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Revelation #8

Have you been at peace in Christ during the past week? May grace and peace overflow from our Heavenly Father and our Lord Jesus Christ to your families and hearts today. We wrapped up Chapter 3 in the last episode. We saw the words about the church age, and we saw ourselves living in the difficult times of the last Laodicean church. We also learned we had to repent and rise up to shine. Now, Chapter 4 will tell you what will happen next. This is where the rapture will take place and what will happen after, as you can especially see the appearance of the throne in heaven. So, we have learned what the cause of the apostasy is through the history of the church, and that the cause of the apostasy in the Laodicea church is the alteration of God’s Word and that the Roman Catholic church, a self-proclaimed Jew, is behind all this. The church disappears in Revelation 3:22. In chapters 4 to 22 the word church is not mentioned again. This is because the church will be raptured before the tribulation. What does it mean? While the Holy Spirit is shown in the midst of the churches on earth in chapters 2 and 3, we can see that the location of the churches and the Holy Spirit are changed in chapter 4. Now, here is a scene where the gates of heaven are opened. Revelation 4:1 (KJV) After this I looked, and, behold, a door was opened in heaven: and the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me; which said, Come up hither, and I will shew thee things which must be hereafter.  Now, a door opens in heaven. Once upon a time, the door was opened and Enoch went up. The door opened and Elijah went up on horses and chariots of fire. Another door was opened and our Lord ascended into heaven. Now another door opens. In this book of Revelation, the door opens twice. One time, the apostle John heard the command to come up here, and he went up. Once in chapter 19, we can see that our Lord Jesus Christ has eyes like flames and the door is opened again in order to come to this earth as the Lord of judgment, the King of kings, and the Lord of lords. No matter how much I look up at the sky, the door won’t open. The door must be opened to be seen. As the door opened, there was a voice and a trumpet sound. Are you talking here now? The first voice sounded like a trumpet. The coming of the Lord is related to the sound of the trumpet, and the rapture of the saints is also related to the sound of the trumpet. So, if we look at 1 Thessalonians 4:15~18, we can see what the voice and the trumpet sound are. 1 Thessalonians 4:15-18 (KJV) For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words. This is exactly what 4:1 say about the coming rapture and what will happen in heaven & on earth starting from the rapture.

Revelation 4:2 (KJV) And immediately I was in the spirit: and, behold, a throne was set in heaven, and one sat on the throne. The apostle John has already ascended to heaven. We saw this already in Revelation 1:10 (KJV) I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day… This Lord’s Day not only means  the Sunday we worship is also the Lord’s Day, but when is this eternal Lord’s Day that will come? Is it the day when the Lord returns? The day of the Lord’s second coming is the day of the LORD, the day of wrath, the day of chastening, and the day of sorrow to the people of the world. But for the children of God, it is a day of blessing and a day of redemption. When John said, I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day… through the Holy Spirit, God has already transferred the Apostle John to the day of the Second Coming, to witness the events in advance two thousand years into the future. We are talking about miraculous transformations of form or structure. This is supernatural powers, isn’t it? 1 Corinthians 15:49:50 tells how the church, the body of the Lord, Christians will be raptured. Regarding this, the Apostle Paul said that these mysterious things happen in the blink of an eye when the trumpet sounds. In the blink of an eye, your body will take on a new body. Put on an invincible body. He is testifying that we will put on a spiritual body, an incorruptible body. The Lord taught the Apostle Paul about the mystery of the rapture. It is mentioned twice in 1 Thessalonians 4:16-18 and 1 Corinthians 15:49-52. There are Voice, sound of trumpet, and the sound of the call changes his body into a spiritual form, and we can see that John immediately ascended to the third heaven. Yes, the bible says heavens, plural.  The first heaven is from the earth to the clouds, the atmosphere. This is the first heaven. The second heaven is the universe containing the sun, moon and stars. The third heavens passes through many constellations, nebulae, numerous galaxies, and  through star clusters, and the Bible says that it is the place where God Himself is, and that direction is north. The word “Come up hither” appears three times. The first is the rapture of the Old Testament saints. When our Lord Jesus Christ rose from the dead, many sleeping saints arose together. It is found in Matthew 27:50-54.

We can see it in Ephesians 4:8-10 as well. At the resurrection of Christ, the saints of the Old Testament rose up and entered the holy city and saw them. What happened to them next?  They went up of course. That is why Jesus Christ was not called the first fruits of the resurrection, but the first fruits. It means there were a lot of people who were resurrected after Jesus, right? The second is the rapture of the New Testament believers. This is after the church age on the day of Pentecost until the rapture of the New Testament believers. Children of God who have received Jesus Christ and have been born again by the Holy Spirit, Jews or Gentiles. It happens at the end of the church age, right? It will happen soon. You never know when it will happen Maybe this evening or tomorrow morning. I don’t know when, but it will happen sooner or later. This is the second rapture of the New Testament believers. As mentioned earlier, it is found in 1 Corinthians 15:49-53 and 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18. The third and final rapture is the rapture of the Tribulation Saints during the Tribulation. It will be at the end of the tribulation period. This is what the Lord said in Matthew 24, and we will study this in Revelation 11. The Apostle Paul compared these three raptures to three harvests. He used an analogy to harvest wheat. So, the first harvest is the first ripe fruit, the first fruit of the resurrection, right? Old Testament Saints including Jesus Christ. This is called the first harvest. The second harvest is the ripe fruits of the church age for 2,000 years, the saints who were born again by the Holy Spirit, and the rapture of the New Testament saints at the very end of the church age. Finally, the rapture after the tribulation is gleaning. We will learn the scene of the tribulation saints being lifted up again at the Second Coming through the Word.

Revelation 4:3-4 (KJV) And he that sat was to look upon like a jasper and a sardine stone: and there was a rainbow round about the throne, in sight like unto an emerald. And round about the throne were four and twenty seats: and upon the seats I saw four and twenty elders sitting, clothed in white raiment; and they had on their heads crowns of gold.  These crowns are crowns of reward. At the judgment seat of Christ, the saved saints receive crowns as a reward. The white raiment, the fine linen will be worn for the judgment seat of Christ and at the wedding supper of the Lamb in Revelation 19 as a result of the righteous deeds of the saints. The wedding feast of Christ. At the rapture, the saints are rewarded at the judgment seat of Christ in heaven, rebuked, cleansed, and then put on white raiments and are married to the Lamb during the 7 years of tribulation on earth. A true wedding will be held for 7 years. Imagine it, everyone. A wedding on this earth is a model. So how can we possibly imagine this great blessing? While the earth is overflowing with the wine of wrath, the born again children of God will be getting married in the heavenly wedding ceremony. Just as the Apostle John went up and looked down, perhaps the regenerated and raptured saints will see this earth from heaven when they ascend. At that time, imagine the amount of tears coming out of our eyes when we see our family, acquaintances, and friends who are suffering and killed because we fail to preach the Gospel. Those tears are real tears, right? A certain American pastor once said there are lies even in the tears of repentance, in fact, the tears we shed on this earth are not completely pure. It contains my greed and my thoughts. However, the tears we shed as we ascend to heaven and look at those who have not been saved because of me will probably be true tears. In Revelation 22, the Lord will wash away our tears. Here we see the 24 elders. They represent the people of the church age who were saved, washed and rewarded with the blood of Jesus. In Revelation 5:9, there is this saying. These are the representatives of those who have been redeemed Revelation 5:9 (KJV) for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation;  The number twenty-four is the multiple of Jewish number 12, as the twelve apostles are mentioned here. There are twelve Jewish tribes, and the New Testament apostles are the twelve apostles. This can be seen as referring to the Gentiles and Jews in Christ. Romans 1:16 (KJV) …the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.  As Romans 1:16 says, we now know that the 24 elders are the saved Jewish and Gentile believers.

The book of Revelation is not difficult to understand, but difficult to believe. People do not want to believe what they have not experienced. They trie to believe only what they’ve seen before. However, the word of God will be fulfilled wheather they believe it or not. A never-before-seen event will happen in the future. For that reason, only those who believe in the Word of God will know. The writer of Hebrews said that. It’s through faith that we came to know God created the heavens and the earth. It is not because “I” knew and believed, but that I came to know when I believed the word of God. It’s the complete opposite of the world. We need to know that the Apostle John was brought up to a literal, physically existing place in the universe, and that place is still there. Just because we can’t see it doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist. What characteristics do the Bible have with regard to God’s dwelling place, its location, distance, and scale? What kind of people are living there? There’s a lot to be said for here, and it’s presented very clearly. God is omnipresent, but from the point of view that He dwells in the body of the saved, it can be seen that He does not dwell in the body of the unsaved. Also, in the sense that the Holy Spirit now dwells in the New Testament saints, he did not always dwell in the body of the Old Testament saints. He was present in them for a short time, and then moved away when the ministry was over. The Spirit of Christ was also present in the prophets of old, but not always. However, in the New Testament era, once you believe, you will be sealed by the Holy Spirit. The Lord is residing permanently. This is what makes it different. Also, considering that the Holy Spirit is on this earth in the age of the church, He is not on this earth in the time of tribulation. Therefore, if you want to know this meaning, you must be born again. God’s work cannot be known without being born again. That’s why 1 Corinthians 2:14 says: 1 Corinthians 2:14 (KJV) But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. Now, secondly, let’s find out where the throne is through the Bible. The location is indicated in the Book of Job, which was written before Genesis, and in the Psalms. In particular, the book of Job gives us the knowledge of many nuggets of truth about the heavenly sights and things.

Job 26:7 (KJV) He stretcheth out the north over the empty place, and hangeth the earth upon nothing. Job 26:9-10 (KJV) He holdeth back the face of his throne, and spreadeth his cloud upon it. He hath compassed the waters with bounds, until the day and night come to an end. The region above the water, this is called the North and the empty space. Above this north and emptiness is a hard covering that prevents man from seeing the throne of God. This place is beyond the solar system, where day and night end. That’s why we can’t see it with our eyes. In Job 37:18,22 we see this saying:

Job 37:18 (KJV) Hast thou with him spread out the sky, which is strong, and as a molten looking glass? Job 37:22 (KJV) Fair weather cometh out of the north: with God is terrible majesty. We see that the sky is a strong and hard material, like a molten glass which has hardened. This is a sky much higher than that sky above our heads. The third heaven. Once again we can see that the north direction relates to God. The reason we should study the words of Job is that it is the oldest book in the Bible. These words of from Book of Job provide information about the formation, foundation, and structure of the universe. This is something that NASA doesn’t even know about. Astronomy doesn’t know either. It is only in the Word of God. Therefore, no one in the world can face against who is knowledgeable about God’s Word. All knowledge in the world cannot know beyond death. So, How much more can it know about the throne of God?  Check out this word from  Job 38:30 (KJV) The waters are hid as with a stone, and the face of the deep is frozen. It says here that water is hidden where we cannot see. These waters are not talking about the five oceans here, such as the Atlantic, Indian, Pacific and so forth. The water in this heaven is a great amount of water. So the surface of the deep is frozen. It’s literal. What is this depth? In Genesis 1:2, the darkness was upon the face of the deep, right? What is the depth, how deep is the heaven above? Is it only above? It’s also below. We need to understand Genesis 1:2 by reading at it. Third, what are the characteristics and distances or sizes of the throne, and what kind of beings are there? Genesis 1:6-9 says there is water above the firmament and water under the firmament. This universe is made up of a flat and expansive space. There are the stars, the sun and the moon. There are galaxies. There are constellations. There are nebulae and clusters of stars. This is what we call heaven. It’s in Genesis 1:14-17, right? In particular, there are beautiful words in the Psalms. Psalm 148:1 (KJV) Praise ye the LORD. Praise ye the LORD from the heavens: praise him in the heights. There are three heavens. The Third Heaven The Second Heaven The First Heaven. Praise the Lord from the heavens, and praise him in the high places. In 2 Corinthians 12:1-4, the Apostle Paul was carried away to the paradise in third heaven. He came to see the throne of God, just like John. But they are words that aren’t allowed to be uttered by men, so he put an end to talking more about it. However, in the time of the Apostle John, the Lord fully reveals it and shows us the scene of the third heaven. We can live in hope when we realize spiritually what the throne of heaven looks like through the Word. We must realize what the Lord meant to ‘Set your hopes on heavenly things above and not of the things of the word.’

Psalm 148:4 (KJV) Praise him, ye heavens of heavens, and ye waters that be above the heavens. Heavens of heavens. Ye waters that be above the heavens. There are much waters above heavens. Compared to the great amount of waters above, all the waters combined on this planet is not even close to a water drop. Also, in Psalm 148:6 (KJV) He hath also stablished them for ever and ever: he hath made a decree which shall not pass. These vast amount of waters are locked into their respective locations. Hebrews 1:3 (KJV) says upholding all things by the word of his power, God created heaven and earth by His Word and He is upholding all things by the word of His Power. In relation to these words, we can also remember the words spoken through Isaiah how God will call unto the heavens and the earth to stand up together (Isaiah 48:13).  Psalm 148:8 (KJV) Fire, and hail; snow, and vapour; stormy wind fulfilling his word: Psalm 148:13 (KJV) Let them praise the name of the LORD: Christians will one day be raptured into heaven. As Israel passed through the Red Sea and as Joshua crossed the Jordan into the Promised Land, so we will be raptured through this heavenly water. Then there will be a great spectacle. When the people of Israel returned from a brief captivity in Egypt, they were so happy that Miriam, Moses’ sister, danced and praised out of joy. But can you compare the joy of the people of Israel passing through the Red Sea, to the coming of the Lord and ascend with Him through this great water after living in this harsh world of suffering? This is unimaginable. You can’t go up on a spaceship. You don’t even have to wear a space suit. This is only possible by born-again Christians transforming into the new incorruptible, indestructible, resurrected body, restored to the perfect image of God to break through the layers of heavens. That body is unsusceptible to cold or hot, and transcends time and space. Those who believe in this promise and those who have this faith have nothing to fear. That is why the Apostle John said, 1 John 5:4-5 (KJV) For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith. Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?   If I truly believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and that the Creator is in me, what would I be afraid of? The problem is faith. Therefore, the Apostle Paul wrote to the Corinthian church members: 2 Corinthians 13:5-6 (KJV) Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates? But I trust that ye shall know that we are not reprobates.  You and I should rejoice that we are not forsaken. This should be the source of joy. Nothing in the world can take away our joy. Therefore, the Apostle Paul said, rejoice in the Lord. Hope for this heavenly kingdom in the Lord. There should be joy when looking at this. If you put your joy in something other than this, it disappears when that is lost. Why do the saints grieve? It’s because When what I have is gone, I don’t rejoice when the happiness and prosperity that I want to have disappears. However, the Apostle Paul said, Philippians 4:4 (KJV) Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice.  Even during his imprisonment, The Apostle Paul said rejoice. why? Because he was in the Lord. He said this because he was spiritually in the Lord and was convinced that he would now be with the Lord when he left this world.

Psalm 48:2 (KJV) Beautiful for situation, the joy of the whole earth, is mount Zion, on the sides of the north, the city of the great King. Living on this earth, in the great city of Mount Zion to the north, ‘Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.’ Just as there is Mount Zion in heaven, there is Mount Zion on earth as well. Just as Jerusalem is in heaven, so it is on earth. But the heavenly Mount Zion is earthly joy. Mount Zion on this earth is now suffering. New Jerusalem in heaven is the city of joy. It is the city of hope, the eternal city. But now, the earthly Jerusalem has become a city of terror. However, the Bible says that when the Lord, the Prince of Peace, comes in the future, it will be restored. Are you looking forward to that heavenly city? the joy of the entire world? Abraham lived looking forward to the land of Palestine, but when he entered the land of Canaan, he looked forward to the city that God had prepared. Looking from afar, many have come and gone. However, the new city of Jerusalem is no longer far away. It will be when the Lord comes, the time of His Second Coming. He clearly says He is physically coming down from heaven. This should be the joy of our lives on this earth. The arrogant devil named Lucifer said in  Isaiah 14:13 (KJV) I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north:  This is that devil which brought on the sin of the world. We must never follow Lucifer. To the north is the throne of God. That’s where the Polestar is and perhaps it’s the reason for being called the Northstar. Revelation 4:5 (KJV) And out of the throne proceeded lightnings and thunderings and voices: and there were seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God.  IT’s the Holy Spirit. The Seven Spirits. Isaiah 11:2 (KJV) And the spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD;  There are seven spirits in heaven. Those seven spirits are within the person who has received the Holy Spirit. That’s why they are wise. They have spirit of understanding. They also have the spirit of counsel in the Lord. He has might and knowledge and always fears the Lord. why? This is the Spirit of the Creator, Jehovah. These people will never be shaken. Never waver and look to the Lord. Never compromise with the world. Never believe anything other than the Word. I hope you become like this.

Let us pray.

Thank you Father God. Thank you for showing us the heavenly things. We remember the words the Apostle Paul said through the Holy Spirit to set our hearts on heaven and not on earthly things. We pray that all the children of God, who will appear in glory with the Lord in the future, do not fall away, but  hope for the kingdom of God, rejoice only when they finally see the kingdom of the Lord on this earth, rejoice in the Lord, and meet proudly and joyfully when they meet the Lord. May we all please you  by staying awake and pray in order to avoid grieving the indwelling Lord, your Holy Spirit. In the name of our Lord and Saviour, Christ Jesus, we give thanks and pray. Amen.