A door standing open in heaven

Revelation 4:1-5:14

Key Verse 4:1

After this I looked, 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, "Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this."

The title of the message for today is "A door standing open in heaven." Characteristically "a door standing open in heaven" especially the word "open" represents an incredible opportunity (or 'offer' if you will) which remains open for all to accept and go for it.  

In one of the airline's advertisement campaigns, I saw the airline company maintaining a special program called "Getaway". It is an in-flight TV program designed to invite people into buying airplane tickets to the destinations they are servicing. When you click the button it leads you to all kinds of beautiful destinations such as Los Angeles, New York, Sydney, Fiji Island, but not Lagos, Nigeria. 

But no matter how attractive these destinations may be, these places are all physical; they do not have any spiritual dimensions. You may wish to go there (if you can afford it) spend some time, and then quickly get bored to death.

But it is not so with the journey the Apostle John is inviting us to make. Our Lord Jesus has already bought a "one" way ticket (why is it a one way ticket? It is because once you get there it is so good that you will never want to come back home again, and do you know what? It is your ultimate home the Lord God has made for you), so let us embark on our journey, and see what our Lord Jesus Christ has prepared for us. 

First, the invitation (4:1)

Look at verse 1. "After this I looked, 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, "Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this." 

This passage begins with the phrase "after this" and ends with "after this." Here "this" in the phrase "after this" refers to the messages given to the seven churches described in Chapters 2 and 3. In the NIV Bible with the red letter feature, the messages recorded here are in red to tell us that they are the messages which came directly from the risen Jesus. The messages consist of compliments, comforts, corrections, rebukes, and promises. 

What is interesting is that these promises are "conditional". They are NOT "unconditional" but "conditional". It has been said, "God loves us unconditionally." Yes. He loves us no matter what. But his promises are not "unconditional". Look at Revelation 3:20-23. Here the word "if" [anyone hears my voice and opens the door] or the expression "To him who overcomes" especially the word "overcomes" indicates that the promise to receive the right to sit with Jesus on his throne is conditioned upon us doing the homework given to us. Remember what Jesus said in the latter part of Revelation 3:21, "...just as I overcame and sat down with my Father on his throne." How did Jesus overcome (himself, the world, and Satan)? In order to overcome the devil's temptations (the devil who tempted Jesus not to deny himself, nor to take up the cross before him), how much did he have to struggle (especially in the desert, on the Mt. of Gethsemane, on a tree)? On one occasion, he had to pray so much that his sweats became like drops of blood falling to the ground. And he prayed even while the blood was streaming down from his body.

 

"Come up here, I will show you what must take place after this." The voice John heard was the voice of none other than Jesus Christ. This voice is the voice of invitation. It is an invitation to the Ultimate Getaway Plan (i.e., what must take place after this), the plan where one can spend eternity never getting bored. Are you ready to join the journey? If you are interested in making the journey, raise your hand please. 

Second, the transportation (4:2a)

Look at verse 2a. "At once I was in the Spirit." In order for both Charles and I to go to Nigeria, we took airplanes. And different airplanes take you to different destinations. Likewise the Spirit serves to transport us to the desired destination. For this reason Jesus says, "The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing." John 6:63 Similarly, the Apostle Paul said, "But if Christ is in you, your body is dead because of sin, yet your spirit is alive because of righteousness. And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit, who lives in you." Romans 8:10-11 Here again the word "through" (as in "through his Spirit") shows us that the Holy Spirit facilitates the way for believers to get to the desired destination. 

Third, the thrones (4:2b-7)

In Revelation 4:2-7 we see 25 thrones which consists of "the" throne at the center, and the 24 other thrones surrounding "the throne". 

The throne is symbolic of [ultimate] power, glory, and honor. We know that God is the only source of power, glory, and honor. But the twenty four elders are also "seated" on a throne for each of them. 

Who are the elders? In view of Revelation 3:20 we can rest assured that they refer to those who overcame. 

People in the day of the Apostle John lived under the Roman Rule. The rulers of the Roman Empire lived sinful lives. Some of them like the Roman Emperor Nero were very wicked. He was such an animal (in fact worse than an animal) that even people living in this 21st Century call their dogs, 'Nero.' 

But God saved Christians such as Peter, James, and John out of this corrupt generation, into his wonderful light. So they were called to live holy lives and not compromise with the world. However as the persecution against the Christians intensified some of them gave up their faith, and started compromising. They started sinning here and there, a little by little, becoming like a wife or wife who after getting married, starts cheating on her spouse. 

But the Apostle John stayed fully committed to Jesus Christ. He kept his faith to the end. In this way the Apostle John set an example of those who overcame the world.

In Luke 9:41 Jesus said, "O unbelieving and perverse generation," Jesus replied, "how long shall I stay with you and put up with you?" Our own generation is however more unbelieving and more perverse than Jesus' generation. However, when we have faith in the Lord, He gives us His Spirit. Then by faith in Him, we can overcome this wicked and perverse generation and become more than conquerors. In order to celebrate the powerful work of faith, the faith that overcomes the world, we would like to hold a Fall Bible conference and organize the program around the theme title, "The Work of God Is This" (that is 'to believe in the Son'). May God bless us to invite more than 300 new students this fall. 

Fourth, the worship (8-11)

Look at verses 8-11. "Each of the four living creatures had six wings and was covered with eyes all around, even under his wings. Day and night they never stop saying: "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was, and is, and is to come." Whenever the living creatures give glory, honor and thanks to him who sits on the throne and who lives for ever and ever, the twenty-four elders fall down before him who sits on the throne, and worship him who lives for ever and ever. They lay their crowns before the throne and say: "You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being." 

Question No. 1 of the Westminster Catechism asks, "What is the chief end of man?" Answer: "Man's chief end is to glorify God and enjoy him forever." 

The passage we just read pictorially and symbolically describes the gathering of truly successful people. Why are they successful? They are truly successful because at the end of their life's journey they have reached the final station where the dream to fulfill the chief end of man has come true. Now that they have been seated on thrones they can glorify God and enjoy him forever, all in the presence of God from eternity to eternity. 

In what respect is the life before Him truly fulfilling? Why can life described here be called God's Ultimate Getaway Plan for his children? The lyrics of the song of worship sung by the four living creatures answer the question. 

"Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was, and is, and is to come." Hymn books of this world hold a lot of hymns. And each hymn contains lyrics praising God. But in the kingdom of God, replacing all the words in songs of worship ever sung or to be sung, are the three words, "holy, holy, holy". God's holiness then is the source of all the character traits that are true of the Lord God Almighty and him alone. 

The word "holy" means "set apart" or "separate from". In what respect is God set apart or separate from, or simply different from all? What the elders say as they lay down their golden crowns in worship of the Lord answer the question: "You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being." God is different from us in that he is the Creator and we are his creation. Characteristically then God's holiness manifests itself in its power of creation. It then denotes the framework which allows man to remain free from all external controls (for this is the state where God operates), so that man would be truly self-determinative, uninfluenced by any external factors. Genesis 1:26-28 (especially the term "Image of God", the words like "fruitful", "increase", "subdue", or "rule over", etc.) illustrate this blessed state of an un-fallen man. From an economic standpoint then, God's holiness is equal to the sum total of all that are worthy. 

What is truly amazing though is this: his desire for us to be holy because he is holy. (1Pe 1:16; Lev 19:2) Let us open the Bible and read 1Pe 1:16. "For it is written: "Be holy, because I am holy."" Let us turn to our neighbor and say, "Be holy!" 

Let us notice the word "because". If we say, "Be holy", one will talk back saying, "Why?" Why then does God want his children to be holy? The answer is simple: because he is holy. In other words, God wants his children to be like himself. I am certain that William Jr. will resemble Shep. William plus Shepherdess Sarah divided by two. Likewise God wants his children to be like him. 

But upon falling, man became not like him but animals and yes even worse than animals, as we used to hear people saying, "The more I meet people the more I like my dog." In Romans 1:18-32, the Apostle Paul described the fallen state of man. Let us open the Bible and read the passage responsively. 

"Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty." "Be holy because I am holy." Through their faith in the Lord (this is what the expression "dressed in white" and "golden crowns on their heads" are alluding to), the twenty four elders overcame their fallen conditions. They came to rise above themselves and the sinful world. They became more than conquerors. Now, in the presence of God they can enjoy God fully, from eternity to eternity. They are in a state where they can fulfill the chief end of man, ready to fulfill their lives to the full. 

Fifth, a new song (5:1-14)

The journey the Apostle John made thus far was incredibly glorious, for it was filled with heavenly wonders. But all of a sudden he ran into a deep trouble.

Shepherd Jay Irwin will rise and read Revelation 5:1-5. Verse 5 says, "I wept and wept." We don't know how long he wept. One hour? Two hours? We don't know. But he wept a lot. 

However he stopped weeping when he saw a Lamb "taking" the scroll! This scroll comes with seven seals. As the Lamb opens each seal, God's wrath rains down upon the inhabitants of the earth (who reject Jesus Christ and rebel against him and his bride, and worship idols) followed by seven trumpets, seven plagues, and seven bowls of judgment. 

Standing in strong contrast with the disasters falling on the idol worshipers on the earth, while they were mourning and writhing in pains, there in the kingdom of heaven, the heavenly congregations (consisting of twenty for elders, thousands upon thousands of angels, every creature in heaven, on earth, and under the earth and on the sea, and the four living creatures) rejoice in great jubilation, singing a song of praise. This song is called "a new song". Let us read verses 6-14 to see how the joyful worship goes. 

Why is it called a "new" song? The Bible passage we just read (especially verses 10-12, answers the question: that is, Jesus reclaimed the planet earth from the hands of all the evil-doers, and now he gives it back to the righteous. Expressing the new world to be given to the over-comers, Revelation 21:4-5 reads, "He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away. He who was seated on the throne said, "I am making everything new!" Then he said, "Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true." 

In this new world, Jesus is the new King, for he is worthy to receive power, wealth, wisdom, strength, honor, glory, and praise. Under his leadership, the new citizens in the new kingdom will reign forever and ever. This is the vision the Apostle John saw. And it is the vision of Ultimate Getaway Plan God has for his children. 

Conclusion: "After this I looked, 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, "Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this."" There is a door which still stands open. And the Risen Jesus says, "Come up here!" In this fall semester, may the Lord strengthen our hearts to respond to this heavenly call. Let us also invite students to this Ultimate Getaway Plan through the Fall Bible conference. 

One word: A door standing open in heaven