2. The Return of the War Hero - Pr. Stephen Bohr - The 24 Elders

you shall we bow our heads for prayer our Father in our God what a privilege it is this evening to come before your majestic throne in prayer knowing that you hear our pleas and we ask father that you will be with us as we study your word open our minds and hearts and send your Holy Spirit that we might be able to understand and we thank you for hearing our prayer for we ask it in Jesus name Amen well hello everybody we're going to do a little bit of review in our study today what we studied last time we're doing a series on the 24 elders of the book of Revelation and basically what we studied last time was that Jesus when he came to this earth had a two-fold mission his first mission was to live the perfect life that the law requires from us and then Jesus had to take upon himself our sins and suffer the death penalty that we deserve so basically Jesus had to come to live in our place and he cared to come to die in our place this is the only way in which Jesus could recover the throne that Adam lost as well as the territory that Adam lost as well now we also studied that it was Satan's mission to prevent Jesus from doing these two things it was Satan's mission first of all to infect Jesus with the virus of sin so that he would not be an unblemished sacrifice we also noticed that it was the devil's mission to prevent Jesus from reaching the point where he would offer his life as a ransom for many so basically the devil's mission was to prevent Jesus from fulfilling his mission now we noticed in our study that Satan used four methods to try and prevent Jesus from living his perfect life and from offering at the correct time his life for sin first of all Satan attempted to kill Jesus in the second place Satan attempted to infect Jesus with the virus of sin then we also noticed that the devil attempted to lead Jesus down a different path than the path that the father had established for him in other words the devil tried to convince Jesus to take over the throne instead of dying to recover the throne and finally we noticed that Satan made every attempt to discourage Jesus in such a way that he would just pick up and leave and go to heaven where he was loved and leave the human race to perish but as we noticed in our study Jesus on the cross the last sees three sayings that he uttered from his lips were my God my God why hast thou forsaken me and then he said it is finished and finally he spoke to his father and said father into your hands I commend my spirit at that moment Jesus had gained the victory Jesus had lived the life that everyone should live and he had died in place of everyone Jesus had gained the victory but of course we noticed that the devil wasn't about to give up and so he said if I can keep Jesus from resurrecting the plan of salvation is still going to fail and so the devil influenced the Roman Pilate to place a large stone in front of the tomb to place a Roman guard and of course the devil also had his demons present there as if somehow the devil was going to be able to keep the life liver in the tomb with a little pebble in front of the tomb and a guard of Roman soldiers as well as a group of demons impossible to keep Jesus in very early the first day of the week two angels descended from heaven one of them remove the stone and the other one stood in front of the tomb and exclaimed in loud voice although Son of God thy father calls thee suddenly Jesus appeared at the mouth of the tomb and he proclaimed the words I am the resurrection in life as we noticed also Jesus did not resurrect by himself there was a group of individuals a multitude of individuals that resurrected with Jesus when Jesus came out of the tomb and they went and appeared to many in the city to confirm the resurrection of Jesus now the question is what happened to those who resurrected with Christ did they die again or do they have a special function in the plan of salvation this is what we're going to take a look at in our study today now I want to say that when Jesus resurrected he spent 40 days on planet Earth teaching his disciples the things concerning the kingdom of God according to Acts chapter 1 in verse 3 in other words Jesus explained to his disciples the prophecies that had been fulfilled in him that they had misunderstood and Jesus also explained to the disciples the prophecies that were going to be fulfilled 50 days after his resurrection on the day of Pentecost in other words he explained Bible prophecy to them so that they could understand the past and they could understand the future now when Jesus left heaven he told all of the heavenly beings I'm leaving to that rebellious planet to face Goliath but I guarantee that 33 years from now I will return victorious to the heavenly kingdom so you better start preparing the party now do we have any information in scripture about what the reception of Jesus was like when he returned to heaven I believe that we do let's turn in our Bibles to Revelation chapter 4 and this this a topic that we're going to study today deals with two chapters in the book of Revelation Revelation chapter 4 and also chapter 5 now in chapter 4 we find all of heaven preparing the heavenly throne room for the return of Jesus to heaven in other words in chapter 4 Jesus has not arrived in heaven yet in chapter 4 or of the book of Revelation all of heaven all of the heavenly beings are preparing the throne room for the great reception of the war hero now let's begin in Revelation chapter 4 and verse 1 here John inspired by the Holy Spirit says after these things I looked and behold a door standing open in heaven now notice this is not the door to heaven it is a door in heaven now obviously there's not just a door standing there a door leads into a building so the question is where does this door lead to this door that is in heaven we're going to find our answer a little bit later on so it says after these things I looked and behold a door standing open 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 things which must take place after this and so John is invited to go through the open door and I want you to notice what John sees inside that open door inside the building where that door leads to Revelation chapter 4 and verse 2 immediately I was in the spirit that means that John was in vision he didn't go there personally he's in vision he's seen this in his mind and so it says immediately I was in the spirit and behold a throne set in heaven and one sat on the throne so he goes through this open door inside the open door he sees a throne and upon the throne there is one being sitting now it's interesting to notice that when Jesus went back to heaven the Bible tells us that Jesus sat with his father on his throne notice Revelation chapter 3 and verse 21 this is the immediately preceding chapter and we're going to see that when Jesus went to heaven and actually arrived in heaven he sat with his father on his Father's throne it says there revelation 3 verse 21 here Jesus is speaking to him who overcomes I will grant to sit with me on my throne notice I overcame past tense as I overcame the speaking about his victory on earth and sat down with my father on his throne so where did Jesus place himself when he ascended to heaven he sat with his father on his throne but what's strange about revelation chapter 4 and verse 2 is that it describes only one being sitting on the throne so this must be taking place before Jesus arrived to sit with his father on his throne because if this was taking place after Jesus ascended to heaven then there would be two on the throne instead of one now verse 3 gives us the physical appearance of the one who is seated on the throne who just happens to be God the Father notice verse 3 and he who sat there was like a Jasper and a sardine stone now a Jasper and Sardis are deep red stones in other words it's like God is surrounded by fire that's the idea and so it says he who sat there was like a Jasper and a sardine stone in appearance and there was a rainbow around the throne in appearance like an emerald now the rainbow represents a mixture of justice and mercy which means that this scene when this scene is taking place the door of Mercy is still open as indicated by the rainbow you remember that after the flood God showed Noah the rainbow indicating that he would not destroy the world with another flood representing God's justice which he had meted out in the flood but also his mercy in saving Noah and his family so basically this scene is taking place while the door of Mercy is still open now verse 4 tells us about another group that is present there in the midst of the throne or around the throne it says there in verse 4 around the throne were twenty-four Thrones and under Thrones I saw 24 elders sitting clothed in white robes and they had crowns of gold on their heads now I want you to remember these details they're very very important notice they're called 24 elders they're sitting on Thrones we're told that they are clothed in white robes and that they have crowns of gold on their heads we will come back to this in later presentations so I want you to imagine this throne inside a door there's one seated on the throne he has this rainbow over his head he's surrounded by fire and then we find that around the throne there are 24 Thrones with 24 elders sitting and of course we wonder who are those 24 elders and that's the reason why we're having this series is to identify the elders and to find out what their particular job description is now let's skip verse 5 just for a moment we'll come back to verse 5 and let's go to verse 6 because we're going to notice that there were also some other beings present there in the midst of the throne notice verse 6 it says before the throne there was a sea of glass like crystal and in the midst of the throne and around the throne were four living creatures a better translation would be four living beings full of eyes in front and in back so now we're introduced to a new group there besides the 24 elders you have four living creatures that are in the midst of the throne and immediately we asked the question who are these living creatures well if we go to verse eight we'll find some help notice Revelation chapter 4 and verse 8 it says here the four living creatures each having six wings were full of eyes around and within and they do not rest day or night saying holy holy holy Lord God Almighty who was and is and is to come two characteristics that we notice about these living creatures number one we're told that they have six wings and number two were told that they sing holy holy holy now who were these beings all we have to do is go back to the Book of Isaiah chapter 6 and verses 1 2 3 to identify these living beings or these living creatures it says there and this is speaking about the call of the prophet Isaiah in the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting on a throne see once again you have a beam sitting on a throne high and lifted up and the Train of his robe filled the temple now notice this above it that is above the throne stood Serafim each one had what six wings with two he covered his face with two he covered his feet and with two he flew and one cried to another and said holy holy holy is the Lord of hosts the whole earth is full of his glory so notice the same characteristics that we found in Revelation chapter 4 the living creatures or the living beings represent the Seraphim which is a class of angels very high angels in heaven now it's interesting that the Bible also describes the chair of beam in similar terms only the cherubim have four wings whereas the Seraphim have six now the question is where is this scene taking place what is this building that the door leads to let's go to verse five it says in verse 5 which we skip before and from the throne proceeded lightnings thunderings and voices and now listen carefully seven lamps of fire were burning before the throne which are the seven spirits of God what was burning before the throne seven lamps of fire now my question is where in the sanctuary were the seven lamps of fire or the seven-branched candlestick it was in the holy place of the sanctuary and here we see that before the throne our seven lamps of fire incidentally the Greek word Islam bethis which is the same word that is used in the Greek Old Testament to describe the candlestick in the Hebrew sanctuary so you're dealing here with a seven-branch candlestick this would lead us to believe that this scene is taking place in the holy place the door led into the holy place of the heavenly sanctuary but we have another clue that indicates that that is this is taking place in the holy place go with me for a moment to Revelation chapter 5 and verse 8 Revelation chapter 5 and verse 8 revelation 5 is taking is occurring in the same place as Revelation 4 we're going to see that in a few moments so in other words revelation 5 is not taking place in another apartment or in another building it's occurring the same place as Revelation chapter 4 and I want you to notice a very interesting detail it says there in Revelation 5 verse 8 now when he had taken the scroll we'll talk about this the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the lamb each having a harp and golden bowls full of what full of incense which are the prayers of the saints now my question is where was incense offered in the Hebrew sanctuary it was offered at the altar of incense in which apartment in the holy place of the sanctuary so we find the candlestick there and we find also the altar of incense there so this door leads into the holy place of the heavenly sanctuary and of course the one who is seated upon the throne in the holy place is none other than God the Father now it's interesting to notice here that it says that the seven spirits of God are before the throne now there are not seven holy spirits there is one Holy Spirit but the number seven indicates fullness or totality in other it's present there in the heavily throne room is the Holy Spirit in all of his fullness so present there is God the Father the 24 elders the four living creatures and before the throne the fullness of the Holy Spirit are all present there now I want you to notice the song that is sung by the living creatures and the twenty-four elders who are present there they're singing a song in honor of the one who is seated on the throne we find this in Revelation 4 and verses 9 through 11 Revelation chapter 4 in verses 9 through 11 it says here whenever the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to him who sits on the throne who lives for ever and ever the 24 elders fall down before him who sits on the throne and worship Him who lives forever and ever and cast their crowns before the throne saying now Louis what the central theme of the hymn is you are worthy O Lord to receive glory and honor and power for you created all things and by your will they exist and were created now in our last topic that we study we notice that the creator was Jesus Christ so you say now wait a minute this is God the Father sitting on the throne and it says that God the Father created all things well the fact is that the New Testament tells us that the architect of creation was God the Father but the master builder was Jesus Christ the father created through the son the son performed the Father's will and you'll notice here that it clearly says you created all things and by your will they exist and were created Jesus simply implemented the Father's will so you'll notice that this hymn is being sung to only one being the father who is sitting on the throne and he's being exalted and praised and honor is being given to him because he is the creator nothing is said in this chapter about Redemption the hymn of praise is because the one who is on this oan is the creator now in chapter 4 ends were left with some questions where was Jesus in chapter 4 he wasn't there God the Father was only sitting on the throne by himself the other question that comes up is where were the angelic hosts in others where were the multitude of angels ten thousand times ten thousand and thousands of thousands where were they in Chapter four you look in Chapter four the angels are not there and Jesus Christ is not there in chapter four so we're left with a couple of questions now we need to move to chapter five in Chapter four all of heaven is preparing the heavenly royal throne room for the return of the war hero for the return of Jesus Christ now let's move on to chapter five and verse one and I saw in the right hand of him who sat on the throne notice it's continuing the same place in the in the previous chapter says and I saw in the right hand of him who sat on the throne a scroll written inside and on the back sealed with what sealed with seven seals now as long as this a scroll was rolled up and sealed with seven seals the contents of the scroll could not be divulged the contents of the scroll could not be seen and so in verse two a question is asked then I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice who is worthy to open the scroll and to loose its seals now that word worthy means who is qualified to break the seals to open the scroll and to reveal its contents you see not anyone not just anyone could unroll the scroll and reveal what the scroll contains there had to be an individual who was qualified to do so who was worthy to do so and now notice verse three there's a crisis it says in verse three and no one in heaven or on the earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll or to look at it interesting no one in heaven God the Father was sitting on the throne in heaven not even God the Father was qualified to break the seals and open the scroll not Moses not Elisha who had been transported to have and not Enoch no one in the universe no one on earth no one in heaven could open this scroll to reveal its contents and so now John reacts in verse four were told John is speaking about his experience so I wept much because no one was found worthy that is qualified to open and read the scroll or to look at it now the word wept here is a very strong word in the Greek language it's not just a little weak word that means just to shed some tears it means to cry out in anguish for example it's the same word that's used when Peter denied Jesus for the third time the Bible says that he went out and he wept bitterly in other words this is crying out with anguish it's the same word that's this that's used to describe the the ruler of the synagogue when his daughter died the Bible tells us that the people wept and wailed greatly it's the same word that is used to describe the disciples mourning and weeping when Jesus died and it's the same word that is used to describe Jesus weeping or agonizing over Jerusalem as it contemplated the city upon the triumphal entry in other words John is crying out in anguish this is a calamity not to have this scroll opened there's something that is a life-and-death matter now the question is why was the scroll so important we noticed in our study in our first study in this series that Adam lost his position as king and he lost the territory over which he ruled it was necessary for Jesus to come to the earth to buy back or to redeem that which Adam had lost in other words Jesus by His life and his death was going to buy back the lost inheritance of Adam and Eve and all of their descendants now you say why is this important because really what this scroll contained was a will or testament the will or testament of the entire human race allow me to read you a statement from an individual who was my teacher when I went to the seminary in Michigan studied the book of Revelation very intensively his name is Kenneth strand in his book interpreting the book of Revelation page 55 he describes the contents of this screw he says the central item the seven sealed scroll portrays a will or testament for that is precisely what such a seven sealed document was in Romans Roman law in John's day and by the way that can be corroborated by archaeology and by history the way that Romans wrote wills or Testaments is they would write them on scrolls and then what they would do they put seven strings around the scroll and where the two ends of the string met they would place a blob of wax or a blob of clay but stuck to the two ends and also to the scroll in that way they could be sure that no one had tampered with the scroll a person that was not authorised had not opened the scroll by the seals that the scroll contained he continued saying we find then that the picture we have in the subdivision of Revelation 4 1 2 8 1 is a court scene in which a will or testament is to be opened in the context of Revelation the will or testament will be would be a title deed in other words the title to the lost possession that human beings lost when Adam sinned he continues saying this will or testament would be a title deed as it were to man's lost inheritance an inheritance which has been re purchased by Christ the Lamb thus the scroll is a book of destiny the opening of it means inheritance in God's kingdom its remaining closed means forfeiture no wonder John wept when he thought no one could open the scroll so what this scroll is is a will or testament the will or testament of the human race now let me ask you can just anyone open a Testament or a will no there's an individual who has been given the responsibility and who is qualified to open the will or the testament usually it's a loyal lawyer or a family member now what does a will or what does a will or testament reveal it reveals who will inherit and what they will inherit so if this is the will or testament or if this is the title deed to the inheritance that Adam lost and all of his descendants lost by their sin if the will or testament remains closed what happens no one will inherit the lost possession it was a calamity in the mind of John now Ellen White adds some important details that describe the contents of this scroll actually this scroll contains the entire history of the human race and the decisions that every individual has made within the history of the world and their decision determines whether they're going to inherit eternal life with Christ or whether they are going to inherit death notice this very interesting statement that we find in manuscript releases volume 9 and page 7 here Ellen White speaking about this scroll says the following there in his open hand lay the book the roll now listen carefully the role of the history of God's providence --is the prophetic history of nations and the church what does the scroll contain it contains the prophetic history of nations and the church she continued saying here in was contained the divine utterances his authority his commandments his laws the whole symbolic council of the eternal and the history of all ruling powers in the nations in symbolic language was contained in that role the influence of every nation tongue and people from the beginning of Earth's history until it's closed basically what the scroll contains is the entire history of the human race and the decisions that have been made within the course of history individuals have made within the course of history that will determine whether they will receive the title deed to the to the possession which originally belonged to Adam or whether they refused to accept Christ and they will lose the inheritance they will lose eternal life now allow me to read you another statement this is very interesting because Ellen White is going to describe a specific historical event that was written that scroll the quotation is found in the book Christ's object lessons page 294 listen carefully to what she says she's speaking about the moment when Pontius Pilate brought Barabbas and Jesus and put them side-by-side and said to the multitude choose whom you want me to release will it be Jesus the Christ or will it be Barabbas and of course the multitude said release unto us Barabbas now notice what Ellen White says about this particular historical event it was written in that scroll she says this thus the Jewish leaders made their choice see it is all about choice that people make in human history thus the Jewish leaders made their choice now listen carefully their decision was registered in the book which john saw in the hand of him that sat upon the throne the book which no man could open their choice or their decision was written in that book now notice what she continued say in all its vindictiveness this decision will appear before them in the day when this book is unsealed by the Lion of the tribe of Judah are they going to face their decision once again yes it was written in this book and some day they are going to see your decision now we must examine more carefully what she's saying here let me ask you when Ellen White wrote this it was in 1900 that she wrote the book Christ's object lessons had this scroll been opened yet in 1900 no because she's saying that this decision will appear before them when the scroll is open it had not been opened in 1900 when she wrote this the opening of the scroll was still in the future another important detail is that she says that those who made this decision they will see their decision once again now let me ask you where are all those people that made that decision where are they today they're all dead could they see the decision that they made if they're dead no what would have to happen in order for them to see their decision they would have to what they would have to resurrect from the dead to see the result of their decision if it's in the future now my question is when is it that those who made their decision are going to face their decision again it is going to be after the thousand years of Revelation chapter 20 now we might not have time to read a passage from Ellen White and great controversy that makes this absolutely clear but after the Millennium when the people are outside the holy city all of the wicked a great panorama will be showed shown above the city the whole history of the human race will be shown again and everyone was outside the holy city will see we're by their choice they went astray and why they lost the title deed to the inheritance that was repurchased by Christ and why God's people were saved and why by their choices they were lost are you understanding this extremely important and so John is weeping he's crying out because he says hey if nobody opens this okay will her Testament nobody's going to inherit we're all lost we're never going to get the title deed back we're never going to get the throne back we're never going to get back the inheritance that we lost but now comes the good news verse five of Revelation chapter five but one of the elders said to me do not weep behold the Lion of the tribe of Judah the root of David now listen to the tenses of the verbs has prevailed what tense is that verb future present or past past it says the root of David has prevailed and because he prevailed what does that give him a right to do it says to open which will be future right to open the scroll and to loose its seven seals what gives Jesus Christ the right to break the seals and to reveal the contents of the book the fact that he what the fact that he prevailed or the fact that he overcame and then I want you to notice verse six suddenly Jesus is there and the question is where did he come from he wasn't there in Chapter four suddenly in chapter five he's there you know this this scroll is sealed with seven seals it's a title deed it's a will who's going to open this wheel who's going to reveal who will inherit that which was lost and verse six John says and I looked and behold in the midst of the throne and of the four living creatures and in the midst of the elders stood a lamb as though it had been slain who is this being Jesus Christ at this point has Jesus died yes because it speaks of him as a lamb as though it had been what slain but let me ask you is he alive when he appears here yes he is so what has happened he has died and now he has come into the heavenly throne room and he has the rules fresh on his body that he received while he was on the battleground and so it says stood a lamb as though it had been slain having seven horns and seven eyes now here comes a very important detail seven eyes which are the seven spirits of God what sent out into all the earth now that's interesting because in chapter four it says that the seven spirits were there but now in Chapter five were told that when Jesus arrives what happens with the seven spirits they're sent to the Earth's question what historical event is being described by the seven spirits or the fullness of the Spirit sent to the earth what is being described is what happened on the day of Pentecost when the Holy Spirit was poured out on earth in its fullness which was the signal that Jesus had arrived in heaven and that Jesus had taken the scroll from the father's hand and he was going to guide in history so that this scroll eventually could be opened and then notice verse seven see Jesus wasn't there it says in verse seven then he what he came so if he comes he wasn't there before where is he coming from he's coming from Earth because he's just been wounded as the Lamb but he's coming up there alive he's standing in the midst of the throne he's just died he's resurrected now he's arrived in the heavenly throne room and so it says he came and took the scroll out of the right hand of him who sat on the throne Jesus is saying I can take the scroll I can break the seals I can reveal who will inherit eternal life and who will not inherit eternal life and then when Jesus takes the scroll in verses 8 through 10 the 24 elders and the living creatures break out in a hymn of praise notice Revelation chapter 5 and verses 8 through 10 and incidentally there's a translation problem here that we're going to deal with in the next few lectures in our series you know it gives the impression as we read this passage that that the 24 elders were redeemed from the earth and that the 24 elders are going to reign upon the earth just for now I want you to understand that there's a translation problem which we will deal with later but I want you to notice the central theme of this song it says in verse 8 now when he had taken the scroll the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the lamb see the lamb has taken the scroll now he's going to break the seals and he's going to open the scroll to to reveal who is going to receive the lost inheritance the title deed and so it says now when he had taken the scroll the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the lamb each having a harp and golden bowls full of incense which are the prayers of the saints and they sang a new song saying notice that this song is that is in honor of the Redeemer now in chapter 4 was in honor of the one on the throne because he was the creator now the Redeemer comes into view because the Redeemer has come from Earth and presented himself in the heavenly throne room and so it says and they sang a new song saying you are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals why could Jesus do this notice for that means because for you were what you were slain and every deemed that word redeemed means to buy back by paying a price he bought back the Lost inheritance in other words you were slain and have redeemed us to God by your blood out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation and have made us kings and priests to our God and we shall reign on the earth notice that this him is now in honor of the Redeemer who has now taken the scroll he's going to open the scroll and reveal who will be in the kingdom with him and then I want you to notice that after the elders and after the four living creatures sing this song in honor of the Redeemer suddenly all of the angelic hosts are there the questions where were they in Chapter four suddenly when Jesus arrives the Angelico's arrives to where did they come from we're going to notice verses 11 and 12 of Revelation chapter 5 then I looked and I heard the voice of many angels around the throne the living creatures and the elders and the number of them was what ten thousand times ten thousand and thousands of thousands now the angelic hosts have made themselves present they were not there in Chapter four Jesus wasn't there in chapter four but now the Redeemer arrives from the battlefield he has the wounds to prove it and now the angelic hosts also have arrived because they went to earth to pick up Jesus and bring him back and so it says then I looked and I heard the voice of many angels around the throne the living creatures and the elders and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand and thousands of thousands saying with a loud voice now notice once again the central theme of the hymn worthy is the Lamb who was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and blessing and so the elders are seeing and we find the four living creatures are seeing the angelic hosts are seen and now in verse thirty thirteen the entire universe is singing notice what verse 13 says and every creature which is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and such as are in the sea and all that are in them I heard saying blessing and honor and glory and power be to him who sits on the throne and to the lamb for ever and ever are you catching the picture now I want to read you a rather lengthy passage from the book the desire of Ages see the little old lady knew all of this we've studied it from the Bible now I want to read the the inspired commentary in the book of desire of Ages and immediately you're going to see the connection this is in the chapter titled to my father and to your father it's it's the last chapter desire the of Ages that deals with the Ascension of Christ now listen to what she says this page 833 to 8:35 she says all heaven was waiting to welcome the Savior to the celestial court see that's revelation 4 isn't it she says as he ascended he led the way and the multitude of captives set free at his resurrection followed now you know there's this idea in the seventh-day Adventist Church that the 24 elders are those that resurrected with Christ that Jesus took to heaven with him when he ascended to heaven that is not possible because the 24 elders were there in chapter 4 before Jesus arrives in chapter 5 with those who resurrected are you understanding what I'm saying and will will develop this in our coming lectures all the more and so it says all heaven was waiting to welcome the Savior to the celestial courts as he ascended he led the way and the multitude of captives set free at his resurrection followed listen carefully the heavenly hosts that's the angels the ten thousand times ten thousand and thousands of thousands she says that the heavenly hosts with shouts and acclamation zuv praise and celestial song attended the joyous train all of the angelic hosts are coming back with him as they drew near to the City of God the challenge is given by the escorting angels lift up your heads o ye gates and be lift up ye everlasting doors and the King of glory shall come in joyfully the waiting sentinel angels respond who is this King of glory this they say not because they know not who he is but because they would here the answer of exalted praise the Lord strong and mighty the Lord mighty in battle why would he be called the Lord mighty in battle because he is coming back from the battlefield he is the war hero that is coming back alive and then they continue singing lift up your heads o ye gates even lift them up ye everlasting doors and the King of glory shall come in again is heard the challenge who is this King of glory this is quoting Psalm 24 for the Angels never weary of hearing his name exalted the escorting angels make reply the Lord of Hosts here's the King of glory and now I want you to notice the description that Ellen White gets you know Ellen White does not talk about twenty-four elders four living creatures doesn't speak about one sitting on the throne she doesn't describe a lamb as though he had been slain what Ellen White does is she interprets these symbols in matter-of-fact language now let's see if we can identify the beings that were present there who the four living creatures were who the 24 elders are who is the one seated on the throne and who is the lamb as though he had been slain she says then the portals of the City of God are open wide and the angelic throngs see the angels are coming with Jesus the angelic throng sweep through the gates amidst a burst of rapturous music and now she says there is the throne and around it the rainbow of promise does that ring a bell then she says there are cherubim and Seraphim who would those be the four living creatures then she uses three phrases to describe another group that's present there she says the commanders of the angel hosts and we're going to talk about this in the next three three lectures the commanders of the angel hosts the sons of God the representatives of the unfallen worlds are assembled those are three terms that are describing the same group the commanders of the angel hosts the sons of God the representatives of the unfallen worlds are assemble what group would that be well we've already identified the four living creatures what would what group would that be it would have to be the 24 elders then she continued saying notice the heavenly council before which Lucifer had accused God and his son the representatives of those sinless realms over which Satan had thought to establish his Dominion all are there to welcome the Redeemer they are eager to celebrate his triumphs and to glorify their king but now something is going to happen is going to be absolute silence in heaven but he waves them back not yet he cannot now receive the Coronet of glory and the royal robe listen carefully he enters into the presence of his father also we know who was on the throne now who was on the throne ah the father was Jesus there before no in Revelation chapter 5 it says he came now it says he enters into the presence of his father and now I want you to notice how he presents himself he points to his wounded head to his pierced side the marred feet he lifts his hands bearing the print of the nails what does Jesus presenting himself as as the lamb as though he had been slain but Ellen White doesn't use the symbolic language Ellen White interprets the symbolic language she says the one on the throne is the father the four living creatures are Seraphim and cherubim she says the twenty-four elders are the sons of God the representatives of the world that never sinned she continued saying he lifts his hands bearing the print of the nails he points to the tokens of his triumph he presents to God the wave sheaf those raised with him as representatives of that great multitude who shall come forth from the grave at his second coming he approaches the father with whom there is joy over one sinner that repents who rejoices over one with singing before the foundations of the earth were laid the father and the son had United in a covenant to redeem man if he should be overcome by Satan they had clasped their hands and a solemn pledge that Christ should become the surety for the human race that is that his life would would be in place of his people and his death would be in place of his people his surety that's what it means so she continues saying there had they can't clasp their hands in a solemn pledge that Christ should become the surety for the human race this pledge Christ has fulfilled when upon the cross he cried out it is finished he addressed the father when he said it is finished she was talking to his father the compact had been fully carried out now notice the burden of Jesus the reason why he wants to open the scroll is to reveal who he can take home with him notice what it continues saying now he declares father it is finished I have done thy will o my god I have completed the work of redemption if I just assess Attis fide I will that they also whom thou has given me be with me where I am what is it that the wheeler Testament reveals who is going to inherit with Jesus I now listen to this the voice of God is heard proclaiming that justice is satisfied Satan is vanquished Christ's toiling struggling ones on earth are accepted in the beloved before the heavenly angels and the representatives of the unfallen worlds they are declared justified where he is there his church shall be mercy and truth are met together righteousness and peace have kissed each other the father's arms and circle his son and the word is given let all the angels of God worship Him and then Ellen White quotes revelation 5 verse 12 and revelation 5 verse 13 I'll read it with joy unnatural rulers and principalities and powers acknowledge the supremacy of the Prince of life the angel hosts prostrate themselves before him while the glad shout feels all the courts of heaven worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and blessing Revelation chapter 5 and verse 12 in case you were wondering whether she's describing revelation 4 and 5 then she says songs of triumph mingled with the music from angel harps till heaven seems to overflow with joy and praise love has conquered the lost is found heaven rings with voices and lofty strains proclaiming blessing and honor and glory and power be unto him that sitteth upon the throne and pant unto the lamb forever and ever revelation 5 and verse 13 so what we have in Revelation chapter four and five is the return of the war hero now we have a couple of minutes left if you want to read the whole description in great controversy 666 through 669 you'll find the description that Ellen White gives of the moment when this scroll is opened after the Millennium you know she actually mentions a a great panorama that will be shown above the holy city and she describes how the entire history of the world will be seen in panoramic view by those who are in the city and by those who are outside the holy city in fact she mentioned several individuals by name who does she mention she says that the panorama begins with Adam in his innocence in the garden and ends at the very end of history but she mentions that outside the holy city will be Anna's the high priest was he one of those that cried out release unto us Barabbas she says Pilate is there she says Herod is there she mentions also Herodias has been there the woman who led to the death of John the Baptist she says that priests and rulers are there and then she goes on to mention the period of the Apostles she speaks about all of the martyrs that were killed by Nero she mentions Nero by name she mentions Nero's mother being present there seeing this great panoramic view the decisions that they made within the course of human history then she moves on to describe the history of the church in the Middle Ages she says papist priests and prelate are there she says the proud pontiff's are there the pretended Fathers of the Church are there and she ends by saying the whole wicked world stand arraigned at the bar of God on the charge of high treason against the government of heaven they have none to plead their cause they are without excuse and the sentence of eternal death is pronounced against them do you understand the moment when this scroll is going to be unfurled it's when the entire history of the human race and the decisions that each person has made within the course of history is revealed the decisions that we make will determine whether we inherit the lost possession whether we inherit the title deed to recuperate what was lost which was bought back by Jesus Christ or whether we will be outside the holy city on that great day and it will be revealed from the scroll as it's unfurled before the human race that we had all sorts of possibilities of accepting Jesus Christ as our Savior and as our Lord God will show the opportunities that we had to receive Jesus and it will be seen that at each time that Jesus gave us the opportunity the individuals who are lost said no not now later I'm not going to do it now I'm going to live my own life and everyone outside the holy city after they have seen this this magnificent repetition of human history and the decisions that they have made within human history Ellen White describes the climax Satan and his angels and all of the wicked outside the holy city will kneel every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord and we find Ellen White saying that from the very lips of Satan himself it will be said righteous and true are your ways o God for the first time in human history the whole universe will be in absolute harmony everyone in the heavenly realms will agree that God was right in the way that he dealt with sin all of the redeemed within the Holy City will agree that God has been right in the way in which he has saw the sin problem even Satan as his angels and the wicked will agree that God is righteous and loving and merciful and true let's just make sure that in that great day we are there you

Channel: secretsunsealed

Views: 57,051

Rating: 4.818182 out of 5

Keywords: SUMTV, SUMtv, SecretsUnsealed, Secrets Unsealed, 24 Elders, War Hero, Revelation, Earth Two Representatives, Earth 2 Representatives, heaven, God, Jesus, Pastor Stephen Bohr, Pastor Bohr, Pastor Borh, Pastor Esteban, Pastor Esteban Bohr

Id: L440IGZKiE4

Length: 58min 34sec (3514 seconds)

Published: Tue Apr 30 2013