The Revelation of Christ – Part 10: The Throne of God - HOFC

The Revelation of Christ – Part 10:

The Throne of God - HOFC

Pastor Bruce A. Shields

House of Faith Church | www.PS127.org | www.TruthDigest.org

Online Audio Files | HOF Church Facebook | Truth Digest Facebook

This Document is a Sermon Outline, you may hear the full audio of the actual sermon by following the link Online Audio Files located above for this, and other Full Sermon Audios.  For a complete list of Sermon Outlines, visit TruthDigest.org, or Truth Digest on facebook; for our Official Church website, visit PS127.org, or find us on facebook at House of Faith Church

SERMON INTRODUCTION

The Book of Revelation, or the Revelation of Christ, is the most difficult book in the bible.

Because of this fact, many avoid it, or ignore it all together. Some fear lack of understanding, others afraid to misinterpret, which I guess it is better to avoid than dive in and get it completely wrong.

Many times, when a new believer comes to me for direction, they want to jump right into Revelation and find out what’s to come.

This is equivalent to deciding one day to learn Mandarin and sitting down to author a novel in Chinese that very same day.

Or, a kindergartener learning how to count, and then trying to calculate quantum mechanics calculations.

The words in Revelation have caused much debate on rapture, judgement, even some who claim John was writing about the events in his day in code rather than Jesus Christ revealing to him about the coming events and Judgment.

A special blessing is promised to those who read Revelation.

Although it may be a difficult book, we could all use a special blessing, reading this is good for us all, and with the help of the Holy Spirit, we will take the Revelation of Christ in small portions and gain understanding, little by little.

 

SERMON SERIES

THE THINGS WHICH ARE – The Church Age (Age of Grace)

Part 3 – Ephesus The Backsliding Church

Part 4 – Smyrna The Steadfast Church

Part 5 – Pergamos The Immoral Church

Part 6 – Thyatira The Careless Pagan Church

Part 7 – Sardis The Spiritless Church

Part 8 – Philadelphia The Favored Church

Part 9 – Laodicea The Church God Hates

THE THINGS WHICH SHALL BE – The Coming Judgment

Part 10 – The Throne of God

Part 11 – The Living Creatures (Various Angels)

Part 12 – Heavenly Worship (As it is in Heaven)

Part 13 – The Sealed Book (Various Books)

Part 14 – The Lion and the Lamb

Part 15 – The First 6 Seals

Part 16 – The 144,000 Jews

Part 17 – The Tribulation Saints

Part 18 – The Seventh Seal

Part 19 – The First 4 Trumpets

Part 20 – The 5th Trumpet

Part 21 – The 6th Trumpet

Part 22 – The Mighty Angel

Part 23 – The Two Witnesses

Part 24 – The Seventh Trumpet

Part 25 – The Woman and the Dragon

Part 26 – Manchild

Part 27 – Michael

Part 28 – Overcomers

Part 29 – Persecution

Part 30 – Antichrist

Part 31 – The Lamb

More sermons in the series listed in Part 1

TODAY’S SERMON - THE THINGS WHICH SHALL BE – The Coming Judgment

Part 10 – The Throne of God

SCRIPTURE READING

Revelation 4

“After this I looked, and there before me was a door standing open in heaven. And the voice I had first heard speaking to me like a trumpet said, “Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this.” ² At once I was in the Spirit, and there before me was a throne in heaven with someone sitting on it. ³ And the one who sat there had the appearance of jasper and ruby. A rainbow that shone like an emerald encircled the throne. ⁴ Surrounding the throne were twenty-four other thrones, and seated on them were twenty-four elders. They were dressed in white and had crowns of gold on their heads. ⁵ From the throne came flashes of lightning, rumblings and peals of thunder. In front of the throne, seven lamps were blazing. These are the seven spirits of God. ⁶ Also in front of the throne there was what looked like a sea of glass, clear as crystal.

In the center, around the throne, were four living creatures, and they were covered with eyes, in front and in back. ⁷ The first living creature was like a lion, the second was like an ox, the third had a face like a man, the fourth was like a flying eagle. ⁸ Each of the four living creatures had six wings and was covered with eyes all around, even under its wings. Day and night they never stop saying:

“‘Holy, holy, holy

is the Lord God Almighty,’

who was, and is, and is to come.”

⁹ Whenever the living creatures give glory, honor and thanks to him who sits on the throne and who lives for ever and ever, ¹⁰ the twenty-four elders fall down before him who sits on the throne and worship him who lives for ever and ever. They lay their crowns before the throne and say:

¹¹ “You are worthy, our Lord and God,
    to receive glory and honor and power,
for you created all things,
    and by your will they were created
    and have their being.”

          I.      INTRODUCTION

a.   After this

                                     i.   The things that were (Jesus established as Head of Church)

                                    ii.   The things which are (the seven church ages, now in Laodicea, the lukewarm church God despises)

b.   A door standing open in heaven

                                     i.   The door Jesus stands at and knocks in previous verses

                                    ii.   If ANYONE hears His voice and lets Him in, they can have a relationship with Him

                                   iii.   Doors the Lord opens, no one can shut, and doors the Lord closes, no one can open.

                                   iv.   John hears “the voice I had first heard speaking to me like a trumpet…”

1.   This is no longer the angel relaying the Lord’s words to him, but the Lord Himself speaking now.

2.   “Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this.”

a.   “After this”

                                                                                                 i.    The things that were (Jesus established as Head of Church)

                                                                                                ii.    The things which are (the seven church ages, now in Laodicea, the lukewarm church God despises)

c.   At once I was in the spirit

                                     i.   When the Lord calls you, you go in the Spirit

1.   Some say this was a vision

2.   Some say John was taken to heaven to “see”

3.   I believe the Lord actually teleported John to the future to see as the scriptures say, “What WILL be.”

                                    ii.   Can one be “teleported”?

1.   Acts 8:26-40 Philip led an Ethiopian eunuch to faith in Christ. After the eunuch was baptized, “the Spirit of the Lord suddenly took Philip away, and the eunuch did not see him again, but went on his way rejoicing. Philip, however, appeared at Azotus” (verses 39–40).

2.   Genesis 5:24 (Hebrews 11:5) “Enoch walked faithfully with God; then he was no more, because God took him away.”

3.   2 Kings 2:11 “As they were walking along and talking together, suddenly a chariot of fire and horses of fire appeared and separated the two of them, and Elijah went up to heaven in a whirlwind.”

a.   I believe Enoch and Elijah are the two witnesses in the end time tribulation.

b.   I believe God teleported them into the future to be the two witnesses. To those on earth, in this dimension limited by time, it takes thousands of years for them to reappear, however, to them, they are instantly taken to the Tribulation by God.

4.   Why do I believe this?

a.   Hebrews 9:27 “And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:”

b.   Neither Elijah nor Enoch have died

c.   Revelation 11:7 “Now when they have finished their testimony, the beast that comes up from the Abyss will attack them, and overpower and kill them.”

d.   God then raises them from the dead after their lifeless bodies lay in the street for 3 ½ days

                                   iii.   This is the reason I believe God also took John’s spirit into the future to actually “see” as the Lord says, “what WILL BE”

                                   iv.   I don’t believe this is a vision, but a skip through time to see the actual events unfolding before his eyes.

         II.      THE THRONE

a.   There before me was a throne in heaven with someone on it

                                     i.   The one who sat there had the appearance of jasper and ruby

1.   Jasper is the last of the stones in the High-priests breastplate

a.   Jesus was the LAST High priest

2.   Jasper is the FIRST of the 12 stones in the foundation of the NEW JERUSALEM

a.   Everything is built upon HIM

b.   He is the Cornerstone!

                                    ii.   Ruby should be “sardine” LIT

1.   The Sardine stone is a blood red color

2.   Symbolic of the Lord’s blood atonement

3.   It was the FIRST stone in the High-Priests breastplate

4.   Symbolizing God’s plan for salvation from the START with the atonement of Christs blood!

                                   iii.   “A rainbow shown like an emerald encircled the throne”

1.   The rainbow is a sign of God’s covenant

2.   Genesis 9:8-16 “Then God said to Noah and to his sons with him: 9 “I now establish my covenant with you and with your descendants after you 10 and with every living creature that was with you—the birds, the livestock and all the wild animals, all those that came out of the ark with you—every living creature on earth. 11 I establish my covenant with you: Never again will all life be destroyed by the waters of a flood; never again will there be a flood to destroy the earth.”

12 And God said, “This is the sign of the covenant I am making between me and you and every living creature with you, a covenant for all generations to come: 13 I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth. 14 Whenever I bring clouds over the earth and the rainbow appears in the clouds, 15 I will remember my covenant between me and you and all living creatures of every kind. Never again will the waters become a flood to destroy all life. 16 Whenever the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and all living creatures of every kind on the earth.”

b.   Surrounding the Throne

                                     i.   Were 24 thrones

                                    ii.   And 24 elders were seated

1.   They represent the 12 tribes of the old covenant and the 12 apostles of the new covenant

2.   In other words, they represent ALL THE PEOPLES who truly follow and serve the Lord

                                   iii.   They were dressed in white garments (the covering received by the Lord)

                                   iv.   They had crowns of gold (Kingdom authority given to them by the Lord)

1.   I believe the crowns represent the authority in our lives

2.   Choice, free-will

3.   We have this authority…we can choose how we wish

4.   At the end of the verses here, we see that those who truly follow the Lord surrender their crowns, their authority over their lives to the Lord, who is worthy to receive honor, glory, and is fully able to lead us!

c.   From the Throne

                                     i.   “Came flashes of lightning and rumblings and peals of thunder”

d.   In front of the Throne

                                     i.   “Seven lamps were blazing. These are the seven spirits of God”

1.   Seven symbolic of perfection

2.   Lamps “blazing” implying the 7-ages of the church were all given equal amounts of the Spirit

3.   We know from the seven letters that they did not all keep in step with the Spirit as they should have, as they were all equally able to!

                                    ii.   Before John was what appeared to be a sea of glass, clear as crystal.

1.   This may have been John’s only way to explain he was able to clearly see the events which were about to unfold beneath him

2.   Floating or flying would have been too difficult to explain, or perhaps there was a solid glass floor perfectly clear he stood upon?

        III.      THE CREATURES

a.   In the center of the Throne 4-living creatures

                                     i.   They were not statues; he mentions they are alive because they are like nothing he has ever witnessed before.

                                    ii.   They were covered with eyes in front and back

                                   iii.   The first looked like a lion

                                   iv.   The second like an ox

                                    v.   The had the face of a man

                                   vi.   And the fourth a flying eagle

1.   Although literal creatures, they were still symbolic

2.   Much like the Cherubim’s in Ezekiel 1:6, 8 we read that EACH of the 4 creatures had the four faces and four wings, but these Seraphim’s each had one face and six wings.)

                                  vii.   The Lion represents the Lord’s Kingship

                                 viii.   The ox, the Lord’s sacrifice

                                   ix.   The man, how the Lord came as Jesus

                                    x.   And the flying eagle representing the Lord as God

                                   xi.   Each had six wings with eyes all over them even underneath.

b.   Whenever the creatures gave glory

                                     i.   Day and night the four creatures never stop saying

1.   Holy, holy, holy

2.   Is the Lord God Almighty (Isaiah 6:3 when Isaiah described these Seraphim’s)

3.   Who was, and is, and is to come

                                    ii.   Whenever these Seraphim’s gave glory, honor and thanks to Him who sits on the Throne and who lives forever and ever, the 24-elders fall down before Him and worship Him.

1.   The 24 elders represent the 12 trines of the old testament and the 12 apostles of the new or in other words, ALL those throughout earth’s timeline who follow the Lord.

c.   After laying their crowns down before the Throne

CONCLUSION –

And say, “You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power for you created all things and by your will they were created and have their being.”

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