Page Pats, chapters 2 and 3, and this morning we're going to begin on Revelation chapter 4, the future. Everything from here on as Revelation is yet future with a few parentheses in it. A parentheses is a qualifying word which doesn't seem to have any grammatical connection, but it usually does. Beginning in verse 1, remember something when we read these verses in chapters 4 We have a picture of the rapture of the Church, the Church is gathered together in heaven, and we have the Church in heaven and the Lord Jesus Christ getting ready to open the seven sealed book that opens up to seven-year tribulation, beginning in chapter 6, which we'll probably get on in probably who knows how long we're going to spend a lot of time in the book of Revelation, we're going to go through the entire Bible as we do so. Revelation chapter 4, verse 1, and behold a door was open in heaven and the first voice that I heard was as it were of a trumpet. Talking with me, which said, come up here. And I will show thee things which must be here after. And immediately I was in the Spirit and behold a throne was set in heaven and once sat on the throne. The first thing that you and I are going to see when the rapture takes place, first thing is going to happen is we are going to hear the voice of the Lord as it were of a trumpet. It will not be a trumpet in my opinion, but notice what John said, a voice as it were of a trumpet. In other words, a very distinct sound. John want to explain that. So turn in your Bibles if you will. Hold your place here to 1 Corinthians chapter 14, if you will. We're going to take a look at what Paul is talking about. it were John, I'm sorry. First Corinthians chapter 14, if you will, turn to verse 7. Paul explained to the church at Corinth what a distinct sound is. In other words, Paul saying, tongues are not for today. You shouldn't be speaking in tongues. He says in chapter 14 verse 7 and after these things, without light, giving sound, whether flute, your Bible may not say use the word flute. But anyway, it might say pipe. But whether pipe or flute or harp except they give a distinction in the sounds, how shall it be known what is piped or harped? In other words, if you sit in a concert somewhere, you go where you're listening to music. If the person playing the music doesn't know how to play the music is not going to sound very good at it. No need to be have a distinct sound. For those the view that we're in the military, did you revely? Is it the distinct sound? When they call you to eat, it's a distinct sound. Everything the trumpet did in the art courses is a distinct sound. Verse 8. For if the trumpet give an uncertain sound, who shall prepare himself to the battle? If you've ever watched the western John Wayne, and when he was in the fight in the Indians years ago. And he really did. Anyway, there was always a trumpet when they went to attack those poor defenseless Indians. Who shall prepare himself to the battle? So likewise, except he uttered by the tongue words easy to be understood. How shall it be known what is spoken for you shall speak into the air? In other words, when Jesus Christ calls his church home, if you're on the today and he calls his church today, it'll be a distinct sound, a distinct voice, you will know it'll be from the Lord. And he's going to say just like he did to John, come up here in an instant and we will all be gathered with the Lord. Chapter 15, 1 Corinthians, if you will, verse 51 and 52. Behold, I show you a mystery, we shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, that's at the rapture. In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye. By the way, the word moment is the Greek word atamos and it means unsplitable. When scientists discovered the atom, they originally thought it was unsplitable so they gave it the name atom. It comes from the Greek word atamos moment. In the twinkling of an eye, the last trunk for the trumpet shell sound and the dead shall be raised incorruptible. Now then, if you will, turn over to 1 Thessalonians, chapter 4, and chapter 4. Teen, but I would not have you be ignorant, brethren, concerning then who are asleep dead, that you sorrow not even as others who have no hope. They're not really in the grave dead. They're asleep. They're in heaven. Their bodies are in the grave. For we believe that Jesus died and rose again. So then also who sleep in Jesus will God bring with him they must be with him before he can bring them with him right make sense to me For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout a shout his voice With the voice of the Archangel and with the Trump of God a distinct sound that's what it means With the Trump of God and the dead in Christ shall rise first Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with Him in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, the rapture. It'll take place with a distinct sound from the Lord. Notice something else if you will. The dead in Christ in verse 16, the last part of the verse, the dead in Christ shall rise first, but the Lord brings them with Him. What does that mean? That means their spooked soul and spirit are in heaven with the Lord Jesus Christ. They will get a brand new body wherever it was, wherever it is. It doesn't make any difference, but they will rise, get a brand new body and we will all get a brand new body at the voice of the Lord. Now back to Revelation, if you will. Verse 2, I was in the Spirit and behold a throne was set in heaven. I want to explain the first part of that verse immediately. I was in, do you know what happens when you put your faith in Jesus Christ? You are are in dwelt by the Spirit, the Holy Spirit. That Holy Spirit guarantees that you cannot lose your salvation. God said, Jesus Christ said in John chapter 14, that the Spirit would be with you forever, and he will never leave you. So if the Holy Spirit is with you and in you and will never leave you, you cannot lose your salvation. Chapter 1 verse 13 said that the Holy Spirit is a seal. Ephesians chapter 4 verse 30 says that he is a seal. He has sealed you. The very second you put your faith in Christ, you are sealed by the Holy Spirit. And when the rapture takes place, the Holy Spirit is going to leave this earth and he will take you with him. So when the seven-year tribulation begins, no problem. Don't worry about it. You won't be here. I'm not going to be here, as a matter of fact, I'm looking forward to the seven-year tribulation. I hear people all the time complain about the number 666. Oh, what are we going to do? They're going to make the, why in the world would a Christian worry about the number 666? Why would you do that? The number 666 will not be instituted until the middle of the seven-year tribulation you're going to be in heaven for three and one-half years before it even takes place. Don't worry about it. That's when the man who rolled the earth. That's when the high price will rule the earth. Yes, for six, six, six, six will not affect a saved born-again Christian. Don't worry about it. Don't worry about it. A throne was set in heaven and one sat on the throne. His name is Lord Jesus Christ. Now then this is really what I want to get into this morning. That sat was to look upon like a a jasper and a sardine or a sardius stone and there was a rainbow round about the throne in sight like an emerald. There are three stones that we want to look at this morning, the jasper, the sardine and the emerald or the sardius which is what it really should be. Sardine sounds like a little fish and it can't. So we won't use that word, doesn't sound like a stone to me. There are three things that I don't like. I just thought I'd throw this out to you. Pocket full of snakes, sunbathing in the Antarctic and cold toilet seats, I don't like any of those three things. I just thought I'd tell you that just for the heck of a… You probably didn't want to know that, did you? Pocket full of snakes, that terrible, isn't it? Okay, go to your Bibles, if you will, we're going to take a look at the three stones here. Very important. By the way, do you know everything in the Bible is important if it wasn't God wouldn't put it there. Everything in the Bible is significant if it wasn't God wouldn't put it there. That's why He tells us to study, to show thyself the proof. So I studied this briefly. the Bible if you will, to Genesis chapter 49 and we'll come back here shortly. Maybe go to Genesis chapter 49. We have a lot of places to go this morning. I want to show you the significance of the stones that we just looked at in Revelation chapter 4, verse 3. This is chapter 49, verse 8. Genesis chapter 49. There are a lot of things going on in these verses, but we're going to begin in verse 3 and I want to show you the nation of Israel in the way that they were born, the youngest, the first born to the left. So go to verse 3, Genesis chapter 49, the first born of the nation of Israel, born to Jacob, who was renamed Israel. Verse 3, Ruben, thou art my first born my might, and the beginning of my strength, the excellency of dignity and the excellency of power. Unstable as water thou shalt not excel because they went us up to thy fathered bed and so forth. Number, verse 5, Stamayun and Levi are brethren. Instruments of cruelty are in their habitation. Verse 8, we are going to skip a few here. Judah, first of all we have Ruben, Simeon, and Levi, the first three sons of Israel. The fourth son was Judah, and then on down if you will, we are going to skip a few verses here. In verse 13, we will come back to these verses shortly. Zebulon, Isacara, verse 14, Isacar, verse 16, Dan 19, Gad, you see the name there, verse 20, Asher, verse 21, Neptali, verse 22, Joseph, the one who was sold into slavery, and then in verse 27. We see the very last sun, the number 12, is Benjamin. Benjamin shall consume as a wolf in the morning. Hold your place there. We're going to come back here and go if you will to Exodus chapter 28. You're going to need to hold your place because we're going to go back and forth hopefully, if I don't get all filed up and mixed up. Exodus chapter God told Moses to make a breastplate for the priest to wear when he went into the holy place. And at verse 15, next to this chapter 28, and thou shalt make the breastplate of judgment. Skillful is the word. Your Bible may say grave, skillful, or your Bible may say kind of skillful work. were good work. After the work of the ephod, thou shalt make it of gold, blues, purple, scarlet, and so forth. Then he tells us what size it in verse 16, four square. In other words, a perfect square, God said, make it perfect square. Then he tells us how big a span shall be the length thereof, and thou shalt set it in settings of stones. I give you, by the way, a picture of that in the both in the smart, if you've had to look at that. And thou shalt set it in settings, up stones, even four rows of stones, and the first row shall be a sardius stone, remember we read in Revelation. Remember that. So pay attention, pay attention. A sardius, this is the first row. Remember, these are supposed to represent the children of the nation of Israel. And thou shalt set settings in verse 17, Aesardius, a Topaz, and a Carbuncle. This shall be the first row. And the second row shall be an Emerald, a Sapphire, and a Diamond. Now hold your place and look up here for just a minute. You see this crazy drawing? This is my picture of the breastplate. The priest would tie it around his neck, he would tie it here, and he would wore it on his breast, and he represented the twelve tribes of the nation of Israel. It had four, it had three rows, one, two, three, four, four rows down, three rows across, that's twelve, representing the twelve tribes of the nation of Israel. The first row, notice the first row, let's read that again in verse 17. A sardis, a tote pass, a carbuncle, a cross, a sardis, that's the first one, a tote pass and a carbuncle, and then we go on down, and the second row shall be an emerald. Notice the emerald, that's number four, and then all the way across, and then let's treat on down, if you will, a sapphire and a diamond, and a third row, a jessent, that's the correct word, an agate and an amethyst, and the fourth row, a barrel and onyx, and notice the last one, a jaspersdum. Okay, you follow me along now? Good. I heard somebody say, That's good. Now then let's go back to Genesis if you will. My Bible folded over here so that I can go to both places. It's not really that hard to do. Genesis 49, verse 3. Ruben, the first born, what represented Ruben? Go to chapter 28, verse 17. Hold your place, go back and forth. This sardis. Very good. Now then let's skip. So, I'm going to let's go down to Judah. He's number four, right? One, two, three. You've got Rubens and Mayone, Levi, and Judah. Number four. He is the emerald. That's right. And then we're going down, and we see in both the very last child is 27, and verse 27 is Benjamin. You follow me along now? What is the very last stone? The Jasper. Wonderful. You're doing good. These represent something. The word Ruben means behold a sun, the sardious sun. Judah means praised, celebrated. Benjamin the Jasper means is a clear stone And it means son of the right hand. And you follow me along now? I hope I'm not getting too confusing. So let's take a look at the first stone, the sardius. It was red. It was blood red. Behold a son. What did the Lord say to the Lord Jesus Christ? A voice came out of heaven when he was baptized by a John and a voice said, behold my beloved son. So the Sardius, the red stone, represents the first coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. He shed His blood, He gave His blood, remember the Lord said, I am the first and the last. Didn't He say that? I am the first. He's the first born of all creation. He was the first to rise from the grave, have a brand new body, a resurrection. He is the first of the nation of Israel and the West. He is a manifestation of God's promise to Abraham and the nation of Israel. He is the sardiest stone. He shed his blood, behold a sun. And then the Jasper is a clear, perfect, it represents God's judgment and righteousness and holiness. It's clear without imperfection. Doesn't the Bible say that Jesus Christ is perfect, perfect God's sinless, perfect? It is called, Benjamin was called the son of my right hand. Where is the Lord Jesus Christ today? in heaven on the right hand of the Father, isn't he? So you see all the significance of all of these stones, all of these things, there is nothing in the Bible that is not significant or a Judah, back to Genesis, if you will. Then we can eat to point some things out here. Remember it said in Revelation around the throne, like an emerald, like an emerald, green emerald. What does that mean? The word Judah in the Bible means praise, celebrated. Let me ask you a question. Who deserves all of our praise? Who do we deserve? Who do we deserve to be celebrated? Jesus Christ, why? Because He went to the cross, was humiliated, and only died shed His blood for the sins of all humanity. the most despicable human being that has ever lived. Jesus Christ paid for their sin. Whether they go to heaven or not, that's up to them. The Bible said Christ paid for their sin, but they have to believe it. That's when the price gets paid. So let's go back and take a look at Judah and Genesis chapter 49. Look if you will in verse 8. The fourth son, the emerald in Berset, Judah, thou art he whom thy brethren shall praise, and shall be in the neck of thine enemies thy father's children shall bow down before thee. Where did the Lord Jesus Christ come from? Even though he came from the entire nation of Israel, he came out of the line of Judah. The line Judah is a lion swell. What does the Bible call Lord Jesus Christ, the Lion. The Lion of the tribe of David. Where did David come from? From by from the prey my son, that we're going up. He stood down. He couched, crouched as a lion and as an old lion. Who shall rouse him up? You see, Jesus Christ is the Lamb who became the Lion. Amen. He sure did. Verse 10, The Scepter shall not depart from Judah. But nor a law giver from between his feet until Shiloh come and unto him, shall the gathering of the people be. This is one of the most important prophecies in the entire Bible. Mark this in your Bible, if you don't mark any other verse, the scepter means the law giver. I don't know if you've ever noticed if you see the pictures of the kings and the old and The olden days sitting on their throne, and they always had a staff between their feet did you ever notice those? That staff means that that king, or that whatever he was at Supreme ruler, was the law giver, and on the top of the staff he always had a seal. And when a important paper was signed he would take the top of the staff and mark it with his seal, and that became law. Jesus Christ, His Shiloh. is the Shiloh. Some day you notice a logiver from between his feet. Remember what we said when the kings and the rulers sat on the throne they had that staff between their feet, indicated they were the supreme logiver. Shiloh is a picture and means to be tranquil, to be safe, to be at peace. And notice that it says unto him that Shiloh, the logiver, the Lord Jesus Christ shall be the gathering of the people. Not yet. There's going to be two gatherings when the Lord Jesus Christ gathers His people. The book first will be the rapture when He gathers His church. And the second will be at the end of the seven-year tribulation when He gathers the nation of Israel. The numbers chapter 24, if you will, numbers chapter 24. In Numbers chapter 24, a parable here, but anyway, I'm not going to go through the whole thing. Verse 17, it says, I shall see him, but not now. I shall behold him, but not my. There shall come a star out of Jacob who was renamed Israel by the way. And a scepter shall rise out Israel. Who is that? Jesus Christ. A scepter shall rise out of Israel and shall smite the corners of Moab and destroy all the children of Sheth. He did and he will. Now with that in mind all that in mind turn back to Revelation chapter 4, if you will, or something out here, if you will. Look at verse 3. First of all we see the Lord Jesus Christ in verse 2, chapter 4, sitting on His throne in heaven which he deserves by the way, which he has always owned since the beginning of eternity. We forever and ever and ever, but he gave up his throne for 33 years while he came and became an infant in the womb of Mary, lived for 33 years, died on the cross. He gave up his throne temporarily through his robe aside. Finally, he's back in heaven on the throne where he belongs, but But notice if you will, in verse 3, and he that sat was to look upon like a jasper, and a sardius stone, sardius. Isn't that funny? I thought jasper was the last stone, and I thought the sardius, the red stone, was the first stone. Well, it is. This is very simple, actually. John is looking backwards. In the Old Testament, look forwards. We have the first stone, the Jasper. We have the last stone, the Sardis. John is looking back as he looks to the cross. He sees the pass and he's looking back. Where did you going to see that in another place in Revelation? In a sometime down the road. But that's exactly what John saw in verse three at the end of the verse. The The rainbow around about the throne represents God's perfection, represents His glory, and represents the fact that He came out of the tribe of Judah, the scepter, the law giver. So you see how everything points to the Lord Jesus Christ and what He did for you. Beginning next week we're going to take a look at the four and twenty elders, the thrones and the elders, and we're going to take a look at the crowns, the Christian crowns. You see that's mentioned in verse 4, looking verse 4, if you will. We had four and twenty elders in verse 4, and they had white raiment, and they had on their heads crowns of gold that's represents the church. You see, but out there's only twenty-four. Well certainly, because the church isn't in heaven yet, John just sees they type off. He sees an illustration of, I believe the word 24 represents the 12 nations of Israel and it represents the 12 apostles who are the foundation of salvation by preaching the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. Didn't the Lord say the salvation is of Israel? Yes. Without Israel you would not have the Lord Jesus Christ. So everything in the Bible fits, everything is significant. John could not see the church because the church is not in heaven yet. But he sure saw a lot, didn't he? And I'll notice that he says, as it were, the words mean as it were. Let me ask you a question. If you were to look up in the heaven, there would be things going on that you would not be able to explain. Paul did, and second Corinthians chapter 11, believe it is, and there were things going on that he could not explain. If you were to see the Chicago fire and you were to view it, you wouldn't be able to have explained it. It would have been so tragic, so unbelievable that you would have said, I just can't explain what's going on. Heaven is like that. It's so unexplainable that you and I in our humanity He could never explain what we saw in heaven. And knowing that, I don't think, wants us to. He wants us to be all brand new, all exciting. And so we have in the picture of the church in heaven and the crowns and the white raiment and all these things. And we're going to take a look at the forebeast. The crowns that the Christian can receive and all these things. We need to take time to do that in the meantime. We're going to close with that. But no, that makes sense to you. To show you this illustration, the Bible says that we're all sinners, doesn't it? I never did sin, by the way. I want you to know that. Yeah, don't follow me around the day because we'll see what will I arrive. I'm a sinner, probably the worst. Probably the worst sinner that I ever lived, I admit it. I told somebody the other day I was witness to somebody and I said, I want to tell you front. I'm a preacher but I'm a center. I gave him a track and I said I want to tell you how to go to hell or hell rather. I said I know I'm a preacher but I'm not supposed to do this but I'm gonna tell you how to go to hell and the guy looked at me real funny and you said well thank you and so anyway I said but I want you to know up front I'm a center. I've been a center all my life I'm gonna die a center and and he said well really? I said yeah anyway I told him how to be saved and he said, thanks again. But the Bible says we're all sinners. I am, this represents my sin. I can go to hell and pay for it. God will allow me to do that. Romans 6.23. The wages of sin is death. Or John chapter 3 verse 16, 17, 18, whose wherever believeeth not is condemned already. If you want to go to hell, it's very easy. All you have to do is don't believe Christ I don't across for it. That's it. Go to some church where you can get religious. You'll go to hell, but you'll go to hell in a religious way. Or maybe you're too smart for all that, but you'll just be another smart person. In hell, you know, you'll be a hot smart person. There gonna be a lot of people there. But the Bible says, I can go to hell and pay for my own sin. All I have to do is not believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. Or the Bible says Christ died on a cross, was buried and rose again. That's That's what the Bible said, that's the gospel, for the forgiveness of sin. And all I have to do is believe it. When I believe it, he takes my sin, Mark's have paid, put it to his account on the cross, his blood pays for all my sin, past, present, future. I have a brand new home in heaven, isn't that great? When I look at him some day, I'm going to see the sardew stone, I'm going to see every stone, the visual, I'm going to see the Jasper stone, I'm going to see his blood, I'm I'm going to see all of these things, the emerald, he'll be praised, he'll be celebrated. I'm going to be doing that, isn't that amazing? Isn't the Bible, everything in the Bible is significant. It means something. So if you're here today and you've never done that, all you have to do is believe Christ died on the cross for you. When you do that, your sins are marked paid to His account. You can go to hell. It's entirely up to you. It's pretty hot down there. I refuse to go, by the way. I'm not going because I believe the Lord Jesus Christ, He said to whoever believed in me, had their everlasting life. I did. And when I die and leave this old body, I'm going to heaven and I'm going to hold him accountable because he can't lie. He said, if you believe in me, you have everlasting life. He can't lie. He has to take me into heaven. I don't have to pass go. I don't have to walk through the pearly gates because I don't know if there are such things. I don't have to go take a test. I don't have to do anything. All I'm going to do is walk in. And I'm going to hold him to it. And you have a right to do the same thing if you want. First thing you have to do is believe he paid for your sin and he'll be paid. And then you can hold him accountable. Say, Lord, I'm coming in. You can't stop me. You made a promise. And he can't lie. Isn't that great? It really is. Let's have word of prayer and we'll close this morning. Dear Lord, we thank You for Christ, died on the cross, paid for our sin. We thank You so much for it. If you're here this morning, You've never done that just right now, between Him and you. Say, Lord, I believe You died on the cross for me. And then say, thank You and your scents are paid pretty simple isn't it? Matter of fact it's so simple, religious humanity refuses to accept it. Religious just be honest. You've sinned. You have to do. Forty price name. In your handle, page 255, if you will. And let me strike up the band here. Some adjustments. Page 255, we'll sing one verse.