Chapter IV.

A NEW VISION. THE HEAVENLY SANCTUARY.

VERSE 1. 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 shew thee things which must be hereafter.

After This. In the first three chapters John presents the vision he had of the Son of man, comprising a description of his majestic person, and a record of the words which, with a voice as the sound of many waters, he was heard to utter. A new scene and a new vision now open before us; and the expression, "after this," does not denote that what is recorded in chapter 4, and onward, was to take place after the fulfillment of everything recorded in the three preceding chapters, but only that after he had seen and heard what is there recorded, he had the new view which he now introduces.

A Door Was Opened in Heaven. Let it be noticed that John says, "A door was opened in Heaven," not into Heaven. It was not an opening of Heaven itself before the mind of John, as in the case of Stephen, Acts 7:56, but some place or apartment in Heaven was opened before him, and he was

permitted to behold what was transpiring within. That this apartment which John saw opened was the heavenly sanctuary, will plainly appear from other portions of the book.

Things Which Must Be Hereafter. Compare with this, chap. 1:1. The great object of the Revelation seems to be the presentation of future events for the purpose of informing, edifying, and comforting the church.

VERSE 2. And immediately I was in the Spirit; and, behold, a throne was set in Heaven, and one sat on the throne. 3. And he that sat was, to look upon, like a jasper and a sardine stone: and there was a rainbow round about the throne, in sight like unto an emerald. 4. And round about the throne were four and twenty seats and upon the seats I saw four and twenty elders sitting, clothed in white raiment; and they had on their heads crowns of gold. 5. And out of the throne proceeded lightnings and thunderings and voices : and there were seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, which are the seven spirits of God.

In the Spirit. Once before we have had this expression, namely in chap. 1: 10, "I was in the Spirit on the Lord's day," where it was taken to express the fact that John had a vision upon the Sabbath or Lord's day. If it there expressed the state of being in vision, it would denote the same thing here; and, consequently, the first vision ended with chapter 3, and a new one is here introduced. Nor is it any objection to this view that John, previous to this, as is learned from the first verse of this chapter, was in such a spiritual state as to be able to look up and see a door opened in Heaven, and to hear a spiritual

voice like the mighty sound of a trumpet calling him up to a nearer prospect of heavenly things. It is evident that there may be such states of ecstasy independent of vision, just as Stephen, full of the Holy Ghost, could look up and see the Heavens opened, and the Son of man on the right hand of God. To be in the Spirit denotes a still higher state of spiritual elevation. On what day this vision was given we are not informed.

Being fully wrapped again in heavenly vision, the first object which he beholds is a throne set in Heaven, and the Divine Being seated thereon. The description of the appearance of this personage clothed in the mingled colors of the jasper, frequently a purple, and the blood-red sardine stone, is such as to suggest at once to the mind a monarch vested with his royal robes. And round about the throne there was a rainbow, both adding to the grandeur of the scene, and reminding us that though he who sits upon the throne is an almighty and absolute ruler, he is nevertheless the covenant-keeping God.

The Four and Twenty Elders. The question once proposed to John concerning a certain company, has frequently arisen concerning these four and twenty elders: Who are these? and whence came they?" It will be observed that they are clothed with white raiment, and have on their heads crowns of gold; which are both tokens of a conflict completed and a victory gained. From this we conclude that they were once participants in the Christian warfare, once trod, in common with all saints, this earthly pilgrim

age, but have overcome, and for some good purpose, in advance of the great multitude of the redeemed, are wearing their victor crowns in the heavenly world. Indeed, they plainly tell us as much as this, in the song of praise which they, in connection with the four beasts, ascribe to the Lamb, in the 9th verse of the following chapter: "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." This song is sung before any of the events in the prophecy of the seven seals transpire; for it is sung to set forth the worthiness of the Lamb to take the book and open the seals, on the ground of what he had already accomplished, which was their redemption. It is not, therefore, thrown in here by anticipation, having its application in the future; but it expresses an absolute and finished fact in the history of those who sung it. These, then, were a class of redeemed persons, redeemed from this earth, redeemed as all others must be redeemed, by the precious blood of Christ.

Do we in any other place read of such a class of redeemed ones? We think Paul refers to the same company when he writes to the Ephesians thus: "Wherefore he saith, when he [Christ] ascended up on high, he led captivity captive and gave gifts unto men." The margin says, he led a "multitude of captives." Eph. 4:8. Going back to the events that occurred in connection with the crucifixion and resurrection of Christ, we read, "And the graves

were opened. And many bodies of the saints which slept arose, and came out of the graves after his resurrection, and went into the holy city, and appeared unto many." Matt. 27:52. Thus the answer to our question comes back, gathered unmistakably from the sacred page. These are some of those who came out of their graves at the resurrection of Christ, and who were numbered with the illustrious multitude which he led up from the captivity of Death's dark domain, when he ascended in triumph on high. Matthew records their resurrection; Paul, their ascension; and John beholds them in Heaven performing the sacred duties which they were raised up to accomplish.

In this view we are not alone. Wesley speaks as follows concerning the four and twenty elders: "Clothed in white raiment.] This and their golden crowns, show that they had already finished their course, and taken their places among the citizens of Heaven. They are never termed souls, and hence it is probable that they had glorified bodies already. Compare Matt. 27:52."

The Seven Lamps of Fire. In these lamps of fire we have an appropriate antitype of the golden candlestick of the typical sanctuary, with its seven everburning lamps. This candlestick was placed by divine direction, in the first apartment of the earthly sanctuary. Ex. 25:31, 32, 37; 26:35; 27:20; etc. And now when John tells us that a door was opened in Heaven, and in the apartment thus disclosed to view he sees the antitype of the candlestick