REVELATION SIMPLIFIED

 

CHAPTER 4.2

Gleanings from the Book of Revelation:

A Weekly Verse-by-Verse Bible Study Series

 

The

REVELATION TO JOHN

(The Apocalypse)

 

Chapter Four

 

 

Review

Before we approach the next verse, a consistent reminder must be reiterated: You are promised to be blessed by our Lord.

Revelation 1: 3 – Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand.

 

What John will transcribe in the next few verses is not prophetic, but a revelation - A mystery of and from God.

(Verse 2)

 

And immediately I (John) was in the spirit: and, behold, a Throne was set in Heaven, and One sat on the Throne.

 

The Holy Spirit now takes complete control over John so that he may see and record the most glorious illustration of Heaven and eternity. As believers in Jesus, the instant we are caught up together with the saints who are dead in Christ and meet the Lord in the air, we will enter through the open door to Heaven. What we are about to see is unfathomable, unbelievable, and awesome. Through God's revelation, you will have an eyewitness testimony into eternity.

 

John, now in the very presence of God, immediately observes and describes three things:

1.  Heaven

2.  A Throne

3.  Someone seated on the Throne

 

1. Heaven

Behold, a Throne was set in Heaven

 

Understanding Heaven

In biblical terms, the word Heaven is a plural noun and is always used in its singular form. At the very beginning of time, in Genesis Chapter 1, we read:

Genesis 1:1 - In the beginning God created the heaven[s] and the earth.

1.  Heaven - Hebrew: שׁמה, שׁמים, shâmayim, shâmeh [Strong's H8064], the second dual form of a singular noun, alluding to the clouds (the sky), and also includes a higher place where the celestial bodies revolve.

 

2.  Earth – Hebrew, ארץ 'erets [Strong's H776], primarily a ground or landmass: In this sense, uninhabited wilderness.

 

3.  Created – From the verb to create (bârâ'). Here, it expresses the idea of an absolute creation as He created the wind, out of nothing (ex nihilo).

Amos 4:13 - Look! The One Who crafts mountains, Who creates the wind, Who reveals what He is thinking to mankind, Who darkens the morning light, Who tramples down the high places of the land— the LORD (YHWH, Jehovah), the God of (hosts) the heavenly Armies is His name. (ISV)

 

The Three Heavens

As mentioned in our introductory material, there are three heavens (three layers figuratively speaking):

1. Heaven number one – The firmament, our earth's atmosphere, and climate, the visible sky, and clouds where the fowls or birds of the air fly.

Jeremiah 51:15 - He hath made the earth by His power, He hath established the world by His wisdom and hath stretched out the heaven by His understanding.

 

Isaiah 40:22 - It is He that sitteth upon the circle of the earth, and the inhabitants thereof are as grasshoppers; that stretcheth out the heavens as a curtain, and spreadeth them out as a tent to dwell in.

 

Matthew 6:26 - Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?

 

2. Heaven number two – The expanse of outer space, intergalactic, interstellar, and interplanetary space.

Psalm 8:3 – When I consider Thy heavens, the work of Thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which Thou hast ordained.

 

Jeremiah 8:2 – Before the sun, and the moon, and all the host of heaven, whom they have loved, and whom they have served, and after whom they have…worshipped.

 

Genesis 22:17 – That in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore.

 

3. Heaven number three - Known to the Hebrews as the Heaven of heavens: The habitation of God and the realm of faithful holy elect angels (sometimes called living creatures or the sons of God) which include:

1.  Archangels

2.  Cherubim

3.  Seraphim

I Kings 8:27, 30 - But will God indeed dwell on the earth? behold, the heaven and Heaven of heavens cannot contain thee; how much less this house that I have builded?... And hearken Thou to the supplication of Thy servant, and of Thy people Israel, when they shall pray toward this place: and hear Thou in Heaven Thy dwelling place: and when Thou hearest, forgive.

 

Heaven presently contains the departed saints:

2 Corinthians 12:2 - I knew a man in Christ above fourteen years ago, (whether in the body, I cannot tell; or whether out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth;) such an one caught up to the third Heaven.

 

Heaven (the third Heaven) is a real, literal place, not a spiritual concept, eternally existing in endless perfection having no beginning or end, without time or space.

What is Heaven?

1.  It is infinite

2.  It is invisible

3.  It always was

4.   It always is

5. It always will be

6.  It is a spiritual realm (another dimension, if you will)

7.  It encompasses the omnipresence of God

What Heaven is not:

1.  It is not the New Heaven of Revelation 21 and 22.

 

Facts about Heaven:

1.  It is the Lord's dwelling Place

Psalm 57:5 - Be thou exalted, O God, above the heavens (the first and second heavens); let Thy glory be above all the earth.

 

Isaiah 57:15 - I dwell in the high and Holy Place.

 

Psalm 102:19 - For He hath looked down from the height of His Sanctuary; from Heaven (the third heaven) did the LORD behold the earth.

 

2.  It is up

Isaiah 63:15 – [LORD] Look down from (the third) Heaven, and behold from the habitation of Thy holiness and of Thy glory.

 

3.  It is God's Home

Luke 11:2 - And He (Jesus) said unto them, When ye pray, say, Our Father which art in Heaven, Hallowed be Thy name.

 

John 14:2 – (Jesus said) In My Father's House are many mansions.

 

The door (cf. Revelation 4:1) - (a doorway into eternity) is opened into the third Heaven and it is accessible.

 

 

The second thing John observes is:

2. A Throne

Behold, a Throne

 

The Glorious Throne of God

The centerpiece of John's vision is the omnipotent God's Throne. The word throne appears at least 32 times in the book of Revelation. The Greek word thronos defines a stately potentate. The biblical usage generally represents:

1.  Power

2.  Government

3.  Honor

4.  Majesty

5.  Dominion

6.  Authority

7.  Judgment

a.  Punishment

b.  Praise - Bema Seat - victory crowns are awarded

 

Its appearance is of:

1.  Splendor

2.  Grandeur

3.  Brilliance

John's vision of the heavenly Throne is certainly not a piece of furniture as the human mind visualizes, as we will see in our next study.

 

 

Lastly, John sees:

3. Someone seated on the Throne:

 

And One sat on the Throne

 

The Godhead, the Triune God, Tri-unity, or the Trinity (not found in the Bible) is without distinction of Persons (three in one: three Persons – One God): The Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost (Spirit). They are One and of the same substance. God has revealed Himself to us, only in and through the human nature of Jesus Christ, as the only begotten Son of the Father.

1 John 5:7 - For there are three that bear record in heaven, The Father, The Word (Christ, Logos), and The Holy Ghost (Spirit): and these Three are One.

Therefore:

1.  God is seated on the Throne

Psalm 47:8 - God (Elohim – The Almighty) reigneth over the heathen: God sitteth upon the Throne of His holiness.

Note: The Hebrew word Elohim is the plural form of Eloah. It is used in Genesis 1:1 during the creation. Thus, at the very beginning, the mystery of the triune Godhead is indicated.

 

2.  Jesus is seated on the Throne

Acts 2:32-33 - This Jesus hath God raised up, whereof we all are witnesses. Therefore being by the right hand of God exalted, and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, He hath shed forth this, which ye now see and hear.

 

Hebrews 12:2 - Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; Who for the joy that was set before Him endured the Cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the Throne of God.

 

3.  The Holy Spirit is seated on The throne

2 Corinthians 3:17 - Now the Lord is that Spirit.

John 15:26; 14:26 - But when the Comforter (intercessor, advocate, paraklētos) is come, whom I (Jesus) will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit (Holy Ghost or Holy Spirit) of truth, which proceedeth (comes forth out of) from the Father,…whom the Father will send in My name, He shall teach you all things.

 

 

Extra Credit

Question:

Is not Jesus One and the same with God?

John 10:30 - I and My Father are One.

 

The distinction is this: Jesus shed His deity and put on humanity to be a blood sacrifice for the sins of mankind. The text below is one of the greatest unparalleled miraculous theological statements in the Bible regarding His first incarnation.

Philippians 2:5-11 - Christ Jesus: Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made Himself of no reputation, and took upon Him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man,

He humbled Himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Wherefore God also hath highly exalted Him, and given Him a name which is above every name: And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

NOTE: This passage should be read between ten and twenty times. Further examination and research are not only suggested but highly recommended.

 

In the next studies, the Throne's appearance and activities that transpire around the Throne of God are revealed.

 

 

QUESTIONS:

1. Why does God give us a revelation of Heaven?

2. Describe the differences between the heavens.

3. What is (are) the primary function(s) of the Throne?

4. Who is seated on the Throne?

5. How is the Trinity relative to the Throne?

6. Where is Jesus in Chapter 4?

7. What sets Jesus apart from the Godhead?

 

 

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REVELATION SIMPLIFIED

 

CHAPTER 4.1

Gleanings from the Book of Revelation:

A Weekly Verse-by-Verse Bible Study Series

 

The

REVELATION TO JOHN

(The Apocalypse)

 

Chapter Four

 

SECTION THREE

THE THINGS WHICH SHALL BE HEREAFTER

 

 

(Verse 1)

 

After this I (John) looked, and, behold, a door was opened in Heaven: and the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me; which said, Come up hither, and I will shew thee things which must be hereafter.

(Verse 2)

And immediately I was in the spirit: and, behold, a Throne was set in Heaven, and One sat on the Throne.

 

Prologue

As believers in Jesus Christ, we praise God that He died for our sins, was buried, and rose from the dead to give us eternal life and a travel guide for the future.

 

The Apostle John has been a member, one of us (cf. Revelation 1:9), and is rightly a representative of the true church [ekklēsia (Strong's G1577)]. As such, he is told by Jesus Christ to record everything (cf. Revelation 1:2, 11, 19) as a reference book for the church – His future bride (cf. Revelation 19:7).

 

During Chapters 4 through 6, we are given a clear vision of the heavenly realm, the third Heaven. This portion of the study will carefully and methodically be presented to give full assurance, excitement, and anticipation for the hereafter, to omit any doubt or confusion.

 

 

(Verse 1)

 

After this

This phrase or expression in Greek reads meta tauta meaning afterward, after those things, or hereafter. In the Ancient Greek language, the phrase in the aorist tense designates an undefined, but perfect aspect of the future.

 

Question:

After what?

Answer:

1.  After the Things Which Are (Part 2; Chapters 2 and 3)

2.  After the Laodicean Period

3.  After the Age that ends in apostasy

4.  After the Luke-warmers

5.  After the dispensational age of the church

6.  After the church has been raptured

7.  Before the beginning of the Great Tribulation period

 

You recall the church of the Laodiceans was nothing but an organization that carried the name of a so-called church. The portrayal given is one where Jesus Christ is on the outside of a church door that supposedly represents Him. But He is pictured as willingly knocking for anyone to let Him inside so that He may have dinner with them.

 

I looked, and, behold

I saw in a vision.

In John's spiritual state, he chronicles two things:

1.  What he saw

2.  What he heard

 

Behold

Another similar expression is lo, i.e., to be aware, consider, or see.

 

1. What John Saw

A door

By definition and usage, a door is a means of access or an entranceway from one place to another. The door is used four times in the Book of Revelation:

A.  A door opened to the Philadelphians (cf. Revelation 3:8)

B.  A closed door of Laodicea (cf. Revelation 3:20)

C.  A door of opportunity to eternal life (cf. Revelation 3:20)

D.  A door to the visible third Heaven (cf. Revelation 4:1)

 

During the Gospel narrative, we read Jesus Christ is the Door of the sheep (cf. John 10:7) by which everyone has access.

John 14:6 – Jesus saith unto him, I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by [through, διά dia (Strong's G1223)] Me.

 

A door was opened in Heaven

In John's spiritual state (cf. Revelation 1:10), John visibly sees an opened door in Heaven. Some translations will say a door standing open in Heaven. However, opened is in the past tense meaning it has been opened or is already opened.

 

Heaven

Heaven is a real place (as discussed in the introduction to this section). Now, John will describe its awesome beauty. By description, Heaven is the final abode of all those redeemed by the blood of God's sacrificial Lamb, Jesus Christ, and regenerated by the Holy Spirit.

 

Scripture also mentions:

1.  Jesus called Heaven His Father's House (cf. John 4:2)

2.  Jesus said, "Where I am, you will also be." (cf. John 14:3)

3.  Jesus called Heaven Paradise, denoting Heaven as a place of future happiness (cf. Luke 23:43)

 

There is a prevalent question concerning believers: Will we join our loved ones in Heaven? Aside from numerous accounts in the Old Testament, Jesus purposely revealed many answers during the Gospels.

Here are but a few to ponder:

1.   We will be recognizable

2.   We will be able to talk

3.   We will be able to be heard

Matthew 17:2-3 – And [Jesus] was transfigured before them: and His face did shine as the sun, and His raiment was white as the light. And, behold, there appeared unto them Moses and Elias (Elijah) talking with Him.

 

Acts 1:3 – To whom also He shewed Himself alive after His passion (suffering) by many infallible proofs, being seen of them forty days, and speaking of the things pertaining to the Kingdom of God.

 

4.   We will be tangible

Luke 24:39 – Behold My hands and My feet, that it is I Myself: handle (touch) Me, and see; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see Me have.

 

5.   We will be able to eat

John 21:12-13 – Jesus saith unto them, Come and dine. And none of the disciples durst ask him, Who art thou? Knowing that it was the Lord. Jesus then cometh, and taketh bread, and giveth them, and fish likewise.

 

6.   We will be able to travel

Luke 24:15 – And it came to pass, that, while they communed together and reasoned, Jesus himself drew (approached, came) near, and went (traveled, walked) with them.

 

7.   We will be like Christ

Philippians 3:20b-21a – The Lord Jesus Christ…Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto His glorious body.

 

 

2. What John Heard    

                      

And the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me

First, John saw a heavenly door. Next, he will hear a heavenly voice. John was familiar with this voice because he heard it first back in Revelation 1:10, the voice of Christ, and now again by way of simile, sounding like the brilliance of a trumpet. It speaks to John saying:

 

Come up hither (here), and I will shew thee things which must be hereafter.

 

Come up hither

A command by way of an announcement: The phrase come up here in context indicates transference from Earth to Heaven. It is not simply an invitation for John to visit the house of God, but also to show John the purposes of God.

 

I will shew thee things which must be hereafter

 

I will shew thee things

Question:

What things?

Answer:

Everything from Chapter 6 to Chapter 22.

 

Must be hereafter

Must be is an expression that indicates with certainty, an obligation from God that these things will come to pass.

Compare both verses in Scripture:

Revelation 1:19 – Write…the things which shall be hereafter.

 

Revelation 4:1 - I will shew…things which must be hereafter.

 

Be hereafter is better translated after these things. In essence, "I will show you things in the future which will take place after the things that have already transpired."

 

 

(Verse 2)

And Immediately I was in the spirit: and, behold, a Throne was set in Heaven, and One sat on the Throne.

 

 

And Immediately I was in the spirit

Interestingly, the text gives one the sense that John is instantaneously stepping into Heaven, a correct portrayal of the Rapture. Most Bible scholars also reference the Rapture at this juncture, a prefigurement of what is to take place when the church meets the Lord in the air.

 

Now, observe how Enoch and Elijah were taken:

A. Enoch

Genesis 5:24 - And Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him.

 

Hebrews 11:15- By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death; and was not found, because God had translated him: for before his translation he had this testimony, that he pleased God.

 

B. Elijah

2 Kings 2:1 – And it came to pass, when the LORD would take up Elijah into Heaven by a whirlwind, that Elijah went with Elisha from Gilgal.

 

2 Kings 2:11 - And it came to pass, as they still went on, and talked, that, behold, there appeared a chariot of fire, and horses of fire, and parted them both asunder; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into Heaven.

 

I was in the spirit

John writes that he was in the Spirit – A stark contrast to being in the flesh.

Romans 8:11 - But if the Spirit of Him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, He that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken (give life to, make alive)your mortal bodies by His Spirit that dwelleth in you.

 

1 Corinthians 2:12 - Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the [Holy] Spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God.

 

John 16:13 - Howbeit when He, the Spirit of truth, is come, He will guide you into all truth: for He shall not speak of Himself; but whatsoever He shall hear, that shall He speak: and He will shew you things to come.

 

In Paul's prayer to the Ephesians, we read:

Ephesians 3:16-18 - That He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might by His Spirit in the inner man; That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God.

 

These Scripture verses validate not only our comprehension but also the riches freely given to us through faith in Jesus Christ.

 

Question:

To what benefit are the aforementioned Scripture verses?

Answer:

As our church representative, John had spiritually matured as close to Christlikeness as any man. Thus, he was able to comprehend the deep things of God and the fullness of God. It is believed he also received the full seven-fold manifestation of the Holy Spirit and was the only person to be shown the deepest important truths in the Bible:

1.  The End Time prophecies

2.  The Marriage Supper of the Lamb

3.  The Great Tribulation Period

4.  The Battle of Armageddon

5.  The Millennial Kingdom Age

6.   The Great White Throne Judgment

7. The New Heavens and Earth

 

And, behold, a Throne was set in Heaven, and One sat on the Throne

As John is transported in the Spirit into Heaven, immediately, the first two things he recorded made him awesomely impressed:

A. The heavenly Throne of God

B. The One seated on the Throne

 

In the following studies, the revelation of the heavenly Throne in its splendor, where Jesus is and a description of the Bema Seat Judgment will be discussed.

 

 

QUESTIONS:

1.  State reasons why John was chosen to write Revelation.

2.  What is significant about Chapter 4 and verse 1?

3.  What did John hear?

4.  What did John see?

5.  What do you think Heaven will be like?

6.  How does a person become in the Spirit?

7.  What will we behold in the Spirit?

 

 

If this study was a blessing to you, make it a blessing to others.

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http://breadoflifeministriesassoc.blogspot.com/