..To Ancient SDA's ............ To "What's New?"
Readings in the Book of
The Revelation
After having recognised that he was looking at the kingdom of heaven in miniature as it was when Jesus returned to heaven with His firstfruits from the grave a few years before, John’s attention was directed to the Father as He sat on His throne. Because of all the pomp and ceremony of this state occasion, he knew that something big was happening. Just how important he could not have known at that point.
1 And I saw in the right hand of Him that sat on the throne [the Father] a book written within and on the backside, sealed with seven seals.
***************(End Quote)
Although the word is translated as “book”, it was probably a scroll and the seals divided it into seven sections, similar to chapters in a modern book. The Spirit impressed John with its importance and he watched intently, expecting it to be unrolled at any moment. But he was to be disappointed.
***************(Begin Quote)
2 And I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, “Who is worthy [capable] to open the book, and to loose the seals thereof?” 3 And no man in heaven, nor in earth, neither under the earth [a Jewish term meaning anywhere else], was able to open the book, neither to look thereon.
4 And I wept much, because no man was found worthy to open and to read the book, neither to look thereon.
***************(End Quote)
The delay was obviously nerve-wracking and John burst into tears at the thought that the future might remain hidden, for he recognised the book as the “Book of the History of the Earth”, the story of God and His love for humanity. Adam, the original sinless man, was not there, and none amongst the resurrected martyrs could open the book.
***************(Begin Quote)
5 And one of the elders said to me, “Weep not: behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof”.
6 And I beheld, and, lo, in the midst of the throne and of the four beasts [living creatures], and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as it had been [just] slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent forth into all the earth. [“a Lamb, slaughtered but standing tall.” (MSG)]
7 And He came and took the book out of the right hand of Him that sat upon the throne.
***************(End Quote)
Just when it seemed hopeless, one of the leading men directed John to the LAMB of God who had been quietly standing in the centre of the assembly while it became obvious to all that the only man who could unroll the scroll was the Son of God and man, He who had taken Adam’s place. “And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening [life-giving] spirit”. 1 Corinthians 15:45. For more on this try:
http://www.oocities.org/nonconformist.geo/PastQueries/holes_in_hands_oct_07.html
He has ALL power (7 horns) and ALL vision (7 eyes), both past, present and future, because He also “was, and is, and is to come”, the “I AM”, the ever-present One. Exodus 3:14. The Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit all possess the attributes of God, for they are all One in nature.
Now was another time for the Son of God to show forth His position to the entire universe, so He came forward to open the Book and show His people the future.
The “Root of David” is explained in the Old Testament as the Root of his father, Jesse. “And in that day there shall be a Root of Jesse, which shall stand for an ensign of the people; to it shall the Gentiles seek: and His rest shall be glorious”. Isaiah 11:10.
“Now I say that Jesus Christ was a minister of the circumcision [the Jewish branch of the church] for the truth of God, to confirm the promises made to the fathers: and [also] that the Gentiles might glorify God for His mercy; as it is written, ‘For this cause I will confess to You among the Gentiles, and sing to Your name’. And again He said, ‘Rejoice, you Gentiles, with His people’. And again, ‘Praise the LORD, all you Gentiles; and laud Him, all you people”. And again, Isaiah said, ‘There shall be a Root of Jesse, and He that shall rise to reign over the Gentiles; in Him shall the Gentiles trust’.” Romans 15:8-12.
***************(Begin Quote)
8 And when He had taken the book, the four beasts and twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps, and golden vials [bowls] full of odours [incense], which are the prayers of saints.
:9 And they sung a NEW song [one never heard before], saying, “You are worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for You were slain [at Calvary], and have redeemed us to God by Your blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation;
[“The graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints which slept arose, and came out of the graves after His resurrection, and went into the holy city, and appeared unto many”. Matthew 27:52-53.]
10 and have made us to our God kings and priests [right now]:
and we shall reign on the earth [in the future]”.
***************(End Quote)
In this partial restoration of the living temple of God, every one of the redeemed [making up the four “beasts”] had his or her musical instrument [like king David] and bowl of incense [like a priest] to make music and produce a sweet odour of thanksgiving before the LORD who had just made His sacrifice at Calvary.
This scene was reminiscent of one made many centuries before by king Hezekiah when he had cleansed the temple after his father Ahaz had defiled it by replacing the altar with one copied from Damascus and offering polluted sacrifices on it. [2 Kings 16:1-4, 10-18.] In effect, Ahaz had joined Judah with the king of the north and Hezekiah was bringing it back! John knew this story, of course, and rejoiced at the obvious comparison with good king Hezekiah’s action.
Lateral thought:
It was Hezekiah who destroyed the brass serpent that Moses had caused to be made some 700 years before, which the people had since elevated to the status of an idol. As a friend of mine explained to me lately, we normally envisage it as a snake wrapped around a pole (like the medical symbol), but it was actually a snake with a crushed head, hanging down dead to illustrate the saving power of the Son of God. See Note 1, Genesis 3:15.
Anyhow, back to Hezekiah:
***************(Begin Quote)
2 Kings 18:
2 Twenty-five years old was he when he began to reign; and he reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. His mother's name also was Abi [actually Abijah, “Yahweh is my father”, 2 Chronicles 29:1], the daughter of Zachariah. [Behind every good man there is a good woman.]
3 And he did that which was right in the sight of the LORD, according to all that David his [spiritual] father did. 4 He removed the high places, and broke the images, and cut down the groves, and broke in pieces the brass serpent that Moses had made: for to those days the children of Israel did burn incense [make prayers] to it: and he called it “Nehushtan”. [It’s just “a piece of brass”.]
5 He trusted in the [invisible] LORD God of Israel; so that after him was none like him among all the kings of Judah, nor any that were before him. 6 For he clave to the LORD, and departed not from following Him, but kept His commandments, which the LORD commanded Moses.
***************(End Quote)
Ahaz had shut the doors of the temple and nailed them up for some years, so Hezekiah didn’t waste any time over it either! The record says, “He in the first year of his reign, in the first month, opened the doors of the house of the LORD, and repaired them”. 2 Chronicles 29:3.
And he then invited all the estranged tribes to join with him in praising the LORD for His salvation through a Passover ceremony.
***************(Begin Quote)
2 Chronicles 30:
1 And Hezekiah sent to all Israel and Judah, and wrote letters also to Ephraim and Manasseh [on the other side of the Jordan], that they should come to the house of the LORD at Jerusalem, to keep the passover to the LORD God of Israel. For the king had taken counsel, and his princes, and all the congregation in Jerusalem, to keep the passover in the SECOND month. 3 For they could not keep it at that time [in the first month as it should have been], because the priests had not sanctified themselves sufficiently, neither had the people gathered themselves together to Jerusalem.
4 And the thing pleased the king and all the congregation. 5 So they established a decree to make proclamation throughout all Israel, from Beersheba even to Dan, that they should come to keep the passover to the LORD God of Israel at Jerusalem: for they had not done it of a long time in such sort as it was written [in the Bible].
***************(End Quote)
This 2nd month observance was quite legal as far as the Old Testament ceremonies were concerned for it had been settled during the exodus.
***************(Begin Quote)
Numbers 9:
6 And there were certain men, who were [ceremonially] defiled by the dead body of a man, that they could not keep the passover on that day [the fourteenth of the first month]: and they came before Moses and before Aaron on that day:
7 and those men said to him, “We are defiled by the dead body of a man: wherefore [why] are we kept back, that we may not offer an offering of the LORD in His appointed season among the children of Israel?”
8 And Moses said to them, “Stand still, and I will hear what the LORD will command concerning you”.
9 And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 10 “Speak to the children of Israel, saying, If any man of you or of your posterity shall be unclean by reason of a dead body, or be in a journey afar off, yet he shall keep the passover to the LORD. 11 The fourteenth day of the second month at even they shall keep it, and eat it with unleavened bread and bitter herbs. 12 They shall leave none of it to the morning, nor break any bone of it: according to all the ordinances of the passover they shall keep it.
13 “But the man that is clean, and is not in a journey, and forbears [doesn’t bother] to keep the [first] passover, even the same soul shall be cut off from among his people: because he brought not the offering of the LORD in his appointed season, that man shall bear his sin.
***************(End Quote)
This should show how important that ceremony was in the eyes so the LORD. It represented the exchange of natures by which the sinner becomes a Christian and was therefore the pivot on which all the other ceremonies hinged. If a man did not have what the Passover represented them he could not be saved, no matter how much he repented and confessed! He would have to bare the results of his sin himself; he would have chosen to die the second death.
Remember the Pharisee and the publican?
“And He spoke this parable to certain which trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others: Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican [a tax gatherer for the Romans]. The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, ‘God, I thank you, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican [working for the enemy]. I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess’. And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes to heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, ‘God be merciful to me a sinner’. I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalts himself shall be abased; and he that humbles himself shall be exalted”. Luke 18:9-14.
[For more on this subject see Note 3 and the following URL.
http://www.oocities.org/weprotest.geo/BibleReadings/numbers/reading_274_numbers_09.html#
So this event in heaven was a Passover type of meeting. Not a full one – that would have to wait until after the 2nd advent – but it was a mini one. (See Note 2, Matthew 26:29.)
But before the Passover, Hezekiah needed a cleansing ceremony:
***************(Begin Quote)
2 Chronicles 29:
23 And they brought forth the he goats for the sin offering before the king [Hezekiah] and the congregation; and they laid their hands upon them: 24 and the priests killed them [on behalf of the nation], and they made reconciliation with their blood upon the altar, to make an atonement for all Israel: for the king commanded that the burnt offering and the sin offering should be made for all Israel [as well as the Passover lamb].
25 And he set the Levites in the house of the LORD with cymbals, with psalteries, and with harps, according to the commandment of David, and of Gad the king's seer, and Nathan the prophet: for so was the commandment of the LORD by His prophets.
26 And the Levites stood with the instruments of David, and the priests with the trumpets. 27 And Hezekiah commanded to offer the burnt offering upon the altar. And when the burnt offering began, the song of the LORD began also with the trumpets, and with the instruments ordained by David king of Israel.
28 And all the congregation worshipped, and the singers sang, and the trumpeters sounded: and all this continued until the burnt offering [of dedication] was finished.
***************(End Quote)
From our perspective, we should be able to see that after the second advent all the things that John saw will be repeated in heaven, with all the resurrected and translated saints joining in. We too will see the LAMB of God as “it had been slain” [the “burnt” offering], fresh from His victory over the beast and his image. (See Revelation 19:11-16.)
At that time we will see the scroll unrolled again as the Son of God shows us the main events (from God’s point of view) in the great controversy, from the rebellion of Lucifer to the latest act. In a vast panorama in the air, we will see His victory and praise Him for it with music and song. (To enable all of us to “read” the Book at the same time, we should think of it as a video or DVD playing.)
Lateral thought:
Singing is a great way for multitudes to join in universal speech. The songs will be along the lines of our earthly ballads, in which stories are set to music and sung over and over again. All this will take some time, but in eternity what does time matter?
***************(Begin Quote)
11 And I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne and the beasts and the elders: and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands; 12 saying with a loud voice, “Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing”.
13 And every [other] creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth [out in space], and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying, “Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, be to Him that sits upon the throne, and to the Lamb for ever and ever”.
14 And the four beasts said, “Amen [We agree]”.
And the twenty-four elders fell down and worshipped [praised] Him that lives for ever and ever.
***************(End Quote)
Bye for now, Ron
Some of the comments in these readings are adapted from books in my library. No recognition is given because they are not intended as authorities, but are used because they express my understanding clearly. All the ideas expressed in these readings, right or wrong, are my own. Some of these readings are available at http://www.oocities.org/weprotest.geo/BibleReadings/books_index.html
On to next reading Back to previous reading
View a PDF version of this reading To the chapter index for this book
***************(Begin Quote)
Genesis 3:
14 And the LORD God said to the serpent . . . 15 I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed; it [the enmity] shall bruise your head [destroy you], and you shall bruise His heel [slow Him down].
***************(End Quote)
Please note that it is the “enmity”, the “it”, which crushes the head of the serpent, not the Son of God. He does not punish, hurt or destroy, anyone, at any time, for any reason. It is “righteousness”, the “enmity” which causes Satan to self-destruct. For more see:
http://www.oocities.org/nonconformist.geo/PastQueries/does_god_kill_satan_sep_07.html
***************(Begin Quote)
Matthew 26:
27 And He took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, “Drink you all of it; 28 for this is My blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.
29 “But I say to you, I will not drink henceforth of this fruit of the vine, until that day when I drink it new with you in My Father's kingdom”. Back
***************(End Quote)
***************(Begin Quote)
http://www.chabad.org/library/article.asp?AID=2900
The eternal significance of the Second Passover, says the sixth Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak Schneersohn (1880-1950), is that it is never too late to rectify a past failing. Even if a person has failed to fulfill a certain aspect of his or her mission in life because s/he has been "contaminated by death" (i.e., in a state of disconnection from the divine source of life) or "on a distant road" from his people and G-d, there is always a Second Passover in which s/he can make good on what s/he has missed out. Back
***************(End Quote)
To Ancient SDA's ............ To "What's New?"