Rev.# 15:~5:1-5 pt 2~ SCENE AROUND THE THRONE -#2 7-25-09
Last time we were here in chapter 5: and we talked about these first 5 verses, but I’ll make a few more comments on the verses before we move on.
Let me remind us again that Chapters 4 & 5 is a scene that we’ll witness just after the rapture.
Listen as I read chapter 5:1 once again;
1And I saw in the right hand of him that sat on the throne a book written within and on the backside, sealed with seven seals.
This book contains the prophecy of events to be unfolded in the rest of the book of Revelation.
“Seven” is the number of perfection or completeness. So what we have here is the perfection with which the hidden counsels of God are securely hidden, until God Himself as here discloses them.
God, whose plans will certainly and surely be carried out, nothing can alter it in any way, now brings judgment upon sinful man as the Lamb, the Lord Jesus Christ begins opening the seals in chapter 6:
Ø The period of grace and God’s long-suffering will have come to an end at this point. – This leads me to talk a little about the 7 dispensations of time.
~~There are people the world over, who don’t realize that it’s not always going to be the way it has been all their lives, most people really don’t know very much about the 7 dispensations of God, I want to take time to point these out as their very important, and this will help us to understand how close the rapture must surely be.
Ø A dispensation is a particular period of time that God deals with man in a certain manner,
The Scriptures divide time (by which is meant the entire period from the creation of Adam to the "new heaven and a new earth" of Rev. 21:) into seven unequal periods, usually called dispensations, often thought of also as “ages”.
These periods are marked off in Scripture by some change in God’s method of dealing with mankind in respect of two questions: of sin, and of man’s responsibility.
Each of the dispensations may be regarded as a new test of the natural man, and each ends in judgment, because of mans failure in every dispensation.
Five of these dispensations, or periods of time, have been fulfilled; never to return, we are today living in the sixth, {the grace dispensation} and have been ever since the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ to the earth.
John 1:17 For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.
And I’m of the opinion that we’re surely nearing the end of this dispensation of grace, this is year 2009 on the “Gregorian calendar” we go by, so this period has been going on for over 2000 years, the 7th and final dispensation is the dispensation of the Kingdom, and it can not start until King Jesus is here.
Ø The 7 dispensations are,
INNOCENTS, CONSCIOUS, HUMAN GOVERNMENT, PROMISE, LAW, GRACE and KINGDOM.
Listen and I will give you and easy way to remember the 7 dispensations.
Always think of this little saying;
I CAN HELP PEOPLE LOVE GODS KINGDOM. Notice the 1st letter in each word of that little saying and you’ll remember the 7 dispensations.
I CAN HELP PEOPLE LOVE GODS KINGDOM
# 1-innocents:
This dispensation extends from the creation of Adam in Genesis 2:7 to the expulsion from Eden. Adam, created innocent and ignorant of good and evil, was placed in the Garden of Eden with his wife, Eve, and was made responsible to abstain from the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
Genesis 2:16-17 And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: 17But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.
That was all that Adam was required to do. Notice, God didn’t command Eve, because Eve was not yet made from Adams rib. GEN.2:21-22.
Adam was “formed” and Eve was “made”, Adam later told his wife Eve what God had said, that’s one reason she was confused as to exactly the “words” God had commanded Adam as Satan was dealing with her in Genesis 3:1-5.
But still Adam should have stopped her as he was there with her.
Genesis 3:6- she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her;- its seems that neither one of them fully understood how important it was to do what God says, and nothing has really changed has it dear heart, we take to lightly what He tells us in His Word.
Romans 6:23 is still in the Bible- For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
The dispensation of innocence resulted in the first failure of man, and in its far-reaching effects on the entire human race, it closed in judgment: Gen. 1:26 So He drove out the man."
# 2~ the dispensation of CONSCIOUS:
By the fall, Adam and Eve became sinners and transmitted to the Human race the knowledge of good and evil.
This gave our conscience bases for right moral judgment, and therefore the human race came under this measure of responsibility-to do good and shun evil.
The result of the dispensation of conscience, from Eden to the flood was, as were told in Gen. 6:5,11-13; --5 "all flesh had corrupted his way on the earth," that "the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually," -----
11 The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence. 12 And God looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth.
13 And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is filled with violence through them; and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth.
And God closed the second testing of the natural man with judgment: He sent the flood.
# 3-Human Government—That is, Man in authority over the earth
Out of the fearful and destroying judgment of the flood, God saved eight persons, {“8” THE NUMBER OF NEW BEGINNING} “NOAH-MRS NOAH, AND THEIR 3 SONS,” HAM, SHEM AND JAPHETH” AND THEIR WIVES.
So after the waters were abated, He gave the purified earth along with the authority to govern it.
So now, Noah and his descendants were responsible to govern. The dispensation of human government resulted in a futile attempt to become independent of God there on the plain of Shinar, as man tried to build a tower into heaven, read it in--
(Gen. 9: - Gen. 11:1-8] so it closed in judgment: and the confusion of tongues.
# 4 Man under promise—DISPENSATION of PROMISE:
Out of the dispersed descendants of the builders of the tower of Babel who went in different parts of the known world of that time with their different languishes, {by the way, that is why we have different languishes around the world today}
God called one man, Abram, with whom He enters into covenant. Some of the promises to Abram and his descendants were purely gracious and unconditional. These either have been or will yet be literally fulfilled.
Other promises were conditional upon the faithfulness and obedience of the Israelites. Every one of these conditions was violated, and the dispensation of promise resulted in the failure of Israel and closed in the judgment of bondage in Egypt.
# 5~ Man under law---THE DISPENSATION OF LAW:
Again the grace of God came to the help of helpless man and redeemed the chosen people Israel out of the hand of the oppressor, Pharaoh of Egypt.
In the wilderness of Sinai He presented to them the covenant of law.** Instead of humbly pleading for a continued relation of grace, they presumptuously answered:
"All that the Lord hath spoken we will do." Notice the law required do-do-do and don’t-don’t- don’t. --And Israel or no body else could keep all of Gods laws. And if one of His laws were broken they were guilty of breaking them all.
James 2:10 For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all. I don’t know about you, but if we were under Gods law today I’m sure I would have been dead along time ago, maybe stoned to death, thank God that we’re under Grace.
Listen how Israel put them selves under Gods Law, never mind what the consequences might be.
We find God talking to Moses, as Moses was the people’s mediator at that time, God, you could say was laying the “law” down to Moses.
EXOD. 19: 5-8 God instructs Moses to relay His message, and here it is, 5Now therefore, {if} ye will obey my voice indeed, **and keep my covenant, {then}* ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine:
6 And ye shall be** unto me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation.
These are the words which thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel.
7 And Moses came and called for the elders of the people, and laid before their faces all these words which the LORD {commanded him.} **
8 And all the people answered together,** and said, All that the LORD hath spoken {we will do.}** And Moses returned the words of the people unto the LORD. Notice, Moses mediates.
Solomon tells us in
Ecclesiastes 5:4-6 When thou vowest a vow unto God, defer not to pay it; for he hath no pleasure in fools: pay that which thou hast vowed. 5Better is it that thou shouldest not vow, than that thou shouldest vow and not pay. 6Suffer not thy mouth to cause thy flesh to sin;--
Lets never promise God anything because something may happen that might cause us to not be able to keep our promise. I’m not trying to be disrespectful to God in any way, lets just do what He says here.
The history of Israel in the wilderness and in the land is one long record of flagrant, persistent violation of the law, and after multiplied warnings, God closed the testing of man by law in judgment: first Israel, and then Judah, were driven out of the land into a dispersion which still continues today to some degree.
A remnant returned under Ezra and Nehemiah, of which, in due time, Christ came: "Born of a woman-made under the law."
Galatians 4:4-5 But when {the fulness of the time}** was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, 5 To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons.
Ø Both Jews and Gentiles were guilty of crucifying Jesus.
# 6. Man under grace—THE GRACE DISPENSATION:
The sacrificial death of the Lord Jesus Christ introduced the dispensation of pure grace, which means undeserved favour, or God giving righteousness, instead of God requiring righteousness, as under law.
Salvation, perfect and eternal, is now freely offered to Jew and Gentile upon the acknowledgment of sin, and repentance, with faith in Jesus Christ.
The predicted result of this testing of man under grace is judgment upon an unbelieving world and an apostate church. –The Tribulation that we’re now studying.
The first event in the closing of this dispensation will be the descent of the Lord from heaven, when sleeping saints will be raised and, together with believers then living, I Thess. 4:16-17). -caught up "to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord"
Then follows the 7-year period called "the tribulation."
Jer. 30:5-7 For thus saith the LORD; We have heard a voice of trembling, of fear, and not of peace. 6Ask ye now, and see whether a man doth travail with child? Wherefore do I see every man with his hands on his loins, as a woman in travail, and all faces are turned into paleness? 7Alas! for that day is great, so that none is like it: it is even the time of Jacob’s trouble;--{ISRAEL}
Matt. 24:21 For then shall be great tribulation; such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.
Near the end of the 7 years, Jesus returns to the earth, literally, in Rev.19: at what we call Armageddon, He destroys His enemies and all the Jew haters, He then prepares to set up His 1000 year reign, the Millennium.
# 7~ THE KINGDOM DISPENSATION:
After the purifying judgments of the Tribulation, and the judgment of the nations in Matt.25:31-46, as His sits on His Throne of Glory, separating the sheep and the goats, the sheep will go into the Milliaineial Kingdom, they’ll repopulate the earth, their in their natural bodies, the goats are cast into outer darkness, the “sheep” befriended the Jews in the Tribulation, the “goats did not.----sheep & goats are people--
He will reign over restored Israel and over the earth for one thousand years. This is the period commonly called the millennium.
Remember, Satan will be chained in the bottomless pit for the 1000 years, if not there would be no peace on earth.
“Rev.20:1-3 And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. 2And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years, 3And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season.
Satan will be turned loose again on the earth, he will cause a great multitude to come against Jerusalem and the camp of the saints, and then God the Father sends fire from heaven and destroys them all.
Revelation 20:7-10 And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison, 8And shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle: the number of whom is as the sand of the sea. 9And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city: and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them. 10And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.
You may ask why let Satan loose? Its because these people born in the Millennium have never been tested, they were never tempted as the Devil was chained up the entire 1000 years, God is no respecter of persons, all are tested to revile the true worshippers of God.
But when Satan is "loosed a little season," he finds the natural heart as prone to evil as ever, and easily gathers the nations to battle against the Lord and His saints, and this last dispensation closes, like all the others, in judgment.
The great white throne is set, the wicked dead are raised and finally judged, REV. 20:11-and then comes the "new heaven and a new earth." Eternity is begun. Rev. 21 and 22.)
