December 27th

Transcript

Copy Transcript Copied

SPEAKER_00 0:01

Welcome to On the Way with Tony Crisp. Each weekday, Dr. Crisp will be discussing biblical passages, people, places, and prophecies. Tune in daily to start your day right and deepen your understanding of how to better walk the way and enjoy the journey. Here's your host, Dr. Tony Crisp.

SPEAKER_01 0:20

Welcome to On the Way. This is Tony Crisp, and this is the 365 Bible Reading Plan. Today is December the 27th, and our chapter for today is Revelation Chapter 5. Before we get into the second part of the throne room experience, where John was caught up into the very heaven of heavens, into the very throne room of Almighty God, I want us to go back and set the stage just a little bit more from Revelation chapter 4. Now in Revelation chapter 4, remember there were no chapter-verse divisions, so everything that happened in Revelation 4 and 5 all happened together and was experienced by John. He was caught up into the third heaven, into the very presence of God, and he was immediately in a throne room. And remember, there were all of those who were casting crowns before him, and they were worshiping God Almighty, and the angelic beings were there. And the scripture says that before the throne, verse 6, before the throne there was a sea of glass like crystal. And in the midst of the throne, around the throne were four living creatures full of eyes front and back. Then it goes on to describe these great creatures, just like the six-winged seraphim of Isaiah chapter six, and they were still praising God. They were just on the second stanza of that great song that they were singing, that great epitaph that they were saying, holy, holy, holy. And evidently there's more than one verse to that epitaph or to that song. And so the throne room is revealed before us. But before the throne was a sea of glass. Now that is an amazing thing. Songs have been written about this. What on earth does that represent? What's that all about? Well, remember that the book of Revelation is the key to understanding all the Bible, and you have to understand something of all the Bible in order to understand the Book of Revelation. This is why those who disregard Israel and don't understand that Israel is the key to understanding the Bible, they will never understand this. Because you see, the great worship center in heaven is what all of the worship centers on earth of the Jewish people, God's chosen people then and now, was patterned after. For instance, God gave the schematic, what we would call a blueprint for the worship center in the wilderness called the tabernacle or the tent of meeting more properly. And he said, I want you to do it according to, build it according to, make sure you do this according to the plan that I'm going to give you. Now, according to the book of Hebrews, chapter 9, this was all done because the great worship center in heaven was what everything was built from. And the tabernacle and later the temple were only tracings. The word is tupas, where we get our word type. So it was just a tracing of the real thing. It wasn't the real thing, it was a model, so to speak. But the whole idea that I want you to understand is that it is the same whether in heaven or here, that the altar is the way that you enter into the presence of God through the shedding of blood. Why? Because without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness of sins. Where does that come from? The book of Hebrews. And so all I'm saying is that the Jewish people have been the center of God's revelation, that is, through whom the revelation came, the written word of God. Without it, we would not have the oracles of God that we call the Bible. We would not have the messianic promises. We would not have the Messiah. We would not have the New Testament written as it is without the Jewish people. We would not have the church without the Jews. Yes, it's primarily made up of Gentiles today, but it started off with Jews and then Gentiles were grafted in. Remember, for the first decade, it was only Jews who populated the church until Cornelius, a Roman soldier, that's right, a soldier, a man of war, a centurion, was grafted in, he and his family as the first initiates into the church of Jesus. But here, God is giving us a glimpse of the Old Testament tabernacle and later the temple, and what the future temple will be like here on earth, and it is a replica of heaven. And look at what the scripture says in chapter 4. Before the throne is a sea of glass. Now remember, you enter in through blood, through the sacrifice, but then before you go into the temple proper, that is the Hiron, not the Holy of Holies, the Naon, but the Hiron, where you had the golden lampstand, the menorah, as you walked in, it'd be on the left side. Then on the right side, you had the table of showbread directly center in front of you, and before the great tapestry, the veil, the curtain that divided between the Hiron and the Nan, the Holy of Holies, and the Holy Place, you would have, before you went into any of that, and see that you walked right in and you would see in directly in front of you the altar of incense, just before that great tapestry. And then you would have these other pieces of furniture, these other elements. But before you could ever go in to meet God, you had to be cleansed at the wash basin. Now, it's brought over into our language and translated in many English versions, labor. That means lavatory. What do you do in a lavatory? That's where water is. That's where you wash your hands. This is exactly why we call it the labor. It was the washing of hands. Why? You didn't need to sacrifice again, but by the time you went from the sacrificial altar into the very presence of God and where God dwelt, your hands and feet could become defiled through the dirt of just walking and living and going in and out. And so there was a ritual cleansing that took place. Now, this is the same phrase, this catharsis, this cathartic experience that is mentioned in 1 John 1.9. If we agree with God, if we confess our sins, if we agree with God about our sins, God is faithful and just to forgive us of our sins and watch this and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. There's that washing of the water by the Word again. It's all the way through the Old and New Testament. Why all this ceremonial cleansing? Because God wanted to remind us that the one that will abide in the place of the Most High, who will dwell in his holy place? He that hath clean hands and a pure heart. You see, this has to do symbolically with cleansing. Well, then why is it a sea of glass? Because in heaven we're going to be perfect. We're going to have glorified bodies, glorified spirits, glorified souls. We are going to be glorified, and there will be no need for cleansing. Hallelujah. Praise the Lamb. No more confession, no more failure, no more. God, I woulda, shoulda, coulda. God, I did this. I failed again. No, when we get there, that labor, that sea that is before. As a matter of fact, it was called the Sea of Solomon. That's right. S-E-A, the Sea of Solomon. Because it was such a huge wash basin that fed other wash basins during the period of the first temple. Now, why am I telling you this? I'm telling you this because it's such good news. No more confession in heaven. When that day when we stand before the Lord as believers, as the Church of Jesus cleansed and glorified, there will be no more confession, no more need for a labor, and that sea will turn to crystal because it'll never have to be used again. I'll tell you that is something that I am looking forward to because I fail the Lord so much. It is going to be such a glorious experience, a wonderful experience to know that our Savior has now made us into his image. Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it does not yet appear what we shall be. But we know that when he shall appear, the apostle John says, We shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. No more sin, no more confession. We're not going to be God, but we are made in the image of God, and we will be cleansed and glorified forever. Now to chapter five. He said, I saw in the right hand of him who sat on the throne a scroll, God the Father, written on the inside, back and front, sealed with seven seals. Then I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, Who is worthy to open the scroll and to lose its seals? And look at this, and no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll or to look at it. John said, I began to weep. I wept so much because I was sad in my heart, I was brokenhearted, because no one was found worthy to open and read the scroll or even to look at it. But one of the elders, one of those twenty four elders, I just wonder which one it was. I believe they represent the Old Testament patriarchs and the New Testament apostles, but no one was able to open it, to read it, to even look at it. But one of the elders said to me, Do not weep. Look! The lion of the tribe of Judah, the root of David has prevailed to open the scroll and loose the seven seals. Now we know who that is. That's the Lord Jesus. You say, how do you know that? Because he is the lion of the tribe of Judah. How do you know that? Because he's described as the root of David. You see, Jesus was a Jew, but he was a Jew before David was a Jew before he was born. Well, how do you know that? The last chapter, the last few verses of the entire book of the Bible called the book of Revelation, Revelation chapter 22. I, Jesus, have sent my messenger to declare unto you, I am the root. I am the root. I am the root and the offspring of David. I was before David and I came after him. I am the God of David, and I am the God of the Jews. I am a Jew, and I'll forever be a Jew. I've had people come to me in recent years and say, Well, Jesus was not a Jew after the resurrection. Well, you better tell him that. I'm not going to tell him that, because he said, I am the root and the offspring of David, and he said that after the time in which we're living, after the tribulation, after the millennial reign, after the judgment seat of Christ, in the new heaven and the new earth, when everything is finished, he is still the offspring of David. He is still the root of David. That's what he said. Now you tell him anything different than that. But he said, Behold, the lion of the tribe of Judah. He has prevailed. He has won. And he's able to open the scroll and to loose its seals. John turning, expecting to see this image of a ferocious lion. He says, And I looked, and behold, in the midst of the throne, and the four living creatures in the midst of the elders stood not a lion, but a lamb. There stood a lamb as though he had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God. And John said, I saw him. And he came and he took the scroll out of the right hand of him who sat on the throne. And when he had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and twenty-four elders fell down before that lamb, each having a harp, golden bowls full of incense. These are the prayers of the saints. And they sang a new song. You are worthy to take the scroll and open its seals, for you were slain, and you've redeemed us to God by your blood, out of every tribe, every tongue, every people and nation, and have made us kings and priests our God, and we shall reign forever. Then I looked and heard the voice of many angels around the throne, myriads of angels, and living creatures and elders, and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands, innumerable, they couldn't even be counted. And they were all singing, we're all singing, worthy is the Lamb who was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and blessing. Blessing, blessing, and honor, and glory and power be to him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb forever and ever. And the four living creatures said, I'm hained. And the 24 elders fell down and worshipped him who lives forever and ever. Amen and amen. For on the way, this is Tony Crisp.

SPEAKER_00 14:52

Thanks for listening to On the Way with Tony Crisp. Tune in every weekday for information on biblical passages, people, places, and prophecies. Fridays are for your questions. Email your questions to questions at TonyCrisp.org. Then just listen for your question to be answered on Friday's podcast. That's Questions at TonyC R I S P dot org. Thanks for listening and have a blessed day on the way.