Apocalipse 4
Leon Morris · Citado em PreceptAustin
Apocalipse 4
Morris - This is a critically important verse in Revelation. It begins and ends with the same words in the original, “after these things,” which ties it back rigidly to the third component in the prophetic outline set out by the Lord in Revelation 1:19. “Write the things which thou hast seen, and the things which are, and the things which shall be hereafter” (i.e., “after these things”). At this point, the Lord proceeds to show John the things which shall be after these things, that is, after the things associated with the churches, as described in Chapters 2 and 3—“the things which are.” It would seem obvious that the events beginning at this point must occur after Christ’s dealings with His churches on earth have been completed, and He is now turning His attention to other urgent matters as far as the earth is concerned. Correspondingly, there is no mention at all made of churches in all the great happenings outlined in the next eighteen chapters. (BORROW The Revelation Record) While Earth was closing its doors, Heaven was opening new ones. -- Skip Heitzig I looked, and behold (idou), a door (thura) standing open (anoigo - perfect tense) in heaven (ouranos) - Note that behold is actually a command and calls attention to "a special divine intervention." (Thomas). John seeks to arrest the attention of the reader to the special importance of what follows. We all do well to pay very careful attention! Given the nature of the incredible visions John will be seeing over the next 19 chapters, it is surprising that behold does not appear 100's of times in the Revelation, instead of only 25 times! Notice it is a door (thura) and NOT a gate (Rev 21:21). Notice also that this is not St Peter standing at the gate with a set of keys (cf Mt 16:18–19) to allow you into Heaven! Only one Person determines who enters and it is Jesus Who declared "I am the Door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture." (Jn 10:9+) Open is perfect tense indicating opened at some point in the past and standing open and passive voice is likely the divine passive (see Keathley's comment below). The location is in heaven and as you read the Revelation you need to identify where the action described by John is taking place, on earth or in heaven (see chart depicting heavenly events in blue, earthly events in brown). In Rev 19:11+ John again says "I saw heaven opened (anoigo again in perfect tense)," but this time he (and all saints) would be coming down following the conquering Christ (Rev 19:14+, Rev 17:14+)! THOUGHT - It is easy to read through the Revelation of Jesus Christ and be caught up in the wonder of Heaven and the triumph of our King and forget that while John saw the "preview", every genuine believer will see the revelation turn into reality as the events of incredible book begin to unfold before our very eyes! Hallelujah! Glory! Amen! As we read the Revelation and look at the things not seen which are eternal (2Co 4:18+), this incredible truth should motivate us to "deny ungodliness and worldly desire and to live sensibly, righteously and godly in the present age, looking (eagerly anticipating) for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus." (Titus 2:12-13+) Listen to Steven Curtis Chapman's "Not Home Yet" as you look with eyes of faith to that great day when you shall see our Lord face to face, a truth that should motivate us to purify ourselves just as He is pure. (1Jn 3:2-3+). Then take a moment and imagine what it will be like when our faith and hope become glorious sight as you ponder the words of I Can Only Imagine. Did you notice that one door was closed to Jesus (Laodicea Rev 3:20) but the door in Rev 4:1 was flung wide open for John. Keathley makes an excellent point on the significance of a door open - "This is an essential prerequisite if one is to comprehend the nature of the events and the purpose of God behind them. “Standing open.” The voice of this verb is passive. God opened the door for John which serves to remind us this is divine revelation. It reveals that which we could never see or know apart from this special revelation from God." (ED: cf Lk 24:45+) It is also interesting John sees only one door, not several, which reminds us of Jesus' words in Jn 10:9+ “I am the (ONLY) door; if anyone enters through Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture." In Ro 5:2+ we read that through Jesus "we have obtained our introduction by faith into this grace in which we stand; and we exult in hope of the glory of God." The word introduction means admission into the presence of a person in high position. Jesus gives us access to His Father and here we see John experiencing that access. In Ephesians 2:6+ Paul says God has raised us up with Jesus "and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus." Paul uses "seated" in what is referred to as the aorist tense, which normally expresses past tense action. In this case it is what is known as the prophetic aorist which expresses something as if it is already passed because it is absolutely certain to transpire in the future (cf Rev 5:10+, Rev 20:4-6+). Keathley has an interesting, albeit somewhat technical note on the phrase door standing - The verb here is the Greek verb ekeitō, a passive imperfect of keimai which may be used as the passive of tithēmi, “to be laid, to lie, be laid or set, stand.”70 So it may mean “to lay, place, or set something.” It could be translated as, “a throne was being placed in heaven,” or “a throne had been placed in heaven.” John is telling us this throne was purposefully set in heaven for the coming events or judgments. Perhaps John saw the throne being set and then he saw the One sitting on the throne. The suggestion is that this was not the eternal throne, but one especially set for the Tribulation judgments (cf. Psalm 9:7, “He has established His throne for judgment” and Dan. 7:9, “I kept looking until thrones were set up, And the Ancient of Days took His seat…” See also Dan. 7:13–14). It appears this is a special throne prepared for the Tribulation and from this point on the Book becomes predominantly the Book of the throne. The word throne is mentioned 45 times versus only 15 times in all the rest of the New Testament. (ED: THEN HE ADDS A COMMENT THAT IS SOMEWHAT SPECULATIVE) Perhaps this throne is somewhere in the second heaven, outer space (see Rev. 6:16). God leaves His eternal throne, the throne of the third heaven (2 Cor. 12:2) to establish this one to defeat His enemies and to establish His rule on earth (cf. again Dan. 7:9–14). John Walvoord - The reference to heaven is not to the atmospheric heavens nor to the starry heavens but to that which is beyond the natural eye which the best of telescopes cannot reveal. This is the third heaven, the immediate presence of God. (Revelation 4: The Church In Heaven) And the first voice (phone) which I had heard (akouo), like the sound of a trumpet (salpigx) speaking with me, said - First voice does not mean first in a series of voice, but refers back to the one he had heard in Revelation Rev 1:10+. Notice the word "like" which is a term of comparison, specifically a simile which occurs 65x in 45 verses in the NASB95 edition. This fact emphasizes that the Revelation will be packed with figurative language, which can mislead one to attempt fanciful explanations. Here the sound was not a trumpet, but like a trumpet and therefore clearly audible and clearly understandable. And what was the first voice John had heard on the island of Patmos? This is undoubtedly the voice of the Lord Jesus. The first voice he heard was in Rev 1:10+ in which the glorified Lord Jesus is described - "I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day, and I heard behind me a loud voice like the sound of a trumpet." The mention of trumpet here should not be confused with 1Th 4:16 and 1Co 15:52 which are associated with the Rapture. Like the sound of a trumpet indicates a sound as loud and clear as a trumpet’s blast, which in context signals the necessity to submit to whatever is commanded. While the trumpet is a shofar, here is a link to listen to the clear, loud tone of a shofar that might give us some idea of what John heard. COME ON UP! Come up (anabaino) here, and I will show (deiknuo) you what must (dei) take place after these things - Come up is in the aorist imperative and there is no way humanly possible John could have obeyed this command without the supernatural transport in the Holy Spirit which correlates with his being "in the Spirit"! John was commanded to come up but God's commandments always come "pre-packaged" with His enablements! In this case it John had little choice but to obey. THOUGHT - Mark it down that when the Lord gives us a command (such as "husbands, love your wives as Christ loved the church...." Eph 5:25+), He gives us the power to carry out the command! While the text does not say that John was taken to heaven, clearly what he sees in Rev 4:2 indicates that Heaven was his destination. As an aside, this was the same command given to the two witnesses in Rev 11:12+ that set in motion (so to speak) a series of events (Rev 11:12-14+) including the sounding of the strategic seventh trumpet (Rev 11:15+). Why was John called to come up to Heaven? He was to receive the privilege to see future events, events that must (dei) take place. The verb show is used in Rev 1:1+ and means to make known the character or significance of something by visual, auditory, or linguistic means, all of which will come into play as John is shown the events in Revelation 4-22. Note the previous use of must (dei) occurred in the opening verse (Rev 1:1+). Why must (dei - means it is binding) these things take place? There are probably a number of reasons that could be given, but the one that oversees them all is God's Sovereignty and the consummation of His grand plan of redemption. The redemption price had been paid by His Son in the past, and now He must finish the great drama so that "IT IS DONE." (Rev 21:6+, cf Rev 16:17+). As will be discussed in Revelation 5 when the Lamb takes the scroll (book), this act appears to be His receipt from the Father of the "title deed of the earth" for the earth had been usurped by the devil, a reign which must (dei) come to an end! Praise the LORD! Amen! Keathley adds that MUST "refers to a moral necessity which arises from God’s holy purposes or appointment. THOUGHT- Another thought is that man is not in control of the destiny, destination or destruction of planet earth. God is, which is why John writes "MUST TAKE PLACE." As believers we need not fear a nuclear holocaust because God is on His throne in heaven and in His right hand, He holds the scroll that will set His plan in motion (Rev 5:1+). So sleep easy, even when you hear of wars (like Putin attacking Ukraine) and rumors of wars. If others are fearful, seize the opportunity to explain to them that God is in total control of time and eternity and they need to settle their eternal destiny by hearing and receiving the Good News of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Amen! POSB on the word must (dei) - The word must is a most important word. The events of world history are not by chance. They do not simply happen. They are of God, of His will—things that must happen. God works them out. They are according to His divine will. God is sovereign. He rules over the world. History is in His hands and under His ultimate control. (BORROW Preacher's Outline Study Bible page 1094) Note the repetition of critical time phrase after these things which signifies the Spirit clearly wants the reader to grasp this truth! THOUGHT - Similar to John's situation, beloved, there is no way we can obey the majority of the over 1600 NT commands (there are some exceptions depending on the context) given specifically to believers! We too must depend on the Holy Spirit to obey these commands. We can try in our natural strength, but ultimately we will fail because we need the Spirit's supernatural empowerment. Like I teach my disciples, it is not so much a matter of "trying" but of "dying!" That is, dying to self, especially dying to reliance on our natural self to obey a supernatural command! A number of writers see this verse as symbolizing the rapture, but I do not agree. Yes, first glance might suggest John is being "raptured" but this is by no means clear. For example, we cannot state with certainty he was bodily raptured as will be the case in the true rapture. Therefore to state that this is "one of the clearest statements on the rapture of the Church" (Lehman Strauss) is saying more than is allowed by a literal reading of the text and it is not in agreement with 1Th 4:16-17+. As an aside, there is no specific Scripture in the Revelation which describes the Rapture. And as mentioned elsewhere, the fact that the word church or ekklesia occurs 15 times in Revelation 2-3 and then not again until Revelation 22:16+ is certainly supportive of a pre-tribulation rapture. It would seem very strange that a loving God would not want to encourage the Bride of Christ if she were experiencing His wrath poured out on the earth! This is not even logical, much less theological! THOUGHT- To reiterate an important point in interpretation, if the plain sense of the text in context makes good sense, then seek to make no other sense out of it or it might be nonsense. There is a lot of "nonsense" in the commentaries on the Revelation. R L Thomas on the interpretation that John's call into heaven in Revelation 4:1 relates to the rapture of the church - In fact, the two events are quite dissimilar in that John’s body remained on Patmos throughout his experience (ED: WHILE THIS IS PROBABLY TRUE, ONE CANNOT BE AS DOGMATIC AT THOMAS!), whereas at the rapture of the church the bodies of the saints will be transferred to heaven. Another basic difference is that John’s summons is a command to receive revelation, but that of the church is one that accomplishes final salvation for the redeemed ones of the Body of Christ. (See Revelation Exegetical Commentary) On the other hand Lehman Strauss has some good advice writing "The things that are to transpire on earth have their hidden source in the secret chambers of Heaven. From John's viewpoint on Patmos the picture is dark for the Church and bright for the world which hates her and her Lord. But when John is able to see things from God's point of view, the picture is changed radically." (BORROW The Book of the Revelation: Outlined Studies) John Walvoord comments that "The invitation to John to “come up hither” is so similar to that which the church anticipates at the rapture that many have connected the two expressions. It is clear from the context (ED: THANK YOU, DR WALVOORD! CONTEXT IS KING FOR ACCURATE INTERPRETATION!) that this is not an explicit reference to the rapture of the church, as John was not actually translated; in fact he was still in his natural body on the island of Patmos. He was translated into scenes of heaven only temporarily." (Revelation 4: The Church In Heaven - ED: ACTUALLY THE TEXT EMPHASIZES JOHN IN HEAVEN) THOUGHT - Strauss alludes to the heavenly viewpoint that surely must have radically change John's viewpoint considering he was imprisoned on Patmos and the world was ruled by a tyrannical Roman government that was attempting to put out the flickering fires of Christianity throughout the empire (cf Caesar or Emperor Worship, Nero burning [pix] and killing Christians, etc). The take home point is simple - what you are looking for will (should) determine what you are living for. If you study the Revelation, not only will you see the door of heaven open in Revelation 4:1, but the Spirit will open your mind to understand the truth the God's consummation of world history, aka HIS-story! I like to call this view of the final chapter of planet earth and beginning of a new heaven and new earth a "short course" in Vertical Vision. Why? Because Spirit energized (via the Word of Truth) vertical vision will empower horizontal living. Apathetic living will be transformed into agape living which is motivated by a love of God (2Ti 4:8b+) and longing for the future He has planned for all of His children. Little wonder that Satan has done all he can to confuse and confound this great book. He does not want saints living with Vertical Vision, redeeming the time, bringing glory to the Lord God Almighty! Behold (2400) idou is the second person singular aorist middle imperative of eidon which means to see, perceive, look at. In the NT idou is used as a demonstrative particle that draws attention to what follows. Idou in the middle voice means "you yourself look, see, perceive!" The aorist imperative is a command emphasizing "Do it now! Don't delay!"
Apocalipse 4
Morris adds that "Paul had been translated far out in space, but now John was translated in both space and time, to the throne of God and the end of the age, and what he saw he was commanded to utter." R L Thomas comments that "This miraculous ecstatic state wrought by the Spirit of God was, to all intents and purposes, a complete translation from Patmos to heaven. All of the prophet’s senses were operative: his ears heard, his eyes saw, and his emotions were as real as though his body was literally in heaven instead of remaining on Patmos." (See Revelation Exegetical Commentary) And behold (idou) - John wants to grab our attention, just as his attention was surely stimulated by this sight! The Father is the first personnage that attracted John's gaze. THOUGHT - John's words beg the question, do we (I) focus on the Father with this same sense of awe that is conveyed by the word behold? When was the last time you (I) focused your (my) full attention on God the Father? John's "out of this world" experience is a foreshadowing of what every believer will one day encounter as their eternal reality! Am I living for that eternal world or this temporal world (1Jn 2:17+)? And remember John is only able to give us a preview and even that is from his human perspective! Skip Heitzig writes that "Describing Heaven in earthly terms has some obvious limitations. John had the task of describing infinite realities in terms that finite beings would understand. It was like trying to explain to four-year-olds that they will really enjoy their honeymoon! Children lack the capacity to grasp the significance and fullness of such an event." A throne (thronos) was standing in heaven, and One sitting on the throne (thronos) - This is a picture of God the Father reigning as the sovereign ruler Who exercises complete dominion over His creation (Rev 4:11). Revelation 4 is the GREAT THRONE CHAPTER because Throne is a key word in Revelation 4 occurring 11x in 7v (Rev 4:2 Rev 4:3 Rev 4:4 Rev 4:5 Rev 4:6 Rev 4:9 Rev 4:10 and in fact it is the key word of the entire book occurring 42x in 35 verses.) The Spirit wants the saints to be secure in powerful truth that no matter what transpires on earth, God is stable and secure on His throne and in complete control, even when the world looks like it is out of control! (As an aside, in light of a world beginning to look out of control in 2023, this truth should be a comforting to all God's children!) If Romans is the "Courtroom" of the Bible, the Revelation is the "Throne Room" of the Bible! One sitting on the throne is God the Father as deduced from Revelation 5:6-7 where Jesus, the Lamb, is described as the One Who came and "took the book out of the right hand of Him who sat on the throne." As an aside, this is the only place in the NT is the throne of God described. Rev 6:16 ("from the presence of Him Who sits on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb" - although this verse gives the opinion of fallen men on earth!) and Rev 7:10 ("Salvation to our God Who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb."), which would also support the interpretation that the One sitting on the throne is the Father. As Warren Wiersbe aptly says "There is no possible way for human words to describe what God is like in His essence. John can only use comparisons." But one has the impression at even these impressions will pale in comparison to the sight our eyes will one day behold in heaven! Alan
Apocalipse 4
Morris says "The exact nature of the jasper stone is uncertain, but it was renowned in the ancient world. Its name has been essentially transliterated from both the Hebrew (yashpeh) and Greek (jaspis), as well as other languages, but it still is unidentified today. It was one of the stones in the breastplate of the high priest (Ex 28:20+; Ex 39:13+) and in the heavenly Eden (Ezekiel 28:13). Its association with the sardius stone (Revelation 4:3) and with the clear crystal (Revelation 21:11+), together with extra-biblical references, suggests that it was a fine translucent stone, capable of different colors, primarily radiant white but also with flashing fiery red and purple tints. POSB - The countenance of God shone like a jasper stone. The stone referred to was different from the jasper stone of today. The idea is that the stone was some sort of translucent crystal through which light was shining. It was shining so brightly that it was apparently like the concentrated light of a laser. This represents the penetrating perfection and purity of God. The sardine (SARDIUS) stone was a fiery red stone and it represents the justice of God. (ED: WHILE THAT INTERPRETATION IS POSSIBLE, IT IS SPECULATION. ATTACHING SIGNIFICANCE TO EVERY ASPECT OF THE REVELATION IS A TEMPTATION FOR ALL OF US, BUT BE AWARE IT MAY NOT ALWAYS BE ACCURATE. ) (BORROW Preacher's Outline Sermon Bible page 1096)
Apocalipse 4
Morris - These 24 elders are redeemed men (Revelation 4:10), representing all the redeemed saints before God's throne. They are actually individual real men, not just symbols, for they speak individually to John (Revelation 5:5; 7:13). (BORROW The Defender's Study Bible) Believer's Study Bible - The identity of the 24 elders can be established from a careful observation of the descriptive data. They are clothed in white, indicating purity; seated on thrones, suggesting responsibility and status; crowned with victors' wreaths (stephanos); and they themselves bear witness that they have been redeemed by the blood of Christ and, therefore, constitute a kingdom of priests (Rev 5:10, "us" NU, M them, "kings" NU a kingdom). Such a description can only represent redeemed humanity. Twenty-four is twice twelve. In the picturesque vision of the New Jerusalem in Rev 21, the city is said to have twelve pearl gates, inscribed with the names of the twelve sons of Jacob, and twelve foundations, inscribed with the names of the twelve apostles. A similar truth is presented in the number of elders. Both O.T. and N.T. saints are gathered as the family of God in heaven and are here represented in the 24 elders. (The Believer's Study Bible) Warren
Apocalipse 4
Morris wrote on the 4 living creatures, “The picture seems to be one of four mighty angelic cherubs, each of whom has four faces. The four faces represent the lion (greatest of the wild animals), the ox (greatest of the domestic animals), the eagle (greatest of the flying animals) and the man (greatest of all creatures).” (Borrow The Revelation Record) Lehman Strauss wrote, “Judging from what is said of them in later passages, they seem to be administrators of divine government and authority. They stand ready to render service to God in any part of the universe. They possess strength like a lion, they render service like the ox, they possess intelligence as does man, and they are swift like the eagle.”