Friday, December 4 –
We
come to the end of the week and we continue our readings in the book of
Revelation, reading Revelation 4:1 – 11. Read the passage first and please come back to
walk through it with me.
This chapter and the one to follow (tomorrow), are two of the most exquisite
pictures of heaven in all of the Scripture.
It’s also the beginning of the many heavenly revelations John received
from the Lord. When Paul described a
person who had gone up to heaven, he said – “I know a man in Christ who
fourteen years ago was caught up to the third heaven— and he heard things
that cannot be told, which man may not utter” (2 Corinthians 12:2-4). The majesty of heaven is on display as John
is ushered into the throne room of God.
“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.” At once I was in the
Spirit, and behold, a throne stood in heaven, with one seated on the throne.
(4:1-2).
He
writes “after this, I looked, and behold a door standing open in heaven”. The context has shifted from the earth to
heaven, but what preceded those words was Jesus’ invitation at the end of his
letter to the churches – “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone
hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and
he with me. The one who conquers, I will grant him to sit with me on my
throne, as I also conquered and sat down with my Father on his throne” (3:20-21). The door is opened and John sees beyond the
earth to heaven. The vision of heaven
doesn’t necessarily mean John was transported billions of miles away. Paul had
written to the Ephesians that as God’s chosen people on earth, still “we are
blessed, seated with Christ in the heavenly realms” (Ephesians 1:3; 2:6). John is seeing heaven in parallel to the
earth, and while the churches go through tribulation, and are pressured to
compromise with the world, John sees God on the throne ruling over all of what has
happened and is about to happen. John
finds himself “in the Spirit” once again (1:10), only now it’s not on
the Lord’s Day, but in the Lord’s presence!
There stands before him the Father, seated as Lord, King, Almighty God.
It
began with a voice like a trumpet calling to John “come up here…I will show
what must take place after this”. John
repeatedly uses the word “like” – homoios (hō mōy ös)
– meaning “to be similar”, “sort of like” in much of what is to follow. John is about to see visions of things that
have no common human description, or human way to relate to what he sees. Most of us have had those occasions where we
saw something that was difficult to describe.
I remember driving through the highlands of Scotland and the majesty of
the highlands had no common element in America that I had ever seen. We say words like “majestic, unbelievably
beautiful, beyond words” when it comes to those times. Paul said the man ushered into the third
heavens “heard things he could not be told” – i.e., indescribable. We have to also think about “I will show you
what must take place after this”. The
words “after this” begs the question, “after this what?”. Some have seen this as a way of taking John
to the end of the Church age – thus beyond our own time in the 21st
century – a time yet future. Others see
the “after this” not as chronological, but beyond the earth, and the things that
were happening in John’s own time. “After
this” goes beyond time and space to speak to all of world history, for God
stands outside of time and space – seeing all things from the “first to the
last” (1:17, 19). It’s as if John is
seeing history from a completely different perspective – God’s perspective. He saw the first century and the troubles both
in the Church and outside of the Church, but now he’s taken to the throne room
of God and is about to see history from a heavenly perspective.
This,
of course, means that he saw God, in all of his glorious majesty – “At once
I was in the Spirit, and behold, a throne stood in heaven, with one seated on
the throne. 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” (4:2-3). The throne of God
is in the center and everything is “around it”.
John sees a Sovereign God who is central to heaven, and central to all
of what is happening on the earth. Yet
John does not describe God in physical terms, but by referring to precious
stones that speak of God’s glory, perhaps looking back to Ezekiel’s vision
(Ezekiel 1:27 – 28). The brilliance of the rainbow hearkens back to God’s
covenant mercy to a fallen world (Genesis 9:13). The key to all of this is that this is just
the beginning of John’s experiences. The
jewels are even more vivid later on in the new heaven and new earth (chpt. 21).
“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.
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, 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” (4:4-6).
God’s
throne is surrounded by twenty-four thrones – which is a symbol of God’s
covenants to Israel and the Apostles (Rev. 21:12-14). The description of
lightning, thunder, John gives seems to look back at Mount Sinai and Moses saw
God as Holy when he gave the law to the new nation of Israel (Exodus 4:5;
8:5). The seven torches are explained as
the seven spirits of God – a reference to the all-encompassing work of the Holy
Spirit that Zechariah speaks of – (4:1 – 10).
The sea of glass, like crystal, is reminiscent of the vision of Ezekiel
1:22. Lastly, John sees four living
creatures, again looking back to Ezekiel’s vision of God in Ezekiel 1:5. The fact that they are full of eyes means
they were all-seeing, nothing was hidden from their sight. He adds another dimension to these four
creatures –
“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. 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!” (4:7-8).
What
John sees is the creatures have a form or shape that comes from creation –
lion, ox, man, eagle. John sees that all
of creation is worshiping around the throne of God. Many early century commentaries thought the
four creatures were symbolic of the four Gospels. Yet, they are creatures with six wings – much
like Isaiah (6) and Ezekiel (1) saw. I
believe they are angelic hosts – Seraphim, Cherubim, who both Isaiah and Ezekiel
saw surrounding God’s holiness. Regardless
of who they are, what is certain is what they are doing – worshiping God as
Holy, the Lord God Almighty – “kyrios theos pantokrator” – the “all-ruling, omnipotent, sovereign Lord God”.
Their purpose in worship before God is not to stroke God’s ego – he has
no ego. Rather it is to emphasize that He alone is worthy of glory, honor, and
praise.
“And
whenever the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to him who is
seated on the throne, who lives forever and ever, 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, “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” (4:9-11).
Heaven
is full of God’s glory and while the earth is full of sin, failure, and regret,
there is no sin, failure, or regrets in God’s presence. God is exalted because he created all things –
by his will, they exist, and for his will, they were created. There, in the midst of heavenly awe, stands
the Apostle John – probably with mouth and eyes wide open in awe. The word “worship” is from the Greek word “proskyneo”
(prōs kū
nĕ ō),
and was translated in English from the word “worthscipe”, meaning to ascribe
worth, honor, devotion to God. We worship
God who has supreme worth, for He alone is worthy. If we spend our time looking around at what people
are doing, or what they are wearing and mouth the words of the songs we sing,
we aren’t worshiping, we’re simply being religious. The focus, or attention, needs to be on the
words that are describing God’s worthiness, and our desire to say that to Him. Later on, John sees some marvelous things and
he falls at an Angel’s feet and the Angel tells him “You must not do that…worship
God” (19:10). Our God is the only
one we should ever worship – all other things are merely His creation.
Holy, holy,
holy! Lord God Almighty!
Early in the morning our song shall rise to Thee;
Holy, holy, holy, merciful and mighty!
God in three persons, blessed Trinity!
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 evermore shall be
Holy, holy, holy! Tho' the darkness hide Thee
Tho' the eye of sinful man Thy glory may not see;
Only Thou art holy; there is none beside Thee
Perfect in power, in love, and purity
Holy, holy, holy! Lord God Almighty!
All thy works shall praise Thy name, in earth, and sky, and sea
Holy, holy, holy; merciful and mighty!
God in three persons, blessed Trinity!
Peace
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