Participants: Pr. Stephen Bohr
Series Code: 24ELD
Program Code: 24ELD000005
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00:33 Shall we bow our heads for prayer?
00:35 Once again, Father, we come before Your throne boldly 00:39 this evening in the name of Jesus, requesting that You 00:43 will be present in our midst through the ministry 00:46 of the Holy Spirit; that You will help us to understand what 00:49 we are going to study. 00:50 And as we study today and tomorrow, 00:53 we ask that You will help us understand 00:56 not only academically who the twenty-four elders are, 01:00 but how they are occupied in fulfilling Your will 01:05 in the universe, and the lessons that we can learn from the way 01:09 in which they work. 01:10 And so be with us. 01:11 And we thank You, Lord, for hearing our prayer, 01:14 for we ask it in Jesus' name. Amen. 01:17 Now in our last study together we analyzed the characteristics 01:24 of the twenty-four elders. 01:25 And we noticed that according to scripture, 01:28 and the Spirit of Prophecy, the twenty-four elders are strong 01:33 angels. They are the highest of angels that have been placed 01:38 to represent the worlds that never sinned. 01:41 Now we noticed the characteristics that identify 01:46 the twenty-four elders. 01:47 But today we are going to look at the same subject, 01:51 but from a different perspective. 01:53 What we're going to do is follow a process of elimination. 01:57 We're going to show who the twenty-four elders are not, 02:03 because sometimes by knowing who they are not, 02:06 we can know who they are. 02:08 So we're looking at it from two different perspectives: 02:11 Who they are, and who they are not. 02:14 Now we want to begin by noticing that the twenty-four elders 02:18 are not cherubim or seraphim. 02:21 Go with me in your Bibles to Revelation, chapter 4, 02:26 and verse 4, where the twenty- four elders are described. 02:31 It says there: 02:45 So notice, the twenty-four elders are sitting on thrones, 02:48 and they have crowns on their heads, 02:50 and they're around the throne. 02:52 Now lets go to Revelation, chapter 4, and verse 6. 02:56 Here's another group. 02:57 This is a distinct group. 02:59 It says in verse 6: 03:12 And then let's go to verse 8 where these living creatures 03:16 are identified. It says in verse 8: 03:35 Now we already noticed in Isaiah, chapter 6, verses 1 03:40 to 3, creatures that have 6 wings are seraphim. 03:44 And in Isaiah 6, the seraphim are singing, holy, holy, holy, 03:50 just like the four living creatures are here 03:53 in Revelation, chapter 4. 03:54 So very clearly Revelation 4 shows us that the twenty-four 03:59 elders, who are sitting on thrones, and have crowns on 04:02 their heads, are distinct and different than the four living 04:07 creatures that are in the midst of the throne. 04:10 They are two different groups. 04:12 So the twenty-four elders are not cherubim or seraphim. 04:15 Now here's another question. 04:18 Are the twenty-four elders part of the angelic hosts? 04:21 The ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of 04:26 thousands of angels that stand around the throne of God. 04:30 Can we say that the elders are the same as the angelic hosts? 04:35 Once again, No. These twenty- four elders are not part of the 04:41 throng of angels that surround God's throne. 04:44 Go with me to Revelation, chapter 5, and verses 11 and 12. 04:48 Revelation 5, verses 11 and 12, where the twenty-four elders 04:53 are distinguished from the angelic hosts. 04:55 It says there, in Revelation 5:11: 05:24 Question, are the twenty-four elders part 05:27 of the angelic hosts? 05:28 Absolutely not, because we're told here, I looked and heard 05:33 the voice of many angels around the throne, 05:37 the living creatures, and the elders. 05:41 The throng is distinguished from the elders, 05:45 so the elders are not part of the ten thousand, 05:48 times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands 05:52 of angels. Now somebody might be saying, Well, Pastor Bohr, 05:55 maybe the twenty-four elders are part of the hosts that cannot 06:00 be numbered from every nation, kindred, tongue, and people. 06:03 Perhaps the twenty-four elders belong to that group 06:06 from every nation on earth. 06:07 Once again, the answer is no. 06:10 Notice, Revelation, chapter 7; Revelation, chapter 7, 06:14 and verses 13 and 14. 06:17 Revelation 7, verses 13 and 14. 06:20 We covered this conversation in a previous study together. 06:25 John sees, in verse 9, this great multitude, 06:30 which no one can number, from every nation, kindred, tongue, 06:34 and people. And so then one of the elders speaks to John. 06:37 And I want you to notice what he says in verse 13. 06:53 Question: are the twenty-four elders part of the unnumbered 06:58 hosts from every nation, kindred, tongue, and people? 07:01 Absolutely not, because the elder is asking the question 07:06 of John, who that group is. 07:08 In other words, the elder does not belong to the unnumbered 07:13 hosts from every nation, tribe, tongue, and people. 07:18 Now you're probably wondering then why Revelation 5, 07:21 verses 9 and 10, tells us that the twenty-four elders 07:26 were redeemed from every nation, kindred, tongue, and people. 07:30 We're going to cover that issue a little bit later on. 07:32 Are you understanding so far? 07:34 Are the elders part of the angelic hosts? No. 07:39 Are they part of the cherubim and seraphim? No. 07:43 Are they part of the unnumbered throng from every nation, 07:47 kindred, tongue, and people? 07:48 No, because the elder is asking about that group. 07:52 Now somebody might say, Well, Pastor Bohr, 07:55 maybe the twenty-four elders is a different way of describing 07:59 the 144,000. Now the 144,000 are those who will be alive 08:04 when Jesus comes. Notice that that's not possible. 08:07 Revelation 14, and verse 3. 08:12 Speaking about the 144,000, it says: 08:32 Question: Are the 144,000 distinguished 08:37 from the twenty-four elders in this verse? 08:39 Absolutely, because we're told that they sang a new song 08:43 before the throne, before the four living creatures, 08:46 and before the elders. 08:48 So the 144,000 are not the twenty-four elders. 08:52 Now let's ask the question: Are the twenty-four elders those who 08:59 resurrect in the special resurrection immediately before 09:03 the second coming of Jesus Christ? 09:04 Now you know that there's going to be a special resurrection 09:07 according to Daniel, chapter 12, and verse 2. 09:10 Also Revelation 1, verse 7 tells us that those who pierced Jesus 09:14 will resurrect. And there will be a group of righteous people, 09:18 according to Revelation 14, verse 13. 09:20 Those who died once the message of the third angel began to be 09:24 proclaimed, that are going to resurrect shortly, 09:27 before the arrival of Jesus at His second coming. 09:30 So the question is, could the twenty-four elders perhaps 09:34 be those who are going to resurrect in that special 09:37 resurrection shortly, or immediately, before the 09:40 second coming of Christ? 09:41 It can't be. Notice Daniel, chapter 12, and verse 1, 09:46 and also verse 2. It says: 09:52 Of course, Michael is a name for Christ. 10:10 Now, is this talking about the end time of trouble? Yes it is. 10:14 Is it talking about the deliverance of God's people 10:18 from being annihilated from planet Earth? Absolutely! 10:22 It's something that is going to happen in the future, 10:24 shortly before the second coming of Christ. 10:26 And then notice what we find in verse 2. 10:40 Now, my question is, could these people who are going to 10:44 resurrect in this special resurrection, 10:46 perhaps be the twenty-four elders? 10:48 They can't be. And you say, Why can't they be? 10:52 Very simple. According to what we've studied, 10:56 when Jesus arrived in heaven the twenty-four elders were 11:00 already there. So they cannot be those who resurrect shortly 11:04 before the second coming of Jesus, if they were already 11:07 in heaven when Jesus ascended and went to the holy place. 11:11 Are you understanding my point? 11:12 So they cannot be those who resurrect in the special 11:16 resurrection that is spoken of in Daniel, chapter 12, 11:19 and verse 2. Somebody might say, Well, maybe it's another symbol 11:24 to refer to those who will come forth in the general 11:27 resurrection when Jesus is above the Earth 11:30 at His second coming. 11:31 Perhaps they are those who are alive and remain 11:34 when Jesus comes. Well, let's read about that 11:37 in 1 Thessalonians, chapter 4, and verses 15 to 17. 11:42 1 Thessalonians, chapter 4, verses 15 through 17. 11:45 The Apostle Paul says there: 12:19 So my question is, Can the twenty-four elders perhaps be 12:22 a way of defining, or a way of describing, those who will 12:27 resurrect when Jesus comes? or perhaps the living saints 12:30 when Jesus comes? Absolutely not. 12:33 And you say, Why not? 12:34 Once again, because when Jesus went to heaven at His ascension 12:39 the twenty-four elders were already present there. 12:42 According to this passage the righteous dead will resurrect 12:46 when Jesus comes, and the righteous living will be 12:49 transformed when Jesus comes. 12:51 They were not in heaven when Jesus arrived at His ascension. 12:54 Are you understanding my point? 12:55 Now, there's one further group that we need to mention 12:59 that perhaps could be the twenty-four elders, 13:01 and this is the one that is usually identified with the 13:04 twenty-four elders; Those who resurrected with Jesus 13:09 when Jesus ascended to heaven. 13:11 We've already talked about this group. 13:13 They're described in the last three pages of the book, 13:15 The Desire of Ages. They're also described in Matthew 27, 13:19 and verses 51 to 53. 13:21 Now my question is, Can the twenty-four elders be this group 13:26 that resurrected with Christ, and went to heaven when Jesus 13:30 ascended? No! You say, Why not? 13:34 Because, once again, the twenty-four elders were present 13:38 there before Jesus arrived with those who resurrected with Him. 13:44 And so, basically, we've disqualified practically every 13:49 being in the universe that is mentioned in the Bible. 13:52 Are the twenty-four elders part of the angelic hosts? No. 13:57 Are they cherubim and seraphim? No. 14:00 Are they the living saints when Jesus comes? No. 14:03 Are they the saints that are resurrected when Jesus comes? 14:06 No. Are they the ones that resurrected in the special 14:09 resurrection? No. Are they the ones that went to heaven with 14:13 Jesus at His ascension? No. 14:15 I don't know of any other category of human beings, 14:19 or of angels, unless the twenty- four elders are a category 14:24 of being that is different than any human group, 14:29 or than any angelic group. 14:32 And we've already identified the twenty-four elders as those 14:36 who what? those who represent the worlds that never sinned. 14:43 So you see there are two ways of looking at this. 14:46 One way is to give the characteristics of the 14:48 twenty-four elders and say, they're the sons of God, 14:51 the representatives of the worlds that never sinned. 14:54 That we do by looking at the positive characteristics. 14:57 But then as we've started our study today, 15:00 we're studied it from the other perspective, by a process of 15:03 elimination, we've eliminated all of the groups of human 15:07 beings that are going to be alive and resurrect, 15:10 and we've also disqualified cherubim, and seraphim, 15:13 and the angelic throng. 15:14 So the twenty-four elders must be a special group. 15:17 And that's exactly what we've studied here in the last couple 15:21 of studies together. 15:23 Now, somebody might say, but Pastor Bohr, how do you explain 15:28 the passage of Revelation, chapter 5, and verses 8 through 15:32 10? Let's go there for a moment, because this passage, 15:36 more than any other, has led Adventists to conclude that the 15:40 twenty-four elders are human. 15:43 We've already noticed that Ellen White clearly says that they are 15:46 not human. Ellen White says that they are the highest of 15:49 angels. They are strong angels that represent the worlds. 15:53 Ellen White settles that issue. 15:54 And we also studied it from the perspective of scripture. 15:57 But somebody might say, Well, how do you explain Revelation 5, 16:02 and verses 8 through 10 then? 16:04 Well, let's take a look at that passage and see what the problem 16:08 is. It says there in Revelation 5, and verses 8 through 10, 16:15 This is the one who is sitting on the throne. 16:33 Now I want you to notice that there are two groups here 16:36 that are mentioned: the four living creatures, and whom? 16:40 and the twenty-four elders, right? 16:42 Both groups are going to sing this song. 16:45 That's an important detail. 16:47 Notice what we find following. 16:50 It says, once again, and when He had taken the book, 16:53 the four beasts, and the four and twenty elders fell down 16:57 before the Lamb having every one of them harps and golden 17:00 vials full of odors, which are the prayers of the saints, 17:03 and they sang a new song saying... 17:06 Who's singing the song? 17:07 The elders and the four living creatures, according to the 17:12 context. Now listen to the song. 17:23 I'm reading from the King James. 17:43 Now do you see where the problem is? 17:44 It tells us here that the four living creatures, 17:48 and the twenty-four elders are singing the song. 17:51 And in this song they are singing, You redeemed us. 17:55 They are singing, You have made us kings and priests, 17:59 and we are going to reign upon the earth. 18:02 So you say there is a discrepancy here. 18:04 Ellen White on one side says that these are strong angels. 18:08 They're the highest angels. 18:09 And yet we find here in Revelation 5, verses 8 thru 10, 18:13 that it gives the impression that the twenty-four elders 18:16 were redeemed from the earth. 18:18 Now allow me to say one thing before we take a closer look 18:22 at this. Who are the four living creatures? 18:26 We've already studied who they are, right? 18:28 The four living creatures are what? seraphim. 18:32 Now here's my question. 18:33 Were the seraphim redeemed from the earth? 18:38 Are the seraphim going to be kings upon the earth? 18:42 Are they going to reign upon the earth? No! 18:45 And yet they're singing this song, are they not? 18:48 So we immediately find the problem with the idea 18:52 that the twenty-four elders are human, 18:56 because not only are the twenty-four elders singing 18:58 this song, but the four living creatures, representing seraphim 19:02 are singing this song. 19:03 And the seraphim were not redeemed from the earth, 19:07 and they are not going to reign upon the earth. 19:09 Are you understanding what I'm saying? 19:10 So immediately we say, there must be a different explanation 19:14 to this problem. Now what is the explanation? 19:17 Well, let me just share with you something about Bible versions. 19:22 And I don't want to be misunderstood by what 19:25 I'm going to say. But I'm going to say it anyway, 19:28 because I firmly believe it in the depths of my heart. 19:31 And right now I'm writing a couple of articles for a 19:35 Secrets Unsealed newsletter that deals with Bible translations, 19:38 and Bible versions, because there's a lot of confusion 19:42 out there about Bible versions and translations. 19:45 Allow me to tell you that I personally believe that the 19:48 King James version is a very good translation. 19:52 I believe that the manuscripts that were used to translate the 19:58 King James version are very good manuscripts. 20:01 Actually, the manuscript trail that the King James translation 20:06 comes from is called the Textus Receptus. 20:09 And I believe that that manuscript trail is very, 20:12 very good. I also believe that the King James version is a 20:17 masterful use of Victorian English. 20:19 I mean, many people have memorized the texts from the 20:23 King James version, and they can repeat them from memory. 20:26 The King James version is a great version of the Bible, 20:30 and yet it is not a perfect version of the Bible. 20:35 The Textus Receptus is, first of all, not a perfect manuscript 20:40 trail, and the King James translation is not a perfect 20:44 translation. Unfortunately, some people revere 20:48 the King James version so much that they almost feel like it 20:52 was verbally dictated by God. 20:55 And anybody who amends, or makes any changes, to the King James 20:59 translation is accused some times of being a Jesuit plant 21:04 in the church. Now I want to make it clear that I believe 21:08 that the King James version is a very good version. 21:11 Its a good translation. 21:12 It comes from a good manuscript trail, but the Textus Receptus, 21:17 in the process of transmission, is not perfect. 21:21 Neither is the King James version that was translated 21:25 from the manuscripts of the Textus Receptus perfect either. 21:30 Now, let me give you an example that sometimes modern versions 21:36 are better at translation than the King James version. 21:41 Let's go, as our example, to Acts, chapter 2, 21:44 and verses 25 to 27. Acts 2:25-27. 21:50 And I'm a very practical person. 21:52 Don't anybody take this to mean that I'm disrespecting the King 21:56 King James version; I don't like the King James version, 21:58 that I think that the King James version is full of errors, 22:01 and mistakes. No, what I'm saying is that sometimes 22:04 modern versions translate the manuscripts better 22:08 than the King James. 22:09 Notice what we find in Acts 2, verses 25 to 27, 22:13 in the King James version. 22:15 This is how it reads. 22:18 It's speaking about the resurrection of Christ, 22:20 and His death, and His period in the tomb. It says: 22:41 This is Jesus speaking a thousand years before He's born. 22:43 He's speaking prophetically about His experience of death, 22:47 burial, and resurrection. 22:48 Notice verse 27. Here Jesus is speaking, and He says: 23:02 Is that a problematic verse for Seventh-day Adventists? 23:05 Very problematic, because Jesus is saying, You're not going to 23:10 leave My soul in hell. 23:12 So the soul of Jesus went to hell, right? 23:14 That's what people read when they read the King James. 23:19 But now let me read you the New International Version, 23:22 and you tell me if it's a better translation. 23:24 And I'm not talking about manuscript trails here, 23:26 I'm talking about translations. 23:28 Notice Acts 2: 25-27 in the New International Version. 23:57 Is that a better translation? 23:58 Much better! So what is the soul? 24:01 The New International Version says the soul is Me. 24:04 You will not allow Me to what? 24:08 You will not allow Me, or abandon Me to remain where? 24:12 In the grave! In other words, it's not hell; 24:15 the word Hades means grave according to the 24:19 New International Version. 24:20 Is that a less problematic translation 24:23 than the King James translation? 24:25 Yes, in fact the NIV is much better when it comes to the 24:29 state of the dead generally than is the King James translation. 24:33 Now, having said that, I just want to say that the King James 24:37 translation, and the New King James translation, 24:40 simply are mistaken in the way that they translated 24:44 Revelation, chapter 5, verses 8 to 10. 24:47 It's that simple. Now you say, in what way did the King James 24:54 translators make a mistake there in their translation 24:57 of Revelation, chapter 5, and verses 8 thru 10? 25:00 Well, allow me to say this; every single Bible translation 25:06 that I consulted, and I'm going to read several of them now, 25:10 other than the King James and the New King James, translates 25:15 this passage correctly. 25:16 It is only the King James and the New King James that does 25:20 not translate this passage in the proper way. 25:24 All of the other versions have it right. 25:26 Now allow me to read to you from several of these versions. 25:30 Revelation 5, verses 9 and 10 specifically. 25:33 I'm going to read now from the New International Version. 25:36 I'm going to read from several of them so that you can see 25:39 that I'm telling you the truth. 25:41 New International Version, Revelation 5:9,10. 25:54 Now listen carefully. 26:10 Is that a different translation? 26:12 You'd better believe it! 26:13 It makes all of the difference in the world, because what it's 26:16 telling us is that the twenty-four elders, 26:19 and the four living creatures are singing about the redeemed, 26:23 they are not the redeemed. 26:26 Now allow me to read you several other Bible versions. 26:29 The New American Standard Version reads this way: 26:55 How about the Revised Standard Version? 26:58 It reads this way: 27:22 The New English Bible reads it this way: 27:25 And they were singing a new song; Thou art worthy to take 27:30 the scroll and to break its seals for Thou wast slain, 27:33 and by thy blood didst purchase for man, for God, men of every 27:38 tribe and language, and people and nations. 27:42 Thou hast made them a royal house to serve our God 27:46 as priests, and they shall reign upon the earth. 27:49 Here's the Weymouth Translation. 27:51 And you might be getting tired of me reading translations, 27:54 but I want to make a point here that the only versions 27:57 that translate this incorrectly are the King James 28:00 and the New King James. 28:01 All of the rest of the Bibles have it correct. 28:03 Notice what Weymouth says: 28:31 Here's the Phillips translation: 28:56 Even the Jerusalem Bible, a Roman Catholic Bible, 29:00 reads this way: 29:19 The New American Bible, also a Roman Catholic Bible, 29:22 reads this way: 29:43 Let me just read you one more. 29:45 The Jewish New Testament reads this way: 30:15 Are you catching the point? 30:18 How do we solve the problem of Revelation, chapter 5, 30:21 verses 9 and 10? We solve the problem by realizing that in the 30:27 King James, and the New King James, 30:28 there is a mistranslation. 30:31 Was Ellen White right then in identifying the twenty-four 30:35 elders not as human, but as angelic? 30:38 She most certainly was correct. 30:41 Now if you believe that the King James translation is the correct 30:45 translation, then you have a discrepancy between the Bible 30:48 and the Spirit of Prophecy. 30:49 But if you believe that the King James simply mistranslates 30:54 these verses, then there is perfect harmony between 30:57 scripture and the writings of Ellen White. 31:00 Now, why is it that the elders cannot be human? 31:04 Let me give you four reasons. 31:05 1. The elders were already present in heaven when Jesus 31:11 arrived with those who resurrected, so they cannot be 31:15 those individuals who resurrected with Christ, 31:17 because the twenty-four elders were there when the throne room 31:21 was prepared for Jesus to arrive with those who resurrected 31:25 with Him. 2. The twenty-four elders cannot be human because 31:30 the elders and the four living creatures are singing this song. 31:34 And the four living creatures are seraphim. 31:36 They weren't redeemed from the Earth. 31:38 They're not going to reign upon the Earth. 31:41 So if they're singing this song, this song cannot be about their 31:45 experience. They're singing about the experience 31:48 of the redeemed. In the third place, we notice very clearly in 31:54 Revelation chapter 7, that the elder is actually distinguished 31:59 from the great multitude that no one can number from every 32:02 nation, kindred, tongue, and people. 32:04 And so how can you say that the elders are those from every 32:07 nation, kindred, tongue, and people like it says there 32:10 in the passage that we just read in Revelation, chapter 5, 32:13 if clearly in chapter 7 the elder is distinguished from 32:18 those who come from every nation, kindred, tongue, 32:21 and people. Finally, Ellen White explicitly says that the 32:27 twenty-four elders are strong angels, or are the highest 32:31 of angels. They are the sons of God, the representatives of the 32:35 worlds that never sinned. 32:37 They are in a special category. 32:40 They are not part of the angelic hosts. 32:43 They are not part of the cherubim and seraphim. 32:46 They are not part of any human group. 32:48 They are in a category all by itself. 32:52 They are the representatives of the worlds that never sinned. 32:56 Now we need to transition into talking about the twenty-four 33:01 elders in the rest of the book of Revelation. 33:04 You see, we've only noticed the twenty-four elders in Revelation 33:07 chapter 4 and 5, but the twenty-four elders are mentioned 33:11 in several other chapters. 33:12 Let me just mention which chapters. 33:15 They are mentioned in Revelation chapter 7. 33:17 They are mentioned in Revelation chapter 11. 33:21 They are mentioned in Revelation chapter 14. 33:24 And they are mentioned once again in Revelation chapter 19, 33:28 and verses 1 and 2. 33:30 Now let's take a look at all of these different passages 33:35 where the twenty-four elders are mentioned, so that we can see 33:39 at what point in time they are found, depending on the chapter 33:43 where they are mentioned. 33:44 Now, in Revelation, chapter 4, just reviewing a little bit, 33:48 present there in the heavenly throne room are God the Father, 33:52 on His throne. Remember that? 33:53 God the Father is sitting on His throne. 33:55 The twenty-four elders are on thrones around the throne. 34:00 The four living creatures are in the midst of the throne. 34:03 And the seven spirits are before the throne. 34:07 Those are the beings that are present in Revelation chapter 4. 34:10 Now in Revelation, chapter 4 there are two entities missing: 34:16 1. Christ is not mentioned in chapter 4. 34:20 And in the second place the angelic hosts 34:23 are not there either. 34:24 Now when you get to chapter 5 you find the same beings 34:29 that we have in chapter 4, but you have the addition of the 34:34 great multitude of angels, ten thousands times ten thousand, 34:38 and thousands of thousands, that are there in the throne room 34:42 in chapter 5, and then Jesus is also there presenting Himself as 34:47 the Lamb as though He had been slain. 34:49 Clearly, when you read Revelation 4 and 5 from this 34:52 perspective, in Revelation 4, the throne room is being 34:56 prepared. In Revelation, chapter 5, the war hero, Jesus Christ, 35:01 arrives with the heavenly hosts into the holy place of the 35:05 heavenly sanctuary. And notably, in chapter 5, we're told that 35:10 the seven spirits are sent to the earth. 35:12 Interesting that when Jesus arrives, and He presents Himself 35:16 as the Lamb as though He had been slain, immediately He sends 35:20 the seven spirits to the Earth. 35:21 What event is being described there? 35:24 It has to be the outpouring of the Holy Spirit when? 35:27 On the day of Pentecost when Jesus arrived 35:31 and He was inaugurated in heaven. 35:33 Now, in Revelation chapter 11, once again you have several 35:39 of the same beings that you have in Revelation chapter 4 35:43 and chapter 5. But in Revelation chapter 11 you don't have 35:49 all of them. You have God sitting on the throne, 35:52 and you have the Lamb, and you have a multitude of angels 35:55 that are singing. Not all of the individuals that are in 35:59 Revelation 4 and 5 are mentioned there. 36:01 However, in Revelation chapter 11, there is no mention of a 36:05 great multitude of redeemed people. 36:07 And the reason is that in Revelation 11, verses 15 36:11 and 16, what is being described is the close of probation. 36:15 In other words, it's the moment when Jesus stands up as Michael. 36:20 He closes the door of probation right before the time of trouble 36:23 begins. And then, of course, after the time of trouble Jesus 36:27 returns with the angels in power and glory to take His people 36:31 to heaven. So in Revelation 11 God's people are not in heaven 36:35 yet. They're not gathered in heaven yet. 36:37 That's the reason why, in Revelation chapter 11, 36:40 there's no mention of the great multitude which no one 36:44 can number, from every nation, kindred, tongue, and people. 36:48 But now listen to what I'm going to say. 36:50 The interesting thing is that in Revelation chapter 14, 36:54 and in Revelation chapter 7, and Revelation chapter 19, 37:00 there is another group added to the groups that were there 37:05 in Revelation 4, and 5, and Revelation 11. 37:08 Now what is the group that is added in Revelation chapter 14, 37:13 and Revelation 7, as well as in chapter 19? 37:16 First of all, let's deal with Revelation chapter 7. 37:20 If you read verses 9 to 14 of chapter 7, you're going to 37:26 discover that every single one of the beings that was present 37:29 there in Revelation 4 and 5 is mentioned again. 37:31 There's a throne, there's One sitting on the throne 37:34 who is the Father, there's the Lamb, there's the twenty-four 37:37 elders, there's the four living creatures. 37:39 All of them are mentioned. 37:40 But there is an additional group there in Revelation chapter 7. 37:44 The additional group is a great multitude of redeemed people 37:50 from every nation, kindred, tongue, and people, 37:53 that are singing a song of praise to God, and to the Lamb. 37:57 Who has joined this celebration at this point? 38:02 The redeemed have joined the celebration at this point, 38:07 because if you read Revelation, chapter 7, verses 9 through 14, 38:11 that's talking about what happens after the second coming 38:14 of Jesus, when Jesus takes His people to heaven, 38:17 and His people, the great multitude from every nation, 38:20 kindred, tongue, and people, are gathered there before the throne 38:24 worshipping and praising Jesus Christ. 38:27 In Revelation 14 you have the same idea. 38:30 The same beings are mentioned again. 38:32 There's a throne, there's a lamb, there's the twenty-four 38:35 elders, there's the four living creatures that are mentioned, 38:38 but now there's an additional group that are standing 38:41 before the throne, and they're singing the song of Moses 38:44 and the Lamb. Who are those? 38:45 The 144,000 who were redeemed from the Earth. 38:49 What are they doing there? 38:50 Well, the fact is that in Revelation chapter 14 38:54 the redeemed have joined the celebration in heaven, 38:58 because this is after the great tribulation; 39:00 this is after the second coming of Christ. 39:03 Then when you get to Revelation chapter 19, verses 1 thru 9, 39:07 once again you have the same beings that were there 39:10 in Revelation chapter 4 and 5. 39:12 You have the throne. 39:13 You have the Father sitting on the throne. 39:14 You have the Lamb. You have the four living creatures. 39:17 You have the twenty-four elders. 39:19 You have everyone who is present there in Revelation 39:21 chapter 4 and 5. But once again, you have a great multitude 39:26 which no one can number from every nation, that are rendering 39:30 God honor, and praise, and glory because He has redeemed them 39:34 from the Earth. So what am I saying? 39:36 I'm saying that in the book of Revelation there is 39:39 a progression. In Revelation chapter 4, God is sitting there, 39:45 God the Father; the four living creatures are there; 39:48 the twenty-four elders are there; the representatives of 39:50 the worlds that never sinned; and present there 39:53 is the Holy Spirit. Chapter 5, Jesus and the angelic throng 39:58 join this celebration. The redeemed are not there yet, 40:02 because in Revelation 4 and 5 we're dealing with the ascension 40:06 of Jesus Christ to heaven. 40:08 Revelation 11, the great multitude from every nation, 40:11 kindred, tongue, and people are not there, 40:13 because Revelation 11, 15 and 16 is speaking about the close 40:17 of probation at the seventh trumpet, and the redeemed have 40:20 not gone to heaven yet. 40:21 But in Revelation chapter 14 you have the same beings mentioned 40:26 as in chapter 4 and 5, but now you have the 144,000, 40:29 the living saints that are alive when Jesus comes. 40:33 They are present there praising the Lord 40:35 on the heavenly Mount Zion. 40:37 What has happened? What has happened, folks, is that now 40:41 the living saints have joined the celebration in heaven. 40:45 And then in Revelation, chapter 19, this great multitude 40:49 from every nation, kindred, tongue, and people, 40:51 are once again singing the song of their redemption, 40:54 and they're actually praising the Lord because He has judged 40:58 the great harlot who want to shed their blood on the earth. 41:01 So, in other words, the twenty-four elders, folks, 41:05 are present there in every one of these scenes. 41:08 They are present there when Jesus is about to ascend. 41:13 They are present there when Jesus arrives. 41:16 They are present there when probation closes. 41:19 And they will be present there when the redeemed return 41:22 to heaven with Jesus, both the living saints, 41:25 and those who died in Christ. 41:28 Now allow me to say this, as we draw this to a close: 41:35 Jesus gave a parable that illustrates very clearly 41:42 what we've been talking about this evening. 41:46 Jesus told the story of the lost sheep. 41:51 Now usually when we talk about the story of the lost sheep 41:54 we apply it to when a church member leaves the church 41:58 and goes astray. As church members we're supposed to go 42:02 and we're supposed to rescue that sheep from the church 42:05 that went astray. Now that parable certainly 42:08 has that application, but the parable actually has a 42:12 much broader application than just rescuing church members 42:16 who have left church. 42:18 It has a cosmic perspective. 42:20 Notice Luke, chapter 15, and verses 4 thru 7. 42:25 Luke chapter 15, and verses 4 thru 7. 42:29 Here Jesus tells this interesting parable, which is 42:33 contained also in the Gospel of Matthew. Here Jesus says: 43:01 And now notice this: 43:03 And when he what? 43:33 Beautiful parable! Now what is the cosmic, 43:36 or broader perspective of this parable? 43:39 Actually, the 99 sheep that are safe and sound in the fold 43:46 represent the worlds that never sinned. 43:51 The one sheep that went astray from the fold represents this 43:57 little planet, planet Earth, in the midst of the universe 44:03 of God. The act of the shepherd going after the sheep 44:07 that was lost, and leaving the others safe and sound, 44:11 represents Jesus leaving the safety of heaven to come 44:15 to this world to give His life to rescue the one sheep, 44:20 the one world that was lost. 44:21 And the joy of the shepherd when he finds the sheep, 44:25 and places it upon his shoulders, and brings it home 44:30 represents Jesus when He returns the second time 44:34 and then goes back to heaven. 44:35 He will have rescued this little world, and He will have put it 44:39 on His shoulders. And when He gets to heaven He is going to 44:43 call, so to speak, neighbors, and friends to come 44:47 and celebrate the rescue of the one world that was lost 44:52 in the midst of the universe of God. 44:54 I want to read the inspired commentary on this. 44:58 Christ's Object Lessons, pages 190 and 191. 46:18 Isn't that a marvelous interpretation of that parable? 46:22 Now you say, What does this have to do with the twenty-four 46:25 elders? Do you know that what took place in Revelation 4 and 5 46:30 is going to be repeated again on a larger scale? 46:34 You see, what happened in Revelation, chapter 4 and 5, 46:38 primarily chapter 4 first, is that all of heaven has prepared 46:43 to receive the war hero who is returning from the battlefield. 46:48 Present there is God the Father on His throne. 46:51 Present there are cherubim and seraphim. 46:54 Present there are the representatives of the worlds 46:57 that never sinned. Present there is the Holy Spirit. 47:01 They're all there waiting to welcome the war hero back 47:05 from where He has rescued this one lost world. 47:08 Chapter 5, the angelic throng enters through the gates 47:12 into the city, and they come with Jesus into the presence 47:17 of all of those who are waiting in the heavenly throne room. 47:20 And as we noticed, they're singing, and they're praising 47:23 the Lord. And Jesus raises His hands and He says, Silence! 47:26 And He goes in before His Father, because He wants to 47:29 make sure that His sacrifice has been sufficient to bring all of 47:32 His people home someday. 47:34 The Father gives Him a hug, and the Father says, Yes, 47:37 it's enough! And then the Father gives the order. 47:40 He says, Let all the angels, let all of the heavenly beings 47:45 worship Him. And now there's an explosion of praise 47:48 in heaven in honor of the Lamb, and the One who is sitting 47:53 on the throne. But do you know, that very soon there is 47:57 gong to be another party even greater than this one? 48:00 You say, How could it be any greater? 48:03 Yes, once again, Jesus is going to leave heaven, 48:09 according to the Bible, with all of His holy angels. 48:13 Are you listening to what I'm saying? 48:15 He's not going to come with just a little small group of angels. 48:19 It says in the gospels that Jesus is going to leave heaven, 48:22 and He's going to come with all of His holy angels. 48:26 And in heaven the Father will be sitting on His throne. 48:30 And you say, You mean the Father isn't coming 48:32 at the second coming? No, He's not. 48:34 If you read the New Testament carefully, 48:36 you'll find that we're told, for example, in Acts chapter 3, 48:40 and verse 20, that the Father shall send forth Jesus. 48:45 In other words, the Father's not coming with Jesus. 48:47 Jesus is coming with all of the holy angels. 48:50 The Father will be sitting on His throne. 48:52 In the midst of the throne will be the cherubim 48:55 and the seraphim. Surrounding the throne will be the 48:58 twenty-four elders, which are the representatives 49:01 of the worlds that never sinned. 49:03 The Holy Spirit will be there, because His work on Earth 49:06 has been finished. He's wooed sinners to accept Jesus Christ 49:10 as Savior and Lord. And so Jesus will leave heaven. 49:13 Once again the two groups that were not there in Revelation 4, 49:16 will not be there again, because Jesus and His holy angels 49:20 will be coming to planet Earth to pick up all of the rest 49:24 of the redeemed. Do you remember that Jesus presented before 49:28 the throne of the Father those who resurrected with Him? 49:33 Do you know that that group was simply a down payment. 49:37 It was a guarantee that someday Jesus was going to return to 49:42 heaven with all of His saints: those who died in Christ, 49:47 and those who are alive and remain. 49:50 And so Jesus will come down from heaven, and as He is above 49:54 the Earth, He sill say, Awake, ye who sleep in the dust 49:59 of the Earth. Suddenly all of the graves of the righteous will 50:03 move, and God's people will come forth; 50:05 those who died in Christ will come forth. 50:08 The living will be transformed and changed, 50:11 and then Jesus, and all of the angels, 50:14 and this time not a group of the redeemed, 50:17 but all of the redeemed will begin their journey to heaven, 50:23 where the heavenly throne room is waiting for the reception. 50:27 The Father is there. 50:30 The representatives of the worlds are there. 50:33 The cherubim and the seraphim are there. 50:37 The Spirit says, Come, according to Revelation chapter 22. 50:41 He must be there if He says, Come. 50:44 And now Jesus will return to heaven with all of His 50:48 holy angels, like He did upon His ascension. 50:50 But this time He's not taking a sampling of His people, 50:53 This time He's bringing people from every nation, kindred, 50:57 tongue, and people, from every age of the history of the world; 51:01 bringing them back home! That which was lost has been found! 51:05 And then Psalm 24 will be sung again: Open up ye gates, 51:11 and the King of glory will come in. 51:13 And the sentinel angels who are waiting at the gates of the city 51:16 will say, And who is this King of glory? 51:19 And the answer will come: The Lord of hosts; 51:21 He is the King of glory. 51:23 Once again the gates of the holy city will open wide, 51:26 and God's people, along with Jesus, and the holy angels, 51:30 will sweep through the gates into the city. 51:34 Blessed are those who keep His commandments that they might 51:38 have a right to the tree of life, and may enter thru 51:41 the gates into the city. 51:42 And then Jesus will take His people into that huge heavenly 51:47 throne room. And you say, How are they all going to fit? 51:51 Well, let me tell you, the heavenly sanctuary is much 51:54 larger than the one here. 51:57 The sanctuary on Earth was only a little scale model. 52:01 God did not show Moses the heavenly sanctuary on the Mount. 52:05 He showed him a scale model of the heavenly sanctuary. 52:09 What that scale is we don't know, but we do know that 52:12 ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands 52:15 of angels fit in it. 52:18 And so God's people will enter into the heavenly throne room, 52:23 and then you will have that marvelous song that is mentioned 52:27 in Revelation 5, and verses 12 and 13. 52:31 Do you know, this song actually was sung when Jesus ascended, 52:36 but it is going to be sung again. 52:39 The whole universe is going to sing this song when God's people 52:44 arrive with Jesus and the angels in heaven. 52:47 It says there in verse 12, actually let's read verse 11 52:51 for the context. 53:14 And then notice verse 13. 53:17 Notice, this is every creature now. 53:40 Then the four living creatures said, Amen! 53:43 And the twenty-four elders fell down and worshiped Him 53:46 who lives forever and ever. 53:50 What do you think? Fantastic! 53:55 We are going to meet the representatives from all of the 53:58 worlds that never sinned. 53:59 In fact they're probably going to invite us to be guest 54:03 speakers at their worlds to tell the story of redemption. 54:07 They're going to say, Could you put me on your calendar to come 54:11 and speak in my world? 54:13 And I'm going to say, Give me a break! 54:15 I took lots of appointments while I was on planet Earth. 54:18 Let me rest a little. No, that's not what I'm going to say, 54:21 because we're going to be in the flower of youth, 54:23 in the fullness of strength. 54:25 And we'll be able to travel to other worlds. 54:27 We'll be able to meet the representatives of those worlds, 54:31 the inhabitants of those worlds who have been faithful to God 54:35 and have kept His commandments. 54:36 But folks, in order to get there we must have a personal 54:45 relationship with Jesus Christ. 54:46 We can't let anything in this world stand in the way 54:51 between us and Jesus. 54:52 You know, Christians are so attached to their stuff, 54:57 to their things. You know, some Christians have so much stuff, 55:01 and so many things, that God couldn't take them out of the 55:05 world with the most powerful crane in the universe, 55:08 because they're weighed down. 55:09 Let's not get attached to the things that perish; 55:14 the things that are vanishing away. 55:16 Let's keep our focus on heaven. 55:18 You know, somebody once said to me, Oh, you know, you're so 55:21 heavenly minded you're no earthly good. 55:24 And so I looked at him and I said, Yeah, and you're so 55:27 earthly minded you're no heavenly good. 55:29 You know, because the opposite is also true. 55:32 You know, we're in this world, folks, to reach souls 55:35 for Christ; to prepare for the coming of Jesus, so that we can 55:39 be there for this glorious celebration when Jesus comes 55:43 in power and glory. What a wonderful, magnificent day 55:47 that will be! Now the question comes up, and we'll conclude 55:51 with this, and we'll introduce what we're going to speak about 55:54 in the last topic in this series. 55:57 What is the role of the twenty- four elders? 56:00 What is their function in the universe? 56:03 How does God employ them in the administration 56:07 of the universe? 56:08 Is there a comparable model on Earth that would help us 56:13 understand the way in which the twenty-four elders are used 56:18 by God to administrate and operate the universe? 56:21 I believe that there is a model on Earth. 56:24 And do you know what they're called? Elders. 56:28 The elders of the church are actually the model of how the 56:34 elders operate in the heavenly economy. 56:36 Do you remember the Jerusalem council? 56:39 I'll just get ahead of myself a little bit. 56:40 Remember the Jerusalem council? 56:42 They were making the decision that effected the church 56:45 everywhere. The Bible tells us the elders from all of the 56:49 churches came together to deliberate and decide exactly 56:53 what needed to be done with the issue of circumcision. 56:58 In other words, the elders were the representatives of all of 57:01 the churches on Earth. 57:03 And the elders are God's representatives from the worlds 57:07 in heaven that gather in heavenly council to help the 57:11 Lord in the administration of the universe. 57:14 You say, Well, God can do everything Himself. 57:16 Yes, but God is a God who delegates responsibility. 57:20 He cares what people think, and He wants to involve 57:23 His people in the administration of the universe. 57:26 What a wonderful God we have! 57:29 So don't miss the last subject in this series. |
Revised 2014-12-17