A Revelation of Leadership!

Pulling Back the Curtain on Leadership: An Exposition of Revelation Chapter 4

Timothy L. Sims

• Publisher: Christian Faith Publishing, Inc.
• Year: 2022
• Print ISBN: 9781638443858
• eBook ISBN: 9781638443865

Pastor Timothy L. Sims is a native of Kansas City, Kansas and is the eighth child in a family of ten children. He accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as his own personal savior at an early age of 15. After his new birth in Christ, he was immediately called into the ministry to preach the gospel. He preached his first sermon in May, 1978 and shortly afterwards was licensed as a Minister. He completed one year of training from the Open Door Baptist Bible College, Kansas City, Kansas. He also completed two years of training and required course work from the CH Mason School of Ministry in preparation to receive a "certificate of ordination". Pastor Sims has also completed several bible training courses offered by various Christian organizations. In August, 2013, he was awarded an honorary Doctorate of Ministry Degree from the Fellowship Bible Institute of Tulsa, Oklahoma. Pastor Sims has been pastoring for nearly 21 years. He is currently the senior pastor of the Planeview Church of God in Christ, in Wichita, Kansas and teaches in the KSW Jurisdiction, CH Mason Bible Institute. His preaching and teaching is coupled with an evangelistic anointing that actively reaches out to win lost souls to Christ. Pastor Dr. Sims is happily married to Lady Anita Rene' Matthews-Sims and is the proud father of three children Ja'red, Joshua and Jessica.

Chapter 1

Take It to the Next Level

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.

—Revelation 4:1

A Time of Transition

In chapter 4 of the book of Revelation, God was about to give the Apostle John a complete revelation of the future of the earth. The phrases “after this” and “things which must be hereafter” are transitional phrases.

They cause us to ask the question, “After what”? Well, chapters 1 to 3 of Revelation establish the context which is the seven churches of Asia (see Revelation 1:4 through 3:22). Many Bible teachers believe the seven churches of Asia are a metaphor for the church age or age of grace.

So, Revelation 4:1 is transitioning us and moving us forward to a point in time that is beyond the church age. God was about to unveil to John the future of the earth after the church was gone and the church age had ended. For more information on how the church age will end, see 1 Thessalonians 4:13–18 which talks about the rapture of the church.

Some Bible teachers don’t believe in the rapture of the church. They debate whether the church will go through the tribulation period. They discuss whether the church age will end pre-trib, mid-trib or post-trib. But I believe the Bible clearly teaches that the rapture of the church will take place pre-trib or prior to the tribulation period based upon 1 Thessalonians 5:9 which declares that “God has not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ.”

The context of 1 Thessalonians 5 deals with the day of the Lord and the word wrath is a reference specifically to the wrath of God being poured out during the tribulation period. Believers’ in Christ are not appointed to obtain that wrath. That’s why I believe the rapture will be pre-trib and the Church won’t go through that time of judgment on the earth from God!

Because, God always protects His people and gets them out of harm’s way. Just like He did for Noah and his family before bringing the flood upon the earth and Lot and his family before bringing judgment upon Sodom and Gomorrah.

The Bible describes what things will be like in the world after the church is gone and the church age has ended and the restraining power of the Holy Spirit is taken away. It will be a time where God will be pouring out His wrath on the earth to purge and cleanse it in preparation for our Lord’s second return.

According to the book of Revelation, there will be seven seals of judgment (Revelation 6), seven trumpets of judgment (8–11), seven thunders (10:1–7) and seven bowls of judgment (16). In addition to this, the Antichrist will be revealed and everything associated with God and the Bible will be blasphemed and violently resisted. People will be martyred for their faith and not be able to buy or sell without the mark of the beast (Revelation 13:17). This is also why you don’t want to miss the rapture and be left behind.

Without a doubt, there are many signs that indicate our Lord is soon to return. But, no signs need to be fulfilled for the rapture to occur. It could take place at any moment. Jesus said “Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak” (Matthew 26:41).

The word watch becomes an acronym for what we should be looking for.

W represents the Wickedness in the world.

A represents the Apostasy in the church.

T represents Terrestrial signs or signs in the earth.

C represents Celestial signs or signs in the heavens.

H represents the Holy Land or Israel.

God is a God of transition and He has seasons of change in our lives. Transition means “movement or passage from one form, style, state or place to another”.1 It’s the place in between where you were and where you are headed.

Transition is not your past or your future. It is the movement of your present. So, if you’re not where you were and not where God wants you to be, you’re in transition. Sometimes transition seems to be fast and abrupt. But, sometimes it seems to be a long and arduous process that is filled with confusion, difficulty, disappointment, discouragement and frustration. However it occurs, God promises that some things will only happen after a time of transition.

Ezekiel 47:1 says, “Afterward”; Joel 2:28 says, “And it shall come to pass Afterward”; 1 Peter 5:10 says, “But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you.”

An Open Door

What we see in Revelation 4:1 is the whole world in a time of transition. The scripture records that during this time of transition, the Apostle John looked and saw “a door was opened in heaven.”

Doors are transitional instruments that are placed on buildings for access. They speak to our ability to enter into or exit out of different situations and circumstances in our lives. The Greek word for door is thura and it means a “portal, entrance, door or gate.”2

In the scriptures, doors often represent opportunities and symbolize portals in time that God places before his people. In 2 Corinthians 2:12, the Apostle Paul said that

For every transition God has an open door.

“When I came to Troas to preach Christ’s gospel, a door was opened unto me of the Lord.” Paul went to Troas with the right purpose, motive or intent and the Lord opened a door of opportunity for him.

Please note that God opens doors and gives opportunities to those whose motives and intentions are right. When our motives are pure and our intentions are right, we can claim the promise of Revelation 3:8 which says “Behold, I have set before thee an open door and no man can shut it.”

The door in John’s life represented an opportunity to enter into a new dimension of spiritual revelation and included a preview of future events. This door was also accompanied by the voice of God. So, for every transition God has an open door. Selah!

An Active Voice

For every open door God has an active voice.

God speaks to us in different ways and everything He has to say is important! But in this case, God was about to say something so important to the Apostle John that He spoke in a way where he couldn’t miss it! He spoke authoritatively to him. Please note the phrase, “as it were of a trumpet” and understand that this was not a whisper.

In the Bible, the H...

Table of contents

• Chapter 1
• Chapter 2
• Chapter 3
• Chapter 4
• Chapter 5
• Chapter 6
• Chapter 7