The Throne of God | Revelation 4:1-11 | Pastor Daniel Batarseh

In Revelation one nineteen, the Lord Jesus Christ instructed the apostle to write down three main things. The first are the things that you have seen. The things that you have seen, John, which he faithfully records in chapter one. Following that, he said write down the things that are, the things that are, which he covers in chapters two and three, addressing the spiritual condition of seven ancient churches. And lastly, Jesus asked John and commanded John really to write down those things that will take place after this.

And those things surely begin to unfold in chapter four and beyond. And many have observed that Jesus's instruction in that verse divide the book of Revelation into three main sections. And where we are today will be the beginning of the final and longest part of this marvelous book. So I invite you now to turn with me to the book of Revelation chapter four, and we are going to read this chapter in its entirety. Now listen.

As you do this with me, do not allow yourself to get distracted. I know it's a little warm in here. It might be like this for a little bit, but focus. Do you know why we must focus? Because we've been told in the beginning of this book that there is a special blessing for those who read aloud the words of this prophecy and who hear them.

So don't allow anything to interfere with your hearing at this moment. Revelation chapter four beginning in verse one. After this, I looked and behold, a door standing open in heaven. And the first voice which I heard speaking to me like a trumpet said, come up here and I will show you what must take place after this. At once I was in the spirit and behold, a throne stood in heaven with one seated on the throne.

And he who sat there had the appearance of jasper and carnelian, and around the throne was a rainbow that had the appearance of an emerald. Around the throne were 24 thrones, and seated on the thrones were 24 elders clothed in white garments with golden crowns on their heads. From the throne came flashes of lightning and rumblings and peals of thunder, and before the throne were burning seven torches of fire, which are the seven spirits of God. And before the throne, there was as it were a sea of glass like crystal. And around the throne, on each side of the throne, are four living creatures full of eyes in front and behind.

The first living creature like a lion, the second living creature like an ox, the third living creature with the face of a man, and the fourth living creature like an eagle in flight. And the four living creatures, each of them with six wings, are full of eyes all around and within. And day and night, they never cease to say, holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come. And whenever the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to him who is seated on the throne, who lives forever and ever, the 24 elders fall down before him who is seated on the throne and worship him who lives forever and ever. They cast their crowns before the throne saying, worthy are you, oh Lord, our Lord and God, to receive glory, honor, and honor, and power for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created.

Revelation chapter four is a theological bridge that connects the condition of the church and the calamities that are prepared to be unleashed on the earth in preparation for the return of Jesus Christ. Now, in these 11 verses that we just read, the word throne appears a total of 14 times. And 12 of those times reference directly the throne of God. So it's so obvious what the Holy Spirit wants to bring into our focus, isn't it? As much as we might be tempted to examine and decode the details, the text continually draws our attention back to one main thing, the throne of God.

Now, it's no mystery to us to know what a throne symbolizes. It speaks of authority, sovereignty, power, kingship, and judgment. And that is exactly what the Holy Spirit wants to bring into our vision at this time. The divine authority, God's unmatched power, his unstoppable rule, his holy justice. And when you think about it, it makes perfect sense why this is taking place here.

Why mention this now? Why this vision right here? Well, remember, chapter four is a hinge point. It's a bridge of the description of the generally discouraging state of the church and the series of judgments that will be poured out upon the earth leading up to the culmination of the age. It's as though the Lord wants us to be reminded so strongly and vividly about his sovereignty, no matter which direction you look.

Lest you and I become fatigued by the faithlessness of Christians in some ministries, Unless we might fall into the temptation of being paralyzed by fear as we consider the apocalyptic events and the rising evil that will intensify as we approach the end. We are called to remember how God is enthroned above it all. He is seated on the throne. And when I was meditating on this yesterday, I believe that there are at least six truths concerning the throne of God that will strengthen your faith in mine if we wholeheartedly embrace these truths and apply them to our lives. The overarching point of the passage is, no matter which direction you look, you look at the church, you go, what's going on there?

You look at the world, you say, what's going on here? Look up at the sovereignty of God above everything. But more specifically, what is it about the throne of God that should move us and anchor us and make us immovable, make us worshipful even though everything around us seems to give us reasons not to worship. Let's consider six things, shall we? The first thing that I want us to consider about the throne of God, and remember, when I'm talking about the throne, I'm not talking about the actual seat, what the seat represents.

His authority, his sovereignty, his power, his judgment, his holiness. Oh, if you're a note taker, this will be helpful. The first thing that we must consider about the throne of God is that the throne of God is in heaven. Look again at verse one and two with me. After this, I look and behold a door standing open in heaven and the first voice which I heard speaking to me like a trumpet said, come up here and I will show you what must take place after this.

At once I was in the spirit and behold, in other words, look at this, a throne stood in heaven with one seated on the throne. Now, there are some who would interpret the words of John and his experience of a heavenly ascension ascension to define a symbolic representation of a pre tribulation rapture. That John here represents a church, and noting here that this invitation to come up came after the description of the condition of the churches, and before the wrath of God was poured out on the earth, a case is often made. It's also worth noting that the word church will never appear from this point forward until the very end of the book of Revelation. And with that, some would add that it's quite telling that the voice that called John upward was like that of a trumpet, echoing the imagery that Paul gives in first Thessalonians four when he describes the swift events of the catching away of the church in the air to meet our Lord above.

I'm sure we're all very much willing to debate the timing of the rapture, but again, that's not the point of the passage, is it? Our our eyes are drawn back to the throne of God, and we'll have plenty time in Revelation to discuss the timing of certain things. The throne of God is what's in view. And the first thing that he sees about this throne is that it stands in heaven. Now that might seem like an obvious truth.

God's throne is where God lives or at least he is most obvious, his abode in heaven. So why are we even being told this? Well, because when you understand God's throne being in heaven, the implications are absolutely massive. Let me read this verse to you in Psalm one zero three verse 19. The Lord has established his throne in the heavens and his kingdom rules over all.

So what do you to to make of this? The reality of God's throne being established in heaven declares that there is not one corner in all of the universe that is untouched by his sovereign rule. That's what the psalmist says. His throne is in the heavens, which implies what? His kingdom rules over all.

So his governance sits above the galaxies. It stretches beyond the countless stars. It extends even to planets yet to be discovered. It scans from sky to sky. It watches over every mountain peak.

It hovers over the oceans. And there is not one major city or hidden village that can escape his decree. Fact, there is not one throne in all of human history that has not stood in the transcendent shadow of this one supreme eternal throne. God's throne is in heaven. You know, as I was looking at this early yesterday morning, I couldn't help but think of another throne that's mentioned earlier in the book of Revelation.

Do you remember where we are told Satan's throne was located at this time? Let's refresh our memories. Go to chapter two and look at verse 12. And to the angel of the church in Pergamum write the words of him who has the sharp two edged sword, I know where you dwell where Satan's throne is. Isn't that interesting?

So Satan's throne is in Pergamum while God's throne is in the heaven of heavens. What are we to make of this? It's so obvious, is it not? It's a staggering illustration of just how much greater our God is than the devil himself and all his hordes of demons. Don't you dare make the mistake of thinking that the devil is just a little less powerful than God.

He is significantly less powerful than God. God's throne is in the heavens. And at this time, Satan made his headquarters in a particular city. How pathetic to even dare to compare the devil to our God. And while you and I may be overwhelmed by the injustice carried out by evil men who sit on powerful thrones, you can never afford to lose sight of the fact that God ultimately supervises the affairs of our world.

His kingdom rules overall from the beginning to the end of human history. And we do you and I good to remember that God can never be voted out. He can never be replaced. No one can ever usurp his position. The fact that it's in heaven means it's eternal.

He remains the king forever and ever. Well, how does that work for you and I? Well, Isaiah had a similar experience in Isaiah six one. In the year that king Uzziah died, what happened? I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne.

So with all these shifts, how relevant is this in governments, in geopolitics, and laws, and all these things that seem to be wreaking havoc around us, both John and Isaiah tell us look up and realize who sits upon the throne in heaven. Interpret every news headline, every shock, every conspiracy that you hear with this glorious picture. God sits upon a heavenly throne. Number one, God's throne is in heaven. Number two, Number two.

A second truth about God's throne. God's throne is gloriously grand. Gloriously grand. Look at verse three, the beginning part at least. And he who sat there had the appearance of jasper and carnelian and around the throne was a rainbow that had the appearance of an emerald.

Isn't it remarkable that the only way that John could describe the beauty of God and where he sat was to attribute to it precious stones, valuable stones. Now as you can imagine, there are many who try to help us understand what these jewels represent. Some aspects of his attributes and his character and nature, and I'm sure you can do that, but I like to take all these jewels as a unit. When considering the combination of what we have jasper and carnelian and emerald, you're supposed to understand that what's being highlighted here is the abundance of God's riches, and now he is the owner of everything. How opulent, how rich, how abundant.

And it's not difficult to recognize in your Bible that these authors inspired by the Holy Spirit often associate God's power, God's majesty, God's sovereignty with the fact that everything in heaven and under heaven is owned by him. He owns it all. So let me give you an example of the words that j David chose to give to the Lord when blessing him in the preparation of the building of the temple. Listen to these words. You don't have to turn there unless you'd like to.

In first Chronicles twenty nine eleven to 12. First Chronicles twenty nine eleven to 12. Notice what David says. Yours, oh Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty. Pause.

Isn't that what we're looking at in Revelation four? Yes. But it continues. For all that is in the heavens and in the earth is yours. Yours is the kingdom, oh Lord, and you are exalted as head above all.

Both riches and honor come from you, and you rule over all. In your hand are power and might, and in your hand it is to make great and to give strength to all. In case you didn't get it, listen to what God himself says about himself in Job forty one eleven. Listen to this. Who has first given to me that I should repay him?

Translation, can you mention anybody that's ever I've ever borrowed from? Can you mention at any time in history where I took a loan? No, of course not. Why? Look at the last part of the verse.

Whatever is under the whole heaven is mine. It's all mine. Everything. And so you see the radiance of of God's throne communicates that he is not only incomparably beautiful, that he's also inexhaustibly resourceful. He owns everything and the source of all blessings, material or spiritual, come from him.

Okay. Preacher, I have a question. How does that help me? I'll tell you how it helps you. The same God who sits on this glamorous, luxurious throne is your father.

And I'm reminded of the promise that Paul made to the Philippians when he said in that famous verse in Philippians four nineteen, my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus. He will supply. He will do it. Have you seen his throne? Have you seen the decoration?

Have you seen the light? Have you seen the beauty? And the context of Paul's words specifically addresses material needs. If you ever find yourself doubting God's ability to provide for you practically or physically, have you ever thought about his throne? What he sits upon.

He's your father. God's throne is gloriously grand. Oh, I'm sure more can be said about these jewels. Well, let's just leave it at that and come to number three. Point number three, truth number three about God's throne.

God's throne is faithful. Look at the second part of verse three. What does he say? That around the throne was a rainbow that had the appearance of an emerald. A rainbow of all things.

A rainbow. And you are a careful student of the old testament, you know that in Genesis nine, God created the rainbow and established it as a sign of a covenant of his mercy and compassion toward all humanity. Namely, in the promise that he would never destroy mankind by way of a flood. And that symbol, for whatever reason, does not only appear in the clouds after it rains, but is found surrounding the throne of God. And I thought to myself, why is that?

And I think the answer is quite obvious. To provide an eternal reminder of God's mercy even as he executes judgment. That though he is perfectly just and perfectly holy, anything that he decrees is always guided by his faithful promises. In other words, you and I have no reason to ever worry that the fury of God's wrath will ever cancel any of his promises. Especially those promises that assure our preservation, and our protection, and our status before God.

As God sits on this glorious throne, it is surrounded by a visual reminder of his faithfulness. A faithfulness pertaining to his mercy, and grace, and long suffering. Imagine the kind of fear you and I would have to try to manage if we were given even the slightest impression that this God who is all powerful and owns all things can at any moment forget his promise or break a vow? What kind of terror would you and I live in? All hope would be lost.

Instead, our hope is strengthened because we come up with John to the throne room of God and we realize that there's a rainbow around it. Realizing that God's covenant that he made, listen to this, in Genesis is upheld even in Revelation. What God said in the beginning of the book, he still remembered at the end of his book. Anything that he has ever promised, anything that he's ever pledged, he keeps. He holds onto.

His trustworthiness is ever alive, ever alive and well. And I wonder if that's the reason why this rainbow did you notice that it had a hue of green? The appearance of a rainbow. Yes. Which also had the appearance of an emerald.

Now an emerald is a precious gemstone that is known for its deep rich green color. And I can't help but wonder if this color is used, it was highlighted by God, in order to emphasize the liveliness of his faithfulness. It's fresh. It's there. It never grows stale.

It's ever true, ever present. God's throne is faithful because the one who sits upon it is faithful. We come to the fourth reality of God's throne. This one excites me. Let's read it together in Revelation four and verse four.

Around the throne were 24 thrones, and seated on the thrones were 24 elders clothed in white garments with golden crowns on their heads. The fourth truth about God's throne is that it is accessible. It is accessible. So God's throne is in heaven. We know that God's throne is gloriously grand.

We know that God's throne is faithful, but fourthly, God's throne is accessible. Naturally, we are inclined to wonder, who are these 24 elders? And there is no little debate about who they are. And the center of the debate is on whether these elders are angels or if they are human beings. I think you can answer that quite easily.

Why? For a few reasons. Number one, elders in the bible are never attributed to angels. There is never an angel who is given the description of an elder. Moreover, these elders all possess their own crown.

And there is not a hint in the Bible that would suggest that an angel's ever promised or granted a crown, ever. You might make a case that they wear white or they have dazzling clothes. Sure. But here's what we make of this. The only created beings who fully match the description in this verse, elders clothed in white garments and wearing crowns are the redeemed.

The redeemed. Now, you remember, we've been together for a few weeks looking at the churches in chapters two and three. And with each of those churches, God gave them a reward, at least promised them a reward if they would become overcomers. Included in those rewards, do you remember? Some of them were promised a throne, others a crown, and even more so, white garments.

And so when you look at the wider context, when you honor the flow of the text, then the identity of these beings becomes clear. What you have before us, you're a select group who have been redeemed and rewarded in the eternal presence of God. These are people, but the debate is not quite over. If we have concluded that these 24 elders are indeed, those, at least a select few who have been saved and secured in the presence of God, then who are they exactly? And that's where things get a little fun.

Does the fact that there are 24 of them mean that there are number that represents the church that will be taken up to heaven before the tribulation begins? Some who don't regard the chronology of the book of Revelation will say that you have 24 here, so you have twelve and twelve. You have the 12 tribes of Israel and also the 12 holy apostles, and they'll get that from chapter 21, where you see the new Jerusalem coming down and on the gates of the city, the names of the sons of Israel are inscribed. And on the foundations of that city, you have the names of the 12 apostles. I remember what the focus of this text really is.

It's the throne of God. We can debate over lunch. And if we're just to take the throne of God as the hub and how everything else orbits around it, then we have this fascinating truth presented to us. God in his infinite glory and majesty has graciously granted us the privilege to draw near to his throne. Not just at a future time when he will literally reward some with authority and unique responsibilities, But even now, God in his throne in heaven invites us who are undeserving to come into any close proximity of his glory, and to actually come there with our weakness and our brokenness and our neediness, and we'll have his full attention.

That's what I take from this. You're allowing 24 people to not just I would understand if they're standing around your throne with a butler outfit ready to do whatever you ask of them. No. No. No.

Lesser thrones, yes. But still positions of dignity and honor, crowned? Who is this God? And the same God who sits on this throne tells us in Hebrews four sixteen, let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in a time of need. Let us draw near to the throne of grace with confidence.

Can I ask you something? How frequently do you make your way to the throne of grace, understanding that it's in heaven, understanding that the one who sits on that throne owns everything, that he is incredibly faithful, and that he has made a way into it for you and I. How how much do you take advantage of that? How frequently do you find yourself rushing into the presence of the Lord in your time of need, realizing that there is one here who delights to establish and station forgiven sinners to sit around his throne? Do you think that he'll be indifferent as you approach him in your weakness and lack?

Never. Never. His throne is accessible, and he can make commands from that throne on your behalf that would blow your mind if you just knew how to make your home there and to call upon him. Do you realize that you can close the door of one of your bedrooms at home and you can enter into the throne room of God? It's accessible.

Not just at a future time, even now. And as accessible as it is, number five, God's throne is righteous. Look at verse five again. From the throne came flashes of lightning, and rumblings, and peals of thunder, and before the throne were burning seven torches of fire, which are the seven spirits of God. And before the throne, there was as it were a sea of glass like crystal, and around the throne on each side of the throne are four living creatures full of eyes in front and behind.

So the same throne that forgiven sinners may approach freely is also the same throne that will consume unrepented sinners. Where do we get that from? This imagery of flashes of lightning, rumblings and peals of thunder is consistently used in the book of Revelation in connection to a manifestation of God's intense indignation. Let me give you an example. Look at revelation six one.

Now I watch when the lamb opened one of the seven seals and I heard one of the four living creatures say with a voice like thunder, come. There is thunder. There's other things to consider with this as well. You have this consistent picture that once something was about to manifest pertaining to God's wrath, it would be accompanied by these sights and these sounds, as well as the four living creatures in some instances as we just read. So what we're supposed to take from this here is that there is a day coming, please pay attention to this, when everyone, including Satan himself, will be held accountable by a holy God who has kept a perfect record of every wrong that has been committed.

And that accounting is accomplished in part by the ministry of the Holy Spirit. Go back to our main text. Did you notice who was before the throne? We read here that before the throne are seven torches of fire in the latter part of verse five, which are the seven spirits of God. So John, he sees these thunderings, and the rumblings, and the clapping of the the skies, and he's getting a preview of what's about to be launched on the earth.

God's wrath is about to be unleashed. And he also sees that the Holy Spirit symbolized with these seven torches, seven spirits of God, It's before the throne. What's the connection? Here's the connection. The Holy Spirit, the omniscience of God who is everywhere at all times, who sees and hears everything in private or in public, who knows what is in the heart, whether it's expressed or hidden, will bring all disobedience before the throne of God.

And the same Holy Spirit who has convicted the hearts of men and who has given them a taste of the beauty of the gospel, and has been rejected by men, will hold such individuals to account and bring them to trial before the throne of God. And even the Holy Spirit who has issued unique miracles or made incredible supernatural interventions a reality before some will hold those individuals accountable for the special advantages that they had and rejected the gospel. The Holy Spirit who is before the throne, accompanied by these sights and sounds of judgment, shows us that as much as he is a comforter, one day he will expose those who have denied his ministry. And he's not the only powerful being that grips John. He looks around the throne and he sees these four living creatures.

And we read the description of them. Is this the first time that they appear in our bibles? No. They are prevalent in the book of Ezekiel, and Ezekiel calls them the cherubim. The cherubim.

The cherubim are a high ranking order of heavenly creatures. And in the book of Revelation, as we read in chapter six verse one, they are often found as instruments of God's judgment that will be realized in the tribulation. They are in some measure the means of God executing his vengeance on the earth. And that is quite remarkable. Because when you look at these creatures, you can't help but feel like this is the heart of the matter.

You and I listen carefully here. If you're a curious attender or visitor or maybe just a blatant blasphemer, listen to this. Each of us have a choice. We all have the choice to face the fierce wrath of God performed by these heavenly creatures in some measure, or not to face them, but to stand alongside them, and face the throne of God with them, and give worship to the one who sits on the throne. And the determining factor that will establish whether we are facing these fierce creatures who are an extension of God's holy wrath or to be in the choir with them in heaven is one thing, faith and allegiance to the person of Jesus Christ.

Which brings me to my final point about God's throne. The fifth is that God's throne is righteous, but lastly, and this is my favorite. So if you've made it to the end, welcome to what I think is the most exciting point about God's throne. God's throne is the center of worship. Look at verse eight.

And the four living creatures, each of them with six wings, are full of eyes all around and within, and day and night they never cease to say, holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty who was and is and is to come. I find it amazing that these magnificent creatures are not just agents of justice, but they are primarily preoccupied with worshiping the one who sits on the throne. Doesn't that move you? It moves me. And there are many things to make of this observation, but one of the main points that John wants us to see, and ultimately Jesus wants John to see so he can share with us, is that one of the activities that will preoccupy us in heaven is giving God endless praise.

And I've heard some people who innocently, maybe even fearfully, have inquired when trying to make sense of the eternality of everlasting life. Are we just gonna sing all the time? Have you been asked that? Maybe you've wondered that. As though heaven is gonna be this mundane, boring, eternal church service.

Church shouldn't be boring anyway. And these four living creatures, along with the 24 elders would answer you if you have that question. That is absolutely not the case. Although praise will be prevalent in the world to come, there will be other things that we will do that surely I mean, we're gonna get an idea of that in this book as we study it. But I find it amazing again that these same living creatures, though they are the cherubim, resemble the seraphim in some measure.

And when you go to Isaiah six, you realize that they are singing, holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts, the whole earth is full of his glory. And Isaiah was centuries before the book of Revelation was penned, and yet now you come to the final text of divine revelation, and you discover that these heavenly creatures are still singing the same song. That's a very long time. And our difficulty in imagining ourselves participating in that kind of adoration often stems from one main thing. You ready for this?

Failing to understand our wiring to praise and why we praise to begin with. Let me elaborate. Men and women, religious or non religious, truly Christian or nominal Christian, offer praise on this side of heaven more than you think. Just toward different objects. You and I actually praise more than you realize.

Some of you rightfully praise the the beauty of your spouse. Others praise the achievement of their children. Some of you can't just whisper wow under your breath when you are standing before a glorious sunset. You capture it with your phone and you send it to others. That's praise.

Look at this. And some of you, and I know some of you, you love to visit the newest restaurant in town and you love to introduce your taste buds to new blending of flavors as they explode in your mouth, and guess what you do? You become an evangelist after that. Because you go to friends and family and after church on Sunday, you gotta try this place. Every single one of us effortlessly praises what we enjoy, and CS Lewis brilliantly said the following, we delight to praise what we enjoy because the praise not merely expresses it, but completes the enjoyment.

Isn't that a deep thought? In other words, all of us can testify that one of the reasons why we verbally or even physically express praise toward anything that we delight in is because there is pleasure in the very act of expressing it. Nobody twists your arm or forces you to acknowledge something. It's the overflow of your experience of something that you enjoy. And the psalmist says that there is a limit to all perfection, which then would apply that there would be a limit to our praise.

And here's what John's vision is teaching us. Endless praise is not going to be a forced chore in heaven. It is going to be spontaneous and satisfying overflow of encountering the limitless beauty of the sight and sound and sensation of God's unveiling glory that will be ever before us. So it's not are we gonna actually do this for, like, millions of years? You won't be able to help yourself.

And in your mind and in mine, you think that what's going to happen, and I think what's going to happen in heaven is that it's just gonna be a little better of a church service with a with a more functioning screen and better lights. Dead wrong. The throne of God will be before us. And you won't be able to help but give spontaneous and satisfying praise. Not just because the sight and the sounds and the sensation demands it, but because you will delight to give it.

To which someone may respond, is there really that much to take in about God? And my answer would be, did you notice how many eyes these four living creatures have? Go back to verse eight. And the four living creatures, each of them with six wings, are full of eyes all around and within. Now notice what follows, and day and night they never cease to say, and they worship.

I like to think that what's happening here, the reason why God created these cherubim to have these eyes everywhere to signify that two eyes are not enough, To register all that God is, these gigantic blazing holy beings, even them, they need eyes all around and within to take in all that God is. Two eyes aren't enough. And notice it's what they saw that led them to say. So what you have here is really a model for how heavenly worship can inform and guide our worship here on earth. What do I mean by that?

The strength of your worship in mine will be in proportion to the depth of your understanding in mine. What they saw, what they perceived, what they understood was the means by which they were able to say and not stop saying holy, holy, holy. So in the same way that these four living creatures first beheld God and then as a result offered genuine and lasting worship to God, means that you and I can only give the same from a clear and complete vision of who God is. Let me put it this way. If you and I find ourselves struggling to truly praise God and worship it with our words and with song, with music, and with poetry, and with with intentional prayers that can stem from only one main thing, a lack of insight of who he is, and a vision that is poor of his glory.

And so the way to fix it is to invest your energy in seeing him with the eyes of your heart. And you may say, well, I don't have the advantage of these four living creatures. I I'm not one of the 24 elders who have a direct access to the unfiltered presence and power and majesty of God. Sure. But it wasn't just the sight that moved them in this way.

There were certain truths that moved them as well. Here's where we're ending. Did you notice what they sang at the end of our chapter? Look at verse 11 of chapter four. Because we're learning here that we're not left without any heavenly material to help us.

Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power for you created all things. And by your will, they existed and were created. What are they singing about here? God is the creator and sustainer. And when you come to chapter five, which is a continuation of the vision here in chapter four, notice what they sing about as well.

Go to chapter five verse eight. And when he had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the 24 elders fell down before the lamb, each holding a harp and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. And they sang a new song saying, worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God, from every tribe and language and people and nation, and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God, and they shall reign on the earth. What are they saying about in chapter five? God is savior and redeemer.

So the theme of these hymns, which are the first hymns really of the book of Revelation, In chapter four, you created everything. You're the brilliant mind behind all of this. Every part of the universe, all the systems that we take for granted, you're the one who created all things. And then they come to chapter five, and you also redeemed man. You shed your blood.

You delivered us. Can we not see the same? Oh, yes. I know. Not to the level and to the degree that they know it, but we still have access to God's creation and the revelation of salvation.

And I encourage you and I today to ask God for the eyes to see. Because your eyes are not just here, you have eyes here. Lord, I wanna know your wisdom. I wanna know the breath of your power of all the things that are around me. Isn't it funny how lately in our age, I mean, I I think it's dying out a little bit now, but there was a there was a time where there was a tsunami of arguments and philosophies of how all of this that we know of our created universe just came about.

I've mentioned this before many many months ago. Let me say it again. That is not scientific advancement. That's a satanic strategy to take glory away from God. Satan doesn't want God to receive worship and clearly in heaven, one of the things that he has adored for is how he created all things.

So take God out of the picture. Let's give credit to a big explosion and goo. Not a God whose throne sits in heaven and the cross. Oh, how Satan hates the cross. Oh, he hates a church that makes Christ preeminent and central.

And that's why I praise God for this church because we do sing about his creation, and we do sing about his salvation. And the more we see it and understand it and develop greater perception of it, oh, the stronger and the longer our praise will be. And I invite you to prepare for the endless praise that we will give to God, which would be our satisfaction and to his glory forever and ever. Let's pray. What man can do, oh god, has been done, but only you can open the eyes of the heart.

So we ask that in this place on this Sunday afternoon, give us a glimpse of the throne of God. Thank you that you reign from heaven. Thank you that you own everything. Thank you, Lord, that you are faithful on that throne. Thank you that you've made it accessible.

Thank you that it is righteous. No sin will go unpunished. No injustice will will just go scot free. You will you will perform justice. And thank you that it is a center of worship, and we will delight in your presence.

And you will place before us a sight and sounds and a sensation that will secure our joy for eternity. And for this, we want to join the cherubim and the seraphim and anything or anyone else that is in your presence and give you your due. We praise you today in Jesus' name. Amen. It would be very appropriate for us to at this moment as a praise team comes to help us, to call every faculty of our being and to give God what he deserves.

Because as we had this church service, he has been sitting on a throne and he is our father. Let's stand and sing to him, shall we?