REVELATION: Vision 2. The Enthroned Son of Man.

[Marilyn C]

In Revelation 4 we are looking at the KingPriest on His throne, appointed (set up) by the Father. Around the throne are 4 `living creatures,` which represent Christ`s spirit of life - symbolically as a lion, a calf, a Man and an Eagle. These help us to understand the functions that Christ operates in, to fulfil the Covenant.

 

The 4 gospels focus on one aspect of Christ`s ministry. His Kinship was expressed in Matthew, (Lion) His Heirship in Mark, (calf) His Mediatorship in Luke (Man) and His judgeship in John, (Eagle). The four visions of Christ in Revelation bring to completion each aspect of these Ministries. 

 

Christ`s  4 Fold Ministry.  (Rev. 4: 6 - 8)

 

  `And in the midst of the throne, & around the throne, were four living creatures.....

  like a lion... like a calf....like a man,....like a flying eagle`   (Rev. 4: 6 & 7)

 

The 4 living creatures are Christ`s Spirit of life, shown separately as 4 but in reality blended majestically into one Royal Divine Person, the Lord Jesus Christ.

 

Christ the King –  (Lion)

Christ the Sacrifice (Heir) –  (Calf)

Christ the Mediator –  (Man)

Christ the Creator –  (Eagle)

 

For Christ to fulfil God`s plan, His covenant to man, He needs to function in each area.

 

 Christ is given the ultimate authority to rule, (Lion)

Christ humbled Himself to be the ultimate sacrifice, (Calf).

Christ is both God & man to be the Mediator of both, (Man).

Christ has ultimate power to create all things new, (Eagle). 

 

 

The `living creatures,` each have 6 wings, & are full of eyes, saying `Holy, holy.` `Wings,` represent movement, functioning, & `eyes,` represent spiritual insight.

 

` Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, Who was & is & is to come!`(Rev. 4:8)

 

Thus these `living creatures` are the four ministries of Christ that are functioning continually by the Holy Spirit, with all wisdom & knowledge, displaying God`s holiness.

 

 

 

[Marilyn C]

Let`s now look at what is proceeding from Christ`s throne, the great conqueror & Righteous King. The loud noises & sounds are a foreboding of awesome things ahead.

 

 `And from the throne proceeded lightnings, thundering, & voices.` (Rev. 4: 5)

 

These great rumblings & lightning & thunderous clashes coming from the throne made those on the earth cower in fear & great trepidation for what was about to come upon the earth.

 

 They cry, `hide us from the face of Him who sits on the throne & from the wrath of the Lamb.` (Rev. 6: 16)

 

This is the wrath of the Lamb! The fire of Judgment! This is the throne of the Lord Jesus Christ about to deliver God`s vengeance on a rebellious world & its Satanic world system.

 

`For the great day of His wrath has come & who is able to stand?`(Rev. 6: 17)

 

The Lamb as if slain on the throne is shown as a Jasper stone which is a vivid blood red colour. This symbolises the precious blood that was shed for the forgiveness of sins & will be required of every man & woman, all kings & great men, slave & free. Who will be able to stand? 

 

 `how much worse punishment, do you suppose ...(he) who has trampled the Son of God underfoot,  (&) counted the blood of the covenant....a common thing...`  (Heb. 10: 29)

 

Only the One who paid the price for the redemption of mankind, only He can execute

judgment upon those who reject so great salvation.

 

 `The Father...has given Him (Christ) authority to execute judgment....`(John 5: 27)

 The Lord says....`Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,...`  (Heb. 10: 30)

 

Only the One who paid the price for the redemption of mankind, only He can intercede

for those who cry out to God for mercy & justice amid great persecution.

 

 `The souls of those who had been slain for the word of God & for the testimony which they held, they cried, “How long, O Lord, holy & true, until You avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?” (Rev. 6: 9 & 10)

 

[Marilyn C]

The Court.                                                                                                         (Rev. 4: 4)

 

The Prophet Daniel was given a vivid picture of this throne of judgment with fire & flames issuing forth as God`s fiery judgments.

 

  `I watched till thrones were put in place,  & the Ancient of Days was seated;.... a fiery stream issued & came forth from before Him...`  (Dan. 7: 9 & 10)

 

Daniel then saw that these thrones that were set in place became the heavenly court pronouncing judgment.

 

`The court shall be seated,....& they shall take away his (anti-Christ`s) dominion to consume & destroy it forever.` (Dan. 7: 26)

 

Who then is this court that sits on thrones? Daniel didn`t know but the Body of Christ has been told who they are. The 24 elders seated around Christ`s throne are representative of the Body of Christ who will rule & reign with Him.

 

  `Around the throne were 24 thrones, & on the thrones I saw 24 elders sitting, clothed in white robes; & they had crowns of gold on their heads.`(Rev. 4: 4)

 

The Body of Christ is this court that is seated on the thrones. This is the inheritance that was promised to them. They have been made righteous by the blood of Jesus & will then be given authority, crowns, to rule & reign with Christ.

 

  `(Christ) has made us kings & priests to His God...`     (Rev. 1: 4)

 `To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on My throne...`   (Rev. 3: 21)

 

As the heavenly court the Body of Christ will pronounce judgment on the world`s system and the demonic angels.

 

 `Do you not know that the saints will judge the world (system)...`

  `Do you not know that we shall judge angels?`(1 Cor. 6: 2 & 3) 

 

All the 24 elders, the Body of Christ, then honour & worship the Lord Jesus Christ. They

`cast their crowns,` before Him, showing that all authority is from Him & to Him.

 

 `the 24 elders fall down before Him who sits on the throne & worship Him who lives forever, & cast their crowns before the throne,...` (Rev. 4: 10)

 

 

                                     

[Marilyn C]

Christ the Heir.   (Rev. 5)

 

God now reveals to us this awesome ceremony of the investiture of His Son with the kingdom. The Lord Jesus Christ, God`s Son, heir to all of God`s estates & domains.

 

  `The earth is the Lord`s & all its fullness, the world & those who dwell therein.`(Ps. 24: 1 & 2)

 

Satan had tried to claim the earth for himself & this is shown in the parable of the vineyard.  The earthly estate of this great estate is shown as overrun & the Son was sent to claim the inheritance. God is represented by the owner of the vineyard. He had sent His servants to receive some of the produce, but they were killed. So He sent His Son.....

 

 `Therefore still having one son, his beloved, he also sent him to them last, saying, “They will respect my son.” But those vinedressers said among themselves, “This is the heir, Come, let us kill him, & the inheritance will be ours.”` (Mark 12: 6 & 7)

 

Satan did kill Christ, but this did not qualify him to usurp the earth. Christ rose victorious from the dead & in Rev. Ch. 5 we see that He alone is worthy to receive the inheritance of the earth & its people.

 

 `Worthy is the Lamb who was slain to receive power & riches & wisdom & strength & honour & glory & blessing.`  (Rev. 5: 12)

 

God appoints His Son as heir of all things, & the earth, its lands & its peoples are His inheritance.

 

`God....has appointed (His Son) heir of all things.`  (Heb. 1: 2)

 

  `Ask of Me, & I will give You the nations for Your inheritance, & the ends of the earth for Your possession.` (Ps. 2: 8)

 

 

 

 

[Marilyn C]

 Christ`s Legal Credentials.                  (Rev. 5) 

 

Let us now look in detail at Revelation Ch. 5 where Christ is given the title deeds of the earth as His inheritance. It is presented to us as a pictorial drama. The Apostle John is talking to an angel inquiring about what was happening. This interaction helps us to understand from our human perspective the enormity of the occasion.      

 

Firstly we see the `title deeds` of the earth in the form of a scroll, a legal document, in the right hand of the Father.

 

`And I saw .... a scroll written inside & on the back, sealed with 7 seals.` (Rev. 5: 1)

 

Then the angel proclaims,`Who is worthy to open & loose its seals?`   (Rev. 5: 2)

 

But, although all of heaven & earth & under the earth was searched, no one was worthy

to open the scroll – to receive the title deeds of the earth.

 

 `And no one in heaven or on the earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll, or to look at it.` (Rev. 5: 3)

 

 John wept as no one was found worthy.

 

  `I wept much, because no one was found worthy to open & read the scroll, or to look at it.`(Rev. 5: 4)

                               

Had no one been found worthy to open the scroll, the title deeds of the earth, all of

humanity & the earth would be forever under the domination of Satan.

 

But, praise the Lord, there is found One who is worthy. It is the Lord Jesus Christ. He

fulfilled all the legal requirements to receive His inheritance.

 

He became a man to claim back dominion of the earth. Man had forfeited his right to dominion when he disobeyed God & let Satan rule over him. Therefore Christ needed to become a man, fulfil God`s law & not let Satan rule over Him.    (Gen. 1: 28     Matt. 5: 17 & 18)

 

 `flesh & blood, He ... shared in the same,..`   (Heb. 2: 14)

 

 

He had the right lineage from the nation of Israel, the tribe of Judah & the ruling House of David. God required that the ruler of Israel (& then the other nations) would have to be an Israelite, from Judah & King David`s line. Christ fulfilled these requirements.   (Deut. 17: 15    2 Sam. 7: 13)

 

`Behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has prevailed to open the scroll...`(Rev. 5: 5)

 

    

[Marilyn C]

Christ`s Inheritance.    (Rev. 5)

                     

How then did Christ prevail against the enemy? Like the Apostle Peter we may think,

`with arms & force.` Not by letting others kill Him, dying a cruel death. But this is exactly how Christ defeated the foe.

 

Christ`s sinless, perfect life, lived to do the Father`s will, was priceless. There is none other or will be in the whole universe & heavens beyond, that is like Him. Christ`s death overpaid the terrible debt of mankind & made the way for restoration of God`s purposes, His Covenant, through Jesus Christ.           

 

  `through one Man`s righteous act the free gift came to all men,...`(Rom. 5: 18)

 

The imagery of this sacrificial death is of a Lamb. The `7 horns, indicate complete authority, & the `7 eyes, ` depict the full anointing of the Holy Spirit.

 

  `Behold,...a Lamb as though it had been slain, having 7 horns & 7 eyes, which are the 7 (fold) Spirits of God...` (Rev. 5: 6)

 

The Lamb, the Lord Jesus Christ, the heir of creation & of all things, steps forward and  receives the scroll, the title deeds of the earth, out of the Father`s hand.

 

  `And He came & took the scroll out of the right hand of Him who sat on the throne.`(Rev. 5: 7)

 

Now we know that God is a Spirit and thus what we are seeing is but a pictorial presentation of the Father giving the Son His inheritance. The Father set up the throne, indicating that He appointed His Son to rule over all and then gives Him His inheritance. 

 

Finally there is a great anthem of praise & worship from the Body of Christ & the myriads of angels. The living creatures, the outward manifestation of Christ`s ministries, proving that He is truly worthy to receive the 7 fold blessing, the complete glory.

 

 `Worthy is the Lamb who was slain to receive power & riches & wisdom, & strength & honour & glory & blessing.`(Rev. 5: 12)

 

 

 

 

Summing up, we have looked at the Lord Jesus Christ as Conqueror, Eternal King, & now as Heir. He has all power as King, the highest position as Lord & has possession of all, as Heir. How He will use this power in the fulfilment of God`s great Covenant with man, we will see as we further study this great prophecy of Revelation.

 

[Marilyn C]

The Scroll Overview. (Rev. 6)

When Christ takes the scroll, only He is worthy to open & read what is written. This is symbolic of Him receiving the authority over the earth & bringing the judgments that have been sealed up by God.

 ` Is this not laid up in store with Me, sealed up....? Vengeance is Mine, & recompense;` (Deut. 32: 34)
 

This `sealing up,` is represented by the 7 seals, showing that it will be a complete judgment upon the nations.   (7 in Heb. means to be complete)

This judgment is upon the rebellious nations of the earth who operate under the control & power of Satan. They consider that they control their own affairs & that they are the sole arbiter of their destiny.  But Satan & the nations however, do not have the final say. There is a higher authority controlling the world systems & shaping the nations according to His Divine Will.

As the Lord Jesus Christ opens the scroll, as it were, we are shown, (a preview) of how He is bringing mankind to judgment. He gathers the nations into large confederacies, exposes their motives, and then corrals them into one area for judgement.

  `Into the valley of Josaphat I will herd the heathen folk,.....`     (Joel 3: 2    Knox)
 

[Marilyn C]

The 4 Horsemen. 
 

 `Now.... when the Lamb opened ...the seals...

 Behold, a white horse,....a red horse,....a black horse,.... & a pale horse...`   (Rev. 6: 1 – 8)

 

These are the 4 spirits of heaven that are sent forth to bring judgement on the nations.

Zechariah saw a similar vision – `red....black.....white....dappled horses, `   (Zech. 6: 1 – 3)

 

He asked God what he saw. God said –

`These are the four spirits of heaven, who go out from their station before the Lord of all the earth.`(Zech. 6: 5)

 

God explains that these are the 4 spirits of the heavens, which go forth from the Lord, & operate in the realm of the predominant ruling powers of the world. These ruling powers, great confederacies seek to control & dominate others. Because they do not receive the truth of God, He sends them a `strong delusion.`

 

 `..they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie.`(2 Thess. 2: 10 & 11) 

                   

[Marilyn C]

 The Scroll Details.

 

As the Lord removes the seals on the scroll we see the four different confederacies that

are vying for world domination. Each are under a `strong delusion,` because they would

not receive the truth.

 

1. The White Horse –  A False Peace.

    

    `Come & see.    ...behold a white horse. He who sat on it had a bow; & a crown was given to him, & he went out conquering & to conquer.`(Rev. 6 :1 & 2)

    

   The symbol of the `bow without the arrow,` meaning unarmed, shows that this confederacy speaks of `Peace & Safety,` (Security & Disarmament). This however is a false peace as

   man cannot bring peace, but can only control others through deception & military force. 

    

   This confederacy is, I believe the British Commonwealth. As a former Empire it conquered about one quarter of the world. It has a Monarchy, (crowned). The United States came from this Empire and although separate continues to align with them.

    

    

    

2. The Red Horse –  War.  

    

    `Come & see,  another horse, fiery red, went out. And it was granted ...to take peace from the earth..& that people should kill one another; & there was given to him a great sword.` (Rev. 6: 3 & 4)

    

   This confederacy has  `a great sword,`  `that people should kill one another.` This confederacy tries to control others through war, but it is a delusion. God will judge.

    

   This is the Russian federation, I believe, which has executed over 40 million people by the K.G.B. in prisons and concentration camps. This Federation plus 3 other countries will be brought down to the mountains of Israel, where God will deal with them. (Ez. 38: 21)

    

    

[Marilyn C]

3.The Black Horse –  Market Economy.

 

`Come & see,   ...behold, a black horse, & he who sat on it had a pair of scales in his hand....A quart of wheat for a denarius, & three quarts of barley for a denarius;`(Rev. 6: 5 & 6) 

 

The symbol of the scales refers to a market economy. This indicates a measurement of

Goods & Produce.  The `denarius` is equivalent to a day`s pay, revealing the great hardship

of that time. You would not receive much for working all day, barely enough to live on.

The delusion here is that man can share the wealth of the world fairly.

 

This Federation is I believe, the European Union. They developed the `Market Economy,` which we call `Free Trade,` and it has spread across the world. It only helps the big multi nationals who undercut all local goods and services. This eventually will bring great poverty to the many, and extreme riches to the few.