Vision of Heaven Rev. 4-5

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We’ve finished the letters to the 7 Churches!

Let’s review all that we’ve seen:

Introduction Rev. 1.1-8

offers a christological key - focus on Christ
Christ’s faithful witness, resurrection, and kingdom
Jesus sacrifice is saving and to emulated.
John builds on and appropriates OT language.
Language is symbolic and metaphorical and the hearer is accountable.

First Vision: Son of Man Rev. 1.9-20

Serves as a foundation for the judgement of the churches
offers a hermeneutical key
Serves as a central vision for Revelation - The Son of Man
Jesus’ suffering is the Church’s suffering
Jesus is symbolically displayed showing: who he is, where he is, how he is clothed, and what he looks like.
Jesus is the Danielic Ancient of Days - judge
Jesus vs. Caesar as kurios/ Lord

Letters to the 7 churches Rev. 2-3

Epistolary Genre for the whole of Revelation.
the 7 letters serve as 7 Judgement oracles
specific to the place, but for all the churches of Asia minor. (chiasm)
the letters mutually interpret each other.
Historically grounded
“Matrix” of the Roman Empire
“An imperial ideology had constructed a powerful matrix of experience totally dominating political, religious, social and commercial worlds… they [Christians] were completely unaware of living an alternate reality, and breaking free would be like fighting a war with a the very designer of the matrix.” Stevens, 375.
eschatological reward for the conqueror

Contextual and Literary Concerns to Keep in Mind

Broad Literary Structure:

pic 243.

Vision of Heaven Rev. 4-5

despite chapter divisions, this is one literary unit.

Having Issued Prophetic Judgment Against the Churches, the Churches are faced with the question: Is God Sovereign?

Christians of Asia Minor face the larger question with a subset of questions - Is God Sovereign:

when even a strong church has lost her first love?
when believers refusing to compromise are poverty stricken?
when believers lose their lives due to their confession?
when false prophets advocate the Caesar worship guilds require?
when the church is so dead only a few are keeping in the faith?
when synagogue Jews reject the very Messiah God had promised?
when the church feels so self-sufficient not even Jesus is invited?

John’s Vision of Heaven answers YES.

“John is no voyeur beamed to the future in a Star Trek transporter, but he is a prophet of faith who has seen the cross as God’s ultimate solution to dealing with evil.”

Colossians 1:15–20 ESV
He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.

Vision of Heaven Rev. 4-5

John’s point in this section is theological and pastoral
Theological: Christ’s work in subduing human rebellion through the Gospel
Pastoral: reassuring persecuted believers of God’s sovereign control of the forces of human society and history and faith’s ultimate vindication.

The Vision of Heaven has three literary connections to the previous sections:

1) Exaltation of Christ Imagery

2) Linguistically

“receive” 2.28; 5.7-9
“conquer” 3.21; 5.5
“seven spirits” 3.1; 4.5; 5.6
“white clothing” 3.5; 18; 4.4
“saints, thrones” 3.21, 4.4
“crowns” 2.10; 3.11; 4.4
“open door” 3.8, 20; 4.1
Rev. 4-5 is a literary unit, but not severed from the rest of the text.

3)Thematically

present ruling Kingdom of God
Overcoming

Background for the Vision of Heaven

liturgical - Rev. 4-5 is expressed poetically and is easily adaptable to liturgical use (Revelation Song). Perhaps John is connected with a Synagogue or he is making a deliberate parody of emperor worship (subversive rhetoric).
Old Testament - Isaiah 6.1-4; heavenly throne room, heavenly temple, and creatures like the Seraphim.

Revelation of God Rev. 4.1-11

Revelation 4:1–11 NASB95
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.”

An Invitation Rev. 4.1

Revelation 4:1 NASB95
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.”
“after these things” - a literary shift
“a door standing open in heaven” - signals prophetic revelation from God. More anti-imperial imagery following the judgement oracles of the letters.
still connected with the Son of Man. Notice “speaking like a trumpet...”; this is how Jesus is described as speaking in 1.10.
John is given an invitation to continue to see the heavenly realities of the Son of Man. this is a link back to the Inaugural vision.
“Come up here” - 4.2 says John was in the Spirit. Weather this is physical, spiritual, or mental; the point is that John is being allowed access to the council room of God. This gives him authority on par with OT prophets.
“what must take place after these things” - Inaugurated Eschatology. End times are being realized in the person and work of jesus. Think of the “already/not yet kingdom.”
Christians have always existed in the last days - 1 John 2.18; Hebrews 1.2; 1 Peter 1.20
1 John 2:18 NASB95
Children, it is the last hour; and just as you heard that antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have appeared; from this we know that it is the last hour.
Hebrews 1:2 NASB95
in these last days has spoken to us in His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the world.
1 Peter 1:20 NASB95
For He was foreknown before the foundation of the world, but has appeared in these last times for the sake of you

A Throne and A Sovereign Rev. 4.2-7

Revelation 4:2–7 NASB95
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.
John sees a throne and a sovereign but not Domitian or his imperial court.
Mostly like, John’s lack of Imperial Presence is very intentional. The listener/reader is meant to wrestle with who is on the throne - Domitian, The LORD, etc.
Those living under Roman Rule were always exposed to Roman propaganda and would have noticed the divorce of ruling power from the Emperor.
Jasper, Carnelian, Emerald… all to representative and reflective of the Glory of the one on the throne.
24 elders wearing white robes, golden crowns, seated on the throne - this imagery is allusive to the promises to conquerors in the seven churches. These are probably reigning believers.
“lightning, rumblings, thunder” - this will be repeated at the end of each of three judgement cycles. displays the glory of the one on the throne.
“seven spirits of God” - connects back to 1.4 and represents the fullness of the Holy Spirit.
“sea of glass like crystal”- like the precious stones, this reflects the glory of the Lord.
“Four Living Creatures” - combo of Ezekiel 1 and Isaiah 6. there is a lion, ox, human face, and eagle. They are whats called apocalyptic zoomorphism. They may represent creation.
Emphasis is not on what they are, but what they are doing. They worship day and night and they mediate God’s judgement.

Heaven’s Worship Rev. 4.8-11

Revelation 4:8–11 NASB95
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.”
Heaven’s worship is unceasing. this is the destiny of a believer, unending worship of a worthy and holy God who made sinners saints.
Believers of Asia Minor should be preparing for this worship instead of worshipping idols.
Four living creatures, are similar to the Seraphim of Is. 6 and are covered in eyes. This indicates their full insight and knowledge. it is also a reprisal of the “fiery eyes” of the son of man in the inaugural vision.
As Jesus sees the idolatry of “beleivers,” so does heaven. Nothing is hidden.
The creatures offer up the first Hymn of revelation - the Lord God, Almighty; who was and is and is to come
This is John’s attack on imperial propaganda. God is sovereign, no one else. God controls history, no one else.
24 elders worship by casting their crowns before the throne - the presenting of crowns was usually done in connection with a king or emperor for various honoring occasions.
Our Lord and Our God - a title Domitian claimed (Suetonius Dom. 13.2), but one that John reserves for the one who created all things!

Application: The is only room for one Lord. Jesus or _____.

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