The American Wisdom Series 
 http://www.americanwisdomseries.com

Presents the Tell it like it is! series of studies:


This is Pamphlet #9304, Study #311 in our series. Much of it taken from ntrevelation4 
The truth about:

REVELATION

OF SAINT JOHN THE DIVINE BY JESUS CHRIST

Chapter 4 begins after the line of red stars ************* below.

But First please note:
Many churches stay clear of the Book of Revelation on a verse by verse study, because they teach;

"You're going to be gone anyway at that time".

They also say;
"It's not to be understood yet"
.

This is odd because the very word "Revelation"
means to "to reveal" or "unveil" something. 

When you unveil anything,

you make it known.

The book of Revelation is a sister book to the book of Daniel in the Old Testament. 

Both of these books were written to the people who live in the final generation, of the "latter days". 

Daniel was told to, "shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end:"  [Daniel 12:4].   

He was told by God; "Many shall be purified, and made white, and tried; but the wicked shall do wickedly: and none of the wicked shall understand: but the wise shall understand." [Daniel 12:10]

The wise are those who study God's word, line upon line, chapter upon chapter, and all these words are wisdom from God

This is why the wise should understand.

As we study Revelation, let us take a fresh look at the book, and allow God's Word to speak through us. Let's permit the Holy Spirit to allow His words to speak to our hearts which is our minds with understanding. 

This chapter covers a time period that most people living on the face of the earth today will live through, and the wise Christian should understand these teachings.

So, be very cautious of any group that would tell you not to study, or to throw away part of God's word. Those are words Satan would use.

Caution to students of God;s Word - Please remember two things when using our American Wisdom Series studies:
#1. Our commentary is not God's Word. It is only our interpretation or understanding of "His Word" and even though we try our best to be accurate we may or may not be correct. #2. The King James translation, or any other translation, of the original Hebrew text has some words which were given different translations at different places probably because of the interpreters preconceived ideas of what they think God meant to say. For example: According to the notes in the "Drake's Annotated Reference Bible" the Hebrew word hayah in the KJV is Trans. (became) 67 times, (becamest or came to pass) 505 times, (become) 66 times, and (come to pass) 131 times, but for some reason in Genesis 1:2 it is translated (was)! That sure changes the way a person perceives the original creation of the earth, doesn't it?  Gen. 1:2 And the earth was (became) without form, ... Having said that, let us continue with our "studies". These studies contain knowledge, we believe, you must have to fully and accurately unlock and understand the Word of God. 
May the Holy Spirit be your only guiding light. Sincerely, John Rhine

Revelation 2:17  He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden manna, and will give him a white stone, and in the stone a new name written, which no man knoweth saving he that receiveth it.

John 15:26
But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me:

John 16:13-14
[13] Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come. [14] He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you

This Bible Study was originally written by Roger Christopherson, 
 published at http://www.theseason.org/
.

You can view it at the season`s web site (address above) as originally published
or here, as now edited by people at
 
The American Wisdom Series  

Without the leading by the Holy Spirit, there is no understanding of the truths, for all the truth of the Scriptures are revealed to us by God's Spirit.

 ***********************************************************************************

Now here is our revised study of: Christopherson's Revelation chapter 4

REVELATION

Chapter 4

"John's First Vision in Heaven"

The book of Revelation means to reveal. This book is to unveil the events that are to occur at the close of this earth age, that take us into the Millennium kingdom and beyond. Even to the eternal kingdom, when we will be present with all three offices of the Godhead.

There are many doctrines that have slipped into today's body of Christian believers

This fourth chapter gets into one of the most damaging of all of the false teachings. 

That is, because it is totally misleading.
Unfortunately it is taught in most Protestant churches; By teachers, evangelist, and so forth; as they try to make the first two verses of the fourth chapter fit into their "rapture doctrine".

In studying the Bible in the original text; Both the Hebrew and the Greek languages, have the quality in each language, where both the subject and the object of the sentences are fixed.
 Man cannot and simply should not change that; so that a person with average common sense can read and understand the subject and the object, and know exactly what God is talking about.
Then if someone, later, tries to add something into the sentence, when it is not part of the subject, or the object; discount it.
 Listen only to your Heavenly Father,
 and not to printed or verbal distortions
.

In many studies, of the book of Revelation, the author's of those studies use this fourth chapter of Revelation to show, as evidence, that the church will be gone during the great tribulation. 

They say "the rapture" as they call it, will have taken place and the church is no longer present on earth, after the churches are talked about in chapter three.

However, the "church" has no article in these first two verses of Revelation Four.
The Church will not be mentioned again until Chapter Twenty Two.

Revelation 4:1 "After this I looked, and, behold, a door was opened in heaven: and the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me; Come up hither, and I will shew thee things which must be hereafter."

"After this", is after the vision of the seven churches, talked about in the first three chapters, have been instructed; in which two of those churches were on the right track, and of the other five churches Jesus was displeased with. Two churches had the doctrines of Christ in them, and they knew who the "Kenites" are, and where they came. They knew the Kenites were of the synagogue of Satan and claimed to be Jews, when in fact they were lying and not Jews at all.

Jesus said, if you understand what the churches of Smyrna and Philadelphia understood, and followed it, it is worth a crown of life to you.

This chapter starts out, "After this [after the messages to the churches] I looked, behold a door was opened in heaven:" 

This door is not on earth 
where the seven churches are,
but in heaven.

John is being carried from the Isle of Patmos to a specific time, or "earth dispensation" in the heavenlies.

The key to understanding when this time period was given in Revelation 1:10. "I was in the spirit on the Lord's day:" This is not in reference to a Saturday or Sunday.

This is a record given,
by Jesus, to John,
of events that will happen just before,
or following that day, "the Lord's day".

Jesus took John, not physically, but "in the spirit" to witness "that day" which was still future.

"That day" is the day of the sounding of the seventh trumpet when Jesus Christ returns to earthJohn has already addressed the churches on the earth; then he looked up, and this door to heaven has opened. Now we can see through John's spiritual eyes and pen, what events are taking place there on the "day of the Lord", only the location of this event John is seeing from heaven.

"The first voice which I heard..." Who is this "I" in verse one? 
Of course it's John, the one writing this.
 

Have you ever heard John referred to as "the Church"? Absolutely not. There is no church in heaven; not at this point. However, there will be, for heaven is where ever God is, and at the appointed time He is coming here to earth. Then there will be one church, one gathering place where the called-out ones shall meet.

"...I heard as it were of a trumpet"; [This is the last trumpet] "...talking with me,".

The voice here is not speaking to the church, but it is directed to John. "Come up hither, and I will shew thee things which must be here after." That refers to the "day" that is after our subject, "The Lords Day". "I will shew thee [John, singular]", transporting John and John only, in the spirit to this certain place in heaven.

There is no church in this verse going anyplace. 

There is only John being taken to heaven "in the spirit", and hearing a voice like a trumpet calling him up. 

John was taken from 90 A.D. to a time beyond this year, 2000 when all these things John was shown, will happen; for we are now living in the final generation when these things will come about. 

The whole purpose for John being shown this and writing this entire book of Revelation is to warn the people of our generation, of the great deception the false-christ, Satan, the spurious messiah, sometimes called the antichrist, and his system would bring upon the earth before Jesus Christ's return.

American Wisdom Series Editor's Note: (sometimes called the antichrist, by some people but never in the Bible have I found Satan called that; But I guess it's ok if people call him that, he certainly is anti-christ)

We are living in the generation of the "parable of the fig tree" and that is why Jesus told us to learn it, so that we would not be deceived.

Live Link to- The Parable of the Fig Tree

This fourth chapter then tells us what is going to happen after this generation on the "Day of the Lord" in heaven.

Revelation 4:2 "And immediately I was in the spirit; and, behold, a throne was set in heaven, and one sat on the throne."

Again, this is John that is in the spirit and observing our Heavenly Father sitting upon His throne.

Revelation 4:3 "And he that sat was to look upon like a jasper and a sardine stone: and there was a rainbow round about the throne, in sight like unto an emerald."

We know the "jasper stone" is green, and the "sardine stone" is red; So what is being said here?

A priest's breast plate has twelve stones in it. 
The jasper stone and the sardine stones are the last and the first stones on his breast plate. 

Why then does John see the last stone first, and then the first stone last?

Because: It's the last ones, of us, who will pass through this earth age, that are to be the first to see with their eyes these events that transpire.

Whereby, they can see and understand our Father's will and wish.

Any time a light shines through a prism you can see a rainbow of colors. The rainbow is the description of the radiance of the Glory of God. This is brought to light in Revelation 10:1, that time when the rainbow is worn as a crown of glory, when Jesus Christ's return to earth. It represents the full spectrum; the full pattern of the Godhead.

Revelation 4:4 "And round about the throne were four and twenty seats [thrones]: and upon the seats I saw four and twenty elders sitting, clothed in white raiment; and they had on their heads crowns of gold."

There is no way to document this, except in comparison of other Scripture, and the assumption is that God will put certain people in higher esteem than others in His kingdom. It's possible that these twenty four elders were the twelve patriarchs, or heads of the tribes of Israel, for in the seventh chapter the importance of these patriarchs will become clearer. 

The other twelve, being the Apostles. We better not leave Judas out, since we must remember that upon repentance all sinful acts are forgiven, and blotted out. Judas the Apostle did give the money back and repented in sorrow. 

So here we have twenty four elders sitting clothed in "white raiment."

In the study of the third chapter we saw that "white raiment" are the religious acts of the saints; [Revelation 3:18], and upon their heads were their crowns of life.

That is what these crowns of life symbolizes.

Revelation 4:5 "And out of the throne proceeded lightning and thunderings and voices: and there were seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God."

What are these seven spirits? God had seven angels over the seven churches, when the seven churches were being spoken to; however, we will cover these seven spirits in detail in the next two chapters.

Revelation 4:6 "And before the throne there was a sea of glass like unto crystal: and in the midst of the throne, and round about the throne, were four beasts [living creatures] full of eyes before and behind."

The "throne of God" is pure. This "sea of glass" represents purity; with no flaws. 

The beast is a good way to classify something that man has no reference to. The word for "beast" in the Greek is "zoon", or "zoa", which means "living ones". The "zoa" are the cherubims of Genesis 3:24. In Ezekiel 1:5-14, they are the protective cherubims of God's throne. Basically these four creatures do not have free will, for their duty is solely to protect and to guard.

Revelation 4:7 "And the first beast [creature] was like a lion, and the second beast like a calf, and the third beast had a face as a man, and the fourth beast was like a flying eagle."

As you think of these four beasts that John is seeing in his vision, think also of the zoa, or cherubims of Ezekiel 1:10. In Numbers 2:2 we see that each night when the different tribes camped, they set their standards, or banners before themselves. That standard meant something, and represented that tribe with the banner set before them.

The standard of the United States is the "Stars and Stripes". These beast-like figures are the standards of the four beasts. When the Israelites camped, the flag with the Lion was always before Judah to the east. On the south was the tribe with the "man's face" on the flag, Reuben; for he was the firstborn. To the west was the "ox", representing Ephraim, and Dan's banner was on the north side with "the eagle".

God's order to the tribes was that they put those banners in their place of encampment, and this is what the book of Numbers is all about. These four tribes were the protectors of the whole camp of Israel, all the tribes. They were the protectors of the nation and the throne, and God was their only King. In fact in eternity, the "zoa" are never mentioned. They are mentioned only to John here, and this is the last time we will read of them.

Revelation 4:8 "And the four beasts had each of them six wings about him: and they were full of eyes within: and they rest not day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come."

With these eyes they could understand clearly. It wasn't necessary for them to rest, because these "zoa" were created such as they were by God. This is their duty; they are to have a continual watch. And as they keep their watch, they are continually give praise to our Heavenly Father, and our Lord Jesus Christ.

"Which was", calls attention that Christ the Son was in the first earth age, prior to the destruction of Genesis 1:1-2. "Which is"; He is the Son of God that was born, lived, and died in this earth age. "And yet to come", is that time coming very shortly when Jesus will return at the seventh trump to establish His kingdom on earth.

Revelation 4:9 "And when those beasts give glory and honour and thanks to him that sat on the throne, who liveth for ever and ever,"

Christ is the source of our power that allows us to live forever and ever.

Revelation 4:10 "The four and twenty elders fall down before him that sat on the throne, and worship him that liveth for ever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying,"

The power that is in their crowns, their authority, and all that they have are cast before the throne of God in humility, showing that all power and authority that exists comes from the Father.

Revelation 4:11 "Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created."

This is what these voices of the four beasts, and the twenty four elders said. They recognized that all glory is of God, and belongs to Him. Our God is the God of the Universe, for it is God that created all things. When God created mankind, our sole purpose of existence, at any age or time, was and still is for His pleasure.

When we see people use God's name in cursing, think of how it must hurt him, but it also shows how much He must love His creation [man], for He gave his own Son to redeem man from his sins. God allowed a way for all men to come back to Him through the blood of His Son, shed on the cross, and man's humble repentance.

In ignorance we sin, and in love God forgives us through His son's name, who gave His all for us. 

He left His place in glory to be born of the Virgin Mary.
He grew from a baby to manhood, and saw the same temptation you and I see. 

Then Jesus went to the cross gladly to fulfill Scripture, and complete His Fathers plan; and the plan of redemption was finished on the cross.

That great love is offered to anyone who can look up from where ever he or she is, and call out for our Savior's forgiveness.
 
It's a gift!

 
If that isn't enough, our Savior Jesus Christ will elevate you before the creator, and blot out all of the sins you have ever committed, and make them as if they were never committed, before the Father, and give you a real and lasting peace. then He sent His Holy Spirit to be with each of us, to comfort us during our times of trouble.

My fellow Christian, that is why Jesus Christ and the Heavenly Father deserve our love and praise; and that is why John saw in heaven this enormous praise given to Jesus Christ. 

If you don't understand this then you are spiritually out of touch, and need to humbly yourself and seek Him in prayer, and in His Word. 

All things were, and are created for God's pleasure, and that includes you and me.

If you fall outside that realm of trying to give God pleasure,
 it is you that will suffer for your neglect.

God is very real, and when you praise God and worship Him,
 He will bless you.

American Wisdom Series Editor's Note:: We are going to stop here in this "Revelation of Jesus Christ" study to review some commentary from chapter 4 in an earlier study we published on the "Revelation of Jesus Christ."  I don't believe you will find much difference in the general opinion of these 2 authors, but to read another person's perspective of events that did and will take place may prove helpful in our understanding of Jesus' revelation. Also, our introduction #9300 was taken from this earlier study so keep your eyes open for study tips and rules to help simplify your grasp of Jesus' end time revelation.

Revelation Chapter 4 

We have just completed "seeing" what is happening on EARTH and in the seven churches on the day of Lord, the first day of the Millennium, a time even yet future.

Now we are going to "see" what is happening in HEAVEN at that same time. We are going to actually see the throne of Almighty God and what is transpiring beyond the veil that separates the two dimensions, flesh and spirit, "behind the scenes" so to speak.

John will be describing as best he can the things which he sees, once again painting a PICTURE in our minds using symbols and vivid imagery.

What a privilege and an honor it must have been for this one, John, to be used as the instrument who would see and record for his fellow servants the "things that must shortly come to pass" (Rev. 1:1).

Rev. 4:1
After this I looked, and, behold, a door was opened in heaven: and the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me; which said, Come up hither, and I will shew thee things which must be hereafter.
"Behold, a door was opened in heaven" should immediately remind us of the words which Christ spoke to the church of Philadelphia in chapter 3 verse 8, "behold, I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it:".

So here it is, an Open Door in Heaven. Let us put our "ears" on and open our "eyes" and enter in with our brother John.

Notice that the first voice John hears in heaven was the same first voice he heard on earth, as of a trumpet, which, by the way, even in the Old Testament is connected with War and the Day of the Lord (Zeph 1:14-16). Here is a reminder of what John heard on earth:

Rev. 1:10
I was in the Spirit on the Lord's day, and heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet,
Also, because of what some in the churches below would be teaching concerning the extremely dangerous and false doctrine of the "any moment rapture theory", it is important to note that it was John who was told to "come up hither". The structure of the English language will permit no others, and the churches won't be mentioned again until chapter 22.
Rev. 4:2 And immediately I was in the spirit: and, behold, a throne was set in heaven, and One sat on the throne.
Wow, here we go! John saw a throne in heaven and Someone was sitting on it. Guess who!
[3] And He that sat was to look upon like a jasper and a sardine stone: and there was a rainbow round about the throne, in sight like unto an emerald.
Notice that He who sat on the throne was likened unto beautiful, translucent gemstones, the significance of which we'll discuss shortly. For now, just see the picture

Now also visualize in your mind's eye a beautiful rainbow glowing about the throne with its magnificent prisms of light beaming forth. You are "seeing" the "shekinah glory" of Almighty God.

Got the PICTURE so far? Now keep this scene in your mind as we read about another servant of God who ALSO SAW His throne, when God Himself paid Ezekiel a visit in His vehicle, with His throne aboard (read the entirety of Chapter 1 of Ezekiel). Live Link to- Ezekiel chapter 1 

Ezekiel 1:26-28
And above the firmament that was over their heads was the likeness of a throne, as the appearance of a sapphire stone: and upon the likeness of the throne was the likeness as the appearance of a man above upon it.
Notice the same description of gemlike translucency.
[27] And I saw as the colour of amber, as the appearance of fire round about within it, from the appearance of his loins even upward, and from the appearance of his loins even downward, I saw as it were the appearance of fire, and it had brightness round about.
Have you ever read Hebrews 12:29? It reads,  "For our God is a consuming fire." I guess that's why every description of Him from the "Burning Bush" on depict Him that way, eh?
[28] As the appearance of the bow that is in the cloud in the day of rain, so was the appearance of the brightness round about. This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the LORD. And when I saw it, I fell upon my face, and I heard a voice of one that spake.
And the same "bow that is in the cloud in the day of rain", i.e. the rainbow, His "shekinah glory, glowed brightly round about the throne. We could substitute this verse 28 for Rev. 4:3 that we just read because it is exactly the same description. There is nothing new under the sun.

Remember when we started studying this great Book of the Unveiling that we discussed how easy it is to understand if you have read the rest of the Bible before you read the last chapters? Can you begin to see why with this example?

Now to the stones. Did you know that there were Twelve Stones, gems, in the breastplate of the Levitical Priests, each one each representing one of the Twelve Tribes of Israel? The jasper and the sardine (sardius) stone are the last and the first stones in the breastplate, respectively. So we see the first and the last, the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, once again.

These two stones, the jasper and the sardine, also represent Benjamin and Reuben. It is interesting that the younger is put before the elder once again, as we see so many times in scripture.

Below are the names of the stones, as they appear in the Authorized and Revised Version and as marginal readings: (Exod. 28)

(1) Sardius (marg. Ruby)
(2) Topaz
(3) Carbuncle
(4) Emerald
(5) Sapphire
(6) Diamond (marg. R.V. Sardonyx)
(7) Ligure
(8) Agate
(9) Amethyst
(10) Beryl (marg. R.V. Chalcedony)
(11) Onyx (marg. R.V. Beryl)
(12) Jasper
Now if you want to really want to start "connecting" with Biblical history, check out the 12 gemstones in the British Royal Crown.
[4] And round about the throne were four and twenty seats: and upon the seats I saw four and twenty elders sitting, clothed in white raiment; and they had on their heads crowns of gold.
OK, we see this beautiful throne in heaven and situated around the throne are 24 seats with the same number of elders seated in them. These elders are clothed in white raiment, which if you'll remember from previous studies are symbolic of purity and righteous acts, that which we are clothed with in our spiritual bodies. And they have already received Crowns of Gold.

Who are they? Well, John doesn't exactly tell us, but if we've read the rest of the Book, and in as much as the gemstones in the breastplate, representing the 12 Tribes, are mentioned, then we are left to conclude that 12 of them are the 12 Patriarchs of the Old Testament. The other 12 would most likely be the 12 Apostles of the New Testament, the founding pillars of the NT Church. The number "12" in Biblical numerics represents "Governmental Perfection" (see appendix 10 of the Companion Bible).

So all the board members are present and accounted for.

[5] And out of the throne proceeded lightnings and thunderings and voices: and there were seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God.
So we see the bright prisms of light flashing and emitting from the throne and we here His thundering voice, as it was on the Mountain in the wilderness. Remember even from Rev. 1:15 that His voice is as the sound of many waters. This is not difficult.

The seven lamps are the seven Spirits of God. They will be mentioned again, even individually, at which time we'll learn what they are and discuss them in greater detail.

[6] And before the throne there was a sea of glass like unto crystal: and in the midst of the throne, and round about the throne, were four beasts full of eyes before and behind.
What John saw he described as a sea of glass which resembled crystal before the throne. Can you imagine all this?  It must have been absolutely stunning in beauty and brilliance and purity!

Uh, oh! Four beasts with lots of eyeballs all over them! Good grief! Everything was looking so good and beautiful and even made a lot of sense. So, where'd the monsters come from?

Actually, this is an example of how the Biblically illiterate think, which unfortunately includes many of those ministers whom Christ warned would come in His name and deceive many. That should come as no surprise! You've read about the seven churches, so you know they've infested five of them with their deception, false teachings, and ignorance.

Therefore, next we will learn who these beautiful "living beings" are who reside at the very throne of our Father. We will also learn that they are described elsewhere in God's Word and that their appearance is so familiar to a student of the Word that sometimes they forget how aghast the unlearned become when they read without foundation.

Please stick around. It's a fantastic trip into the heavens. He who gave us the key of David has left the portal into the other dimension wide open for us.

While exiled on the Isle of Patmos for preaching the Word of God, John was transported through time, in the spirit, to the Lord's Day, the first day of the Millennium, a time yet future but very near. After seeing and recording what Jesus Christ had to say to the seven churches here on earth, he was then taken to heaven to see for us what was happening there.

So John has been describing heaven for us, the very throne of God Almighty, with what looked like a sea of glass before it and the "shekinah glory", the beautiful multi-colored flashing rainbow surrounding it. There were 24 elders seated around the throne and John had just begun to tell us about the four living beings present at His throne.

Let's review verse six:

Rev. 4:6
And before the throne there was a sea of glass like unto crystal: and in the midst of the throne, and round about the throne, were four beasts full of eyes before and behind.
Perhaps it is unfortunate that the translators of the King James Bible used the word "beasts" to describe these living beings. Today the word "beast" is often synonymous with "monster" and is used to describe creatures such as Godzilla and one's spouse. But then again, if very few people ever even read the Book of Revelation, especially since many ministers tell folks they'll be gone in a "rapture" and don't need to read it, what difference does it make? The wise in this generation will check it out anyway. And so it is that the Greek word used here is "zoon" and simply means "living being".

And once again, there is nothing really new described here by John, for we have record of these entities elsewhere in God's Word. Their first mentioned way back in the Book of Genesis, for these "zoa" are the cherubim of Genesis 3:24 that were placed at the east of the garden of Eden to prevent access to the "Tree of Life", i.e. they were guards whose purpose was to protect.

Genesis 3:24
So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubim, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life.
And so it is that these "zoon" are cherubim, guards, that stand at the throne of God. John now gives us a more detailed description of their appearance:
Rev. 4:7 And the first beast was like a lion, and the second beast like a calf, and the third beast had a face as a man, and the fourth beast was like a flying eagle.
If this is new to you, if this is the first time you're reading about the lion, the calf, the man, and the eagle, then you are probably perplexed and filled with wonderment. That is why the Book of Revelation seems mysterious and sounds bazaar to some!  But once you become familiar with the Word of God and have read it all with some degree of understanding these beings will be appear completely natural to you .

Let's read one more verse describing the "zoon".

[8] And the four beasts had each of them six wings about him; and they were full of eyes within: and they rest not day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come.
These guards do not require sleep and they are not capable of exercising free will that could lead to rebellion.

The phrases "full of eyes before and behind" and "full of eyes within" come from a figure of speech which has lost its meaning in the translation from Greek into English. It simply means that they looked all around, a thing which guards do. It is much the same as the "flaming sword which turned every way" in Genesis 3.

We've discussed figures of speech in previous studies. In English, for example, when a person dies we might say "he kicked the bucket". That is a figure of speech that has nothing to do with buckets. It means he died. But such is not a figure of speech in French. So if we translate "kicked the bucket" into French, the Frenchman would never think of death (except dying while trying to figure out why some poor Christian would be kicking buckets around).

Now let's go back in time about 2500 years (2 1/2 days as God reckons time) to the prophet Ezekiel. God Himself visited Ezekiel. That's right! God came to Ezekiel in a vehicle escorted by four other vehicles. Ezekiel describes these vehicles as "flying wheels" that looked like "highly polished spectrum metal".  And guess what? Aboard the mother ship was the throne of God and He who sits thereupon. Here's part of Ezekiel's account:

Ezekiel 1:4
And I looked, and, behold, a whirlwind came out of the north, a great cloud, and a fire infolding itself, and a brightness was about it, and out of the midst thereof as the colour of amber, out of the midst of the fire.
 Live Link to- Ezekiel chapter 1 
Ezekiel saw whirling vehicles coming from the north that looked like highly polished brass. Look up the words "colour" and  "amber" in Strong's Concordance (Remember, that's what the wise do). They mean "appeared as" "highly polished spectrum metal, brass".

Here's how the Living Bible translates this verse:

Ezekiel 1:4  I saw, in this vision, a great storm coming towards me from the north, driving before it a huge cloud glowing with fire, with a mass of fire inside that flashed continually; and in the fire there was something that shone like polished brass. (Living Bible)
Back to the Kings James, verse 5:
Ezekiel 1:5 Also out of the midst thereof came the likeness of four living creatures. And this was their appearance; they had the likeness of a man.
Hey, what do you know! Here's the four living creatures, and they looked like men.
[6] And every one had four faces, and every one had four wings.
You must keep in mind that these four living creatures are inside the whirling wheels, much like Captain Kirk and Spock would be in the Enterprise. In any event, these vehicles with the Cherubim escorting our Father and His throne, came to Ezekiel and landed before him. Read the rest of the chapter.
[7] And their feet were straight feet; and the sole of their feet was like the sole of a calf's foot: and they sparkled like the colour of burnished brass.
They lowered the landing gear.
[8] And they had the hands of a man under their wings on their four sides; and they four had their faces and their wings.

[9] Their wings were joined one to another; they turned not when they went; they went every one straight forward.

They were obviously in formation. These vehicles are a subject for another time, but I would like to quote a few more verses form the Living Bible to give you a sense of what we're talking about.
Ezekiel 1:14 The living beings darted to and fro swift as lightning. [15] As I stared at all this, I saw four wheels on the ground beneath them, one wheel belonging to each. [16] The wheels looked like they were made of polished amber and each wheel was constructed with a second wheel crosswise inside. [17] They could go in any of four directions without having to face around. [18] The four wheels had rims and spokes, and the rims were filled with eyes around their edges. [19, 20, 21] When the four living beings flew forward, the wheels moved forward with them. When they flew upwards, the wheels went up too. When the living beings stopped, the wheels stopped. For the spirit of the four living beings was in the wheels; so wherever their spirit went, the wheels and the living beings went there too. (Living Bible)
Is that not a fantastic description by one who never saw a TV, a 747 Jumbo Jet or a Space Shuttle? The eyes around their edges were windows, portals, and Ezekiel could see inside.

And now here is a more detailed description of the four living beings Ezekiel saw, way before John saw them in Revelation.

Rev. 4:10 As for the likeness of their faces, they four had the face of a man, and the face of a lion, on the right side: and they four had the face of an ox on the left side; they four also had the face of an eagle.
UNBELIEVABLE! They are identical to John's description; the man, the ox, the lion, and the eagle. These are exactly the same living beings as John saw, and they were with the throne, guarding and protecting it just as they are doing in heaven right now.

Let's now go back even farther in the Word, to the Book of Numbers, chapter 2, and understand what these symbols are. If you are fortunate to have a Companion Bible, on page 181 you will find a diagram of the encampment of Israel as they wandered in the wilderness of Sinai. Each of the Twelve Tribes had its own standard, i.e. flag, which went before them.

Look! The standard of Judah is the lion, the standard of Reuben is a man, the standard of Ephraim is the bull, ox, and the standard of Dan is the eagle.

The encampment from the Book of Numbers:

                                                      (N)

                                     DAN
                                (Eagle)
 
 

(W)      EPHRAIM                                JUDAH      (E)
         (Taurus)                                    (Lion)
 
 

                                   REUBEN
                                    (a Man)

                                        (S)

Mysterious symbols in the Book of Revelation? Not so!  You will also notice that Judah is on the east side. Read verse 8 again. It says the lion was on the right side! Of course it was!
[9] And when those beasts give glory and honour and thanks to him that sat on the throne, who liveth for ever and ever,
When the living beings give glory and honour and thanks, then:
[10] The four and twenty elders fall down before him that sat on the throne, and worship him that liveth for ever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying,
[11] Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.
He has created all things for His pleasure, which includes you and me. We have our children to give us pleasure and company and family. If you have ever had children, and one of them comes to you and puts his or her arms around your neck, and gives you a big hug and kiss, and says "Mommy (or Daddy), I love you", then you will know the joy and the pleasure which our Father seeks from His children.

Have you hugged you Father today?

Did you ever wonder what heaven looked like? We've been shown so many fluffy clouds with angels in white flowing gowns strumming golden harps that it's hard sometimes to get that picture out of our minds. You might say our minds have been "clouded" by the traditions of men.

But John, who writes from first hand experience having BEEN THERE in spirit, has just described a magnificent palatial chamber with a floor resembling a sea of glass like crystal before the very throne of Almighty God, in heaven. The brilliance of the "shekinah glory", as the beautiful prisms of light from the rainbow around the throne flash as lightning, is a sight to behold. Standing guard at the throne there are four mighty cherubs, zoon, with the likeness of the lion, the ox, the man, and the eagle, which are the four (E, W, S & N) major standards of Israel. And He who sits on the throne can only be compared to dazzling translucent gemstones and when He speaks His voice is as the mighty thunder of many waters. Then we see seated around that awesome throne of our Father 24 elders, people we know, the 12 Patriarchs and the 12 Apostles, all in white raiment wearing crowns of gold. Got the PICTURE?

Have you ever wondered what heaven looked like? Wonder no more!

And Clouds? I didn't read about any clouds!

                             

To study the Bible is the noblest of all pursuits; to understand it, the highest of all goals.  We pray that with the guidance of the Holy Spirit, you accomplish both.


The American Wisdom Series

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Published by:

Rhine Publishing Co.
E-mail address - americanwisdomseries@verizon.net

Here at the American Wisdom Series our goal is to make you think about and question the wisdom of the current:
doctrine of many of our Christian churches, (The Man on a White Horse)
political direction of our country, (The Man on a Red Horse)
economic direction our country has taken, (The Man on a Black Horse)
 and teaching of our schools and media, (The Man on a Pale Horse)

The Four Hidden Dynasties of the New World Order Revelation 6:1-8
"The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse"
Did you know all four are being ridden by Satan?