His Perfect Love

Guest (Male): Next on His Perfect Love, we transition from the things that are to the things that will be. From Calvary Chapel, Harrisburg West Shore comes another installment of His Perfect Love. Glad to have you with us today as we begin a fascinating study framed around the throne of God. Now, just think of it. The Apostle John had the great privilege of being taken into the heavenly realm. We stand to benefit as he described what he saw here in Revelation. Today in chapter 4, the focus is on the throne of God and who is on it. Pastor Matt Vanderman says this chapter and beyond focuses on the future.

Matt VanderVen: In chapter 4 of Revelation verse 1, it says after these things. We talked that that in the Greek that's And the significance of this is this is all future. So, everything we read in chapter 1, 2, and 3 are the things that were, right? Chapters 1 verse 19 gave us an outline. The only book of in your Bible that gives you an outline is the book of Revelation very clearly best to my knowledge. And it said the things that were, the things that are, present tense, and the things that will be. So, we're still living in the church age because the church is here, you're here.

We know we haven't been raptured out or apostled out. So, he says after these things, after the rapture of the church, after the church age, we've now moved into this next section of scripture which will take us throughout are the things that will be all future. Okay? He says I look and behold a door standing open in heaven. So, the first thing that we also see is that John now, his eyes, our eyes are being taken from the earth and what he was showing us when he was showing us Jesus, the sword when he was talking about the the eyes of flaming fire, when he was talking to the church and the letters to the church.

Whatever is going to happen now in the future, there's a significance so much so that God says John, you need to come here. We're we're we're not going to show you this from where you are. I'm bringing you up here and I want you to see this with your own eyes and do the best you can with a finite, limited mind, human, you know, aspect to explain and try to translate the best you can into what you're seeing that really supersedes anything any mortal could try to explain in the throne room of God. So, he says he says this door standing open in heaven and the first voice which I heard was like a trumpet, just a beautiful instrument.

I love listening to orchestras play. You know, Messiah has one over here. Um they have many different I go and I love to hear uh the trumpet. It's a very unique sounding instrument. You can't miss it. John is not saying that when Jesus talks, he's going to sound just like a trumpet. He's giving us the idea of the significance. One, it's brilliant. It's beautiful. And you can't mistake it for another instrument. You know when someone playing the trumpet. And that's exactly what you And he says speaking with me saying, and this is significant, come up here.

And I love that because where is he saying this from? Jesus is saying this to John from where? Jesus is in heaven. He's in heaven. He's saying come up here. It's actually a type of topology or a picture of a rapture cuz right we're going to read in verse 2, it's going to say immediately, right then and there. When we are raptured, we're not going to even be able to turn around and and and understand what has just happened until our brain can keep up with that 200 millisecond translation cuz that's how fast your eye blinks, 200 milliseconds, in which you just literally were caught up to heaven or should I say in the air initially?

And then obviously for the marriage and the wedding feast of the lamb. But it's going to be immediate. And he sees this and it's this beautiful thing and I I was reminded I had a sister that reminded me the other day my pastor, Pastor Scott, his dad, Pastor Billy used to have the most beautiful saying when we would be in in Genesis. And I shared this with first service. I'd be remiss if I didn't share it with you. He said in passages like this, it's always so comforting when Jesus says come where I am. Come where I am.

And isn't that what he promised to do anyways is how where I go, I have to go. I'm going to send in heaven. And if we were not so I would not have told you I'm going to go to my you know in heaven prepare many houses, mansions for you that when I come, you I will bring you to what? Me. We're going to go to where He is. Well, that should seem very familiar to us. If we read the book of Genesis, we can't get too far. Genesis chapter 6 when we also see Jesus say something identical.

Do you remember there was an ark? And Noah was told to build that ark, wasn't he? And as God was speaking to Noah, he looked to Noah and he said Noah, come what? Into the ark which implies where was Jesus? In the ark with Noah. We've always had these examples for us in scripture. You can go back and look at it yourself in Genesis. It's always been there. God was in the ark and he called him in the ark. God is in heaven. He's calling us in heaven. You know I I I have a good friend uh Pastor Jerry.

He's over at Calvary Chapel Philly and Pastor Joe over there. Those guys doing a great job, faithful for 40 plus years. I love when I always call Jerry. I say Jerry, how are you doing? And Jerry says I'm doing great. And he 'll turn around and he'll say you know and he sort of qualifies it for me. And I And I always laugh because I I you can't just add anything to it. He'll say you know Jesus is on the throne. He's madly in love with me and I'm madly in love with him. And he sat there and he says what more can be And I just I almost get pieced out after he says that.

I find myself relaxing in my chair a little bit more. And I said yeah, it is a really really good day whatever's going on. So, Jesus says come up here John. I'm now bringing you from earth. I'm going to bring you to heaven and I 'm going to show you things that are going to bless your socks off. All right? And so my translation, my prayer phrase, okay? And he says I will show you the things which must take place after this. Notice with me he doesn't say may. He said these things needs be. Everything that's going around here, I want you to understand that this morning as Christians, born again believers, I don't want you to get to heaven and go Pastor Matt didn't tell me.

And Jesus looks at me goes, come on man. What were you doing? No, I want you to know these things. The world is not out of control. These things needs be. God is on the throne. He's madly in love with us and we're madly in love with him. God is sovereign. God is in control. These things need be. This was written thousands of years ago. God already had this plan. He knew there would be a day in which His son would come back with the bride of Christ, Revelation chapter 19, and we would reign on the earth for a thousand years with Him.

And it wouldn't be a monarchy. No, what would it be? A theocracy where God was back in His rightful place. And we haven't had that since thousands of years since we had our first king, right? Saul. And then David. And after that point, it's either been a republic or a democracy or some kind of monarchy. But he says I need you to see what's going to come, what's going to take place after this. Don't miss it. I don't want you to miss this. Immediately I was in the spirit. Now, this is important because that's the closest way John can explain it.

When I'm translated, when I'm raptured, I'm in the spirit. It's in a twinkling of an eye. 1 Corinthians 15:50, 1 Thessalonians chapter 4 16 through 8. It a catching up. I'm I'm not in the parousia. This isn't me coming back down there at Jesus saying this is me bringing you to me in the air. 1 Thessalonians 4. He says that I was in the spirit and behold there's a throne. And notice this with me set in heaven and one who sat on the throne. Now, this is very important. John gets up to heaven, right? Raptured up, caught up there immediately.

And the first thing he can't help but notice is that there's what? Is it the one who's sitting on the throne first or is the first thing he notices is a throne? I want this and this is significance. I I'm not trying to add something here. I'm trying to allow the word to speak as it's always been intended to speak. This uh is not God is not grammatically challenged. He wants us to see the very first thing John sees when he gets to heaven is what? A throne. And I think this is very very significant.

It 's not even the one sitting on the throne initially. Now, I want you to think back in chapter 2 and 3 when he was writing the letters to church. The initial focus was always on who? Jesus. It was on His persona, maybe something characteristic about him. When John is raptured to heaven, the focus is on the throne. This is significant in what he's trying to communicate to us here, right? He wants us to see the first thing in heaven in our Father's house is our Father's throne. But he doesn't see the Father at first, does he?

He says one. Now, some of you will how do you know that's not God the Father? I'm glad you asked. We're going to we're going to get there. We're going to see that. Now Now, I believe John sees Jesus sitting on that throne. It could be the Father, but but I believe it's Jesus because there's going to be some things that he's going to attribute to one sitting or one doing something where specifically it applies more to a physical aspect rather than a spiritual cuz we know God the Father is spirit. Jesus came, right? Uh we know that in Caro, we covered this in the beginning teaching Revelation.

Jesus came the incarnation. In Caro means what? In the flesh. It's Latin. Right? So, he physically took on a body. We know that when Jesus Christ walked the earth, you could have touched Him. You could have interacted with Him. Certainly he at before His glorified body, He didn't walk through walls or anything like that, right? Metaphysically. He didn't He didn't uh retranslate physics. He could have. The only time we ever saw Him do that before the glorified body was when? When He was on the mount of transfiguration. And that's why it's called transfiguration because he was what?

Transfigured. And we were able to see Him Well, those that were alive at the time were able to see Him once and for all in a glorified state before he had actually received after the resurrection that glorified body that you and I will receive one day. So, it's interesting. He says we know it's Jesus because the God and again doesn't take on a physical form, but he's spirit. And look at some of the scripture we're going to read about Him, right? He's sitting on the throne. Now, the first thing I I get out of this is He's worthy and He's able.

The last time that you and I would have seen Jesus physically, if we were alive at that time, was on a cross as a suffering servant. The next time that John through the Revelation the Apocalypses is the Revelation of Jesus Christ, He wants us to see Jesus is sitting on the throne as a conquering king. Everybody get that? Sitting on the throne is a conquering king. This isn't This isn't a lamb that is broken and and feeble. No, no, no. This is a conquering king that's sovereign and in control. That's why I can look and tell you that the world is not out of the control and these things needs be because God is sovereign and he's he's presenting it to us in the very first picture we get in heaven, Him, the king on a throne.

So, there's no uprising. Notice that with me. God the Father and going what are you doing? Right? He doesn't turn to him going what are you doing? You know it's my chair. Don't sit there. It's my chair. No, what else is that teaching us? Divinity that He's equal with the Father. There's no uprising in heaven, no no anarchy, no fighting, nothing like what we're being presented in Revelation chapter 4, nothing to do with that. No. He's teaching us that he's equal with the Godhead and the Father. And Jesus wants us to see that this is the unveiling.

This is unveiling. Now, the throne. That's what he's describing to you and I and once again, I think it's important that I remind all of us here this morning as I'm reminded. There are 404 verses in the book of Revelation. I've been saying that since we started, right? Chapter 1 verse 1. 278 of those verses refer to Old Testament scriptures. I just think it's significant that we pause for a moment and take a look at what is Jesus trying to communicate to us about a throne because again it could have been himself that we saw first.

It could have been an angel. It could have been the Godhead. It could have been anything else. Why a throne? What is he trying to communicate to us? And I think there's I know there's several references to throne of God within the Bible. Uh just if you hold your hand finger here, just turn to Matthew chapter 5 look look at verse 34 right in our New Testament. Matthew chapter 5 verse 34. What is Jesus call heaven? And this is significant cuz remember John just got raptured up to heaven. And the significance of the word that's used the throne and seeing the throne here, this is important.

Jesus calls heaven God's throne. He actually says that all of heaven is God's throne. And that's significant. And I can't help but recalling a statement that the prophet Isaiah in Isaiah chapter 66 verse 1 he said heaven is my throne and the earth is what? My footstool. That's right. My footstool. And there's other references in scripture we have to God and God's throne. And I think this is really really important as we study these things. 2 Chronicles you you don't necessarily have to turn to each one of these. You're welcome to. Uh if you got a notebook, I encourage you to write these.

You can also get the uh church app here that we have and and you know listen to this back again at home and write them down on at a little slower pace or you can go to the website and get the teaching. But I want you to study these things. It's just I I have such limited time with you this morning. I want to go through a number of these, but I want I want the word of God to just penetrate the heart as I know God's intended it to because he is trying to communicate something very significant to us.

2 Chronicles 18:18. Then Micaiah said therefore hear the word of the Lord. I saw the Lord sitting on His throne and all the hosts of heaven standing on His right hand and on His left. Psalm 11:4. The Lord is in His holy temple. The Lord's throne is in heaven. His eyes behold. His eyelids test the son of men. So, we see something a little bit justice in the throne testing the sons of men. Hebrews chapter 8 1 the New Testament. Okay? Now, this is the main point of the things that we are saying. We have such a high priest, right?

He's an order of one. Remember the order of Melchizedek? It's an order of one. It's not the ironic priesthood. Everybody understand that? There's a difference between the Jewish priesthood that was initially established in the Old Testament and Jesus Christ. The Melchizedek priesthood, it was an order of one. It was a priesthood that did not ever pass down or expire. It's not like your carton of milk. Okay? The priesthood never expired. The ironic priesthood expired the minute the priest would die. It would be then be passed down to the next uh oldest in line that was of age 30 and what have you would begin to take over and say no.

He says He is the high priest. Hebrews when we covered that together as a church specifically one to how Jesus is our high priest. It is an order of one. It is a priesthood that never expires. And he says that He is seated at the hand or of the throne of the majesty in the heavens. Hebrews 12 2. Looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame. And as He sat down at the right hand, and once again, the throne of God.

Revelation 1 4. We read this together. John to the seven churches that are in Asia. Grace to you and peace from Him who was and is and is to come. And from the seven spirits who were before His throne. And Revelation chapter 3 verse 21 very important that we go back here. Circle that one. If there was one you were going to turn to with me this morning, this would be the one. It's right before chapter 4 there. So, we're pretty close to it. Very very important because this is going to help us to understand who are these beings or creatures as we get to verse 6 in chapter 4.

We won't get there today, but if the Lord tarries next week, who are these beings around the throne? It's going to help us because Revelation 3 21 gives us an understanding of that. To Him who overcomes. Have you ever heard of angels as overcomers in scripture? You ever read that anywhere? No. As a matter of fact, you and I and Jesus are the only ones that have ever been referred to as what? Overcomers. Right? Very clear, very be a student of scripture. To Him who overcomes, born again believers in Christ, those who have overcome sin, who have overcome death and the consequences of death and sin.

The born again believer I will grant to sit with me on my throne. Jesus says he's going to grant that as heirs and co-heirs, His children. As I also, and listen what it says, overcame. There it is. Jesus is an overcomer, too. And sat down with my Father on What's it say there? His throne. Interesting. So, you mean to tell me that Jesus sits on His Father's throne? That's the one that he was reading about that we read into immediately that was in the spirit and behold the throne sat in heaven and one sat on that throne.

Now, including our passage in verse 2, a throne is a special seat reserved for a monarch. And I know that's foreign to us today. I mean we might follow England and every time they do the pomp and circumstance around a king or a queen and what have you, you know, we see the whole promenade and everything about that. But we've become accustomed to a republic or at least we were accustomed to a republic, a democracy. Yeah? We're the idea of a monarchy is foreign. A dictator's foreign. These these things are foreign to us. But we have to remember one thing and it's it's something that's going to change our lives when we allow it to penetrate our hearts and minds.

And that is it's never been the republic of heaven. It's never been the democracy of heaven. It's the kingdom of heaven. And there's a conquering king sitting on that throne who says when you love me, you will keep my commandments statutes and judgments. And you'll be known that you are mine by those who love me and keep my word. Those are God's word specifically. I paraphrased, but specifically what he was trying to communicate. You see when the Bible speaks of God's throne, the emphasis is on God's transcendence, His dignity, His sovereignty, and His rule. The fact that His throne is in heaven further underscores the transcendent nature of God's existence.

Okay? The throne of God can certainly be a literal throne as we see in this passage here, but it can also be symbolically and is throughout scripture to communicate significance. Uh I mentioned earlier that I said God the Father, the Godhead is spirit. Well, how do I know that? Because John chapter 4 verse 24 tells me that God the Father spirit. John 4 24. Not having a physical body, God is not literally or God the Father does not literally sit as we think of sitting. Okay? References to the divine throne are akin to sort of biblical illusions or illustrations.

You know when somebody say oh God's hand, God's mouth, or God's eyes. What do we call those? Anthro more phisms. Right? It's a way that God utilizes vocabulary words understanding that we can relate to a spirit God. Not to say that Jesus certainly is God who has physical uh hands, feet, and and the whole thing there, but God the Father and spirit relating to us in different ways to communicate to us. That's a really big word. Basically what that means is just the descriptions of God understood in human terms out of respect and reverence for our limited finite knowledge.

You see God has to describe himself in a way that we can understand. Isaiah chapter 60 uh excuse me Isaiah chapter 6 verse 1 is a beautiful example of this. Isaiah sees the Lord and he's it says he said high and exalted seated on the throne. And the train of His robe filled the temple. No, I don't know. Maybe we'll get up to heaven and we'll see the train of His robe and that whole thing is going to be all over heaven and you're going to be like pastor, you got that one wrong. That was not an anthro you know more phism.

That was actually a train that goes throughout all may You know that's possible. I won't say dog you know dogmatically it's not. But what that is trying to communicate, I believe in much of scripture not only literally, but specifically God is high and exalted. He is seated on a throne. The idea is He is sovereign and empower. Okay? And the train of His robe, His presence in heaven it fills the temple. It just completes everything. Just like when Jesus Christ entered our hearts and we became complete in Him. You see at the time the prophet was was having an inspired vision if you remember Isaiah in that passage.

And God's throne, His robe are again maybe not to be taken so literal as the passage we have before us. But we need to understand it is describing a literal God.

Guest (Male): You're listening to Pastor Matt Vanderman on His Perfect Love. You can hear the study from Revelation again when you visit His Perfect Love.org. That's His Perfect Love.org. We've expanded our podcast, too. Look for us on Oneplace.com and most of the major podcast platforms. The Calvary Chapel Harrisburg mobile app is another great way to listen to Pastor Matt's messages shortly after they're delivered. We can help you get started when you visit His Perfect Love.org. We're thankful for the listeners that come alongside of us with their prayers and financial support. If you're interested in supporting this radio ministry, there's a place to do that at His Perfect Love.org.

Together we can reach people with the love and truth of God in these last days. Pastor Matt loves to hear from His listeners. Even just a quick hello telling Him where you hear the program and how you're blessed by it means a lot. Email us there at the website His Perfect Love.org. And whether you live in or around Mechanicsburg PA or will be visiting the area soon, we'd love to have you join us for a service at Calvary Chapel Harrisburg West Shore. Sunday morning services begin at 8:30 and 10:30. We have a midweek service, too, Wednesdays at 7:00 p.m.

You'll find us at 28 North Locus Point Road in Mechanicsburg PA. Go to CCHarrisburg.org for more information. Well, that'll do it for today, but come back next time when Pastor Matt will again study the book of Revelation with us here on His Perfect Love. His Perfect Love is brought to you by Calvary Chapel Harrisburg West Shore.