Most of us have probably heard it said that “those who are heavenly minded are of no earthly good.” But chapter 4 of Revelation shows us that just the opposite is true. Since we heard the entire passage read out loud just a moment ago, I’m not going to read the entire chapter again, but I want to encourage you to open your Bibles to Revelation 4 so that you can follow along as we examine the passage together this morning.
Mary and I recently went to a couple of movies that were shown in 3D. In order to be able to view the movie, we had to wear a special pair of glasses, which in my humble opinion is a great scam to allow the movie theaters to add a $3 surcharge on their already high admission prices. Several times during the movies, I took off my 3D glasses just to see what the movie would look like without them. And I discovered that without the proper glasses the picture was very blurry and out of focus.
In a sense, chapters 4 and 5 of Revelation are our spiritual 3D glasses that we need to put on in order to see clearly the movie that begins in chapter 6. These two chapters provided John’s audience, and they will provide us, with the proper perspective throughout the rest of the journey.
Jesus has just finished giving the seven messages to the seven churches and now John, for the second time in the book, is transported spiritually into the presence of God, where he is given a vision. Here’s how John describes his experience:
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.” 2 At once I was in the Spirit…
John begins with the phrase “after this”. It is a phrase that he will use five more times in Revelation. Although he uses that phrase to indicate what he is shown next in his vision, it does not necessarily indicate that the events he is about to describe occur next chronologically.
It is significant that John is not transported physically into the heavenly realm. When he hears the same trumpet-like voice of Jesus that he heard in Chapter 1 which calls him to “come up here…” he is immediately “in the Spirit”. We saw that same phrase used in Chapter 1 when Jesus told John to write down what was going to be revealed to him in a series of visions. John is not transported to another place or time to see what he sees. That is important because it reveals that for John and for us…
Heaven is another dimension of present reality that is close at hand
As John sits there in exile on a rock pile in Patmos, it is as if Jesus opens up a curtain and allows John to see what is occurring right there and then in another dimension which is every bit as real as his physical surroundings. And by doing that, Jesus provides John with the glasses that he is going to need to see clearly the scenes that will unfold before him beginning in chapter 6.
Without what we’ll learn in chapters 4 and 5, the rest of Revelation becomes merely a bad horror movie rather than the compelling drama that exalts Jesus and gives us confidence in Him.
The very first thing that John sees in his vision will become the focus of the entire drama that is about to be played out in the rest of the book:
THE FOCUS – A THRONE
…and behold, a throne stood in heaven…
The throne will become the focus of the rest of the book. According to one commentator, John refers to the throne directly 47 times and uses other related terms 77 times. Certainly everything in this vision revolves around that throne.
The great danger that we face from this point forward in Revelation is that we’ll take our focus off the throne and get distracted with all that is going on around the throne. That is a danger that we must guard against even this morning as we look at some of the details of John’s vision.
There are obviously many things in the Book of Revelation that remain at least somewhat of a mystery and about which there is far from universal agreement concerning what those things represent and their significance. The easiest thing for me to do, and the surest way to avoid controversy would be to just ignore these issues completely or for me to just say that there are a number of possible explanations and let you all pick from among them without sharing the conclusions that I’ve drawn based on my study of the passage. But frankly, I don’t think that either you or I would be satisfied with that.
My commitment to you is that I will strive to never draw conclusions that go beyond what the Bible text itself reveals to us. But that certainly doesn’t insure that we might not still disagree about some of the details. In fact, I would expect that to occur from time to time since I certainly don’t claim to have all the answers. However, the important thing is that we don’t focus on any such differences to the point that they distract us from the main message of the book as a whole and of the passage we study each week. So I ask you to join me in keeping our main focus on the throne and the one who sits on it.
Not surprisingly, John begins his description of the heavenly scene by identifying the one who is…
• ON THE THRONE – GOD
Times were difficult for the Christ followers in John’s day. They were being persecuted by a Roman government that was increasingly hostile to them. So the tendency would have been for them to begin to think that maybe there was really nobody on the throne of the universe. From our perspective here on earth, it is quite easy for us to make that same conclusion today. But there is good news. Not only is there a throne, but there is…
…one seated on the throne…
The throne of the universe is not up for grabs or unoccupied. Although it may not be evident from what we observe in this world there is a sovereign God seated on His throne – a fact that we can only know for sure by looking through the glasses of this chapter. And in this chapter, we are given a beautiful picture of the majesty and glory of God. Among His attributes that are described here are:
1) Glory
3 And he who sat there had the appearance of jasper and carnelian…
You will notice that John described God as having the appearance of jasper and carnelian. We need to keep in mind here that John, in his vision, is seeing things that are completely unlike anything he has ever seen before. So he must describe the indescribable using the best pictures that he can think of. So we need to be careful not to try to make too much of the details here, which will tend to draw us away from the grandeur and majesty of what John is describing for us.
It is interesting that John does not describe God using human characteristics, but rather pictures Him using precious stones that were known for their ability to reflect and magnify light. We’re reminded here of how the Psalmist describes God:
covering yourself with light as with a garment…
Psalm 104:2 (ESV)
…and also of the picture of Jesus painted by Paul:
…who dwells in unapproachable light...
1 Timothy 6:16 (ESV)
This brilliant light is a picture of the glory of God, one we’ll see again near the end of Revelation when the New Jerusalem is described, also using the picture of the jasper:
…having the glory of God, its radiance like a most rare jewel, like a jasper, clear as crystal.
Revelation 21:11 (ESV)
2) Holy
“Holy, holy, holy…
In the first of several heavenly songs that we’ll see in chapters 4 and 5, the four living creatures begin by focusing on the holiness of God, which is consistent with Isaiah’s vision of the throne room of God in Isaiah 6. There, the angels proclaimed the exact same words – “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord…”
There is a sense in which God’s holiness is the essence of all of His attributes. I really like what A.W. Tozer writes about God’s holiness in his book, The Knowledge of the Holy:
Holy is the way God is. To be holy He does not conform to a standard. He is that standard.
Tozer goes on to describe why it is just not possible to fully comprehend God’s holiness with our finite human minds.
We cannot grasp the true meaning of the divine holiness by thinking of someone or something very pure and then raising the concept to the highest degree we are capable of. God’s holiness is not simply the best we know infinitely bettered. We know nothing of the divine holiness. It stands apart, unique, unapproachable, incomprehensible, and unattainable.
But even though we can’t fully comprehend it, like the heavenly beings around the throne, we can certainly worship God by proclaiming it and praising God for His holiness.
3) Almighty
… is the Lord God Almighty…
This is John’s favorite way to describe God. Nine of the ten uses of the word “Almighty” in the New Testament are found here in Revelation. Sometimes I think we throw the word “Almighty” around without really thinking about what it means. We sing it in our songs and use it in our prayers without contemplating what we are saying. The word is a compound word that means “ruler over all.” We worship a God who has “all might” and therefore has both the right and the ability to rule over all.
4) Eternal
…who was and is and is to come!”
This is the same description of God that we saw back in Chapter 1. It is a paraphrase of sorts of God’s name that was revealed to Moses at the burning bush when He said “I am who I am.”
As we saw back in chapter 1, the last part of the triplet – is to come – should more literally be translated “the one who is coming”.
Therefore this description of God not only reveals His eternalness, but it also emphasizes the fact that His kingdom is in the process of being inaugurated here on earth. Even when things on this earth seem like they are out of control, we can be assured that there is a sovereign God seated on His throne, that He is eternally in control and that, despite what the circumstances around us might seem to indicate, He is in the process of ushering in His kingdom.
5) Creator
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.”
God is worthy to receive glory and honor and power because He created all things. And because He is the one who spoke creation into being, He is also capable of speaking His new creation into being. We’ll see that occur in chapter 21.
• AROUND THE THRONE:
1) Rainbow – God’s mercy and faithfulness
…and around the throne was a rainbow that had the appearance of an emerald.
The rainbow certainly brings to mind the rainbow that Noah saw after the flood and God’s associated promise to never again destroy the earth by flood. It is a picture of God’s mercy and His faithfulness that gives us confidence to enter into the presence of the unapproachable light of the throne.
2) Twenty-four elders
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.
Without a doubt this is the most difficult part of John’s vision to understand. There are a number of interpretations regarding the identity of the 24 elders and those who hold to the different opinions generally make well reasoned, compelling arguments to support their positions. The most commonly accepted interpretations include the following:
o Angels
o Angelic beings that represent all the saints
o Old Testament saints
o The 12 patriarchs representing the Old Testament saints plus the 12 apostles representing the New Testament saints
o Representatives of the church
I certainly can’t tell you with absolute certainty who these 24 elders are, but I think that what we can do is to explore the text itself and let the text allow us to make some valid conclusions about their identity.
First, at least up to this point in Revelation, whenever some object or person is intended to be a symbolic representation of something else, it is clearly identified as a symbol. For instance, Jesus identified the seven lampstands as symbolizing the seven churches and the seven stars as representing the seven angels of the churches. Since the elders are never identified as representing anything else, it seems unlikely that they would be representative of the church - either Old Testament or New Testament saints or some combination thereof. In fact, when we get to Revelation 7, we’ll clearly see that the 24 elders and the redeemed saints are two separate groups.
Secondly, it seems unlikely that the 12 apostles were part of the group of 24 elders since John would have been among them and would have recognized the other 11, There is no indication at all that this is the case here.
Thirdly, as we’ll see later in Revelation, individual elders function apart from the group and address John in both chapters 5 and 7. In chapter 7, John even addresses the elder as “Lord” and is not rebuked, which indicates that the elders had some authoritative role. We’ll address that in more detail in just a moment.
Finally, we know numbers are very significant in the Book of Revelation. The number 12 in the Bible is almost always associated with divine government. There were 12 tribes of Israel and 12 apostles. Doubling the number to 24 merely amplifies that number. And we do in fact have an example in the Scriptures of ruling bodies of 24 that is relevant to the identification of the 24 elders here.
In 1 Chronicles 24, we read how David organized the priests into 24 divisions in order to facilitate their service in the tabernacle. Then in chapter 25, the Levitical priests are further divided into 24 divisions who are responsible for the worship in the tabernacle, the music in particular. In Chapter 26, the Levitical priests are again divided into 24 divisions of gatekeepers for the house of God.
We know from the writer of Hebrews that the tabernacle and the priests who served there are modeled upon the heavenly things:
Now if he were on earth, he would not be a priest at all, since there are priests who offer gifts according to the law. They serve a copy and shadow of the heavenly things. For when Moses was about to erect the tent, he was instructed by God, saying, “See that you make everything according to the pattern that was shown you on the mountain.”
Hebrews 8:4, 5 (ESV)
That is certainly born out when we see what the 24 elders are doing here in this chapter:
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…
We’ll see these same 24 elders again in Revelation again in chapters 5, 7, 11, 14, 19. And in every single case they are pictured falling on their faces and worshipping God. In addition to the white garments and golden crowns pictured here, we will see the elders with harps, singing songs and holding golden bowls which represent the prayers of the saints – all evidence of their priestly function before God.
So it seems best to limit our identification of the 24 elders to that which we can support from the text. They are 24 elders who serve in the presence of God as gatekeepers and who are responsible for overseeing and guarding the worship around the throne.
It is no coincidence that the Biblical model for church government here on earth is modeled on what we see here in Revelation 4. God’s plan for governing each local body is a plurality of elders who are responsible for the God-centered, Christ-glorifying worship of the church. The elders are responsible for keeping the eyes of the congregation upon the throne and the One who sits on that throne and for keeping the worship of the congregation centered upon the things of heaven.
So wrapping up all that we have covered, we could summarize the 24 elders like this:
Twenty-four elders – oversee and guard the worship of God
3) Four living creatures
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…
Again you will note that John is trying the best that he can to describe that which is indescribable the very best that he can. Thus you note that each creature is “like” a lion or ox or man or eagle. These four living creatures share characteristics with both the cherubim in Ezekiel’s vision in Ezekiel 1 and the seraphim in Isaiah’s vision in Isaiah 6, but they don’t totally match either of those descriptions. So although it is not possible to be dogmatic, these four living creatures appear to be some kind of angelic beings who surround the throne and lead in the heavenly worship.
We will see these creatures again later in the book of Revelation. In addition to their participation in the heavenly worship, they also participate in the carrying out of the first four seals and the seven bowls.
It is also significant that there are four of these creatures. In the Bible four is the number that represents the created world – four corners of the earth, four winds, etc. When we get to the seals, trumpets and bowls, we’ll see that the first four of each are grouped together and that they are directed against the created world. So it seems reasonable to conclude that these four creatures have been given some authority over that created world.
Four living creatures – angelic beings with authority over the created world
• FROM THE THRONE – JUDGMENT
5 From the throne came flashes of lightning, and rumblings and peals of thunder…
We first see lightning and thunder associated with God thousands of years ago at Mt. Sinai:
On the morning of the third day there were thunders and lightnings and a thick cloud on the mountain and a very loud trumpet blast, so that all the people in the camp trembled… And as the sound of the trumpet grew louder and louder, Moses spoke, and God answered him in thunder.
Exodus 19:16, 19 (ESV)
There and throughout the Bible when that imagery is used it is a picture of the awesome power and holiness of God. It declares God’s right to judge and His power to carry out that judgment.
Later in Revelation, we will see this same imagery used again in connection with the seventh seal, the seventh trumpet and the seventh bowl, which are the culmination of God’s judgment on evil.
• BEFORE THE THRONE:
1) Holy Spirit
…and before the throne were burning seven torches of fire, which are the seven spirits of God…
We’ve already seen the seven sprits of God several times in our study and we’ve consistently identified them as representing the Holy Spirit in all His fullness. Here He is pictured by torches of fire, bringing to mind the tongues of fire on the Day of Pentecost when the believers were filled with the Holy Spirit.
2) Sea of glass
6 and before the throne there was as it were a sea of glass, like crystal.
It may very well be that the sea of glass is merely there to reflect God’s glory and that it has no other significance. However, since the sea plays such an important role in the rest of the book, I suspect that the sea of glass may have some significance beyond that. For John the sea is a picture of everything that opposes the will of God. It is out of the sea that the first beast arises, for instance. The sea is a picture of turmoil and chaos in this world that results both from man’s sin and the influence of Satan.
That chaos exists in the presence of God because even that chaos serves His purposes. But that chaos has been subdued by God. It is under His control and it is now as calm as glass. No doubt John would have been reminded of the raging storm that Jesus had calmed with just his words or even the words of the Psalmist:
O Lord God of hosts,
who is mighty as you are, O Lord,
with your faithfulness all around you?
You rule the raging of the sea;
when its waves rise, you still them.
Psalm 89:8, 9 (ESV)
So it seems that the sea of glass is a reminder that nothing and no one can overcome the One who is on the throne. And, as we’ll see near the end of our journey, there is no sea in the new heavens and new earth because evil and its associated chaos will have been eliminated for good.
What a great picture John paints for us here. And I pray that this morning you’ve been blessed just by being exposed to it for this short time. But I would be remiss if I didn’t take a few moments to close by discussing just a couple…
IMPORTANT IMPLICATIONS FOR US
There is so much that we could apply from this passage, but let me just address a couple of the more significant applications:
1. Although we can’t see it physically, heaven is a present reality that is close at hand – therefore we must view everything through the lens of Scripture
Things are not as they seem. Even though things in this world often seem to be completely out of control and they don’t make sense, there is a throne with a sovereign God seated on it. But we can’t see that unless we put on the right glasses and look at the events around us through the lens of Scripture.
Far too often, we view heaven as this far off place where we will go one day when we die that has no impact on our daily lives right now. But the message of Revelation 4 is that heaven is a present reality that is close at hand. And it is that knowledge that equips us to patiently endure until the end so that we can receive the rewards that Jesus has waiting for His faithful followers. And the only way that we can experience the present reality of heaven right here and now is to immerse our lives in the Word of God and view the events going on around us in light of what we learn there.
2. When we worship, we are entering into a worship service that is already in progress
Pastor Darrell Johnson writes that he often uses these words when leading public worship:
Worship does not begin with us and it will not end with us. When we gather to worship we step into a worship service that has been going on for a long time!
Most of you will probably have one of two responses to this passage and to the message this morning. Some of you are going to focus on the details of what I’ve shared this morning. Perhaps you may even have some contrary opinions about some of my conclusions and right now all you’re focused on is proving that your position is right and that I’m wrong. And as a result, you’ve missed the throne and the one who is seated there, waiting for you to worship Him.
Bu then there are those – hopefully a majority of us – who will focus on the throne and the continuous, magnificent worship service that is going on in heaven right now. And even if you don’t understand all the details or even if you have some disagreements about my conclusions, your main focus is on what you can do personally to improve your own personal worship and become a more active participant in that ongoing worship. You’ve put on your spiritual glasses that allow you to see things from the perspective of heaven and your gaze is so fixed on that throne and upon the sovereign God who is seated there that all those other minor things really don’t matter. You’re so heavenly minded and it is that focus that results in you being of earthly good.
You’ll notice that we’ve changed up the order of things a bit this morning. And there is a purpose for that. Right now the worship team is going to come back up and we’re going to join in that ongoing heavenly worship service for a while. We’re going to worship a God who is glorious, holy, almighty, and eternal – the one who is creator and sustainer of all. I invite you to join in with us and with all of heaven in bowing down before Him and giving Him the worship that is due to Him. Because it is only by being heavenly minded that we
