How do you think you'd feel to have a personal invitation from a King to come closer to him?
John receives such an invitation in Revelation 4, and he is captivated by all he sees. His record is so vivid as he depicts the throne, the one on the throne, and the sights around it.
"Then as I looked, I saw a door standing open in heaven, and the same voice I had heard before spoke to me like a trumpet blast. The voice said, “Come up here, and I will show you what must happen after this.” (NLT) And immediately I was in the spirit: and, behold, a throne was set in heaven, and one sat on the throne.
3 And he that sat was to look upon like a jasper and a sardine stone: and there was a rainbow round about the throne, in sight like unto an emerald."(KJV) -Revelation 4:1-3
First I take note of the open door. Isn't that a beautiful reminder of the veil between God and man that was torn? Jesus invites us personally to the throne of God.
Second John lets us know the voice inviting him to the throne is the voice of the same one in Chapter one. Let's revisit this passage in chapter 1:12-15 to confirm the owner of this voice.
"...I turned to see the voice that spake with me....one like unto the Son of man, clothed with a garment down to the foot, and girt about the paps with a golden girdle.His head and his hairs were white like wool, as white as snow; and his eyes were as a flame of fire; ...and his voice as the sound of many waters." (KJV)
Yes, Jesus calls John to the throne.
Third, note that John remarks that instantly he was in the Spirit. It was in the Spirit that he was able to see what comes next.
When John gets to the place of the voice in Chapter 4 he sees a throne and one sitting on it. So who is on the throne? The one like unto the "son of man"- Jesus himself. How can we know this?
"The one sitting on the throne was as brilliant as gemstones—like jasper and carnelian. And the glow of an emerald circled his throne like a rainbow" Rev. 4:3 (NLT)
Why does this passage look familiar?
John receives such an invitation in Revelation 4, and he is captivated by all he sees. His record is so vivid as he depicts the throne, the one on the throne, and the sights around it.
"Then as I looked, I saw a door standing open in heaven, and the same voice I had heard before spoke to me like a trumpet blast. The voice said, “Come up here, and I will show you what must happen after this.” (NLT) And immediately I was in the spirit: and, behold, a throne was set in heaven, and one sat on the throne.
3 And he that sat was to look upon like a jasper and a sardine stone: and there was a rainbow round about the throne, in sight like unto an emerald."(KJV) -Revelation 4:1-3
First I take note of the open door. Isn't that a beautiful reminder of the veil between God and man that was torn? Jesus invites us personally to the throne of God.
Second John lets us know the voice inviting him to the throne is the voice of the same one in Chapter one. Let's revisit this passage in chapter 1:12-15 to confirm the owner of this voice.
"...I turned to see the voice that spake with me....one like unto the Son of man, clothed with a garment down to the foot, and girt about the paps with a golden girdle.His head and his hairs were white like wool, as white as snow; and his eyes were as a flame of fire; ...and his voice as the sound of many waters." (KJV)
Yes, Jesus calls John to the throne.
Third, note that John remarks that instantly he was in the Spirit. It was in the Spirit that he was able to see what comes next.
When John gets to the place of the voice in Chapter 4 he sees a throne and one sitting on it. So who is on the throne? The one like unto the "son of man"- Jesus himself. How can we know this?
"The one sitting on the throne was as brilliant as gemstones—like jasper and carnelian. And the glow of an emerald circled his throne like a rainbow" Rev. 4:3 (NLT)
Why does this passage look familiar?
"...a voice spoke from beyond the crystal surface above them.
26 Above this surface was something that looked like a throne made of blue lapis lazuli. And on this throne high above was a figure whose appearance resembled a man. 27 From what appeared to be his waist up, he looked like gleaming amber, flickering like a fire. And from his waist down, he looked like a burning flame, shining with splendor. 28 All around him was a glowing halo, like a rainbow shining in the clouds on a rainy day. This is what the glory of the Lord looked like to me. When I saw it, I fell face down on the ground, and I heard someone’s voice speaking to me." Ezekiel 1:25-28 (NLT)
Ezekiel and John separated by hundreds of years have the same vision of the throne in heaven and the same ONE sits on the one throne.
When John comes in, worship is in full progress. Praises are being given to the ONE on the throne. John records these words:
"Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come."
"Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created."
Here Jesus is referred to as LORD God Almighty. This name is mentioned first in Genesis 17 when God introduces himself to Abram, later to be called Abraham.
"And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the Lord appeared to Abram, and said unto him, I am the Almighty God; walk before me, and be thou perfect."
Again in Genesis 35:11
"And God said unto him, I am God Almighty: be fruitful and multiply; a nation and a company of nations shall be of thee, and kings shall come out of thy loins;"
Then in Exodus 6:2-3 God reveals something about himself. He reveals another name.
And God spake unto Moses, and said unto him, I am the Lord:
3 And I appeared unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, by the name of God Almighty, but by my name Jehovah was I not known to them.
This revelation of the name JEHOVAH did not stop God from being God Almighty. It only deepens our understanding of God and all that He is.
But wait, this reference is used in regard to Jesus on the throne. What does this mean?
Recall that on the road to Damascus in Acts 9:5 and Acts 22:8, Paul's encounter with a celestial being in light is recorded. His first question was Who are you Lord? Jesus replied, I am Jesus, who you are persecuting." Moses in Exodus 6 asked the same question. Who are you? God replied that he was known by one name up to this point but get ready for a revelation. I am JEHOVAH. Fast forward to Paul where the spirit-being reveals himself to be Jesus. This is the same Jesus of which Isaiah prophesied as having many names- "Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace." These amazing attributes, give us a deeper understanding of all God is. It does not take away from his name JEHOVAH.
Could it be that our spiritual Fathers knew God by the name JEHOVAH, but now we know him by the name JESUS? {transliterated from Hebrew YHVSH`- Jehovah- God our salvation/ from Greek Iesous}
Well let's not merely draw lines but rightly divide the WORD of TRUTH.
Revelation 4:11, the last verse in our passage for today reads,
"Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created."
We know who is on the throne- Jesus. These praises are to the ONE on the throne.
Isaiah 44:24 reads "Thus saith the Lord, thy redeemer, and he that formed thee from the womb, I am the Lord that maketh all things; that stretcheth forth the heavens alone; that spreadeth abroad the earth by myself;"
JEHOVAH speaks these words. He declares he did it alone. Revelation 4 records this credit being given to JESUS. JESUS is JEHOVAH in a form that we recognize as a human being- "one like unto the son of man." This simply means the offspring of a person. What else looks like the offspring of a person than a person? Jesus is the form of God that looks like you and I.
JESUS is the "WORD was God" in John 1:1. He is the "Word was made flesh" in John 1:14 - "the image of the invisible God" in Colossians 1:15. He is the Almighty God in Genesis. He is the given son whose name is "wonderful, Counsellor, The Mighty God, The everlasting Father" in Isaiah. Jesus is the "Immauel- God with us" in Matthew 1:23 and Isaiah 7:14. JESUS is the I AM.
Watch what else Jesus, our Lord and our God is, next in Chapter 5.
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Watch what else Jesus, our Lord and our God is, next in Chapter 5.
Need to catch up? Series Links below:
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