Sermon Tone Analysis

Textual Idea – The Apostle John is summoned to Heaven in the Spirit and is allowed to see that God is still on the throne and God shows John things which must take place after this.

Transition w/ key word – Our text presents three observations surrounding John’s vision of the throne room of God that make it clear God is still on the throne.

The Summons to Heaven – vs. 1-2 The Sights in Heaven – vs. 2-8a The Songs of Heaven – vs. 8b-11

Introduction – Years ago when I sang in the choir at FBC McAllen, we sang a song with our friend Mary Jane Schwarz as the lead soprano soloist called Heaven.

The first verse and chorus are as follows:

There are moments in my life, when it’s hard to carry on

When I think about my brother, and all the loved ones that are gone

Friends & close relations, somewhere on the other side

they’ve passed into forever, but the love has never died.

Sometimes this old tired world, starts bringing my heart down

But you gotta bear the cross if you want to wear the crown,

I often get impatient, as father time keeps dragging on

I’ve waded through the darkness, now I’m ready for the dawn.

I’m ready for the dawn.

I want to see heaven, where the faithful carry on,

I want to see heaven, Oh Lord.

I want to see heaven, where the pain of sin is gone

in heaven Oh Lord, I want to see heaven.

The song continues to an incredible climax speaking of how there’s no more crying and no more dying there, a place where we’ll never grow old in Heaven.

I’m telling you Mary Jane hits notes at the end that gives even the angels goose pimples!

The Scriptures tell us Heaven is hard to describe.

Paul said in 1st Cor.

2:9 “But as it is written, ‘Eye has not seen nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him.”

People have a lot of strange ideas and thoughts about heaven.

Dr. Paige Patterson in the book he co-authored with W.A. Criswell called “Heaven” explained the problem of human viewpoints of Heaven this way:

“Popular conceptions of heaven…are often loosely anchored to scriptural moorings at best and frequently owe more to contemporary myth and a sort of sloppy, syrupy sentimental-ism than to any clear declaration of Scripture.

And sometimes "heavenly images" actually fail to inspire a younger generation.

Ideas picturing a kind of celestial "cloud potato," resting eternally in the fluff while strumming a harp and polishing his halo, are unlikely to appeal to an adventuresome eighteen-year-old who in any event has no musical skills.

Mention of "eternal worship" in the heavenly domain for those unfamiliar with the real worship of heaven conjures the horrifying spectacle of an eternal eleven o'clock Sunday morning worship service and probably has the virtue of increasing one's efforts to stay alive on this earth just as long as possible.”

Bottom line is that the only opinion that matters of what Heaven is like is God’s and what He reveals to us in Scripture.

Transition – Well in our study today, God pulls back the curtains of Heaven to reveal to the Apostle John some of the glories of Heaven.

Our text presents three observations surrounding John’s vision of the throne room of God that make it clear God is still on the throne.

Read text - 4:1-11

Background – We need to remember the command of Jesus to the Apostle John who was exiled on the island of Patmos from 1:19 “Write the things which you have seen, and the things which are, and the things which will take place after this.”

The first 3 chapters of Revelation cover the things which John had seen and the things which are – notably the messages from Jesus to the 7 churches.

In Chapter 4 through the rest of the book, these are the events or “things which will take place after this.”

Proper understanding of this divine outline is key for us to understand the Revelation of Jesus Christ as we now undertake the prophetic message of the Book of Revelation.

Let’s dive in and notice our first observation from the text:

1.

The Summons to Heaven – vs. 1-2

Explanation – “After these things” is a phrase John uses throughout Revelation to note a change of sequence in his vision as a transition to a new vision.

This is the first use of the phrase John uses 8 times in Revelation.

He is saying this vision he’s about to share comes immediately following his vision of the glorified Lord Jesus walking among the golden lamp stands (1:9-20) and the messages he received from the Lord to the 7 churches in Asia.

John is astonished (behold – an exclamation ie Wow! Look at that!) to see an open door into Heaven.

He says “the first voice I heard was like a trumpet” – he recognizes the voice as the same voice he heard in 1:10 to be the Lord Jesus himself who issues John a command: “Come up here…” – John says in verse 2 “Immediately I was in the Spirit and behold, a throne set in heaven…” Whoosh John is ushered into the throne room of heaven in response to the command – no descriptions going through some tunnel to a light, sensing some out of body experience – instantly, he’s in the presence of God himself!

This reference to the door is the third reference to a door in the Book of Revelation. 1) Church at Philadelphia was presented with an open door of opportunity in 3:8 2) In 3:20, Jesus is pictured knocking on the door to the church at Laodicea trying to get back in.

3) Here John sees a door an open door into Heaven and is invited through it.

Who is the door to Heaven?

It is Jesus!

Jesus said in John 10:9 “I am the door.

If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture.”

John 14:6 – “I am the way the truth and the life, no one comes to the Father except through me.”

Folks, you can’t get to Heaven any other way.

Being a good Baptist church member, a good Catholic, doing good works, being sincere.

None of those doors open to Heaven and into the Father’s presence.

Now there is a major transition here between chapter 3 and chapter 4 as we move to prophetic events, “things which must take place after this…” vs. 1.

What John is about to see hasn’t taken place yet.

You see the age of grace, the church age is over in John’s vision of Heaven.

The church does not appear in Revelation between 4:1 to 19:7.

The actual word “church” (eklesia) does not appear again until 22:16 at the close of the book.

The church is raptured out of the world before the events of Rev.4-19 take place.

While the term “rapture” does not appear in the Bible, the concept is clearly taught in Scripture.

Rapture – From the Latin word ‘Rapio’ – means to seize or carry away.

The word the NT does use is from the root word “harpadzo” which means “Caught up” or “to snatch away.”

Turn to 1st Thess.4:13-18

& 2nd Cor.12:1-4.

So the perennial question scholars and Bible students have wrestled with is when does this rapture, snatching away of the church take place?

Some argue for “Pre-trib rapture” before the events of the great tribulation take place.

Some argue for a “mid-trib rapture” that in the middle of the great tribulation 3-1/2 years into it, God takes His bride out of the picture.

Some say this event happens at the end of the book of Revelation, a “post-trib” rapture.

John’s experience in chapter 4 is illustrative of this rapture: John heard the trumpet voice of Jesus’ saying “come here John” – whoosh he’s in the presence of the Lord though here in vision form.

So when does it take place? 2 Biblical promises from Jesus:

Explain context of John 14:3 – “And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.”

Jesus’ promise to His bride in Rev.3:10 – “I will keep you from the hour of trial which shall come upon the whole world…”

The evil that Satan will cause to take place described in Rev. 4-19 and the wrath of God in response to it cannot happen while believers are still present because of the Holy Spirit’s presence in us.

The Holy Spirit is a restraining force against the evil Satan wants to unleash.

Read 2 Thess.

2:1-8.

It makes no sense for Jesus to beat up His bride, the church, with the events which must take place before the wedding!

The rapture, based on the promise of Christ Himself takes place between the end of chapter 3, the church age of grace and the events of the future beginning in chapter 4. It could happen today!

Better be ready.

Illustrate – Philip’s experience in Acts 8:39 where he completes a baptism of the Ethiopian Eunuch and the Holy Spirit “harpadzo’d” caught Philip away to preach elsewhere!

Application – Are you ready?

Don’t be left behind for the summons to Heaven!

Believer’s don’t be embarrassed with your life when the Lord returns!

If you don’t know the Lord, you need to repent today!

Share the ABC’s.

This is the summons to heaven.

2. The Sights in Heaven – vs. 2-8a

Explanation – In rapid fire succession, John is writing all the stuff he is seeing in the throne room of Heaven.

The first thing John sees is “a throne set in Heaven and One sat on the throne.”

Everything revolves around the throne – the word occurs 12 times in 11 verses – excluding the lesser thrones (pl) John described.

The focal point is not the throne itself, but the One seated on the throne – God the Father is still on the throne and the center of attention and worship!

Don’t miss the contrast, between the mess going on around the churches in Asia and what John sees happening in heaven!

No matter how tumultuous things are on earth, God is still on His throne!

Let’s highlight some of these sights John records:

Vs. 2-3 “One sat on the throne” – John cannot see the Father – just describes the appearance of the precious stones of jasper and sardius.

Jasper - Redish brown gem - Known for hardness - Representative of the fixed law of God’s government.

God’s government is like that.

His laws are fixed and firm, unyielding and unrelenting.

All science is predicated on the rigidness of God’s laws.

If we put water on the stove to boil, we expect to see steam, not ice.