When John was invited into the Throne Room of Heaven - chapters 4 & 5 of Revelation - he saw God and His heavenly government depicted in symbolism - define the symbolism and we understand the message that was conveyed to him - to us. In blog #4 God was sitting on His throne and His character was symbolized by precious stones - which we defined...Rev. 4:3.
And in the midst of the throne, and around the throne, were four living creatures full of eyes in front and back...the first living creature was like a lion, the second living creature like a calf, the third living creature had a face like a man, and the fourth living creature was like a flying eagle...Rev. 4:6-7.
These four living creatures are truly the expressed image of God, reflecting His character - His nature. These magnificent angelic beings exemplify the virtuous integrity and diverse nature of God - the Creator of all things.
The 1st living creature resembles a lion. This symbolizes the authority, royalty, and strength of God. The 2nd living creature resembles a calf. This symbolizes the sacrifice of God, which generated the praise and thanksgiving of men and angels. The 3rd living creature resembles a face like a man. This symbolizes a type and image of the likeness of God - intelligence. The 4th living creature resembles a flying eagle. This symbolizes transcendence, sagacity (acumen) and the exaltation of God - He is superior and above all created things, because He created them.
The four living creatures, each having six wings, were full of eyes around and within...and they do not rest day or night, saying...Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come...Rev. 4:8. We defined full of eyes around and within in blog #6. To understand more clearly who these 6-winged creatures are, we must turn to the Old Testament.
In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lifted up, and the train of His robe filled the temple...above it stood seraphim; each one had six wings: with two he covered his face, with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew...Isaiah 6:1-2.
The Prophet Isaiah had a glimpse of the Throne Room of Heaven, where like John, he saw the same four, 6-winged, living creatures which he described as seraphim - a category of angelic beings. The definition of seraphim is burning ones. Their fiery appearance - burning ones - is the glory of God - radiating sparkling rays of light - eternal purity. What is their purpose?
Seraphim are the highest order of angels, because they always minister at the throne of God, yet, they have multiple purposes in their service to Him. Both Isaiah and John heard them praising and exalting Almighty God - Creator of Heaven and Earth - the whole universe.
The most vital purpose of these four living creatures is perpetually giving glory, honor, and praise to God, the Creator for all things that He has created in His Throne Room, because He is deserving of this veneration. But, they also appear on the earth as the four winds in many prophecies, depicting empires, which I have defined in past blogs.
As we move to Revelation chapter 5 of our tour of the Throne Room of Heaven, we will find Jesus Christ returning from His victorious mission on the earth, receiving the exaltation He deserved from the redeemed human beings that He brought to Heaven with Him - firstfruits of salvation - as well as from all the angels.
When John was asked to come to God's throne room he was told...I will show you things which must take place after this...Rev. 4:1. The question is, "After what?" The answer is - after Jesus paid the price of His blood, and rose from the grave, after He brought the firstfruits of His salvation to Heaven - subsequent prophecies will be fulfilled in a timely manner. Understanding the symbolism - plus historical documentation - reveals how chapter 5 has been fulfilled.
The modern end-time doctrine describes Revelation chapter 4 as a secret rapture of the church, which hasn't taken place as yet, so all subsequent chapters will be fulfilled at some future date. Once we understand the true meaning of Revelation chapters 4 & 5, we find a completely different message presented to us.
And I saw in the right hand of Him who sits on the throne a scroll written inside and on the back, sealed with seven seals...Rev. 5:1. John was well aware he was observing the return of Jesus Christ to Heaven, receiving well deserved exaltation. Then John turned his gaze toward God, who still appeared like brilliant jewels, but now was holding a scroll in His right hand with writing on both sides - sealed with seven seals. What does all of this symbolize? Stay tuned...
God's sheep question the doctrines of men...sheeple follow without question~~~
As we continue our tour of the Throne Room of Heaven we find ourselves...before the throne...there was a sea of glass, like crystal...Rev. 4:6a. The sea of glass symbolizes the purity of the living God in the Holy of Holies, where no impurity can enter - ever! We must turn to the Old Testament to understand in depth the meaning of this esoteric imagery.
And he made the Sea, ten cubits from one rim to the other, the same completely circular round about; its height was five cubits, and its circumference thirty cubits...I Kings 7:23 - Septuagint. The Sea describes a laver of purified water that was used in the temple purification rituals, which in practice, symbolized the coming Messiah - unblemished Lamb - whose blood sacrifice will cleanse mankind from their sins permanently.
The Sea was used by the High Priest to cleanse his hands and feet before ministering to the Lord, or preparing a burnt offering to Him. This was an outward testament that symbolized the removal of defilement from his heart, when he confessed his sins to God, producing a humble and contrite heart. Before the High Priest could don the pure white linen garments, to go into the Holy of Holies and present the blood of an unblemished lamb for the sins of the people - he was required to purify himself at The Sea.
The Sea was strategically situated between the door of the temple and the altar, so the High Priest would immediately be reminded of the sin in his heart that must be cleansed and purified before he enters the Holy of Holies.
Make a brazen laver, and a brazen base for it, for washing; and thou shalt put it between the tabernacle of witness and the altar, and thou shalt pour water into it...and Aaron and his sons shall wash their hands and their feet with water from it...whensoever they shall go into the tabernacle of witness, they shall wash themselves with water, so they shall not die, whensoever they advance to the altar to do service and to offer the whole burnt offerings to the Lord...Ex. 30:18-20 - Septuagint.
The laver used to hold the purified water, symbolized the body of Christ - by His stripes we are healed. The purified water symbolized the shed blood of the coming Christ, who would permanently cleanse sin from the heart of all who accept Him as Savior and Lord. This was a very serious ceremony, because if the High Priest did not cleanse and purify his heart from sin at The Sea before ministering to the Lord, he could die, because no defilement, no sin, could enter the presence of God in the Holy of Holies.
As a precaution, a rope was tied to the ankle of the High Priest, so he could be pulled out in case he died in the Holy of Holies. Terror prevented anyone else entering the Holy of Holies when this situation occurred, until he truly got right with God. Men can appear very religious outwardly and fool many people, but they cannot fool God.
The sea of glass before the throne of God, symbolizes that only human beings with cleansed and purified hearts will be allowed to enter the Holy of Holies. Jesus Christ made men kings and priests by His cleansing and purifying blood, and they no longer will need The Sea to have an audience with God. Jesus paid the price of death, so that mankind will not die in the presence of God in the Holy of Holies in Heaven.
And in the midst of the throne and around the throne, were four living creatures full of eyes in front and back...Rev. 4:6b. When we first read about the four living creatures the symbolism seems spooky and unexplainable - even creepy. But there is a rational explanation that will unlock the message in this riddle, once we define the symbolism.
The eyes in front and back of the living creatures around the throne of God symbolize the perpetual watchfulness - omnipresence of God - who neither slumbers nor sleeps...Ps. 121:3-4. One can only imagine the incredulity expressed on John's face when he first laid eyes on these pure and holy beings splashing beams of brilliant light all over the realm. He was allowed to view these creatures in symbolism. Understand the symbolism and we understand the message.
Next, John saw a lion, a calf, face of a man, and an eagle - what do they symbolize? Stay tuned...
God's sheep question the doctrines of men...sheeple follow without question~~~
As we continue our tour of the Throne Room of Heaven in Revelation chapter 4, we find that God is spirit, yet has a visible form depicted symbolically, so that John would impart to the saints the character of God, His nature and integrity, because this is the image from which every human being is designed...Gen. 1:26.
And He who sat there was like a jasper and a sardius stone in appearance; and there was a rainbow around the throne, in appearance like an emerald...Rev. 4:3. We defined the symbolism of the stones in blog #4, today we will define the symbolism of the rainbow. Remember, the throne room is where all creation was designed and we are getting a brief tour of this majestic place.
The rainbow around the throne is symbolic of God's covenant with mankind. When He set the rainbow in the sky, it symbolized His promise to never again destroy mankind with a flood. While the rainbow around the throne is a complete circle, on the earth it appears as a half circle. This symbolizes that covenants are never broken by God...they are always broken by men.
The dominant color of the rainbow is green - emerald stone - symbolizing mercy and peace. The dominate characteristic of God is mercy, demonstrated by the humility of His longsuffering during centuries of false accusations from His beloved human beings. All of these colorful symbols reveal to John that God is merciful, holy, pure and virtuous, forgives, yet holy avenger - peace personified - where His brightness radiates throughout the heavenly realm - providing tranquility and protection for all.
Around the throne were twenty-four thrones, and on the thrones I saw twenty-four elders sitting, clothed in white robes; and they had crowns of gold on their heads...Rev. 4:4. Who are these elders and what do they symbolize?
Twelve of the elders around the throne of God represent the twelve tribes of Israel - old covenant government. The other twelve elders represent the twelve apostles - new covenant government. These glorified human beings (elders) are wearing white robes - symbolizing that their hearts have been purified by the blood of Jesus Christ. The crowns of gold on their heads symbolize kings & priests, an honor bestowed upon them by Jesus Christ, when they began to reign with Him on the earth.
Next we see...the twenty-four elders fall down before Him who sits on the throne and worship Him who lives forever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying...You are worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power; for You created all things and by Your will they exist and were created...Rev. 4:10-11. These glorified human beings are recognizing that all creation was accomplished by God in His throne room - by His Will they exist and were created.
And from the throne proceeded lightnings, thunderings, and voices...seven lamps of fire were burning before the throne, which are the seven spirits of God...Rev. 4:5. Fire symbolizes the glory of God. Seven lamps of fire symbolizes the perpetual glory of God - never ending. Since the number seven symbolizes perfect and complete - the seven spirits of God symbolize the completed works and diverse nature of the Holy Spirit of God.
Thunderings, and voices symbolize the thunderous non-stop praises from redeemed human beings harmonizing with the angels of God, to the King of Kings for His victory on the earth - conquering sin. Lightnings are flashing brilliant hues of color throughout the heavenly realm - majestic and glorious..
There is so much exciting symbolism in this chapter and the next verse will require some Old Testament confirmation....Before the throne there was a sea of glass, like crystal...Rev. 4:6a. The sea of glass symbolizes the purity of the living God in the Holy of Holies, where no impurity can enter - ever!
Before Jesus Christ paid the price of His blood to purify the heart of a human being forever - sins blotted out - mankind cleansed his heart from sin by sacrificing the blood of unblemished animals through ceremonies and rituals. This process allowed for temporary atonement - sins were only covered, not removed. Before the priests could minister to the Lord in the temple, they had to go through a cleansing ritual called the Sea. How is this symbolic of the sea of glass? Stay tuned...
God's sheep question the doctrines of men...sheeple follow without question~~~
We are beginning our tour of the Throne Room of Heaven after laying the foundation in the past 3 blogs. John heard a voice say...Come up here, and I will show you things which must take place after this...Rev. 4:1. The question should be, "After what?"
For over two years this blog has been providing historical documentation that proves the majority of the visions of John have been fulfilled, by providing names, dates and places for their fulfillment. While the modern end-time doctrine of your denomination believes this verse describes the rapture of the church, and every succeeding chapter is fulfilled after they leave the earth, I ask you to take another look at chapters 4 & 5 of Revelation. If we define the metaphorical language and the esoteric imagery, another riddle could be solved, unlocking the message hidden in the symbolism.
As we peruse these two chapters with "new eyes" I believe we will find they describe a spiritual behind-the-scenes look at what and who governs the happenings on the earth. Without this revelation that Jesus gave to John, we could never fully understand the participation of Jesus Christ in the government of the universe - the physical realm and the spiritual realm.
John was given the mission to write what he sees and hears, and share these things with all believers in Jesus Christ - who else would be interested? This is a sneak preview of eternity graciously provided by our Creator to whet our spiritual appetite enough to pursue the righteousness of Jesus Christ who paid our passage - His blood sacrifice - into this glorious kingdom of Heaven.
John was allowed to see with his own eyes, the royal reception of Jesus Christ, as He returns to His Father in Heaven after His death and resurrection, where He will make continual intercession for His kids on the earth, until they all arrive safely home from their earthly suffering - their witness for Him...Rom. 8:34-35.
God's throne room - His seat of power in Heaven - is clearly depicted in Revelation chapter 4, by a symbolic description of God and His heavenly government. The glorified Jesus Christ is revealed after His resurrection in chapter 5 - where John was shown things which must take place after this - after the resurrection of Jesus Christ. John was invited to take a brief personal tour of God's dwelling place - His heavenly temple - the dwelling place for all born again believers in Jesus Christ. So let's begin our tour with John.
And He who sat there was like jasper and a sardius stone in appearance; and there was a rainbow around the throne, in appearance like an emerald...and from the throne proceeded lightnings, thunderings, and voices. Seven lamps of fire were burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God...Rev. 4:3 & 5. What is the meaning of this symbolism?
It was difficult for John to describe the supernatural power and presence of God with mere words, but he tried to do so by describing the scene metaphorically - precious stones, displays of lightning, thunder, earthquakes, and voices. John could easily see that the reverberating thunderous sound was a massive heavenly choir - heard throughout the whole realm - voices of redeemed human beings praising God for their salvation, and the praises of a myriad of angelic beings...Rev. 14:2-3.
The Throne Room itself looked like a spectacular fireworks display with immense sprays of colorful lightning flashing hues of awesome color and majestic wonder, spewing sparkling brilliance throughout the heavenly city of God.
After being overwhelmed by such unimaginable grandeur, John was finally able to focus on the throne where God was sitting, whose character was metaphorically portrayed by the brilliant jewels of jasper and sardius, which have symbolic meaning.
Jasper is as clear as crystal - like a diamond. This transparency symbolizes the flawless purity and holiness of God. The sardius is a precious stone that was one of the twelve stones set in the breastplate of the Jewish high priest, which had mystical/supernatural power. Its deep ruby-red color symbolizes the blood of Jesus Christ. The jewel depicts the all-powerful supernatural Creator of all things, who will avenge the death of His martyred saints on the earth.
What does the rainbow symbolize? Stay tuned...
God's sheep question the doctrines of men...sheeple follow without question~~~
In the last blog I described the miraculous events that occurred on the day Jesus died, and the day He rose from the dead, as seen by the Roman soldiers. I left you with the question, "Is there Old Testament prophecy that confirms what I shared? What did the saints who came out of the graves say, when they appeared in Jerusalem?"
Before we study the answers to those questions, let's stretch our imagination a bit. If there had been a local newspaper in Jerusalem at this time, the headlines may have boldly declared: JESUS CRUCIFIED...WALKING DEAD MEN SIGHTED BY ROMAN CENTURION. Wouldn't this have sent shock waves throughout the country?
The text may have explained: After Jesus died, a Roman centurion and his soldiers saw ancient graves open, ejecting all of the dead. But wait...they also saw these dead men come to life, because they saw them trot off to Jerusalem, looking very human, where they appeared (witnessed) to all the people in the city.
I'm sure the story would have supplied the sensational conclusion: Three days later the soldiers personally saw a dazzling supernatural angel with otherworldly strength, remove the enormous boulder that closed the grave of Jesus, revealing His empty tomb - but where did Jesus go?
What Old Testament scripture confirms this event? Your dead shall live; together with My dead body they shall arise. Awake and sing, you who dwell in dust; for your dew is like the dew of herbs, and the earth shall cast out the dead...Isaiah 26:19. These are the firstfruits of salvation that Jesus Christ presented to His Father in Heaven - described in Rev. 14:1-5.
Sheol is the place of the dead which Jesus referred to as Abraham's Bosom...Luke 16:22. It is these saints that were seen that day, resurrected from the dead, to be the first to enter Heaven after sin had separated mankind from his Creator.
And the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised...and coming out of the graves after His resurrection, they went into the holy city and appeared to many...Luke 27:52-53. After the graves were opened, the saints of old appeared in Jerusalem to many people.
The word appeared in the original Greek language is emphanzio meaning: exhibit in person or disclose by words - signify. Saints coming out of the ancient graves was a sign - a witness - to the believer and the unbeliever that a 700 year-old prophecy had just been fulfilled. Prophecy of scripture is understood when it is fulfilled.
While scripture doesn't record the words of these saints, it is obvious that this event was not only historical, but spiritually pivotal. Imagine the citizens of Jerusalem going about their daily affairs, when suddenly a horde of 'walking dead people' appear on the scene - alive and well. I can imagine the look on their terrified faces as they watched. Could these saints have shouted loudly through the streets of the holy city, "He has risen - repent and be saved from the judgment to come?"
Their living presence in the city of Jerusalem must have attested to the resurrection of Jesus Christ, because our reference in Isaiah says...together with My dead body they shall arise. After these dead saints witnessed to the people of Jerusalem - puff - they were whisked away by Jesus to Paradise, leaving a stunned populous to wonder what just happened!
This foundation of understanding of what Jesus did on the earth, explains the happenings in Revelation chapters 4 & 5 more clearly, as we begin our tour of the Throne Room of Heaven.
After these things I looked, and behold, a door standing open in heaven...and the first voice which I heard was like a trumpet speaking with men, saying, "Come up here, and I will show you things which must take place after this"...Rev. 4:1.
The first question I have after reading the first verse of this scripture is, "After what? What event just happened that causes everything else John is shown to follow - take place after? Stay tuned...
God's sheep question the doctrines of men...sheeple follow without question~~~
