The Throne Room of Heaven

Jesus said to his disciples, I have meat/food to eat you know nothing about John 4:32. 

                                              The Plumline is a blog to encourage the Body of Christ.

The Throne Room of Heaven

Clayt Sheridan, II

Revelation 4:1 (NKJV) After these things I looked, and behold, a door standing open in heaven. And the first voice which I heard was like a trumpet speaking with me, saying, “Come up here, and I will show you things which must take place after this.”

This throne is set up for a certain time and purpose. Daniel  saw the same scene see Dan 7:9-10. John saw the vision of the heavenly throne after he heard the revelation of the messages to the churches. John saw a door  open in heaven and heard a voice inviting him, Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this.

After Jesus gave his instructions to the seven churches we are introduced to a new phase on the revelation along with John. He saw an open door in heaven and heard a trumpet-like voice declaring “Come up here.” Many believe this call from the Throne of God might trigger the churches “catching away.”  John might well be a type of the Body of Christ. 1 Thessalonians 4:16–17 (NKJV)16 For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. Jesus has promised to come back to receive his faithful followers and take them back to heaven to be with him. The “catching away” will enable the faithful church to escape the future “hour of trial” that will descend upon the rejecting, rebellious world.

Revelation 4:2–3 (NKJV) 2 Immediately I was in the Spirit; and behold, a throne set in heaven, and One sat on the throne. 3 And He who sat there was like a jasper and a sardius stone in appearance; and there was a rainbow around the throne, in appearance like an emerald. John stated that immediately he was in the Spirit. He saw a throne and the One sitting on the throne.The One sitting on the throne produced a splendid and glorious aura. In addition there was a rainbow around the throne, in  likeness of an emerald. The rainbow was used by God to promise never again would he destroy humankind with water. The rainbow around the throne is a continue promise that He would make good in the promises made to the faithful church.

Revelation 4:4–6 (NKJV) Around the throne were twenty-four thrones, and on the thrones I saw twenty-four elders sitting, clothed in white robes; and they had crowns of gold on their heads. 5 And from the throne proceeded lightnings, thunderings, and voices. Seven lamps of fire were burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God. 6 Before the throne there was a sea of glass, like crystal. And in the midst of the throne, and around the throne, were four living creatures full of eyes in front and in back. On the earth God’s people are divided into churches. In heaven churches lose their identity. In heaven they are divided into new groups. Their work has not ended only the methods have changed. Today the church’s involvement is with grace. In heaven the church will be God’s agents of judgment just as they are in grace. John sees twenty-four thrones around the throne with the twenty-four elders dressed in white sitting on these thrones. No doubt these elders are saints from the Old Testament and the New Testament saints. Saints in heaven may be identified by their White Robes and gold crowns.  They also were the possessors of gold crowns, again probably issued for their faithful commitment and service to the Lord Jesus.

John sees and hears some awesome events as he looks toward the Throne of God; such as lightning, thunder and voices. I have been through a number of Pennsylvania summer thunder storms with visual lightning shows and they can be rather threatening. The rainbow was evidence of mercy and grace. The lightnings, thunders and voices are evidence of judgment and wrath. When God was about to visit Egypt’s sins upon her, he sent thunder, hail,and fire which ran across the ground, and Pharaoh said, “Entreat the Lord that there be no more voices of God.” Ex 9:28. The rainbow was seen before the lightnings, Grace always precedes judgment.

Then there was before the throne a sea of glass looking like crystal..and reflected all the brilliant colors of the entire heavenly scene (cf. 15:2). In the center of the picture four living creatures were compared to a lion … an ox … a man and a flying eagle. Each of the … creatures had six wings and was covered with eyes all around. They were said to be continually praising God as the holy … Almighty.1 Keep in mind John is using earthly language to express heavenly things. We should understand these animal characteristics in the same way we understand the Lamb, Lion both used to express the  person of Jesus. These living creatures do not represent Christ. They do  however, represent saints. I can say this because they are worshiping Christ! Four is an important number in redemption. It is the number of earth. When four is in evidence, God is dealing with the earth. The items discussed in this chapter are not symbols. They are literal. The elders are real and literal. Heavenly things are not symbolized. When we get to  heaven we’ll not see an earthly  lamb, or lion, or calf or a flying eagle. Then we will have new bodies, new eyes and new experiences.

Who is the Holy Spirit and what does He do? #3

Jesus said to his disciples, I have  food to eat you know nothing about John 4:32.

The Plumbline is a blog to encourage the Body of Christ.

Who is the Holy Spirit and what does He do?  #3

Acts 1:8 (NKJV) 8 But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth."

Jesus' answer was gentle (Acts 1:7-8). First He pointed out that the prophesied kingdom would come, but that its coming was distant rather than "at this time." God will keep His promises, and this world will know Jesus' rule. But for now life is to have a different focus for Jesus' followers. That focus, stated in utmost simplicity, is this: "You will be My witnesses." The Holy Spirit Himself  will become the center of the believer's life. The meaning of our lives, the reason that our time on earth can be a great adventure, is summed up in the fact that the Holy Spirit is real, and that our every action can be a clear demonstration of the vital impact of the living God on human experience. This was something that the disciples had not yet grasped, but soon would.  The Holy Spirit, living within them, would Himself transform their experience. Then everything they were as individuals and as a community would witness to His presence.

These words, "You will be My witnesses," were the last ones Jesus spoke to the 11.  As a silent crowd of disciples watched, Jesus rose up, soaring away until the clouds hid Him from sight. Two angelic messengers completed Christ's answer to the earlier question. "This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen Him go into heaven" (Acts 1:11). This present time, during which the focus of our lives and the heart of our adventure with God is summed up in Jesus, will come to an end. As Old Testament days came to an end in the cross, our age will come to an end when Jesus returns—to establish the kingdom promised in the Old.

Yes, that day will come. But for then the disciples had to turn away from the Mount of Ascension and return to Jerusalem to see what new thing God had in store. There they waited, gathering for prayer. Waiting for a challenge, and a joy, that they could not yet imagine. (Adapted from The Teacher's Commentary).

When the Feast of Pentecost came, the 120 disciples of Jesus  were all together in the upper room. Suddenly, there was a sound from heaven like the roaring of a mighty wind storm, and it filled the house where they were sitting. Then, what looked like flames or tongues of fire appeared and settled on each of them.  And everyone present was filled with the Holy Spirit and began speaking in other tongues, as the Holy Spirit gave them this ability.  (See Acts 2:1-4).

The Bible speaks of the Holy Spirit as a Person, an individual distinct from and yet One with the Father and the Son. As God, the Holy Spirit had various relationships with men in Old Testament times. But the Old Testament also spoke of a coming day when God would enter into a new and special relationship with those who believe. Jesus had spoken often of this. Christ looked forward to a day when He would be back with the Father, and the Spirit "whom those who believed in Him were later to receive," would be given (John 7:39). The promised Spirit was to teach and guide believers (John 14:16) and, according to Jesus' final promise, to bring power for that new kind of life which bears witness to Jesus' reality (Acts 1:8). In that day, Jesus had said, the Spirit would not simply be "with" the disciples, but "in" them! (John 14:17)  And Pentecost was the promised day!

This drew a great crowd of the men who had come to Jerusalem for the Pentecost festival. Each person heard the disciples speaking in the language of the land where he was presently living. "How is it," wondered the visitors, "that each of us hears them in his own native language? . . . We hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues!" (Acts 2:8; Acts 2:11) Perplexed and amazed, they asked each other, "What does this mean?" (Acts 2:12)

"This is what was spoken by the Prophet Joel:"In the last days," God says, "I will pour out My Spirit on all people."Acts 2:16-17

That great gift which God had reserved till the last days was being poured out freely now. All were to know the touch of the Spirit of God; both daughters and sons would be empowered by Him. Most significant of all, in that day on which the Spirit of God would flow out to touch and fill God's own, "everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved" (Acts 2:21).

The disciples themselves did not understand just then all that the Spirit's coming meant. They didn't see Pentecost as the beginning of the church, as it later came to be understood. But they did know that God's new day was now! They did know that the Holy Spirit had filled them with Jesus' promised power.  And they did begin immediately to explain the striking witness that the rushing wind and the flames and the tongues had given to every observer of the reality of God's presence in these set-apart men. (Adapted from The Teacher's Commentary.)

Who is the Holy Spirit and what does He do? #2

Jesus said to his disciples, I have  food to eat you know nothing about John 4:32.

The Plumbline is a blog to encourage the Body of Christ.

Who is the Holy Spirit and what does He do?  #2

JCS, II

The Holy Spirit, is the life-giver - Through the Holy Spirit, God gives birth to and supports both natural and spiritual life. For this reason, Scripture likens the Holy Spirit to life-giving water.

The creating Spirit (or breath) of God gives and sustains life Genesis 1:2 (NKJV) 2 The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.

• Genesis 2:7 (NKJV) 7 And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.

• Job 26:13 (NKJV) 3 By His Spirit He adorned the heavens; His hand pierced the fleeing serpent.

• Psalms 104:30 (NKJV) 30 You send forth Your Spirit, they are created; And You renew the face of the earth. 


The Holy Spirit gives resurrection life to Jesus Christ --1 Peter 3:18 (NKJV) 18 For Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive by the Spirit,

• Romans 1:4 (NKJV) ..and declared to be the Son of God with power according to the Spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead.

The Holy Spirit brings new spiritual life -- John 3:5-8 (NKJV) 5 Jesus answered, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. 6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. 8 The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit."

• Romans 8:5-6 (NKJV) 
5 For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. 6 For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. 


The Spirit sets believers free from bondage to works that lead to death-- Romans 8:13 (NKJV)  13 For if you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. 


• Galatians 6:8 (NKJV) 8 For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life.

Peter opens the gospel door to the Gentiles. Cornelius sends for Peter and Peter goes to Caesarea. Peter’s sermon to Gentiles in Cornelius’ house. The Holy Spirit comes upon Gentile believers just like on Pentecost..

Characters present in this unfolding-- God, Jesus, The Holy Spirit, Cornelius, angel, Peter, Simon, 3 messengers, John.

Conclusion: In Jesus Christ, neither circumcision nor uncircumcision accomplishes anything, for by His finished work, the door of the gospel has been opened to “whosoever believes.” Whatever nation one may be of, though far remote from the seed of Abraham, though ever so despicable, that will be no prejudice to him, if he will receive God’s appointed sacrifice for the remission of sins. (adapted from Summarized Bible - Logos Research System).

Praise God from whom all blessings flow!

Who is the Holy Spirit, and exactly what does he do?

Jesus said to his disciples, I have  food to eat you know nothing about John 4:32.
The Plumbline is a blog to encourage the Body of Christ.

Who is the Holy Spirit, and exactly what does he do?

J. C. Sheridan, II

A divine act, promised by John the Baptist and by Jesus Christ. Many people find the Holy Spirit mysterious, confounding - even controversial. Why is the third person in the Godhead - the one Jesus said would be the believer's ultimate source of truth and comfort - the source of such confusion?

In his book, The God I Never Knew, Robert Morris clearly explains that the Holy Spirit's chief desire is for relationship - to offer us the encouragement and guidance of a trusted friend.

Our study hopefully will be insightful and Biblically based that moves beyond theological jargon, religious tradition, and cultural misconceptions to clarify what the Holy Spirit promises to do in your life.

Jesus Christ promises baptism with the Spirit  in Acts 1:4-5 (NKJV) 4 And being assembled together with them, He commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the Promise of the Father, "which," He said, "you have heard from Me; 5 for John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now."  Luke 24:49 (NKJV) 49 Behold, I send the Promise of My Father upon you; but tarry in the city of Jerusalem until you are endued with power from on high." Acts 1:8 (NKJV) 8 But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth."  Jesus is our friend, why are so many believers fearful of  His promised gift of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is not given to the Church to created controversy, but to give comfort and encouragement.

Whenever the Holy Spirit was poured out in the early church there was one commonality at each Instances where believers were filled. On the day of Pentecost recorded in Acts 2:2-4 (NKJV) 2 And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3 Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them. 4 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.

On each subsequent occasions we note that the recipients spoke in other tongues. Acts 10:44-47 (NKJV) 44 While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit fell upon all those who heard the word. 45 And those of the circumcision who believed were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out on the Gentiles also. 46 For they heard them speak with tongues and magnify God. Then Peter answered, 47 "Can anyone forbid water, that these should not be baptized who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have?" Acts 19:6 (NKJV) 6 And when Paul had laid hands on them, the Holy Spirit came upon them, and they spoke with tongues and prophesied. The word of God declares that all truth must be established in the mouths of two or three witnesses. Deuteronomy 17:6 (TLB) 6 However, never put a man to death on the testimony of only one witness; there must be at least two or three.  Deuteronomy 19:15 (MSG) 15 ...You need two or three witnesses to make a case. Deuteronomy 19:15 (TLB) 15 "Never convict anyone on the testimony of one witness. There must be at least two, and three is even better. The three passages in Acts all declare that when believers were baptized in the Holy Ghost the recipients spoke in tongues. When Peter went to Antioch and laid hands on believers they were baptized in the Spirit. Simon saw and heard something he was willing to pay for so he might duplicate what Peter and John had done. He was a sharp  businessman and wanted the power that Peter and John possessed. What did he see and hear - believers “speaking in tongues”. Acts 8:15-19 (NKJV) 15 who, when they had come down, prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit. 16 For as yet He had fallen upon none of them. They had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. 17 Then they laid hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit. 18 And when Simon saw that through the laying on of the apostles' hands the Holy Spirit was given, he offered them money, 19 saying, "Give me this power also, that anyone on whom I lay hands may receive the Holy Spirit."

The Holy Spirit has been provided by God to dwell within you, to guide you into all truth, to pray for you, never leave you, be your helper, comfort you and to show you things to come. It's time to experience the Holy Spirit in a fresh, new way. 

Jacob Interviewed by Royalty

Jesus said to his disciples, I have  food to eat you know nothing about John 4:32.
The Plumbline is a blog to encourage the Body of Christ.

Jacob Interviewed by Royalty

Genesis 47:4 (NKJV) And they said to Pharaoh, “We have come to dwell in the land, because your servants have no pasture for their flocks, for the famine is severe in the land of Canaan. Now therefore, please let your servants dwell in the land of Goshen.”

J. Clayton Sheridan, II

Joseph … told Pharaoh, My father and my brethren—Joseph furnishes a beautiful example of a man who could bear equally well the extremes of prosperity and adversity. High as he was, he did not forget that he had a superior. Dearly as he loved his father and anxiously as he desired to provide for the whole family, he would not go into the arrangements he had planned for their stay in Goshen until he had obtained the sanction of his royal master.

He took some of his brethren—probably the five eldest brothers: seniority being the least invidious principle of selection.

For to sojourn … are we come—The royal conversation took the course which Joseph had anticipated (Ge 46:33), and they answered according to previous instructions—manifesting, however, in their determination to return to Canaan, a faith and piety which affords a hopeful symptom of their having become all, or most of them, religious men.

Joseph brought in Jacob his father—There is a pathetic and most affecting interest attending this interview with royalty; and when, with all the simplicity and dignified solemnity of a man of God, Jacob signalized his entrance by imploring the divine blessing on the royal head, it may easily be imagined what a striking impression the scene would produce (compare Heb 7:7).

Pharaoh said unto Jacob, How old art thou?—The question was put from the deep and impressive interest which the appearance of the old patriarch had created in the minds of Pharaoh and his court. In the low-lying land of Egypt and from the artificial habits of its society, the age of man was far shorter among the inhabitants of that country than it had yet become in the pure bracing climate and among the simple mountaineers of Canaan. The Hebrews, at least, still attained a protracted longevity.

Joseph placed his father and his brethren … in the best of the land—best pasture land in lower Egypt. Goshen, “the land of verdure,” lay along the Pelusiac or eastern branch of the Nile. It included a part of the district of Heliopolis, or “On,” the capital, and on the east stretched out a considerable length into the desert. The ground included within these boundaries was a rich and fertile extent of natural meadow, and admirably adapted for the purposes of the Hebrew shepherds (compare Ge 49:24; Ps 34:10; 78:72).

There was no bread in all the land—This probably refers to the second year of the famine (Ge 45:6) when any little stores of individuals or families were exhausted and when the people had become universally dependent on the government. At first they obtained supplies for payment. Before long “money failed.

And Joseph said, Give your cattle—“This was the wisest course that could be adopted for the preservation both of the people and the cattle, which, being bought by Joseph, was supported at the royal expense, and very likely returned to the people at the end of the famine, to enable them to resume their agricultural labors.”

As for the people, he removed them to cities—obviously for the convenience of the country people, who were doing nothing, to the cities where the corn stores were situated.

Only the land of the priests bought he not—These lands were inalienable, being endowments by which the temples were supported. The priests for themselves received an annual allowance of provision from the state, and it would evidently have been the height of cruelty to withhold that allowance when their lands were incapable of being tilled.

Joseph said, Behold, —The lands being sold to the government (Ge 47:19, 20), seed would be distributed for the first crop after the famine; and the people would occupy them as tenants-at-will on the payment of a produce rent, almost the same rule as obtains in Egypt in the present day.

Jacob Blesses Joseph’s Sons

Jesus said to his disciples, I have  food to eat you know nothing about John 4:32.
The Plumbline is a blog to encourage the Body of Christ.

Clayt Sheridan, II

Jacob Blesses Joseph’s Sons

Genesis 48:17–20 (The Message)17–18    When Joseph saw that his father had placed his right hand on Ephraim’s head, he thought he had made a mistake, so he took hold of his father’s hand to move it from Ephraim’s head to Manasseh’s, saying, “That’s the wrong head, Father; the other one is the firstborn; place your right hand on his head.”19–20But his father wouldn’t do it. He said, “I know, my son; but I know what I’m doing. He also will develop into a people, and he also will be great. But his younger brother will be even greater and his descendants will enrich nations.” Then he blessed them both:Israel will use your names to give blessings:May God make you like Ephraim and Manasseh.In that he made it explicit: he put Ephraim ahead of Manasseh.

   

Joseph saw that his father had placed his right hand on Ephraim’s head - He thought that because of his father’s near blindness, that he had made a mistake. Many  time in the O.T. history God chose the younger son over the older. He chose Isaac over Ishmael, (21:12);  Jacob over Esau, (25:23); Joseph instead of Reuben, 49:3-4; Ephraim instead of Manasseh. (14-20); David over his brothers, (1 Sam 16). This emphasizes that what is first among people is not necessarily first with God. God choses people on the basis of their sincerity, purity, and love, not their family position or status.

Matthew 20:26 (NKJV) Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you, let him be your servant.

Yet it shall not be so among you - In this world, those with the highest  and most influential positions often “lord it over” others. However, in God’s kingdom greatness is not measured by authority over others, but by serving people and putting others above self. Believers must not try to reach the top in order to achieve power and influence over others. The greatest influence comes from humility and service. For this reason Believers must look for ways to help and benefit others,  working for the spiritual good of all people.

1 Thessalonians 5:8 (NKJV) But let us who are of the day be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet the hope of salvation.

But let us who are of the day be sober - A breastplate was a large piece of armor that protected the chest of a soldier during the battle. Having “faith and love as a breastplate” meaning that a loving and trusting relationship with Christ and a life that shows his love to others will protect one’s spiritual heart. Having the “hope of the helmet of salvation” implies that a believer’s mind would be protected by the assurance of being spared from God’s wrath and spending eternity with Christ. This same confidence should allow us to stay focussed on Christ’s return, be self-controlled and be at peace while we wait for Him.

Jeremiah 29:11 (MSG) I know what I'm doing. I have it all planned out—plans to take care of you, not abandon you, plans to give you the future you hope for.

I know what I'm doing. - What a great truth - God  knows what he is doing..He has plans to take care of you - plans to give you hope and a future..

Psalms 33:11 (MSG)  GOD's plan for the world stands up, all his designs are made to last. 

 
Psalms 92:5 (MSG)  How magnificent your work, GOD! How profound your thoughts! 

 
Isaiah 55:9 (MSG)  "For as the sky soars high above earth, so the way I work surpasses the way you work, and the way I think is beyond the way you think.