The Revelation - A Book With 7 Seals ?
/ Ewald Frank
Jazyk: anglicky
Jiné jazyky
5. Chapter 4 - A glimpse into heaven
- Foreword
- Chapter 1 - Introduction, The Day of the Lord, Origin and significance of the prophetic word
- Chapter 2 - The seven messages of the resurrected Lord, First message, Keep the first love
- Chapter 3 - The fifth message, The Reformation Age, Strengthening the weak in faith
- Chapter 4 - A glimpse into heaven
- Chapter 5 - The mysterious book with the seven seals
- Chapter 6 - The opening of the seals, The unveiling of the power of the antichrist, A general view
- Chapter 7 - The sealed from the Jews
- Chapter 8 - The seventh seal, The silence in heaven, Mercy seat becomes judgement seat, Introduction to the seven trumpet judgements, The first four trumpets
- Chapter 9 - The incomparable torment, The fifth trumpet the first woe
- Chapter 10 - An intermediate vision The open book, The Lord as the Angel of the covenant
- Chapter 11 - The second intermediate vision, The measuring of the temple and the ministry of the two witnesses
- Chapter 12 - The woman clothed with the sun, Christ and His Own, Satan the red dragon and his followers
- Chapter 13 - The visions of Daniel in review of and in connection with the Revelation
- Chapter 14 - The Lamb and the sealed 144,000
- Chapter 15 - The seven bowl judgements and the multitude at the crystal sea
- Chapter 16 - The seven bowls of wrath, The final judgements of Gods indignation
- Chapter 17 - The woman riding on the beast
- Chapter 18 - The destruction of the great Babylon
- Chapter 19 - The rejoicing in heaven over the destruction of Babylon, The marriage of the Lamb
- Chapter 20 - Binding of Satan, Completion of the first resurrection by the martyrs, The Millennial Kingdom
- Chapter 21 - Announcing of the new heaven and the new earth, The glory of the New Jerusalem, The terrible fate of the lost
- Chapter 22 - The river of life and the trees of life, The paradise-like condition during the Millennial Reign
- Appendix - The 70 weeks of Daniel and the current events with Israel in the light of Bible prophecy
In chapter 4 John saw an open door in heaven and heard a mighty voice like
the sound of a trumpet speaking to him, "Come up here, and I will show thee
things which must be hereafter."
(4: 1).
Whatever concerned the church in the different ages he had already seen. From now on he sees the events which will come to pass in the course of time right up to the Millennial Reign, the last judgement, the new heaven and the new earth.
The seer testifies, "And immediately I was in the Spirit and, behold, a throne was set in heaven, and one sat on the throne." (4: 2). He actually was transferred in the Spirit into heaven and saw all things from the heavenly view. John saw the One sitting on the throne; round about Him was the rainbow as described in verses 3 and 4, "And he that sat was to look upon like a jasper and a sardius stone; and there was a rainbow round about the throne, in sight like an emerald.
And round about the throne were four and twenty thrones, and upon the thrones I saw four and twenty elders sitting, clothed in white raiment; and they had on their heads crowns of gold.
And out of the throne proceeded lightnings and thunderclaps, and voices; and there were seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, which are the seven spirits of God."
God is only one, and He has only one Holy Spirit, but this one Spirit is working during the seven periods. The same is signified by the symbol of the Lamb having seven horns and seven eyes. The Prophet Isaiah had seen the Son of man in a sevenfold spirit constellation, "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,
And shall make him of quick understanding in the fear of the Lord; and he shall not judge after the sight of his eyes, neither reprove after the hearing of his ears" (Isa. 11: 2-3).
We are dealing with the sevenfold work of the Spirit in the seven periods of the New Testament Church. In the Revelation we meet repeatedly the number "seven". Indeed this number is very much connected with Bible prophecy. Seven churches, seven angel-messengers, seven promises to the overcomers, seven seals, seven trumpets, seven thunders, seven vials etc. The number "seven" expresses completion. God rested from His work of creation on the seventh day. The seventh thousand years will be the Kingdom of God on earth (Isa. 11; Isa. 65; Rev. 20, a. o.). There can no other day follow the seventh day except the first one again. Therefore after the seventh thousand years there cannot follow another, it has to come back to the origin, to the very beginning of time, that means, time must and will merge into eternity.
John further describes in his account, "And before the throne there was a sea of glass like crystal; and in the midst of the throne, and round about the throne, were four living creatures full of eyes in front and behind.
And the first living creature was like a lion, and the second living creature like a calf, and the third living creature had a face like a man, and the fourth living creature was like a flying eagle." (4: 6-7).
The Prophet Ezekiel had also seen the Lord on the throne; and round about Him a rainbow. In chapter 1, he gives a very explicit description and also speaks of the four living creatures.
"And the four living creatures had each of them six wings about him, and they were full of eyes within; and they rest not day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, who was, and is, and is to come." (Rev. 4: 8).
The twenty-four elders who had their crowns on their heads prostrated before the Lord and threw their crowns at His feet crying out to Him Who alone is worthy, "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." (4: 11).