. Drop down to verse 4, I looked, and I saw a windstorm coming out of the north-an immense cloud with flashing lightning and surrounded by brilliant light. The center of the fire looked like glowing metal, 5and in the fire was what looked like four living creatures. In appearance their form was that of a man, 6but each of them had four faces and four wings. 7Their legs were straight; their feet were like those of a calf and gleamed like burnished bronze. 8Under their wings on their four sides they had the hands of a man. All four of them had faces and wings, 9and their wings touched one another. Each one went straight ahead; they did not turn as they moved. 10Their faces looked like this: Each of the four had the face of a man, and on the right side each had the face of a lion, and on the left the face of an ox; each also had the face of an eagle. 11Such were their faces. Their wings were spread out upward; each had two wings, one touching the wing of another creature on either side, and two wings covering its body. 12Each one went straight ahead. Wherever the spirit would go, they would go, without turning as they went. 13The appearance of the living creatures was like burning coals of fire or like torches. Fire moved back and forth among the creatures; it was bright, and lightning flashed out of it. 14The creatures sped back and forth like flashes of lightning.
Interesting isn't it, that these three, Isaiah, Ezekiel and now John all saw the same thing when they visited heaven. Of course, there are different opinions on what these creatures represent. Some think that they represent character qualities, a lion is strong, an ox is patient, a human is intelligent, and an eagle is swift. Others think they represent areas of government. The number "4" was a number used in apocalyptic literature to signify government of some kind. Some say they represent the four gospels and how Jesus is pictured in each. In Matthew he is the lion of the tribe of Judah, in Mark he's a servant, like an ox, in Luke he's the Son of Man, and in John he's the Son of God, pictured by the eagle. We don't know for sure.
But what we do know is that they are singing the same song. Isaiah had his vision almost six hundred years before John and yet the song was still the same. "Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty." The throne is a place of holiness. There is no other place like it, anywhere. The word holy means, "separate, different, set apart." That's who God is and that's what heaven's like.
They sing the same song, not because they don't know the words to any other song. But because this is the song of eternity, praising God for who he is. He is holy above everything else. Heaven isn't a boring place. Heaven is a dazzling place full of wonder and excitement and unspeakable joy. I'm sure it was tough for Isaiah and Ezekiel and John to come back to earth after they tasted of heaven.
The four living creatures are the worship leaders of heaven! And in response the twenty-four elders fall down and lay their crowns before the throne and say, "You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being."
Wow! This is an image we cannot forget. Again and again as we march through the trauma of the book of Revelation we will be brought back to this image of a God that is holy, a God that is on the throne, a God that is all powerful, a God that is in control, no matter what is going on down here in this world or what is going on in your life right now. God is right here. He is in control and he is always worthy of our praise and of our worship. And one day, we as believers will have the same experience that John did when we entered the throne room of the universe. But until then this opening image is meant to give us comfort and hope as we pull back the curtain and reveal some of the most catastrophic events that this world has ever seen.