The Revelation of Yahshua Christ
Chapter 4
IV 1 After these things I looked, and behold! A door being opened in heaven, and the first voice which I had heard as a trumpet speaking with me saying “Come up here, and I shall show to you the things which are necessary to happen.” After these things
After having received the messages to the seven assemblies John receives another vision. In this vision John had an experience which describes his spirit actually having left his body, much as we see inferred by Paul in 2 Corinthians Chapter 12, where he described a vision and related that he could not tell whether it happened while he was in his body or out of it. Earlier in that same epistle Paul explained that to be in the body, we are away from God, and to be separated from our body is to be with God. Therefore Christians should not fear death: it is our gateway to our destiny and out true reality.
2 immediately I was in the Spirit, and behold! A throne fixed in heaven, and He sitting upon the throne. 3 And He sitting alike in appearance to a jasper stone, and a sardius, and a rainbow around the throne alike in appearance to emerald, 4 and around the throne twenty-four thrones, and upon the thrones twenty-four elders sitting, cloaked in white garments and upon their heads gold crowns. 5 And going out from the throne stars and voices and thunders, and seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of Yahweh, 6 and before the throne as a sea of glass like crystal. And in the midst of the throne and around the throne four living creatures full of eyes in front and behind. 7 And the first living creature like a lion, and the second living creature like a young bull, and the third living creature having a face as a man, and the fourth living creature like a flying eagle. 8 And the four living creatures, each one of them having six wings above, full of eyes all around and within, and they do not have rest, day and night saying
“Holy, holy, holy, Prince Yahweh Almighty, who was and who is and who is coming!”
The living creatures are actually cherubs, those chimerical sphinx-like creatures made up of the symbols of the four leading tribes of Israel, man, lion, bull and eagle. They are often depicted in association with the throne of Yahweh, as they are in Ezekiel Chapter 1, and they adorned the ark of the covenant.
Matthew 19:28: “28 And Yahshua said to them: “Truly I say to you that you are those who shall be following Me in the regeneration, when the Son of Man shall sit upon the throne of His honor, and you also shall sit upon twelve thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel! ” Yet this does not limit the number of thrones to twelve, and here we see that there are twenty-four. It is often conjectured that these other twelve are for the original patriarchs of Israel. Yet where are the other more prominent patriarchs, Abraham and Isaak and Jakob and Enoch and the others? I would rather think that the numbers are not to be taken literally, but to be seen symbolically. The twelve thrones for the apostles and the reserved number of twelve for the patriarchs of the Israelites is yet another assurance that the Dispensationalists are fools, and that the New Testament and Old alike are two halves of one book, reserved for one people.
9 And whenever the living creatures give honor and dignity and gratitude to Him sitting upon the throne, to He who lives for the eternal ages, 10 the twenty-four elders fall before Him sitting upon the throne and they worship He who lives for the eternal ages and they cast their crowns before the throne, saying
11 “You are worthy, our Prince and God, to receive honor and dignity and power, because You have created all things and by Your will were they then created!”
The throne is the throne of Yahshua Christ, King of Kings who is to rule all of the nations. Here he is revealed – once again in Scripture – as being one and the same with Yahweh the Creator Himself. Whem His people overcome, they are given to rule with Him.
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