December
5, 2017
I
have found the following explanation of Revelation 4 from my life application
study bible.
As
we move from the conditions within the churches in Asia to the future of the
universal church, John sees the course of coming events in a way similar to
Daniel and Ezekiel. Many of these
passages contain clear spiritual teachings, but others seem beyond our ability
to understand. The clear teaching of
this book is that God will defeat all evil in the end. We must live in obedience to Jesus Christ.
“After this I looked, and
there before me was a door standing open in heaven. And the voice I had first heard speaking to
me like a trumpet said, “Come up here, and I will show
you what must take place after this.” 4:1
- Chapters 4 and 5 record glimpses into Christ’s glory. Here in verse 1 of chapter 4 we see into the
throne room of heaven. God is on the throne
and orchestrating all the events that John will record. The world is not spinning out of control; the
God of creation will carry out His plans as Christ initiates the final battle
with the forces of evil. John shows us
heaven before showing us earth so that we will not be frightened by future events.
The
voice that John first heard that sounded like a trumpet blast was the voice of
Christ (Rev. 1:10, 11).
“At once I was in the
Spirit, and there before me was a throne in heaven with someone sitting on it.” 4:2 – Four times in the book
of Revelation John says he was “in the Spirit” (1:10, 4:2, 17:3, 21:10). This expression means that the Holy Spirit
was giving him a vision – showing him situations and events he could not have
seen with mere human eyesight. All true
prophecy comes from God through the Holy Spirit (2 Peter 1:20, 21).
“Surrounding the throne
were twenty-four other thrones, and seated on them were twenty-four
elders. They were dressed in white and
had crowns of gold on their heads.” 4:4 – Because there were 12 tribes of Israel in
the Old Testament and 12 apostles in the New Testament, the 24 elders in this vision
probably represents all the redeemed of God for all time (both before and after
Christ’s death and resurrection). They
symbolize all those – both Jews and Gentiles – who are now part of God’s
family. The 24 elders shows us that ALL
the redeemed of the Lord are worshipping Him.
“From the throne came
flashes of lightning, rumblings and peals of thunder. In front of the throne, seven lamps were
blazing. These are the seven spirits of
God.” 4:5
– In Revelation, lightning and thunder are connected with significant events in
heaven. They remind us of the lightning
and thunder at Mount Sinai when God gave His laws (Exodus 19:16). The Old Testament often uses such imagery to
reflect God’s power and majesty (Psalm 77:18).
The “seven spirits of God” is another name for the Holy Spirit. See also Zechariah 4:2-6, where the seven
lamps are equated with the one Spirit.
“Also in front of the
throne there was what looked like a sea of glass, clear as crystal. In the center,
around the throne, there were four living creatures, and they were covered with
eyes, in front and in back.” 4:6 – Glass was very rare in
New Testament times, and crystal-clear glass was virtually impossible to find
(see 1 Corinthians 13:12). The “sea of
glass” highlights both the magnificence and holiness of God.
“Also in front of the
throne there was what looked like a sea of glass, clear as crystal. In the center, around the throne, there were
four living creatures, and they were covered with eyes, in front and in
back. The first living creature was like
a lion, the second was like an ox, the third had a face like a man, the fourth
was like a flying eagle.” 4:6-7 – Just as the Holy
Spirit is seen symbolically in the seven lighted lamps, so the “four living creatures”
represent the attributes (the qualities and character) of God. These creatures were not real animals. Like the cherubim (the highest order of the
angels), they guard God’s throne, lead other in worship, and proclaim God’s
holiness. God’s attributes symbolized in
the animal-like appearance of these four creatures are majesty and power (the
lion), faithfulness (the ox), intelligence (the man), and sovereignty (the
eagle). The Old Testament prophet
Ezekiel saw four similar creatures in one of his visions (Ezekiel 1:5-10).
“Whenever the living
creatures give glory, honor and thanks to him who sits on the throne, and who
lives for ever and ever,”4:9 – John describes these scenes in such detail because
Christians in the first century came from many backgrounds. Not all of them understood Jewish history or
knew the glory of the temple. Revelation
instructs us in worship. It shows us
where, why and how to praise God.
Worship takes our minds off our problems and focuses them on God. Worship leads us from individual meditation
to corporate worship. Worship causes us
to consider and appreciate God’s character.
Worship lifts our perspective from the earthly to the heavenly.
“You are worthy, our Lord
and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will
they were created and have their being.” 4:11
- The point of this chapter is summed up in this verse. All creatures in heaven and earth will praise
and honor God because He is the Creator and Sustainer of everything.
