Free Bible Commentary
“Revelation 4:1-11”
Categories: Revelation“After these things I looked, and behold, a door standing open in heaven, and the first voice which I had heard, like the sound of a trumpet speaking with me, said, ‘Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after these things.’ Immediately I was in the Spirit; and behold, a throne was standing in heaven, and One sitting on the throne. And He who was sitting was like a jasper stone and a sardius in appearance; and there was a rainbow around the throne, like an emerald in appearance. Around the throne were twenty-four thrones; and upon the thrones I saw twenty-four elders sitting, clothed in white garments, and golden crowns on their heads. Out from the throne come flashes of lightning and sounds and peals of thunder. And there were seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God; and before the throne there was something like a sea of glass, like crystal; and in the center and around the throne, four living creatures full of eyes in front and behind. The first creature was like a lion, and the second creature like a calf, and the third creature had a face like that of a man, and the fourth creature was like a flying eagle. And the four living creatures, each one of them having six wings, are full of eyes around and within; and day and night they do not cease to say, ‘Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God, the Almighty, who was and who is and who is to come.’ And when the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to Him who sits on the throne, to Him who lives forever and ever, the twenty-four elders will fall down before Him who sits on the throne, and will worship Him who lives forever and ever, and will cast their crowns before the throne, saying, ‘Worthy are You, our Lord and our God, to receive glory and honor and power; for You created all things, and because of Your will they existed, and were created.’”
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“After” John had recorded the words of exhortation, admonition and condemnation to the churches of Asia in the seven letters, the Lord showed him “a door standing open in heaven” (verse 1). There can be little doubt that the apostle and many of his brethren were discouraged because of the “tribulation” that they were enduring for their faith in Christ Jesus, and there was much more yet to come (1:9). So Jesus showed John, and all believers through Revelation’s vivid symbolism, the true reality that can only be appropriately viewed from heaven’s perspective. The takeaway from this vision is that God is in complete control. No matter how much power the worldly wicked seem to wield upon this earth, the Lord reigns supreme and rules with all majesty, power and authority from His heavenly throne.
Jesus shows us “what must take place after these things.” “Man can write history only after events take place, but God foretells history before it occurs (Rom. 4:17b; Isa. 42:9). Before the battle is fought, God knows the victory will be achieved (Ps. 46). From this viewpoint Jesus encouraged his disciples, ‘Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom’ (Luke 12:32). ‘In this world you have tribulation, but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world’ (John 16:33).” (Harkrider).
John was “in the Spirit” (verse 2) while under His power and shown “a throne…standing in heaven.” The “One sitting on the throne” was “like a jasper stone and a sardius stone in appearance” (verse 3). These precious, radiant stones symbolized God’s intrinsic attributes of divine glory and perfect judgment. Arced over and around the majestic throne glistened a brilliant rainbow of emerald green. Reverently placed around God’s throne of supremacy were “twenty-four elders” sitting upon “twenty-four” lesser “thrones” (verse 4). Twelve is the number that symbolizes God’s people, and perhaps it is doubled here to represent all of the Lord’s faithful under His previous covenants and current covenant in Christ Jesus combined. The elders were “clothed in white garments” and wearing “golden crowns”. When we are washed in the blood of Christ (1:5) we are purified, washed white as snow (Isaiah 1:18). Jesus promises us that if we suffer with Him, we will also reign with Him (2 Timothy 2:12).
“Out from the throne came flashes of lightning and sounds and peals of thunder” (verse 5). This is reminiscent of the scene of God descending upon Mount Sinai in His awesome power in Exodus 19:16-19. The Holy Spirit is also present “before the throne,” the number “seven” emblematic of His perfect divinity. “Since the work of the Holy Spirit is that of illumination of the truth (John 16:13), ‘lamps of fire burning’ offer a graphic portrayal of this mission." (Harkrider) “Before the throne there was something like a sea of glass, like crystal” (verse 6). This “barrier” places a bit of shimmering separation between the glorious Creator and His lowly creation, but when the Lord returns and His people are perfected, there will be “no longer any sea” of severance (21:1).
The “four living creatures” that fly around God’s throne and “do not cease to say, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God, the Almighty” (verses 6-8) are similar in nature to the “cherubim” (Ezekiel 10:20) in Ezekiel’s vision (Ezekiel 1:1-20). The cherubim are a “very high order of angels who execute God’s will and are assigned the work of guarding holy things… Cherubims were placed at the Garden of Eden (Gen. 3:24), and…placed at the two ends of the ark of the covenant…(Exod. 5:18-22)… The ‘lion,’ sometimes called the king of the jungle, represents strength. The ‘calf’ (‘ox’)…is a beast of patient service and endurance. ‘Man’ signifies intelligence, reason, and wisdom. An ‘eagle,’ the prince of the skies, perhaps represents penetrating vision and swiftness.” (Harkrider). The living creatures “do not cease to say, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God, the Almighty” just as the angels in Isaiah’s throne scene had sung (Isaiah 6:1-3).
“Worthy are You, our Lord and our God, to receive glory and honor and power; for You created all things, and because of Your will they existed, and were created” (verse 11). It is only right for those closest to God (His angels and His children) to extol the praises of our most magnificent King! It is only right for us to humble ourselves and “cast our crowns before Him.” He is the Creator and Ruler of the Universe. He is the source of everything that is good in life. Only by His power can we overcome sin and death and an eternity of destruction. Only through Christ’s grace and power and blood and love and mercy can we reign with Him eternally in heaven, and sing His praises forever and ever in the beautiful city of God. Amen!
Please read Revelation 5:1-5 for tomorrow.
Have a blessed day!
-Louie Taylor
