Revelation 4:1–11 After this I looked, and behold, a door standing open in heaven! And the first voice, which I had heard speaking to me like a trumpet, said, “Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this.” 2 At once I was in the Spirit, and behold, a throne stood in heaven, with one seated on the throne. 3 And he who sat there had the appearance of jasper and carnelian, and around the throne was a rainbow that had the appearance of an emerald. 4 Around the throne were twenty-four thrones, and seated on the thrones were twenty-four elders, clothed in white garments, with golden crowns on their heads. 5 From the throne came flashes of lightning, and rumblings and peals of thunder, and before the throne were burning seven torches of fire, which are the seven spirits of God, 6 and before the throne there was as it were a sea of glass, like crystal. And around the throne, on each side of the throne, are four living creatures, full of eyes in front and behind: 7 the first living creature like a lion, the second living creature like an ox, the third living creature with the face of a man, and the fourth living creature like an eagle in flight. 8 And the four living creatures, each of them with six wings, are full of eyes all around and within, and day and night they never cease to say, “Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come!” 9 And whenever the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to him who is seated on the throne, who lives forever and ever, 10 the twenty-four elders fall down before him who is seated on the throne and worship him who lives forever and ever. They cast their crowns before the throne, saying, 11 “Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created.”
There are a number of aspects/pieces this morning. I have broken it down to six...
I. The open door into heaven - Rev.4:1 After this I looked, and behold, a door standing open in heaven! And the first voice, which I had heard speaking to me like a trumpet, said, “Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this.”
A. Today things get exciting, in my opinion. And here’s where it begins. All the visions in the rest of the book flow out of this two-part vision of heaven in chapters 4 & 5. And this vision starts with a door and an invitation to come.
B. The fact is, there is another reality – another place, if you will, another dimension. And every once in a while, God opens the door for us to be able to see in (e.g. Matt.3:16, Acts 7:54-57, 10:11).
C. John hears “the first voice, which I had heard speaking to me like a trumpet,” a reference back to Rev.1:10, “I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day, and I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet.”
D. And the voice says, “Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this.”
E. John is invited to come up and see the heavenly place.
F. Sometimes you go places or see things which change your life forever.
1. In West Side Story, Tony sings to Maria, “I saw you and the world went away.” (Tonight)
2. Paul had at least two experiences like this. First, He saw Jesus on the road to Damascus (Acts 9). Then, “I was caught up into the third heaven...& heard things which cannot be told.” 2Cor.12:2-4
3. This is one of those experiences for John, and hopefully for us as well.
G. And along with this invitation, John is told by the voice, “I will show you what must take place after this.” So, He will see how things are, but also how things will be.
H. But don’t get this second part wrong. This doesn’t mean it gives us details of future events, as some have taken it. Jesus already told us much about what must take place in the future. He said,
1. Those who mourn will be comforted. The meek will inherit the earth.
2. The last shall be first. Every valley shall be exalted and every hill made low.
3. Humble yourselves before the mighty hand of God and in His own good time He will lift you up.
4. I am with you to the end of the age.
5. The Son of Man is going to come in his Father's glory with his angels. Matt. 16:27
I. Jesus and His apostles told us that the way things are is not the way they’ll remain; this world will come to an end when He returns. They gave us few details, but still told us what’s to come.
1. There is no promise here that this vision will give us more specific details.
II. The throne - Rev.4:2-3 At once I was in the Spirit, and behold, a throne stood in heaven, with one seated on the throne. 3 And he who sat there had the appearance of jasper and carnelian, and around the throne was a rainbow that had the appearance of an emerald.
A. In college I took a class entitled Cosmology, which is the theory of the universe: what it looks like, how it came to be, what makes it tick. Well, here we are presented with Biblical cosmology:
1. First of all, invisible to mankind on earth, there is a control room of the universe.
2. The most obvious feature of that control room is that at the center of everything is God on His throne, seeing everything, giving orders, being worshiped.
B. There are a number of places in the Bible where we see the throne room of God (think of Isaiah 6 or Micaiah’s amazing vision in 1Kg.22:19-23).
C. In chapter five we see that this is where Jesus is. We say that Jesus is in our hearts, we say that Jesus is with us to the end of the age, but in those ways Jesus is acting through His Spirit. Locationally, Jesus is in the throne room of God, sitting at the Father’s right hand.
1. This vision introduces us to the main location of the rest of the book of Revelation.
D. One thing the churches in Rev.2-3 had in common was their need to conquer, their need to stand firm in the faith in the midst of a hostile and difficult world. And here in this vision the Lord gives to His people what they need to know if they’re going to conquer.
1. We need to know about this control room and its relation to the world we live in.
E. It is common for people to summarize the book of Revelation with this: God wins. But I think the better summary is: God rules. That’s why the vision begins with a throne.
1. We live in a world which smells of chaos, injustice, randomness, wrongness.
2. But the fact is, there is One seated on the throne.
F. But as God sits on His throne, we see not just His power but His beauty, not just His authority but His mercy. “He who sat there had the appearance of jasper and carnelian, and around the throne was a rainbow that had the appearance of an emerald. (rainbow and mercy – Noah).
G. When God created the world, He made most of the planet rather ordinary: dirt, rocks, etc. But He made some things beautiful. He made flowers, which illustrate people, blossoming in beauty and then fading & dying. He also made precious stones. But generally in the Bible these represent heavenly things – they have glory, but a glory which doesn’t fade (Ezek.28:13, 1:26, 28, Ex.24:10).
III. The twenty-four elders - Rev.4:4 Around the throne were twenty-four thrones, and seated on the thrones were twenty-four elders, clothed in white garments, with golden crowns on their heads.
A. The characters we’re introduced to in Rev.4 are permanent characters through the rest of this book. These 24 elders are pictured as falling down before God in worship (5:9-10, 14; 11:16-18; 19:4).
B. So who are these 24 elders? Most think they are the 12 tribes of Israel (12 sons of Jacob) + 12 apostles. You see, in Rev.21:12-14 the names of the twelve tribes of Israel and the names of the twelve apostles are identified together in the description of the wall of the new Jerusalem.
C. So, these 24 are the leaders of the people of God , OT and NT, and represent all God’s people.
1. It is significant that they sit on thrones, and wear white with crowns of gold (5:14; 11:16; 19:4).
2. You see, through the letters to the seven churches, believers were promised – if they conquered – crowns, white clothing, and dominion (2:10, 26; 3:5, 11, 21). Now, to remind them of their own future, it seems, they are given a glimpse into heaven to see that the saints who have already gone to heaven have indeed been rewarded with crowns, white clothing, and authority.
IV. The lightning, torches and sea of glass - Rev.4:5-6a “From the throne came flashes of lightning, and rumblings and peals of thunder, 5b and before the throne were burning seven torches of fire, which are the seven spirits of God, 6a and before the throne there was as it were a sea of glass, like crystal.” There are three things here: the lightning, seven torches, and the sea of glass.
A. The interesting part about the, “flashes of lightning, and rumblings and peals of thunder,” is that it’s repeated three more times, in 8:5; 11:19; and 16:18, each one at the conclusion of a series of seven judgments. It seems this phrase is designed to indicate that all these judgments Come from the throne of God.
B. The seven torches - “before the throne were burning seven torches of fire, which are the seven spirits of God”
1. The first thing which comes to mind here is the seven lampstands in Rev.1, representing the seven churches. Each lampstand symbolizes a church and the flame represents the HS upon that church.
2. The word for torch is a different word than the word for lampstand, but the concept is the same.
3. Torch = lamp, and there’s a vision in Zech.4 with seven lamps/torches in it. And the meaning of it in Zech.4:6 connect the seven lamps with the HS. So, it seems reasonable to connect this with the seven lampstands (and seven spirits of God) here (and in Rev.1:4).
4. So, seven lamps = seven lampstands = seven churches = all the churches – each burning with HS (or something like that)
5. But in this vision, Jesus is walking among the lampstands UP THERE in heaven!
a. Somehow the church is there now, not just later after we die. I know that seems strange, but Ephesians 1:20 says that when Christ was raised from the dead, He was “seated at His right hand in the heavenly places.” But a few verses later, Ephesians 2:6 says that we have been “raised up with him and seated with him in the heavenly places.”
b. So, the church isn’t just down here. In some sense we are there with Christ in the heavenly places.
C. The crystal sea before the throne: The idea here is of a body of water so still that it looks like glass.
1. This makes us think of two things.
a. It makes us think of the large brass basin just outside Solomon’s temple (1Kings 7:23-26).
b. The second thing it makes us think of is the Sea of Galilee, when Jesus stilled the terrible storm, and it was suddenly and completely calm (Mark 4:39).
2. In the book of Revelation storms rage on the earth, but in heaven everything is calm before the Lord. He stills the chaotic powers of the sea. That seems to be the significance of the sea of glass.
3. — Near the end, in 21:1, when John says that “there is no longer any sea” (21:1), he means that all evil on the earth will be eradicated when Christ’s kingdom is consummated.
D. We have then three elements here: the lightning from the throne, the seven lamps before the throne, and the crystal sea before the throne.
1. The striking thing to me is the contrast between the violent fierceness of the lightning/thunder and the calm peacefulness of the crystal sea.
2. There is perfect peace where God dwells, even while He’s allowing havoc to be wreaked on earth.
3. And then there’s the church. It’s on earth so it experiences the thunder/lightning. But it is also before the throne of God in heaven, and is being called to rest in the peace of heaven.
V. The four living creatures - Rev.4:6b-8a And around the throne, on each side of the throne, are four living creatures, full of eyes in front and behind: 7 the first living creature like a lion, the second living creature like an ox, the third living creature with the face of a man, and the fourth living creature like an eagle in flight. 8 And the four living creatures, each of them with six wings, are full of eyes all around and within,
A. The most remarkable thing about these four creatures is their strangeness:
1. full of eyes in front and behind
2. The first one looked like a lion, the second like an ox, the third had the face of a man, the fourth looked like an eagle in flight.
3. Each of them had six wings.
B. We’re not told what these four living creatures are. They seem to be some kind of angelic beings who were servants/worshipers of God (Rev.4:8) and of the Lamb (Rev.5:6, 8ff.).
C. But their strangeness may be an important part of the point here. There is another world, and though this other world is invisible to us, and somewhat foreign to us, it’s very real & very important to us.
1. When you go to a different country, and live in a different culture – it’s hard and its humbling. We don’t know how things work there, or how we’re supposed to act. We feel insecure.
2. And when we’re reading the book of Revelation and come to the description of these four living creatures, we really begin to say to ourselves, “We’re definitely not in Kansas anymore!”
3. This is one of the reasons we’re not comfortable with the book of Revelation. It takes us out of our comfort zone. We are introduced to things which are strange to us. We feel confused/insecure.
4. But Jesus never promised us a cozy and predictable life, and if we’re serious about following Him, we’ve got to be ready to be taken to unknown and unfamiliar places.
5. And if we can’t trust God enough to let Him lead us out of our comfort zone and introduce us to some strange characters, then we’re going to miss out on seeing Him and being with Him.
6. In my opinion, safety & security are two of the biggest idols of American Christians, including us.
7. I think this is one of the reasons it’s hard for many Christians even to really look forward to heaven – because even though Jesus is there, it still involves dying, and there’s so much unknown.
8. Three times Mary Ann and I have traveled to West Africa to see our Michelle and her family.
9. I can tell you, there is a lot that is very strange to us – and even scary – about life over there.
10. But you can’t really know people till you see them on their home turf. There’s no substitute to seeing someone in their element. This is why we’re going to Macau, China in April.
11. Well, this strange place which is described here in Revelation, this is where Jesus came from.
12. This place is not strange to HIM. This is where He lives.
13. This vision reveals Jesus’ home turf. These living creatures are His friends and neighbors.
14. He made this earth His home for a few decades, but then He returned to where He came from.
15. We are given a lot of information about Jesus while He walked on earth. But the book of Revelation is the primary source of information we have about Jesus in His heavenly home.
16. When you get to know a person’s friends, you get to know that person better.
17. And woe to us if we say, “No, I only want to know Jesus the way He was when He was on our home turf. I don’t want to see Him in His own context.” The fact is, this is where we will be.
18. He came to our place, but later He’s going to take us to His place. Isn’t it enough that He’s there?
19. Now Jesus hasn’t even been mentioned yet in this vision. But that will change in chapter five.
VI. The worship - Rev.4:8b-11 8b and day and night [the four living creatures] never cease to say, “Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come!” 9 And whenever the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to him who is seated on the throne, who lives forever and ever, 10 the twenty-four elders fall down before him who is seated on the throne and worship him who lives forever and ever. They cast their crowns before the throne, saying, 11 “Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created.”
A. One of the striking things you see in this vision is the worship.
B. Why is the worship of God so over-the-top here? The reason is that, whoever these creatures are, THEY REALLY GET IT! They understand who God is in a way none of us do.
C. We see God as through a dirty window (1Cor.13:12). They see Him face-to-face. So, day and night they never cease to say, “Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty, who was & is & is to come!”
D. Friends, this is here to wake us up, to elbow us about our worship. Just as the worship of the four living creatures provokes the 24 elders to worship, so the worship of the creatures and the elders is meant to provoke us to worship.
E. How many of you have ever seen the old movie, Ben Hur? One technique that movie uses is that it never shows the face of Jesus, but only shows the faces of those who see His face.
1. That’s similar to what is happening in this vision. The One on the throne is never described, except to say that He “had the appearance of jasper and carnelian.”
2. Instead we see Him through the reaction of those around the throne.
3. The creatures give glory and honor and thanks, the elders fall down before Him and worship. They cast their crowns before Him and said, “Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created.”
F. Their reaction tells us what this God on His throne is like.
G. And this is real worship, for they really see Him. And on earth the church’s worship is most real when instead of copying a rock concert or a talk show or the worship at this church or that church, we seek to enter into THIS worship taking place in the heavenly places.
1. “Holy, holy, holy! All the saints adore Thee, Casting down their golden crowns around the glassy sea; Cherubim and seraphim falling down before Thee, Who wert and art and ever more shall be.”
VII. But there is more to be said. The picture here is awesome, and God on His throne is transcendent. But next week Jesus gets introduced into the picture as well in chapter five.