Reklamation Ministries
Seeing the Church and the World in Plain View
And I saw in the right hand of Him that sat on the throne a book . . . And no man in heaven, nor in earth, neither under the earth, was able to open the book, neither to look thereon. . . And one of the elders saith unto to me, Weep not: behold, the Lion of the tribe of Juda, the Root of David, hath prevailed to open the book . . . and in the midst of elders, stood a Lamb as it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes. . ." (Revelation 4:1-2, 5-6; 5:1, 3, 5, 6).
Here is brought to view a twofold scene. On the one hand, before the throne are the "seven lamps burning" and the "Lamb as it had been slain," showing that the throne was "set" there to serve in time of probation. The light from the candlestick represents the light of truth in the church [Revelation 1:20] while the blood of the Lamb is atoning for sinful beings. On the other hand, upon the throne sits the Ancient of days, the Judge, surrounded by the jury of twenty-four elders plus the angelic witnesses, "ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands" of them, plus the four beasts (who, being "redeemed" "out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation"—
(Revelation 5:8, 9),—are therefore
symbolical of the saints,— all
those whose sins will be blotted from the books of records—just as the beasts of Daniel 7 are symbolical of all the kingdoms which will perish in their sins), with the Lamb, our Advocate, in the midst. All this shows a combined mediatorial-judicial work.
Christ's Work in the Most Holy Began After the Fall of Papal Rome
Now so far, we see that when John in vision beheld the door—the veil—as it opened to the Most Holy apartment of the heavenly sanctuary, 1 he was permitted to look within, and that the things which he saw, were to take place "hereafter" from his time; showing thereby that at the time of his vision (about 96 A. D.) the Most Holy apartment was closed. In addition to this, we shall now see from Daniel's prophecy that the judgment throne was set up in the Most Holy apartment of the heavenly sanctuary after the "little horn" of Daniel 7 came up.
"I considered the horns," says the seer, "and, behold there came up among them another little horn, before whom there were three of the first horns plucked up by the roots: and, behold, in this horn were eyes like the eyes of man, and a mouth speaking great things.
I beheld till the thrones were cast down, and the Ancient of days did sit, whose garment was white as snow, and the hair of His head like
the pure wool: His throne was like
the fiery flame, and His wheels as burning fire. A fiery stream issued and came forth from before Him, thousands ministered unto Him, and ten thousand times ten thousands stood before Him: the judgment was set, and the books were opened." (Daniel 7:8 -10).
These verses reveal that after "the judgment was set, and the books were opened," "the Son of man," Christ, was then "brought" to a position, not at "the right hand of God," "the Ancient of days," but "near before" Him (Daniel 7:8-10, 13).
Both John's and Daniel's visions reveal that the throne in the sanctuary was not there from the beginning of the creation of God; or from the days of Moses; or yet from the hour that Christ ascended on high; or even from the days of pagan Rome; that, indeed, it was not "set up" until after the fall of pagan Rome, when the "little horn"[the Papacy—between 538 A.D. - 1798] of the non-descript beast came up—in the days of Ecclesiastical Rome (Daniel 7:7-12, 21, 22). Elsewhere than in the sanctuary, therefore, is God's Eternal throne room.