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19Write
the things which thou hast seen, and the things which are, and the things
which shall be hereafter.
hast seen—ch. 1—glimpse at glorified Christ,
eternity past.
are—chs. 2-3—church age, the present age of Grace.
shall be hereafter—begins in 4:1, end of the world & eternity future.
v.1—last word= “hereafter”…the 3rd and final section of Rev.
begins right here!
The church [born again believers] has had the center stage until now…as a
matter of fact, the word church appears 19 times in chs. 2 & 3, but
in Rev. 4:1, the church disappears!
And is not seen again until ch. 19 when we find the church returning w/
Christ
to earth at the battle of Armageddon!
To use radio language, we would say that in 4:1, the church goes “off the
air”. Why does the church go off the air in 4:1? I’ll tell you why,
because the church goes “in the air” in 4:1!! This verse is a picture of
the rapture of the church! We can only imagine that glorious ride! Are you
excited about making that trip? Are you watching for Him? Working?
Witnessing?
The rapture is the next event on God’s prophetic time table. It won’t be
long…it can’t be! All the prophecies have been fulfilled. There is nothing
holding back the return of Jesus Christ, it is imminent, it could happen ANY
moment…and though we do not know the day or the hour, right now, we are
closer to the return of Christ
than any humans have ever been in the history of the world! He’s almost at
the door! He’ll open it and invite His children in!
v. 1 sounds like Paul’s description in I Thess. 4:
16For
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: 17Then 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.
The world
scoffs at these things, just as they did in Noah’s day, but no one will be
laughing on the day when millions, including all young children, suddenly
vanish! [2 cartoons…]
6 Reasons for a
Pre-tribulation Rapture:
1.Not one time is the church mentioned in a Bible text
discussing the tribulation
2.In all the writings of Paul, the church is never mentioned in
connection w/ the tribulation or wrath
to come.
3.The church
has already been judged at Calvary
[purpose of trib. is judgment!]
4.The pictures of Enoch/Lot,
etc. [all Bible types picture pre-trib]
5.Rev. 19 pictures church in Heaven during the tribulation.
6.The coming
of Christ for His saints is always pictured as sudden and unexpected [imminent]
Right now, God is still striving w/
rebellious mankind…
…calling/convicting/convincing/saving
sinners…but there’s coming a day very soon when God’s patience will give way
to God’s wrath…and there will be an avalanche of God’s judgment poured down
upon the world which rejects Christ. It will be a judgment so terrible, so
severe, so beyond comprehension, that God will not allow His church to go
thru it!
I Thess. 1:10 says we as God’s children are waiting for Christ’s return, and
that we are not appointed unto wrath!
There’s a
feeling in the air that the return of Christ is very soon. Why do so many feel that way? Certainly signs of the
times are all around us. But think of it this way:
Many people in this
room, in their lifetime, have seen mankind harness the atom, and develop
capabilities to destroy the entire earth in less than 30 minutes/Israel
established as a nation, and the dispersed Jews return to Israel by the
hundreds of thousands (just as the Bible predicted would happen just before
Christ returns)/Israel has become the hub, the hotbed of all that goes on in
the world/Jews recapture the city of Jerusalem for the first time in 2000
years, in a war that took only 6 days/computers change the world…linked
together w/ instant communication/the cashless society is nearly a done
deal/heard of more earthquakes in your lifetime than the last 500 years put
together/technology advance from airplanes to space shuttles!
If you are old enough
to get a discount at restaurants, then you’ve seen in your lifetime the
divorce rate go from 1 in 8 to what it is today when divorces outnumber
marriages every year/crime rate increase by over 500%/birth of the church of
Satan in 1969, which is now been granted tax exempt status by the US
government/one-world government begin to be formed…the new world
order/one-world church…ecumenical movement/unprecedented increases in
famines, natural disasters, incurable diseases/there’s an intensity building
up, an expectancy is in the air…
…but as believers, we
need not run around w/ headline hysteria, we are to simply look up, for our
redemption draweth nigh! We are to faithfully and patiently wait for our
Savior, who will soon come bursting thru the blue w/ the sound of a trumpet,
in the twinkling of an eye.
When the Bible says
that, it means in a millisecond, in an instant…therefore, when the rapture
occurs, if you’re not saved, there will not be time to get saved, it will be
too late for you.
If you are a Christian, and not living for God, there will be no time to make it right.
Your salvation is secure, but will you be ashamed when He comes? You won’t
be able to ask Him to wait…
Wait, Lord, I want to
win a soul for you! My brother, my father, my spouse, my kids, my friend,
neighbor, my co-worker!
Wait, Lord, I want to
obey you and be a tither/got bitterness in my heart toward someone/looking
at porn right now, let me turn it off/(stamp foot) let me put this out!
The message of the
rapture is “be ready”/do it now, for the Lord could come at any moment. Be
watching…be ready!
Let’s pretend the
rapture just happened, and we were whisked away. What would happen…what
would you see…what would you hear?
v.2 Behold, a throne!
3
things we’ll see upon arrival in Heaven:
1.The Master on the Throne
V3 jasper and sardine
stone=great in glory
Word translated jasper
could mean diamond=radiance, beauty, infinitely pure. Then there’s the
Sardine stone=deep red, symbolizing blood of Christ
In the OT, the high
priest wore a breastplate…in it were 12 stones, representing the people of
God, the 12 tribes of Israel. The 1st and last stones in that
breastplate were these 2!
Not only great in
glory, but great in grace.
Look at end of v. 3: rainbow
After God destroyed the
world w/ a flood, He made a covenant w/ man, and put in the sky His symbol
of that covenant…the rainbow, a picture of God’s grace.
Most rainbows are
multi-colored, but this one is emerald green…the color of the earth. And us
earth-dwellers, raptured away, will realize that once and for all, the
storms of life are over! …in heaven, beholding the throne we realize, all
the storms are over!
“It will be worth it
all, when we see Jesus, life’s trials will seem so small when we see Christ. One glimpse of His dear face, all sorrow will erase, so bravely run
the race, ‘til we see Christ!”
Can you see Him on the
throne? Great in glory, great in grace, and:
Great in government
v. 5 what a change! One moment
we’re beholding the rainbow of peace, and the next the lightning’s flashing
and the thunder’s crashing!
Tho’ the storms are over for us,
down below the storms are brewing like never before as God’s righteous
judgment goes forth upon the earth from His mighty Throne.
Time out! Where will you be when
the rapture occurs? Will you be witnessing this scene we’re describing in
heaven, or will you be left behind in the storm which originates from His
throne?
There’s only the 2 choices: be
raptured away by Jesus, or be left behind by Jesus…and what you do w/ Jesus
now determines what He will do w/ you then!
We’ve seen the master on the
throne, great in glory/grace/government…
2.The multitude before the throne
v. 4 who are these elders?
These are the redeemed, ch. 5
makes it clear.
v. 4 says: clothed in white
raiment=righteousness of Christ
then it mentions
the crowns we can win:
Runner’s crown
(imperishable crown in I Cor. 9)
Given to the Christian
who exhibits self-control, temperate in all things
Soulwinner’s crown
(crown of joy) I Thess. 2
Given to those who win
souls to Christ
Crown of righteousness
(anticipator’s crown) II Tim. 4
Given to the christian
who faithfully waits, and looks for the coming of Christ
Crown of life—Js.
1
Given to the Christian
who endures suffering in a noble way (persecuted, suffering…or people like
Joni Earickson Tada, paralyzed in a terrible accident…but who for a lifetime
now have allowed the Lord to turn tragedy into triumph)
Crown of glory—I
Peter 5—Minister’s crown, given to a faithful shepherd
These are the 5 crowns we can win…and what
will we do w/ them? Parade around w/ them showing them off for eternity?
What is, “no!”
v. 10-11 Christian, will you
have any crowns to cast at His feet?
We’ve seen the master on the
throne/multitude before the throne
3.The majesty surrounding the throne
v. 6-8 Who are these 4
beasts at the foot of the throne? These 4 beasts represent all of creation
praising the Lord.
In Gen. 9, after God destroyed
the earth w/ flood, and saved Noah and family, He made a covenant w/ 4
specific categories of creation:
8And
God spake unto Noah, and to his sons with him, saying, 9And I,
behold, I establish my covenant with you, and with your seed after you;
10And with every living creature that is with you, of the fowl,
of the cattle, and of every beast of the earth with you;
man/fowl/cattle/beasts
of earth
With that in mind, read
Rev. 4:7 again…
Lion—beasts of earth
Calf—cattle
Man—man
Eagle—fowl
God has made a covenant
w/ all His creation. Don’t ever get the idea that God is finished w/ His
creation. Don’t ever get the idea that the devil spoiled it and it’s all
over w/ His creation. Not only did God redeem man, but all His creation
will be ultimately redeemed. The Bible says if we don’t praise the Lord,
the very rocks would have to cry out! Rom. 8:19-22 describe creation
groaning for its redemption…when all of creation will bloom like the rose.
Later in Rev. we will see the lion and the lamb lying down together, and the
little toddler will play by the hole of the snake! And together, all of
creation will praise God together, the Creator!
Look what the 24 elders
say when they see the 4 beasts praising God…
v. 11 This world
was created by Jesus, for Jesus, sustained thru Jesus, redeemed by Jesus,
and it’s all coming back To Jesus!
We’ve described what we
will see there? But what will it sound like? For one thing there will be
singing…sing v. 11 w/ me.
There’s another sound
we hear in this chapter…v. 8
Let’s imagine the sound
of all creation…(chant: Holy, Holy, Holy continuously)…as it attempts
unceasingly to describe how holy our God is!
What will happen to you
at the rapture? Will you be right with God, or will you be left behind,
preparing for the storm that will end your life, and begin an eternity
separated from God in hell?
What you do w/ Jesus
right now, will determine what Jesus will do w/ you then! Are you
rapture-ready?
1. Appeal to the
unsaved.
2.Christian, are you being left behind in this race of
life? If the rapture occurred soon, would you be crying out, “wait!”?
By “right with God” we don’t mean
perfect, but forgiven…your sin has been paid for and you have accepted the
payment. If not, you’ll be left behind.
Some may be saved, but not right
with God, and that’s different. You have a relationship with God…He’s your
Father, you’re His child, and your eternity is secure, but you’re not in
good fellowship with Him. You still have a relationship, it’s just a poor
relationship, and in a way you’re being left behind…not experiencing the
abundant life God wills for you.
John 10:10
I am come
that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.
You may view your salvation as
more of an eternal thing…a “fire insurance” if you will, when it’s supposed
to be a present possession that gives victory now. We all want to be saved
from hell, but do you really want to be saved from sin now?
Make sure you’re Right
with God, and not Left behind!
Right with God, or Left Behind?
Rev. 4
In Rev. 4:1, the church d__________________! I Thess.
4:16-17
6 Reasons for a Pre-tribulation Rapture:
1.Not one time is the church mentioned in a Bible t______
discussing the tribulation
2.In all the writings of P______, the church is never
mentioned in connection w/ the tribulation
3.The church has already been j__________ at Calvary
4.The pictures of E________/L____
5.Rev. ____pictures church in Heaven during the
tribulation
6.The coming of Christ for
His saints is always pictured as s__________ and unexpected I
Thess. 1:10, v.2
3 things we’ll see
upon arrival in Heaven:
1.
The M__________ on the Throne v.3
·Great in
g________
·Great in
g________ v.3
·Great
in g__________________v. 5
2. The
m________________ before the throne v. 4
I Cor. 9, I Thess. 2, II Tim. 4,
Js. 1, I Peter 5, v. 10-11
3. The
m____________ surrounding the throne v. 6-8
Gen. 9:8-10, Rom.
8:19-22, v. 11, v. 8
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