Sunday January 20
In the Heavenly Throne Room
Starting in Revelation 4:1, Jesus invites John to come up to heaven to be shown a panoramic survey of history from his time until Christ’s return.
4:1 After this I 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 show thee things which must be hereafter.
4:2 And immediately I was in the spirit; and, behold, a throne was set in heaven, and [one] sat on the throne.
4:3 And he that sat was to look upon like a jasper and a sardine stone: and [there was] a rainbow round about the throne, in sight like unto an emerald.
4:4 And round about the throne [were] four and twenty seats: and upon the seats I saw four and twenty elders sitting, clothed in white raiment; and they had on their heads crowns of gold.
4:5 And out of the throne proceeded lightnings and thunderings and voices: and [there were] seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God.
4:6 And before the throne [there was] a sea of glass like unto crystal: and in the midst of the throne, and round about the throne, [were] four beasts full of eyes before and behind.
4:7 And the first beast [was] like a lion, and the second beast like a calf, and the third beast had a face as a man, and the fourth beast [was] like a flying eagle.
4:8 And the four beasts had each of them six wings about [him]; and [they were] full of eyes within: and they rest not day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come.
1:26 And above the firmament that [was] over their heads [was] the likeness of a throne, as the appearance of a sapphire stone: and upon the likeness of the throne [was] the likeness as the appearance of a man above upon it.
1:27 And I saw as the colour of amber, as the appearance of fire round about within it, from the appearance of his loins even upward, and from the appearance of his loins even downward, I saw as it were the appearance of fire, and it had brightness round about.
1:28 As the appearance of the bow that is in the cloud in the day of rain, so [was] the appearance of the brightness round about. This [was] the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the LORD. And when I saw [it], I fell upon my face, and I heard a voice of one that spake.
5:11 And I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne and the beasts and the elders: and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands;
5:12 Saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing.
5:13 And every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying, Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, [be] unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever.
5:14 And the four beasts said, Amen. And the four [and] twenty elders fell down and worshipped him that liveth for ever and ever.
Revelation 4:1–8, Ezekiel 1:26–28, and Revelation 5:11–14 describe heaven’s throne room. What do these verses teach us about the nature of the heavenly throne room?
The apostle looked through the open door into the heavenly temple and at the throne of God. The throne symbolizes God’s rule and governing authority over creation, while the rainbow around the throne signifies God’s faithfulness to His promises (Gen. 9:13–16; Isa. 54:9, 10). However, Satan, who usurped the dominion of this earth and is God’s adversary, has disputed divine authority. The central issue in the great controversy between God and Satan is about who has the right to rule.
Better said, is that Satan has made charges that God is unfair. He has lied about God's character and His government. It is up to us to understand the issue involved. What these charges are is the central issue involved in the great controversy between Christ and Satan. If we understand the issue, we are better able to understand the plan of salvation and the ultimate result of allowing Satan and sin to remain on this Earth for 6,000 years.
God's character has been maligned. God in His infinite wisdom has allowed this world and the entire universe to witness the result of Satan's rebellion and the cure for sin. Why? Because in order to eliminate the chance of sin every coming back into the universe, all of His creatures must see His character and the character of him who brought sin and suffering into being.
The purpose of the heavenly council that John saw gathered in the heavenly throne room was to affirm God’s rightful rule over the universe (Rev. 4:1–8, Rev. 5:11–14).
Read Revelation 4:8–11 and Revelation 5:9–14.
4:8 And the four beasts had each of them six wings about [him]; and [they were] full of eyes within: and they rest not day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come.
4:9 And when those beasts give glory and honour and thanks to him that sat on the throne, who liveth for ever and ever,
4:10 The four and twenty elders fall down before him that sat on the throne, and worship him that liveth for ever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying,
4:11 Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.
5:9 And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation;
5:10 And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.
5:11 And I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne and the beasts and the elders: and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands;
5:12 Saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing.
5:13 And every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying, Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, [be] unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever.
5:14 And the four beasts said, Amen. And the four [and] twenty elders fell down and worshipped him that liveth for ever and ever.
What can you learn about true worship in these passages? In chapter 4, why is the Lord God worthy of being worshiped, and, in Revelation 5:9–14, why is the Lamb worthy?
Revelation 4 gives a general description of the throne room in the heavenly temple and of the worship that repeatedly takes place there. While the worship in chapter 4 praises God’s creative power, chapter 5 celebrates the redemption provided by the slain Lamb. These chapters show that true worship recounts and celebrates God’s mighty acts of Creation and Redemption.
God, who created the world in six days, has the power and ability also to restore the world to its original condition and to turn it into the eternal home for His people, all of which He has promised to do.
But, does God have the power to restore man to His original character? If so, why do we not see this in the church today? Or do we? Jesus is calling the church to repentance? What does this say about His power to restore character in man to its holiness at creation? Here is a statement found in Ministry of Healing: "Our Lord Jesus Christ came to this world as the unwearied servant of man’s necessity. He “took our infirmities, and bare our sicknesses,” that He might minister to every need of humanity. Matthew 8:17. The burden of disease and wretchedness and sin He came to remove. It was His mission to bring to men complete restoration; He came to give them health and peace and perfection of character." Pg 17.
Unless we begin to not only teach correctly the gospel of grace, but to live it, the world will not see the truth in the clear light that God has designed. Now as in the days of Israel, the world sees hypocrisy in the church. As we preach "here are they that keep the commandments of God" we are not keeping God's commands. Instead, as the author of our lesson has stated, we are not walking in the light of God's law, but are in need of repentance. Sadly, many pastors do not believe conversion brings about a new life in Christ Jesus. They do not teach nor believe that when conversion takes place the Holy Spirit brings into the life all of the fruits of the Spirit, not one is missing. Thus we have the blind leading the blind and the result is that it is rare to find one who has truly been born again of the Spirit. Most are being buried alive when baptized.
Think about what the gospel teaches: the One who created not just us and our world, but the entire cosmos, also was the “Lamb who was slain” (Rev. 5:12, NKJV) for us. What amazing hope does this teaching present amid a world full of pain and turmoil?
What does the gospel teach? Many are confused because Christianity has misrepresented God and the gospel of grace. In order for the world to really appreciate the goodness of God, we need to know why God allows bad things to happen to "good" people. This is the issue at hand. We believe and know that God is love. We also know that God is omnipotent, all powerful. Then, why does He not stop the horrible things happening to little children? Satan's charges against God are supported when ever professing Christians sin. Why is this? And, why does God allow bad things to happen to "good" people? A world full of pain, when God is omnipotent and could stop it needs an answer. And, the Seventh-day Adventist Church has been given that answer. Then let us not keep it a secret. Many don't understand, therefore they turn away from God who is revealed in the Bible.
God is just who He says He is. He is worthy to be worshiped. Then, we ought to explain to a world in pain why Satan's charges are lies, and why God allows time to continue while the pain continues. What is God doing in the "throne room" that allows the suffering to continue?