Revelation 7:1-8
English Standard Version

The 144,000 of Israel Sealed
7 After this I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding back the four winds of the earth, that no wind might blow on earth or sea or against any tree. 2 Then I saw another angel ascending from the rising of the sun, with the seal of the living God, and he called with a loud voice to the four angels who had been given power to harm earth and sea, 3 saying, “Do not harm the earth or the sea or the trees, until we have sealed the servants of our God on their foreheads.” 4 And I heard the number of the sealed, 144,000, sealed from every tribe of the sons of Israel:

5 12,000 from the tribe of Judah were sealed,
12,000 from the tribe of Reuben,
12,000 from the tribe of Gad,
6 12,000 from the tribe of Asher,
12,000 from the tribe of Naphtali,
12,000 from the tribe of Manasseh,
7 12,000 from the tribe of Simeon,
12,000 from the tribe of Levi,
12,000 from the tribe of Issachar,
8 12,000 from the tribe of Zebulun,
12,000 from the tribe of Joseph,
12,000 from the tribe of Benjamin were sealed.

The time of Great Tribulation is about to begin!  As four angels prepare for the judgments by holding back the winds from all directions so that everything will be quiet and still, another angel, who seems to have authority over them, orders them not to begin until the people of God have been sealed.  This seal is to mark them to keep them safe from being caught up in the judgment that is to come.  It is uncertain if this mark is going to be something that man can see or if only the angels and God will be able to see it, but this is the thing that the Mark of the Beast is meant to counterfeit.  Satan and the Antichrist will try to mark their people to try to protect them from the coming judgment.  If something is marked with a seal t not only showed ownership and that something is official, but it also says, "You are going to have to answer to the owner (or the other authority who sealed the document) if you tamper with this person or thing."  God is able to both protect those He seals and punish any who seek to harm or tamper with those who belong to Him.  Satan has no power or authority over God to make such claims that carry any weight.  Satan may be able to threaten the unsaved men of this world and the demons that follow him that he has been given power and authority over for a time, but he has no power or authority over the angels in heaven or the citizens of the kingdom of heaven or the King of heaven and earth and all that is in them.

So then, who is it that is sealed exactly?  There are 144,000 witnesses (martyrs) who will be sealed--remember that Jesus recently said that the full number had not been added to the number of those who died for Him and His Word?  These are the Tribulation saints that remain.  Notice they are all from ethnic Israel.  Though we have no idea who is from what tribe anymore, God knows, and He has preserved 12,000 from the tribes of Judah, Reuben, Gad, Asher, Naphtali, Manasseh, Simeon, Levi, Issachar, Zebulun, Joseph (Ephraim), and Benjamin.  Notice that Levi is in the list who is not usually counted among any census, which means there is one tribe from whom there are no witnesses for the Lord--the tribe of Dan.  They were apostate and led the people into idolatry and all kinds of wickedness.  We will not see them mentioned here or in any of the references to the Millennial Kingdom or the New Heavens and the New Earth later.  It appears they forfeited their inheritance much like Judas though one of the Twelve turned away and is not part of the kingdom of heaven.

The fact that ethic Israel continues to be a part of God's plan to the very end brings much consternation to people who do not understand the purpose of "The time of the Gentiles" that was to make ethnic Israel jealous (see Romans 11), but was never meant to keep the gospel from them.  Notice these Messianic Jews already exist before the Tribulation, and they are not going to be removed before the Tribulation.  I don't believe they were "left behind," but that the Rapture has not yet happened.

I know there are many who believe that all Christians will be removed prior to this time of judgment as if removal is God's only means of protecting us from the coming judgment, but God did not remove Noah from the earth to protect him and his family from the coming Flood, He placed Noah and his family inside the Ark (which is the picture used by Peter to describe how the Lord will protect His people in the coming Day of the Lord).  The LORD did not remove Rahab from Jericho, but miraculous caused her home to be saved when He made all the walls fall in on the people.  Only the small portion of the wall where she lived was kept safe so that she and all those who gathered with her in the house that was marked by the scarlet cord (signifying those who are marked by the blood of the Lamb) were saved.  It was the same way for the people of Israel on the night that the LORD made them a nation, the Passover.  He did not remove them from Egypt to keep them safe from the Tenth plague (or any of the other plagues for that matter where He made a distinction between the land of Goshen where His people lived and the rest of Egypt), but instead He kept safe from judgment those who marked their doorposts with the blood of the Passover Lamb.  The LORD did remove Lot and his family from Sodom and Gomorrah before that time of judgment and it seems that God will again tell His people to flee from Jerusalem to a place of protection that He has prepared for them before judgment is to be poured out on that city.  (See Matthew 24:15-31).

Along with that passage in Matthew, why is Jesus telling His disciples (the Church) to watch out for the abomination that causes desolation if we aren't going to be around to see it because we have been raptured away? Since the Antichrist is revealed in the middle of the seven years of Tribulation, the Church seems to be around at least that long, and this passage fits with that as Christ still has His witnesses that are to go forth and proclaim the gospel to all peoples of all nations.  He once again chooses the children of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the people from whom Jesus descended to be His envoys and ambassadors.  They will go forth once more to proclaim the message of the Messiah to the whole world just as God chose them to do when they were authors of the Old Testament and New Testament books of the Bible--He chose from this group of men to be His Prophets and Apostles, and now He has chosen to use them again to be His witnesses in one of these final acts of grace before the time comes for the cup of God's wrath to be poured out on the unbelieving, wicked world.  All men will be "without excuse" when that day comes, not just because of the natural revelation that we are told about in Romans 1:20, but God will supernaturally send His 144,000 chosen witnesses from among His chosen people to bring the most important message to all the people of the world.

We'll see next time that this evangelism campaign was successful.  In the very next passage, we see people from every tribe, tongue and nation singing what we know as the Revelation Song.  I do not believe that the world kills all of the righteous (though they will certainly seek to do so) as we still see a harvest of the righteous (I believe this to be the Rapture) in Revelation 14:14 (these 144,000 from this chapter are mentioned again that the beginning of chapter 14 and they are mentioned, though not by number as those who gave their lives during the Tribulation in 7:13-14.

There is definitely coming a day when there will be no more opportunity for salvation, but for now we need to be more concerned with the fact that death also closes that door of opportunity for us.  See Hebrews 4:6-7 which applies to both groups of people--those who delay until death and those during these days were are talking about here who harden their hearts and refuse to believe the message these witnesses bring.

6 Since therefore it remains for some to enter it, and those who formerly received the good news failed to enter because of disobedience, 7 again he appoints a certain day, “Today,” saying through David so long afterward, in the words already quoted,

“Today, if you hear his voice,
do not harden your hearts.”
​(Hebrews 4:6-7)

Choose to say "Yes" to the Lord today and do no resist Him, for then you will never have to fear that judgment that is to come in the following chapters of this book.  Instead, you will be able to look forward to the blessings that are being prepared for God's people.

Revelation 6
English Standard Version

The Seven Seals
6 Now I watched when the Lamb opened one of the seven seals, and I heard one of the four living creatures say with a voice like thunder, “Come!” 2 And I looked, and behold, a white horse! And its rider had a bow, and a crown was given to him, and he came out conquering, and to conquer.

3 When he opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature say, “Come!” 4 And out came another horse, bright red. Its rider was permitted to take peace from the earth, so that people should slay one another, and he was given a great sword.

5 When he opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature say, “Come!” And I looked, and behold, a black horse! And its rider had a pair of scales in his hand. 6 And I heard what seemed to be a voice in the midst of the four living creatures, saying, “A quart of wheat for a denarius, and three quarts of barley for a denarius, and do not harm the oil and wine!”

7 When he opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature say, “Come!” 8 And I looked, and behold, a pale horse! And its rider's name was Death, and Hades followed him. And they were given authority over a fourth of the earth, to kill with sword and with famine and with pestilence and by wild beasts of the earth.

9 When he opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the witness they had borne. 10 They cried out with a loud voice, “O Sovereign Lord, holy and true, how long before you will judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?” 11 Then they were each given a white robe and told to rest a little longer, until the number of their fellow servants and their brothers should be complete, who were to be killed as they themselves had been.

12 When he opened the sixth seal, I looked, and behold, there was a great earthquake, and the sun became black as sackcloth, the full moon became like blood, 13 and the stars of the sky fell to the earth as the fig tree sheds its winter fruit when shaken by a gale. 14 The sky vanished like a scroll that is being rolled up, and every mountain and island was removed from its place. 15 Then the kings of the earth and the great ones and the generals and the rich and the powerful, and everyone, slave and free, hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains, 16 calling to the mountains and rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who is seated on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb, 17 for the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand?”

We  will now see why that discussion about the seals and the scroll was so important in the last chapter.  The time has come for God's wrath which has been held back by the dam of his grace and mercy to be poured out like a flood on the wicked, yet, we know that God will not let the righteous be caught up in the judgment of the wicked.  Keep that in mind as the righteous have nothing to fear from these coming judgments and the wicked can avoid these judgments by repenting and accepting the free gift of salvation offered by the Lord Jesus Christ who died in your place--our Passover Lamb who was slain to redeem and ransom a people from every tribe tongue and nation.  It doesn't just stop there though, you must also surrender control of your life to God, and He will send the Holy Spirit to live inside of you, to seal you to be deleivered unto Jesus Christ on the day of the Marriage Supper of the Lamb that we are going to read about, and to seal you for your protection against the coming day of wrath that we're going to start reading about today--both this great salvation and the great judgment are called The Day of the LORD in the Old Testament.  God calls His people to once again be made in His image, to be obedient to everything He has commanded us and to be His ambassadors of His Kingdom as we go forth into all the world to make disciples of all nations--it's not just about "fire insurance" for yourself, it's about responding to how much God loved you and you wanting others to know the love of God as well.

Listen closely to all the invitations to "Come" in the book of Revelation.  Here, when Jesus opens the first seal the four creatures call for the rider on the white horse to "Come"--this is the first of the Four Horsement of the Apocolypse.  Do not confuse this rider with the coming of Jesus at the end fo teh book of Revelation.  This is the one we will call Antichrist.  He is both a counterfeit Christ and against Christ.  He is armed with a bow and is a mighty hunter of men, like Nimrod from Genesis 10:8-9.  Yes, Nimrod, the father of many wicked nations, but specifically the father of Babel which becomes Babylon, located in the plains of Shinar (see Genesis 10:10).  The wicked kingdom of Antichrist is going to be called Babylon--few people realize the callback to Genesis 10 and 11 and the association that Antichrist is making with the rebellious people there who disobeyed God and thought they could become wise enough, strong enough, and numerous enough to oppose God.  The LORD said of them, "Behold, they are one people, and they have all one language, and this is only the beginning of what they will do. And nothing that they propose to do will now be impossible for them."  This is why the LORD confused them so that they all spoke different languages and divided them and scattered them.  The Antichrist is going to try to remake this rebellious kingdom, but with all the peoples of the world, once again.

The second seal is opened and as the cratures again call for something to "Come," we see the rider on the red horse which symbolizes war.  Peace as taken from the earth and nation will rise against nation so that a graet many people will die in these various wars and conflicts.  God did not have to cause people to go to war with each other, He just simply allowed their evil hearts to lash out at one another without restraining them.  We see in Romans 1 that God allowing man to get what he desires is indeed a form of judment that God uses.

The third seal is opened and we again hear the four creatues say, "Come."  This third rider is riding on a black horse and is famine personified.  There will be great economic distress as there will be great shortages of food for the common people, yet the oil and wine of the rich and powerful will not be affected.  The ppor will have to work all day just to buy wheat or barley grain (not barley flour) and they will still have to make their own flour and bake their own bread because it will be too expensive to buy either flour or bread.

When the fourth seal was opened, the four living creatures again called for something to "Come."  This time is was a rider on a pale horse (the exact color of the pale horse is a little iffy, but it's not a pretty picture as we'll see who is riding on it).  On this horse rides Death and Hades who comes after the souls of all those who did not belong to God and died at the hands of Antichrist as he rose to power, the various wars that broke out, and the great famine that spread across the entire world, and the wild beasts that were allowed to go after men, for God would no longer hold them back.

There is another group of people though that we see here as the fifth seal is opened.  There are a group of martyrs who were slain for the Word of God and the witness they had borne (the word "martyr" means "witness").  They cry out to Jesus, the Lamb, who is seated on the throne, "O Sovereign Lord, holy and true, how long before you will judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?"  They long for the day when Jesus will avenge their deaths and destroy the wicked and establish His eternal Kingdom and heaven and earth will be one. They will be given white robes that were promised to the Seven Churches in Revelation 3:4-5 and Revelation 3:18 and they were told to rest for a while longer until their number was complete, for there were still more martyrs who would give their lives for the Word of God and their testimony during this time of judgment that we call the Tribulation.  Note, this is not in conflict with what I said earleri about God's people not experiencing the wrath that was stored up for the wicked because by the world killing them, they are immediately at peace and rest with Jesus and "Nothing can separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord."  We dont' know exactly what this number of martyrs will be, but God does, and He will not bring final judgment on the earth until all of them have been gathered unto Him.

When the sixth seal is opened, great signs were given in heaven and earth that are things that the world has been looking for.  Wars and rumors of wars are pretty commonplace and don't make us think about the end of the world anymore--at least, not since World War I and World War II.  There will be a great earthquake, but this again may be something that people may be able to ignore because earthquakes, even large and violent earthquakes are somewhat natural events.  The sky will be darkened and the moon will be turned to blood (possibly describing a lunar eclipse, but definitely pointing to the fulfillment of the prophecy in the book of Joel that talks about the moon being turned to blood when the Day of the LORD comes).  The combination of the eathquake and the darkness reminds me of the darkness that happened when Jesus died on the cross.   It is the last sign though people will not be able to ignore as there will be a great number of stellar objects that will fall from the sky like when a fig tree is shaken by a strong wind--these could be meteors but could also be the various sattelites we have put up in orbit.  Imagine the chaos it would create if we no longer had satelite communication, GPS, or survellience.  So much of the technology that we depend on would be totally useless.  It is at this point that the world goes into a panic and people start to hide in caves and pray for the mountains to fall on them and save them from what is to come, because the combination of all these things in such proximity lets them know that this is the beginning of the end.  They correctly identify this as the Wrath of the Lamb who sits on the throne, but they still imagine that death will save them from the coming wrath.  Death will not protect them from the ultimate wrath of God that was prepared for the devil and his angels in what we call The Lake of Fire.

Revelation 5
English Standard Version

The Scroll and the Lamb
5 Then I saw in the right hand of him who was seated on the throne a scroll written within and on the back, sealed with seven seals. 2 And I saw a mighty angel proclaiming with a loud voice, “Who is worthy to open the scroll and break its seals?” 3 And no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll or to look into it, 4 and I began to weep loudly because no one was found worthy to open the scroll or to look into it. 5 And one of the elders said to me, “Weep no more; behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered, so that he can open the scroll and its seven seals.”

6 And between the throne and the four living creatures and among the elders I saw a Lamb standing, as though it had been slain, with seven horns and with seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth. 7 And he went and took the scroll from the right hand of him who was seated on the throne. 8 And when he had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each holding a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. 9 And they sang a new song, saying,

“Worthy are you to take the scroll
    and to open its seals,
for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God
    from every tribe and language and people and nation,
10 and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God,
    and they shall reign on the earth.”

11 Then I looked, and I heard around the throne and the living creatures and the elders the voice of many angels, numbering myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands, 12 saying with a loud voice,

“Worthy is the Lamb who was slain,
to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might
and honor and glory and blessing!”

13 And I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all that is in them, saying,

“To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb
be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever!”

14 And the four living creatures said, “Amen!” and the elders fell down and worshiped.

So far, we have not clearly identified whehter it is the Father or the Son who was sitting on the throne in chapter 4, but now we see that it is the Father who sits there and is holding a scroll that is written on both sides and is sealed with seven seals (this would be a very important t document and given its position in the right hand of  one who sits on the throne, John would like to know what it is and what is contained in it).  Remember that the right hand is symbolic of the power and authority of the king--it is the hand in which he would usually hold his scepter and it is on that side that his most trusted advisor would sit or stand (our phrase right-hand man comes from this).  We can only guess at this point that this is something like the title deed to all of creation (since it has been mentioned several times now that the one who sits on the throne is the Creator of all things and that was the source of the doxology right before this vision, so they are probably connected thoughts).  Scrolls were sealed so that only its intended recipient would open it and read its contents.  In this case, the question is asked in heaven and on earth and under the earth, "Who is worthy to open the scroll and break its seals?" John saw that no man or angel or demon or any other created thing in heaven or on earth or under the earth was found worthy, and he began to weep.

One of the 24 elders stopped what he was doing (offering praise to the One on the throne day and night) to comfort John and to tell him to take heart because the Lion of the Tribe of Judah and the Root of David has conquered and is therefore worthy to open the scroll and look inside it.  The scene shifts and where we were promised a Lion, we see instead a Lamb who was slain from before the foundations of the world.  The Lamb had seven horns (fullness of strength, power, and authority--remember Matthew 28, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me...").  He also has seven eyes showing us that He sees and knows all (7 is not only the number of God and holiness, but also completeness and perfection).  He also has the sevenfold Spirit of God that was sent out into the earth.  He sent the Holy Spirit to us and now the Spirit has returned to Him which I assume means that what we are seeing in this passage is after the Rapture of the Church--while generally outlined by "things that are, things that are not yet (but coming soon), and things that are yet to come (in the very last days and after time has ceased), the book of Revelation is not totally linear.  Sometimes John needs to see things out of order so that he will be encouraged that the present and future trieals and tribulations are not the focus of the story.  We are about to see the corronation of Christ and this is the moment we have been waiting for--at least since the Ascenscion, maybe since the Davidic Covenant, or maybe even farther back than that if we understood that Jesus was to be the better Moses (see Deuteronomy 18), the fulfillment of the Abrahamic Covenant in Genesis 12:3, the better Noah and the better Ark (Genesis 6-9) and the one to reverse the Curse of Sin and Death as our Second and Better Adam (Genesis 3 and Roamsns 5).  Though we have all these breadcrumbs to follow through Scripture, it would seem that John was largely unaware of the identity of this Lion and Lamb conqueror, even though John was Jesus' best friend here on earth.

When the Lamb took His seat on the throne, the four living creatures and the 24 elders immediately started singing the same doxology to Him that they had been singing to the Father, giving Him glory that was only due to God.  That should answer any objections to anyone who says, "The Bible never says that Jesus is God."  It says it quite clearly, and this is one of those places.  The doxology builds though as now we are not only praising the Father for the creation, but we are praising the Son for both the creation for the substitutionary atonement that He provided to redeem and ransom His people--the people of God--from every tribe, tongue and nation.  He has made them into the kingdom of priests that we have been waiting for since Exodus 19 (maybe since Genesis ​14 if we understand the identity, or at least symbolism, or Melchizedek--the King of Salem who has no ancestory and is greater than all the other kings and who is a priest (seemingly high priest at that time) to the God of Heaven (the LORD) and who is worshiped with tithes and offerings and the partkaing of bread and wine.  Both the books of Psalms and Hebrews point back to this figure in history as being Messianic (either as a foreshadowing or prophetic type of what was to come, the prophetic antitype, or that He was a preincarnate appearance of Christ.  Even Melchizedek's name means "King of Righteousnesss").  Again, God left breadcumbs all throughout the Bible for us to follow that we should not be surprised that this has been planned since before the beginning.  The day has always been coming and will be coming sono when the Son will acend to the throne and that day will be a day of salvation for Him people and a day of wrath and judgment for His enemies.

​Again, the doxology builds,
“Worthy is the Lamb who was slain,
to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might
and honor and glory and blessing!”

Now to the Lamb who was slain, we ascribe:
1) Power
2) Wealth
3) Wisdom
4) Might
5) Honor
6) Glory and 
7) Blessing

both now and forevermore.  This is the sevenfold doxology that I have been talking about, and the fullness of the doxology is not revealed until the Lamb who was slain is revealed and takes the thone.  All the living creatures will agree with "Amen" (though they cannot sing of the salvation they received because the salvation He brought was only for mankind, they will give their agreement that this reason to give Him all the glroy and honor and praise).  The 24 elders will continue to bow down in worship, and we'll see later that the angels of heaven marvel at this because they do not undestand the mystery of the salvation of God's Elect.  They have seen it, but they don't really understand it.  It is a wonderous mystery to them.

Revelation 4
English Standard Version

The Throne in Heaven
4 After this I looked, and behold, a door standing open in heaven! And the first voice, which I had 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 behold, a throne stood in heaven, with one seated on the throne. 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. 4 Around the throne were twenty-four thrones, and seated on the thrones were twenty-four elders, clothed in white garments, with golden crowns on their heads. 5 From the throne came flashes of lightning, and rumblings and peals of thunder, and before the throne were burning seven torches of fire, which are the seven spirits of God, 6 and before the throne there was as it were a sea of glass, like crystal.

And around the throne, on each side of the throne, are four living creatures, full of eyes in front and behind: 7 the first living creature like a lion, the second living creature like an ox, the third living creature with the face of a man, and the fourth living creature like an eagle in flight. 8 And the four living creatures, each of them with six wings, are full of eyes all around and within, and day and night they never cease to say,

“Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty,
    who was and is and is to come!”

9 And whenever the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to him who is seated on the throne, who lives forever and ever, 10 the twenty-four elders fall down before him who is seated on the throne and worship him who lives forever and ever. They cast their crowns before the throne, saying,

11 “Worthy are you, our Lord and God,
    to receive glory and honor and power,
for you created all things,
    and by your will they existed and were created.”

This is the first of several times in the book of Revelation where Jesus redirects John's focus towards heaven, usually because John is getting too fixated on the way things are going on earth.  We started with a powerful vision of Jesus serving as our Great High Priest only to be followed up by letters to the kingdom of priests that were mostly in need of admonishment for Jesus to live carefully before men because they repreesented God and His Kingdom to all men Iincluding each other).  In fact, there were even those that were among the sheep who were not sheep at all, but who were goats (see Matthew 25:31-46).

John needs a break from all of that.  He needs another vision of God high and lifted up and on His throne and in control of everything.  The issue is not with God changing or loosing control.  The issue is with the people who claim to be people of God who have lost the vision for who God is or they never knew God to begin with.  Before John is set an open door (this goes back to Revelation 3:8 and the open door that Christ set before the Church of Philadelphia, who were the true and faithful believers).  He hears the voice of Jesus commanding him to come up to heaven with Him.  Jesus says, "I will show you what must take place after this," which Dispensationalists think refers to end to the "Church Age" that started with Pentecost in the book of Acts.  If we read the rest of the book of Revelation, I'm not sure God is done saving people at this point.  More on that later.

John looks towards the throne and all he can describe is that it was like looking at a rainbow of color from various jewels and precious stones--bright and vivid shades of red surrounded by a rainbow of green.  Then there was another outer ring of 24 thrones on which sat the 24 elders--we are not told the identy of these 24 men (I say men because this word was always used in Greek to refer to men of a particular age).  These elders are always refered to in the book of Revelation as an entire group, though someimes one of them (unnamed, unidentified) will stop what he is doing to come and speak to John--specficially when John is distraught later that there is a scroll (a very important-looking scroll) that no one on heaven or on earth or under the earth has been deemed worthy to open.  One of the elders will tell John during that vision to take heart because the Lion of the Tribe of Judah is the one who is worthy to open the scroll.  More on that passage when we get there.  Other than that, we mostly see these elders around the throne praising God day and night, leading the people of God in worship, and they never seem to get tired of it.

The crystal sea that John sees here might be light the blue lapiz takes me back to what Moses saw in Exodus 24:9-10 where the throne of God and the ground around the throne was transformed into blue lapis lazul (maybe we would call this blue sapphire?).  This vast spread of clear, transparent, blue crystal might have reminded John of what the ocean would look like if it was frozen in place wihtout waves--massive in size, being a barrier to entry, yet not blocking God's view at all because it was crystal-clear.

From the throne came flashing of light (lightning) and peals of thunder (think back to what the people saw when Moses went up Mount Sinai in Exodus, "On the morning of the third day there were thunders and lightnings and a thick cloud on the mountain and a very loud trumpet blast, so that all the people in the camp trembled." (Exodus 19:16).  The people of God in that moment were afraid of the holiness of God (as they rightly should have been), but no one here seems to be afraid, except maybe John.  We see seven torches of fire burning before the throne here--I would assume this has something to do with either the seven-fold Spirit of God (the Holy Spirt) the Seven Churches that we just discussed or both (because it is the Spirt that is at work in and through the Seven Churches).  They provide a more steady source of light as opposed to the random bursts of light that come forth from the throne of God.

In addition to all this, we get our first glimpse at the four creatures that surround the throne (though we've seen these creatures before in the Old Testament prophets, specifically the book of Ezekiel).  They stand guard around the throne in the front, the rear and on each side.  Each has four faces, one on each side, so that they see everything and everyone that approaches the throne.  They move everywhere that the throne of God moves, but they only move in cardinal directions (think of Rooks in chess--they never turn their heads and always move in the direction that one of their four faces is looking).  John describes these as four separate creatures, one with the look of a lion, the second with the look of an ox, the third with the look of a man, and the fourth with the look of an eagle in flight.  Other Scriptures would seem to indicate that each of the cratures was all four of these things and each had the face of a lion, an ox, a man, and an eagle.  I don't think that's a contradiction--they are seeing and both seeing and describing the four-fold nature of these creatures.   The new information here is that these creatures are full of eyes on every side so that they see everything and everyone that approaches the throne.  Think of these creatures like the inner circle fo the security detail that surrounds a president, prime minister, king, or other such dignitary.  These creatures are prefectly designed for their job--they see in all directions and they move everywhere that God moves.

Yet, even these creatures are there to worship the Lord and lead others in worship as they cry "Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come!"  This idea of "Who was, and is, and is to come" is not just the theme of the book of Revelation--"The things that are, the things that are not yet, and that things that are yet to come," but also the idea of God's covenant name of "I AM."  The ever-being one--the one who "was" (past tense), who is (present tense," and "who is to come" (future tense) of the infinitive "to be" which is the same verb as "am" (a "being verb"--"am" is the first-person present tense form because God Himself is always present with His people.  Also "Holy, Holy, Holy" is the only "superlative" (said three times in a row) that we see in the Bible  The last time we saw it was in Isaiah 6:3 when Isaiah sees the Lord high and lifted up and the train of His robe filled the Temple and the Temple was filled with smoke.  The cherabim called out to each other, "“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory!”  What is the same and what is different?  God is still holy, but we no longer need to look at the earth to see the fullness of His glory (his people on earth), as we are now being called to look directly on Him--something we were never able to do in the past.

The livng creatures start the chorus, and then they are joined by the 24 elders, who bow down before Him and build the doxology (which will itself eventually become sevenfold as we progress throughout the book of Revelation).  

11 “Worthy are you, our Lord and God,
    to receive glory and honor and power,
for you created all things,
    and by your will they existed and were created.”

Tho Him who sits on the throne they ascribe
1) Glory
2) Honor
3) Power
both now and forevermore.  Wny?  Because He is the Creator of all things and without Him was not anything made that was made.  As Collossians 1 says, "All things were created by Him and for Him."  As we progress through the book of Revelation, we will also see other reasons why He is worthy of worship (such as the salvation of HIs people and the destruction of the wicked).  Follow this doxology as we progress through the book of Revelation and continue to see it build.  Does it not encourage you to burst forth in praise even right now?  Why wait until we get to heaven?  Join the heavenly chorus now, because, as you will see later, you too are part of it.  Choose to sing to the King now!

Revelation 3:14-22
English Standard Version

To the Church in Laodicea
14 “And to the angel of the church in Laodicea write: ‘The words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of God's creation.

15 “‘I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were either cold or hot! 16 So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth. 17 For you say, “I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing,” not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked. 18 I counsel you to buy from me gold refined by fire, so that you may be rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself and the shame of your nakedness may not be seen, and salve to anoint your eyes, so that you may see. 19 Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline, so be zealous and repent. 20 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. 21 The one who conquers, I will grant him to sit with me on my throne, as I also conquered and sat down with my Father on his throne. 22 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’”

The message to the Church in Laodicea is probably the most well-known of these seven letters (and it is the last of the seven).  Jesus reminds this pastor and his church that He is the Amen (the final word that will bring everything to completion that will verify that everything God has said and done is true) and He is the Faithful and True Witness (He testified to faithfully to who His Father was and everything His Father said, but He will also testify faithfully as to those who belong to Him and those who don't belong to Him and He perfectly knows the hearts, minds, and works of both groups) and the beginning of God's creation (the Word and the Alpha).

It is from this passage that we have the phrase "lukewarm Christian." (I'll let you judge for yourself if you think this is a correct phrase after reading this passage).  Jesus tells this church that He knows their works as well--they are neither hot nor cold.   Since they are neither hot nor cold, they are like water that is good for nothing and is disguisting when you try to drink it.  Jesus is using and image of something in their local geography and culture that they would understand to paint a spiritual picture (He did that with most of these seven churches, though this one is the most necessary to expalin).  There was an aquaduct that started up in the mountains where there was cold, refreshing water that ran down to another city and by the time that water got to them, it was hot from the Sun heating it up the entire journey.  Laodicea was halfway along the journey and the water they got from the aqueduct was neither hot nor cold--it wasn't the refreshing cold water from the mountain that was great for drinking or the hot water at the end of the aqueduct that was good for bathing--it was lukewarm, disgusting and good for nothing.  The Laodiceans knew exactly what Jesus was referring to--they were just like that disguisting water that they had to deal with every day, and I'm sure it made them want to vomit too.

If this city wasn't known for its water supply, then what was it known for?  They were a rich city where everyone wore nice clothes, had plenty of gold, and they made medicine for people's eyes (eye slave).  Jesus makes reference to all the things that they had in physical realm that they thought meant something, but that He said were worthless in His kingdom.  When Jesus looked at them, He did not see people who had it all together and were in need of nothing.  He saw a people who were wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked in a spiritual sense.  He told them they need to come to Him by faith to use their "nothing" to "buy" from him the spritual version of gold, fine clothes and eye salve--that is eternal life, to be dressed in the righteousness of Christ, and to no longer be spiritually blind, but given eyes to see the Lord and the salvation that only He provides.  If they don't have these things, isn't Jesus saying they are still lost and there is nothing "Christian" about these people?  Aren't they going to a building and listening to a pastor and they are all pretending to be something they are not? I think that's what Jesus is talking about here--if they realized they were lost and acted like lost people, we could deal with that, for they would understand that they needed the gospel.  If they were born again and acted like God's people are supposed to act because they have been changed form the inside out, that would be even more excellent and we would praise the Lord!  However, it seems this group of people are innoculated to their need for the gospel because they don't know they are lost, but they have no relationship with Jesus.  They are like the people in Matthew 7 who will say, "Lord, Lord did we not...." and they will list their many good works, "....in your name?" and He will say, "Depart from me you who practice lawlessness.  I never knew you."  They believe they are saved and they are not--that is what is disguisting about them.

Jesus says that those whom He loves, He discipliens and reproves and corrects so that they might repent and be zealous for Him.  It is in the context of this statement that Jesus says, "I stand at the door and knock."  Jesus is coming one way or another, but He being gracious to give them a sign that He is coming and about to enter.  It is their choice whether He comes to bring them judgment or to rescue them from the coming judgment, but He is coming soon and very soon.  That is even more true today than it was almost 2000 years ago when this was written (probably around 90 A.D.).

There is still time for this congregation to turn things around and to truly have a relationship with Jesus that will end in their joining Him for the Marriage Supper of the Lamb and for them to be victorious over sin and death when He conquers them and the enemies of God, and for them to rulle and reign with Him in His eternal Kingdom.  However, time is running out for them.  This is Jesus' final message to the Seven Churches and the Church today as the Sprit is speaking these words to all of us.

If it hasn't been made clear to you by this point, everyone finds themselves in at least one of these letters individually and corporately with the churches they attend.  They may be a persecuted church or a faithful church or a dying church or a fake church or any of the other ways in which we could describe theese Seven Churches.  This was a message specifically from these pastors of these local churches, but we all have the same issues today and need the same encouragment and admonishment from our Lord and Savior.  This forms the perfect opening for the book of Revelation which tells of the things that are, the things that are not yet, and the things that are to come.  We have spent the first few chapters talking about the things that are, but this also points to the near future and the distant future of the Church.  We're now going to move into the things that are comng "soon" (the time of the Tribulation) and the things that are to come at the very end of days (the judgment of the wicked and the New Heavens and New Earth that have been prepared for the people of God).  This gives us a kind of outline for the entire book.

Revelation 3:7-13
English Standard Version

To the Church in Philadelphia
7 “And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write: ‘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.

8 “‘I know your works. Behold, I have set before you an open door, which no one is able to shut. I know that you have but little power, and yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name. 9 Behold, I will make those of the synagogue of Satan who say that they are Jews and are not, but lie—behold, I will make them come and bow down before your feet, and they will learn that I have loved you. 10 Because you have kept my word about patient endurance, I will keep you from the hour of trial that is coming on the whole world, to try those who dwell on the earth. 11 I am coming soon. Hold fast what you have, so that no one may seize your crown. 12 The one who conquers, I will make him a pillar in the temple of my God. Never shall he go out of it, and I will write on him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which comes down from my God out of heaven, and my own new name. 13 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’

Jesus continues His message to the Seven Churches, this time to the Church in Philadephia, specifically to the pastor leading that church.  He reminds them that He is the Holy One and the one who is called True.  He has the key of David which opens and no one shuts, and who shuts and no one opens.  Jesus is the Elector who chooses His people by Election.  The decision really lies with Jesus.

Jesus tells this people that He is speaking to that He has set before them an open door that no one has access to shut.  He has decided that their names are the guest list, and no one is going to take their name off of His list or take their seat at His banquet that He is throwing for them.  He knows the people of this congregation feel weaek and powerless, yet they obey the Word of God faithfully, refusing to deny the name of Christ, even when it costs them greatly.

It would seem that they have been suffering greatly undert the persecution of zealous Jews who think they are doing the work of God, but are not--they are doing the work of Satan.  Jesus said that he will make these Jews of the Synagoge of Satan bow down before these very Christians that they were persecuting..  The Jews will learn just how much Jesus loved the Gentile Christians and that His true people are those whom He loves who also love Him, obey Him, and patiently endure until He returns for them.

Jesus promises that He will keep this congregation of faithful saints from the coming hour of trial that is for the whole world (some believe this is a promise of the Church being raptured away before the coming the time of the Tribulation, or at least before The Great Tribulation.  Another view is that Jesus is promising simply to bring them safely through the judgment that is prepared for the world but this judgment will not be able to touch them because He has marked and sealed them for protection (in much the same way that the Jews experienced the salvation of The Passover at exactly the same time that people of Egypt were experiencing the Tenth Plague of the death of every firstborn male--both humans and livestock).  I'm not opposed to our salvation coming by way of removal or by way of protection and keeping us through the time of Tribulation, but, either way, the Word is clear that God's wrath that will be poured out in the end is not for His people.

Jesus tells these faithful Christians that He is coming soon and that they simply need to remain faithful to Him and He reminds them that no one can take their crown away from them.  The one who overcomes the persecutions of this world and remains faithful to the end will be made to be like one of the pillars in the Lord's Temple.  This is in contrast to the custom in Philadelphia of errecting a pillar with someone's name inscribed on it as a monument to them.  Jesus says that He will make these faithful saints to be living monuments and He will inscribe them with His name and the name of the New Jerusalem (the Bride and People of Christ, and the Place He has prepared for all of us where God will once again dwell among His people).  The Temple of God will be the New Jerusalem if we examine it closely later--it is a cube like the Most Holy Place.  We are promised that once we go in, we will never go out--we will live in the presence of the Father and Son forever and ever.  This is a great message of encouragment that Jesus has for this pastor, this church and for all the Seven Churches and to the Church today.  He who has an ear to hear, let him hear!

Revelation 3:1-6
English Standard Version

To the Church in Sardis
3 “And to the angel of the church in Sardis write: ‘The words of him who has the seven spirits of God and the seven stars.

“‘I know your works. You have the reputation of being alive, but you are dead. 2 Wake up, and strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have not found your works complete in the sight of my God. 3 Remember, then, what you received and heard. Keep it, and repent. If you will not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what hour I will come against you. 4 Yet you have still a few names in Sardis, people who have not soiled their garments, and they will walk with me in white, for they are worthy. 5 The one who conquers will be clothed thus in white garments, and I will never blot his name out of the book of life. I will confess his name before my Father and before his angels. 6 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’

Jesus' message to the pastor of the church at Sardis, the congregation that meets there, and to the rest of the Church, including us today starts with reminding them that He is the one who has the Seven Spirits of God (the sevenfold Spirit, that is, the Holy Spirit) and He has the seven stars (the pastors of these seven churches who represent the pastors of all the churches in all places at all times).

Jesus begins his message tot eh church in Sardis telling them that He knows both their works and their reputation (sometimes these are not the same).  People think they are alive, but He knows they are spiriutally dead.  They give all the ourward signs of living, growing church, but they are in a state of spiritual apathy, just going through the mostions, that is about to lead to to the death of that church, and Jesus knows it.  He tells them to wake up and strengthen what remain, for it is about to die.

Jesus judges their works that have gotten them such a good reputation and finds them to be incomplete. in the sight of God--their good works will never satisfy God, only their trust in the good work of Jesus to make them righteous in the sight of God will please Him because He is always pleased when He looks on His Son and those dressed in His Son's righteousness, because the Son perfectly obeyed the Father, even to the point of death on a cross.  They must remember the true gospel they heard and return to it.  They must repent of the way in which they have swerved from the truth.

If they refuse to wake up and repent and return to the first things that they need to remember, Jesus promises that His return will be like a thief in the night that catches them unaware.  When He comes to bring salvation to those that are His, these people who think they belong to Him will find out when it is too late that they never really knew Him or belonged to Him.  I say this because He says at that time He will come against against them--that is a promise for the wicked who are His enemies, not for His Bride who He comes to rescue.

There are a few true believers still who both believe rightly and have right behavior that is in allignment with their true faith.  They will be saved from the coming judgment, for the Lord will not premit the righteous to be caught up in the judgment of the wicked (see Noah's Ark, Sodom and Gomorrah, and the Battle of Jericho to name a few places in the past that point to a truth for the future as well).  Such a man will be clothed in pure, white garments without spot or blemish (the righteousness of Christ) and will walk with Jesus in white (they will be His Bride and He will be their Bridegroom).  He will never blot the name of ssuch a man out of the Lamb's Book of Life (more on that book later).  He promised to confess the names of such men who belong to Him before the Father to gurantee our entry into the coming Kingdom and to secure for us an inheritence that the Father has prepared for us (first and foremost, this will be the person of Christ and then after that will be all the riches that belong to Him and then the delegated authority to not only be co-heirs with Him, but also to reign and rule with Him).  This is the message of Jesus Christ not only to the Church of Sardis, but to all the Seven Churches and to all the members of the Church, the Bride of Christ--past, present, and future.