The book of Revelation

The Creator God is seen in chapter four. But in chapter five we see more of His plan to dispense Himself into man.

"Immediately I was in spirit; and behold, there was a throne set in heaven, and upon the throne there was One sitting;

The spirit of man is a praying organ - a spiritual organ. Four critical visions in Revelation are all accompanied with this saying of John - that he was in spirit. Without ourselves being in spirit we have no spiritual insight into this book or much of any true insight into the word of God in general.

But here are the four critical visions of Revelation where John was "in spirit".

And this can all be reviewed in the footnotes of the Recovery Version Bible.

1.) "I was in spirit on the Lord's Day and heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet, (1:10)

John was "in spirit" to see the vision of Christ as a High Priest walking amidst the seven golden lampstands, which were the seven local churches. This would include all of the things written to the churches in chapters 2 and 3.

2.) "After these things I saw, and behold, a door opened in heaven, and the first voice which I heard was like a trumpet speaking with me, saying, Come up here, and I will show you the things that must take place after these things.

"Immediately I was in spirit; and behold, there was a throne set in heaven, ... etc." (4:1,2)

John was in spirit to see the events from chapter 4 - 16 concerning the destiny of the world. We need a prayerful God touching human spirit to really understand the things concerning the destiny of human history.

3.) "And he carried me away in spirit into a wilderness; and I saw a woman sitting upon a scarlet beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seen heads and ten horns. And the woman was clothed in purple and scarlet, and gilded with gold and precious stone and pearls, having in her hand a golden cup fill of abominations and the unclean things of her fornication. "(17:3,4)

John was in spirit to see the vision of the total degradation of Christiandom riding upon the world political powers. This was called "Babylon the Great".

4.) "And he carried me away in spirit onto a great and high mountain and showed me the holy city, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God." (21:10)

John was in spirit to see the consummation of the will of God - the final New Jerusalem.

These four crucial visions -

the vision of the churches,
the vision of the destiny of the world,
the vision of Babylon the Great,
the vision of the New Jerusalem

all included this saying that John was in his spirit. And we need to have a praying and prayerful Christ touching regenerated spirit to comprehend the meaning of these revelations.

@sonship

seen heads and ten horns.

seven heads and ten horns.

@sonship said
@sonship

seen heads and ten horns.

above, should be

seven heads and ten horns.

SEVEN

@sonship said
@KellyJay

God's enemy the devil "has the might of death" (Heb. 2:14)

Death here is separation from God. God's enemy want to keep man "alienated from the life of God" (Eph. 4:18). That is not just kept away from God or knowing about God. That is estranged from the very "life of God". Because God's eternal purpose is to dispense Himself into man as ...[text shortened]... od, but one who LIVES God.

In the next post I will relate this more to chapters 4 and 5.

@kellyjay said
James 4:4
You adulterous people, don’t you know that friendship with the world means enmity against God? Therefore, anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God.

@KellyJay

Anyone outside of Christ has the wrath of God on them now; they don't have to follow Satan, their nature and sins have brought that upon themselves.

Who is an enemy of God, those that love this world over God, those the love the creation over the creator.

The rainbow around God's throne is like an emerald in appearance. An emerald is a precious stone whoe grass-green color signifies the lives on earth. This indicates that as God is executing His judgment upon the earth, He will remember His covenant and will spare some o the lives on earth, as indicated in Gen 9:11

God is the reason for life, the maintainer of all things, the sustainer of all things, the giver of true meaning in life, with some He is simply a nuisance, a spoiler of their fun, holding them into account when they want nothing to do with Him.

" ... and he showed me the holy city, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, Having the glory of God. Her light was like a most precious stone, like a jasper stone, as clear as crystal." (Rev. 21:10b-11)

Now there is a connection between the jasper colored God and the 24 thrones of the 24 elders. Before God accomplished His purpose to dispense Himself into man, the administration of the universe is in the hands of faithful angels. These are the oldest of the beings created by God.

But the administration of the angelic creations is to be passed to those whom they serve, the saved saints of God. God's eternal purpose is to dispense His life into the redeemed man and place this man as the administrators of the creation. Of course over all is God as the ultimate King on the throne. The angels are the deputy authorities for now. But the God indwelt, God mingled humanity will be the deputy administrating ones over the creation in eternity future.

The footnote on the 24 elders in the Recovery Version explains well -

Twenty-four is formed by multiplying twelve by two. Twelve indicates the completion of God's administration (Matt. 19:28). David divided both the priests and the Levites into twenty-four groups to carry out God's administrative service. Therefore, before they are replaced by the church, the twenty-four angelic elders are the ones who carry out God's administration. Twelve multiplied by two signifies strengthening by doubling, indicating that the divine administration carried out by the twenty-four angels is strong.

"But to which of the angels has He ever said, "Sit at My right hand until I set Your enemies as a footstool for Your feet?
Are they [angels] not all ministering spirits, sent forth for service for the sake of those who are to inherit salvation?" (Hebrews 1:13,14)

The elders are the elders for the angels. Before the Lord's second coming they are sitting on throne already. But the saints do not sit upon thrones until the second coming of Christ (Matt. 19:28; Rev. 20:4).

The oldest being created by God are these elders. Among God's creatures angels are the most ancient ones. And until the millennial kingdom they must be the ones ruling the universe as deputy authorities to the Creator God. They do so in the church age as a service to the human beings who are to inherit salvation.

The rulership is to be passed to the overcoming saints as seen in Revelation 2:26-27; 20:4 and Hebrews 2:5.

That these angelic elders are clothed in white garments and have harps must mean that they are deeply involved in a priesthood and worship of the Creator. Lucifer as a leader of the worship of God. Lucifer came out of this kind of class of most ancient angelic creatures. He rebelled and turned his authority into the Satanic rebellion.

Because of him there is the sea of glass mingled with fire. Because of him there is the fire prepared for the devil and his angels. Because of him before the Creator there is this sea reading to sweep everything opposing God into a universal "trash can" to be judged.

But with this terrible judgment God is still a redeeming God (sardius) and a God with a merciful rainbow completely circling His throne with the appearance of the grass - emerald. God will have mercy on some of the lives on earth remembering His covenant with Noah not to completely destroy the world.

Days are coming when we all need to remember that there is this rainbow around the throne of the judging God.

@sonship

Typos corrected:

He was [edited] invested with authority. Yet he did not have the life of God. He was only the highest of creature [edited] of God.

"For the mind set [edited] on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the spirit is life and peace. Because the mind set on the flesh is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, for neither can it be." (Rom. 8:6-7) [edited]

Because of him there is the sea of glass mingled with fire. Because of him there is the fire prepared for the devil and his angels. Because of him before the Creator there is this sea ready [edited] to sweep everything opposing God into a universal "trash can" to be judged.

Bucket of fire sand — GO!

And out of the throne come forth lightnings and voices and thunders. and there were seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God. (Rev. 4:4)

The seven lamps here are based upon the seven lamps of the lampstand in Exo. 25:37 and Zech. 4:2. The seven lamps of fire, which are the seven Spirits of God, signify the enlightening and searching of the sevenfold intensified Spirit of God. In Exo. 25 and Zech. 4 the seven lamps, signifying the enlightening of the Spirit of God in God's move, are for God's building, either for the building of the tabernacle or the rebuilding of the temple. Here the seven lamps are for God's judgment, which will issue also in God's building - the building of the New Jerusalem.

To know about the Seven Spirits of God to recover the temple of God, we should know that the climax of the whole Bible is the temple of God - a mutual dwelling place where God is fully united with man.

This temple at the end of the Bible is a corporate person, a living collective entity where God and His saved people are mingled together to be His dwelling place. She is also a Bride of Christ and a holy city.

"And I saw no temple in it, for the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb are its temple."(Rev. 21:22)

You see on one hand the city of God at the end has the Triune God Himself as its temple - You see the Lord God the Almighty and the Redeemer - the Lamb -the Son of God are its temple. The Spirit is the water pouring from the throne of God and of the Lamb to be the life of the Triune God flowing through every part of the city / temple.

And I already mentioned that the city (which is a temple) has the glory of God. She has a jasper color the same as the God who sits upon the throne in chapter 4.

History climaxes with this living temple of God dwelling on the earth among the inhabitants of the earth.

"And I heard a loud voice out of the throne,saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will tabernacle with them, and they will be His peoples, and God Himself will be with them and be their God.

And He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; ad death will be no more, nor will there be sorrow or crying or pain anyone; for the former things have passed away. " (Rev. 21:3,4)

All this I include in order to help explain the Seven Spirits of God which are the building of this temple of God. Remember Paul said the church is the dwelling place of God in spirit. New Jerusalem is the final enlargement of the church universal. God will not give up this plan.

"So then you are no longer strangers and sojourners, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God,

Being built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the cornerstone;

In whom all the building, being fitted together, is growing into a holy temple in the Lord; In whom you also are being built together into a dwelling place of God in spirit." (Eph. 2:19-22)