XII. Visions of God

Pacific Press Publishing Association · Mountain View, California · Jan 24, 1911

XII. Visions of God

We begin the study of a new line of prophecy, another part of God's great drama of the ages, filled with vital truth, potent for eternal good. It is not confined to the fourth chapter; it continues to and includes the first verse of chapter 8. Chapter 7 is not essential to the main prophecy; it does, however, present a feature, a prophecy, a movement, of vast importance. It will be considered in its proper setting when it is reached in our regular study.

In chapters 2 and 3 God has set before us the spiritual condition of His entire Gospel church in its seven stages, from the first to the second advent. Her trials, her duties, her transgressions, are vividly but briefly indicated. The prophecies which follow develop and broaden the picture. God's wonderful workings through world conditions, and despite world conditions, are set forth oftentimes in highly wrought symbols and figures and signs. The great controversy between good and evil deepens as we proceed. The prophecy of the seven-sealed book, the study of which we begin this week, is of intense interest in showing God's care, supervision, nay, even directing in the affairs of men.

The student will note its likeness to some of the revelations of God to the prophets Ezekiel, Zechariah, and Isaiah.

The Answer of the Text

[The answers to the questions are from the American Revised Version. Omitting questions, and disregarding sometimes the capital at the beginning and the period at the close of an answer, the text may be read continuously. In notes and comments both versions are used without designation.]

1. After the vision of the seven churches, what vision was given John? After these things I saw, and behold, a door opened in heaven.

2. What did he hear? And the first voice that I heard, a voice as of a trumpet speaking with me.

3. What did the voice say to John? One saying, Come up hither, and I will show thee the things which must come to pass hereafter.

4. What followed the call? Straightway I was in the Spirit.

5. What did he see? And behold, there was a throne set in heaven, and One sitting upon the throne.

6. What description is given of the One on the throne? And He that sat was to look upon like a jasper stone and a sardius: and there was a rainbow round about the throne, like an emerald to look upon.

7. Who were round about the throne? And round about the throne were four and twenty thrones: and upon the thrones I saw four and twenty elders sitting, arrayed in white garments; and on their heads crowns of gold.

8. What came from the throne? And out of the throne proceed lightnings and voices and thunders.

9. What was before the throne? And there were seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God.

10. What else did he see before the throne? And before the throne, as it were a sea of glass like unto crystal.

Note and Comment

After these things.—Not that the things which John saw were to come after the events of the seven churches; but the view of chapters 4 to 8 was a new vision, covering the same time, but in which new events are revealed, new phases disclosed. I "saw" (A.R.V.) is better than I "looked." Not only was the prophet's attention directed, but he received the vision. A door opened.—It had once been closed. It was not a door opened into heaven; it was not heaven opened; but it was a door in heaven which had been opened. Light upon this is given in Heb. 9:8: "The Holy Spirit this signifying, that the way into the holy place [literally, "holies"] hath not yet been made manifest, while the first tabernacle is yet standing." That is, during the Levitical dispensation the typical offerings were made on earth. Christ had not then entered upon His antitypical priesthood in the heavenly sanctuary. See Heb. 8:1, 2. It is the door opening to this place of ministry which John sees, as our Lord is about to begin His priesthood. In this vision is seen the antitype of the earthly altar, candlestick, assistants, etc. This will develop more fully as we proceed.

2. The first voice, the voice of our Lord Jesus Christ. See chapter 1:10, 12. It was the voice of the Conquering One, who had a right to call and to command; the voice which will wake the dead. John 5:28, 29.

3. Come up hither.—In the first vision John was upon the earth; now he is called up in vision to the habitation of the King. I will show thee.—God did not call the prophet up to show him things in heaven, to satisfy human curiosity; but to enable him to see, just as far as human limitations would permit, as God sees. See Eze. 1:1; 8:3; 40:2—"I saw visions of God." A vision is a seeing, and therefore "visions of God" are "seeings of God." In the visions of God, Ezekiel was taken to Jerusalem, where in God's seeing he beheld the awful iniquities of his people. Once he was taken to a high mountain, above the limited vision of the great city or fog-covered plain. But John is caught up in the Spirit to the very throne of God Himself, where he is to see with undimmed vision the things which must come to pass, the events of earth's long history of travail and pain and trouble till the final triumph of God's children.

4. In the Spirit.—In holy vision, seeing through Spirit-illuminated eyes. See Rev. 1:10. There he saw Christ with His church in the world; here he looks from the high table-land of heaven.

5. A throne.—God has a throne as surely as He has a kingdom. He is a personal God, and tho everywhere present by His Holy Spirit, the great Father is somewhere as He is nowhere else. "I saw Jehovah sitting on His throne." 1 Kings 22:19. "I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up." Isa. 6:1. "One that was ancient of days did sit." Dan. 7:9. "Jehovah hath established His throne in the heavens, and His kingdom ruleth over all." Ps. 103:19. From that center of infinite power radiates all the power of the universe. One sitting, the Father; for, later, the Son comes before Him. From the time that the Son of God, in the beginning, gave Himself, the rulership of the universe was vested in the Father till the great crisis had passed, revealing the right of the Son to reign. The Lord Jehovah reigns; the Son of God is a priest at His right hand.

6. A jasper stone.—It is impossible to say just what these stones are, or their color. Jasper may mean diamond. It is a foundation stone in the wall of the heavenly city (Rev. 21:18, 19), clear as crystal (verse 11). It is a good illustration of God's character of justice and truth, a good emblem of His Word of truth. Sardius, a highly valued, precious stone used for sig

net-rings and seals, ranging from fiery red, through cherry, orange, yellow, brown, deep coffee color, and black, and sometimes sparkling white. The prevailing color is red. It is symbolic of mercy and love. The covenant breastplate, with its twelve precious stones, worn over the priest's heart, had sardius for the first and jasper for the last (Ex. 28:17-20), these two stones symbolizing in Revelation 4 all that the breastplate signified, the merciful remembrance of God for all His people, the infinite blending of justice and mercy, truth and love, righteousness and peace. A rainbow.—We see but part of the beautiful bow here, a segment of a complete circle around the throne, God's covenant of mercy on every side. "Carbuncle," we are told, is a better word than "emerald," red, the basic color of the beautiful iris; representing also the blood of Christ, through which God's mercy comes to the needy.

7. Four and twenty thrones.—Of the elders, assistants in the heavenly sanctuary, answering to the twenty-four courses of priests in the earthly temple. 1 Chron. 24:1-19. These elders occupied lesser thrones or seats. Their white garments indicate that they have been cleansed, and their crowns show that they have conquered in the warfare. They are saved humans, representative of the entire race. Whence came they? These scriptures may help us: Matt. 27:52, 53; Eph. 4:8; Ps. 24:7-10. The first text records the fact that many rose from the dead when Jesus arose; the second, that when He ascended to heaven He led those who had been death's captives, in glorious, blessed captivity to life—"a multitude of captives," the margin reads; the third passage is the song of welcome at the gates of the city of God. What more reasonable than that these twenty-four saved ones should be assistant ministers in Christ's work for the salvation of souls? The crowns are not diadems of rulership, but stephanos, the crown of victory.

8. Lightnings and voices and thunders.—See 8:5; 11:19; 16:18; Ex. 19:16. Lightnings, the Lord's terrible and swift actions; voices, His warnings faithfully given, and commands; thunders, the majesty and awe of His judgments. Note the different order in 8:5. Notwithstanding God's wonderful mercy, nay, His character demands, that sure judgment must be executed against sin.

9. Lamps of fire.—See Zech. 4:2; Ex. 25:37. God has explained their meaning; they are emblematic of the fulness of God's Spirit, the fulness of His presence and power to accomplish His work. As the seven lamps burned perpetually in the earthly sanctuary, so God's presence is ever with His children. "Lo, I am with you alway."

10. Sea of glass.—See 15:2; Eze. 1:22; Ex. 24:10; 30:17-21. Was the laver in the ancient service the type of the sea? At the laver the priests cleansed. All God's children are a royal priesthood. 1 Peter 2:9; Rev. 1:6. Does the sea of glass represent the "washing of water by the Word" (Eph. 5:26), the cleansing in the crystal clear depths of the fountain of God's power and grace? It was before the throne; but John was at the throne of God in vision, whence he looked out upon all God's work for all His children; and He is not far from every one of us. We well believe that the crystal cleansing sea of grace divine is co-equal in extent to the fulness of the influence of the sevenfold Spirit. They are immediately before His throne in their representative Jesus Christ; and in the bonds of His life, His seeings, all are near.