The Throne and John's Invitation to Heaven (Day 7)

                                        

                                       REVELATION

God created a perfect world into being. The sun, moon, stars, planets and creatures of all kind were made for His pleasure. Everything that He created was spoken into existence with the exception of man. Why was this? God wanted man to know that he was special unto Him. God took out time to form every detail of man’s existence. He could have said a word and man would have appeared, but that is not what God did. God did not take any shortcuts, but with His own hands, He formed a perfect man and woman out of the dust of the ground. Man was made a little lower than the angels, but higher than any beast on the earth. Unfortunately, the devil corrupted the perfection of man’s innocence concerning the knowledge of good and evil, which caused God to devise a plan for the Salvation of mankind. That plan involved sending His only Son to be a Sacrificial Lamb to bear the sins of the world.

John was given a vision into Heaven and witnessed the honor and praise given to the One that was slain. There was and still is no one worthy of such praise other than Jesus, for He took on the form of a servant to be elevated by God the Father as KING of Kings and LORD of Lords. All Heaven above and earth below will confess before God that Jesus is LORD. John gave an in-depth description about the throne room of God, 4 living creatures, 24 elders and the Lamb that was slain. Blessed are all who read and understand the words of this book. Let’s unveil another portion of John’s vision for the Body of Christ.

Quick Review from Lesson 2

a.) The Church of Ephesus had lost their first love. God told them to renew their first works over and repent before their lampstand be removed.

b.) The Church of Smyrna was told that they were rich even though they were poor. They were to remain faithful even during persecution and would receive a crown in Heaven.

c.) The Church of Pergamum was rebuked for holding on to the teachings of Balaam and of the Nicolaitans. God told them to repent, or He would come against them with the sword of His mouth.

d.) The Church of Thyatira was rebuked for tolerating the teachings of Jezebel. God warned that He would repay them according to their deeds if they did not turn away from her wicked teachings.

e.) The Church of Sardis was rebuked for being dead even while having a reputation of being alive. God told them to repent for He would come like a thief and they would not be ready.

f.) The Church of Philadelphia was commended for enduring even while they were weak. God promised to keep them from the hour of persecution.

g.) The Church of Laodicea was rebuked for being in a lukewarm state. God warned them of their arrogance of being self-sufficient and was told to repent of their ways.

                                    The Throne in Heaven

          John was to see many great elements in Heaven. These consisted of things, heavenly beings and creatures that he had never seen before. God wanted John to write down all that he had seen, so that the church of the future would not be unprepared for the events that would take place in the last days. First, John would see the awesomeness of God’s surroundings and those who worshipped Him constantly around the throne. He would also understand the worthiness of the Lamb that was slain who would open what no other person in Heaven or earth was found worthy of.

Invitation to Come

Revelation 4:1-2 ⁽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.” ⁽²⁾At once I was in the Spirit, and there before me was a throne in heaven with someone sitting on it. (NIV)

John was invited to enter through a door into Heaven. No one can enter in unless the invitation is given. John had to have a relationship with Jesus first; otherwise, the invitation would not have been given. John 10:9 I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. They will come in and go out, and find pasture. (NIV) The invitation was clear and given by the same voice who had spoken to him earlier, but this time sounded like a trumpet.

1 Thessalonians 4:16 For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God…

(NIV) John had been given a message for the 7 churches of Asia Minor during his period first, but now was to be told what would take place in the future. The Spirit of God once again came over him, and he saw someone sitting on a great throne.

Revelation 4:3-4 ⁽³⁾And the one who sat there had the appearance of jasper and ruby. A rainbow that shone like an emerald encircled the throne. ⁽⁴⁾Surrounding 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. (NIV)

 

The One sitting on the throne was none other than God himself. He had the appearance of jasper and ruby. You can tell that precious stones were of significance to God during Moses time because God instructed the Priests to have them on their breastplate. Exodus 28:20 the fourth row shall be topaz, onyx and jasper. (NIV) Jasper was also part of the adornment for Lucifer prior to His fall. Ezekiel 28:13-14 You were in Eden, the garden of God; every precious stone adorned you: carnelian, chrysolite and emerald, topaz, onyx and jasper, lapis lazuli, turquoise and beryl. Your settings and mountings were made of gold; on the day you were created they were prepared. (NIV) We see that God loves beauty. After all, He is the one who created everything that is good.

Join us tomorrow as we continue with our study in the Book of Revelation. The new series, "Revelation: Removing the Prophetic Veil is available on Amazon.com.