BEFORE THE THRONE Revelation 4v5-6.
"And there were seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, which are the seven spirits of God and before the throne there was a sea of glass like unto crystal."
Both of these are symbols of the holiness of God; in the lamps of fire we have God's revulsion against sin, and the incineration of all such in His pathway. In the sea of glass we see God's separateness from all of His creation and His calm, majestic, sovereign control.
Some link the seven lamps of fire with the seven lampstands of the churches but the interpretation is given here as "the seven spirits of God." Any light which the churches brought to the world was in the proclamation of the grace of God, but now the day of grace is over and the full force of divine judgment is about to be unleashed upon the earth. When the Holy Spirit descended on Christ during His life it was said to be "in bodily shape like unto a dove." This was in appreciation. When he descended on the church (Acts chapter 2) it was in the form of "cloven tongues of fire;" the fire that would bring refinement to a penitent people. This was in sanctification. Now He stands before the throne in the full orb mode of judgement, the unmitigated judgement of God on a unbelieving world. This is in condemnation. This is the same Spirit who has been in the world for many hundreds of years. His work was to "convict the world of sin, and of righteousness and of judgment." Now comes the judgment.
Before the throne there was also "a sea of glass." This was a very large divider between God and even His closest associates. Ezekiel describes it as an expanse, a firmament. "And when they (that is the living creatures) went, I heard the noise of their wings, like the noise of great waters, as the voice of the Almighty, the voice of speech as the noise of an host; when they stood they let down their wings. And there was a voice from the firmament that was over their heads....... and above the firmament that was over their heads was the likeness of a throne." (Ezekiel 1v24-26). This sea of glass thus speaks of God's character as being separate from all His creatures and we must never forget that. Eliphaz, when describing the transcendence of God said "Behold He putteth no trust in His saints; yea the heavens are not clean in His sight" Job 15v15. The sea also speaks of that which is unfathomable. So great is the God on the throne He is past finding out (Romans 11v33). The sea also speaks of the need for cleansing. Before the priests could enter the tabernacle they had to wash at the laver. The laver was replaced in the temple by " a molten sea" (1st Kings 7 & 2nd Chronicles 4). This molten sea stood at the entrance to the temple and sat upon animal creatures which were figurative of its movement. These animal creatures we shall consider next. This sea was a kind of reservoir feeding the ten lavers. Since the temple was a figure of things in the heavens, this sea of glass is the heavenly version of the temple reservoir. All who approach God require cleansing, however there is a wonderful picture later on of the saints walking on this sea, like Jesus walked on the water. The symbol is that those who required cleansing are now seen standing on the ground which forbade them entry to the throne. The sea in scripture speaks also of turbulent conditions, like as in Jude "raging waves of the sea." Or as in (Isaiah 57v20) "the wicked are like the troubled sea when it cannot rest." Here is a sea of glass, no turbulence, no raging waves only absolute calm and peacefulness as against the turbulence of earth. Finally, it was a sea like unto crystal; from a distance it looked like a beautiful diamond and so in summary this sea of glass represents the following: translucent beauty; transcendent purity; unfathomable knowledge; unlimited cleansing and a calm which cannot be disturbed. What John saw was a thing of wonder that requires these symbols to communicate to our feeble minds the majesty of the one who sits upon the throne. The primary picture of the sea of glass is that of undisturbed calm, what the bible describes as "the peace of God which passes all understanding." For those of us living in a world of turmoil, and especially when that turmoil is about to be increased to a level never seen before, this is a blessed sight indeed.
Both of these are symbols of the holiness of God; in the lamps of fire we have God's revulsion against sin, and the incineration of all such in His pathway. In the sea of glass we see God's separateness from all of His creation and His calm, majestic, sovereign control.
Some link the seven lamps of fire with the seven lampstands of the churches but the interpretation is given here as "the seven spirits of God." Any light which the churches brought to the world was in the proclamation of the grace of God, but now the day of grace is over and the full force of divine judgment is about to be unleashed upon the earth. When the Holy Spirit descended on Christ during His life it was said to be "in bodily shape like unto a dove." This was in appreciation. When he descended on the church (Acts chapter 2) it was in the form of "cloven tongues of fire;" the fire that would bring refinement to a penitent people. This was in sanctification. Now He stands before the throne in the full orb mode of judgement, the unmitigated judgement of God on a unbelieving world. This is in condemnation. This is the same Spirit who has been in the world for many hundreds of years. His work was to "convict the world of sin, and of righteousness and of judgment." Now comes the judgment.
Before the throne there was also "a sea of glass." This was a very large divider between God and even His closest associates. Ezekiel describes it as an expanse, a firmament. "And when they (that is the living creatures) went, I heard the noise of their wings, like the noise of great waters, as the voice of the Almighty, the voice of speech as the noise of an host; when they stood they let down their wings. And there was a voice from the firmament that was over their heads....... and above the firmament that was over their heads was the likeness of a throne." (Ezekiel 1v24-26). This sea of glass thus speaks of God's character as being separate from all His creatures and we must never forget that. Eliphaz, when describing the transcendence of God said "Behold He putteth no trust in His saints; yea the heavens are not clean in His sight" Job 15v15. The sea also speaks of that which is unfathomable. So great is the God on the throne He is past finding out (Romans 11v33). The sea also speaks of the need for cleansing. Before the priests could enter the tabernacle they had to wash at the laver. The laver was replaced in the temple by " a molten sea" (1st Kings 7 & 2nd Chronicles 4). This molten sea stood at the entrance to the temple and sat upon animal creatures which were figurative of its movement. These animal creatures we shall consider next. This sea was a kind of reservoir feeding the ten lavers. Since the temple was a figure of things in the heavens, this sea of glass is the heavenly version of the temple reservoir. All who approach God require cleansing, however there is a wonderful picture later on of the saints walking on this sea, like Jesus walked on the water. The symbol is that those who required cleansing are now seen standing on the ground which forbade them entry to the throne. The sea in scripture speaks also of turbulent conditions, like as in Jude "raging waves of the sea." Or as in (Isaiah 57v20) "the wicked are like the troubled sea when it cannot rest." Here is a sea of glass, no turbulence, no raging waves only absolute calm and peacefulness as against the turbulence of earth. Finally, it was a sea like unto crystal; from a distance it looked like a beautiful diamond and so in summary this sea of glass represents the following: translucent beauty; transcendent purity; unfathomable knowledge; unlimited cleansing and a calm which cannot be disturbed. What John saw was a thing of wonder that requires these symbols to communicate to our feeble minds the majesty of the one who sits upon the throne. The primary picture of the sea of glass is that of undisturbed calm, what the bible describes as "the peace of God which passes all understanding." For those of us living in a world of turmoil, and especially when that turmoil is about to be increased to a level never seen before, this is a blessed sight indeed.
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