Season 5 Podcast 93 Book of Revelation Ch 4 B vs. 5-6, “The Sea of Glass.”

Season 5 Podcast 93 Book of Revelation Ch 4 B vs. 5-6, “The Sea of Glass.”

In this podcast we shall continue with Revelation 4 beginning with verse 5.

Revelation 4:5

“And out of the throne proceeded lightnings and thunderings and voices: and there were seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God.”

John, of course, is speaking of End Time. The images are images of storm and violence and indistinguishable voices. The images of violent weather symbolize the violence and confusion that is about to fall upon the earth. Before the throne itself ‘seven lamps of fire were burning, each representing a different Spirit. 

The use of numbers in the Holy Bible is significant. The number 7, for example, represents a sense of wholeness. That suggests that the Seven Spirits of God collectively represent a completeness and to be understood must be read together, the order being very important. The fact that they are coming from the Throne of God suggests that what follows is the workmanship of God. One of the great paradoxes of life is to distinguish what comes from God and what comes from Satan. Time is significant. In Chapter 1 Verse 1 we read.

Revelation 1:1

“The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to shew unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass; and he sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant John:”

Notice the use of Seven as it relates to events that “must shortly come to pass.”

Revelation 1:20

“The mystery of the seven stars which thou sawest in my right hand, and the seven golden candlesticks. The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches: and the seven candlesticks which thou sawest are the seven churches.”

The seven letters to the seven churches described so vividly in Revelations 2 & 3 reference the apostasy that is beginning to take place in the church in John’s day. One must consider all seven churches and all seven letters to understand what John is saying. Though the letters speak of John’s day, the interpretation is not strictly confined to John’s day. They go far beyond the moment and define who inherits the Kingdom of God and describes the spectacular blessings they shall receive. The letters also define the sins of those who do not inherit the Kingdom of God. However, for the complete picture they must be read as a whole, each in its own order for it shows how apostasy creeps into the church.

Revelation 4:1

“After this I looked, and, behold, a door was opened in heaven: and the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me; which said, Come up hither, and I will shew thee things which must be hereafter.”

It is clear that Revelation 4 is referring to our day. The revelations are described as “things which must be hereafter.” The date, of course, is not given, but such things are seldom if ever marked by a specific calendar date. It is up to us to read the signs of the times. To do that we must match events of today with the imagery of John. 

Let me add the obvious. One must be very careful in assigning specific persons or specific events as the person or event spoken of by John. One of the great blessings of the scriptures is that they speak to everyone in their own time. For example, regardless of the age one lives in, one must be able to read the signs of the times. End time, however, may have three referents: One, the end of one’s own life which may include the end of a civilization, a country or nation, an era, a culture, or even the end of peace, prosperity, and liberty. Two, which is most common when referring to end time, the time just before the Second Coming of Christ and the beginning of the millennium. And three, the end of the world when time is no longer. Wickedness brings destruction to one’s personal life, to one’s nation and culture, and to liberty.