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00:35 Hello, and welcome to yet another edition
00:37 of the Sabbath School Study Hour. 00:38 We are so glad and privileged to be able to know that 00:41 you have decided to join us to be able to study 00:43 a very important lesson, in this particular case, 00:46 in the Book of Revelation, 00:48 which is one of my all time favorite books 00:50 that we can find in all of the Bible. 00:52 Now if you've been joining us from week to week, 00:54 this is already lesson number 4 and we're looking at 00:57 "Worthy is the Lamb." 00:59 Now, of all the books in the Bible, 01:01 the Book of Revelation is indeed one of my favorite 01:04 and "Worthy is the Lamb" 01:06 is indeed one of my favorite topics 01:08 that we can find in this particular book. 01:11 The Book of Revelation is a book 01:12 that is receiving more and more attention 01:15 over the last years of earth's history 01:18 as prophecies in the Bible, both in Jesus' prophecies 01:21 as well as the Book of Revelation itself 01:23 tells us that Jesus is coming soon. 01:26 And so, more and more people 01:28 are giving attention to this particular book, 01:30 and it was prophesied that that would take place. 01:32 And so we're glad that you're one of those people 01:35 that you've joined us here today, 01:37 not only here in Granite Bay Church 01:39 here in Sacramento, California 01:41 but also across the country 01:44 of the United States of America, 01:45 as well as many other countries around the world. 01:47 And so again, welcome. 01:48 We're glad you're here with us. 01:50 We do have a free offer 01:51 that we want to be able to give to you 01:53 so that not only can you study during the next hour 01:56 as we spend this time together, 01:58 but also that you can have this particular resource 02:01 to be able to continue this very important study. 02:04 And so today's special offer is entitled 02:06 "The High Cost of the Cross." 02:09 The High Cost of the Cross. 02:11 And, of course, this is central to Jesus and His crucifixion. 02:15 You can call it to 1866-788-3966. 02:19 That's 1866-Study-More. 02:22 And you can find yourself with a free offer 02:25 and that free book coming to you in the mail. 02:28 If you are more digitally astute 02:31 and you would like to be able to find yourself 02:33 with a digital copy on your phone, 02:34 you can always text to 40544. 02:38 Again, that's 40544 as you can see on the screen 02:41 and you'll need to text the code "SH080," 02:46 and we'll be happy to be able to give a digital copy to you. 02:50 Our speaker today is going to be Pastor Jean Ross 02:52 and he's going to be teaching our lesson study. 02:55 But before we invite him up, 02:56 we want to pray that the Holy Spirit 02:59 and God will teach us here today. 03:00 I want you to join us in prayer. 03:02 Father in heaven, we want to stop 03:03 and we want to thank You this morning 03:06 for this opportunity to be able to worship You, 03:08 to be able to open up Your Bible, 03:10 to be able to look at this important book 03:12 to give us understanding and spiritual discernment 03:15 that we could never find without Your presence. 03:17 And so, Father, 03:18 we want to ask for that even now, 03:20 be with our teacher, 03:21 Pastor Jean as he teaches and give him clarity of mind. 03:24 We pray these things in Jesus' name, amen. 03:28 Thank you, Pastor Ross. 03:31 Thank you, Pastor Shawn, 03:32 for introducing our lesson today. 03:34 As mentioned, 03:35 we're looking at a very important book 03:37 in the Bible. 03:38 One of my favorites, the last book 03:40 that you find in the New Testament, 03:42 the Book of Revelation. 03:43 There is so much information that we have to cover today 03:46 and I'm going to do my best 03:48 to get through the assigned portion 03:50 for our study. 03:51 As mentioned, we're on lesson number 4, 03:54 and it's entitled "Worthy is the Lamb." 03:56 I like the way one Bible teacher pointed out, he says, 03:59 "In the midst of all of the beasts 04:00 of Revelation, 04:01 the central focus is the Lamb." 04:04 That of course is Jesus. 04:05 We do have a scripture reading, 04:07 and I'm going to read it 04:08 right out of our lesson quarterly. 04:09 You'll find it there on Sabbath afternoon 04:12 Revelation 5:5 04:15 from the New King James Version. 04:18 "Do not weep. 04:19 Behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, 04:23 the Root of David, has prevailed 04:25 to open the scroll 04:27 and to loose the seals there off." 04:29 We're going to be talking about what the scroll is, 04:31 we're going to be talking about the Lion of the tribe of Judah, 04:34 and we'll find out more about this verse a little later 04:36 in our study today. 04:38 Sabbath afternoon, 04:39 the second paragraph is sort of an introduction 04:41 to what we will be looking at in this week. 04:44 It says division of chapter 4 and 5 04:46 takes place in the heavenly throne room. 04:49 The question I want to ask 04:50 and hopefully we'll answer from the Bible, 04:52 where is the heavenly throne room? 04:55 Bible will tell us. 04:56 The scene of chapter 4 and 5 04:58 symbolically portrays God's control of history, 05:02 and of the plan of salvation. 05:04 Before the future is revealed, 05:05 however, we are shown the centrality 05:07 of Christ's high priestly ministry in heaven. 05:10 Where is Christ's high priestly ministry 05:12 taking place in heaven? 05:14 In the sanctuary. 05:16 So we'll find out more about that. 05:18 "His high priestly ministry in heaven to His sovereignty 05:21 over the face of the earth 05:22 and to the redemption of the human race, 05:25 in such a way chapter 4 and 5 provide heaven's perspective 05:29 of the meaning of future events 05:31 recorded in the rest of the Book of Revelation." 05:34 So with that is a little bit of our introduction. 05:36 I want to encourage you to take your Bibles 05:38 and then open to our passage of study, Revelation 4. 05:43 We're going to try and go verse by verse through. 05:45 They're not long chapters, but we're going to see 05:46 how far we can get through Revelation 4 and 5 05:50 depending upon how much time we have for our study. 05:53 By way of an introduction, 05:54 our first lesson dealt in Revelation Chapter 1 05:57 with an introduction to the Book of Revelation. 06:00 The last part of Chapter 1 is a description of Jesus 06:03 and Jesus is bringing to John these special messages 06:07 found in the Book of Revelation. 06:09 Revelation Chapter 2 and 3 is Christ's message 06:11 to the seven churches. 06:13 Each of these seven churches represent 06:15 different time periods of the Christian history 06:18 starting in 31 AD 06:19 going all the way through to the church of today, 06:23 the Church of Laodicea. 06:24 And you read about that in Revelation 3:14-22 06:29 is Christ's message to the Church of Laodicea. 06:31 So just quickly as a summary of what we've looked at so far, 06:34 the Church of Ephesus represents the Christian church 06:37 from about 31 AD, 06:40 that was the time of Christ ascension to heaven 06:43 to about 100 AD. 06:45 It's known as the Apostolic Church, 06:48 the church led by the apostles. 06:49 The Church of Smyrna represents a time period 06:52 of about 100 to 313 AD. 06:56 It was a time of severe persecution. 06:58 It's known as the persecuted church. 07:01 And by the way, with the Church of Smyrna, 07:03 Jesus didn't have any words of condemnation for the church. 07:06 He encouraged them. It was a pure church. 07:09 It was a church suffering persecution. 07:11 The next is the Church of Pergamum 07:13 represents the time period of 313 till about 538 AD. 07:18 This is a compromising church, 07:20 where Christianity was legalized 07:21 and all kinds of pagan practices 07:23 and beliefs crept into the church. 07:25 Then you have the Church of Thyatira 07:27 representing the time period from 538 till 1563, 07:32 a very long time period. 07:33 That's known as the corrupt church, 07:35 where the church is actually persecuting 07:37 those who wanted to be faithful to God's commandments 07:39 into the Bible. 07:40 You have the Church of Sardis from about 1563 07:44 all the way up till 1740, 07:47 and that is known as the church that is dead. 07:51 They had a name that they believe the Bible, 07:54 that they will hold into the reforms 07:55 that the reformers are bringing but spiritually they were dead. 07:59 Then the Church of Philadelphia 08:01 presents a much brighter picture. 08:03 It's from 1743 to about 1844. 08:07 And shortly thereafter, 08:08 it's known as the church of brotherly love. 08:11 And then that brings us to the present church, 08:13 Church of Laodicea, 08:15 representing a time period of about 1844 through to today. 08:20 Unfortunately, if you read in Revelation Chapter 3, 08:23 it's a church of lukewarmness. 08:26 The good news, however, 08:27 is that the church does not stay 08:28 in a continually lukewarm condition 08:30 because there is a special revival 08:32 that takes place, 08:34 special outpouring of the Holy Spirit 08:36 just before probation closes, 08:38 just before Jesus comes. 08:40 So Revelation Chapter 2 and 3 08:41 is an overview of Christian history 08:44 starting with 31 AD all the way up till today. 08:47 Now in Revelation Chapter 4 and 5, 08:50 John's envision is taken back to 31 AD. 08:55 The description of Revelation 4 and 5 08:57 is really a picture of the heavenly throne room 09:00 where Jesus is about to begin 09:02 His high priestly ministry on our behalf. 09:05 So with that as a little background, 09:07 let's take a look at Revelation Chapter 4, 09:10 and we're going to start reading in verse 1. 09:14 John says, "After these things I looked, and behold, 09:17 a door was standing open in heaven." 09:20 So after having things described him 09:22 with reference to the earth, 09:24 the condition of the churches during the Christian era, 09:26 now his attention is drawn to heaven, 09:28 He's going to describe things happening in heaven 09:30 and it says there is a door that is open in heaven. 09:35 Now based on the Old Testament, 09:37 we'll read how that God said to Moses 09:39 that he was to build a sanctuary 09:41 and that the sanctuary that Moses was to build 09:44 was to be patterned after a sanctuary 09:47 that he was shown in heaven. 09:49 So the earthly sanctuary 09:50 is a type of the heavenly sanctuary. 09:53 This door opening heaven as you'll find out later on 09:56 in our study is really the door to the first compartment 10:00 of the heavenly sanctuary. 10:02 So the events described in Chapter 4 and 5 10:04 are events that take place in the first compartment 10:07 of the heavenly sanctuary 10:09 and you'll see that as we work our way through this. 10:11 So the time period for this is 31 AD. 10:14 In Hebrews 8:1-2, Paul is very clear. 10:17 Now this is the main point of the things 10:19 that we are saying. 10:20 The Apostle Paul says, "We have such a High Priest, 10:24 who is seated at the right hand of the throne 10:26 of Majesty in the heavens, 10:28 a Minister of the sanctuary and of the true tabernacle 10:31 which the Lord erected, not man." 10:33 So there is a sanctuary in heaven, 10:35 Jesus after His death 10:37 and resurrection ascends to heaven 10:38 and He begins His work as our high priest. 10:41 The last part of verse 1 says, 10:43 "And the first voice which I heard 10:45 was liken to a trumpet speaking with me, 10:47 saying, 'Come up here, 10:49 and I will show you things 10:50 that must take place after this.' " 10:53 So now envision, John taken to heaven, 10:55 the scene 31 AD and God is beginning to reveal to John 10:59 things that ought to take place after this. 11:02 You remember in Revelation 1:12 and 13 11:07 where John in vision sees Jesus, 11:09 this is just after the greeting, 11:10 this is before we even get to the seven churches. 11:13 John is seeing Jesus in vision 11:15 and Jesus is described 11:16 as wearing the high priest's robe, 11:19 He's also described 11:20 as standing amongst the seven branched candlestick. 11:23 This is Revelation Chapter 1. 11:25 Now where would you find seven branched candlestick 11:29 in the sanctuary? 11:30 Would it be in the first compartment 11:31 or would it be in the second compartment? 11:34 It would have to be in the first compartment. 11:36 So the scenes described in Revelation 4 and 5 11:39 are really events that took place 11:41 in the first compartment after the ascension of Jesus. 11:46 Quick review of the sanctuary. 11:47 There were three parts to the sanctuary, 11:49 you had the outer courtyard area 11:51 where the sacrifices were offered, 11:53 then you go through the door, 11:55 you're going to the first compartment 11:56 of the sanctuary. 11:57 And if you came in through the door 11:59 on your right hand side, 12:00 there is the table of showbread with these two stacks of bread, 12:06 six loaves on each. 12:07 And directly across from the table of showbread, 12:11 what would you see? 12:13 The seven branched lampstands or candlesticks. 12:16 And then right in front of you, if you come through the door, 12:18 you would see the altar of incense. 12:21 And then you'd see the veil. 12:23 Now if you were the high priest, 12:25 once a year, you're allowed on the Day of Atonement 12:28 to actually go pass the altar of incense, 12:31 open the veil, and step into the most holy place. 12:35 And if you were the high priest, 12:37 and on the Day of Atonement, 12:38 you stepped into the most holy place, 12:40 what article of furniture would you see? 12:43 The Ark of the Covenant will be right there. 12:44 There's only one article of furniture 12:46 and that's the Ark of the Covenant 12:47 in the most holy place. 12:49 And then, of course, he would sprinkle the blood 12:51 on the mercy seat of the Ark of the Covenant. 12:53 So what's described in Revelation Chapter 4 and 5 12:56 is not the most holy place scene, 12:58 rather it is the first compartment 13:01 or the holy place 13:02 where you have the seven burning lamps of fire 13:04 as well as the altar of incense, 13:06 and the table of showbread. 13:07 The table of showbread represents God's throne 13:11 in the first compartment of the heavenly sanctuary. 13:14 The Ark of the Covenant represents God's throne 13:17 in the second compartment of the heavenly sanctuary. 13:20 So just put that in the back of your mind 13:22 and we'll see that as we read through Revelation 4 and 5. 13:25 Okay, looking now at verse 2. 13:28 "Immediately I was in the Spirit, and behold, 13:30 a throne was set in heaven, and One sat on the throne." 13:34 Now this is the description of God the Father 13:36 seated upon His throne in heaven. 13:38 Very similar to what Isaiah the prophet saw 13:41 when he envisioned, you read about this Isaiah 6:1, 13:45 "In the year that King Uzziah died, 13:47 I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, 13:50 high and lifted up..." 13:52 Notice the last part of this, 13:53 "The train of His robe filled the temple." 13:57 So where is God's throne? 14:00 Must be in heaven, but where in heaven? 14:02 In the temple, okay? 14:04 Even in the Old Testament, 14:05 Isaiah sees the Lord seated upon His throne, 14:09 He is in the temple. 14:10 And the question that we find in Revelation 4 answered is, 14:13 it's God the Father 14:15 seen in that first compartment of the sanctuary. 14:18 Later on in Revelation, 14:19 we find Him in the second compartment. 14:21 Verse 3 says, 14:22 "And He that sat up on the throne..." 14:23 This is a reference to God the Father, 14:25 "Was like a jasper 14:26 and a sardius stone in appearance." 14:29 Stones in the Book of Revelation 14:31 are used to describe brilliant colors. 14:33 A jasper stone has a greenish blue color, 14:38 a sardius stone has a reddish color. 14:40 So John as he sees the glory 14:42 shining forth from God seated upon the throne, 14:44 he uses these stones 14:46 to describe these brilliant colors. 14:48 The last part of verse 3 says, 14:49 "And there was a rainbow about the throne, 14:51 in the appearance like an emerald." 14:53 Now this rainbow is very special. 14:55 What do rainbows represent in the Bible? 14:58 When did we first read about a rainbow? 15:01 Way back in the time after the flood, 15:03 you remember Noah after he came out of the ark, 15:06 he offered sacrifices, 15:08 and there was a rainbow in the cloud. 15:11 And that was a symbol of God's mercy. 15:14 We read in Genesis Chapter 9 talking about after the flood. 15:20 "And God says, 15:21 'I will set the sign of the covenant 15:22 which I make between you and Me, 15:24 and every living creature with you 15:27 for perpetual generations. 15:28 I set My rainbow in the cloud, 15:31 and it shall be for a sign of the covenant 15:34 between Me and the earth." 15:37 Then it says going on a little bit further, 15:39 "The rainbow shall be in the cloud 15:41 and I will look on it 15:42 and remember the everlasting covenant 15:44 between God and every living creature, 15:46 that it will not flood the earth again, 15:48 the whole earth." 15:49 Now does God need a continual reminder 15:52 that He can flood the earth again? 15:54 Does He see the rainbow and say, "Oh, I almost forgot. 15:57 I made a covenant with Noah." 15:58 No. 15:59 The purpose of the rainbow is for us 16:00 to look at the rainbow 16:01 and remember that God is merciful. 16:04 So the rainbow is a sign of God's mercy. 16:06 And now I love this thought. 16:08 By the way, before I get there, Psalms 106, one more verse, 16:11 verse 1 says, "Praise the Lord! 16:13 Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good, 16:16 for His mercy endures forever." 16:19 You'll find that phrase 16:20 repeated again and again in the Psalms, 16:21 God's mercy endures forever. 16:23 The rainbow is a symbol of God's mercy. 16:26 Every time God looks down on us as His children, 16:31 He's looking at us through the rainbow. 16:33 He's looking at us through His mercy 16:36 and that's so encouraging for us to know. 16:39 Moving on with verse 4. 16:40 It says, "Around the throne, there were twenty-four thrones, 16:43 and on the thrones I saw twenty-four elders sitting." 16:48 Now when I teach this class in AFCOE, 16:50 and we do Revelation Chapter 4 and 5, 16:53 I like to have a whiteboard on stage 16:55 and I will begin to very roughly draw 16:58 some of the things that's portrayed here 17:00 in Revelation 4. 17:02 And I'd begin by drawing 17:03 what looks like some glorious throne and light 17:06 shining forth from the throne that's God the Father 17:09 seated upon the throne. 17:10 And then we will have around the throne, little thrones, 17:14 24 of these thrones surrounding the big throne 17:17 with a light shining forth, 17:18 there is a rainbow around about the throne, 17:21 and then you'll have seven burning lamps of fire. 17:23 We'll get to that in just a few moments 17:25 in front of the throne. 17:26 To kind of give us a little bit of a visual picture 17:28 of what John is seeing here in vision. 17:31 God the Father on the throne, the rainbow about the throne, 17:34 the throne is made up of four living creatures, 17:36 we'll get to that later. 17:37 And then the 24 elders, the question is, 17:39 who are these 24 elders that are seated on throne 17:43 surrounding God's throne? 17:45 Well, there are two suggestions as to the identity 17:48 of who the 24 elders are. 17:50 And I'm going to give you both and I'll tell you 17:52 which one I like, okay? 17:54 The first is that the 24 elders 17:56 are those who were resurrected at Christ's resurrection 18:00 and were taken to heaven with Jesus when He ascended, 18:03 and that's interesting, 18:05 but there's another identity of who these people could be. 18:09 The 24 elders could also be 18:11 the representatives of the unfallen worlds. 18:15 The same group that you read about in the Book of Job 18:18 where it says, there was a gathering 18:20 of the sons of God and Satan came representing earth. 18:23 And God said, "Where do you come from?" 18:24 "From the earth walking up and down upon it." 18:26 And God said, 18:27 "Have you considered my servant Job?" 18:29 And you know the rest of the story. 18:30 So are the 24 elders, 18:32 those who are resurrected at Christ resurrection 18:35 and taken to heaven 18:36 or could they be the representatives 18:38 of the unfallen worlds? 18:39 Well, there are different verses 18:40 and I'm just going to give it a highlight of it, 18:42 just Matthew 27:51 talks about those who were resurrected 18:46 at the time of Christ's resurrection. 18:49 And said, "Then, behold, 18:50 the veil in the temple was torn in two from top to bottom, 18:53 the earth quaked, the rocks were split, 18:55 and the graves were opened. 18:56 And many of the bodies of the saints 18:58 who had fallen asleep were raised. 19:00 And coming out of the graves after His resurrection, 19:04 they went into the holy city and appeared to many." 19:06 Now when it says the holy city, 19:07 it's not talking about Jerusalem in heaven, 19:09 it's talking about Jerusalem here on the earth. 19:11 So that would be the description 19:12 of those who were resurrected 19:13 at the time of Christ's resurrection. 19:15 Ephesians 4:8 talking about the ascension of Jesus 19:19 has this to say. 19:20 "Therefore He says, 'When He ascended on high..." 19:23 This is 31 AD, "He, Jesus, 19:26 led captivity captive, and gave gifts onto men.' " 19:30 So when Jesus ascended to heaven, 19:32 He brought with them those who were resurrected 19:35 at the time of His resurrection. 19:37 They were held captive by the grave, 19:39 but they were resurrected, 19:40 they are the first fruits of the resurrection 19:43 and they went with Jesus to heaven. 19:46 But notice the wording here, 19:47 it says Jesus led captivity captive. 19:51 So when Jesus ascended to heaven, 19:54 where were those who are resurrected? 19:56 Were they waiting for Jesus in heaven 19:58 or were they following behind Jesus? 20:01 They must be following behind Jesus, right? 20:04 Revelation Chapter 4 describes the 24 elders in heaven 20:07 waiting for Jesus to come. 20:10 Jesus does not appear until Revelation 5, 20:13 which is an interesting point. 20:14 Well, what about the elders, 20:15 the 24 elders representing those unfallen worlds? 20:20 Well, of course, Job 1:6 says, 20:23 "Now there was a day 20:24 when the sons of God came to present themselves 20:26 before the Lord." 20:27 Satan was there as well. 20:30 Hebrews 1:1 and 2 tells us that God created the worlds, 20:34 and He uses the plural form for worlds. 20:36 In other words, 20:37 our world is not the only inhabited planet 20:39 in God's vast universe, 20:41 but He has other worlds of unfallen beings. 20:44 And then we read in Isaiah 24:23. 20:48 This is back in the Old Testament 20:50 that the elders are referenced even back 20:54 before the resurrection of Jesus. 20:56 Isaiah 24:23 says, 20:58 "The Lord of hosts will reign," 20:59 and it says, 21:00 "before his elders, gloriously." 21:03 So it's interesting to note 21:04 that we have a reference to the elders 21:06 all the way back in Isaiah 24, 21:08 which is an interesting thought. 21:10 "The Lord will reign in Mount Zion, 21:11 Jerusalem before his elders, gloriously." 21:14 So the suggestion is that these 24 elders 21:17 would represent those unfallen worlds 21:20 and they are there in heaven waiting for Jesus to ascend. 21:24 Here is a statement that you find in the book, 21:25 Desire of Ages. 21:27 In Desire of Ages, this chapter in particular page 831 21:32 is a parallel of Revelation Chapter 4 and 5. 21:37 And you'll notice 21:38 number of language and symbols in Desire of Ages 21:42 that you also find in Revelation 4. 21:44 I'm just going to read you a paragraph. 21:45 It says, "As he ascended," speaking of Jesus, 21:48 "He led the way, 21:50 and the multitude of captives set free 21:53 at His resurrection followed." 21:55 Well, it's just the verse we read in Ephesians. 21:58 Then she describes what's happening in heaven. 22:01 She says, "There is the throne, 22:03 and around it the rainbow of promise." 22:06 We just read that in Revelation Chapter 4. 22:09 "There are the cherubim and the seraphim." 22:11 Those are the four living creatures, 22:12 we haven't gotten to that yet. 22:14 "The commanders of the heavenly host," 22:16 then she says, "the sons of God, 22:18 the representatives of the unfallen worlds, 22:22 they are assembled." 22:23 So if you follow the order that we have in Revelation 4, 22:26 God the Father seated upon the throne, 22:28 the rainbow about the throne, then the 24 elders, 22:31 she does not use the word 24 elders 22:34 but she uses the phrase, 22:35 the representatives of the unfallen worlds, 22:38 they're all there waiting for Jesus as Christ 22:42 is ascending from the earth after His resurrection. 22:45 Then she goes on to say something 22:47 about the sons of God. 22:48 She says, "The heavenly council before whom 22:51 Lucifer had accused God and His Son, 22:54 the representatives of those sinless realms 22:56 over which Satan had thought to establish his dominion, 22:59 all are there to welcome the Redeemer." 23:02 So if you put Desire of Ages along with Revelation Chapter 4 23:05 and what we've seen elsewhere in the Bible, 23:06 it would indicate that these 24 elders, 23:09 they are there in heaven 23:10 waiting for Jesus as He ascends, 23:12 those who were resurrected 23:14 at the time of Christ's resurrection, 23:15 they are following on behind and Jesus is coming to heaven. 23:21 Now the 24 elders, 23:22 the representatives of these unfallen worlds, 23:25 the last part of verse 4 says they are clothed with white, 23:28 they have crowns upon their heads, 23:30 it's a symbol of royalty and kingship. 23:31 They are the representatives of these unfallen worlds. 23:34 Now, of course, white represents purity, 23:36 they have never sinned. 23:37 Moving on then with verse 5, "And from the throne, 23:41 they proceeded lightnings, and thunderings, and voices." 23:44 And the next part of the verse says, 23:46 "Seven lamps of fire were burning," where? 23:51 It says in the temple, but where? 23:53 "Before the throne, 23:54 which are the seven spirits of God." 23:57 So if you can picture God 23:58 the Father seated upon the throne 24:00 with the rainbow, the 24 elders, 24:02 what's right in front of the throne 24:03 according to verse 5? 24:05 Seven burning lamps of fire. 24:07 Well, where do you find seven burning lamps of fire 24:10 in the earthly sanctuary, 24:11 in the holy or the most holy place? 24:13 In the first compartment, the holy place. 24:16 So where is God the Father being described here 24:19 in Revelation Chapter 4? 24:21 He is in the first compartment. 24:23 And what article of furniture is right across 24:26 from the seven branched candlestick? 24:29 The table of showbread. 24:30 Thus the table of showbread in its context 24:33 would represent God's throne in this scenario. 24:37 God the Father seated upon His throne 24:39 in the first compartment. 24:41 It's interesting in Chapter 4, 24:42 you have a reference 24:43 to the seven burning lamps of fire, 24:45 you also have a reference to the altar of incense, 24:49 but it doesn't say anything about the table of showbread 24:52 because here it calls the table of showbread in essence, 24:54 God's throne, you're seated upon His throne 24:56 before Him are the seven burning lamps of fire. 24:59 Now it says these seven burning lamps of fire 25:01 are the seven spirits of God. 25:04 You might wonder, wait a minute, 25:05 isn't there just one Holy Spirit? 25:08 Oh, yes, there is. 25:09 Remember, numbers in Revelation 25:11 are very significant and they are symbolic. 25:13 What are the seven spirits of God represent? 25:15 There are seven attributes of the Holy Spirit 25:18 that we find described in the Bible. 25:20 And here they are. 25:21 Isaiah 11:2 says, and you can count them, 25:26 "The Spirit of the Lord," that's one, 25:28 "shall rest upon Him," speaking of Jesus, 25:31 "the Spirit of wisdom, the Spirit of understanding, 25:34 the Spirit of counsel, the Spirit of might, 25:36 the Spirit of knowledge, 25:37 and the Spirit of the fear of the Lord." 25:40 Seven attributes of the Holy Spirit 25:42 described as the seven burning lamps of fire 25:45 there before the throne. 25:47 All right, verse 6. 25:48 It says, "Before the throne there was a sea of glass, 25:51 like crystal." 25:52 Glass back in Bible times is much more valuable 25:55 than it is today. 25:56 The shimmering expanse before the throne 25:59 is described as a sea of glass. 26:02 And by the way, the redeemed in Revelation 15 26:04 are described as standing upon the sea of glass before God, 26:08 singing song of Moses and the lamb. 26:12 It says, "In the midst of the throne, 26:13 and round about the throne, 26:14 there were these four living creatures 26:17 that were full of eyes in the front and in the back." 26:20 Now what are these four living creatures? 26:23 Well, Revelation 4:7 says the first was like unto a lion. 26:30 Now when you look at the faces of the four living creatures, 26:33 the lion, the ox, the man, the flying eagle, 26:36 they parallel or they describe, you might say, 26:39 four phases of Christ's ministry. 26:42 A lion in Bible prophecy 26:44 is often associated with royalty, 26:46 and kingship, and power. 26:47 Before Jesus came to this earth, 26:50 He was the king of the universe, 26:52 He gave back the scepter of the universe 26:54 into His Father's hand, and He came to this earth, 26:58 so the lion can represent Christ 27:00 prior to the incarnation. 27:02 When Jesus came to this earth, 27:03 He came to bear our burdens to die in our place. 27:08 The second living creature has a face like unto an ox 27:10 or a calf. 27:12 An ox was a sacrificial animal. 27:14 It was also a burden bearing animal. 27:17 And with reference specifically to Jesus, we read in Isaiah 53, 27:23 "Surely He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows. 27:29 Yet we esteemed Him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. 27:32 But He was wounded for our transgressions, 27:35 He was bruised for our iniquities. 27:37 The chastisement of our peace was upon Him, 27:40 and by His stripes we are healed." 27:43 So Jesus came 27:44 not as a conquering King the first time, 27:47 but He came to bear our burdens, 27:49 to die in our places and sacrifices Him. 27:52 That's symbolized by the ox or the calf, 27:55 which is the face of the second creature. 27:57 And then verse 7 tells us the third living creature 28:00 has a face like unto a man. 28:03 Well, after Jesus rose from the dead in 31 AD, 28:06 He ascended to heaven 28:07 and that's really what Revelation 4 and 5 28:09 is all about. 28:10 And Jesus in heaven is ministering 28:12 as our high priest. 28:14 He's described as our older brother, 28:16 He understands, knows what it's like to be human 28:19 because He was here, He lived on the earth, 28:22 He went through the experiences that we must go through. 28:26 Hebrews tells us, then in Hebrews 4:14, 28:30 "Seeing then that we have a great High Priest 28:32 who has passed through the heavens, 28:34 Jesus the Son of God, 28:35 let us hold fast our confession. 28:38 For we do not have a High Priest 28:41 who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, 28:44 but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. 28:48 Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace 28:51 that we may obtain mercy 28:52 and find grace to help us in our time of need." 28:55 So there is Jesus in heaven, He is still our older brother. 29:00 Humanity glorified and folded in the bosom of God. 29:04 Jesus represents us before the Father. 29:07 Thus the third living creature 29:09 is described as having the face of a man. 29:12 The fourth living creature in Revelation 4:7. 29:15 It said to have the face of a flying eagle. 29:19 A flying eagle in the Bible 29:20 is often associated with conquest, 29:22 and victory, and judgment. 29:25 There are several references to this. 29:27 Isaiah 40:31 talks about 29:29 the deliverance of God's people, 29:31 and says, "They shall mount up with the wings of eagles." 29:35 And in Jeremiah 49:22, it says, 29:39 "Behold, He shall come upon you like a flying eagle." 29:42 Speaking about judgment that comes upon the wicked. 29:46 So there's fourth living creature 29:47 that has a face like unto an eagle 29:48 can represent Jesus when He comes back 29:51 as King of kings and Lord of lords 29:55 to execute judgment upon the wicked. 29:57 So in the four living creatures, 29:58 we can in essence see 29:59 four phases of Christ's ministry 30:02 and His plan of redemption for our salvation. 30:05 Now verse 8 says, Revelation 4:8, 30:08 "The four living creatures, each had six wings, 30:11 there were full of eyes all around..." 30:13 Eyes in Bible prophecy 30:14 represent intelligence and wisdom. 30:16 These four living creatures 30:17 are aware of what's happening on the earth, 30:19 they're aware of what God is doing 30:21 in man's salvation. 30:22 One of the interesting thought 30:25 about these four living creatures 30:26 that are surrounding God's throne. 30:29 The first is a face like a lion, 30:31 and then you have the calf or an ox, 30:33 then you have a man, then you have an eagle. 30:35 God gave strict instructions to Moses, 30:38 you read about this in Numbers Chapter 2 30:40 as to how the camp of Israel was to pitch. 30:44 There were the 12 tribes of Israel 30:46 and then the tribe of Levi. 30:48 The sanctuary was to be in the center of the camp, 30:51 the Levites, they were to pitch their camp 30:54 or their tents around the sanctuary. 30:56 And then, there were the 12 tribes 30:59 each divided up three on each side, 31:01 so three to the east, the south, 31:03 the west, and the north. 31:05 Of the three tribes on each side of the sanctuary, 31:09 there was a leading tribe, the main tribe of those three. 31:13 Each of the tribes would have pitched their camp 31:16 with the emblem or the sign facing towards the sanctuary. 31:21 Now it's very interesting to note 31:22 that the first tribe that pitch tent 31:25 on the eastern side of the sanctuary, 31:27 the leading tribe was the tribe of Judah. 31:30 What do you suppose was the emblem 31:32 that was facing towards the sanctuary 31:35 representing the tribe of Judah? 31:37 What was the first face on... 31:40 The first living creature 31:41 described in Revelation Chapter 4? 31:43 A lion. Interesting. 31:46 The leading tribe on the south that pitched their camp 31:49 and the emblem facing towards the sanctuary 31:53 was the tribe of Reuben. 31:55 What do you suppose 31:56 was the symbol of the tribe of Reuben? 31:59 An ox or a calf, the second living creature. 32:03 And then if you go to the other side, 32:05 which would be the west side of the sanctuary, 32:07 the leading tribe there was Ephraim. 32:10 And what do you suppose was the emblem of Ephraim? 32:13 A man. 32:15 And to the north, the leading tribe 32:17 there was the tribe of Dan, and what was on their emblem? 32:21 An eagle. 32:22 Isn't it interesting that looking down from heaven, 32:25 you see the sanctuary, 32:27 God's Shekinah Glory in the most holy place 32:29 a symbol of His throne and surrounding the camp, 32:32 you got the sign of the lion, the calf, the man, the eagle, 32:38 almost a parallel or a miniature 32:40 of what's been described in Revelation Chapter 4, 32:43 God's heavenly throne room. 32:45 Very interesting. 32:46 By the way, if you want all the references for that, 32:47 you can look in Numbers 2:3, 10, 18, 25. 32:54 We'll give you which camp was to pitch camp where, 32:58 and how it related to the sanctuary in the middle. 33:02 The last part of verse 8 says, 33:03 "And they did not rest day or night, 33:05 saying, 'Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, 33:08 who is, who was, and who is to come!' " 33:10 How many times the four living creatures say holy? 33:13 Three. 33:14 One for the Father, one for the Son, 33:16 one for the Holy Spirit. 33:18 All right, because God created all things. 33:20 Verse 9, "Whenever the four living creatures 33:22 give glory and honor and thanks to Him 33:24 who sits upon the throne, who lives forever and ever..." 33:26 So now as the four living creatures 33:28 begin to praise God. 33:30 Then it says in verse 10, 33:31 "The twenty-four elders fall down before Him 33:34 who sits upon the throne and they worship as well 33:37 He who lives forever and ever, 33:39 and they cast their crowns before the throne, saying..." 33:42 We're going to see what they say here 33:43 in just a minute, 33:44 but here you have a picture of the four living creatures 33:46 as they witness God's dealing with mankind, 33:49 they begin to worship the Father. 33:50 In response, the 24 elders, they bow down, 33:53 they also begin to worship. 33:55 Verse 11 says, "For You are worthy, O Lord, 33:57 to receive glory and honor and power, 34:00 for You have created all things." 34:04 God is worthy to be worshipped because He is the Creator. 34:08 He has made all things. 34:10 The first angel's message says, "Fear God, give Him glory, 34:14 worship Him 34:15 who made the heavens, the earth, and the sea, 34:17 and the fountains of water." 34:18 So we worship the Father because He made all things. 34:22 Now did the Father create all things by Himself 34:25 or did He work through His son? 34:27 He worked through His Son. 34:28 Jesus is worthy of worship. 34:31 Was the Holy Spirit involved in creation as well? 34:33 Yes. 34:35 Genesis 1 says, the Spirit of God 34:36 hovered upon the face of the water. 34:38 So God is worthy of worship just because He made us, 34:42 and then secondly 34:43 because He saved us 34:45 and we get to that in Revelation Chapter 5. 34:47 So much here. 34:49 Okay, so God is worthy of worship 34:51 because He made all things. 34:52 Now, there is something I want you to notice. 34:54 If you have your Bibles, 34:55 we're going to go on now in Chapter 5 34:57 in our last little bit that we have left, 34:58 but there is something interesting to note. 35:00 Look in Revelation Chapter 1 and look at verse 4. 35:04 Revelation 1:4. 35:07 We're going to look at verse 4 and 5. 35:09 Verse 4 and 5 of Revelation Chapter 1 35:13 introduces the Godhead in the same format 35:16 that we find in Revelation 4 and 5. 35:20 Revelation 1:4 and 5 35:23 introduces the Godhead in the same order 35:25 as we find in Revelation 4 and 5. 35:28 I just found this last night. 35:29 I was really excited about it, 35:30 so I'm still pretty excited about this. 35:32 But notice, if you look in Revelation 1:4, 35:35 it says, "John, to the seven churches 35:37 which are in Asia, 35:38 grace to you and peace from Him who is, 35:40 who was and who is to come..." 35:42 Now who is that? 35:45 The one who is, who was, and who is to come? 35:48 Well, it's a name used for Jesus, 35:51 but it's also name used for God the Father. 35:53 Jesus is eternal, the Father is eternal. 35:57 Now we know specifically in verse 4 36:00 of Revelation Chapter 1, 36:02 this is a reference of God the Father 36:04 because you'll see in verse 5, it talks about Jesus. 36:07 So in verse 4 of Revelation Chapter 1, the greeting, 36:11 the focus is on God the Father, 36:13 that's the first part of the verse, 36:15 grace to You, and peace from Him who is, who was, 36:17 and who is to come, that's the Father, 36:20 and from the seven spirits 36:21 which are before His throne, who's that? 36:24 Who's the seven spirits before His throne? 36:26 That's the Holy Spirit. 36:27 Remember the number seven symbolic 36:28 represents perfection and completion. 36:30 So what's brought to view in verse 4 is God the Father, 36:35 and the Holy Spirit, 36:37 but Jesus is not referenced in verse 4. 36:40 But when you get to verse 5, 36:42 we're still in Revelation Chapter 1, 36:43 verse 5 says, "And from Jesus Christ, 36:47 who is the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, 36:51 the ruler over the kings of the earth. 36:53 To Him who loved us 36:54 and washed us from our sins in His own blood." 36:57 Jesus is introduced in verse 5 36:59 and what attributes of Jesus are highlighted the fact 37:03 that He washed us from our sins in His own blood, 37:06 Jesus, His atoning sacrifice is highlighted. 37:09 Now typically in the Bible, when you read about the Father, 37:13 the Son, and the Holy Spirit, it's usually in that order. 37:15 First the Father, then the Son, then the Holy Spirit, 37:18 go baptize in the name of the Father, 37:20 the Son, and the Holy Spirit. 37:22 But in Revelation 1:4 and 5, 37:24 it is the Father, we skip the Son, 37:27 we go to the Spirit 37:28 and then we come back to talk about the Son. 37:31 When you get to Revelation Chapter 4, 37:33 the focus in Revelation Chapter 4 37:34 is God the Father seated upon His throne, 37:37 you got the seven burning lamps of fire 37:39 before the throne, but Jesus is not there. 37:43 But now when you get to Chapter 5, 37:45 suddenly the focus is on Jesus. 37:47 You notice the parallel, 37:48 and it's unique just to this situation 37:50 in the Book of Revelation. 37:52 Usually, whenever the Godhead is spoken of, 37:54 it's the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, 37:55 but purposely it's changed around 37:57 just a little bit 37:59 to highlight the importance of the sacrifice of Jesus, 38:03 and the Lamb 38:05 amongst all of these various powers of end time, 38:08 how did the Lamb rules 38:10 and He's supreme and will overcome. 38:12 Okay. Well, that's just a side note. 38:13 Let's take a look in Revelation 5:1, 38:16 we're going to have to move through this fairly quickly. 38:19 "And I saw in the right hand of Him 38:20 who sat upon the throne 38:22 a scroll written within and on the back, 38:24 sealed with seven seals." 38:26 Who is the one seated upon the throne 38:28 according to Revelation 4? 38:31 God the Father. 38:32 So God the Father has something in His hand. 38:35 By the way, which hand? The right hand. 38:39 What does the right hand represent? 38:41 Power, deliverance, strength, 38:44 that's what the right hand means. 38:46 Also, standing on the right side 38:49 represents favor or approval. 38:52 So God the Father is seen 38:53 holding something in his right hand, 38:56 it is a scroll. 38:57 Now back in Bible times, 38:58 a papyrus scroll typically was 30 feet in length roughly. 39:03 And they scribed it right on the inside of the scroll. 39:05 And when he was done, he'd roll it up, 39:07 often put a seal upon it if it was something special 39:10 that only one person or a particular person 39:12 had the authority to open. 39:14 Sometimes, if the scribe was writing 39:16 and additional information was given, 39:18 and he ran out of room on the inside of the scroll, 39:20 he would turn it over 39:21 and he started riding on the back of the scroll. 39:23 In this case, the scroll in the hand of the Father 39:26 sealed with seven seals 39:28 is written on the inside and on the back. 39:31 But nobody can open the scroll, it's sealed with seven seals. 39:35 Then it goes on. 39:37 Now before I get to all of that, 39:38 so much talk about here. 39:39 How many books of record 39:42 do we know about exist in heaven? 39:45 Or here's a verse in Luke 10:19 and 20, 39:48 Jesus said to His disciples, do not rejoice, 39:51 and I'm paraphrasing 39:52 that you don't have power over the unclean spirits. 39:55 But now quoting, "Nevertheless do not rejoice over this, 39:58 that the spirits are subject to you, 40:00 but rather rejoice..." 40:01 What are they to rejoice about? 40:04 "That your names are written," where? 40:07 "That your names are written in heaven." 40:09 So there is a book that has the names 40:12 of those who believe in God in heaven. 40:15 We're going to find out what that book is in just a minute. 40:17 But in addition to this book, 40:19 there is another book 40:20 that also has the names or at least the deeds 40:25 of those who have rebelled against God. 40:28 Sometimes, it's called the book of sin 40:30 or the book of inequity. 40:32 You don't want to be in the book of inequity. 40:35 Then there's a third book that you want to be a part of, 40:38 it's called the book of remembrance. 40:40 And those are the good deeds that have been done, 40:42 the acts of mercy that have been shown. 40:44 Revelation 22 says 40:45 that everyone gets rewarded according to their deeds. 40:49 So even though the righteous are going to be in heaven 40:51 because their names have been in the Lamb's book of life, 40:53 they're still rewarded 40:54 based upon what is recorded in the book of remembrance, 40:57 kind of interesting. 40:59 So at least we have those books 41:00 that we know of spoken of in the Bible. 41:03 And these books are involved in judgment. 41:07 All right, well, let's keep going, 41:09 Revelation way to be finish up. 41:11 Revelation Chapter 5 and that was verse... 41:19 Was that verse 2? 41:21 "Then a strong angel..." Let's start in verse 2. 41:23 It says, "Then a strong angel proclaimed with a loud voice, 41:26 'Who is worthy to open the scroll 41:28 and to loose its seals there off?'" 41:31 Verse 3 says, "No one in heaven, 41:35 no one on the earth or under the earth 41:38 was able to open the scroll to look at it." 41:39 Meaning, to read it. 41:41 Now you might think that's interesting. 41:42 Aren't there angels in heaven that excel in strength? 41:47 But they couldn't open the seals. 41:49 Where was the scroll? 41:51 Who was holding the scroll? 41:54 Would you think God the Father could open the scroll? 41:58 But it says no one in heaven 42:01 or on the earth or under the earth 42:02 was found worthy to open the scroll. 42:06 Opening the scroll 42:07 is not because of the lack of strength 42:10 or position, 42:12 but rather it has to do with something 42:13 that someone does 42:15 that gives them the right to open the book. 42:19 And only one person has the right to open the book. 42:23 And by the way, that book gets named after Him. 42:26 We call it the Lamb's book of life, 42:29 all right? 42:30 Now look at the next one, verse 4. 42:32 It says, "And I wept much, 42:34 because no one was found worthy to open 42:36 and to read the scroll and to look upon it." 42:39 John realized something very important about this book 42:41 that if no one is found worthy to read the book, 42:44 it would have bad results for people, 42:47 maybe didn't fully understand the ramifications of that, 42:50 but He realized somebody needs to open the book. 42:51 This is pretty important. 42:52 Verse 5 says, 42:54 "But one of the elders said unto me, 42:55 'Do not weep. 42:56 Behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, 42:59 the Root of David, 43:01 has prevailed to open the scroll 43:02 and to loose the seven seals there off.'" 43:05 So who is worthy to open the scroll? 43:07 Jesus is. 43:08 Now I want you to notice Jesus 43:10 described in verse 5 43:11 as the lion of the tribe of Judah. 43:14 He has earned the right to open the scroll. 43:17 Verse 6, "And I looked, 43:20 and behold, in the midst of the throne 43:23 and of the four living creatures, 43:24 and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb..." 43:29 So John just hears in vision, don't cry, 43:32 everything's going to be okay, 43:33 the lion has prevailed to open the scroll. 43:36 And John turns to see the lion and who does he see? 43:40 He sees the Lamb. 43:42 You see, when Jesus was hanging upon the cross, 43:44 as the Lamb, He was also the King. 43:48 And through His sacrifice, through His death on Calvary 43:51 that He becomes the King of kings 43:53 and Lord of lords, 43:54 and He is able to redeem 43:56 those who put their faith in Him. 43:59 So Jesus is the Lamb 44:01 that is able to open the scroll. 44:03 Verse 6, "I looked, and behold, 44:04 in the midst of the throne and of the four living creatures, 44:06 and in the midst of the elders, 44:07 stood a Lamb as though it had been slain, 44:09 having seven horns and seven eyes..." 44:12 Again, horns represent rulership or kingship, 44:15 eyes represent the seven spirits of God 44:17 or the seven attributes of the Holy Spirit. 44:20 And then it says, "Which of the seven spirits 44:22 went out into all the earth?" 44:23 Verse 7, 44:25 "Then He came and took the scroll 44:27 out of the right hand of Him that sat upon the throne." 44:29 This is Jesus now, 31 AD, He is ascended to heaven. 44:33 Jesus comes and takes the scroll 44:35 from His Father's hand, 44:37 and He begins to open the seals. 44:38 Now, by the way, 44:39 before we get into the rest of the verse there, 44:41 what are the seals represent in the scroll? 44:43 The scroll I believe is the Lamb's book of life, 44:45 He's the only one worthy to open the scroll. 44:47 The seals would represent different events 44:50 that would occur during the Christian era 44:52 that would ultimately result in Jesus 44:55 being able to redeem people from the earth. 44:58 By the way, the seventh seal 45:00 is silence in heaven 45:01 about the space of half an hour. 45:04 You read about in Revelation Chapter 8 45:05 the first few verses. 45:07 Why is there silence in heaven 45:08 about the space of half an hour? 45:10 Because Jesus and all the angels 45:12 have come down to the earth 45:14 at the second coming to gather His people. 45:17 So the opening of the seals record different events 45:19 that lead right up to the second coming of Jesus. 45:22 Well, if nobody is worthy to open the seals, 45:26 well, what hope is there for us 45:28 if there's no second coming, 45:30 if there's no resurrection from the dead. 45:32 No wonder, John weeps 45:34 'cause nobody's found worthy to open the book. 45:36 And the elder says, John, don't weep, 45:38 Jesus has prevailed, 45:39 He will open the book, 45:41 He will come, He will redeem us, 45:42 He'll come as the lion, 45:44 as King of kings and Lord of lords. 45:46 So when Jesus steps forward 45:48 and takes the scroll out of His Father's hand, 45:51 what happens next? 45:52 Look at verse 8. 45:55 "Now when He had taken the scroll, 45:57 the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders 45:59 fell down before the Lamb, each having a harp, 46:02 and golden bowls full of incense, 46:05 which are the prayers of the saints." 46:07 Now, wait a minute, 46:08 where is the altar of incense in the heavenly sanctuary, 46:12 in the first compartment or the second? 46:14 First compartment. 46:15 You got the seven branched candlesticks, 46:17 you got the altar of incense, you got the 24 elders. 46:19 The events described here in Chapter 4 and 5 46:22 are not taking place in the most holy place. 46:24 That's not until Revelation Chapter 11, 46:26 the sounding of the seventh trumpet 46:29 that we have events describing the most holy place. 46:31 This is all taking place 46:33 when Jesus ascended to heaven the first time, 46:35 it's in the first compartment of the heavenly sanctuary. 46:37 And what did they say? 46:38 Verse 9, 46:40 "They sang a new song, 46:41 'You are worthy to take the scroll 46:43 to open its seals, for You were slain, 46:46 and you have redeemed us to God 46:48 by Your blood out of every tribe, 46:50 and tongue, and people, and nation.'" 46:52 Now before I talk about what exactly they sing, 46:54 notice it says they sing a new song. 46:57 How many new songs are sung in Revelation? 47:01 There are two. 47:02 A new song is sung by the redeemed, 47:04 the 144,000, and there is a new song 47:07 sung here by the four living creatures 47:09 and the 24 elders. 47:10 Why is it new? 47:11 Because Christ has just sacrificed, 47:13 He has provided the sacrifice for man salvation. 47:16 Now some have asked, why do the 24 elders say... 47:19 This is verse 9. 47:21 It says you have redeemed us. 47:24 Were the four living creatures ever in need of redemption? 47:28 And then it goes on to say, 47:29 out of every tribe, tongue, people, and nation. 47:32 Did the four living creatures come from every tribe, nation, 47:35 kindred, tongue, and people? 47:37 No, they were angels, they were in heaven. 47:39 They didn't come from the earth. 47:40 What does it mean then you have redeemed us. 47:43 And look at verse 10. 47:44 Verse 10 says, "And have made us 47:46 kings and priests to our God. 47:49 And we shall reign on the earth." 47:52 Do the four living creatures reign on the earth? 47:55 Do the 24 elders reign on the earth? 47:57 Who gets to reign on the earth? 47:58 Jesus said, "The meek shall inherit the," what? 48:01 "The earth." 48:02 Revelation Chapter 20 says, "And I saw thrones, 48:04 those who have gotten the victory of the beast, 48:07 they live and reign with Christ for thousand years." 48:09 Now, just so that you understand 48:12 if your Bible has a little marginal reference, 48:15 you'll notice right before it says in verse 9, 48:18 and have redeemed us, 48:19 you have a little marginal reference. 48:20 If you cross reference that, it'll say them instead of us. 48:25 You see, this portion of the Book of Revelation 48:29 translated from the Textus Receptus, 48:32 and you have the King James, the New King James 48:34 that come originally from the Textus Receptus, 48:36 which is the Greek manuscript used for the King James, 48:38 New King James, very trustworthy manuscript. 48:41 But this particular portion of that manuscript, 48:44 some believe was not available to Erasmus 48:47 when he wrote the Textus Receptus, 48:48 so he defaulted back to the Latin Vulgate. 48:52 The Latin Vulgate uses the word us 48:54 instead of them. 48:55 But all other manuscript 48:57 finds that we have of the Book of Revelation 49:00 and there are many out there, used the word them, 49:04 and then it makes a whole lot of sense. 49:06 Let me read it that way. 49:07 Looking now in verse 9, the four living creatures, 49:10 24 elders say, 49:11 "You are worthy to take the scroll to open its seals, 49:13 for you were slain, 49:14 and have redeemed them to God 49:16 by Your blood out of every tribe, 49:18 and tongue, and people, and nation, 49:19 and have made them kings and priests to our God, 49:23 and they shall reign on the earth." 49:24 Well, that makes perfect sense. 49:25 Are you with me? 49:27 Jesus has earned the right to save us. 49:30 Verse 11 says, "Then I looked, and I heard the voice 49:33 like many waters around the throne, 49:35 the living creatures, and the elders, 49:36 and the number of them 49:37 ten thousand times ten thousand, 49:39 and thousands of thousands, saying, 49:41 'Worthy is the Lamb who was slain to receive power, 49:44 and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honor, 49:46 glory and blessing!'" 49:47 Did you count those blessings mentioned there? 49:51 We have a sevenfold blessing, you can see it there. 49:54 To receive power, riches, wisdom, strength, honor, glory, 49:58 blessing, perfect blessings given to the Lamb 50:01 because He has been victorious, He has overcome. 50:06 And then, of course, when these four living creatures 50:08 and the 24 elders say these things, 50:10 then all of those in heaven 50:12 join in in singing praise and adoration to God, 50:16 and you can read about that in verse 13 and 14. 50:20 And that brings us to the end of our chapters. 50:23 Lot of information to try to cover 50:24 in just a short period of time. 50:26 So much, it seems like 50:27 we just touched the tips of the mountains, 50:30 we haven't had a chance to really dig deep. 50:32 But hopefully you'll continue to study 50:34 even more on your own, 50:35 such an important book, so much important information. 50:38 Now we do have a free offer. 50:40 I'd like to make available to those 50:41 who are joining us online 50:42 and also for our friends 50:43 watching this across the country, 50:45 a book entitled "The High Cost of the Cross." 50:48 And if you'd like to receive this, 50:49 the number to call is 866-788-3966 50:54 and you can ask for offer 156 50:57 and we'll be happy to send it to you. 50:58 Or if you like, you can text the code "SH080" 51:04 to the number 50544, 51:08 and we'll be happy to send you a digital version of the book, 51:10 "The High Cost of the Cross," 51:12 just a very inspiring and important read. 51:14 And again, we want to thank you for joining us. 51:16 Hope you'll join us again next week 51:18 as we continue our study in the Book of Revelation. 51:23 Don't forget to request 51:24 today's life changing free resource. 51:26 Not only can you receive this free gift in the mail, 51:28 you can download a digital copy 51:30 straight to your computer or mobile device. 51:32 To get your digital copy of today's free gift, 51:35 simply text the keyword on your screen to 40544 51:39 or visit the web address shown on your screen. 51:42 And be sure to select a digital download option 51:44 on the request page. 51:46 It's now easier than ever for you 51:47 to study God's Word with Amazing Facts 51:50 wherever and whenever you want, 51:52 and most important, to share it with others. 51:59 Amazing Facts changed lives. 52:07 My life was in turmoil. 52:09 My wife and I were fighting all the time. 52:11 I got away from everything and everybody. 52:14 I don't know. I just... 52:15 I always had this emptiness in my heart. 52:18 I don't want it filled. 52:19 I just felt like I went through my whole life, 52:21 you know, just searching for something. 52:24 And my father died. 52:26 And that ruined me a lot. 52:27 My father didn't believe in suicide 52:30 and I didn't want to live but rather than disrespect him, 52:33 I decided I would just become so mean 52:35 if someone else would do it to me 52:36 and I wouldn't have to. 52:37 So I joined the army thinking, 52:39 "What better place to get killed than in the army?" 52:41 And while I was in the army, my daughter got injured, 52:44 she was in an accident. 52:47 And she was blind and paraplegic, 52:50 and it's just like I felt the whole world 52:52 was coming down on me. 52:54 One morning, I just really got mad 52:56 and I gave God a cuss like you wouldn't believe. 52:59 I said, "I'm not Moses, not Abraham, 53:02 you know, 53:04 I don't put my sandals on just like they do. 53:06 I'm a man." 53:07 I don't want to know why this is happening to me. 53:10 I just want to know if it's happening for a reason. 53:13 If you tell me right now this is all for a reason, 53:16 then you can stacking on me from here to the end of time, 53:19 and I would never complain again. 53:23 And then a little TV came on. 53:25 I'd been sitting here just static all night long. 53:28 And there is this minister, when he pops up and he says, 53:31 "Today's lesson's from the Book of Job. 53:33 God only lets those suffer that He loves the most." 53:36 And I said, "Well, that's all you have to say, 53:38 Lord, I appreciate it." 53:39 From that day forward, I knew that He was there 53:42 and He was in my life, 53:44 and that He would help me. 53:46 I went to prison just almost immediately after that. 53:50 I was in prison for aggravated assault. 53:52 I was in one of the worst prisons 53:54 in the state of Kansas City. 53:55 It was full of gang activity. 53:57 I got my throat cut, 52 stitches. 54:01 In my neck, I could take those fingers 54:03 and stick them all, could come out of my mouth. 54:05 I'd gone to the library that day 54:06 because it was probably about the only thing to do. 54:10 When I ran across this little book 54:11 called "The Richest Caveman." 54:13 This book is hilarious, but it is great. 54:17 I'm sitting here with this big beard and I'm thinking, 54:19 "Hey, I know what it's like to look like a caveman," 54:21 but... I'm not an educated person, 54:24 I guess, you should say, but I'm a simple guy. 54:26 I'm just really a simple guy. 54:28 That's what I loved about Doug Batchelor 54:30 because this guy 54:32 is just straight out as you can get. 54:35 And my wife and I, 54:36 we've kept contact through all these years, 54:39 and so much was going on. 54:44 And I told her, I said, "Listen, 54:46 this is the center of my world right now." 54:49 And I said, "I really want you to be involved in it with me. 54:53 I need it." 54:54 And I said, "You will too 54:55 if you ever just take hold of it." 54:57 I told my wife, I said, "Listen, 54:58 I've got this Amazing Facts Bible study going here, 55:02 and this is the best way for you 55:04 to get this information. 55:05 I think, because it's broken down 55:09 and they give you questions 55:12 and to make you look for these things, you know? 55:17 It's not anyone telling you, you find it on your own, 55:20 and they teach you actually use the Bible." 55:23 She was there faithfully, 55:24 every Wednesday until we decided, 55:27 you know... 55:28 She wanted to be baptized also. 55:31 She saw it coming around. 55:33 The choice was made. 55:35 On October 4, 2014, 55:37 my wife and I were baptized in the water at the same time. 55:42 And we started our walk together, 55:46 I guess, you would say. 55:47 I went through everything 55:49 that a man could possibly go through, 55:50 I guess. 55:52 From marital trouble, loss of family members, 55:56 death in my family, my children were harmed, 55:59 and my daughter was handicapped for life, 56:03 I went to prison, 56:05 but still I kept my word to God that He could stack it on me 56:10 as much as He wanted 56:11 and I'd never question Him again 56:13 and I didn't. 56:15 But I can say this much, 56:17 He never put nothing on me 56:19 that I couldn't handle, 56:20 and He walked with me through it all. 56:23 And I like to say that anyone who is in prison 56:28 not to give up, don't lose hope. 56:31 Put your faith in the Lord and study. 56:34 You seek Him and He will seek you. 56:36 And my name is Charlie Green, 56:39 and I want you to know 56:40 that you and Amazing Facts have changed my life. 57:37 The heavens for parted for him, the Holy Spirit came down. 57:41 This is what God wants you to experience. 57:43 You come to Christ, your sins are washed away, 57:46 you become a new creature. 57:48 It's a land of beginning again, 57:49 and how many of you wish you can restart. 57:53 "For I was hungry 57:55 and you gave me something to eat, 57:58 in as much as you do it to one of the least of these, 58:01 my brethren, you did it to me." |
Revised 2019-01-16