In the Word
Revelation - The Truth Made Known - Lesson 5
[music] Hello and welcome to "In the Word with Michelle Telfur." Thanks for joining us for this in-depth study of God's Word, the Bible. For more of Michelle's free resources, visit her website at www.intheword.com. And now, Michelle. [music] In our last lesson, we joined John as he stepped into the glorious throne room of heaven. From here on, we'll notice his use of symbolism as he attempts the impossible task of trying to describe the majesty of everything that he sees. God in all of his radiance sat upon his throne encircled by 24 elders who, as the representatives of God's people were dressed in white and crowned with golden crowns. There was a lampstand burning with seven flames representing the Holy Spirit of God in all his perfection. And there was also what looked to be a sea of glass clear as crystal that stretched out before the throne. In the ancient world, glass was usually dull and cloudy. Glass as clear as crystal would have been as valuable as gold. And it's the only thing that can come to mind for John as he tries to describe this vast expense in heaven. He adds more details to his awe-inspiring description in chapter 4, verse 6. In the center around the throne were four living creatures and they were covered with eyes in front and in back. The first living creature was like a lion, the second was like an ox, the third had the face like a man, and the fourth was like a flying eagle. Each of the four living creatures had six wings and was covered with eyes all around, even under his wings. Day and night they never stopped saying, "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty who was and is and is to come." John goes on to describe four living creatures that are caught up in ceaseless praise around God's throne. Ezekiel also saw these creatures in his vision of heaven and described them as being cherubim, a special type of angelic being who are the guardians of God's throne. We also see this in Psalm 99, verse 1, which says, "The Lord reigns, let the people tremble, he dwells, between the cherubim, let the earth be moved." From John's description these heavenly creatures seem very strange to us, but remember he uses symbolism to help us understand more about them. When he declares for example that they are covered with eyes, this really helps us understand that nothing escapes their attention, for they are all seeing. Their many wings help us to understand that they are quick to carry out God's commands. According to verse 7, each are different in appearance, one was like a lion, the second like an ox, the third had the face of a man, and the fourth was like a flying eagle. In this description of the four living creatures we actually see a reflection of Christ himself that is repeated throughout scripture. For example, in Matthew's gospel, Jesus is depicted as being the lion of the tribe of Judah, whom the prophets testified about in the Old Testament. Mark shows Jesus as the ox, the willing servant, who is the sacrifice for all those who put their faith in him. In Luke, he's depicted as a man because it's the factual report of Christ's human life, whereas in the Gospel of John, Jesus is shown to be the heavenly son of God, well symbolized by the eagle, the king of the heavens, which is said to be the only living creature that can look straight into the blazing light of the sun. As they reflect God's glory, these living creatures are immersed in praising the Lord, declaring him to be utterly holy, for the threefold repetition of that word holy denotes that there is no one holier than the unchanging, all-powerful God who was and is and is to come. Verse 9, "Whenever the living creatures give glory, honor, and thanks to him who sits on the throne and who lives forever and ever, the twenty-four elders fall down before him who sits on the throne and worship him who lives forever and ever. They 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." Heaven is seen as a place of unceasing worship. Even the twenty-four elders join in the praise. They rise from their thrones to worship him who lives forever and ever, and as an act of total submission and love, they fall down before God and lay their crowns at his feet, because everything they have, everything they are, and every honor given to them is all because of him. Their elders worship him as our Lord and God, and also as creator, and these titles are important. In John's day, the phrase, "Lord and God" in Greek, was Kuryos Kythios, and it was, in fact, the official title of the Roman Emperor Domitian, whom the Christians refused to worship. To give this title to God proved that he is the only one in all the universe worthy of our devotion, because for all his ability, man is not the creator. Every star in the sky and every grain of sand belongs to God alone. He made them, and they are his. Now, as we transition into chapter five, we're going to see God worshiped as Redeemer, verse one. And I saw in the right hand of him who sat on the throne, a scroll written inside and on the back, sealed with seven seals. And I saw a mighty angel proclaiming an allowed voice, who is worthy to break the seals and open the scroll, but no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth could open the scroll or even look inside it. I wept and wept because no one was found who was worthy to open the scroll or look inside. In those days, people did not usually use books, but rather long sheets of parchment, which were rolled up to become scrolls once they'd been written on. It was very unusual for a scroll to ever be written on both sides, but this heavenly scroll is written inside and on the back, which symbolizes that nothing more could be added to this decree. It's complete. Moreover, this decree is unalterable. The writing contained in this scroll is that which must take place after this. In the ancient world, when a scroll was finished, it was fastened with threads and the threads were sealed at the knots. Whills of that time were sealed with seven seals, so this role may be seen as God's will, his final settlement of the affairs of the universe. A mighty angel asks who is worthy to open the scroll and to lucid seals, and it quickly becomes apparent that no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth could open the scroll or even look inside it. There's no angel in heaven who can open this. No man on earth can open it, and not even a creature from hell itself, those under the earth, is able to initiate this final plan. We must remember that God's plan is not so much for the destruction of everything as it is for the restoration of all things. And so John begins to weep and mourn for how will God's will be done on earth as it is in heaven. You know, this touches my heart to realize that though John was fearful only moments before, now having seen what heaven is like, he's grieved at the thought that anything might stand in the way of what God has planned. Immediately, one of the elders speaks to reveal the only one who's able to initiate God's final plan for the ages. Then one of the elders said to me, "Do not weep. See the lion of the tribe of Judah, the root of David is triumphed. He is able to open the scroll and it's seven seals." John is told not to weep, and you know there's a message for us in that as well. Human grief, though very real, often springs from insufficient knowledge. If we only had patience to wait and trust, we would see that God has his own solutions for the situations that bring us to tears. Thankfully, there is one who is able to open the scroll and it's seals, and the elder reveals him by two different titles. He is the lion of the tribe of Judah, and he is the root of David. Both of these titles are Messianic titles. In other words, they were titles for the anointed one God promised to send to his people. The Hebrew word Messiah itself means anointed one, and when that same title is translated into Greek, it becomes Christos or Christ in English. Let's look at the first description, the lion of the tribe of Judah, which is a title for Jesus Christ that first occurs in Genesis 49 verses 8 through 9. There in Genesis, as Jacob lay dying, he blessed his twelve sons, from whom the twelve tribes of Israel would come. When blessing Judah, he declared that a lion would come from Judah's tribe and that all would bow down to him. Now, how fitting that the lion, the king of all beasts, is used as a symbol for Jesus Christ, who came from the tribe of Judah and who is king over all. But the one who is worthy to open the scroll is also described as the root of David. The prophecies of old further specified that the Messiah would not only come from Judah, but that he would come from the family of King David from within that tribe. That's why the Messiah is also known as the son of David in Scripture. But in declaring that the Messiah would also be the root of David, Scripture identifies him as the one who created David in the first place, the Creator himself. This is a clear indication that the Messiah is both God and man, and that's why Jesus alone is able to open the scroll and reveal his final will for the earth. John is prepared then to see a lion, but what does he see? Look at verse 5. Then one of the elders said to me, "Do not weep. See the lion of the tribe of Judah, the root of David, is triumphed." He is able to open the scroll and its seven seals. Then I saw a lamb looking as if it had been slain, standing at the center of the throne encircled by the four living creatures and the elders. The lamb had seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth. He came and took the scroll from the right hand of him who sat on the throne. John looks for the lion and beholds instead a lamb looking as if it had been slain. The Greek word therefore slain means violently slain, and yet despite bearing the marks of being violently killed, the lamb is standing and very clearly alive, for he takes the scroll from the right hand of him who sat on the throne. And we understand this vision to be of Jesus Christ, the lamb of God who those slain still lives. Who else can it be? The book of Revelation characterizes Jesus as the lamb 29 times, and it is not the only place in Scripture where Jesus is identified in this way. For example, at the beginning of Christ's ministry, when John the Baptist was preaching on the banks of the Jordan River, John identified Jesus as the lamb of God who had come to take away man's sin. From the very beginning of Genesis, God made it clear that sin could only be atoned for through a blood sacrifice. He did that because life is in the blood and the punishment for sin is the forfeiture of that life. In other words, the punishment for sin is death. However, it was possible for people to be reconciled to God through the shed blood of a substitute. For that reason, the law had rules for sacrificing bulls, goats, lambs and even birds to cover sin. Under the Old Testament law, a perfect lamb would be brought to the priests. The worshipper would symbolically place their sins upon the head of the faultless animal, which would die in their place and provide covering for their sin for another year. However, because the blood of animals could never permanently deal with the cause of sin, this solution was a temporary one, which meant that sacrifices had to be offered on a regular basis. Christ came as the fulfillment of all that the law demanded. He is the lamb of God, the ultimate sacrifice for our sins. He took our sins on himself and died in our place so that we might be permanently reconciled to God through the forgiveness found in faith in his blood. For those who put their trust in Jesus, his blood not only covers the sin, it takes it away forever, and no other sacrifice can ever be required. God tells his people in 1 Peter 1 verse 18-19 that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that we were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to us from our forefathers, but rather with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect. Jesus is the lamb John saw standing at the center of the throne and all that happens around it. The description John then gives of him is somewhat unsettling, but remember he's using highly symbolic language to convey a greater understanding of what he saw. The lamb had seven horns and seven eyes which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth. John first speaks of the lamb's horns and this is something we must pay careful attention to because John will talk frequently of horns when describing the vision God gave him. To help us understand, think for a moment of a rhinoceros with its enormous size and its large horn. The rhino is one of the strongest, most dangerous animals in Africa. Can you guess where the power of the rhino lies in the horn? In scripture, horns are always a symbol of the power, authority and honour of rulers. They always speak of strength. We've already learned that seven is the number of completion or perfection and so these seven horns upon the lamb represent his omnipotence. In other words, his complete power and authority. The lamb also has seven eyes which John announces are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth. Eyes are frequently used as a metaphor for wisdom in scripture. So this lamb is perfect in the wisdom that comes from the Holy Spirit or the sevenfold spirit of God. This entire description is a wonderful picture of Jesus. He's not only the fulfillment of God's promises to Israel about the lion of Judah and the root of David. He is also the lamb, the one whose sacrifice benefited all mankind and who still bears the marks of his sacrifice in the heavenly places. Tragedy has turned to triumph and shame to glory. He is the one whose power none can withstand and whose all seeing eye no one can escape. He is indeed worthy of all worship. Look at verse seven. He came and took the scroll from the right hand of him who sat on the throne. And when he had taken at the four living creatures and the twenty four elders fell down before the lamb, each one had a harp and they were holding golden bowls full of incense which are the prayers of God's people. And they sang a new song saying you are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals because you were slain. And with your blood you purchased men for God from every tribe and language and people and nation. You've made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God and they will reign on the earth. As Jesus the Lamb of God takes the scroll all heaven explodes in praise and worship around him. Heaven is a place of music. The very first song we heard in heaven in chapter four praised God as the creator of all things and now the living creatures and the elders praise him as the Redeemer. Christ is worthy to take the scroll and open its seals because of his redemptive work. He's the only one who's able to judge the earth because he died to purchase men and women from among every tribe and nation to make them his very own. He's freed those who put their trust in him from slavery to sin and by his blood we've become the children of God who serve him now and who will be given a place of honor and purpose when Christ returns to the earth. Now the angels join in this heavenly chorus in verse 11. Then I looked and heard the voice of many angels numbering thousands upon thousands and ten thousand times ten thousand. They encircled the throne and the living creatures and the elders. In a loud voice they sang worthy is the Lamb who was slain to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise. So vast is the heavenly host that they can't really be numbered. They too declare Christ's praise for he has been worthy to receive power, wealth, wisdom, strength, honor, glory and praise. Because there are seven elements here we understand that Christ is in fact the perfection of God. We can declare that he's able because all power is his. There's no claim upon him that he can't satisfy and no problem he can't solve for all wealth and wisdom are his. There's no situation that he can't cope with because his strength is perfect and as such all glory, honor and blessing belong to him because he is God himself. At this the entire universe declares the Lamb's praise and John tells us then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea and all that is in them singing. To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praise and honor and glory and power forever and ever. The four living creatures said amen and the elders fell down and worshiped. Here we glimpse the goal of history as every creature in the universe declares Christ's praise. This is what Paul was describing in Philippians 2 verse 9 through 11 when he said that Christ is the name that is above every name and that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow in heaven and on earth and under the earth and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father. Everything in all creation will bow before him and acknowledge Jesus for who he is. This is the fulfillment of all history, the end toward which everything has been moving since the beginning and it is the hope of salvation that is ours in Christ. Before we transition though into chapter 6 I think it would be beneficial for us to lay a foundation for what is to come because from this point on this prophecy mainly deals with the last years prior to the return of Christ. We know that Jesus promised that he'd return, for example he told the disciples in John 14 not to let their hearts be troubled, for though he was leaving this earth he would return. He also said that although no one could predict when he would come his arrival would not be missed, it would be evident to all and Jesus declared in Matthew 24 verses 27 to 28. For as the lightning that comes from the east is visible even in the west so will the coming of the Son of Man. Wherever there is a carcass there the vultures will gather. Now I know the phrase wherever there is a carcass there the vultures will gather may seem strange but it was an expression of the time for something that would be obvious. I mean think about it, in the bush when something dies the vultures immediately begin to circle making it hard to miss. Likewise the day of Christ's second coming is also going to be obvious to everyone. Leading up to Christ's return much will play out on earth and that is the subject of these next chapters. However, Revelation doesn't specifically mention an event known as the Rapture so it's most often seen as an event that will occur apart from Christ's second coming. The Rapture is when Jesus Christ returns to remove the church all those who believe in him from the earth. The Rapture is described in 1 Thessalonians 4 13 to 18 and it's also found in 1 Corinthians 15 verse 50 to 54. At that time believers who have died will receive their resurrected bodies and the believers who are still living on earth will be caught up in a moment in a twinkling of an eye to meet the Lord in the air. And as they do their mortal bodies will also be changed to be ones that do not perish. The word Rapture does not specifically occur anywhere in Scripture but the English word Rapture comes from a Latin word Rapio which means to be caught up or to be snatched away. The second coming however is when Jesus finally returns to defeat the Antichrist to destroy evil and establish his millennial kingdom on the earth and that event will be described in Revelation 19 verses 11 through 16. The important differences between the Rapture and the second coming that we must understand if this is to make sense to us or as follows. At the Rapture 1 Thessalonians 4 16 to 17 declares that the Lord himself will come from heaven with a loud command and with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God. At that time those who have already died but who had faith in Jesus will receive their resurrection bodies in what is known as the first resurrection. And after that we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air and so we will be with the Lord forever. Later on at the time of Christ's second coming according to Revelation 19 verse 14 all believers whether raised in the first resurrection or whether caught up to be with the Lord while they were still living will return with Jesus to the earth. The Rapture will be instant and possibly unnoticed by many as Paul explained in 1 Corinthians 15 verses 50 to 54. For those who trust Jesus will be caught up and changed in the twinkling of an eye. However the second coming will be something that's visible to all as we were told in Revelation 1 and Matthew 24. Jesus is going to come then on the clouds of glory and every eye will see him even those who pierced him and all the peoples of the earth will mourn because of him. Why? Because they will be judged and Christ will rule. John's vision described in chapters 6 through 18 of Revelation detailed the final events on earth prior to Christ's second coming and they focus on the final seven years when an evil global government rises to rule the world led by an individual known as the Antichrist. As his name suggests the Antichrist is against God and against all those who follow Jesus and under his rule there will be a seven year period of time that the Bible caused the tribulation. This will be a time of great suffering on earth. The last three and a half years of that time will be a time of unequal distress known as the great tribulation. Though there's some debate as to the exact timing of the Rapture in all of this it's widely held that those who believe in Jesus will be caught up before the time of suffering. Because 1 Thessalonians 5-9 declares that as those who follow Christ God has not destined us to suffer his wrath but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. Also if you remember Jesus promised in Revelation 3-10 that those who believe in him would be kept from the hour of trial that's coming on the world to test those people who don't trust in him. Of course even during the tribulation there will be people who will put their faith in Jesus so Christ will have his representatives on earth even then. The second coming of Christ will occur after the great tribulation at the end of the seven year period when Christ will return to defeat the Antichrist. Now I hope you'll join us next week as we begin to look at what will play out on earth. God bless you. Thank you for listening to In the Word with Michelle Telfer. Join us next week as we continue our study from God's Word the Bible. Michelle's messages are also available on all major podcast platforms and on her website at intheword.com. [Music]