REVELATION 4---{HEAVEN'S THRONE ROOM}
Jesus HAS introduced Himself to The World--Revelation 1.
Jesus SPOKE to HIS 7 Churches--Revelation 2-3.
REVELATION 4 OPENS WITH JOHN BEING RAPTURED WITH THE CHURCH…now what?
Jesus SHOWS us what is going on in Heaven.
Jesus is ALSO preparing us for Revelation 6.
Revelation 1:19 IS an outline of the ENTIRE book of Revelation.
Chapter FOUR begins the third section: the things which shall take place after THE RAPTURE of THE CHURCH.
Chapter four begins a HEAVENLY perspective, looking down on the earth.
THE CHURCH will be IN Heaven…LOOKING down on the earth.
The Bible has other important references to heaven, in passages such as Isaiah 6:1-8; Ezekiel 1, and in passages describing the Tabernacle, which symbolically describes heaven (Exodus 25-32 and 35-40).
In the description of heavenly things, John will use SOME symbols, but remember NOT everything IS symbolic.
Also, we should keep in mind the nature of symbolism: the symbol is always less than the reality. The reality of heaven is even greater & more amazing than the descriptions The Bible gives us.
From Revelation 4 through 19 we have a section MAINLY dealing with & concerning God’s JUDGMENT upon the world, preceding Jesus’ earthly reign, the period known as the “Messianic Woes” or the “Great Tribulation.”
God’s judgments ARE announced by a seven-sealed scroll, seven trumpets, seven signs, and seven bowls that pour out God’s wrath.
Revelation FOUR introduces us to the place judgment comes from: God’s throne in heaven. Jesus is TELLING us WHAT we WILL see when we GET there.
John is CALLED TO HEAVEN.
REVELATION 4:1
“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.”
“After these things”: Revelation chapters 2 and 3 spoke to the churches, and the seven churches comprised all of JESUS’ churches. After Jesus is finished speaking to the churches, after John’s vision of THE RAPTURE, John is brought to Heaven & is shown the vision of Revelation 4.
“And the first voice which I heard”: The first voice that spoke to John in Revelation 1:10 speaks to him AGAIN here -- it IS the voice of Jesus. Jesus calls John up to heaven, through a door standing open in heaven.
“Like a trumpet”: The voice spoke loud and clear to John. It was like the trumpet that gathered the congregation of Israel together, or gathered an army for battle.
“Come up here, and I will show you things which must take place after this”: John will be shown things that concern the end times FUTURE (which must take place after this), NOT John’s present day.
Some mistakenly interpret what John saw up through Revelation 19 as being fulfilled BEFORE John’s day--- notably, in the Roman invasion and destruction of Jerusalem. That is a WRONG assumption. Jesus clearly tells John that He will show him things which must take place AFTER John’s day.
MANKIND’S HISTORY AGREES WITH BIBLICAL HISTORY.
HOW?
POOLE, AN AMAZING CHRISTIAN & HISTORIAN TELL US.
“The destruction of Jerusalem, for that was already past, in the time of Titus Vespasian the Roman emperor, about the year 69 or 70, after the incarnation; this (as all confess) was in Domitian’s time, about the 11th or 12th year of his reign, about twenty-six or twenty-seven years after that was past.”
Some like to interpret what John saw up through Revelation 19 as fulfilled in history AFTER John’s day but BEFORE our present day. But these events have YET to be fulfilled in any sort of literal sense. So we MUST regard what Jesus will show John in the following chapters of Revelation as belonging to the FUTURE, and as preceding HIS return when Jesus WILL touch earth THIS time IN ISRAEL on Mount Zion, & WILL destroy The AntiChrist, & then we SEE Jesus’ coming millennial (1000 year reign) ON the earth.
“Like a trumpet . . . Come up here”: Many see John’s “going up” to heaven as a symbol/confirmation of The Rapture Of The Church. John ALSO is called up to heaven by a voice that sounds like a trumpet, just as the church will be as described in 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17.
The pattern of Revelation is ORDERLY & SIGNIFICANT. Jesus introduced Himself to the world in Revelation 1. Jesus IS finished speaking to and dealing with ALL HIS churches in Revelation chapters 2 and 3. Now, Jesus calls John up to heaven, “catching him away” with a voice that sounds like a trumpet. All this happens BEFORE the great wrath that will be described beginning at Revelation 6. As that great judgment on the earth unfolds, John - a representative of the church - is IN heaven, looking DOWN on earth.
Significantly, the word “CHURCH=Christians=The Bride of Christ” NEVER is mentioned NOR does it occur, in Revelation chapters 4 through 19, which reveals GOD‘S judgment upon the UNSAVED/REJECTING Jesus Christ earth/mankind.
(v.2) John goes up, in the Spirit.
“Immediately I was in the Spirit;”
John already said he was in the Spirit at Revelation 1:10. This is yet a DIFFERENT experience, as John COMES TO HEAVEN & has a heavenly perspective.
“In the Spirit:” Where was his body? Was John’s body in heaven also, or was it just his spirit? Remember Paul, when he had his heavenly experience, he DIDN’T know if he was “in the body” or not (2 Corinthians 12:1-4).
John’s description of heaven.
The point of focus? A THRONE set in heaven.
“And behold, a throne set in heaven, and One sat on the throne.”
“And behold, a throne:” This throne is what first strikes John, and it is the centerpiece of THIS vision. John is fixated on the occupied throne, and everything else is described in relation to this throne.
“And One sat on the throne:” The throne is NOT empty. There is some One who sits on this great heavenly throne. The throne is a powerful declaration of not merely God’s presence, but of His sovereign, rightful reign, and His prerogative to judge.
ATHEISTS BOTTOM LINE IS THAT THERE IS NO THRONE, NO AUTHORITY, NO POWER BEYOND THEMSELVES.
HUMANISM BOTTOM LINE IS THAT THERE IS A THRONE, BUT MAN SITS UPON IT HIMSELF.
MEISM BOTTOM LINE IS THAT ME IS THE RULER, ME SITS ON THE THRONE.
ESSENTIALLY, MANKIND CAN NOT LIVE WITHOUT THE CONCEPT OF A THRONE…A SUPREME RULER. IN REJECTING ALMIGHTY GOD AND JESUS CHRIST, THEY CREATE OR LABEL THEMSELVES, A HUMAN RULER, OR FAD-DRIVEN IDEOLOGY/CONCEPT THERE.
(v.3) What John saw at the heavenly throne.
“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.”
“And He who sat there was like:” As John describes the occupant of the throne, he does not describe a distinct figure.
“Like a jasper and a sardius stone in appearance:” Instead of describing a specific form or figure, John describes emanations of glistening light in two colors: white (jasper may mean “diamond”) and red (sardius).
Perhaps these two colors are meant to communicate the glory of the empty tomb (white, Matthew 28:1-3) and the sacrificial love of Calvary (red, indicating blood). Or, perhaps they should be linked with the first and last gems in the high priest’s breastplate (Exodus 39:8-13).
“And there was a rainbow around the throne:” The throne is surrounded by a green-hued rainbow (in appearance like an emerald). A rainbow around the throne is a remarkable thing, showing that God will ALWAYS limit Himself by His own promises. The rainbow is a reminder of God’s commitment to His covenant with man (Genesis 9:11-17).
(v.4) What John SAW around the throne: the TWENTY-FOUR elders.
“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.”
“Around the throne were twenty-four thrones:” Before the elders catch John’s eye, he noticed the twenty-four thrones they sat on. These twenty-four elders sit on lesser thrones, around the throne.
Later we will hear their song of worship (Revelation 4:10-11).
“On the thrones I saw twenty-four elders sitting:” Who are these twenty-four elders? They represent God’s people. ELDERS represented the people of God, ESPECIALLY in the Old Testament.
The 24 courses of the priesthood represented all the priests (1 Chronicles 24), and the 12 tribes and the 12 apostles represent all the faithful.
In Revelation 5:9-10, the twenty-four elders sing a song of praise to Jesus, and they cry out: “For You were slain, and have redeemed us to God by Your blood, out of EVERY tribe and tongue and people and nation.” In that passage, the twenty-four elders are clearly speaking as representatives of ALL God’s people, of the great company of the redeemed in/through ACCEPTANCE of Jesus Christ.
“Clothed in white robes; and they had crowns of gold on their heads:” The white robes and crowns of the elders indicate they ARE human beings - in ETERNAL glory, of course.
Angels are sometimes presented in white robes or garments (Mark 16:5; John 20:12; Acts 1:10), but “SAINTS=those saved during the Tribulation” will ALSO have white robes (Revelation 6:11; 7:9; 7:13-14) as a picture of their imputed righteousness (Isaiah 61:10; Revelation 3:5-18). However, we never SEE angels CROWNED, but ONLY believers ARE and WILL BE (1 Corinthians 9:25; 2 Timothy 4:8; 1 Peter 5:4).
So we NOW KNOW who the 24 are. They ARE redeemed & glorified mankind sits enthroned WITH Jesus. On lesser thrones, to be sure, but thrones none the less. We ARE joint heirs with Christ (Romans 8:17), and we WILL reign with Him (2 Timothy 2:12).
(v.5) Impressive and fearful sights at the throne of God.
“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.”
“And from the throne proceeded lightnings, thunderings, and voices:” The lightning, thunder, voices and fire are reminiscent of God’s fearful presence at Mount Sinai (Exodus 19:16-19 and 20:18-19). They communicate the AWE associated with the throne of God.
“Seven lamps of fire were burning before the throne:” The Holy Spirit (the seven Spirits of God, as previously referred to in Revelation 1:4 and Isaiah 11:2) is represented by seven burning lamps. In other passages, HE=JESUS is represented by a dove (Matthew 3:16) or a flame of fire (Acts 2:3).
(v.6) The sea of glass before the throne.
“Before the throne there was a sea of glass, like crystal.”
“A sea of glass:” Is this sea really made of glass, or does it just look like it? Whether it looks like glass, or is actually made of glass, it is the FINEST/PUREST glass, like crystal.
“A sea:” This body of water before the throne is reminiscent of the laver in the Tabernacle, and our washing of the water of the word (Ephesians 5:26). The word is to us a crystal glass, giving us a clear sight of God and of ourselves, in (2 Corinthians 3:18; James 1:23).
(v.6-8) The four living creatures all around the throne.
“And in the midst of the throne, and around the throne, were four living creatures full of eyes in front and in back. The first living creature was like a lion, the second living creature like a calf, the third living creature had a face like a man, and the fourth living creature was like a flying eagle. The four living creatures, each having six wings, were full of eyes around and within.”
“Four living creatures full of eyes:” From comparison with Ezekiel 1:4-14 and 10:20-22, we understand these creatures to be CHERUBIM, the spectacular angelic beings who surround the throne of God. Satan was once one of these high angelic beings, according to Ezekiel 28:14.
Cherubim were also prominent in design of the tabernacle, particularly in the Most Holy Place (Exodus 25:17-22; 26:1, and 31). The Scriptures show us that the tabernacle is a model of the throne of God, in some manner (Exodus 25:8-9).
“Full of eyes in front and in back . . . full of eyes around and within:” Their multitude of eyes indicates these living creatures (not “beasts” as in the KJV) are not blind instruments or robots. They KNOW & UNDERSTAND, and have GREATER insight and perception than ANY man.
These beings of incredible intelligence and understanding live their existence to worship God. All failure to truly worship is rooted in a lack of seeing and understanding.
The way these super-intelligent beings worship God reminds us that our worship MUST be intelligent. Our service MUST be reasonable, as it says in Romans 12:1 & intelligent in John 4:22.
“Like a lion . . . like a calf . . . a face like a man . . . like a flying eagle:” John describes FOUR cherubim, each with a DIFFERENT face. From comparison with Ezekiel 1:6-10, we can see that each of the cherubim have four faces, and at the moment, John sees each one of the four different faces pointed in his direction.
Some scholars BELIEVE these four creatures speak of the ensigns of the lead tribe as Israel was encamped in four groups around the tabernacle in the wilderness. Numbers 2:3; 2:10; 2:18, and 2:25 mention this organization of the tribes under these four heads, but does not assign “mascots” to tribal banners.
That these were the four creatures whose represent the four leaders of the Israelites as the 12 Tribes were divided into four companies, allotting the men of three tribes to each company. Judah’s standard had a LION in its colors, according to Jacob’s prophecy of that tribe, Genesis 49:9, Ephraim had an OX, Reuben had a MAN, Dan an EAGLE.
As the Old Testament is either/both affirmed/confirmed in the New Testament, the four different faces of the cherubim are ALSO taken as symbols OF JESUS as represented in each gospel. In classical church architecture, these four “characters” are repeated often as a motif that signifies both heaven and the FOUR gospels.
Most have seen Matthew as the “LION” gospel, showing Jesus as the Lion of the Tribe of Judah. Mark is seen as the “OX” gospel, showing Jesus as a humble servant, a worker. Luke is seen as the “MAN” gospel, showing Jesus as the perfect man, the second Adam. John is seen as the “EAGLE” gospel, showing Jesus as the man from heaven, the sky.
What we DO know is that these FOUR faces ARE important because they represent ALL of living creation, in its utmost excellence. The lion is the mightiest of wild animals, the ox strongest of domesticated animals, the eagle king of all birds, and man is highest of all creation, BUT they are ALL placed UNDER the throne of glory as in Ezekiel 1:10, to show that NOTHING is ABOVE God & His Kingdom.
As well, it is significant to see that the Bible associates A FACE with the idea of person (1 Chronicles 12:8; 2 Chronicles 29:6; Isaiah 3:15; 13:8). Here we have singular beings with four faces. Apparently, there are beings that can be more than one person - as our God is One God in three Persons.
John describes what happens at the throne of God.
(8b) The living creatures constantly worship God.
“And they do not rest day or night, saying: “Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, Who was and is and is to come!”
“They do not rest day or night, saying, “Holy, holy, holy.” The cherubim constantly repeat the phrase holy, holy, holy. God’s holy nature and character is declared, and emphasized with a three-time repetition.
“They do not rest:” They have no rest, and yet they have no unrest neither, they ARE content.
“Lord God Almighty:” The cherubim declare that the Lord God is Almighty. As in Revelation 1:8, the ancient Greek word is pantokrator, with the idea of “the one who has His hand on everything.”
“Who was and is and is to come:” This repeats another idea from Revelation 1:8, and refers to God’s ETERNAL Being. It translates the thought behind the meaning of the name “Yahweh.”
(v.9-11) The twenty-four elders worship the enthroned God.
“Whenever the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to Him who sits on the throne, who lives forever and ever, the twenty-four elders fall down before Him who sits on the throne and worship Him who lives forever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying: “You are worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power; for You created all things, and by Your will they exist and were created.”
“Whenever the living creatures give glory . . . the twenty-four elders fall down before Him:” The worship of the twenty-four elders is prompted by the cherubim. Since the cherubim worship God day and night, so do the elders.
“The twenty-four elders fall down before Him who sits on the throne and worship Him:” The twenty-four elders recognize that THEIR worth/worthiness belongs to God, NOT to themselves.
INTERESTINGLY ENOUGH, DID YOU KNOW there was a practice known in the Roman Empire. The Emperor of Rome ruled over many lesser kings, and these kings were at times commanded to come before the Emperor and lay their crowns down before him in homage. Then he would give them back, as a demonstration that their crowns, their right to rule, their victory, came FROM him ALONE.
The crowns mentioned in Revelation 4:10 are the STEPHANOS CROWNS, the crowns of victory, NOT royalty. These are the crowns of achievement that a winning athlete would receive at the ancient Olympian Games. The twenty-four elders - representing ALL the redeemed CHILDREN of God - throw every achievement reward they have back to God, because they know and proclaim that He is worthy . . . to receive glory and honor and power.
This verse ALSO tells us and shows us that there are NO divided opinions in heaven, NO sects and parties, NO schisms there. They are ALL IN PERFECT HARMONY in Heaven. What one does, all do. They ALL cast their crowns, without exception, before the throne.
“For You created all things, and by Your will they exist and were created:” The fact that God is Creator gives Him all right and every claim over everything - even as a potter has all rights and claims over the clay (Romans 9:21).
Because the 24 elders represent ALL people of God, the worship, the crown, the robes, the heart of these twenty-four elders belongs to us ALSO. Jesus is TELLING us that there IS a throne in heaven that NO ONE can occupy but YOU/I, and there is a crown in heaven that NO OTHER head can wear but YOU/I, and there is a part in the eternal song that NO VOICE can ever compass but YOU/I. How precious is Jesus. This scripture SHOWS us just how VERY MUCH HE loves EACH of us, Amen!!!
BE BLESSED AND STAY BLESSED IN OUR JESUS!