Living in the Last Days (9)

“Responding to a description of God’s Throne Room”

Revelation 4:1-11 “After this I looked, and, behold, a door was opened in heaven: and the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me; which said, Come up hither, and I will shew thee things which must be hereafter. And immediately I was in the spirit: and, behold, a throne was set in heaven, and one sat on the throne. And he that sat was to look upon like a jasper and a sardine stone: and there was a rainbow round about the throne, in sight like unto an emerald. And round about the throne were four and twenty seats: and upon the seats I saw four and twenty elders sitting, clothed in white raiment; and they had on their heads crowns of gold. And out of the throne proceeded lightnings and thunderings and voices: and there were seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God. And before the throne there was a sea of glass like unto crystal: and in the midst of the throne, and round about the throne, were four beasts full of eyes before and behind.…”

I. Intro

In chapter one of Revelation, John is commanded to write the things which thou hast seen, and the things which are, and things which shall be hereafter. That is the basic outline of this book. The things which thou hast seen refers to the vision of the glorified Christ in chapter one. The things which are refer to the letters to the seven churches in chapters 2 and 3. These letters describe the seven types of churches and Christians who will exist throughout the Church Age. The things which shall be hereafter begins in 4:1. Everything in Revelation from this point forward is in future tense. John looks and sees a door standing open in Heaven. Then, he hears a voice like a trumpet speaking to him. The word ‘hereafter’ refers to what will happen after the Church Age. This gives credence to the view that John’s going up to Heaven is a picture of the future Rapture of the church. This view is reinforced by the fact that in chapters 2 and 3, the churches are a central theme. However, after chapter 3, the churches disappear. The next time the church is mentioned she is not on earth, but in Heaven, as the bride of Christ in (Rev. 19.) How did she get to the Heaven with Christ? This mystery is explained in 1 Thess. 4:16-17 “For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.” The Rapture will occur with the sound of the trump of God. That connects with John writing he hears a voice speaking to him like a trumpet. At the Rapture, the Lord Himself, shall descend from Heaven… and the dead in Christ shall rise first. Then those Christians who are alive in Christ shall rise to meet them in the air. This mystery is called the “Rapture.” The word ‘rapture’ is not found in the NT, but comes from a Latin word (rapeire ra-pair) which means “caught up” or “to snatch away.” So, the word ‘rapture’ refers to the snatching away of the church from the earth. This is the Lord keeping His promise to the church: Rev. 3:10 “Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth.” Therefore, we can conclude the church will be raptured before the Great Tribulation described in chapters 6-19. John now gives us a description of God’s Throne Room in Heaven, which should cause us to respond in three ways.

II. Visualize the majesty of the Person on the Throne

Chapter four is John’s vision of God’s Throne Room. John describes the Person on the throne in terms of two precious stones, jasper and sardine, or ‘sardius.’ Words do not have the power to describe this room; therefore, John can only use inadequate, earthly comparisons. The jasper John sees is evidently not typical because it is clear as crystal. These stones represent the flashing, dazzling beauty of God’s Throne Room. Also, the sardine ‘sardius’ and jasper are the first and last of the twelve precious stones God told Moses to use on the on the breastplate of the High Priest. This is a reminder God has not forgotten His covenant with Israel. During the Tribulation, most evangelism will take place through the witness of the Jews. John continues: there was a rainbow round about the throne, in sight like unto an emerald. The rainbow is not merely an arc; it completely circles the throne with a dominant emerald, or green color. The rainbow is reminiscent of the covenant God made with Noah. Gen. 9:11 “And I will establish my covenant with you; neither shall all flesh be cut off any more by the waters of a flood; neither shall there any more be a flood to destroy the earth.” As John is transported into Heaven, the first thing he sees is the indescribable beauty, brilliance, splendor, and majesty of God seated on His Throne. This rainbow was a complete circle, not merely an arc, for in Heaven all things are completed. The rainbow was symbolic of God’s promise that He would never destroy the Earth with a flood. God’s covenant was not only with Noah, but all of mankind. Judgment is about to fall, but the rainbow reminds us that God is merciful, even when He judges. Hab. 3:2 “O Lord, I have heard thy speech, and was afraid: O Lord, revive thy work in the midst of the years, In the midst of the years make known; In wrath remember mercy.” Usually, a rainbow appears after the storm; but here, we see it before the storm. The rainbow was around the throne vertically, while these heavenly beings were around the throne horizontally. They are, as it were, the king’s court. Who are these 24 elders seated on thrones? It is unlikely that they are angels, because angels are not numbered, crowned, or enthroned. Besides, the elders are distinguished from the angels in Rev. 7:11 “And all the angels stood round about the throne, and about the elders and the four beasts, and fell before the throne on their faces, and worshipped God,” The crowns they wear are the “victor’s crown.” The Greek word ‘stephanos,’ and we have no evidence that angels receive rewards. These elders probably symbolize the people of God in Heaven, enthroned and rewarded.

III. Emphasize living a holy life

John writes, “And round about the throne were four and twenty seats: and upon the seats I saw four and twenty elders sitting, clothed in white rainment; and they had on their heads crowns of gold.” The white rainment represents purity and holiness. But who are the 24 elders? They are best understood in 1 Chronicles 24 and 25. In this passage, King David divides the Levitical priesthood into 24 groups. Each was to serve in the temple at an appointed time because there were so many priests they could not all serve at once. However, when one of the 24 groups served, they represented the whole priesthood. Therefore, the 24 elders could represent the entire heavenly priesthood. The majesty of God’s throne room is enhanced by this fact: “And out of the throne proceeded lightnings and thunderings and voices.” Before the throne, John sees two things. First, there were seven lamps of burning fire before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God. The phrase ‘Seven Spirits of God’ describes the Holy Spirit in all His fullness. Isaiah 11:2 “And the spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, The spirit of wisdom and understanding, The spirit of counsel and might, The spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord;” Also, before the throne there was a sea of glass like unto crystal. The sea of glass is a metaphor since there is no sea in Heaven. What John sees is like brilliantly shining crystal, as vast as the sea. Again, words do not have the power to adequately describe what he sees. ‘And in the midst of the throne, and round about the throne, were four beasts.’ The word translated ‘beasts’ (zoa zo-ah) translates the Greek from which we get the English words “zoo and zoology.” So, these are not vicious, wild beasts; they are living beings. One clue as to whom these beasts represent is found in Ezekiel’s visions. He identifies these four living beings as the cherubims. Eze. 10:9-15 “And when I looked, behold the four wheels by the cherubims, one wheel by one cherub, and another wheel by another cherub: and the appearance of the wheels was as the colour of a beryl stone. And as for their appearances, they four had one likeness, as if a wheel had been in the midst of a wheel. When they went, they went upon their four sides; they turned not as they went, but to the place whither the head looked they followed it; they turned not as they went. And their whole body, and their backs, and their hands, and their wings, and the wheels, were full of eyes round about, even the wheels that they four had. As for the wheels, it was cried unto them in my hearing, O wheel. And every one had four faces: the first face was the face of a cherub, and the second face was the face of a man, and the third the face of a lion, and the fourth the face of an eagle. And the cherubims were lifted up. This is the living creature that I saw by the river of Chebar.” They are full of eyes before and behind, which means they see everything. Cherubims are angels charged with protecting God’s holiness and carrying out His decrees. For example, after Adam and Eve sin, God drives them out of the Garden of Eden. Gen. 3:24 “So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life.” In addition, two golden cherubims were on each end of the Ark of the Covenant. They were also embroidered on the veil that separated the Holy of Holies from the Holy Place. John continues, “And the first beast was like a lion, and the second beast like a calf, and the third beast had a face as a man, and the fourth beast was like a flying eagle.” In the Jewish mind, this describes all created life. The lion represents wild animals, the calf domestic animals, the eagle flying creatures, and man the pinnacle of God’s creation. Each of the four beasts has six wings. The only living creatures in the Bible with six wings are the seraphim, found in Isaiah 6:2 “Above it stood the seraphims: each one had six wings; with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly.” This is another order of angels. The name literally means ‘the burning ones.’ Each has 3 pair of wings. In Isaiah’s vision, with one pair they cover faces-a token of humility. With the second pair they cover their feet-a token of respect. With the third pair of wings they fly-signifying the speed with which they carry out God’s commands. The four beasts connect both with Ezekiel’s cherubim and Isaiah’s seraphim. Continuously, day and night, they say, “Holy, holy, holy Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come.” Of course, day and night do not exist in Heaven, but the point is clear. Holy is used three times, perhaps one for the Father, one for the Son, and one for the Holy Spirit. This description also emphasizes the fact God is completely separate from all sin and evil.

IV. Vocalize praise to the One on the Throne

When the four living creatures sing their song of praise, the 24 elders fall down before Him that sat on the throne, and worship Him that liveth forever and ever. They also cast their crowns before the throne because no one else is worthy of worship. They do it all while saying, “Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power.” It is not enough to think praise; we must vocalize it for God to get His deserved glory and honor. The Bible begins in Genesis with paradise lost and ends in Revelation with paradise restored. It all began with God, and it will all end with Him, because He created all things.

V. Conclusion

The book of Revelation is filled with hymns of praise. The emphasis on praise is significant when you remember that John wrote this book to encourage people who were going through suffering and persecution. If the 24 elders typify the people of God in Heaven, then we must ask, “Why should God’s people praise God the Creator?” If the heavens are declaring the glory of God, why shouldn’t God’s heavenly people join in the chorus? Creation bears constant witness to the power, wisdom, and glory of God. Acknowledging the Creator is the first step toward trusting the Redeemer Col. 1:16-17 “For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.” But sinful man worships and serves the creature rather than the Creator, and this is idolatry. Rom. 1:25 “Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen.” Furthermore, sinful man has polluted and destroyed God’s wonderful creation; and he is going to pay for it. Rev. 11:18 “And the nations were angry, and thy wrath is come, and the time of the dead, that they should be judged, and that thou shouldest give reward unto thy servants the prophets, and to the saints, and them that fear thy name, small and great; and shouldest destroy them which destroy the earth.” Creation is for God’s praise and pleasure, and man has no right to usurp that which rightfully belongs to God. Man plunged creation into sin, so that God’s good creation is today a groaning creation; but because of Christ’s work on the cross, it will one day be delivered into a glorious creation. It is unfortunate that the church today often neglects to worship the God of creation. The real answer to the ecological problem is not financial or legal, but spiritual. It is only when man acknowledges the Creator and begins to use creation to God’s glory that the problems will be solved.