“To another the word of knowledge, by the same Spirit.”—1 Cor. 7:8.
In the Revelation, from beginning to end, we have a book of judgment, There we learn God. In the previous dispensation we learn the Father. The soul, in going on in inquiry after truth, scarcely likes to mark the passage from the first to the second character. The name of Father gives us His heart towards us. We scarcely like to take one step from the threshold. We like the atmosphere of the Father’s house, it gives rest to the soul, taking it away from the contention and evil that is in us and around us; but we have need of faith and patience, and God is to be learned as well as the Father. The book of the Revelation has nothing to do with the actings of the Father. In the first chapter we read, “The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto Him.” This tells us how intelligently to open this book. There are two great spheres of judgment in it, the one of the candlesticks, the other of the world.
First we find the priest in the sanctuary, not standing at the golden altar with incense, where God was, but towards the candlesticks, with golden snuffers, to see if the lamp of the sanctuary would yet burn worthy of God. He is not represented as standing there to replenish them with oil, but with the snuffers (Ex. 25:38) to trim them, and to see for the last time if they might be made to burn brighter, and if not to remove them. The end is here, as always in the book, not in the Lord Jesus ministering grace, but in the Lord as Son of man, putting the candlestick (i.e., the Church) on its responsibility. It is like Adam in the garden when the Lord said to him, “Where art thou?” or “Give an account of thy stewardship.” From that day to this, the only place in which the Lord can own us is in being humbled and mourning, not lifting up our heads in the consciousness of not having answered the challenge of the Son of man. We may see a little bit of beauty here and there, but as having failed, our place is that of the shattered candlestick, and it becomes us to behave ourselves with humility.
In the fourth chapter we have the preparation for the second part of judgment, that of the world, just as in the first chapter we have the preparation for judgment on the Church, so the fourth and fifth are preparatory to the second; then we get the judgment of the earth—the outer sanctuary. In the fourth, I judge, we get the throne of Him (v. 10, 11) to whom all blessing, and the very title of creation belong; around the throne of such an one we see the rainbow, the sign of stability on earth, in the blood that the sweet-smelling sacrifice of Noah typified. Then we have the living creatures, the lightnings, the seven spirits, &c.; in all these we get the exhibition of the instruments to redeem the earth by judgment from under the power of Satan. The lightnings and thunders, the judicial acts by which the earth is redeemed from that power—the elders, &c., the exhibition of the power by which “the world to come” is judged.
The Twenty-third Psalm starts with the flock of God on their journey homeward. Whatever the circumstances may be in the hands of the Good Shepherd—whether the rod or the staff, still “goodness and mercy follow them,” &c., and they are led in safety to the house of the Lord. The character of this psalm sweetly harmonizes with the whole Gospel of John. But the 24th does not describe the flock going home, but the co-heirs of Jacob going up to the golden city. We have just this path prepared in the Revelation. Here in the fifth chapter we have “Thou art worthy to take the book,” &c.—God’s title which Satan cannot touch, “He hath founded it on the seas,” &c. But then, as of old, God set up Adam as head of the creation, so now He designs to set up the last Adam as head over the second creation. Then we have the question, “Who shall ascend,” &c. Whom shall God put over the forfeited dominion of Adam? “He that hath clean hands and a pure heart,” &c., —Jesus.
In the 23d Psalm we have not the fullness of the Father’s house as in the 24th, it is only “He that path clean hands,” &c.; but, though “the Revelation” goes much farther and deeper, it is only the expansion of the same person unfolded in dispensation. John led us, in his gospel, no farther than to the Father’s house, but the Revelation prepares us to travel from the Father’s house to the golden city. The 24th Psalm ends with “Lift up your heads,” &c., “The Lord of Hosts, He is the King of glory,” and the golden city is the close of this book. There are two paths—that of the children home to their Father, and then as co-heirs with Jesus to the golden city. God’s blessed love has not only given us that beautiful golden city, and the Father’s hand leading us up to the Father’s house, but the Revelation displays those judgments by force of which the inheritance is redeemed into the hands of Him who made and redeemed it for His Church to rule over.
One thing here strikes me, the connection of power with the government of the world (4-9.) We know from the eleventh chapter, that the government of “the world to come” will go on in this way; we have ourselves, in the persons of the cherubim, as attendants on the throne of God. In the holy place they were made of one piece with the mercy-seat, perfectly reflecting the mind of Him who sat between the cherubim. In the garden of Eden, when the Lord drove out the man, He placed at the east of it the cherubim and a flaming sword. Why was this? Because the attendants of God reflected His mind; but in the holiest the sword is gone, and they have their wings spread over the mercy-seat, and in delight searching into its secrets, tell us all the blessed joy He has in GRACE. Their full union with the mind of God is seen throughout the Scripture. In Ezekiel, Jerusalem being a defiled place, we do not find the wings of the cherubim stretched over the mercy-seat, but stretched forth to carry Jehovah away. In Ex. 24, the God of Israel rested, and the glory of the Lord abode on Mount Sinai; but now in Ezekiel the apostasy had disturbed the rest of God, and the aspect of the cherubim is quite different; their wings are down, and we see one of the cherubs stretching forth his hand to take fire to throw on the devoted city.
In “the world to come” I do assuredly judge the attendants on the throne will no longer be angelic but human in their character, Heb. 2:5. The first great glory is that we are co-heirs with the Son—the second, that we enter into the place of cherubim glory. The angels are made to open their ranks to let us in; the cherubim are not only in the midst of the throne, but in the midst of the elders. In the 5th chapter we have the title of the Lord Jesus to redeem the earth, and to occupy the throne, discussed and settled in heaven. In Daniel we find the Son of man brought to the ancient of days, &c., (Dan. 7:13,14,) and in Luke 19, the Lord likens Himself to a nobleman, who went into a far country to receive a kingdom, and return. The Lord’s title to the kingdom is settled in heaven, before the action of the book goes on at all; Jesus goes up to take the book from the right hand of Him who sat upon the throne, as owning the power to be in God himself, and God owns the power as being committed into the hands of Jesus, and allows it to pass from the right hand of Him who sat upon the throne. Then everyone in heaven, the Church, the elders, the angels, all own the title of the blessed God to take His place, and Jesus to have the scepter of righteousness, and nothing but joy runs through all. The Revelation SHOWS us what the Epistle to the Ephesians tells us is going on (3:10). The Church is now made the display of the manifestation of God’s GRACE, and this teaches lessons to the angels, but in the Revelation it will be the display of God’s GLORY.
If the action of the book begins at the sixth chapter, where is the Church? Taken up at some indefinite moment between the third and fourth chapters. Why do I judge the Church is taken up after the third? In the fourth it is seen in heaven, and from the sixth to the nineteenth we find the Church never stepping down from this place of joy and intelligence in the heavenlies. Their continuous joy may be traced.
In the seventh we find the angels sealing the tribes. Was there any delight in this? Surely, beloved; and we find the angels standing round the throne, and the elders and living creatures worshipping God, and saying “Amen” to the praises of the innumerable multitude themselves, breaking out into a song of praise; and in chapter nineteen, where the marriage of the Lamb is announced, we find an ecstasy of heavenly joy running throughout the whole sphere. Every now and then we find the expression of not an interruption, but an elevation of joy, not mingled with the earth, still around the throne.
From the sixth to the nineteenth holds the same place as the book of Joshua in Old Testament history—it is the account of the redemption of “the Inheritance,” and of its being taken out of the hands of the usurper, and made ready to be given into the hands of Man; it is “the root of David” (see chap. 22), who presides over “the inheritance.” The Lord will not resume Israel till the fullness of the Gentiles is come in. The Church is taken up before the second scene of judgments on the earth, in which the Church is not made an instrument. The Church will be made the instrument of RULING the world when it is brought into blessing, but not of REDUCING it. “In Judah is God known.” These are the instruments of power, the Lord’s “goodly horse in the day of battle,” “out of him” come forth “the battle bow” (Zech. 10). The difference between the Church and the Jewish remnant is as that between Enoch and Noah. The first was rescued out of the judgment, the latter was preserved in it. Before the judgment came through which the other was carried, Enoch is taken out of the scene and translated into heavenly blessing. This, I believe, is shown in Thessalonians to be the case with the Church (1 Thess. 4:19).
When I reach the sixth chapter, I find my standing in the attitude of the disciples on the Mount of Olives when they asked the Lord, “When shall these things be?” then we get the signs corresponding to those which the Lord gave in Matt. 24. I see the seals govern the action of the whole book, and are given in answer to the question, “What shall be the sign of thy coming?” The Church (which is in heaven) has no place in the action (which is on the earth.) Then it may be asked, “Why have we the book?” It completes the account of the actings of God. We do not exhaust the Lord’s mercy to Israel till we have passed through the book of Joshua—till He had proved Himself to be the redeemer of “the inheritance” as well as the heirs of it. We have the children of the Father brought fully out in John, and by the ministry of Paul fed and nourished, but however gracious this is, yet there is another thing in the mysterious actings of our Joshua that is most blessed. He takes us himself into “the inheritance.” The bride of the Lamb is brought out as the golden city. That result we get in the twenty-first chapter. In the nineteenth we have the Lamb, and the marriage of the bride, which, I judge, takes place in the Father’s house.
When speaking of the coming of the Lord, we look at it indistinctly if we speak of His coming to the earth. This is not what we look for, but for His descent from heaven—this is the first stage. Thus by the voice of the trumpet we shall be called up in joy of soul to meet the Lord, not in Jerusalem, but “in the AIR,” there to be “presented to Himself,” and be taken by Him, with all “the Church of the first-born,” to the Father’s house, according to His own word of promise (John 14:3). Then in the Father’s house, “the marriage of the Lamb” will be celebrated.
Do you think in the 24th Psalm their so often repeating the question, “Who is the King of glory?” was because they were ignorant who He was? No; but they delighted to hear the sound of His glory: so we “rejoice in the hope of the glory of God.” We get in the nineteenth chapter the marriage celebrated, and the Church with the Lord prepared to take the glory, then we get into the kingdom in the twentieth chapter. This chapter is an answer to “Who shall ascend into the hill of the Lord?” The Lord is there placed on His throne with His bride. Thus I conclude that the Church is taken up before the thrones are set and the judgment begins. All the judgments contribute to place the Lamb on the throne.
What is the kingdom that we look for? Its influences will come just in an opposite direction from whence they do now. Now, the influence is from Satan to earth, then from heaven to the earth; the ladder will then take its right place: the top of it will be in heaven, the bottom on earth. Do you delight in the thought of the earth’s standing in righteousness? It will be so when the ladder brings down its influence from heaven, and earth ceases to be influenced from hell. The scepter of righteousness will be in the blessed hands of the Son of man, and the Church is brought into the place of government.
In the midst of the glory I see a throne as in the fourth chapter, but it is the throne of God and the Lamb. The inquiry in the 24th Psalm and in the fifth chapter, “Who’s worthy?” we see answered by this, the seating of the Lamb on the throne. The action confirms the result, and the action—vial after vial may be poured out, but all contributes to the seating of the Lamb on the throne—all to let “the King of glory” in through “the everlasting gates,” all to give the Lamb the fruit of that title which is already His. May our hearts be right in the promise of the Lord, “Surely I come quickly,” and may our cry be “Come, Lord Jesus, come quickly.” If He presents Himself as our only delight, may our hearts be true to Him.
It will be the joy of the Lamb’s bride to be side by side with Him who gave her everything. There is no surrender too great for the love He had to the Church—blessed be God for His grace—our hearts can taste this now. The Church not merely gets a husband, but one who has shown towards her a love that was stronger than death; this is He to whom she is betrothed, and this present time is the season (before the bride and bridegroom come together) when the lesson of joy under the teaching of the Holy Ghost, that we have to be learning, is all the grace and love that is in His heart towards us, as it is said, “Truly our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ.” We have now to be learning the devotedness of the love of our expected bridegroom. We are nothing less than the Lamb’s wife, the bride of the One who gave His life for us! What a glory! what a joy!
J. G. B.