Lamb on the Throne (Part 2 of 2)

The book of Revelation, the apostle John gives us a behind-the-scenes look at eternity. His vision leads us before God's heavenly throne and what he experiences there reveals the magnitude of God's provision today on Truth for Life weekend. Alastair beg explains the significance of Jesus Christ as the Lamb on the throne. Then in chapter 5. As we have seen, and in verse four. Now we find him confronted by the circumstance which brings in absolutely to tears because he discovers that there is no one in heaven or on Arthur under the earth who can open escrow or look inside it and there he is depicted as weeping and weeping because no one was found was worthy to open the scroll and moved inside. But wait a minute.

Just when it seems as if all is lost. He gets a tap on the shoulders and one of the elders said to me, don't we look see the lion of the tribe of Judah, the root of David, has triumphed and he is able to open the scroll and its seven seals. While this is just terrific. Isn't it God as provided in Jesus, the solution to the tears that John is crying and God has provided. In Jesus the tears which we cry when it's nice when God comes and gives us a tap on the shoulder interns is that our Bibles and says are you forgetting something that the lion of the tribe of Judah has actually triumphed that he is King. So John looks bestowed to look, don't we see and then look at verse six. Is it then I saw a Lamb looking as if it had been slain, standing to the center of the throne and encircled by the four living creatures see the lion. He looks and sees a Lamb and we like him. See, the lion of Judah only as he comes to us as a slain line we see the lion enshrined in the land.

And that's why, in the second half of verse nine when their singing their new song. It is only in Christ crucified that they were going to discover the answer to their alienation and to their dislocation. They didn't need anybody to appear out of the dark and say you know you're in a very dreadful situation with all this persecution and everything that's going on.

They understood that they didn't need Jesus to come and give them the information they needed Jesus to come and give them the explanation so that their troubles would not bring them down. Perplex them and overwhelm know the Lamb which is presented to us here is there is a further reminder to us of all of his humility that Jesus is the one who became obedient unto death, even death on a cross. And when you stand back from this and you view it you will see so clearly that what John is doing is he's reaching back into the Old Testament, and he's picking up Old Testament pictures. He's picking up the picture from the Passover in Exodus chapter 12 he's picking up the picture of the suffering servant from Isaiah 53 because the Old Testament worshiper was accepted on the basis of the sacrifice lab and the New Testament worshiper. We as worshipers are accepted on that same basis.

Now if you look you will see that it says and in the NIV reads. Interestingly, and I looked and I saw a Lamb looking as if it had been slain, what is described here is they find of the wounds in the Lamb representing Christ's death by which he has achieved redemption, but this Lamb stands representing the triumph of his resurrection and he was encircled by the four living creatures, and he had seven horns and seven eyes, which of the seven spirits of God sent out into all their here we go again. Seven horns are an indication at least of his power, and of his Majesty, seven eyes reminder of his knowledge and of his omniscience is always a dreadful pity if we stall in circumstances like this and this. What is clear and plain and central and what is clear and plain and central is that this line is confronting these readers as the only one who is able to take the scroll and open it and explain human destiny and is the one who has died. The only one that is able to deal with sin and death and hell and they are confronted by the Lamb, as are we, as the one who has purchased their salvation because you were slain again verse nine and with your blood you purchased men for God.

That is the price of our redemption. Christ has paid this price when you go forward into chapter 7 and you find the description that is given. There one minute they're described as 144,000. The next minute they're described as a company that no one could number one minute they're described as the 12 tribes of Israel. The next minute they're described as people from every tribe and nation language and tong and so on. And again it's it's it's it's tenuous territory for some writing makes perfect sense from God's perspective, the number is absolutely perfect and finished in undeniable from a human perspective, the number is an unraveling number of vastness so vast that you can count from God's perspective, the people that are redeemed are represented in his tribes from a human perspective, the people that are redeemed are redeemed from every nation and driving people in language and saw and what is the main and central aspect of it while you have it right there when somebody asked who are these people they're the ones who come out of the great tribulation.

They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.

In other words, they are the ones who are cleansed and they are closed and it is on account of that that there before the throne of God and the servant day and night in his temple. And he was sits on the throne will spread his tent over them, and so long in the words of one of our old hymns. All these ones were sinners defiled in his sight, but now arrayed in pure garments and praise unite, and unto him who has loved us and washed us from sin under him be the glory forever. Amen. They are the ones who have been set free from all that held them in its grip, in order that having been purchased by his blood. They might become man for God. Men and women for God, you have purchased them by your blood. That's the price and the purpose is that we might be for God, not our own, bought with a price.

Living for him. And when you think about it in their day as they looked around and they saw some of their friends taken into captivity as they saw people from their community taken away never to return. And as they tried to make sense of the triumph of Christ and of the victory of his ascension and of the reality of his return. Somehow or another they had to make sense of it.

In light of everything that was going on around and if you don't think that what they live through was a tribulation. I don't know what a tribulation might look like there they were, and someone must've said well you know he purchased us for God.

He purchased us for God. We exist for God of praise is about God. Our service is about God, the land, the land is all the glory.

The Lamb is all the glory. How else do we make sense of missionary biography.

How else do we explain the absolute rampant chaos represented in the death of those martyrs in the 50s with Jim Elliott and Nate St. and the rest of for me to live is Christ and to die is gain. Love once that is pure rhetoric unless Revelation 5 is absolutely true that he went to the cross in order to purchase eyes for God so with all of our breath work to be squeezed out for God. If all of our life were to be trampled over for God. Still, it would be time and energy well spent.

Well, if the price is Christ's sacrificial death.

If the purpose is in order that we might not be our own, but be his notice that the scope is absolutely phenomenal.

Who are these people whom he purchased well there from every tribe and language and people and nation. In other words, the men and women from everywhere. Men and women from everywhere you have it again and in Revelation 7. Don't you and I looked in that verse nine and I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every tribe, people, language, standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb and they were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands they cried out in a loud voice.

Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne and to the Lamb. The privilege that was given to each who was present on this occasion was to become part of a kingdom. Chapter 510. Part of the kingdom and priests to serve our God and one day to rain on the air, they will reign on the air.

Interesting. They will reign on their I'm so glad they're going to rain on their I'm so glad there's going to be and you are thorns you. I mean, frankly, most of the stuff about heaven that I was told was a boy made me distinctly uncomfortable you to even not even that he even now I'm not I'm not excited about it. I'll tell you straight up I don't know what alabaster walls look like and I've never played a heart and the thought of claim one, especially for an interminable period of time seems absolutely unattractive. I don't get off and I diverse in here and I don't want unsettle many of you fight. I want to encourage you in a new era. All the things that we have enjoyed in a fallen world will be rectified every friendship that is precious to is now will be even more precious to us that the question of what you're going to do with your spouse or whatever else it is, should probably be subsumed under the absolute assurance that God will make everything that is a blessing and an encouragement and I help to us in this fallen world, even better when he makes a new heaven and a new earth and actually most of our pictures of heaven. Most of our songs about heaven have more to do with Victorian Christianity and Platonic views of the universe than they have to do with a rigorous, thoughtful consideration of what God is actually planning to do for the whole creation groans and travails waiting for the redemption of the sons of God. What because he is going to make a new creation. The ultimate purpose of God was actually not Adam and Eve in the garden. It was Christ in Gethsemane and it was his people in a new heaven and a new for the cross of Christ was not something that was slotted into time in order to correct the defect in a system that had gone wrong.

It was the eternal counsels of God's will that purposed in the view of man's inevitable rebellion that things would be this way. So we will sing his praises.

I don't know about hearts are not unduly concerned about others by my comments. We will worship the Lamb. We will do all of this, but I get even if somebody said to me today that you and others as well is going to be a terrific time in tremendous lot of singing will just be singing singing singing singing noun things.

I honestly don't. Things finally. I hope not because I get tired singing. I really do mean after a few songs I'm done for the night and I don't get there and it is just makes that all different now.

There will be parks there will be fishing there will be sunsets.

Notice the ever-expanding circle of praise that is described here and remember in the book of Revelation. Again, that's why I said and I wasn't being facetious is like a comic book number is book she used to get at least we did when I was that of the small I don't think they still have them. The like the war books the deliver comics and and ends with the drawings in and you can just you can read the dialogue.

If you want to, but if you just looked at ease that I get the point here, and then you look at the next page is pretty will follow along. Even if you couldn't read it in others. If you stood far enough back from I just looked at the pictures at their get a plot here in the same if you take the book of Revelation.

Stand firm of buy from you. I think you get a plot if you get your nose to fall into and start fiddling around. There's no same. What you get irregular rash for all I know understory is just essentially this Jesus wins, Jesus wins seat that's really what it is that's what he saying because the people are safe where finished look at us getting smaller by the day rather than bigger. Jesus was here, but he's gone. He said he would come back, but there's no sign of meanwhile the Roman authorities are getting worse by the minute and they want us to keep saying to one another when we meet each other in the street.

Caesar is Lord. But we can say Caesar is Lord because he is not.

We must see Jesus as Lord, and every time we see Jesus as Lord. They hold one or two overs away and give us our oil hiding. He writes to these beleaguered individuals. Of course, the book has a forward thrust is not irrelevant to outreach, but isn't it interesting that in every generation, especially the closer we get to dying everybody that I've ever met says this is the end of the world. It's coming. Jesus is coming back tonight because you hope so because you don't want to go in a coffin, and neither do I and everybody does it.

When I was 18 going to the prophetic meetings with Frederick Deptford and Sunbury droid mission. I never drove home so fast in all my life bigger staffer did this talk called 11:58 and I was looking at my watch and said I gotta get all because I gotta get some of my mother's cooking refers but only got about an hour and 50 I want my supper, at least before this whole thing goes before this trumpet blows but it never happened that as I went back on the Saturday night it was still 11:58 on the Saturday night and then the late great planet Eric I came bouncing out and how Lindsay had it all sorted out for is that the locusts were Soviet helicopters and they were coming in from every walk man did I eat that up and enjoy that and love that it couldn't wait for it all will goodness gracious of 50 years or 45 years of relapse and what happened to all that that was that was rubbish. I mean if you been in the Old Testament so motorhead overhead with a break because he would've been a false prophet know this is the thing you see you move can you say that what we have here we have the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. He is the one who steps forward, both as lion Aslan. He is the one who is the keys that are able to unlock the scroll of destiny. He doesn't tell us everything. The languages that is used is multifarious. It's eschatological is metaphorical, and so on. It's very hard to deal with and if you stand far enough bite from you get the picture and you will be invited to join in the ever-expanding circle of praise verse eight of chapter 5 and when he had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the 24 elders fell down before the Lamb, each of them had a harp they were holding golden bowls full of incense. Good for them, which are the prayers of the saints. All right, that's the first circle the verse 11 and then I looked and I hear the voice of many angels, numbering thousands upon thousands, and 10,000×10,000, and they encircled the throne and the living creatures and the elders and in a loud voice they say that's the second concentric circle going out the way. Then verse 13 then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea and all that is in them, singing to him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praise and honor and glory and power for ever and ever. And the four living creatures that man and the elders fell down and they worshiped Izzy was he's giving them this picture of absolute total triumph eventually. Basically what you have here is Philippians 21 day at the name of Jesus, not just the four elders in the 24 and that whatever one they had the name of Jesus every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that he is the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world by whose blood arsons or clans with whose righteousness we are clothed and in whose company we will live for all of eternity. Whatever it's going to be like in November I told you earlier. You don't have to be a one bit of attention to all my silly stuff. You are sensible people read the Bible for yourselves and remember the main things are the plain things in the plain things are the main things your listing to Truth for Life weekend. Alastair Briggs final message in our series to know Christ. Alastair will return in just a minute with some closing thoughts, so please keep listening. If you have found yourself shopping this weekend. I will suggest something to add to your purchase list today of Truth for Life. We have a special offer a double documentary that takes an extraordinary look at how the gospel message has been repackaged in America. This documentary series is titled American gospel and it features two full-length films that explore the man-made version of Christianity that has taken root in our country. The first film is titled Christ alone and it explores the prosperity gospel in the movement. The promises health and wealth by following Jesus.

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This two DVD set is available through Truth for Life and comes with instructions. If you would prefer to stream the movies online also mentioned that the second film includes interviews with Alastair. Find out how you can request American gospel Truth for Life.org, or by clicking the image in the Truth for Life And while you're on the app store on our website. Be sure to check out the featured book, repeat the sounding Joy by Christopher Ash.

This is the last week and this new Advent devotional will be available so don't miss out on requesting it will enjoy revisiting the Christmas story through the eyes of those who were present at the birth of Christ, repeat the sounding joy includes Scripture a devotional reflection and space for you to Journal if you're looking for a way to re-encounter the Christmas story. Visit our website at Truth for Life.org now here's Alastair Samuel Rutherford and we stop Rutherford Scottish divine some of your read his letters and to end his memoirs Margaret cousins who was the wife of one of his minister friends took some of his materials and wrote a very long poem, and out of a very long poem somebody chose, about six stanzas and wrote a hymn and you know what it was. It begins the sands of time, or sinking.

Remember in the dawn of heaven breaks and it is wonderful in its picturesque language and it concludes in this way, the bright eyes, not her garment, but her dear bridegroom's face. I will not gaze on glory but on the King of Grace not on the crown he giveth, but on his nail pierced hand for the land is all the glory in Immanuel's land and whatever that will mean however that will look because God has promised to bring to completion the good work that he is already begun in the life's of his children. If I don't see you before I will try and find you and perhaps we can either go fishing or maybe just play the harp for a little while about Lapine. Be sure to join us next weekend is Alastair focuses on the heart of the holiday with a message titled the crux of Christmas the Bible teaching of Alastair Begg is furnished by Truth for Life with the Learning is for Living