The Rapture in Revelation (2 of 3)
Eddie Snipes
There are several foreshadows of the rapture in the book of Revelation. To grasp the picture of the raptured church, we must understand the vision of John. We have already looked at the throne of God, but we will re-examine what is applicable here. Look at the first glimpse of Jesus' throne found in Revelation 4:1-4 (read passage)
The first thing I want to examine is John's description of Jesus on the throne. "He who sat there was like a jasper and a sardius stone in appearance". Now let's go back to the Old Testament where the images of this passage are explained. Look at Exodus 28:15-21, vs 29-30 (read passage)
When God established the priesthood in Israel, He commanded that a breastplate of judgment be constructed. The priest would wear this breastplate when interceding for Israel. The priest of God wore this breastplate to symbolize the coming Messiah who would be the true High Priest and bear the judgment of God's people. Also note that the first stone on the breastplate in Exodus was a sardius and the last stone was jasper. This is the title we saw that Jesus gave Himself repeatedly throughout the book of Revelation. He is the Beginning and the End - in Him all things are fulfilled and complete. The emerald colored rainbow symbolizes hope. After the flood, God placed a rainbow in the sky to remind mankind of the promise of God. The rainbow around the throne testifies that those around the throne are under the promise and not the wrath of God. All of the symbolic religious practices of the Old Testament point to the future promises to be fulfilled in Christ.
24 THRONES
Next look at the 24 elders on thrones around the throne of Christ. We can clearly understand this description also by looking back to the Old Testament and examining it in light of 1 Chronicles 24. The tribe of Levi was set apart as priests of Israel for service in the temple of God. Once God had established Israel under the rule of ...
Eddie Snipes
There are several foreshadows of the rapture in the book of Revelation. To grasp the picture of the raptured church, we must understand the vision of John. We have already looked at the throne of God, but we will re-examine what is applicable here. Look at the first glimpse of Jesus' throne found in Revelation 4:1-4 (read passage)
The first thing I want to examine is John's description of Jesus on the throne. "He who sat there was like a jasper and a sardius stone in appearance". Now let's go back to the Old Testament where the images of this passage are explained. Look at Exodus 28:15-21, vs 29-30 (read passage)
When God established the priesthood in Israel, He commanded that a breastplate of judgment be constructed. The priest would wear this breastplate when interceding for Israel. The priest of God wore this breastplate to symbolize the coming Messiah who would be the true High Priest and bear the judgment of God's people. Also note that the first stone on the breastplate in Exodus was a sardius and the last stone was jasper. This is the title we saw that Jesus gave Himself repeatedly throughout the book of Revelation. He is the Beginning and the End - in Him all things are fulfilled and complete. The emerald colored rainbow symbolizes hope. After the flood, God placed a rainbow in the sky to remind mankind of the promise of God. The rainbow around the throne testifies that those around the throne are under the promise and not the wrath of God. All of the symbolic religious practices of the Old Testament point to the future promises to be fulfilled in Christ.
24 THRONES
Next look at the 24 elders on thrones around the throne of Christ. We can clearly understand this description also by looking back to the Old Testament and examining it in light of 1 Chronicles 24. The tribe of Levi was set apart as priests of Israel for service in the temple of God. Once God had established Israel under the rule of ...
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