Revelation
3:22 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.
This is
the last admonition to the last church in the series of seven churches to whom
Jesus wrote concerning their state of faith and conduct.
To
summarize, the seven churches were greeted and admonished with different
doxologies and benedictions.
The
addresses of the letters were clearly made, such as to the church of Ephesus,
the church of Smyrna, and so on. There is no ambiguity in that respect. Jesus also identifies himself in seven
different ways, namely,
In each of
these greetings, Jesus identifies himself with the attributes of the Godhead,
thereby confirming his deity and being equal and consubstantial with the
Father.
Two
principles of organization dictate the order in which the seven churches are
addressed. On the one hand, the order is simply geographical: the letters come
in the order of the route to be followed by a courier bearing this precious
message from Ephesus, the closest major city to Patmos, northward along the
coast through Smyrna to Pergamum, and then turning inland to Thyatira and
proceeding southward on the interior road network through Sardis and
Philadelphia to Loadicea. On the other hand, the order also reflects a thematic
arrangement. This thematic organization
is signaled by the reversal of the order of the summons to hear and the promise
to the victor beginning with the middle letter in the seven, the letter
addressed to Thyatira. The letters are
grouped in two triads, with the longest of the seven, Thyatira, serving as the
hinge between the triads. In the first
triad (Ephesus, Smyrna and Pergamum) the summons to hear precedes the
promise to the victor; in the central letter (Thyatira) and the second triad
(Sardis, Philadelphia, Laodicea) the order of these two elements is
reversed.
Within
each triad the central letter (Smyrna, Philadelphia) contains commendation
without rebuke, reference to opposition from those who falsely claim to be
Jews, and the promise of a crown. The opening and closing letters of the second
triad (Sardis, Laodicea) are those in which the dominant tone is rebuke.
The
variation of content from one letter to the next shows that Jesus knows the
diverse situations of his congregations, but the call to hear what the Spirit
says to the churches shows the unity of the church throughout the world.[1]
It is
interesting to note that all the churches are summoned to hear what the
Spirit says. It is not by accident that
Jesus emphasizes the 'hearing' function because it is by hearing that we
acquire faith.
Let's
briefly look at the different promises that Jesus promised to those who
overcome and we, too, should consider these promises as timeless and applicable
to all those who overcome.
There is a
specific order to the promises that match Salvation History and they are also
arranged in two distinct phases, namely, those blessings and privileges that
were lost by sin and those blessings and privileges that are to come.
The first
three promises deal with the restoration of that which had been lost:
Hosea 13:14 "I will ransom them from the power of the grave;
I will redeem them from death. Where, O death, are your plagues? Where, O
grave, is your destruction? "I will have no compassion.
Luke 16:23 In hell, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw
Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side.
I Corinthians 15:54 - 57 When the perishable has been clothed with
the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is
written will come true: "Death has been swallowed up in victory." 55"Where,
O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting? 56The sting
of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. 57But thanks be to
God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
The
following four promises deal mainly with that which is to come:
The seven
churches of Asia belong to their first-century setting, but they are also case
studies in the conflict that conforms all churches in all the world at all
times. Their specific struggles in their time and place - institutionalized
worship of the state through the cult of the emperor, pluralistic relativism of
pagan polytheism, economic pressures to religious compromise in trade guilds,
social ostracism and random harassment from pagan and Jewish quarters, love
lost amid theological conflict and external adversity, complacency amid
accommodation and affluence - are symptomatic of the strategies by which the
enemy continues to assault the church.
These forces will be pictured in horrifying vividness in the visions to
come: a many-headed dragon summoning from the sea a many-headed monster; a
second monster emerging from the land to deceive and coerce earth's
inhabitants; and a harlot decked out in luxury and drunk on the blood of Jesus'
martyrs.
The church
under attack needs not only to see the splendor of our King but also to hear
his imperial edicts, assuring us that he knows our situation, probing and
exposing our subtle alliances with the enemy, and lifting our sights to the
city that is the destination of our pilgrimage. Not only does Jesus walk among
the churches, but also he is coming to the churches - in two senses. To some he threatens a coming that will
intrude into their present life in history with severe mercy and loving
discipline. If they will not repent, he
will come to remove a church's candlestick or to wage war against the
Nicolaitans.
These
comings, which occur through Christ's providential rule and the Spirit's work,
are real visitations by the risen Lord with real effects in the church's life
and witness in the world, even though they are not that final coming in which
'every eye will see Him, even those who pierced Him.' (Rev. 1:7).
To other
churches Jesus' promised coming is that bodily, glorious appearance from heaven
that will bring the church's life and witness in the world to a climax. That will be an arrival so public that none
can ignore it. The promise of this coming
must motivate the faithful to hold fast what they have 'until I come.'
Though
distinct in timing and visibility from each other, Jesus' providential comings
in history and his final coming at the end of history are related. His comings
to purify his church foreshadow his coming to purge his creation of all who
defile it.
Jesus' final
promise to the victor reminds us that he is the Victor par excellence of the
dragon, when he promises those who overcome to sit with him on his throne at
the right hand of the Father. The conflict in which these churches are engaged
is so severe that our only hope of victory is the presence of Jesus the Victor.
Revelation
4:1 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."
In chapter
1:19, Jesus commanded the apostle John to write what he sees. Now, again he is
about to embark upon a journey, which will take him to the throne of God, the
centerpiece of all of history. The door
standing open in heaving is a very limited opening through which John must go
to enter the kingdom of God and to start this journey.
John saw
and heard Jesus' admonitions, promises and rebukes to the seven churches,
giving him a first-hand account of the "things that are." Now the focus shifts to the future of the
church and the forces that assault her.
The opened
door and heavenly call initiate John's summons as prophet to enter the council
chamber of the King of Kings, to hear his plans and purposes and then to bring
his message to his people.
God only
reveals his will to his prophets to relate to his people.
Amos 3:7 Surely the Sovereign LORD does nothing without revealing
his plan to his servants the prophets.
Isaiah 6:6 - 8 Then one of the seraphs flew to me with a live coal
in his hand, which he had taken with tongs from the altar. 7With it
he touched my mouth and said, "See, this has touched your lips; your guilt
is taken away and your sin atoned for." 8Then I heard the voice
of the Lord saying, "Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?" And
I said, "Here am I. Send me!"
Ezekiel 2:1 - 3 He said to me, "Son of man, stand up on your
feet and I will speak to you." 2As he spoke, the Spirit came
into me and raised me to my feet, and I heard him speaking to me. 3He
said: "Son of man, I am sending you to the Israelites…"
Hebrews 1:1, 2 In the past
God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various
ways, 2but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom
he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he made the universe.
Numbers 12:6 He said, "Listen to my words: "When a
prophet of the LORD is among you, I reveal myself to him in visions, I speak to
him in dreams."
Luke 24:27 And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained
to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself.
II Peter 1:20, 21 Above all, you must understand that no prophecy
of Scripture came about by the prophet's own interpretation, 21for
prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as
they were carried along by the Holy Spirit
The
purpose of quoting these passages from Scripture here is to illustrate that
what the apostle John is about to see would be visions of the past and future
and what's happening in the spiritual realm. When we read the accounts of the
book of Revelation, we must remember that John was taken up in the spirit to
witness what he saw. Revealing to John the future through visions is consistent
with Scripture. John's vision blends
features from those ancient prophet's visions. Subsequent openings of heaven
(Rev. 19:11) and of God's sanctuary in heaven (Rev. 11:19; 15:55) open new
visionary 'scenes.'
Revelation
4:1 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."
The
trumpetlike voice that calls John is the one he had heard at first, commanding
him to write to the seven churches as we have studied before. It is the voice of the Son of Man whose
invincible call catches John up into prophetic vision, making visible to him
God's throne room in heaven.
Revelation
4:1 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."
Jesus
invites John to "come up here," which is to ascend into heaven to
witness what must take place after this. What John was about to witness was clearly not on earth or outside
of the spiritual realm, but was in heaven and hidden in God's counsel.
Revelation
4:2 At once I was in the Spirit, and there before me was a throne in
heaven with someone sitting on it.
The
apostle could not resist Jesus' call to "come up here" and he was
instantly taken up into heaven in the Spirit.
As in the first vision John first saw lampstands and then, walking among
them, "one like a son of man," so now John first sees a throne set in
heaven, and then One sitting on it.
This order - the description of the throne, then the disclosure of its
occupant - echoes Daniel's vision of the Ancient of Days (Daniel 7:9) and will
be repeated in the vision of the martyrs' thousand-year reign, which we will
study later. This first glimpse of the
royal throne shows that the prophet stands before the Sovereign who has the
right and the power to achieve his purposes.
Revelation
4:3 And the one who sat there had the appearance of jasper and carnelian. A
rainbow, resembling an emerald, encircled the throne.
The
visions that John is witnessing are not a full disclosure of what the heavenly
throne is or what the surrounding features in heaven are like, to prevent John
from seeing forbidden images. Even God's
appearance is shown to John by simile so that he might not see the real form
and substance of the heavenly realm. This is to prevent man from making idols
of the images and thus committing a grievous sin by not worshipping God but the
things that surround him.
Deuteronomy 4:15 - 20 You saw no form of any kind the day the LORD
spoke to you at Horeb out of the fire. Therefore watch yourselves very
carefully, 16so that you do not become corrupt and make for
yourselves an idol, an image of any shape, whether formed like a man or a
woman, 17or like any animal on earth or any bird that flies in the
air, 18or like any creature that moves along the ground or any fish
in the waters below. 19And when you look up to the sky and see the
sun, the moon and the stars--all the heavenly array--do not be enticed into
bowing down to them and worshiping things the LORD your God has apportioned to
all the nations under heaven. 20But as for you, the LORD took you
and brought you out of the iron-smelting furnace, out of Egypt, to be the
people of his inheritance, as you now are.
Ezekiel 1:26 - 28 Above the expanse over their heads was what
looked like a throne of sapphire, and high above on the throne was a figure
like that of a man. 27I saw that from what appeared to be his waist
up he looked like glowing metal, as if full of fire, and that from there down
he looked like fire; and brilliant light surrounded him. 28Like the
appearance of a rainbow in the clouds on a rainy day, so was the radiance
around him. This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the LORD.
When I saw it, I fell facedown, and I heard the voice of one speaking.
Through
the eyes of the prophets, and through John's eyes, we see no features but only
color and texture, similes of the spiritual realm so that we may focus our eyes
on the object of the message and not on things that may endanger us and lead us
astray.
That is
why John saw that the One sitting on the throne had the appearance of jasper
and carnelian. John saw a rainbow
encircling the throne but this, too, he had to qualify, as if he were not sure
what exactly it is that he saw and to the best of his ability he said that it
resembles an emerald. The purpose is to
relate to us the awesome, the majesty, the radiance and the power of God and not
the furniture and fixtures, lest we cling to those things that cannot bring us
anything.
Carnelian is also called Sardius, which is pale to deep red or reddish-brown variety of clear chalcedony, a quartz stone with distinctive microscopic crystals arranged in slender fibers in parallel bands. The Sardius stone also appears among the twelve foundation stones of the new Jerusalem in Revelation 22:20.
The emerald-green rainbow surrounding the throne replicates a feature of Ezekiel's opening vision of the Lord on his throne, borne by four living beings (Ezekiel 1:28). Emanating from the throne, as when the Lord's cloud-veiled court descended to ancient Sinai, were flashes of lightning, voices, and thunders. (Rev 4:4; Exodus 19:16).
The rainbow symbolizes God's covenant with the earth (Genesis 9:13) and is here represented in a green color. The colors have a symbolic significance: Jasper indicates the glory of God, carnelian indicates life, and emerald the mercy and faithfulness of God.
Before the throne burned seven lamps, the seven Spirits of God, symbolizing the fullness of the Spirit's presence with the Father and, spreading from its foot, a sea of glass-like crystal (Rev. 4:5-6).
This sea, which shows the peaceful purity of God's sanctuary, appeared in various forms to earlier prophets. To Moses, Aaron, Aaron's sons, and Israel's elders, called up to Sinai to dine with God, it appeared as "a pavement of sapphire, as clear as the sky itself." (Exodus 24:10). Ezekiel saw "an expanse, like the awesome gleam of crystal" beneath the Lord's throne (Ezekiel 1:22, 26). This sea will reappear as the transparent pavement on which the martyrs stand to celebrate God's victory (Rev. 15:2). This heavenly sea, so tranquil it seems to be glass, contrasts sharply with the earthly sea, a region of chaos and rebellion identified with the abyss from which the beast emerges to wage war against the saints (11:7; 13:1). That earthly sea, source and symbol of satanic chaos, is destined for destruction with the passing of the first heaven and earth (21:1), but the clarity and purity of the crystalline pavement beneath God's feet will permeate the New Jerusalem (21:11, 18). John's vision of the enthroned One leaves the impression of radiant light and vibrant color, without definition of details.
Revelation 4:4 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.
The 24
elders, distinct from the angels sit on 24 thrones around the throne of God,
from where they receive their glory and authority. They actively represent the
whole congregation of the elect of Christ of all time. They are dressed in white and are crowned
with gold. The number twenty-four seems to have been symbolically significant
to John and the Asian churches, although scholars today disagree as to the
importance thereof. It could reflect
the 24 orders of priests and 24 orders of singers in the Old Testament temple,
since they worship in God's heavenly sanctuary. (1 Chronicles 24:7 - 19;
25:6-31)/ Or they may foreshadow the two sets of twelve in the New Jerusalem:
twelve gates of pearl, bearing the name of Israel's tribes (21:12, 21) and
twelve foundation stones, bearing the names of the Lamb's apostles (21:14,
19-20). Thus the elders are sometimes
understood as a portrait of the whole church, under old the covenant and the
new. This identification is problematic, however, since the elders function, as
do the angels, elsewhere, as agents of revelation and explanation to John (5:5;
7:13-14). They speak as third-party observers of the church's redemption,
singing together with the four living creatures.
Revelation 4:9 - 11 Whenever the living creatures give glory,
honor and thanks to him who sits on the throne and who lives for ever and ever.
10The 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."
Revelation 5:5 Then one of the elders said to me, "Do not
weep! See, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has triumphed. He
is able to open the scroll and its seven seals."
Revelation 5:8 - 10 And when he had taken it, the four living
creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb. Each one had a
harp and they were holding golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of
the saints. 9And they sang a new song: "You are worthy to take
the scroll and to open its seals, because you were slain, and with your blood
you purchased men for God from every tribe and language and people and nation. 10You
have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God, and they will
reign on the earth."
Revelation 7:13 - 15 Then one of the elders asked me, "These
in white robes--who are they, and where did they come from?" 14I
answered, "Sir, you know." And he said, "These are they who have
come out of the great tribulation; they have washed their robes and made them
white in the blood of the Lamb. 15Therefore, "they are before
the throne of God and serve him day and night in his temple; and he who sits on
the throne will spread his tent over them."
Revelation 11:16 And the twenty-four elders, who were seated on
their thrones before God, fell on their faces and worshiped God, 17saying:
"We give thanks to you, Lord God Almighty, the One who is and who was,
because you have taken your great power and have begun to reign.
Revelation 14:3 And they sang a new song before the throne and
before the four living creatures and the elders. No one could learn the song
except the 144,000 who had been redeemed from the earth.
The elders
are, therefore, the council of the Lord's heavenly servants with active duties
rather than a mere symbolic representation of the church, militant or
triumphant.
Their
white robes indicate their righteousness and holiness, as their crowns signify
their victory, which are reserved for those who overcome.
Revelation
4:5 From the throne came flashes of lightning, rumblings and peals of
thunder. Before the throne, seven lamps were blazing. These are the seven
spirits of God.
These
flashes of lightning, rumblings and peals of thunder, which should strike fear
into anyone approaching the Lord's throne, illustrate the awesome glory and
power of God.
Exodus 19:16 - 19 On the
morning of the third day there was thunder and lightning, with a thick cloud
over the mountain, and a very loud trumpet blast. Everyone in the camp
trembled. 18When the people saw the thunder and lightning and heard
the trumpet and saw the mountain in smoke, they trembled with fear. They stayed
at a distance 19and said to Moses, "Speak to us yourself and we
will listen. But do not have God speak to us or we will die."
Job 37:4, 5 After that comes the sound of his roar; he thunders
with his majestic voice. When his voice resounds, he holds nothing back. 5God's
voice thunders in marvelous ways; he does great things beyond our
understanding.
Revelation
4:5 From the throne came flashes of lightning, rumblings and peals of thunder.
Before the throne, seven lamps were blazing. These are the seven spirits of
God.
The seven
lamps are more like lamps of fire representing God's holiness that consumes the
ungodliness of the wicked, but also shine upon the saints. The seven spirits of God represents the
complete and efficient presence of the Holy Spirit before the throne of God,
cleansing everything with fire that should approach the throne.
Revelation
4:6 Also before 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.
This image
reminds us of the huge laver used in the temple as described in I Kings 7:23.
I Kings
7:23 He made the Sea of cast metal,
circular in shape, measuring ten cubits from rim to rim and five cubits high.
It took a line of thirty cubits to measure around it.
In the tabernacle
was no such vessel; the laver served the double purpose of washing the hands
and feet of the priests as well as the parts of the sacrifices. But in the
temple there were separate vessels provided for these offices. The molten sea
was an immense semicircular vase, measuring seventeen and a half feet in
diameter, and being eight and three-fourths feet in depth. This, at three and a
half inches in thickness, could not weigh less than from twenty-five to thirty
tons in one solid casting--and held from sixteen thousand to twenty thousand
gallons of water. Lily work or flowers and oxen were carved or cut on the
outside all round, to the number of three hundred; and it stood on a pedestal
of twelve oxen. These oxen must have been of considerable size, like the
Assyrian bulls, so that their corresponding legs would give thickness or
strength to support so great a weight for, when the vessel was filled with
water, the whole weight would be about one hundred tons.
This laver
is referred to as the Sea and represents the cleansing blood of the Lamb as
well as the wrath of God and his just justice, which in heaven is as
transparent as glass.
Revelation 15:2 And I saw what looked like a sea of glass mixed
with fire and, standing beside the sea, those who had been victorious over the
beast and his image and over the number of his name…
Revelation
4:6 Also before 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.
The four
living creatures seen by John share characteristics of the four living
creatures that Ezekiel saw bearing the throne of God, but they also resemble
the seraphim in Isaiah's temple vision of the Lord on his throne.
Isaiah 6:2, 3 Above him were seraphs, each with six wings: With
two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with
two they were flying. 3And they were calling to one another:
"Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty; the whole earth is full of his
glory."
There
essence is life; they are alert to praise and glorify God and to execute his
judgments.
Revelation 15:7 Then one of the four living creatures gave to the
seven angels seven golden bowls filled with the wrath of God, who lives for
ever and ever.
Their eyes
indicate that they are alert and able to see in all directions to protect the
holiness of God in heaven and on earth.
Revelation
4:7 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.
Each of
the four living creatures in Ezekiel's vision had four faces, that of a man, a
lion, a young bull, and an eagle, whereas in John's vision the living creatures
have one face each, a lion, a young bull, a man, and an eagle.