A Type Pictured In Revelation Four
Revelation 1:1 The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to shew unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass; and he sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant John.
Webster's 1828 Dictionary states that to signify means "To make known something, either by signs or words."
1) Christ Co-reigning With His Father:
Revelation 4:1-3 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. And immediately I was in the spirit: and, behold, a throne was set in heaven, and one sat on the throne. 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.
After the church age ends, the Apostle John is caught up to Heaven (as a picture of the rapture), and sees the throne room where the Father is sitting. As he is observing the events unfolding, he sees the Lamb of God taking the book from the Father on His throne.
Revelation 5:1, 6-7 And I saw in the right hand of him that sat on the throne a book written within and on the backside, sealed with seven seals... And I beheld, and, lo, in the midst of the throne and of the four beasts, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent forth into all the earth. And he came and took the book out of the right hand of him that sat upon the throne.
Chapter five unfolds how only the Lord Jesus Christ is worthy - as the Kinsman Redeemer who paid the full price necessary - to open the book and reclaim the earth, which man had lost due to Adam's fall into sin. This is a worthwhile study in itself, but I want to take a look instead at what is pictured in chapter four.
Revelation 4:2-3 And immediately I was in the spirit: and, behold, a throne was set in heaven, and one sat on the throne. 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.
Even though it is the Father on the throne (from the overall context of chapters 4-5), we can see something pictured here in a type, which actually fits with the statement Jesus made in chapter 3 - just a few verses before:
Revelation 3:21 To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne.
This is not the promise for the faithful true believer to rule and reign with Christ (as seen in Revelation 2:26-27), but it a declaration that all true believers in the church age will share an inheritance with Jesus Christ, share in the authority He has to rule with His Father. We are seated with Christ in heavenly places.
Ephesians 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ:
Ephesians 1:20 Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places,
Ephesians 2:6 And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:
Revelation 7:17 For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters: and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes.
What we see taught clearly in several places in the New Testament is now pictured in type in Revelation four. Jesus shares and is identified with the Father on His throne before Jesus actually begins to reign from His own throne in Jerusalem (His Millennial reign happens after the Tribulation period and is recorded in Revelation 20:4-6). He will rule on His own throne for 1000 years, but then the throne will go back to the Father, as noted in the following passages:
1 Corinthians 15:24-28 Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power. For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet. The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death. For he hath put all things under his feet. But when he saith, all things are put under him, it is manifest that he is excepted, which did put all things under him. And when all things shall be subdued unto him, then shall the Son also himself be subject unto him that put all things under him, that God may be all in all.
Revelation 22:1, 3 And he shewed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb... And there shall be no more curse: but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and his servants shall serve him:
The throne of the universe is currently ruled by both the Father and the Son. In the Millennium, Jesus will rule from His own throne, but in eternity there will only be one throne again (it does not say thrones, but throne).
It is similar in principle to Daniel being offered the ability to co-reign with Belshazzar. In this way, they would both in effect share the same throne (ie. Daniel would have authority to reign with Belshazzar on his throne):
Daniel 5:16 And I have heard of thee, that thou canst make interpretations, and dissolve doubts: now if thou canst read the writing, and make known to me the interpretation thereof, thou shalt be clothed with scarlet, and have a chain of gold about thy neck, and shalt be the third ruler in the kingdom.
Belshazzar’s father was Nabonidus, son in law to Nebuchadnezzar. During the time of this event, Nabonidus was travelling outside of Babylon and had placed Belshazzar on the throne as a co-ruler. This makes sense in light of his offer to make Daniel the third ruler of the kingdom if Daniel could help him; though we know that the king of Babylon lost his throne and his life that very night and the offered promise to Daniel was never carried out.
2) The Meaning Of The Stones In Revelation Four:
Revelations 4:2-3 And immediately I was in the spirit: and, behold, a throne was set in heaven, and one sat on the throne. 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.
What is the significance of the stones mentioned in verse 3? To answer that we need to look at the breastplate of the High Priest in Exodus 28.
Exodus 28:15-21, 29 And thou shalt make the breastplate of judgment with cunning work; after the work of the ephod thou shalt make it; of gold, of blue, and of purple, and of scarlet, and of fine twined linen, shalt thou make it. Foursquare it shall be being doubled; a span shall be the length thereof, and a span shall be the breadth thereof. And thou shalt set in it settings of stones, even four rows of stones: the first row shall be a sardius, a topaz, and a carbuncle: this shall be the first row. And the second row shall be an emerald, a sapphire, and a diamond. And the third row a ligure, an agate, and an amethyst. And the fourth row a beryl, and an onyx, and a jasper: they shall be set in gold in their inclosings. And the stones shall be with the names of the children of Israel, twelve, according to their names, like the engravings of a signet; every one with his name shall they be according to the twelve tribes... And Aaron shall bear the names of the children of Israel in the breastplate of judgment upon his heart, when he goeth in unto the holy place, for a memorial before the LORD continually.
The High Priest had twelve stones on his breastplate, representing each of the twelve sons of Jacob (ie. the 12 tribes of Israel). These stones are placed on the breastplate according to the order of the birth of Jacob's children, as listed in Genesis 29 on.
Exodus 28:9-10 And thou shalt take two onyx stones, and grave on them the names of the children of Israel: Six of their names on one stone, and the other six names of the rest on the other stone, according to their birth.
Exodus 39:10-14 And they set in it four rows of stones: the first row was a sardius, a topaz, and a carbuncle: this was the first row. And the second row, an emerald, a sapphire, and a diamond. And the third row, a ligure, an agate, and an amethyst. And the fourth row, a beryl, an onyx, and a jasper: they were inclosed in ouches of gold in their inclosings. And the stones were according to the names of the children of Israel, twelve, according to their names, like the engravings of a signet, every one with his name, according to the twelve tribes.
From the passages above, we can see all twelve children portrayed by their birth order. The specific stones mentioned in Revelation 4:3 are a jasper, a sardine stone (same as sardius), and an emerald, which we can see in Exodus 28:17-20 are the first, the fourth, and the twelfth stones respectively. If we go to Genesis 29, and onwards, we will find the birth of all twelve of Jacob's sons. They are listed as follows:
1. Reuben - Genesis 29:32 - represented by a sardius stone
2. Simeon - Genesis 29:33
3. Levi - Genesis 29:34
4. Judah - Genesis 29:35 - represented by an emerald
5. Dan - Genesis 30:6
6. Naphtali - Genesis 30:8
7. Gad - Genesis 30:11
8. Asher - Genesis 30:13
9. Issachar - Genesis 30:18
10. Zebulun - Genesis 30:20
11. Joseph - Genesis 30:24
12. Benjamin - Genesis 35:18 - represented by a jasper stone
The first, fourth, and twelfth stones represent Reuben, Judah, and Benjamin. Reuben's name means "Behold, a son." Judah means "Praise, or Praise of Jehovah (the LORD)." The last (12th) son was named Ben-oni (meaning "Son of my sorrow"), but was afterwards changed to Benjamin (meaning "Son of my right hand").
3) The Type Pictured In Revelation Four:
Who sat upon the throne? In chapters four and five, it is clearly God the Father on the throne - but Jesus Christ, the King of kings and Lord of lords, is pictured there in type, sharing the throne.
Revelation 4:3 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.
Now look again at the three stones mentioned. Which stone is mentioned first? A jasper stone, which represents Benjamin - "The Son of my sorrow." This was what Jesus was known by when He was on earth (a Man of Sorrows - see Isaiah 53:3). Though now He is exalted and is at the right hand of the Father - "The Son of My Right Hand." Next, we see a sardius stone, representing Reuben, and refers to Christ's second coming - "Behold, a Son." Isaiah 9:6 says, For unto us a child is born (Christ's first coming), unto us a Son is given (His second coming). What color is the rainbow around the throne - around the King? Emerald, the fourth stone - representing Judah, "The Praise of the LORD." We know this was the line the Messiah came through - the kingly line.
Notice the rainbow (signifying mercy in judgement) completely encircling the throne. See Genesis 9:8-17. Even in this end-time period of worldwide judgement which is soon to unfold, the Lord God will have mercy on those who repent and turn to Him during those seven years. Habakkuk 3:2 O LORD, I have heard thy speech, and was afraid: O LORD, revive thy work in the midst of the years, in the midst of the years make known; in wrath remember mercy.
Remembering that many of the first readers of the Revelation were converted Jews, we might ask, What would these stones suggest to them? Surely every instructed Hebrew would instantly recall that they were the first and last stones in the breastplate of the high priest (Exod. 28:17-20). As these stones bore the names of the tribes of Israel, arranged according to the births of the twelve patriarchs, the one would suggest at once the name Reuben, "Behold a Son," and the other Benjamin, "Son of my right hand." It is Christ enthroned, the Son about to reign in power who is before the Seer's vision. Round about the throne a rainbow, like an emerald, the stone of Judah ("praise") is seen, suggesting the perpetuity of the Noahic covenant, and God's unchanging goodness, despite all of man's failure, folly, and wickedness.
In the fourth chapter of Revelation, Jesus is described as a Jasper and a Sardine stone. The Jasper stone was clear - clear as crystal. The Sardine (or Sardius) was blood-red . . . the Bloody stone.In Exodus 28, we read of these stones on the breastplate of the high priest. The Sardius. (the blood-red) stone having to do with Reuben is mentioned first, and the Jasper stone last. Revelation 4 speaks first of the Jasper stone - the clear white stone of Benjamin. This is not to be taken lightly. There is a definite reason for reversing of the stones, putting the first last, and the last first.The Sardius was blood-red, speaking of the sacrifice of blood, pointing to the Cross and the first coming of Jesus to shed His blood for the remission of sin. The name is derived from two Hebrew words meaning “behold the Son.” It pointed to the Person of whom John the Baptist said, “Behold the Lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the world” (John 1:29). It also tells us that He (the Lord Jesus) was the first born of every creature, and the first begotten - the ONLY begotten - Son of God (John 3:16).The Jasper, the last stone in the Old Testament breastplate, represented Benjamin. This was a clear stone, speaking of total victory. On the Jasper stone was Benjamin’s name, which is a combination of two Hebrew words (ben and jamin), so scholars tell us, meaning “the son of my right hand” . . . or, as one authority puts it, “the son of my power.” The first and the last stones pointed forward to the first and second coming of the Great High Priest - none other than the Lord Jesus Christ.However, here in Revelation 4, the order of the stones is reversed. John the Beloved sees Him (Jesus) first as the Jasper, and second as the Sardius. The reason is clear: In the Old Testament the saints looked forward to the day when the Lamb would come. They looked forward to the cross, and therefore saw the Sardius . . . the Blood-red stone . . . first. They looked beyond that and saw the Jasper, the clear white stone representing His power and His rule at His second coming to set up the kingdom. However, when John had the experience we are now studying, he was on this side of Calvary and the Rapture, and was looking back. John saw, first of all, the Jasper stone, the clear one - and then the red stone, the Cross and sacrifice.
Put the jasper and the sardius stones together, and they suggest the humanity connected to the government of God. The high priest of Israel was commanded to wear a breastplate studded with twelve precious stones engraved with the names of the tribes of Israel (Ex. 28:17, 20). Thus, symbolically the people were ever to be upon his heart, the place of affection and love. The first and last of these stones was the jasper and the sardius. The mention of the jasper and the sardius in connection with the throne of God is a beautiful reminder that although there is an element of hardness and holiness inevitable in the judgment of God, those qualities, fearful in themselves, are not divorced from humanity. The One to whom all judgment will be given is Himself both God and man (John 5:22, 27).
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