FAITH & FICTION: Revelations 5 (part 2)
Jan 16th, 2008 by azdean
Here’s part 2 to my fictionalized version of Revelations chapter 5. You may want to check out Part 1 first, if you missed it. Also, if you are interested in reading the entire story that this excerpt came from, or any of the others stories that I have started, you can check them out here.
I have been planning for some time to get back to these stories, rewrite them, and hopefully get something published one day. Anyway, here’s part 2…
I noticed that the four living creatures that continually flew around the throne seemed undisturbed. I couldn’t begin to imagine what they experienced. They had been so close to God that they saw what no one else had ever seen, and somehow — somehow! — they weren’t concerned in the least. How could it be?
And then I saw the multitude of angels around the throne. They seemed to know something. They seemed to have been clued in on what the outcome would be. But I couldn’t stand it.
“Tell me!” I cried aloud. “Is anyone strong enough to break the seals?”
And then I saw twenty-four elders each with a brilliant crown on their head. They were the elite of all time, the greatest in God’s eyes. They stood tall and confident.
And one of them, John the beloved, came down to where I was. He had a smile that told me he couldn’t wait to tell me the good news. He had waited so very long for this day and had longed to be the one to tell me.
I waited for him to join me in the whirlwind of God’s glory.
“Princess,” he said with such love that I knew he had long dwelt in the presence of God. “You do not need to cry as I did. Like you, I did not know. Like you, it seemed like no one had been victorious. But like me, deep down, you know there is one.
“He is like no other. He is the one David’s heart sprung up from and throughout all of time no one has triumphed as powerfully as he has. He has utterly defeated the enemy. He has conquered death itself. He is the roaring lion in the direct linage of Judah.
“There has never been one like him before and there never will be one as powerful as he is ever again. He stands alone among the beings of the universe. He is greater than any other!”
And then I heard a sound like none I have ever heard before. It was the sound of a roaring ocean of unparalleled size. The wave came roaring across the expanse of space with nothing to stop it.
I looked up and saw millions upon millions of angels arrayed in fine white garments moving to closely surround the throne. They had waited an unbelievably long amount of time for the book to be opened, and they all wanted to be near to see the great lion take the book and break the seals.
“Wow!” Doc said in awe at the amazing sight.
And then the most amazing thing happened. All at once in perfect unison, the millions of angels turned their heads to focus on one thing. The smiles that erupted across that expanse of angelic beings were like an eternity of joy raining down on me. It flooded my being and washed over me in great waves of joy.
I looked to see what they were looking at expecting to see the great lion. But there was no lion. There was not the powerful king who had defeated his enemy.
Instead, I saw the weakest — a mere lamb. I saw one who had loved like no one else had in all of time. I saw one who had been perfect, who had been flawless, but now stood there having been marked with the stripes of his executioner.
This one, who no one could ever defeat, had willing turned himself over to be slain.
“That’s it!” I shouted. “I see it now!”
“What do you see Princess?” John asked me.
“He didn’t merit breaking the seals because of how powerful he was, did he?”
“No, it didn’t matter how strong he was…”
“He was the only one that could do it!” I said more to myself than anyone else. “We couldn’t unlock our destiny because we were the ones that locked it up in the first place. Our failures were like weights that tipped the balance out of whack. No matter how great we were, we could never undo what we had put on the balance!”
“No one can undo what has already been done,” John said.
“But while the weights couldn’t be removed from the scale, they could be balanced, couldn’t they?”
“Yes Princess, they could be balanced, but only by one who had never put any weights onto the scale himself. You cannot balance out the weight you have put on yourself.”
“Then…” Doc said, “then that’s why the lamb had to be utterly flawless.”
“Yes Doc,” John said. “The slightest flaw and he would have needed someone else to balance the scale for him.”
“And that’s why he can break the seals then!” I said. “He is able to balance out all the things that have sealed the book up. Man piled up a huge weight, an enormous debt, but he was able to balance it and pay off all the debt that bound the book closed.”
“Yes,” John said. “I think you’re understanding now.”
“But why did he have to be slain?” Doc asked. “Wasn’t being flawless enough?”
“No Doc,” John replied. “Being flawless gave him the ability, but he still had to choose to pay the debt off. To pay the debt, to put weight on the other side of the scale and balance it, he had to pay the price required.
“Each weight that man put on the scale required him to be forever separated from God because God is perfect and holy and you cannot be close to him unless you are also perfect.
“Each weight that was put on that scale by man meant that the lamb had to be separated from God himself. Each weight could only be paid for by dying.”
“But aren’t the angels flawless?” I asked. “Why couldn’t one of them have done it?”
“They are flawless, but they haven’t been tested as man is tested,” John answered. “Only one that was tested the same way as man has could possibly pay the price for failing the test as man did.”
“But he did it!” I shouted. “He succeeded and he can now break the seals and unlock our inheritance from the Father.”
“That’s right Princess,” John said.
The Twenty-four Elders - Naming Names
If the priests referenced in the Old Testament at 1 Chronicles 24:7-18 are from every nation under heaven (Acts 2:5 below), then I believe that these priests of old ARE the twenty-four elders out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation (Re.5:9 below) seen in heaven in the book of Revelation (Re.4:4, Re.5:8-10, Re.11:6, Re.19:4 below).
If that is so, we then know the names of the twenty-four elders of the book of Revelation - Jehoiarib, Jedaiah, Harim, Seorim, Malchijah, Mijamin, Hakkoz, Abijah, Jeshua, Shecaniah, Eliashib, Jakim, Huppah, Jeshebeab, Bilgah, Immer, Hezir, Aphses, Pethahiah, Jehezekel, Jachin, Gumul, Delaiah, Maaziah. (1 Chron.24:7-18)
I believe that the devout Jews dwelling at Jerusalem who were out of every nation under heaven (Acts 2:5 below) at the day of Pentecost (Acts 2:3-11 below) are the “many” who were raised out of their graves after the Lord’s resurrection who went into the holy city and appeared unto many (Matt.27:52-53 below), the “many” who were raised out of their graves being the twenty-four elders seen in heaven in the book of Revelation (Re.4:4, Re.5:8-10, Re.11:16, Re.19:4 below).
Re.4:4 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.
Re.5:8 And when he had taken the book, the four beasts and four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps, and golden vials full of odours, which are the prayers of saints.
Re.5:9 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 (the Father) by thy blood (Jesus) out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation;
Re:5:10 And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.
Re.11:16 And the four and twenty elders, which sat before God on their seats, fell upon their faces, and worshipped God,
Re.19:4 And the four and twenty elders and the four beasts fell down and worshipped God that sat on the throne, saying, Amen; Alleluia.
Acts 2:3 And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them.
Acts 2:4 And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues (languages – Acts 2:6, 8 below), as the Spirit gave them utterance.
Acts 2:5 And there were dwelling at Jerusalem Jews, devout men, out of EVERY nation (Acts 2:9-10 below) under heaven.
Acts 2:6 Now when this was noised abroad, the multitude came together, and were confounded, because that every man heard them speak in his own language (tongue – Act.2:8 below).
Acts 2:7 And they (the multitude – Acts 2:6 above) were all amazed and marvelled, saying one to another, Behold, are not all these which speak Galilaeans?
Acts 2:8 And how hear we every man in our own tongue (language – Acts 2:6, 11), wherein we were born (Acts 2:9-11 below)?
Acts 2:9 Parthians, and Medes, and Elamites, and the dwellers in Mesopotamia, and in Judaea, and Cappadocia, in Pontus, and Asia,
Acts 2:10 Phrygia, and Pamphylia, in Egypt, and in the parts of Libya about Cyrene, and strangers of Rome, Jews and proselytes,
Acts 2:11 Cretes and Arabians, we do hear them speak in our tongues (languages – Acts 2:6, 8 above) the wonderful works of God.
Matt.27:52 And the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints which slept arose,
Matt.27:53 And came out of the graves after his (Jesus’) resurrection, and went into the holy city (Jerusalem), and appeared unto many.
Pat (ndbpsa ©, published 03/14/03)
Bible Prophecy on the Web
Thanks Patricia for your input on who the twenty-four elders might be. I am no theologian nor am I an expert on Bible prophecy. I simply assumed that the twenty-four elders might be twelve from the twelve tribes of Israel and then the twelve apostles. I thought this would be intriguing for a story as it could allow me to have John the beloved come down and explain the scene from his perspective. Of course that begs the question of who he saw when he saw twenty-four elders in Revelations. I mean, how could he see himself? But then, maybe he did and he just never told us that part.