Shall we bow our
heads for prayer?
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Our Father and our God, what
a privilege it is this evening
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to come before Your majestic
throne in prayer knowing that
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You hear our pleas. And we ask,
Father, that You will be with us
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as we study Your Word.
Open our minds and hearts,
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and send Your Holy Spirit that
we might be able to understand.
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And we thank You
for hearing our prayer
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for we ask it in
Jesus' name, Amen.
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Well, hello everybody!
We're going to do a little bit
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of review in our study today
of what we studied last time.
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We're doing a series
on the twenty-four elders
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of the book of Revelation.
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And, basically, what we studied
last time was that Jesus,
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when He came to this
earth, had a twofold mission.
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His first mission was to live
the perfect life that the law
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requires from us. And then
Jesus had to take upon Himself
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our sins, and suffer the
death penalty that we deserve.
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So basically Jesus had to
come to live in our place,
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and He had to come
to die in our place.
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This is the only way in which
Jesus could recover the throne
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that Adam lost, as well as
the territory that Adam lost
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as well. Now we also studied
that it was Satan's mission
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to prevent Jesus from
doing these two things.
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It was Satan's mission,
first of all, to infect Jesus
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with the virus of sin so that
He would not be an unblemished
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sacrifice. We also notice
that it was the devil's mission
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to prevent Jesus from reaching
the point where He would offer
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His life as a ransom for many.
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So basically the devil's
mission was to prevent Jesus
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from fulfilling His mission.
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Now we noticed in our study that
Satan used four methods to try
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and prevent Jesus from
living His perfect life,
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and from offering, at the
correct time, His life for sin.
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First of all Satan
attempted to kill Jesus.
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In the second place,
Satan attempted to infect Jesus
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with the virus of sin. Then
we also notice that the devil
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attempted to lead Jesus down
a different path than the path
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that the Father had
established for Him.
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In other words, the devil tried
to convince Jesus to take over
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the throne instead of
dying to recover the throne.
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And finally, we notice
that Satan made every attempt
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to discourage Jesus in such a
way that He would just pick up
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and leave, and go to
heaven where He was loved,
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and leave the
human race to perish.
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But as we noticed in our
study, Jesus on the cross,
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the last three sayings that
He uttered from His lips were,
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My God, My God, why
hast Thou forsaken Me?
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And then He
said, It is finished!
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And finally He spoke
to His Father and said,
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Father, into Your
hands I commend My spirit.
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At that moment Jesus
had gained the victory.
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Jesus had lived the life
that everyone should live,
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and He had died
in place of everyone.
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Jesus had gained the victory.
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But, of course, we notice
that the devil wasn't about to
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give up. And so he said, if I
can keep Jesus from resurrecting
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the plan of salvation
is still going to fail.
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And so the devil influenced the
Roman, Pilate, to place a large
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stone in front of the tomb,
and to place a Roman guard.
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And, of course, the devil also
had his demons present there,
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as if somehow the devil
was going to be able to keep
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the life-giver in the tomb
with a little pebble in front
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of the tomb, and a
guard of Roman soldiers,
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as well as a group of demons.
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Impossible to keep Jesus in!
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Very early the first day of
the week two angels descended
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from heaven. One of
them removed the stone,
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and the other one stood in
front of the tomb and exclaimed
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in a loud voice, Oh Thou Son
of God, Thy Father calls Thee.
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Suddenly Jesus appeared
at the mouth of the tomb,
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and He proclaimed the
words, I Am the resurrection
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and the life. As we noticed
also, Jesus did not resurrect
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by Himself. There was
a group of individuals,
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a multitude of individuals,
that resurrected with Jesus
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when Jesus came out of the tomb.
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And they went and appeared
to many in the city to confirm
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the resurrection of Jesus.
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Now the question is,
what happened to those who
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resurrected with Christ?
Did they die again, or did they
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have a special function
in the plan of salvation?
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This is what we're going to take
a look at in our study today.
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Now I want to say that when
Jesus resurrected He spent forty
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days on planet Earth teaching
His disciples the things
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concerning the kingdom of God,
according to Acts, chapter 1
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and verse 3. In other words,
Jesus explained to His disciples
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the prophecies that had been
fulfilled in Him that they had
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misunderstood. And Jesus
also explained to the disciples
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the prophecies that were going
to be fulfilled fifty days after
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His resurrection on
the Day of Pentecost.
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In other words, He explained
Bible prophecy to them so that
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they could understand the
past, and they could understand
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the future. Now when
Jesus left heaven He told all of
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the heavenly beings, I'm leaving
to that rebellious planet
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to face Goliath. But I
guarantee that thirty-three
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years from now, I will return
victorious to the heavenly
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kingdom, so you'd better
start preparing the party.
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Now, do we have any information
in scripture about what the
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reception of Jesus was
like when He returned to heaven?
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I believe that we do.
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Let's turn in our Bibles
to Revelation, chapter 4,
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and this topic that we're
going to study today deals with
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two chapters in
the book of Revelation:
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Revelation, chapter
4 and also chapter 5.
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Now in chapter 4 we find all
of heaven preparing the heavenly
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throne room for the
return of Jesus to heaven.
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In other words, in chapter 4
Jesus has not arrived in heaven
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yet. In chapter 4 of the book
of Revelation all of heaven,
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all of the heavenly beings,
are preparing the throne room
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for the great
reception of the war hero.
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Now let's begin in Revelation,
chapter 4 and verse 1.
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Here John, inspired
by the Holy Spirit says,
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After these things I looked
and behold a door standing open
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in heaven. Now notice
this is not the door to heaven,
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it is a door in heaven.
Now obviously, there's not just
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a door standing there. A
door leads into a building.
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So the question is,
where does this door lead to,
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this door that is in heaven?
We're going to find our answer
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a little bit
later on. So it says:
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And so John is invited
to go through the open door,
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and I want you to notice what
John sees inside that open door,
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inside the building
where that door leads to.
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Revelation,
chapter 4 and verse 2:
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That means that
John was in vision.
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He didn't go there
personally. He's in vision.
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He's seeing this in his mind.
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And so it says:
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So he goes
through this open door.
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Inside the open door he sees
a throne, and upon the throne
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there is One being sitting.
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Now it's interesting to
notice that when Jesus went back
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to heaven, the Bible tells us
that Jesus sat with His Father
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on His throne.
Notice Revelation, chapter 3
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and verse 21. This is the
immediately preceding chapter.
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And we're going to see
that when Jesus went to heaven,
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and actually arrived in
heaven, He sat with His Father
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on His Father's throne. It says
there in Revelation 3 verse 21,
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here Jesus is speaking:
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notice
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past tense
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This speaking about
His victory on earth.
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So where did Jesus place Himself
when He ascended to heaven?
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He sat with His
Father on His throne.
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But what's strange about
Revelation, chapter 4 verse 2
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is that it describes only
one being sitting on the throne.
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So this must be taking place
before Jesus arrived to sit
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with His Father on His throne.
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Because if this was taking place
after Jesus ascended to heaven,
00:10:02.29\00:10:05.83
then there would be two
on the throne instead of one.
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Now verse 3 gives us the
physical appearance of the One
00:10:09.41\00:10:14.70
who is seated on the
throne, who just happens to be
00:10:14.73\00:10:17.37
God the Father. Notice verse 3.
00:10:17.40\00:10:20.55
Now jasper and
sardius are deep red stones.
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In other words, its like
God is surrounded by fire.
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That's the idea. And so it says:
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Now the rainbow represents a
mixture of justice and mercy,
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which means that this scene,
when this scene is taking place,
00:10:49.50\00:10:53.48
the door of mercy is still open,
as indicated by the rainbow.
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You remember that after
the flood God showed Noah
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the rainbow, indicating that
He would not destroy the world
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with another flood, representing
God's justice which He had
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meted out in the flood, but
also His mercy in saving Noah
00:11:08.11\00:11:12.25
and his family. So basically,
this scene is taking place while
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the door of mercy is still open.
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Now verse 4 tells us about
another group that is present
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there in the midst of the
throne, or around the throne.
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It says there in verse 4:
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Now I want you to
remember these details.
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They're very, very important.
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Notice they're
called twenty-four elders.
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They're sitting on thrones.
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We're told that they
are clothed in white robes,
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and that they have
crowns of gold on their heads.
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We will come back to
this in later presentations.
00:12:01.10\00:12:04.87
So I want you to imagine
this throne inside a door.
00:12:04.90\00:12:09.12
There's One
seated on the throne.
00:12:09.15\00:12:11.26
He has this
rainbow over His head.
00:12:11.29\00:12:14.47
He's surrounded by fire.
00:12:14.50\00:12:16.52
And then we find that around
the throne there are twenty-four
00:12:16.55\00:12:20.76
thrones, with
twenty-four elders sitting.
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And, of course, we wonder who
are those twenty-four elders?
00:12:24.54\00:12:28.36
And that's the reason
why we're having this series
00:12:28.39\00:12:30.69
is to identify the elders,
and to find out what their
00:12:30.72\00:12:33.73
particular job description is.
00:12:33.76\00:12:36.21
Now let's skip
verse 5 just for a moment.
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We'll come back to verse 5.
00:12:39.59\00:12:41.10
And let's go to verse 6 because
we're going to notice that there
00:12:41.13\00:12:44.99
were also some other beings
present there in the midst
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of the throne.
Notice verse 6. It says:
00:12:48.37\00:12:52.37
A better translation
would be four living beings.
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So now we're
introduced to a new group there.
00:13:11.17\00:13:13.60
Besides the twenty-four elders
you have four living creatures
00:13:13.63\00:13:17.10
that are in the
midst of the throne.
00:13:17.13\00:13:18.93
And immediately we ask the
question, who are these living
00:13:18.96\00:13:22.87
creatures? Well, if we go to
verse 8 we'll find some help.
00:13:22.90\00:13:27.23
Notice, Revelation,
chapter 4 and verse 8.
00:13:27.26\00:13:29.85
It says here:
00:13:29.88\00:13:31.16
Two characteristics that
we notice about these living
00:13:49.33\00:13:51.79
creatures: 1. We're told
that they have six wings.
00:13:51.82\00:13:55.14
2. We're told that
they sing, Holy, holy, holy.
00:13:55.17\00:14:00.29
Now who were these beings?
00:14:00.32\00:14:02.63
All we have to do is go back to
the book of Isaiah, chapter 6,
00:14:02.66\00:14:06.40
and verses 1 to 3 to
identify these living beings,
00:14:06.43\00:14:11.31
or these living creatures.
00:14:11.34\00:14:12.72
It says there, and this is
speaking abut the call of the
00:14:12.75\00:14:15.61
prophet Isaiah.
00:14:15.64\00:14:16.67
See, once again you have
a being sitting on a throne.
00:14:22.54\00:14:24.66
Now notice this:
00:14:30.47\00:14:31.93
That is above the throne:
00:14:33.04\00:14:34.73
So notice, the same
characteristics that we found
00:14:57.87\00:15:00.82
in Revelation, chapter 4.
00:15:00.85\00:15:02.35
The living creatures, or
the living beings, represent
00:15:02.38\00:15:06.81
the seraphim, which is a class
of angels, very high angels
00:15:06.84\00:15:13.11
in heaven. Now its interesting
that the Bible also describes
00:15:13.14\00:15:18.29
the cherubim in similar terms.
00:15:18.32\00:15:20.99
Only the cherubim have
four wings whereas the seraphim
00:15:21.02\00:15:24.05
have six. Now the
question is, where is this scene
00:15:24.08\00:15:28.13
taking place? What is this
building that the door leads to?
00:15:28.16\00:15:32.17
Let's go to verse
5. It says in verse 5,
00:15:32.20\00:15:35.66
which we skipped before:
00:15:35.69\00:15:36.79
And now listen carefully.
00:15:43.84\00:15:45.07
What was burning before the
throne? seven lamps of fire.
00:15:54.08\00:15:57.94
Now my question is, where
in the sanctuary were the seven
00:15:57.97\00:16:02.26
lamps of fire, or the
seven branched candlestick?
00:16:02.29\00:16:04.76
It was in the holy
place of the sanctuary.
00:16:04.79\00:16:09.43
And here we see that before the
throne are seven lamps of fire.
00:16:09.46\00:16:15.73
Incidentally, the Greek word
is lamp avis, which is the same
00:16:15.76\00:16:19.80
word that is used in the Greek
Old Testament to describe the
00:16:19.83\00:16:22.87
candlestick in
the Hebrew sanctuary.
00:16:22.90\00:16:25.12
So you're dealing here with
the seven branched candlestick.
00:16:25.15\00:16:28.11
This would lead us to believe
that this scene is taking place
00:16:28.14\00:16:31.73
in the holy place. The
door led into the holy place
00:16:31.76\00:16:35.79
of the heavenly sanctuary.
00:16:35.82\00:16:37.40
But we have another clue that
indicates that this is taking
00:16:37.43\00:16:40.81
place in the holy place.
00:16:40.84\00:16:42.15
Go with me for a moment to
Revelation, chapter 5, verse 8.
00:16:42.18\00:16:46.18
Revelation
chapter 5 and verse 8.
00:16:46.21\00:16:48.80
Revelation 5 is occurring in
the same place as Revelation 4.
00:16:48.83\00:16:53.73
We're going to see
that in a few moments.
00:16:53.76\00:16:55.11
So, in other words, Revelation
5 is not taking place in another
00:16:55.14\00:16:58.46
apartment, or in
another building.
00:16:58.49\00:17:00.18
It's occurring in the same
place as Revelation, chapter 4.
00:17:00.21\00:17:04.00
And I want you to notice
a very interesting detail.
00:17:04.03\00:17:06.36
It says there in
Revelation 5, verse 8:
00:17:06.39\00:17:09.52
We'll talk about this.
00:17:11.69\00:17:12.72
Now my question is, where was
incense offered in the Hebrew
00:17:26.90\00:17:31.01
sanctuary? It was
offered at the altar of incense
00:17:31.04\00:17:34.80
in which apartment? In the
holy place of the sanctuary.
00:17:34.83\00:17:39.36
So we find the candlestick
there, and we find also the
00:17:39.39\00:17:43.70
altar of incense there. So this
door leads into the holy place
00:17:43.73\00:17:49.27
of the heavenly sanctuary.
00:17:49.30\00:17:50.63
And, of course, the One
who is seated upon the throne
00:17:50.66\00:17:53.91
in the holy place is none
other than God the Father.
00:17:53.94\00:17:58.22
Now it's interesting to notice
here that it says that the
00:17:58.25\00:18:02.92
seven Spirits of God
are before the throne.
00:18:02.95\00:18:06.03
Now there are a
not seven Holy Spirits.
00:18:06.06\00:18:08.94
There is one Holy Spirit.
00:18:08.97\00:18:10.83
But the number seven
indicates fullness or totality.
00:18:10.86\00:18:15.46
In other words, present there in
the heavenly throne room is the
00:18:15.49\00:18:19.14
Holy Spirit in
all of His fullness.
00:18:19.17\00:18:22.21
So present there is God the
Father, the twenty-four elders,
00:18:22.24\00:18:27.73
the four living creatures, and
before the throne the fullness
00:18:27.76\00:18:32.30
of the Holy Spirit,
are all present there.
00:18:32.33\00:18:34.75
Now I want you to notice
the song that is sung by the
00:18:34.78\00:18:40.56
living creatures and
the twenty-four elders
00:18:40.59\00:18:43.17
who are present there.
00:18:43.20\00:18:44.72
They're singing a song in honor
of the One who is seated on
00:18:44.75\00:18:48.18
the throne. We find this in
Revelation 4 and verses 9-11.
00:18:48.21\00:18:52.73
Revelation, chapter 4, and
verses 9 thru 11. It says here:
00:18:52.76\00:18:57.07
Now notice what the
central theme of the hymn is.
00:19:19.87\00:19:23.74
Now in our last topic that
we studied we noticed that the
00:19:38.76\00:19:42.95
Creator was Jesus Christ.
So you say, Now wait a minute.
00:19:42.98\00:19:46.32
This is God the Father sitting
on the throne, and it says that
00:19:46.35\00:19:49.33
God the Father
created all things.
00:19:49.36\00:19:50.91
Well, the fact is that the
New Testament tells us that the
00:19:50.94\00:19:53.90
architect of creation was
God the Father, but the master
00:19:53.93\00:19:56.91
builder was Jesus Christ.
00:19:56.94\00:19:58.36
The Father
created through the Son.
00:19:58.39\00:20:00.59
The Son performed
the Father's will.
00:20:00.62\00:20:03.18
And you'll notice here that
it clearly says, You created all
00:20:03.21\00:20:06.97
things, and by Your will
they exist and were created.
00:20:07.00\00:20:10.96
Jesus simply
implemented the Father's will.
00:20:10.99\00:20:14.69
So you'll notice that this hymn
is being sung to only one being;
00:20:14.72\00:20:19.12
the Father who is
sitting on the throne.
00:20:19.15\00:20:21.74
And He's being exalted and
praised, and honor is being
00:20:21.77\00:20:26.01
given to Him
because He is the Creator.
00:20:26.04\00:20:29.09
Nothing is said in this
chapter about redemption.
00:20:29.12\00:20:32.76
The hymn of praise is because
the One who is on the throne
00:20:32.79\00:20:37.28
is the Creator. Now when
chapter 4 ends we're left
00:20:37.31\00:20:41.89
with some questions.
Where was Jesus in chapter 4?
00:20:41.92\00:20:47.88
He wasn't there! God the Father
was only sitting on the throne
00:20:47.91\00:20:51.77
by Himself. The other question
that comes up is where were
00:20:51.80\00:20:56.53
the angelic hosts? In other
words, where were the multitude
00:20:56.56\00:21:00.02
of angels, ten thousand times
ten thousand, and thousands
00:21:00.05\00:21:03.95
of thousands? Where
were they in chapter 4.
00:21:03.98\00:21:07.00
You look in chapter 4.
The angels are not there.
00:21:07.03\00:21:10.48
And Jesus Christ is
not there in chapter 4.
00:21:10.51\00:21:14.28
So we're left with
a couple of questions.
00:21:14.31\00:21:18.30
Now we need to
move to chapter 5.
00:21:18.33\00:21:20.77
In chapter 4 all of heaven
is preparing the heavenly throne
00:21:20.80\00:21:25.24
room for the
return of the war hero;
00:21:25.27\00:21:28.47
for the return of Jesus Christ.
00:21:28.50\00:21:30.77
Now let's move on to
chapter 5, and verse 1.
00:21:30.80\00:21:34.48
And I saw in the right hand
of Him who sat on the throne,
00:21:34.51\00:21:39.24
notice it's continuing
in the same place in the
00:21:39.27\00:21:42.73
previous chapter. It says:
00:21:42.76\00:21:44.20
Now as long as this scroll was
rolled up and sealed with seven
00:21:57.26\00:22:03.09
seals the contents of the
scroll could not be divulged.
00:22:03.12\00:22:07.39
The contents of the
scroll could not be seen.
00:22:07.42\00:22:09.85
And so in verse 2
a question is asked.
00:22:09.88\00:22:13.74
Now that word worthy
means, who is qualified,
00:22:28.41\00:22:33.35
to break the
seals, to open the scroll,
00:22:33.38\00:22:36.37
and to reveal its contents?
00:22:36.40\00:22:38.55
You see, not anyone, not just
anyone, could unroll the scroll
00:22:38.58\00:22:43.63
and reveal what
the scroll contains.
00:22:43.66\00:22:45.40
There had to be an individual
who was qualified to do so,
00:22:45.43\00:22:50.88
who was worthy to do so.
00:22:50.91\00:22:52.97
And now notice
verse 3. There's a crisis.
00:22:53.00\00:22:56.69
It says in verse 3:
00:22:56.72\00:22:58.34
Interesting! No one in heaven!
00:23:08.86\00:23:12.24
God the Father was
sitting on the throne in heaven.
00:23:12.27\00:23:15.79
Not even God the Father was
qualified to break the seals
00:23:15.82\00:23:20.23
and open the scroll; not
Moses, not Elijah who had been
00:23:20.26\00:23:25.84
transported to
heaven, not Enoch.
00:23:25.87\00:23:27.73
No one in the universe, no
one on earth, no one in heaven
00:23:27.76\00:23:31.90
could open this scroll
to reveal its contents.
00:23:31.93\00:23:35.74
And so now John reacts.
00:23:35.77\00:23:38.24
In verse 4 we're told, John is
speaking about his experience.
00:23:38.27\00:23:43.70
That is qualified.
00:23:51.34\00:23:52.85
Now the word wept here is a
very strong word in the Greek
00:23:56.65\00:24:00.76
language. It's not just a
little weak word that means just
00:24:00.79\00:24:05.26
to shed some tears. It
means to cry out in anguish.
00:24:05.29\00:24:09.52
For example, its the same word
that's used when Peter denied
00:24:09.55\00:24:13.42
Jesus for the third time.
00:24:13.45\00:24:15.02
The Bible says that he
went out and he wept bitterly.
00:24:15.05\00:24:19.03
In other words, this is
crying out with anguish.
00:24:19.06\00:24:22.31
Its the same word that's used
to describe the ruler of the
00:24:22.34\00:24:27.70
synagogue when
his daughter died.
00:24:27.73\00:24:29.76
The Bible tells us that the
people wept and wailed greatly.
00:24:29.79\00:24:34.84
It's the same word that is
used to describe the disciples'
00:24:34.87\00:24:38.77
mourning and
weeping when Jesus died.
00:24:38.80\00:24:42.25
And its the same word that is
used to describe Jesus weeping,
00:24:42.28\00:24:46.23
or agonizing, over Jerusalem
as He contemplated the city
00:24:46.26\00:24:50.57
upon the triumphal entry.
00:24:50.60\00:24:52.49
In other words, John
is crying out in anguish.
00:24:52.52\00:24:55.54
This is a calamity not
to have this scroll opened.
00:24:55.57\00:24:59.27
There's something
that is a life and matter.
00:24:59.30\00:25:01.86
Now the question is, why
was this scroll so important?
00:25:01.89\00:25:06.11
We noticed in our study, in
our first study in this series,
00:25:06.14\00:25:10.08
that Adam lost his position as
king, and he lost the territory
00:25:10.11\00:25:15.45
over which he ruled. It
was necessary for Jesus to come
00:25:15.48\00:25:20.27
to the earth to buy back, or to
redeem that which Adam had lost.
00:25:20.30\00:25:25.37
In other words, Jesus, by His
life and His death, was going to
00:25:25.40\00:25:29.60
buy back the lost
inheritance of Adam and Eve,
00:25:29.63\00:25:34.29
and all of their descendents.
00:25:34.32\00:25:35.90
Now you say, why
is this important?
00:25:35.93\00:25:38.76
Because really what this
scroll contained was a will or
00:25:38.79\00:25:43.70
testament; the will or
testament of the entire human
00:25:43.73\00:25:47.45
race. Allow me to read you a
statement from an individual who
00:25:47.48\00:25:52.32
was my teacher when I went
to the seminary in Michigan.
00:25:52.35\00:25:55.68
He studied the book of
Revelation very intensively.
00:25:55.71\00:25:58.52
His name is Kenneth Strand.
00:25:58.55\00:26:00.44
In his book, Interpreting
the Book of Revelation, page 55,
00:26:00.47\00:26:04.50
he describes the contents
of this scroll. He says:
00:26:04.53\00:26:09.28
And, by the way, that can be
corroborated by archeology and
00:26:25.93\00:26:30.67
by history. The way that
Romans wrote wills or testaments
00:26:30.70\00:26:34.05
is they would write them
on scrolls. And then what they
00:26:34.08\00:26:37.50
would do was they would put
seven strings around the scroll.
00:26:37.53\00:26:40.12
And where the two ends of
the string met they would place
00:26:40.15\00:26:43.36
a blob of wax, or a blob
of clay, that stuck to the two
00:26:43.39\00:26:47.12
ends, and also to the scroll.
In that way they could be sure
00:26:47.15\00:26:50.12
that no one had
tampered with the scroll.
00:26:50.15\00:26:52.53
A person that was not authorized
had not opened the scroll,
00:26:52.56\00:26:56.21
by the seals that the scroll
contained. He continues saying:
00:26:56.24\00:26:59.71
In other words, the title to
the lost possession that human
00:27:21.80\00:27:25.80
beings lost when Adam
sinned. He continues saying:
00:27:25.84\00:27:29.36
So what this scroll
is a will or testament;
00:27:59.89\00:28:03.36
the will or
testament of the human race.
00:28:03.39\00:28:05.54
Now let me ask you, can
just anyone open a testament
00:28:05.57\00:28:08.72
or a will? No. There's an
individual who has been given
00:28:08.75\00:28:13.34
the responsibility, and who
is qualified to open the will
00:28:13.37\00:28:17.92
or the testament. Usually
its a lawyer or a family member.
00:28:17.95\00:28:21.68
Now what does a
will or testament reveal?
00:28:21.71\00:28:26.24
It reveals who will inherit,
and what they will inherit.
00:28:26.27\00:28:32.45
So if this is the will or
testament, or if this is the
00:28:32.48\00:28:36.04
title deed to the inheritance
that Adam lost, and all of his
00:28:36.07\00:28:40.95
descendents lost by their sin,
if the will or testament remains
00:28:40.98\00:28:45.03
closed, what
happens? No one will inherit
00:28:45.06\00:28:48.63
the lost possession. It was
a calamity in the mind of John.
00:28:48.66\00:28:53.45
Now Ellen White adds some
important details that describe
00:28:53.48\00:28:58.47
the contents of this scroll.
00:28:58.50\00:29:00.79
Actually, this scroll contains
the entire history of the human
00:29:00.82\00:29:04.30
race, and the decisions
that every individual has made
00:29:04.33\00:29:08.64
within the history of the world.
00:29:08.67\00:29:11.14
And their decision determines
whether they're going to inherit
00:29:11.17\00:29:14.95
eternal life with Christ,
or whether they are going to
00:29:14.98\00:29:18.75
inherit death. Notice this very
interesting statement that we
00:29:18.78\00:29:23.16
find in Manuscript
Releases, volume 9, and page 7.
00:29:23.19\00:29:28.04
Here Ellen White,
speaking about this scroll,
00:29:28.07\00:29:31.96
says the following:
00:29:31.99\00:29:33.02
Now listen carefully.
00:29:38.40\00:29:39.43
What does this scroll contain?
00:29:47.54\00:29:49.29
It contains the
prophetic history of nations
00:29:49.32\00:29:52.87
and the church.
She continues saying:
00:29:52.90\00:29:55.25
Basically, what the scroll
contains is the entire history
00:30:24.82\00:30:29.62
of the human race. And the
decisions that have been made
00:30:29.65\00:30:33.40
within the course of history,
(individuals have made within
00:30:33.43\00:30:36.64
the course of history), that
will determine whether they will
00:30:36.67\00:30:40.02
receive the title deed to
the possession which originally
00:30:40.05\00:30:44.97
belonged to Adam, or whether
they refused to accept Christ
00:30:45.00\00:30:49.07
and they will lose the
inheritance. They will lose
00:30:49.10\00:30:51.92
eternal life. Now allow me
to read you another statement.
00:30:51.95\00:30:55.29
This is very interesting because
Ellen White is going to describe
00:30:55.32\00:30:58.98
a specific historical event
that was written in that scroll.
00:30:59.01\00:31:03.66
The quotation is found in the
book, Christ's Object Lessons,
00:31:03.69\00:31:07.19
page 294. Listen
carefully to what she says.
00:31:07.22\00:31:10.93
She's speaking about the moment
when Pontius Pilot brought
00:31:10.96\00:31:15.65
Barabbas and Jesus and put them
side by side, and said to the
00:31:15.68\00:31:19.71
multitude, Choose whom
you want me to release.
00:31:19.74\00:31:23.04
Will it be Jesus the
Christ or will it be Barabbas?
00:31:23.07\00:31:27.57
And, of course, the multitude
said, Release unto us Barabbas.
00:31:27.60\00:31:32.89
Now notice what Ellen
White says about this particular
00:31:32.92\00:31:35.88
historical event. It
was written in that scroll.
00:31:35.91\00:31:38.54
She says this:
00:31:38.57\00:31:39.71
See it is all about choices that
people make in human history.
00:31:44.01\00:31:47.45
Now listen carefully.
00:31:49.67\00:31:50.70
Their choice, or their decision,
was written in that book.
00:32:03.12\00:32:07.45
Now notice what
she continues saying.
00:32:07.48\00:32:09.87
Are they going to face
their decision once again?
00:32:24.57\00:32:27.14
Yes, it was written in this book
and someday they are going to
00:32:27.17\00:32:31.64
see their decision. Now,
we must examine more carefully
00:32:31.67\00:32:36.14
what she's saying here.
00:32:36.17\00:32:37.26
Let me ask you, when Ellen White
wrote this, (it was in 1900 that
00:32:37.29\00:32:41.56
she wrote the book Christ's
Object Lessons), had this scroll
00:32:41.59\00:32:44.74
been opened yet in 1900?
00:32:44.77\00:32:46.63
No, because she's saying
that this decision will appear
00:32:46.66\00:32:51.28
before them when
the scroll is opened.
00:32:51.31\00:32:53.54
It had not been opened
in 1900 when she wrote this.
00:32:53.57\00:32:56.65
The opening of the
scroll was still in the future.
00:32:56.68\00:32:59.71
Another important detail
is that she says that those
00:32:59.74\00:33:03.96
who made this decision,
they will see their decision
00:33:03.99\00:33:07.49
once again. Now let me ask
you, where are all those people
00:33:07.52\00:33:10.13
that made that decision?
00:33:10.16\00:33:11.21
Where are they
today? They're all dead.
00:33:11.24\00:33:13.99
Could they see the decision
that they made if they're dead?
00:33:14.02\00:33:17.14
No. What would have to happen
in order for them to see their
00:33:17.17\00:33:20.23
decision? They
would have to what?
00:33:20.26\00:33:22.63
They would have to resurrect
from the dead to see the result
00:33:22.66\00:33:26.08
of their decision,
if its in the future.
00:33:26.11\00:33:27.96
Now my question is, when is
it that those who made their
00:33:27.99\00:33:31.89
decision are going to
face their decision again?
00:33:31.92\00:33:34.80
It is going to be
after the thousand years
00:33:34.83\00:33:38.56
of Revelation chapter 20. Now
we might not have time to read
00:33:38.59\00:33:42.51
a passage from Ellen White in
The Great Controversy that makes
00:33:42.54\00:33:45.18
this absolutely clear. But after
the millennium, when the people
00:33:45.21\00:33:48.52
are outside the holy city, all
of the wicked, a great panorama
00:33:48.55\00:33:52.94
will be shown above the city.
00:33:52.97\00:33:55.02
The whole history of the
human race will be shown again.
00:33:55.05\00:33:58.44
And everyone who is outside
the holy city will see where,
00:33:58.47\00:34:03.22
by their choice, they
went astray, and why they lost
00:34:03.25\00:34:06.71
the title deed to the
inheritance that was repurchased
00:34:06.74\00:34:10.75
by Christ, and why
God's people were saved,
00:34:10.78\00:34:13.60
and why, by their
choices, they were lost.
00:34:13.63\00:34:16.42
Are you understanding this?
00:34:16.45\00:34:19.74
Extremely important!
And so John is weeping.
00:34:19.77\00:34:24.16
He's crying out because he
says, Hey, if nobody opens this
00:34:24.19\00:34:27.04
will or testament,
nobody's going to inherit.
00:34:27.07\00:34:29.93
We're all lost! We're never
going to get the title deed
00:34:29.96\00:34:32.83
back. We're never
going to get the throne back.
00:34:32.86\00:34:35.64
We're never going to get back
the inheritance that we lost.
00:34:35.67\00:34:38.64
Ah, but now comes the good news.
00:34:38.67\00:34:41.16
Verse 5 of
Revelation, chapter 5.
00:34:41.19\00:34:44.73
Now listen to the
tenses of the verbs.
00:34:57.75\00:34:59.84
What tense is that verb?
Future, present, or past?
00:35:01.73\00:35:06.14
Past! It says the Root
of David has prevailed.
00:35:06.17\00:35:12.08
And because He prevailed,
what does that give Him
00:35:12.11\00:35:14.90
a right to do? It says:
00:35:14.93\00:35:17.22
Which would be future, right?
00:35:18.64\00:35:20.08
What gives Jesus Christ
the right to break the seals,
00:35:24.28\00:35:27.59
and to reveal the
contents of the book?
00:35:27.62\00:35:29.61
The fact that He what? The fact
that He prevailed, or the fact
00:35:29.64\00:35:33.91
that He overcame. And then
I want you to notice verse 6.
00:35:33.94\00:35:38.23
Suddenly Jesus is there. And
the question is, where did He
00:35:38.26\00:35:43.66
come from? He
wasn't there in chapter 4.
00:35:43.69\00:35:46.65
Suddenly in
chapter 5 He's there!
00:35:46.68\00:35:48.68
You know this scroll
is sealed with 7 seals.
00:35:48.71\00:35:52.52
It's a title deed. It's a will.
00:35:52.55\00:35:54.21
Who's going to open this will?
00:35:54.24\00:35:55.92
Who's going to reveal who will
inherit that which was lost?
00:35:55.95\00:35:59.06
Ah, in verse 6 John says:
00:35:59.09\00:36:02.50
Who is this being? Jesus Christ.
00:36:17.63\00:36:20.82
At this point has Jesus died?
00:36:20.85\00:36:23.11
Yes, because it speaks of Him
as a Lamb as though it had been
00:36:23.14\00:36:27.61
what? slain. But let me ask
you, is He alive when He appears
00:36:27.64\00:36:31.67
here? Yes, He is.
So what has happened?
00:36:31.70\00:36:34.81
He has died and now He has come
into the heavenly throne room.
00:36:34.84\00:36:39.54
And He has the wounds fresh
on His body that He received
00:36:39.57\00:36:44.33
while He was on the
battle ground. And so it says:
00:36:44.36\00:36:47.67
Now here comes a
very important detail.
00:36:53.28\00:36:55.64
Now that's interesting because
in chapter 4 it says that the
00:37:03.80\00:37:07.00
seven spirits were there. But
now in chapter 5 we're told that
00:37:07.03\00:37:11.31
when Jesus arrives what
happens with the seven spirits?
00:37:11.34\00:37:14.45
They're sent to the earth.
00:37:14.48\00:37:16.31
Question, what historical event
is being described by the seven
00:37:16.34\00:37:21.54
spirits, or the fullness of
the spirits sent to the earth?
00:37:21.57\00:37:24.46
What is being
described is what happened
00:37:24.49\00:37:27.64
on the Day of Pentecost when
the Holy Spirit was poured out
00:37:27.67\00:37:31.76
on earth in its fullness,
which was the signal that Jesus
00:37:31.79\00:37:35.86
had arrived in heaven, and
that Jesus had taken the scroll
00:37:35.89\00:37:39.22
from the Father's hand. And
He was going to guide in history
00:37:39.25\00:37:44.30
so that this scroll
eventually could be opened.
00:37:44.33\00:37:47.10
And then notice verse
7. See Jesus wasn't there.
00:37:47.13\00:37:51.85
It says in
verse 7, then He what?
00:37:51.88\00:37:54.40
He came. So if He
comes, He wasn't there before.
00:37:54.43\00:37:59.60
Where is He coming from?
00:37:59.63\00:38:00.88
He's coming from Earth
because He's just been wounded
00:38:00.91\00:38:05.09
as the Lamb. But He's
coming up there alive.
00:38:05.12\00:38:08.15
He's standing in
the midst of the throne.
00:38:08.18\00:38:10.18
He's just died.
He's resurrected.
00:38:10.21\00:38:12.20
Now He's arrived in the heavenly
throne room. And so it says:
00:38:12.23\00:38:16.35
Jesus is saying, I
can take the scroll.
00:38:22.04\00:38:25.18
I can break the seals. I can
reveal who will inherit eternal
00:38:25.21\00:38:30.34
life, and who will
not inherit eternal life.
00:38:30.37\00:38:33.07
And then when Jesus takes
the scroll, in verses 8 thru 10,
00:38:33.10\00:38:38.32
the twenty-four elders, and the
living creatures break out in
00:38:38.35\00:38:43.91
a hymn of praise.
Notice Revelation, chapter 5,
00:38:43.94\00:38:47.18
and verses 8 thru
10. And incidentally,
00:38:47.21\00:38:49.91
there's a translation problem
here that we're going to deal
00:38:49.94\00:38:53.44
with in the next few
lectures in our series.
00:38:53.47\00:38:56.35
Ah, you know, it gives the
impression, as we read this
00:38:56.38\00:38:59.22
passage, that the twenty-four
elders were redeemed from the
00:38:59.25\00:39:04.19
earth, and that the twenty-four
elders are going to reign
00:39:04.22\00:39:07.03
upon the earth. Just for now,
I want you to understand that
00:39:07.06\00:39:10.70
there's a translation problem,
which we will deal with later.
00:39:10.73\00:39:13.67
But I want you to notice
the central theme of this song.
00:39:13.70\00:39:17.33
It says in verse 8, Now
when He had taken the scroll,
00:39:17.36\00:39:21.45
the four living creatures,
and the twenty-four elders,
00:39:21.48\00:39:24.47
fell down before the Lamb.
00:39:24.50\00:39:26.47
See the Lamb has
taken the scroll.
00:39:26.50\00:39:27.74
Now He's going to break the
seals, and He's going to open
00:39:27.77\00:39:30.01
the scroll to reveal who
is going to receive the lost
00:39:30.04\00:39:34.45
inheritance, the
title deed. And so it says:
00:39:34.48\00:39:37.43
Notice that this song is
in honor of the Redeemer now.
00:39:49.88\00:39:52.73
In chapter 4 it was in
honor of the One on the throne,
00:39:52.76\00:39:55.93
because He was the Creator.
00:39:55.96\00:39:57.16
Now the Redeemer comes into
view because the Redeemer has
00:39:57.19\00:39:59.99
come from Earth and presented
Himself in the heavenly throne
00:40:00.02\00:40:02.81
room. And so it says, and
they sang a new song saying
00:40:02.84\00:40:05.97
Why could Jesus do this?
Notice, for, that means because.
00:40:11.65\00:40:16.11
That word, redeemed, means
to buy back by paying a price.
00:40:21.22\00:40:24.66
He bought back the lost
inheritance. In other words:
00:40:24.69\00:40:27.53
Notice that this hymn is
now in honor of the Redeemer,
00:40:39.45\00:40:43.17
who has now taken the scroll.
00:40:43.20\00:40:45.61
He's going to open the
scroll and reveal who will be
00:40:45.64\00:40:49.89
in the kingdom with Him.
00:40:49.92\00:40:51.79
And then I want you to
notice that after the elders,
00:40:51.82\00:40:56.49
and after the four
living creatures sing this song
00:40:56.52\00:40:59.89
in honor of the Redeemer,
suddenly all of the angelic
00:40:59.92\00:41:04.13
hosts are there. The question
is where were they in chapter 4?
00:41:04.16\00:41:08.14
Suddenly, when Jesus arrives,
the angelic hosts arrives, too.
00:41:08.17\00:41:12.29
Where did they come
from? We're going to notice.
00:41:12.32\00:41:16.01
Verses 11 and 12 of
Revelation, chapter 5:
00:41:16.04\00:41:19.17
Now the angelic hosts
have made themselves present.
00:41:33.28\00:41:36.30
They were not
there in chapter 4.
00:41:36.33\00:41:37.97
Jesus wasn't there in chapter 4.
00:41:38.00\00:41:39.78
But now the Redeemer
arrives from the battlefield.
00:41:39.81\00:41:42.47
He has the wounds to prove it.
00:41:42.50\00:41:44.06
And now the angelic hosts also
have arrived, because they went
00:41:44.09\00:41:47.55
to earth to pick up
Jesus and bring Him back.
00:41:47.58\00:41:50.59
And so it says, Then I looked
and I heard the voice of many
00:41:50.62\00:41:53.75
angels around the
throne, the living creatures,
00:41:53.78\00:41:55.77
and the elders, and the number
of them was ten thousand times
00:41:55.80\00:41:58.91
ten thousand and
thousands of thousands...
00:41:58.94\00:42:01.70
Now notice once again the
central theme of the hymn.
00:42:03.15\00:42:06.13
And so the elders are singing.
00:42:17.82\00:42:19.86
And we find the four
living creatures are singing.
00:42:19.89\00:42:22.34
The angelic hosts are singing.
00:42:22.37\00:42:24.30
And now in verse 13 the
entire universe is singing.
00:42:24.33\00:42:28.37
Notice what verse 13 says.
00:42:28.40\00:42:30.07
Are you catching the picture?
00:42:47.69\00:42:48.74
Now I want to read you a rather
lengthy passage from the book,
00:42:48.77\00:42:54.79
The Desire of Ages.
See the little old lady
00:42:54.82\00:42:59.04
knew all of this. We've
studied it from the Bible.
00:42:59.07\00:43:02.61
Now I want to read the
inspired commentary in the book,
00:43:02.64\00:43:07.66
The Desire of Ages. And
immediately you're going to
00:43:07.69\00:43:09.86
see the connection. This
is in the chapter titled,
00:43:09.89\00:43:13.20
To My Father and To Your Father.
00:43:13.23\00:43:15.39
It's the last chapter of
The Desire of Ages that deals
00:43:15.42\00:43:19.76
with the ascension of Christ.
00:43:19.79\00:43:22.00
Now listen to what she
says. This is page 833 to 835.
00:43:22.03\00:43:26.19
She says, All heaven was
waiting to welcome the Savior
00:43:26.22\00:43:32.47
to the celestial courts. See,
that's Revelation 4, isn't it?
00:43:32.50\00:43:37.64
She says, As He
ascended He led the way.
00:43:37.67\00:43:41.28
And the multitude of captives
set free at His resurrection
00:43:41.31\00:43:47.35
followed. Now you
know, there's this idea
00:43:47.38\00:43:51.06
in the Seventh-day Adventist
Church that the twenty-four
00:43:51.09\00:43:53.95
elders are those that
resurrected with Christ;
00:43:53.98\00:43:56.30
that Jesus took to heaven with
Him when He ascended to heaven.
00:43:56.33\00:43:59.07
That is not possible because the
twenty-four elders were there
00:43:59.10\00:44:04.41
in chapter 4 before
Jesus arrives in chapter 5,
00:44:04.44\00:44:08.17
with those who resurrected.
00:44:08.20\00:44:09.63
Are you
understanding what I'm saying?
00:44:09.66\00:44:11.26
And we'll develop this in our
coming lectures all the more.
00:44:11.29\00:44:16.15
And so it says:
00:44:16.18\00:44:17.35
That's the angels, the ten
thousand times ten thousand
00:44:28.85\00:44:31.31
and thousands of
thousands. She says:
00:44:31.34\00:44:33.38
So all of the angelic
host are coming back with Him.
00:44:41.33\00:44:43.46
Why would He be called
the Lord mighty in battle?
00:45:15.83\00:45:18.45
Because He is coming
back from the battlefield.
00:45:18.48\00:45:21.07
He is the war hero
that is coming back alive.
00:45:21.10\00:45:25.50
And then they continue singing.
00:45:25.53\00:45:27.80
This is quoting Psalm 24.
00:45:38.67\00:45:40.38
And now I want you to notice
the description that Ellen White
00:45:49.54\00:45:52.85
gives. You know Ellen White
does not talk about twenty-four
00:45:52.88\00:45:55.63
elders, four living creatures,
doesn't speak about One
00:45:55.66\00:45:59.18
sitting on the throne.
She doesn't describe a Lamb
00:45:59.21\00:46:01.69
as though He had been slain.
00:46:01.72\00:46:02.85
What Ellen White does is
she interprets these symbols
00:46:02.88\00:46:07.65
in matter of fact language.
00:46:07.68\00:46:09.94
Now let's see if we can identify
the beings that were present
00:46:09.97\00:46:13.64
there. Who the four
living creatures were.
00:46:13.67\00:46:15.51
Who the twenty-four elders are.
00:46:15.54\00:46:17.19
Who is the One
seated on the throne?
00:46:17.22\00:46:18.78
And who is the Lamb as
though He had been slain?
00:46:18.81\00:46:20.84
She says, Then the portals of
the city of God are opened wide.
00:46:20.87\00:46:24.52
And the angelic throng, (see the
angels are coming with Jesus).
00:46:24.55\00:46:28.27
The angelic throng
sweep through the gates...
00:46:28.30\00:46:31.80
And now she says:
00:46:35.06\00:46:36.10
Does that ring a
bell? Then she says:
00:46:41.35\00:46:44.68
Who would those be?
The four living creatures.
00:46:48.26\00:46:51.47
Then she uses three phrases
to describe another group that's
00:46:51.50\00:46:55.81
present there. She says:
00:46:55.84\00:46:57.62
And we're going to talk about
this in the next three lectures.
00:46:59.50\00:47:02.96
Those are three terms that
are describing the same group.
00:47:11.66\00:47:15.78
The commanders of the
angel hosts, the sons of God,
00:47:15.81\00:47:18.38
the representatives of the
unfallen worlds are assembled.
00:47:18.41\00:47:21.54
What group would that be?
Well, we've already identified
00:47:21.57\00:47:25.91
the four living creatures.
What group would that be?
00:47:25.94\00:47:28.34
It would have to be
the twenty- four elders.
00:47:28.37\00:47:30.65
Then she
continues saying, notice:
00:47:30.68\00:47:33.27
But now something is going
to happen. There's going to be
00:47:54.27\00:47:55.98
absolute silence in heaven.
00:47:56.01\00:47:57.59
Now listen carefully. He enters
into the presence of His father.
00:48:06.72\00:48:10.89
Also we know who
was on the throne now.
00:48:10.92\00:48:12.86
Who was on the
throne? Ah, the Father!
00:48:12.89\00:48:15.59
Was Jesus there before? No!
00:48:15.62\00:48:17.69
In Revelation chapter 5
it says He came. Now it says:
00:48:17.72\00:48:22.12
And now I want you to
notice how He presents Himself.
00:48:24.38\00:48:28.64
What is Jesus
presenting Himself as?
00:48:39.27\00:48:42.01
As the Lamb as
though He had been slain!
00:48:42.04\00:48:45.85
But Ellen White doesn't
use the symbolic language.
00:48:45.88\00:48:49.60
Ellen White interprets
the symbolic language.
00:48:49.63\00:48:52.79
She says the One on
the throne is the Father.
00:48:52.82\00:48:55.79
The four living creatures
are seraphim and cherubim.
00:48:55.82\00:48:59.34
She says the twenty-four
elders are the sons of God;
00:48:59.37\00:49:02.36
the representatives of
the worlds that never sinned.
00:49:02.39\00:49:05.15
She continues saying:
00:49:05.18\00:49:06.72
That is that His life
would be in place of His people,
00:49:46.58\00:49:51.24
and His death would be in
place of His people; the surety.
00:49:51.27\00:49:54.98
That's what it means.
So she continues saying:
00:49:55.01\00:49:57.62
When He said, It is finished,
He was talking to His Father.
00:50:12.33\00:50:14.58
Now notice the burden of Jesus.
00:50:17.87\00:50:20.67
The reason why He wants to
open the scroll is to reveal
00:50:20.70\00:50:22.97
who He can take home with Him.
00:50:23.00\00:50:24.79
Notice what it continues saying.
00:50:24.82\00:50:27.25
What is it that the
will or testament reveals?
00:50:44.47\00:50:47.66
Who is going to
inherit with Jesus?
00:50:47.69\00:50:50.46
Ah, now listen to this.
00:50:50.49\00:50:52.76
And then Ellen White
quotes Revelation 5, verse 12,
00:51:29.18\00:51:34.58
and Revelation 5,
verse 13. I'll read it.
00:51:34.61\00:51:37.51
In case you were wondering
whether she's describing
00:52:03.82\00:52:05.80
Revelation 4 and
5. Then she says:
00:52:05.83\00:52:08.58
So what we have in Revelation,
chapter 4 and 5 is the return
00:52:34.94\00:52:40.39
of the war hero. Now we
have a couple of minutes left.
00:52:40.42\00:52:46.20
If you want to read
the whole description
00:52:46.23\00:52:50.34
in The Great Controversy,
page 666 through 669,
00:52:50.37\00:52:55.00
you'll find the description that
Ellen White gives of the moment
00:52:55.03\00:52:59.86
when this scroll is
opened after the millennium.
00:52:59.89\00:53:02.48
You know, she actually
mentions a great panorama
00:53:02.51\00:53:08.97
that will be shown
above the holy city.
00:53:09.00\00:53:11.02
And she describes how the
entire history of the world
00:53:11.05\00:53:16.26
will be seen in panoramic view
by those who are in the city,
00:53:16.29\00:53:19.41
and by those who are
outside the holy city.
00:53:19.44\00:53:23.22
In fact she mentions
several individuals by name.
00:53:23.25\00:53:28.12
Who does she mention?
00:53:29.67\00:53:30.94
She says that the
panorama begins with Adam in his
00:53:30.97\00:53:34.36
innocence in the Garden, and
ends at the very end of history.
00:53:34.39\00:53:37.37
But she mentions that outside
the holy city will be Annas
00:53:37.40\00:53:41.74
the high priest. Was he
one of those that cried out,
00:53:41.77\00:53:45.60
Release unto us Barabbas?
She says Pilot is there.
00:53:45.63\00:53:52.91
She says Herod is there.
00:53:52.94\00:53:56.02
She mentions also
Herodias as being there;
00:53:56.05\00:54:00.76
the woman who led to the
death of John the Baptist.
00:54:00.79\00:54:05.35
She says that
priests and rulers are there.
00:54:05.38\00:54:09.13
And then she goes on to mention
the period of the Apostles.
00:54:09.16\00:54:13.68
She speaks about all of
the martyrs that were killed
00:54:13.71\00:54:17.05
by Nero. She
mentions Nero by name.
00:54:17.08\00:54:20.45
She mentions Nero's
mother being present there,
00:54:20.48\00:54:24.97
seeing this great panoramic
view; the decisions that they
00:54:25.00\00:54:28.52
made within the
course of human history.
00:54:28.55\00:54:30.94
Then she moves on to describe
the history of the church
00:54:30.97\00:54:35.15
in the middle ages. She
says papist priests and prelates
00:54:35.18\00:54:40.09
are there. She says the
proud pontiffs are there.
00:54:40.12\00:54:44.26
The pretended fathers
of the church are there.
00:54:44.29\00:54:47.76
And she ends by saying:
00:54:47.79\00:54:49.63
Do you understand the moment
when this scroll is going to be
00:55:08.47\00:55:12.35
unfurled? It's when the entire
history of the human race,
00:55:12.38\00:55:17.36
and the decisions that
each person has made within the
00:55:17.39\00:55:21.32
course of history is revealed.
00:55:21.35\00:55:23.29
The decisions that we make will
determine whether we inherit the
00:55:23.32\00:55:30.43
lost possession, whether
we inherit the title deed
00:55:30.46\00:55:34.03
to recuperate what was
lost, which was bought back
00:55:34.06\00:55:37.47
by Jesus Christ, or whether
we will be outside the holy city
00:55:37.50\00:55:42.44
on that great day. And it
will be revealed from the scroll
00:55:42.47\00:55:46.46
as its unfurled before the
human race, that we had all
00:55:46.49\00:55:50.23
sorts of possibilities
of accepting Jesus Christ
00:55:50.26\00:55:53.60
as our Savior, and as our Lord.
00:55:53.63\00:55:55.55
God will show the opportunities
that we had to receive Jesus.
00:55:55.58\00:55:59.63
And it will be seen that at
each time that Jesus gave us
00:55:59.66\00:56:03.26
the opportunity the individuals
who were lost said, No, not now.
00:56:03.29\00:56:08.87
Later. I'm not
going to do it now.
00:56:08.90\00:56:12.23
I'm going to live my own life.
00:56:12.26\00:56:14.70
And everyone outside the holy
city, after they had seen this
00:56:14.73\00:56:19.40
magnificent repetition of human
history, of the decisions that
00:56:19.43\00:56:24.32
they had made within human
history, Ellen White describes
00:56:24.35\00:56:27.82
the climax. Satan and his angels
and all of the wicked outside
00:56:27.85\00:56:34.19
the holy city will kneel. Every
knee will bow, and every tongue
00:56:34.22\00:56:39.32
will confess that
Jesus Christ is Lord.
00:56:39.35\00:56:43.00
And we find Ellen White saying
that from the very lips of Satan
00:56:43.03\00:56:49.54
himself it will be said,
Righteous and true are Your ways
00:56:49.57\00:56:55.82
Oh God. For the first time in
human history the whole universe
00:56:55.85\00:57:00.95
will be in absolute harmony.
00:57:00.98\00:57:03.05
Everyone in the heavenly realms
will agree that God was right
00:57:03.08\00:57:07.94
in the way that
He dealt with sin.
00:57:07.97\00:57:10.36
All of the redeemed within the
holy city will agree that God
00:57:10.39\00:57:13.96
has been right in the way
in which He has solved the sin
00:57:13.99\00:57:16.60
problem. Even Satan and
his angels, and the wicked,
00:57:16.63\00:57:20.17
will agree that God
is righteous, and loving,
00:57:20.20\00:57:25.23
and merciful, and true. Let's
just make sure that in that
00:57:25.26\00:57:30.84
great day we are there.
00:57:30.87\00:57:32.77