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Around the Throne (Pt 1)
Revelation 4:1-6a
December 15, 2019
Lord’s Day Worship
Sean Higgins
The sermon starts at 15:30 in the audio file.
Or, Worship of Him Who Holds the Scroll
Things are different from here on out in the Apocalypse. It is time for John’s second vision, and it is otherworldly.
In the first vision, John saw Jesus walking among the lampstands. In this second vision, John sees Jesus as a Lamb standing. In the first, John was in the Spirit and saw an image of Jesus who gave messages to seven churches in Asia. In the second, John is in the Spirit and sees the throne in heaven.
Twice in Revelation 4:1 John wrote “after these things.” The phrase is used a few more times in Revelation, and it marks the movement from one scene to another. Some interpreters understand “after these things” as a reference to John’s visions; John saw one thing, then another. Other interpreters understand “after these things” as a reference to the events John saw in the visions. Yes, he had a sequence of visions, but the sequence is not just regarding when he received the revelation, but the sequence relates to when the revelation plays out on a timeline.
The first “after these things” in verse 1 is certainly a comment about his first vision having been finished. He saw Jesus and the stars and the lampstands in the Spirit, he heard Jesus’ messages to the churches, then the vision was finished (1:10-3:21). Another vision begins here in chapter 4. But in this vision the voice calls him up to heaven to see “what is necessary to take place after these things.” The churches, and it seems the life of the churches, is completed, and after these things, here’s what will happen.
It starts in heaven, with thrones and creatures around the throne, worshipping the Lord Almighty and the Lamb of God. In the outline of Revelation, we move from a focus on seven messages to the churches to focus on seven seals on the scroll. Chapter 4 is necessary to identify who holds the scroll. Chapter 5 shows us who is worthy to take and open the scroll. Chapters 6-8 are the breaking of the seals and the various judgments that come as the scroll is opened. The seventh and final seal leads to the next round of seven trumpets in chapters 8-15.
When have, or when will, the events related to this scroll happen(ed)? How one answers this question is a major hinge point for reading Revelation. When John saw what was necessary to happen, was he seeing what was about to happen in the rest of the first century, or was he seeing something that still hasn’t happened, though it’s already been twenty centuries?
I understand the desire to find fulfillment of chapter 4 and forward in the first century, namely with the destruction of Jerusalem and the downfall of the Roman Empire. I really do understand the motivation to take “soon” seriously (Revelation 1:1), and wanting to avoid inserting a gap (of centuries) between chapters 3 and 4. This happened, and after that, this happened.
But, and this is a big but that I have not found a convincing interpretive answer for, everyone must mind a gap somewhere in Revelation. This is a timely place to remember that everyone acknowledges that not everything in Revelation has happened yet, in particular, Jesus’ second coming and the final judgment and the new heaven and the new earth. It is, from my perspective, a cheap shot against futurists (Premillennial, Dispensational types) to say that we make “soon” not soon in chapter 4, when preterists (Amil and Postmil) just wait until chapter 21 to call it future. Somewhere the events described in Revelation are in the future, here in 4:1 or later in 21:1. Which is it?
At least in chapter 4 we have some time indications. John’s second vision, specifically about the “after things,” also fits with the outline of the book in Revelation 1:19. Finding the gap between chapters 20 an[...]
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By Trinity Evangel ChurchRevelation 4:1-6a
December 15, 2019
Lord’s Day Worship
Sean Higgins
The sermon starts at 15:30 in the audio file.
Or, Worship of Him Who Holds the Scroll
Things are different from here on out in the Apocalypse. It is time for John’s second vision, and it is otherworldly.
In the first vision, John saw Jesus walking among the lampstands. In this second vision, John sees Jesus as a Lamb standing. In the first, John was in the Spirit and saw an image of Jesus who gave messages to seven churches in Asia. In the second, John is in the Spirit and sees the throne in heaven.
Twice in Revelation 4:1 John wrote “after these things.” The phrase is used a few more times in Revelation, and it marks the movement from one scene to another. Some interpreters understand “after these things” as a reference to John’s visions; John saw one thing, then another. Other interpreters understand “after these things” as a reference to the events John saw in the visions. Yes, he had a sequence of visions, but the sequence is not just regarding when he received the revelation, but the sequence relates to when the revelation plays out on a timeline.
The first “after these things” in verse 1 is certainly a comment about his first vision having been finished. He saw Jesus and the stars and the lampstands in the Spirit, he heard Jesus’ messages to the churches, then the vision was finished (1:10-3:21). Another vision begins here in chapter 4. But in this vision the voice calls him up to heaven to see “what is necessary to take place after these things.” The churches, and it seems the life of the churches, is completed, and after these things, here’s what will happen.
It starts in heaven, with thrones and creatures around the throne, worshipping the Lord Almighty and the Lamb of God. In the outline of Revelation, we move from a focus on seven messages to the churches to focus on seven seals on the scroll. Chapter 4 is necessary to identify who holds the scroll. Chapter 5 shows us who is worthy to take and open the scroll. Chapters 6-8 are the breaking of the seals and the various judgments that come as the scroll is opened. The seventh and final seal leads to the next round of seven trumpets in chapters 8-15.
When have, or when will, the events related to this scroll happen(ed)? How one answers this question is a major hinge point for reading Revelation. When John saw what was necessary to happen, was he seeing what was about to happen in the rest of the first century, or was he seeing something that still hasn’t happened, though it’s already been twenty centuries?
I understand the desire to find fulfillment of chapter 4 and forward in the first century, namely with the destruction of Jerusalem and the downfall of the Roman Empire. I really do understand the motivation to take “soon” seriously (Revelation 1:1), and wanting to avoid inserting a gap (of centuries) between chapters 3 and 4. This happened, and after that, this happened.
But, and this is a big but that I have not found a convincing interpretive answer for, everyone must mind a gap somewhere in Revelation. This is a timely place to remember that everyone acknowledges that not everything in Revelation has happened yet, in particular, Jesus’ second coming and the final judgment and the new heaven and the new earth. It is, from my perspective, a cheap shot against futurists (Premillennial, Dispensational types) to say that we make “soon” not soon in chapter 4, when preterists (Amil and Postmil) just wait until chapter 21 to call it future. Somewhere the events described in Revelation are in the future, here in 4:1 or later in 21:1. Which is it?
At least in chapter 4 we have some time indications. John’s second vision, specifically about the “after things,” also fits with the outline of the book in Revelation 1:19. Finding the gap between chapters 20 an[...]