The
book of Revelation is structured around the theme of seven – the seven churches
(Rev 2-3), seven seals (Rev 6:1-8:1), seven trumpets (Rev 8:6-11:15), the seven
bowls, and the final of the series of seven (Rev 16-18). At the center of the
book we will find the visions revealing the ultimate source of evil and its
agents – the Dragon, the two Beasts from the sea and from the land. We will
also see the vision of those who have defeated those beasts (Rev 12-15). We
also get to see the victory over the two beasts and the victory celebration
(Rev 19). In chapter 20, Revelation shows us the remaining act of the Dragon
and its ultimate end. With that final unveiling, the stage is set for God’s
finishing plan – the New Jerusalem and the merging of heaven and earth forever.
Revelation 2-3 are
preparatory stuff. They help to get our hearts in the right state to see all
that God has installed for us. In fact the Christ revealed in chapter 1 would
have been quite adequate to make us respond to Christ like John, who fell down in
reverential worship of Him. But Revelation 4 is where the action really began.
It’s here that the book of Revelation obtained its title. Revelation 4 and 5
are wonderful chapters but they do not stand alone. They help to introduce us to the sequence of prophecies
that will take place in the rest of the book of Revelation. At the same time
and more particularly, these two chapters kick start the first of the series of prophecies, “the seven seals.” We need to know that if the scroll of God’s
purpose is to be unraveled, the seven seals had to be broken.
Verse 1 talks about a door
standing open in heaven. This wasn’t a case of John standing on earth and
lifting up his eye to the sky and saw an open door up there. Why not? If this
is true, it would give us the impression that there is a great chasm between
heaven and earth. But in truth heaven and earth exist together. The heaven is in
reference to the reality of the sphere of God. It is a reality interconnecting
with our ordinary reality. But because heaven is a realm of a higher dimension,
hence the invitation from the first voice like a trumpet speaking to John was
to “come up.”
Many have mistakenly
interpreted this portion of Scriptures to be referring to the rupture where
saints are taken up to heaven to avoid the soon approaching terrible events
that would take place on earth. On close scrutiny, we could see that this was
more a situation where a prophet was brought into God’s throne room to see
behind the scene. And to understand what would be happening and how all events
would fit together so that it would all make sense. In Revelation 4 and 5, we
have not yet reached the final stage of God’s purpose. The heaven that John saw
here in Revelation 4 is not the final place, where all believers would
eventually go. He was only given the privilege to be admitted into heaven as it
is in the present. What John saw was not at the end of the world, but a
multiple vison previewing the horrendous occurrences that would soon swarm the
world. What he saw were events that would cause pain, grief and anguish for
God’s people which the seven churches had been so utterly warned.
Tomorrow, we will continue
to complete our look at God’s throne room in this passage. We know that when we
catch a glimpse of the marvelous One who sits on the throne, all our challenges
in the Christian life will become insignificant. Like Isaiah who caught a sight
of the Lord high and lifted up, we would also be undone, revolutionized,
transformed and empowered to serve the King. Let’s pray for that encounter!
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