Why Your View of Heaven Will Change Your Life on Earth

Chapter 1, John, his eleven buddies are martyred; Domitian is, he’s an insane emperor; persecution is ridiculous; the images in John’s mind of on the mountain of Transfiguration and the church has grown and multiplied but they’re underground, they’re dying, they’re being killed. John is now sleeping on a rock, in exile on the island of Patmos. He wonders, “God, where are You? What’s the deal?”

It doesn’t look like all the plans that Jesus promised are going to come true. And he’s discouraged and the Church is discouraged. It’s 95, 96AD and so Jesus appears to John in chapter 1. And how does He appear? He’s not Jesus meek and mild. He’s not Jesus the Savior. He’s Jesus the righteous judge. Right? The white hair, the eyes of fire, the sword coming out of His mouth, the bronze feet. He’s the righteous judge who is going to come back and say, “John, it seems unfair and Domitian is a bad emperor and the bad guys are winning right now. I want you to know, don’t look at the scoreboard, look at the scorekeeper. I’m in control okay, John?”

And the outline of the book is, “The things here, the things that are now, things that are to come.”

And so in chapters 2 and 3 He evaluates, “How’s the Church really doing right now?” Now here is what I mean: Why are chapter 4 and 5 here? Before we get this Tribulation, before the Judge judges, we get this glimpse into heaven.

And here’s what I want to suggest: I think chapter 4 and 5 come after this admonition to 2 and 3 because in 2 and 3 He said, “To them that overcome disappointment, adversity, temptation, tests, harassment, false doctrine, pain, injustice – to them that overcome,” what? He describes eternal life and the kingdom with Him.

And so the question is: How can we remain faithful to Jesus when our world is falling apart? Isn’t that really the question? Isn’t that really what’s going on? How can I remain faithful to Jesus when I, in my own, little world; in my own little way get shipwrecked, or get thirty-nine lashes, or get injustice?

And the answer is: I need to get to see what Paul saw. I need to get to see what John saw. So God takes John and He lets him see the throne, God the Father, chapter 4 and then He, we’re going to see, the Son and His role as judge in chapter 5.

Question: How can we remain faithful to Jesus when our world falls apart? The answer is twofold. Look at who is on the throne, Revelation 4, and look who holds the scroll, Revelation 5.

And when you look at that  - who is in control? And when you see who He is you’ll say it’s worth it. Who is ultimately going to judge? Jesus. And how is He going to judge? With absolute perfection out of love. He’s already paid, and died, and loved, and now, only for those who refuse to turn, He will judge.

So it’s going to be fair one day. So with that let’s look who is on the throne. Ready? Let me read Revelation chapter 4, portions of it and follow along and we’ll just walk right through it.

“After this I looked up, and there before me was a door standing open in heaven, and the voice I had first heard speaking to me, like a trumpet said,” remember that’s when Jesus spoke to him early, “‘Come up here, and I will show you what must take place.’

“At once I was in the Spirit; and there was before me a throne in heaven with someone sitting on it. And the One who sat there had the appearance of jasper and carnelian; a rainbow resembling an emerald encircled the throne.

“Surrounding the throne were twenty-four other thrones; and seated on them were twenty-four elders. They were dressed in white, and had crowns of gold on their head.” Did anybody remember someone promising people that a little earlier? White robes, crowns of gold?

“From the throne came flashes of lightning and rumblings and peals of thunder. And then before the throne there are seven lamps that are blazing and these are the seven Spirits of God; also before the throne there was what looked like a sea of glass, clear as crystal.” He’s trying to describe, now notice, he doesn’t say, “This is what God’s face looked like.”

We don’t get the zoomed image of exactly, but in the image that he has with the light coming, and all of these things, and this emerald circle around it, and this glass of the expanse in front of it. And then he sees this throne and then around the throne he counts, there’s twenty-four, and then they’re dressed in white and they’ve got a crown that it’s gold on top of it.

And this light is coming out. I mean, it’s majesty and beauty and he’s overwhelmed and he’s going, “Whoa.” Did you notice the word, “Throne, throne, throne, throne?” That’s the focus of this chapter.

What happens on thrones? It’s the source of rule and authority. In the center of the throne – so now the zoom lens of the camera is kind of gotten the big picture. And it’s this color and this color. And then this promise, this idea of this beautiful, emerald rainbow going all around and light coming out of it and this glass…

And then now the camera zooms in to say, “What’s happening near the center?” “In the center of the throne were four living creatures, they were covered with eyes in the front and in the back. And the living creature, the first living was like a lion, and the second was like an ox, and the third had the face of a man, and the fourth was like a flying eagle.

“Each of the four living creatures had six wings and they were covered with eyes all around, even under their wings. Day and night they never stop saying: ‘Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was, and is, and is to come.’

“And then whenever the living creatures gave glory and honor and thanks to Him who sits on the throne and who lives forever and ever, the twenty-four elders fall down before Him who sits on the throne and they worship Him who lives forever and ever. And they lay their crowns before the throne and they say: ‘You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power,’” why?

Why is He worthy? Who sits on the throne? “‘For You created all things, and by Your will they were created and they have their being.’”

So this is beyond anything they could animate on the computers today a hundredfold, a thousandfold. So let’s do a little digging.

The throne is a source of rule and authority; the someone sitting on the throne, notice He’s sitting, that’s instructive because in chapter 5 Jesus will be standing; the work of the sovereign Father is done but Jesus is standing, His work is not finished.

His appearance is like jasper and the commentators and experts say it was a “Clear-like glass,” or maybe even like diamonds and then the, “Of carnelian,” is like ruby. And then you have this rainbow of God covenant keeping and the beauty – emerald rainbow that is circular, going all around it. His presence, His majesty, His splendor.

And then notice you have twenty-four elders. These are the redeemed and rewarded saints. The crown here too is instrumental. There are two words in Greek for “crown.” One is a word for “diadem,” it would be like a ruler crown or a king.

And the other is “stephanos,” and that’s a victor’s crown. And that’s this. These are people who overcame. They, in the power of Christ, overcame the temptation, they finished well, they demonstrated the authenticity of their faith. So this is a victor’s crown, this is a reward.

In the Old Testament, they had twenty-four priests who would represent all the priesthood because they all couldn’t worship or serve at one time. And David, if you remember, he had twenty-four representatives.

And so the idea is that this twenty-four could be twenty-four redeemed, of those who were raptured, these are believers. And then some would say, “Actually, you’ve  got twelve apostles, and you’ve got twelve tribes. Good idea - that those who are those twenty-four elders.” They represent those who have been purchased by the blood of Christ, who have been faithful, and now what did Jesus promise? We’d be a kingdom, and a priesthood, and they would serve, they are ruling their own thrones.

And so, I don’t know whether it’s twenty-four representatives or whether it’s the twelve apostles because it doesn’t say. But I think what is very clear here: They’re redeemed and rewarded saints.

And then, from the throne notice - lightening and flashing. That’s associated with judgment. Peals of thunder. And then the seven lamps of the Spirit of God. If you go to Isaiah 11:2 it talks about the Holy Spirit and there are seven things where the Spirit is described as the Spirit of the Lord, the Spirit of Wisdom, the Spirit of Counsel, the Spirit of Understanding, the Spirit of Power, the Spirit of Knowledge, and the Spirit of the Fear of God.

And so this picture here is of the Holy Spirit. There’s not seven different spirits. Seven is that word for perfection and the light is, the Spirit’s job does what? Remember? Jesus said, “It’s better that I go; for He, when He comes, will convict the world of sin and righteousness and judgment.” It’s the Spirit’s job to illuminate. He reveals the person and the presence of Christ.

And then you have these four living creatures who declare God’s holiness. So there’s a lot of debate on them. If you go to Ezekiel 1 and Isaiah 6 you have, it’s the only other time you have these unusual creatures.

In Ezekiel 1 you have cherubim and then in Isaiah 6 you have seraphim. And they’re like, they’re like the high-level angels, if you will. Okay? And they have six wings. And, see, I think you can spend a lot of energy trying to figure out some of the minute details.

Here is what’s obvious: These are supernatural beings and the eyes all over them, who are completely aware of everything going on and who are the stewards and guardians of the holiness of God. That He is separate, that He is pure, and they ascribe to Him who He is. They pronounce His holiness, His uniqueness.

And then the four figures are kind of interesting …. you’ve got the face of the lion is the king of beasts; the ox is the highest of all domestic animals; mankind is the chief of all creation; and the eagle is the highest of all the bird creatures.

And it’s this picture of everything that has been created: Mankind and the domestic world – it’s this picture of these beings that give praise and honor to God and they cry out, “Holy,” and guard the throne in some way. It’s just this supernatural, amazing picture of heaven and these creatures’ job is to give worship.

And they worship, on the throne, God the Father and then what I’d like you to notice the number of His attributes, what is God like? I just looked at, notice, “Holy, holy, holy.”

In our English, we often would say, “It was very,” or, “He was the best.” In biblical language, especially in Hebrew, the way you say, “Holy,” if you want to say “Good.” “Holy, holy,” better. “Holy, holy, holy,” best.

It’s the only attribute in all of Scripture, it is just screaming, “God is separate and different.” He is not a bigger something of anything else. He is absolutely the first cause, He’s infinite, He’s different and holy and separate and pure.

And then they go on to say, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty,” He’s all-powerful. Notice, “Who was, and is, and is to come.” He’s eternal.

Skipping down to verse 9, they give Him glory, He sits on the throne, He rules, He’s sovereign, forever and ever, He is eternal. Again, who lives forever and ever, He is eternal.

And then they go on and they begin to say, “You are worthy, our Lord and God,” you might put a little circle around “Lord,” and “God.” Now to us we read that and say, that makes sense. That was the official title of Domitian, the emperor.

He was lord and god. And you had to worship the emperor and if you didn’t you were an atheist and could be put to death. And so it’s very interesting that ties together is he’s saying, he’s giving hope, he’s giving hope, look, “You feel like this Domitian is so powerful.

I got news for you, man. He is one, tiny, little dude who is waving his big stick in an evil way and his day is coming to an end. There is only one Lord and God and He’s the One who sits on the throne and He’s in control. And things may not be always fair or right now but He is absolutely in control and He’s eternal.”

And then notice, “For He created all things.” He is the Creator. And in summary, I would just say no matter what you’re going through, or I’m going through, when you are tempted to say, “Is it worth it?” it’s infinitely worth it.

You are a priest in a kingdom to serve your God. And is this a little bit of a bizarre picture for our ears and eyes? Confession: Yeah. It’s so other. But don’t miss the point. The point is He said, “You know what? To them that overcome, I’m going to give a white robe. To them that overcome, they’re going to be in My presence. To them that overcome, I’m going to give a crown of victory. To them that overcome, they’re going to share rulership with Me and these guys who are on thrones.”

And what Paul heard, and maybe he saw as well, and what John saw, and what God wants us to see tonight, is that whether it’s a health issue, or rejection, or injustice, or a tough marriage - isn’t that what really happens in a lot of tough marriages? You just get to the point where the price tag of the pain… you just say, “It’s not worth it.”

And this is God saying, “Obey Me, trust Me, do it My way when it feels like it, do it My way when it doesn’t feel like it, do it My way when you want to scream and no one is doing it My way as far as you know. But you, be faithful to Me, trust Me, I’m in control, I’m forever and ever and ever, and the rewards are forever and ever, and you’re going to reign.”

And the rewards are beyond your wildest dreams and that’s why Paul would look at his difficulties that I thought were pretty big, personally. As momentary, light afflictions.

And when you stand before a holy, omniscient God who has created all that there is and there are flashes of lightening and this glassy sea light that has this sense of distance and power and expanse and holiness; and this emerald light coming around; and these creatures chanting these things; and you’re overwhelmed. You just realize, I, John: “My day will come, I will spend time, I will have that relationship with that God, uninhibited, forever and ever. And whatever price, whatever price I’m called to pay, in a fallen world where there is sin and the enemy rules, it’s worth it.” It’s worth it.

That’s why chapter 4 is here. Chapter 4 is here because, maybe God, now and then, does it - but most of us are not going to get a quick preview of heaven, alright? Paul did. John did. Most of us, honestly, we don’t want a preview because if you get a preview of heaven He probably has plans for your life that the suffering is going to be so great you’d have to keep remembering, you know? Keep remembering, “It’s worth it.”

But in summary, notice what the apostle Paul says, “It’s infinitely worth it. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us,” this isn’t like The Force on the throne. This is the personal, infinite, loving, caring God. This is the God that feels your pain; this is the God that, when you cry at night, He takes your tears and He keeps them in a bottle; this is the God that miraculously, to us, but nothing to Him, can track every motive, every person, every issue, every injustice, every struggle, and all the accounting comes up perfect and He is for you and loves you and wants to comfort you and help you; He is your Father.

This powerful, awesome One is also the intimate One and He’s approachable. And he’s so approachable that in the Godhead, did you notice too that the Trinity is here? You have God the Father, you have God the Spirit, in chapter 5 we’re going to see the Son standing right in the middle of the throne worshipped with the Father.

And He wants you to know, whatever you’re called to suffer. And, by the way, this is so hard to grasp in a comfortable, easy, materialistic culture. And that’s us. And then in Atlanta even harder and in, kind of, this area of Atlanta and where most of you, even harder.

I wish you could go with me to Iraq, or to sit across the table from people secretly in Iran that are taking stuff that we created for them, because they can’t get Bible stuff, in their iPods and have it secret.

Of sit across from the lady who was tortured and raped by guards and will not denounce Christ. You know why? She was a prisoner in Islam, she was treated like dirt. The demonic activity in that part of the world is amazing and she has tasted forgiveness, and peace, and life, and it’s worth it.

That’s why the early church, why they walked into the coliseum in song. It wasn’t that they wanted to die, they were not different people than you, they were not superstars, they didn’t have under their robes like a big “S” on their chest.

They were normal, frail people like you and me, with struggles, but they so knew who Jesus was and what awaited them they could say, “Father, forgive them. They know not what they do.”

We have so much and the lure of the material stuff around us is such a draw it’s very difficult for us but when you go around the world and meet people that are persecuted. Or, I remember being in the Philippines many, many times and being in a little hut and, the one guy who was extraordinarily wealthy slept on a dirt floor. Actually, he had a dirt floor and a little kitchen thing over here and he had this little, kind of a mat thing that was up like this and he laid this way, his wife laid that way, and they put their two, little kids between them.

And it was all made out of cardboard and tin but a friend of mine ran a wire and a pole and he had the only light bulb for hundreds or thousands of people and everyone came to his little place in there where he could read the Bible and share Christ.

And he …I was on the back of a little motorcycle and we’d go down through all these slums and he said, “Chip! What do you think? What do you think?” I mean, it was like, “Baby, this is the Taj Mahal, I got the nicest place in town, you know?”

And then as you talk with him and they had a bowl of rice in the morning, and they treated us really well, so we got maybe get a little meat, little piece of fish but a lot of days they just had a bowl of rice at night.

They talk about the coming of the Lord. They talk about His return. You know, there are all kind of verses, if you had different glasses on, if you were poor and life was unjust and, by the way, about every few years or few months the military comes in with bulldozers and they just take all those down.

And my buddy comes home, and his wife has got two kids in her arms, and they start over. And that’s, people, that’s life. That’s life for millions and millions and millions of people. You know, three billion people live on less than a couple bucks a day!

And when they read, when they read this book they… we gloss over it. All these little phrases about, “His return is near,” “He’s coming,” they’re words of hope, they actually know, because where they live this life can’t deliver. And guess what the Scripture says? The poor are rich in faith.

And the rich have to humble themselves and we have to willfully recognize, “This can’t deliver but, boy, it sure feels like it does,” and so you have to be very mature to be a wealthy person and put yourself in a place of dependency, and really trust God, and that’s why it’s so hard for a rich man to get into the kingdom of heaven.
We have so much and the lure of the material stuff around us is such a draw it’s very difficult for us but when you go around the world and meet people that are persecuted. Or, I remember being in the Philippines many, many times and being in a little hut and, the one guy who was extraordinarily wealthy slept on a dirt floor. Actually, he had a dirt floor and a little kitchen thing over here and he had this little, kind of a mat thing that was up like this and he laid this way, his wife laid that way, and they put their two, little kids between them.

And it was all made out of cardboard and tin but a friend of mine ran a wire and a pole and he had the only light bulb for hundreds or thousands of people and everyone came to his little place in there where he could read the Bible and share Christ.

And he …I was on the back of a little motorcycle and we’d go down through all these slums and he said, “Chip! What do you think? What do you think?” I mean, it was like, “Baby, this is the Taj Mahal, I got the nicest place in town, you know?”

And then as you talk with him and they had a bowl of rice in the morning, and they treated us really well, so we got maybe get a little meat, little piece of fish but a lot of days they just had a bowl of rice at night.

They talk about the coming of the Lord. They talk about His return. You know, there are all kind of verses, if you had different glasses on, if you were poor and life was unjust and, by the way, about every few years or few months the military comes in with bulldozers and they just take all those down.

And my buddy comes home, and his wife has got two kids in her arms, and they start over. And that’s, people, that’s life. That’s life for millions and millions and millions of people. You know, three billion people live on less than a couple bucks a day!

And when they read, when they read this book they… we gloss over it. All these little phrases about, “His return is near,” “He’s coming,” they’re words of hope, they actually know, because where they live this life can’t deliver. And guess what the Scripture says? The poor are rich in faith.

And the rich have to humble themselves and we have to willfully recognize, “This can’t deliver but, boy, it sure feels like it does,” and so you have to be very mature to be a wealthy person and put yourself in a place of dependency, and really trust God, and that’s why it’s so hard for a rich man to get into the kingdom of heaven because you have to come with a broken and contrite heart, you have to be -  Jesus’ words were, “Poor in spirit.”

Poor in spirit means I have need. Help me. I’m desperate. I don’t know about you, I didn’t grow up feeling desperate. I felt like if I get the next best car I was a little less desperate and if I could ever own a house I was even a lot less desperate. And if I could find the right, pretty girl with blonde hair and marry her and I did then I was a lot less desperate. And if I had a couple kids or three I was a lot less desperate. And, you know, if your career…

And we’re just brainwashed. And now the camera, remember, what’s the question? How do we remain faithful when our world falls apart? That’s why, right, it is when, in your darkest, most desperate times are your most powerful experiences with God. True or false?

Why? Because you need Him the most. Do you know what I love? He shows up! I love that even when I’ve been neglectful, He shows up, He’s a gracious God. And the camera says, “Okay, how can you remain faithful when your world falls apart?”

Number one, look who is on the throne. Whoever it is is not that person that’s messing with your life, or the circumstances, or the timing. They don’t have that power. Look who is on the throne. It’s God and this is what He’s like and now look who holds the scroll. Let’s look at chapter 5.

Chapter 5, we see who holds the scroll. “Then I saw in the right hand of Him who sat on the throne,” it’s a picture of an open palm, apparently. “[A] scroll with writing on both sides and sealed with seven seals. And I saw a mighty angel proclaiming in a loud voice, ‘Who is worthy to break the seals and open the scroll?’

“But no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth could open the scroll or even look inside of it. I wept and I wept,” and this is a word for, this isn’t like a little tear. This is moaning, this is, “I wept and I wailed.”

“[B]ecause no one was found worthy to open the scroll to look inside.” John is getting this panoramic view, Satan is in charge of the world, he’s living in a world where an emperor is a pawn of Satan with all this suffering and oppression and basically this scroll, we’re going to find out, this is the title deed to the earth.

This is God’s game plan. This is the destiny of the earth. And John is aware of it and he’s going, “If no one can open the scroll, how is God’s plan ever going to happen?”

And so He weeps. And then notice, “Then one of the elders said to me, ‘Do not weep! See, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has triumphed,” or conquered. “He is able to open the scroll and its seven seals.’

“Then I saw a Lamb, looking as if it had been slain,” literally His throat cut, or slaughtered is the word. “[S]tanding in the center of the throne, encircled by the four living creatures and elders. He had seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into the world.

“He came and He took the scroll from the right hand of Him who sat on the throne. And when He had taken it, the four living creatures and twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb. Each one had a harp and they were holding golden bowls of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. And they sang a new song, ‘You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, because you were slain, and with your blood you purchased men of God from every tribe and language and people and nation.

“‘You made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God, and they will reign,’” where? “‘on the earth.’ Then I looked and I heard the voice of many angels, numbering thousands upon thousands, and ten thousands upon ten thousands. And they encircled the throne and the living creatures and the elders.

“And in a loud voice they sang: ‘Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain, to receive power, wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and  praise!’ Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all that is in them, singing: ‘To Him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praise and honor and glory and power, forever and ever!’”

And then just as the footnote: “The four living creatures said, ‘Amen,’” or “‘so be it,’ and the elders fell down and worshipped.”

Let’s walk through this. The scroll is written on both sides. In that day the scrolls were made of papyri and they would get them all together and then press them and so it would be a circular, something that would come out like this.

It has seven seals on it and by Roman law a last will and testament would have seven seals. And then you would have seven people, actually this is very interesting, at least it was to me, is that you would have seven witnesses to your will and they would each put little dollop of wax on it and then the seal would be their ring. Like their credit card back then.

And so they’ve got this thing on two sides and then, in Roman law, when a person would die all seven would have to come because only they could break their own seal. So it’s the idea of who has authority to break a seal?

And so the scroll is the destiny of mankind; the mystery, the secrets of God’s will. I like Anne Graham Lotz, she says of this, “It’s the deed to the planet.” I like that, it’s a good picture. This is God’s last will and testament. It’s the deed to the planet. What’s going to happen to the planet?

And so you have these seven seals and the mighty angel makes this, it’s a very loud pronouncement. Really, it’s more of a declaration. And it asks the question, “Who is worthy to break the seals and open the scroll?”

Notice, it’s not, “Who is able?” It’s not about power although that’s part of it. It’s, “Who is worthy?” Now what you need to understand is the book of Revelation is about judgment. We have the resurrected Judge in chapter 1.

What did He do in those seven churches? He judged them, didn’t He? He judged them and basically said, “Great job, great job, better shape up, here’s a promise, you better make it right now or I’m going to take away your lampstand,” or, I mean, He was a judge.

You have the thrones of chapter 4, that’s about the central focus of where judgment is going to occur. And now we’re going to find out who can judge in a worthy manner? And the idea of, what’s judgment about? You want it to be just. You want it to be fair.

Remember, when Abraham, in the Old Testament, was visited by the Lord and God says something to the effect, “Should we tell Abraham what we’re going to do to Sodom and Gomorrah? Their sins have come up and we’re going to take them out.”

And remember what Abraham says? “Surely, surely the God who judges justly would not kill the innocent and the righteous with the wicked, would He?” I mean, oxymoron! It couldn’t happen. God is just.

So the question is: Who is worthy? Who loves people so that whatever they get it’s really born out of His love, who knows every situation, every aspect, every motive? Who knows every, every detail so that when He pronounces judgment everybody gets exactly what they deserve.

That’s the question. And what we’re going to find is there’s only one that’s worthy. We’ll pick it up. He’s going to judge with perfect justice.

Notice that little phrase, “But no one in heaven,” so there’s no angel that can do it, “on earth,” there’s no man, “or under the earth,” there’s no principality or power. No one can do it.

And so now we hear, “Don’t weep. The Lamb, as if it’s been slain.” Now it’s unclear what this picture is. But there are three titles that we get for Jesus beginning in verse 5. He is called the Lion of Judah, the Root of David, and the Lamb who was Slain.

And in your notes you want to write down, “King, Judge, and Redeemer.” The Lion of Judah, if you jot down Genesis 49:8 to 10, and then also Matthew chapter 1, He’s the heir to the throne. Judah is pronounced and blessed by Jacob that you, the throne, means the Messiah is going to come through you.

And then talking about the throne of David, and so when He says here, “The Lion of Judah,” He’s saying the rightful King is on the throne, as prophesied.

Second, the Root of David is a prophesy out of Isaiah 11:1 through 4. And I’m going to have to hustle here, but if you’ll flip back to Isaiah because it’s very interesting when you see this idea of the Root of David.

You know, if we were all Hebrew, and all of this came second nature, when Jewish people read this it was, “Yeah, I got it, I got it, I got it.” For us it’s like, “Whoa, what’s He talking about?”

It says, “A shoot will come from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit. The Spirit of the Lord will rest on Him – the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and power, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord – and He will delight in the fear of His God. He will not judge by what He sees with His eyes, or decide by what He hears with His ears; but with righteousness He will judge the needy, with justice He will give decisions for the poor of the earth.

“He will strike the earth with the rod of His mouth; with the breath of His lips He will slay the wicked. Righteousness will be His belt and faithfulness the sash around His waist.” So when you hear, “Root of David,” He is a judge that is going to judge justly.

And then finally, the Lamb who was Slain, it’s the picture of He’s the Redeemer. He has paid the price - it’s all done out of love. God is not slow about His promises. But He keeps that window of mercy open that all men might repent. The fact is, they don’t. But He’s merciful. And so He’s the rightful King, He’s the Judge, and He’s the Redeemer.

And notice where He’s standing - in the middle of the throne. There’s the Father, He receives it from the Father, He’s standing in the middle of the throne. Then you have the four living creatures around Him, then you have the twelve around them, and then pretty soon they’re going to start worshipping and they’re going to do the wave. There’s wave one, wave two, and wave three. Really. I mean, that’s exactly what happens.

And we’ll see it in just a second. But He’ll be standing and then wave one, the four living creatures, they start going and they start singing this song. And it’s like, whoa. Whoa. You know? The elders probably doing a little backup harmony, you know?

And then, boom! Angels! I mean, myriads and tens and thousands. And the song crescendos and then the last wave, the third wave it’s the circle and here, and here, and here.

And then as you read it, it says, “Everything in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and in the sea, and all that’s in it and any created thing,” their worship shifts from not just to the Lamb here but to the Father and the Son.

And there is this expanse of song, and worship, and adoration, because He is worthy and here’s what you gotta get. There is this picture of the redeemed and of creatures and of angels and the prophecy - here it is: Every knee will bow and every tongue is going to confess.

And then, what happens after that is He’s going to open a scroll (in our next time) - open the seal and it’s the seal of judgment. And there are going to be one, two, three, four, five, six judgments.  It starts with a white horse and, it’s whooo, whooo, whooo. And wickedness gets dealt with.

If you’ve ever felt like, “Man, that’s so unfair. Who is that guy that picked up that girl and raped her and killed her in the hills? And who is the guy , three weeks ago, that took three of his kids and threw them off a bridge and killed them? And what is the corporation that secretly took all this poison and put it in the water and caused cancer for all these people? That’s not right, that ought to be made right someday, someway. Life is not fair!”

I got news for you. The righteous, worthy Judge is going to make it right and people will pay. And it will be right and it will be fair and no one will get a raw deal. But you’re going to see seal one, seal two, seal three, seal four, seal five, seal six – massive judgments on wickedness.

And then the last seal is going to open and out of it will come seven trumpets. And it, boom, boom! There are more judgments. And then we’re going to see little windows where He’ll stop, “Hey, anybody want to repent? Hey, there’s still room, there’s still time, still room.” No, no, no.

Then, bam, the seventh trumpet, seven vials come out. Boom, boom, I mean, it is just massive. But you gotta see all that judgment flows out of this One who died in their place, this One who loves them, this One who knows all things, He’s the righteous Judge, He’s the Root of Jesse, He’s the rightful King, he’s the One that’s at the center of the adoration of the four living creatures and the elders and the angels upon angels and angels and angels and every living creature and person.

That’s the picture that we get and you’re going to be around that throne if you know Him personally. And you’re going to be a part of that song. And that judgment will occur and then there’s going to be a new day.

And there’s going to be a little window of time…we’ll talk about that later but ultimately there’s going to be a new heaven, and a new earth, and you will get to rule and live upon this new earth and because you’re an overcomer, and you trusted, and you paid a little, tiny price that feels really big right now in this temporal life, those who overcome and trust, they end up with this forever and ever and ever and ever with the deepest satisfactions of your heart beyond your wildest dreams, infinitely. And that’s why chapter 4 and chapter 5 are here.

And the description here of the seven eyes is that it’s this number of perfection. He sees everything perfectly. Don’t you want that in a judge? The seven horns, horns are known for power and for honor.

He has perfect discernment and full power to execute it. And then what we see is wave one, wave two, and wave three. And let me just touch on what happens in these waves.

First, He’s worthy to take the scroll and what’s the reason? He’s paid the price. He’s been slain. This is God’s judgment. Sometimes we get this idea that God’s schizophrenic and He’s just over here and He’s loving over here. Or He’s holy over here and he’s kind and compassionate over here.

His attributes are simple. What that means is they’re never in competition. God’s holiness is expressed in His perfect love. God’s justice is expressed out of His compassion.

And so out of His great love here, He is worthy because He has purchased men for God from every tribe and language and people and nation. And there’s going to be relationship, a kingdom, and a priesthood to serve God. And there’s going to be a future.

See, sometimes when you feel like, “I can’t take it anymore, it’s not worth it, it’s not fair,” you know what down deep you’re saying? “There’s no future in this.”

And you know what God would say? Turn to Revelation 4 and 5, there’s not any future in this now. And guess what? According to Hebrews 11 there’s a lot of people that love God more than you and more than me. They never got to see what we’ve seen.

And all they did is they got all price and no reward. It says, “The world wasn’t worthy of them,” but you know what? They were overcomers! They didn’t shrink back even though they were sawed in two. They didn’t shrink back even though they were martyred. They didn’t shrink back.

And see, that’s what God wants for us. He’s looking for men and women that love Him, how? With all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, with all your strength.

He’s more important than ESPN and getting tickets; He’s more important than what purse you want to buy, or your second home, or whether you can refinance, or how the mortgage thing is affecting your finances; He’s more important than everything! How your kids… everything.

And He wants to have the same position in your heart that He lets you see He has in the universe. And He’s worthy, and He’s paid for it, and He deserves it.

And then the angels kick in and they say, “Worthy is the Lamb,” and notice - to receive power and wealth there are seven attributes. Power - He is able; wealth - whatever the need is, unlimited riches; wisdom - He does the right thing at the right time in the best way; strength - whatever we need He can give at any time; honor - He is deserving of it because of His role and position; glory - He is the One to be most waited upon.

And the last one is blessing or praise. Seven attributes and they just crescendo in these angels. This is who Jesus is. This is your Savior. This is your friend. This is the One who said to real people like you and me, who were flesh and lived, said, “No longer do I call you slaves, I call you friends.”

“A slave doesn’t know what His master is doing but I have called you friends because all things My Father has made known to Me, I’ve made known to you. Greater love has no one than this: that one lay down his life for his friends. I laid down My life for you.”

Don’t get so caught up in the majesty and the splendor that there’s this transcendence of God… but don’t forget there is the intimate, intimate… He loves you, He’s for you, you are the object of His affection.

You He purchased, you He cares about, your future, your needs, your struggles, your pain. That’s who this Jesus is.

And then finally, every creature joins in, they worship the Lamb, they give praise and honor and glory to Him and the Father, and then the elders say, “Amen.” And the four living creatures are right in that.

The summary is: How can I remain faithful when my world falls apart? One, look who is on the throne. God is in control. Two, look who holds the scroll. Who is going to judge absolutely justly? And then finally, perfect justice, “Therefore,” He says, “judge nothing before the appointed time, wait until the Lord comes, He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives in men’s hearts. At that time, each will receive his praise from God.”