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The Different Ranks in Resurrection - Part A
"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 show thee things which must be
hereafter" - Revelation 4:1. The saints in the Philadelphia
and Smyrna
churches symbolize full overcomers during the Church Age. The meaning of each
name is significant. "Smyrna"
is a derivative of myrrh, and means "suffering, bitterness." "Philadelphia" means
"brotherly love." We have noted before, that there was no blame
attached to these saints. They were poor, persecuted, and of little strength;
yet they were faithful in all their ways. They overcame all the obstacles in
their day. They learned the lesson of bitter trials and experiences; but they
also learned that Jesus loved them dearly, and in turn they loved one another.
The Philadelphia
church represents the saints who will be "alive and remain" unto the
coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. They overcome the conditions of apostatized
Christendom, and the wickedness of the world in which they live. They will have
remained faithful to the Lord's Headship and to the Truth, to the end. One of
the promises as noted before is, "I also will keep thee from the hour of
temptation ..." Some members of the Church will be taken out of the world
before this terrible day of judgment begins, and others of the Church will
experience some of the horrible judgments meant for unbelievers only.
In the book of Revelation we will see different groups
in Heaven; and, as we look closely at them, their special characteristics will
be seen and also their differences. All Christians are not the same in
experience, in devotedness, in consecration, nor in overcoming. To deny this,
one must be blind to conditions existing today. Let us look at the first group
seen in Heaven, in chapters four and five.
"After this I looked, and, behold, a door was
opened (having been 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
show thee things which must be hereafter." It is not possible to make a
complete study of this book, but let us examine some of the important features.
We see first of all, a door opened and a trumpet sounding. To the a Philadelphia believers, we
read, "I know thy works: behold, I have set before thee an open door, and
no man can shut it ..." In I Thessalonians four, we read about the trumpet
sounding the return of the Lord Jesus for His own. In this respect John, the
writer, represents the full overcomers who know about that "open
door" and who enter it in time to see the enthronement of the Lord Jesus
Christ.
Read the entire fourth and fifth chapters of
Revelation, before you continue reading this article. You will note that there
is a throne in Heaven for Jesus to occupy. John saw this happen. Also, around
His throne, were twenty-four seats or thrones; and upon them were twenty-four
elders who had crowns of gold. There were also four beasts ("living
creatures," Greek) seen there. These twenty-four elders and four living
ones are seen falling down before the Lamb on the throne and saying,
"Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come."
Who are these twenty-four elders and four living ones?
As you read through the book of Revelation, you will find these people
mentioned again and again. There are many interpretations as to who they are,
and the majority of Bible students say they are angels. This is ridiculous when
you consider their occupation and their attributes. In Revelation 5:9,10 we
read of these creatures, "And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art
worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for Thou wast slain,
and HAST REDEEMED US TO GOD BY THY BLOOD OUT OF EVERY KINDRED, AND TONGUE, AND
PEOPLE, AND NATION; and hast made us unto our God KINGS AND PRIESTS: and we
shall reign on (or, over) the earth." It is evident that these are not
angels, for they could never sing this song of redemption. Neither are angels
said to be kings and priests. As John writes the vision which he saw, we read
often that one of the living ones or one of the elders is always on hand to
show him what these things mean. In noting just one instance, we find these
words, in Revelation 22:8,9 - "And I John saw these things, and heard
them. And when I had heard and seen, I fell down to worship before the feet of
the angel (or, messenger) which showed me these things. Then saith he unto me,
See thou do it not: for I am thy fellow servant, and of thy brethren the
prophets, and of them which keep the sayings of this book: worship God."
The saints of God are associated with Him in all His
purposes, and we see this displayed very graphically here in Revelation. The
twenty-four elders are seen, in chapter four, sitting upon thrones. They also
have crowns. They are reigning with Jesus Christ. They are kings unto God. They
represent that part of the dual ministry of all children of God who lay hold of
that privilege. In Revelation 1:5,6 we read, "And from Jesus Christ, who
is the faithful witness, and the first-begotten of the dead, and the Prince of
the kings of the earth. Unto Him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in
His own blood, and hath made us KINGS AND PRIESTS unto God and His Father
..." We are told by the Apostle Paul, in II Tim. 2:12 - "if we
suffer, we shall also reign with Him: if we deny Him, He also will deny
us" (that privilege of reigning). Also, in the letters to the Smyrna and Philadelphia
churches, we find that these two groups of saints alone have crowns. The Smyrna saints are said to
have CROWNS of life. The Philadelphia
group are told, "Behold, I come quickly: hold that fast which thou hast,
that no man take THY CROWN."
Is it possible to share the throne with Jesus Christ?
Is it too much to believe? Let us read the Scriptures and believe what they
say, and disregard all our traditions and teachings of man. Romans 8:16-18
gives us the basis for this hope - "The Spirit Himself beareth witness with
our spirit, that we are the children of God: and if children, then heirs; heirs
of God, AND JOINT-HEIRS WITH CHRIST, if so be that we suffer with Him, that we
may be ALSO GLORIFIED TOGETHER. For I reckon that the sufferings of this
present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be
revealed in us." Thus, we have read that we can reign with Him, if we
suffer with Him now. We can be joint-heirs; that is, share His inheritance. He
will reign for one thousand years as the Sovereign of all He surveys, and we
have the blessed privilege of reigning with Him. There is a price to pay, as
there always is for a monarch. We must be separated unto that calling and
trained to fill that place. There is much suffering that precedes that glory.
We must share His rejection and humility now. We must cast our lot with Him
while He is without a throne.
Now, let us look at the four living creatures. For a
detailed study of this subject, we suggest that you write for our booklet
called "Cherubim and Seraphim." But, for now, let us read Revelation
4:7,8 from the Revised Version - "And the first creature was like a lion,
and the second creature like a calf, and the third creature had a face as of a
man, and the fourth creature was like a flying eagle. And the four living
creatures, having each one of them six wings, are full of eyes round about and
within: and they have no rest day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy, is the
Lord God, the Almighty, Who was and Who is and Who is to come." These
creatures though pictured in a different way from the twenty-four elders,
nevertheless, have the same place and the same occupation.
The creatures have a fourfold description - that of a
lion, a calf, a man, and an eagle. This description describes their character.
The lion is the king of beasts, and would show the kingly nature of these
creatures - even like the Son of God in this respect. The calf would represent
sacrifice; and, shows the yielded life of an overcoming Christian, ready for
whatever his Lord requests. The man would figure their identity with humanity,
and stamp them as being redeemed human beings. The eagle represents their
heavenly nature. The Lord Jesus Christ also mani- fested these traits; and we
see a wonderful correspondence with this fourfold description of these
creatures with the description of Jesus in the four Gospels. Matthew's Gospel
pictures Jesus as the King of the Jews, the lion. Mark pictures Him as the
Servant of mankind, the calf. Luke pictures Him as the Son of Man, or His
humanity. John shows Jesus as the Heavenly One, the Son of God, the eagle. In
this comparison, we see the life and character of Jesus reproduced in the lives
of the children of God. For further study of this fourfold description in the
four Gospels, you may write for our booklet called "The Gospel
Records."
These two groups then, the twenty-four elders and the
four living ones, make up one wonderful group. They are the KINGS AND PRIESTS
which we read about earlier. The four living creatures are always seen as
falling down and worshiping Christ. The elders follow suit. We give our entire
devotion to Christ, who is our life and victory. We reign now in life by one
Christ Jesus; and we reign over the world, the flesh, and the devil. We are
learning to reign now so that, when Jesus takes His throne, we will be able to
sit with Him in judgment upon all these things. The fourth chapter tells us of
the judgment fires burning; and, as we read on, we will see how that judgment
is executed upon the world. The four living creatures represent our priestly
nature which worships God and offers up prayers to Him. Note Revelation 5:8 -
"And when He had taken the book, the four beasts and four and twenty
elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps, and golden
vials (or, bowls) full of odors, which are the prayers of saints."
The four living creatures and the twenty-four elders
are always seen close to the Lamb and active in the incidents of this book. In
Revelation six, when the seals of the book are opened, it is one of the
creatures which calls forth each judgment. The Authorized Version reads,
"Come and see." The Revised Version and other Greek translations read
thus, "And I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seven seals, and I heard
one of the four living creatures saying as with a voice of thunder,
"COME." This voice which was heard was a shout of command. The living
creatures know when it is time for these judgments to come to pass, and they
command them to begin. These living creatures are pictured elsewhere in the
Bible, and it is an interesting study. We see cherubim at the entrance to the
garden of Eden, guarding the way to the tree of life. They are seen hovering
over the mercy seat, looking down upon the blood which was placed there. They
are seen in Ezekiel's vision, associated with the Spirit and the will of God.
Let us not take these things lightly, and dismiss them
as merely created heavenly beings. They are glorified humans, who have yielded
their lives to the Lord while on earth; and now, as seen in Heaven, they are
actively associated with the Lamb in putting down all rule and authority
against God and His throne. This is real, and these creatures and elders
represent full overcomers of this Church Age. They have hazarded their lives
for Jesus and the Gospel's sake. They have yielded themselves to the will of
God absolutely. They have been separated unto Him, and have had perfect
fellowship with Him.
Read thoroughly the prayers of Paul for the saints.
Why does he pray for the saints? We will lose much if we view Paul's Epistles
on the surface only. Search them out and ask the Holy Spirit, our great
Teacher, to reveal to you what they mean. Let the Spirit speak to your heart
concerning this high calling. Bow your knees in real humility, asking for all
that the Lord has for you. Do not be satisfied with less than His best.
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This is the introduction to our article section. We'll have a list of the best articles on different topics here...topics on spiritual maturity and things not generally covered in other Churches/studies.