Last week we finished up with the final letter to the seven churches, which brought us to the end also of the second category given in Revelation 1:19 where Jesus tells John to “Write therefore the things that you have seen, those that are and those that are to take place after this.” This brings us to an end of the things that are, which is the church age. This is where we stand now in history and the time is very near for us to enter into the reality of chapter 4 and the beginning of the things that are to take place after this.

Before we move on, I would like to take a moment to just mediate on how very close we are to this by looking briefly back on history. We do not know exactly when Christ will return. We cannot set a date, but we can know the season by keeping watch. It is much like a pregnant woman about to give birth. She does not know the day or the hour, unless in today’s age she is being induced before her time to give birth or scheduled for a c-section. If she gives normal birth, she only knows the signs that giving birth is close and imminent so she prepares herself. In the same way, we should be preparing ourselves for Christ’s imminent return for us when he will return for us and we will be with him forevermore.

In the Bible there are 2000 years between Adam and Abraham and another 2000 years between Abraham and Christ and another 2000 years between Christ and us. If you would sketch it out it might look something like this.

Day 1	Day 2	Day 3	Day 4	Day 5	Day 6	Day 7
4000 BC	3000 BC	2000 BC	1000 BC	1000 AD	2000 AD	Millennium
Adam		Abraham		Christ		RULES
Lawlessness		Law – Israel		Grace – Church Age		Sabbath

From looking at this and the Jewish Calendar we can see that the time is very near indeed and also from just looking at the world around us and comparing it to Paul’s warning of what the world will look like in the last days.

Godlessness in the Last Days

But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty.  For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people. (2 Tim. 3:1-5)

 The Return of Christ

 “From the fig tree learn its lesson: as soon as its branch becomes tender and puts out its leaves, you know that summer is near. So also, when you see all these things, you know that he is near, at the very gates. Truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away. “But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only. For as were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, and they were unaware until the flood came and swept them all away, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.  Then two men will be in the field; one will be taken and one left. Two women will be grinding at the mill; one will be taken and one left. Therefore, stay awake, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming. But know this, that if the master of the house had known in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and would not have let his house be broken into. Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect. (Matt. 24:32-44

 So what should be our response? Preparation. Put some oil in your lamp. In other words, seek to be filled with the Holy Spirit every day. Stay awake. Keep working. Keep watching. Practice Godliness. Blow the trumpet to those around you and act like an alarm clock to your friends and family, telling them to wake up and get ready.

Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you—unless, of course, you fail the test? (2 Cor. 13:5)

We talked at the beginning of these letters about preparing ourselves for this great exam, this great review that Christ would be giving us as he walked among the churches looking at our strengths and weaknesses and we talked about how frightening such exams can be but also how they are an act of grace because Christ is giving us an opportunity while we are still in this age, the things that are, to repent, to change our future if we would only listen to what the Spirit has to say to the churches and combine it with faith.

Therefore, since the promise of entering his rest still stands, let us be careful that none of you be found to have fallen short of it. For we also have had the good news proclaimed to us, just as they did; but the message they heard was of no value to them, because they did not share the faith of those who obeyed. (Heb. 4:1-2)

I wish there was some objective test you could take to see if you were really in the faith or not. If there were I would be passing it out right now and have everyone answer it to see how they stand before God before they stand before God. I myself would take it, because I too would want to know what Christ sees when he exams me. What I need to work on. Not so much what he would commend me for unless I might grow prideful but what areas do I need to work on most diligently in my obedience to him. That’s what spending time in the word does. God’s word does exam us if we live in this book, so that our names will be written in the Book of Life.

There are so many Christian’s today who are fooled into believing they are saved and ok with God when in reality they have no relationship with God and if they would only take a minute to exam themselves and think about their relationship with God they could easily see that but they willingly suppress the truth and deceive themselves. Their whole exam would consist on the answer of one question.

(1)    Do you believe that Jesus is the Son of God? (Y) (N)

That’s a good question and confession. It probably is the first question to get started with it but not the question to end with for even the demons confessed that Jesus was the Son of God.

And whenever the unclean spirits saw him, they fell down before him and cried out, “You are the Son of God.” (Mark 3:11)

Or remember James 2:19:

You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder. (James 2:19)

It is easy to mentally assent to the confession of Christ as being Lord but to have a heart that rebels against him. I don’t know of a good exam to give you but here are some additional questions to examine yourself with in order to see where you stand with God. It’s by no means a perfect exam but it will help point you towards God.

(1)    Who are you following? Are you following Jesus?

1. a.      “This is how we know we are in him: Whoever claims to live in him must live as Jesus did. “(1 John 2:5-6)
2. b.      Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be. My Father will honor the one who serves me. (John 12:26)

(2)    Have you traded lives with Jesus? Whose life are you living yours or his? (This means you are doing a lot of stuff that you don’t want to do and you can never say, “This is my life.”)

1. a.      For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me and for the gospel will save it. (Mark 8:35)

(3)    Do you have the Holy Spirit living within you, leading, convicting and comforting you?

1. a.      The one who keeps God’s commands lives in him, and he in them. And this is how we know that he lives in us: We know it by the Spirit he gave us. (1 John 3:24)
2. For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God…The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children.  (Rom. 8:14,16)

(4)    Do you love God and is your love for him growing daily? Where is your treasure?

1.  “Anyone who loves their father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves their son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. (Matt. 10:37)
2. Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him (1 John 2:15)

(5)    Do you love others and are you growing in love for others?

1. a.      This is how we know who the children of God are and who the children of the devil are: Anyone who does not do what is right is not God’s child, nor is anyone who does not love their brother and sister. (1 John 3:10)
2. b.      Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen. (1 John 4:20)

(6)    Do you strive to obey God and to keep his commands?

1. a.      This is how we know that we love the children of God: by loving God and carrying out his commands. (1 John 5:2)
2. b.      Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me. The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love them and show myself to them.” (John 14:21…23)

(7)    Do you have a new relationship with sin because of your love for God?

1. a.       All who have this hope in him purify themselves, just as he is pure. (1 John 3:3)
2. b.      No one who abides in him keeps on sinning; no one who keeps on sinning has either seen him or known him. Little children, let no one deceive you. Whoever practices righteousness is righteous, as he is righteous. Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil. No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God’s seed abides in him, and he cannot keep on sinning because he has been born of God. By this it is evident who are the children of God, and who are the children of the devil: whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is the one who does not love his brother. (John 3:6-10)

The epistle of 1 John is a great letter to read to test yourself to see if you are in the faith. The very reason it was written was so that you might know you have eternal life. (1 John 5:13) It’s very popular today to encourage others in their assurance of their faith and to make them feel good. Sometimes we assure people to fast. I would rather shake people. I would rather cause you to question your faith, try and make you doubt if I am able. If I shake a Christian, I find he will only cling closer to God and his assurance will only grow stronger despite the heart searching questions I might ask. She will respond: “Yes, I love God more than life. O how I hate my sin. I do have a new relationship with sin! I can’t stand this sin, O please Lord, rescue me from this sin! How I love the Holy Spirit and his sweet fellowship, do not take your Holy Spirit away from me!   How I wish I could love others more! I know this is a weakness but tomorrow by God’s grace I will have an opportunity to practice loving this person more. Lord help me to love this person!” On the other hand, a person who is lost but thinks he is a Christian will respond much more coldly in his heart. He is more apathetic showing little emotion, little concern and interest. She may be day dreaming about this time about the busyness of tomorrow or what she has to do this evening when she gets home or playing reruns in her mind. She might quickly run through this list and think such thoughts as: “I go to church or I would go to church if I could as soon as I have time. There are other priorities in my life but I give God what time I have leftover. Sure I love God. I try to obey him. I sin but who doesn’t? I’m not perfect. I’m doing better then so and so over there so I don’t have anything to worry about, but perhaps I do need to try harder. I love others, too much actually. I am way too nice most of the time and I know God sees my patience and what I have to put up with. I certainly do better than most of the people I know. I couldn’t do that apart from Christ, which must show I have the Holy Spirit. I wonder what that means anyway having the Holy Spirit anyway?”

Here is another way to exam yourself by living to die well. In the next couple of chapters we are going to be taking our next trip to heaven so this is a good time to talk about our death as any and consider our own death for a minute.

We have seen a lot of deaths lately. It has been a difficult past couple of weeks for our nation. We have seen the Boston Marathon bombing and then the West Texas Explosion. In an instant both young and old lives were forever changed and some were taken away. When we think of heaven we often think of it an event far away, but it is very near to us. Death is very near to us every day.  A couple of weeks ago I saw a car accident on 121 that brought this truth home to me again. It usually does take death or a near encounter with death to us to remind us how close death is to us. We will never know the full extent of God’s grace to us, every second we are alive and our family is alive and well is a great miracle and great act of grace from God in the extension and preservation of our temporary lives. We are not entitled to life. We are not entitled to tomorrow. We are not entitled to go home this evening. Time is a gift of God to us and it is given and extended to us to serve a purpose, and that is to serve him. We will all be called to account for what we did with the time given to us. How we invested it. Over and over in the bible how it warns us to avoid idleness and to make the most of every opportunity.

I hate funerals where you are not quite sure if the person was saved or not. If they made it into heaven or not. Have you ever been to one of those? At that point you can only console and hope, but you are left restless and wondering because you’re not quite sure, you tend to hope on the positive side. People will cling to the smallest things as assurance. They were saved and baptized as child. They went to church a few times. They could have accepted Christ. And it is entirely possible. They could have, but we have no assurance and that is what hurts. In comparison, there are those who die and you know they have an abundant entrance into heaven.  They have left no doubt they loved God, they lived for God. God is found to be an intimate part of their everyday life like a close family member. They way they lived their life gives you assurance they are in heaven without a doubt. They leave their family behind with much peace and joy even in their death for they died well because they lived well.

Let me ask, at your funeral, what will people say you loved most? What will people say you lived for? Will Jesus come to their mind? Will they be able to say that you were a person who loved God, who was marked by your love for Jesus? Not just church folk, but co-workers, family, friends and acquaintances. Will the majority of them agree boy she loved Jesus. She lived for God… or will it be something else that marked your life the most? It could be good things. She loved her family. She lived for her family. She loved her kids. She lived for kids. She loved her husband. She lived for her husband. She loved her hobbies. She loved her job. She loved her camera. She loved her artwork. She loved cooking. She loved singing, she sure lived to sing. What will people say you lived for? Where is Christ in the hierarchy? If he is anywhere outside of first place you need to repent of idolatry in your life. All these are good things and meant to be enjoyed but if any of them are above your love for Christ and for God you are serving and living for another God. You are in danger.

If the righteous is scarcely saved, what will become of the ungodly and the sinner?” (1 Peter 4:18)

If anyone’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire. (1Cor. 3:15)

We have tendency to think that the road to heaven is a broad highway because of grace but the bible tells us it is a narrow road. A very, very narrow road that few find and are able to enter.

Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life and only a few find it. (Matt. 7:13-14)

When it comes to your spiritual life, don’t be careless. The broad, easy road leads to destruction. If you are not struggling in your spiritual life, something is wrong.  As a Christian everyday is a battle. A battle to make God a priority. A battle to fight against temptation. A battle to pray. A battle to walk in faith. A battle to be content. A battle to maintain control over your wandering thoughts and heart. A battle to love others as you should. A battle to hold your tongue. A battle to control your temperament and overcome your fears. A battle to work hard and honestly. Some battles are easier than others as you grow stronger but there is always a new battle waiting for you every day. There is never a day without a battle unless you’re not fighting.

This but another opportunity to test yourself to see if you are in the faith. Are you fighting sin? Has your life become a battle since you accepted Christ? Have you gained a new enemy, yourself, your flesh which pulls you away from God every day and holds you downward and the desires of this world that would distract you and Satan who would have you die?  There is no such thing as treading water in the Christian life. We are like a plane, if we are not moving forward, we are falling. If we are not climbing upward, we are sliding downward. We must at all times be moving towards God or we are moving away from him.

I know we are anxious to move on and to get to heaven, to move on to the Throne of God, but we do not want to appear before the Throne of God unprepared, not even in this study. We need to take time and to examine ourselves to see if we are prepared to stand before the Throne of God. We are about to see how Holy it is and how we will one day stand there either from the rapture or by means of our death and that will be the end of the things that are in our life and the end of the period of grace and it will be too late to change our future then. We do not want to be among those who will be outside the door with much weeping and gnashing of teeth.

After this I looked,

After this, after the church age, after receiving the message for the seven churches, John looked up. Perhaps he looked up from his writing for all this time he has been the scribe of Jesus, taking dictation from the Word of God of what the Spirit says to the Churches. John looked up and he had been looking, he had been seeking God already. That is what looking is. God promises those that seek Him will find him once they seek him with all their heart. If we are not ardently seeking God that he would reveal himself to us, if we are not looking for him, we will not see him, we will not know him and enjoy the fellowship of him and of Jesus and the Holy Spirit that we are called to enter into and to enjoy and to know now in this life as Christians. The Christian life is a life of fellowship and communion with God, with Christ and the Holy Spirit.

1 John 1:3 – That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ.

2 Cor. 13:14 – The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.

1 Cor. 1:9 – God is faithful, by whom ye were called unto the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord.

and behold, a door standing open in heaven!

As John looked up, he saw a door standing open in heaven, a portal or entrance. What an awesome sight that must have been. An open door is a symbol of access, just like we saw in the letter to the church of Philadelphia in Revelation 3:7-8 when they were given an open door for ministry and mission:

” The words of the holy one, the true one, who has the key of David, who opens and no one will shut, who shuts and no one opens. ‘I know your works. Behold, I have set before you an open door, which no one is able to shut.

We are also reminded that Christ himself is the open door by which we all must enter through in order to enter into heaven. Heaven’s door is open to us, it is open to all who would come to Christ but too often we are like the Church of Laodicea Revelation 3:20 who closed the door to Christ and will not let him enter into our lives.

Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.

An open door is an invitation to enter. When I was growing up, I lived in a small community village and one of the families that I often stayed with as a child and teenager always had an open door. We were constantly coming and going out of that open door and because of it, it became my second home. I always knew their door was open. It is the same way with our Father in Heaven. His door stands wide open for anyone who is willing to enter, to enter in and have fellowship with Him through Jesus Christ. We never have to worry about needing to go to the Father and finding a closed door when we are in need or in trouble or just want to talk and to pray. He is not our home away from home, but He is our home. Whenever we come to him, we come home and find rest and provision.

Now what John saw was spectacular. This was a vision of an open door in heaven. I say it is a vision because I don’t think anyone else saw it on the island but him otherwise I am sure that it would have been something that everyone on the island and in nearby Turkey would have been talking and tweeting about.

This vision of heaven being open was much like Ezekiel’s vision

Ezekiel 1:1 – Now it came to pass in the thirtieth year, in the fourth month, in the fifth day of the month, as I was among the captives by the river of Chebar, that the heavens were opened, and I saw visions of God.

This is what this entire book of Revelation is about and what the New Testament is very much about. It’s about God opening heaven to us, allowing us to see, know and understand things we would have no other way of knowing except that he open heaven to us for us to see.

John  1:51 And he saith unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Hereafter ye shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man.

Acts 7:56 And said, Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing on the right hand of God.

Heaven is not a place we have access to unless God grants us access. There are three heavens. There is the sky where the birds fly and the clouds float that we can look upon. There are the stars and the universe that is vaster then we can imagine. Both of these we have only recently been able to enter with the proper equipment to enable us to survive their environment that we were not created to live in. And then there is the heavens were God’s throne is that we have no access to except through putting on Christ, no knowledge of unless God in his mercy reveals some part of it and himself to us.  It is a place where God can hide his face from us and we would forever live in darkness in the knowledge of him. But we have a God who is living and self-revealing who created us for his pleasure and so that we might enjoy fellowship with Him and Christ his son and the Holy Spirit. This fellowship was broken because of sin. Heaven was forever closed for us because of sin. It was only through Christ atoning for our sins that a door to heaven was open to us and a way for us to enter heaven through him was made

To be stuck someplace between heaven and hell, is what I suppose it means to live here on earth. We are stuck someplace between complete joy and deep unending pain and grief. We receive only slight taste of both places. We are continually bouncing between highs and lows, the highest of joys and the deepest of griefs. The gravity of this earth doesn’t allow us to experience either place fully but continually pulls us back down from our heights and brings us back up from our depths at varying speeds. We always somehow know there is more joy to be had then what we can reach, and there is more grief to be felt then what our heart has yet known. My life on earth very much feels much like a red ball, bouncing between joy and pain, heaven and hell with life’s great joys and great sorrows. One day, my chaotic life will know peace and unending joy. One day I will fully taste an unending joy and never fear falling below its depths. One day my heart will reach beyond these clouds and forever be gone, forever to dwell with the Eternal Sun where darkness no longer has any place to dwell, and I will no longer have to endure earth’s small taste of hell or eternity’s eternal one. One day, when my Savior will catch me up in his hands and snatch me away to live with him, my place will know me know more.

And the first voice, which I had heard speaking to me like a trumpet,

Here John tells us that the voice he heard now was the same voice he heard at first in Revelation 1:10:

“I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s Day, and I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet “

A trumpet is used to gain attention. John says his voice was loud and reverberating. If John was in the cave, I am sure it bounced off the walls and had a long continuing effect as it echoed around him. And to think it was speaking to him. I think that had to be shocking and shaking in itself, to hear such a voice directed at you.

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

Here John receives his invite to climb into the cockpit with God and see things from a heavenly perspective. This is the same as what God would have us see. God wants us to see more of himself, more of his glory, a better view of the world around us from his viewpoint, his perspective, and his plans and so he calls to us and invites us to “Come up hither” to where he is.

Every time we open our bible to read and meditate on scripture our hearts begin to make that climb to sit beside Christ in the heavenlies.

If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is yourlife appears, then you also will appear with him in glory. (Col. 3:1-4)

This is the true secret to living above our circumstances. Take a look at John, despite his afflictions, despite his circumstances, John was in the Spirit on the Lord’s Day. Nothing prevented him from setting his heart on heavenly things.

I read a quote on this passage from C. E. Eberman that I pasted into my journal this week.  It’s a bit long but I couldn’t bear to cut any part out of his exhortation. He says:

“The standpoint from which God views everything is vastly different from that which men commonly regard as their standpoint. God is for quality, clearness of vision and fundamental principles; man too often for mere quantity, haphazard vision, superficial estimates. God is ever seeking to draw man up to His level, man thinks to reduce the things of God to his convenient level, from which he hopes, without much trouble, or even thinking, to form some opinion or gain some knowledge of that which, in the deeper moments of his nature, he knows to be of vital and eternal importance. The higher the standards are the more must energy strive to reach them. It is a vastly different thing to brave the Matterhorn or Mont Blanc, or those gigantic mountains which rear their heads heavenward and lose their summits in the clouds. Climbing them means the hardest kind of toil and steadfast courage. Our standards determine the height of our aspirations, our aspirations press us on in the climbing and furnish the impetus to the outreach of our faith and courage, hut they must be fed by God, who leads us to His own standard and bids us look up and beyond, even beyond the material, into the realms of the spiritual, with a faith that does not shrink from the lessons such leadings bring. The question of questions is, Do we see, do we behold these high level truths of God? or have we so little interest in beholding that we skim them over, as we do the pages of a book that has proved uninteresting? John says, “After this I looked and, behold.” God can never do anything for a man who is blind, unless open his eyes; but God will not do anything for a man who wants to be blind. Looking shows desire. Beholding suggests power. John saw, and behold a door was opened in heaven and the first voice which he heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with him, which said, “Come up hither and I will show thee things which must be hereafter.” That seems to us to be a beautiful but exceptional sight. Picture John’s lonely exile life on Patmos. There did not seem to be much for him to live for, shut out and away from the busy work of life, and perhaps we have a theory that God was very gracious to him for that very reason. But such visions always come to souls that can see–long to see–and needing the blessing of such a vision. Whatever the outward life, the inner life is the condition of beholding. Lives need to be broadened and exalted. Heaven is not only to make life more tolerable, but life is to determine heaven. The vision came not to the place, but the soul, and was determined not by the meagreness of the surrounding, but by the condition of the heart-life of him who beheld. By every analysis we are to know, then, that life is not in itself either omnipotent, or satisfying, or self-sufficient, nor has it any high standard, nor is it enough to be merely practical–doing without seeing, deeds without visions. God gives us to see what we are, in order that we may see by the aid of this revelation what we may become. Ignorance is simply fatal to all progress and enlightenment. “And immediately I was in the spirit,” John says. The thought for us is this: the power that exalts life is of God and comes from above. Look above, then, though you walk the earth. Open your heart and mind and soul to the unseen realities of the eternal. Higher and higher we must go and grow, like the vine upon the trellis, abiding in the branch, lifting its myriad shoots towards the summer shining and the clear, pure air. From His standpoint, God will give us to see what must be hereafter. Our privilege is to hear God’s blessed invitation, “Come up hither, higher, to higher altitudes, with waiting, expectant attitude.” God help us to break the spell that keeps us down; God help us to unlock the bolts that shut us in; God help us to fling aside the shutters that keep us in the dimness; God help us to be as free as His truth makes us, and then, when we truly behold, how beautiful everything will grow. Just as the little child, long blind, having at last her sight restored, said to her mother, as she looked for the first time upon the beauty of nature, “How beautiful! Why didn’t you tell me how beautiful everything was!” The element of the ideal must occupy a large place in our practical life if we are to grow at all strong, buoyant, and symmetrical. Visions are not mere air castles. Some one has said, “All men who have shown our race how great things are possible have had their inspiration in dreaming of the impossible.” The vision changes and goes on changing, adapting itself to our need and our life, but the reality always remains. Visions, therefore, are the wings which bear us upward and aloft. You do not have to teach a bird how to fly. The soul, saved by the power of the Divine Christ, rises because it can; it ascends because it has within it the irresistible yearning to do so, and faith and hope give impetus. This is the revelation which is constantly coming to your life, to my life. God help us, above all, to be “in the Spirit,” as in meditative quietness of life we steadfastly watch for and behold the visions that come to us. The cross and visions of the Christ are the inspiring themes of the Christian life. Life is truly potent, as we see its lines shaped according to the Cross of the Lord Jesus, as the symbol of our salvation and the standard of our service. Look and live, then live and look, is the whole of the Christian life. Let us not be satisfied with plodding, but let us be climbing. Let our lives take on daily newer beauty, the beauty of holiness, which is the adornment of righteousness.”

What is keeping you from going higher with God?

Now John’s trip is special. It’s not every day that someone gets an invitation to come up to heaven and to return to the flesh. Isaiah, Ezekiel and Daniel all have extraordinary visions of God’s throne that they recorded. Paul also mentions his experience but he is unable to utter it:

I must go on boasting. Though there is nothing to be gained by it, I will go on to visions and revelations of the Lord. I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago was caught up to the third heaven—whether in the body or out of the body I do not know, God knows. And I know that this man was caught up into paradise—whether in the body or out of the body I do not know, God knows—and he heard things that cannot be told, which man may not utter. On behalf of this man I will boast, but on my own behalf I will not boast, except of my weaknesses—“(2 Cor. 12:1-4)

² At once I was in the Spirit, and behold,

John in continuing to tell us about his vision says that immediately after hearing the call to come up hither from a voice that reverberated like a trumpet, immediately found himself in the Spirit. He was in the Spirit before but this is something different, where one was he was worshipping in the spirit in Chapter One, praying and praising God and meditating and listening to God and seeing a vision as Jesus spoke to him the letters to the seven churches. Now he is in the spirit in the sense he is not on earth but has been transported to heaven, the same as Paul, Isaiah and Ezekiel had. Much like Paul, John would probably say whether in the body or out of the body, I do not know, God knows. It was a vision so real that he could not tell what the condition of his body was. It was a mystery.

a throne stood in heaven, with one seated on the throne.

John sees throne in heaven and one seated on the throne. This is the throne of God the Father himself. His vision of the throne is very similar to Ezekiel’s vision in Ezekiel 1:26-28 and to Isaiah’s in Isaiah 6.

The book of Revelation is apocalyptic literature. The purpose of apocalyptic literature is for the encouragement of the readers during very hard times. It was popular during the period of 200 AD to 100 A.D when persecution among the Jews was strong. It was usually written by someone who claimed to have a vision or a visitation by an angel of God and received divine revelation of God’s forthcoming intervention to rescue his people from evil.  Although it was prophetic in nature, it was not long term prophetic because it was written for the generation of readers who read it and were currently suffering. If it was too far off a prophecy it would have held no value and no hope for them. The purpose of apocalyptic literature attempted to explain why the righteous suffered and why God delayed. It often gave purpose and meaning to their suffering and hope. It promised the defeat of evil and that all the people’s troubles would come to the end once God judged the world and established his righteousness. Some commentators referred to such writing as “tracts for hard times.”

Much like the seven letters were written very personally to the individual seven churches in ways that were personalized and had significant meaning to them, so this apocalyptic literary style that was employed to write this book of Revelation would have had significant impact on the Jews and the early Christians in the generation it was written.

It was style of writing that was popular for that time period that they would have been familiar with and probably turned to for encouragement and hope that their suffering was not in vain, that their troubles would soon be put to an end by God’s intervention and righteousness would once again overcome evil.

Several key differences exist between the apocalyptic literature of that day and the book of Revelation. First the apocalyptic literature of that day was written showing the restoration of the Nation of Israel and the book of Revelation shows God’s promises of God’s glorification and purpose for the church. Instead of addressing the Israelite people, it addresses all who would become Christians from every nation, language and tribe. Revelation also reinterpreted the meaning of the Old Testament and would have strongly challenged the Jews and the apocalyptic writers view and understanding of history. So it would have very much been like a rebuttal to their claims and writings. Another key difference is that the apocalyptic literature of the Jews looked forward to the return of the Messiah and his intervention in the deliverance of his people as a pivot point in history where Revelation looks back to the cross and what Christ had already accomplished as the pivot point of the encouragement for the church. It also looks forward to the return of Christ as the Messiah but not so much as a saving event in the future to look forward to for the church but more as the confirmation of what has already taken place.

As John starts out with seeing the throne in heaven, and everything centering around the throne he is encouraging his readers that God is sovereign and God is on his throne. Especially in a time of severe persecution and when it would seem as if God was absent from his throne.

Psa. 11:4 The Lord is in his holy temple; the Lord’s throne is in heaven; his eyes see, his eyelids test the children of man.

Psa. 47:8 God reigns over the nations; God sits on his holy throne.

Psa. 97:22 Clouds and thick darkness are all around him; righteousness and justice are the foundation of his throne.

Psa. 103:19  The Lord has established his throne in the heavens, and his kingdom rules over all.

Isa. 14:13 You said in your heart, ‘I will ascend to heaven; above the stars of God I will set my throne on high; I will sit on the mount of assembly in the far reaches of the north;

This is a great reminded to us there is only one throne in heaven and it does not belong to us. Like Satan we would attempt to unseat God from his throne instead of falling down before God’s throne and worshipping him at all times. We like to set ourselves in the middle of the universe and think the world rotates around us, much like we once thought the sun rotated around the earth only to find by changing our perspective to match reality that the earth rotates around the Sun and so we too rotate around the Throne of God no matter how our limited earthly perspective makes it appear that God and all the world rotates around us. This is why it is so important for us to climb up higher so that we can see that there is a magnificent order to the events in our lives. The circumstances that happen, the people that rotate in and out of our lives, the calamities that are allowed to hit us like asteroid’s, are all filtered through a Sovereign God who loves us and often uses such calamities and circumstances to get our attention. To show us that we are not in control like we like to pretend and to look to Him who is and to repent our neglect of him.  We have learned a lot in these letters about God’s great long suffering and the lengths he is willing to go to give people an opportunity to repent, to see things from his perspective and acknowledge his authority and throne of all.

The word throne is used 46 times in the New Testament, 32 times in the book of Revelation alone. The book of Revelation is all about the Throne of God ruling overall and giving people one last opportunity to repent and to see God’s power and authority, but they would not. Instead of softening hearts the calamities and crisis that come at them harden them much like Pharaohs against God. Their hearts are falsely softened during the calamity and they promise to repent but once the plague is removed, their hearts quickly harden back up again and they go right back to their old ways and rebellion against God until the next plague and the pattern repeats.  This is a false repentance and we see this a lot and have to watch for it in ourselves. Instead of hating the sin, they turn to hating God and blaming God for all their troubles instead of their rebellion because they love their sin more than God. God becomes their enemy. It would appear he is setting himself against them and he is, to give them opportunity to repent out of his great love and patience.

 ³ And he who sat there had the appearance of jasper and carnelian, and around the throne was a rainbow that had the appearance of an emerald.

Have you ever wondered what God looked like? Have you ever pictured him as the wizard of Oz or as an Old Man?  Ezekiel saw a similar vision of the throne of God.

 Ezekiel 1:26-28

And above the expanse over their heads there was the likeness of a throne, in appearance like sapphire; and seated above the likeness of a throne was a likeness with a human appearance. And upward from what had the appearance of his waist I saw as it were gleaming metal, like the appearance of fire enclosed all around. And downward from what had the appearance of his waist I saw as it were the appearance of fire, and there was brightness around him. Like the appearance of the bow that is in the cloud on the day of rain, so was the appearance of the brightness all around.

Such was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the Lord. And when I saw it, I fell on my face, and I heard the voice of one speaking.

Ezekiel 10:1

 Then I looked, and behold, on the expanse that was over the heads of the cherubim there appeared above them something like a sapphire, in appearance like a throne.

There is no describing the glory of God the father. There can be no image of him for he does not have a form like we do. We cannot put God in any type of container or boundaries. He cannot be drawn or portrayed in any image. All images would do him a great injustice in attempting to limit and confine that which is limitless.  He is infinite. He cannot be grasped.  Unlike the pagan gods, God is not known for what he looks like. He is known as the Living God by what He does and by his Spirit, who he is.

Jesus Christ himself is the image of the invisible God and he is the only image we can fathom.  He is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being. The best John could do is to attempt to describe God’s radiance and brilliance. God is beautiful and radiant like a beautiful prism of precious stones that light shines through in every direction and every color of the rainbow is cast forth from him. God is light is the best description of God the Father next to Holy, Holy, Holy.

                Psalms 104:2 The Lord wraps himself in light as with a garment;

 1 John 1:5 – This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all.

Revelation 21:23 – The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp.

Jasper back then would have been a stone much like our diamond is today. It would have been crystal clear stone. Carnelian or Sardius would have been a red stone.

The diamond like jasper stone shows the great purity of God the father. There is no flaw in him. Nothing hinders his light from shining like sin hinders ours. There is no darkness in him, no, no darkness at all. He is completely, clear, pure and holy in his radiance, impossible to look upon like the sun.  God is light. Like light, he is the source of illumination, revelation and truth. Light is powerful. God is the source of all energy and all life and all fellowship. Apart from him, there would be no life and no fellowship between one another. 1 John 1 tells us that apart from walking in the light with one another, we cannot enjoy fellowship with each other. We live alone separated and unknown to others until we bring our thoughts and our feelings and our heart into the light before others instead of hiding them. Light is truth and walking in the truth. So we see that true genuine love must exist in light for apart from true fellowship and being known there can be no love apart from light. We cannot love that which we cannot see and know. God in being the source of light is also the source of love. God as light is naturally a destroyer of darkness and shadows which cannot abide in his presence. He ignites and burns as a consuming fire. He is warmth and passion. God is pure. Light purifies. Sin like mold likes to grows in the dark. It flourishes in the dark areas of the heart and so we are called to expose it and to walk in the light if we would avoid sin. Live transparently. If you feel the need to hide something ask yourself why.  God is wisdom for understanding is light to the soul.  Light protects. Light guides. Light is eternal. It continues forever and ever indefinitely. There is no end to light except for by its opposite, darkness which it has the ability to overcome. Light can exist without darkness but darkness cannot exist apart from light. It is a leach and always subservient to the power of light. As light hides its face, darkness is allowed to rule but once light returns it withdraws and is overcomes. Darkness is simply the absence of light. So God uses darkness as a cloak sometimes to hide his face as he wills.

Now imagine a world without light and you will have a picture of what hell is like in an eternity absent of God and everything he is.  With God it is all or nothing. He would that you had all of him or none of him. He will not go for lukewarm or half your heart. If you would have none of him, he will give you what you want.

Additional verses on light to meditate on:

Daniel 2:2 – He reveals deep and hidden things; he knows what lies in darkness, and light dwells with him.

Isaiah 9:2 – The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned.

Job 38:19-20 – “Where is the way to the dwelling of light, and where is the place of darkness, that you may take it to its territory and that you may discern the paths to its home?

2 Cor. 4:6 – For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

1 John 1:5 – The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

Eph. 5:13-14 But when anything is exposed by the light, it becomes visible, for anything that becomes visible is light. Therefore it says,⁾ “Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.”

What does the red stone mean or represent? Is it the burning fire of God? Is it the deep love of God? Is it the blood of Christ? Is it the wrath and judgment of God against sin? Is it the great power of God? Is it all of the above?

Exo. 24:17  To the Israelites the glory of the Lord looked like a consuming fire on top of the mountain.

Deut 4:24 – For the Lord your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God.

God is the first and the last, the beginning and the end. These two stones, Jasper and Carnelian were the first and the last stones on the breast piece of the priestly garments. Exodus 28:17-20:

Then mount four rows of precious stones on it. The first row shall be carnelian, chrysolite and beryl; the second row shall be turquoise, lapis, lazuli and emerald; ^the third row shall be jacinth, agate and amethyst; ^the fourth row shall be topaz, onyx and jasper-

A Vision of the Holy City

Revelation 21:10-11  And he carried me away in the Spirit to a mountain great and high, and showed me the Holy City, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God. It shone with the glory of God, and its brilliance was like that of a very precious jewel, like a jasper, clear as crystal

 Revelation 21:8-9 The wall was made of jasper, and the city of pure gold, as pure as glass. The foundations of the city walls were decorated with every kind of precious stone. The first foundation was jasper, the second sapphire, the third agate, the fourth emerald,

The rainbow shows God’s faithfulness and his promise never to flood the world again. See Genesis  9:13. Unlike our rainbow which is a half bow, this is a full bow all around the throne like a halo. This reminds us that everything is complete in heaven. There are no partials. Another interesting difference is that instead of multiple colors seven colors of a regular rainbow, this rainbow is only one color, emerald green.  Some commentators say this is a symbol of renewal and regeneration.

There is still much mystery behind the meaning.  I would like to tie up all the ends and make them nice and neat. I am in accounting and I hate having left over pennies. However, there is a lot of mystery remaining in the book of revelation. Much of it we will have to take as far as we can as the word of God will allow us and be content to leave it a little bit hazy and with a few parts missing here and there.