The Heavenly Throne

When we began our look at The book of Revelation we first saw a vision of the exalted Jesus caring for and protecting his churches. And what we see in the book is that after the period of the churches has come to end The Kingdom of God will come to this earth. This Revelation of what is to be includes the destruction of the powers of evil, the destruction of Satan, and death itself. All of which sound magnificent however the story of the end includes some dark times for the church as well. A time when Satan and the powers of evil will break forth in a final desperate attempt to stop the purposes and plans of God. And during this time Satan will seek to do so by destroying the people of God. Satan is going to be permitted to unleash fearful and uncontrolled forces of evil on this earth. But before we get to that part of the story. God wants us here in chapter four see a vision that John has not of the future tribulation that is yet to come. But rather a vision of what is right now in the heavenlies. God in his wisdom and grace is about to give us a glimpse into heaven. Why does he do this at this juncture in the revelation? God knows that as we approach the time of the end the anxiety level of His church is only going to increase. And so to help, God gives to us a glimpse of the heavens. He allows us to see himself seated upon His throne. So, if your here today even and in any way struggle with anxiety and we all do in some small way often times. This sermon will help. Perhaps just a small bit, but it will hopefully bring comfort and peace in the struggles we all face in this life on this side of Heaven. This chapter unfortunately contains several points of disagreement within the church as to what is expressly being stated in each verse. Some of these I will take time to step back from the passage and discuss. I feel like I need to do this because they are points that you will likely experience if you have not already, either through books or movies or other believers. And I want us to have a cohesive understanding of the book as a whole not a smattering of ideas that ultimately to fit together very well. So, let’s look closer at our passage today from Revelation chapter four.

John begins and he writes in verse one.

Revelation 4:1 ESV

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.”

The Open Door

John is again in prayer, we will see this more clearly in the next verse, and Jesus comes to him in a vision and in this vision John sees an open door. A door that Jesus has provided to allow John to enter into the heavens and to have the amazing opportunity to behold its wonders. John has been caught up as we saw earlier when he was in prayer in chapter one and was then given a vision of Jesus when Jesus gave to him the seven letters to the seven churches. This time Johns vision is of the heavenly realm. And we are going to find his vision recorded here in chapters four through nine.

And so Jesus calls to him and commands him to come up here into the heavenlies. So that Jesus might show to John what must take place in what we today call the end times.

John writes in verse two about the first thing that his eyes lay upon and we read.

Revelation 4:2 ESV

At once I was in the Spirit, and behold, a throne stood in heaven, with one seated on the throne.

The Heavenly Throne

Ok, before we get too far I want to address some of the sticky theological questions that some bring up when reading this verse. Some state that John is being used here to represent the church and that God gives us a vision of John at the beginning of the revelation of the end times and he is at this point in time caught up in the spirit and he immediately then finds himself in the heavens with Jesus. They would state that because of its timing in the larger story of the book of revelation it must point to what is called the pre-tribulational rapture of the church. Could this timing be a possible understanding of this passage. I will admit that it is possible. However, I have several difficulties in accepting this position. Let me explain. First, no where in the book is John referenced as symbolically representing the church. So this is something that we must read into the book. Second we have already seen where this type of language in Revelation chapter one simply refers to a state that Jesus brings John into while he is in prayer. So, why would expect something different here I am not certain. In fact we are going to find several similar references throughout the book. And they will never say that the rapture is what is meant at those points. In fact I believe that we see these other similar statements because the book was not given in a single occurence in time to John. But rather Jesus came to John several times while he was on Patmos and that John then recorded each of them in order as a single book.

In fact all of this discussion usually causes us to miss the most important part of this vision. And that is that the first thing that John sees as he enters into heaven is the throne of God. And I believe that this is a deliberate gift to John as he languishes in exile on Patmos. God almighty no matter what circumstance we find ourselves in is still seated upon His throne. And so John is given this gift at what had to have been one of the lowest points of his life.

Then John describes this magnificent vision of the throne of God and he writes in verse three.

Revelation 4:3 ESV

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.

John is given the amazing opportunity to see God Himself seated upon His throne. And the glorious nature of what his eyes behold, I believe, blow him away. And as a result he never actually gives us a clear description of the one who is seated upon the throne or of the throne itself. And what John is left with within his minds eye is the brilliance of the glory of God. And so John rather than describing distinct features of the one who sat there or specifics concerning the throne he describes the appearance of the glory that shone from the one who was seated upon the throne. It was the appearance of gem stones like jasper and carnelian he says. and the glory that surrounded the throne was encircled by what appeared in shape similar to a rainbow with the appearance of emeralds. This rainbow wasn’t what we typically think of as that half-circle bow that we see in the sky. The words here state that whatever this was the closest word John could find to describe it was a rainbow. But he says it was around the throne. In the NIV we read.

Revelation 4:3 (NIV)

And the one who sat there had the appearance of jasper and ruby. A rainbow that shone like an emerald encircled the throne.

This idea that the throne was encircled by this rainbow is what is precisely stated in the original greek. So there was something that we today might have called a halo around the throne.

Just take a moment and let this really sink in. What John saw was so amazing that to describe the details of what he saw would miss the mark on the brilliance and glory that was revealed to him. And so he uses dramatic symbolic language to attempt to describe his vision of the throne of God. This is how magnificent the glory of God is to witness. The is the vision we all need to have when we think upon the glory of our God who is seated this very day upon His throne in the heavens.

Now there are those that look for meaning in the types of stones or the colors of the stones that are mentioned here. I think this is a huge mistake. And I believe this because we have to yet again look for meaning beyond the passage and read that meaning back into the passage. I believe we need to keep it simple. John is conveying the glory of the brilliance of each stone. And that when he does so we should understand that the greatness of the glory of God goes beyond the ability of mere words to explain. And this is why John says that it appears like gemstones. Something that throughout history has held immense value and meaning for nearly all people. And this is what John is trying to convey in these words.

John continues in verse four and he writes,

Revelation 4:4 ESV

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.

Okay so I know most people at this point want to know who are these twenty-four elders. Well, I’ll say this for right now there are several different possibilities that people have used to explain who the elders are. I will do my best to explain who I believe that they are. But not until we get to verse ten. Because right now our focus is actually upon the Throne of God. And the fact that these twenty-four elders sit upon thrones themselves with golden crowns around the Throne of God. Right now I want us to take in the picture that John is giving to us of what it is his eyes see before him.

And at this point in our passage we need to see this magnificent Throne of God with God seated upon it and the radiant splendor of his glory surrounding himself and the throne. And then surrounding that are twenty-four smaller thrones with twenty-four elders seated upon those thrones. This is a grand and glorious picture of our God enthroned in all of his glory. This is the God that we came today to gather together as His people in worship and praise of His great glory.

Then in verse five John continues describing the Throne of God and he writes,

Revelation 4:5 ESV

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,

From the throne came flashes of lightning and peals of thunder. This description should honestly be expected concerning the appearance of God Himself. The first time that God reveals Himself to the people of Israel and to Moses he descends upon the top of a mountain in what we call today the Shekinah Glory. And we read about this in Exodus chapter 19 verse 16

Exodus 19:16 ESV

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.

This was symbolic of the immense nature of God’s power and glory before His people.

The biggest difference is that when John comes before the throne of God the thick cloud that surrounded God so that none might see the grandeur of His glory is gone. And John is given the ability to see his exalted glorified God.

And then we are told in the last half of verse five that before the throne were sever torches of fire which are the seven spirits of God.

We have already seen this symbolism in revelation chapter one verse four. And so before the throne of God John sees symbolically the presence of the Holy Spirit and in this instance most likely as we will see later in the passage as representative of his work in the creation and preservation of the natural world, in His creation. This view of God is going to be consistent throughout this passage. We will see this more clearly as it is spoken in the praises of those gathered before God.

John then writes in the first part of verse six

Revelation 4:6 (ESV)

and before the throne there was as it were a sea of glass, like crystal.

The Sea of Glass

As much of what we read in the book of Revelation has Old Testament references the same is true of the sea that is presented here like crystal. Ezekiel had a similar vision that was recorded in Ezekiel chapter one. First in verse twenty-two we read.

Ezekiel 1:22 ESV

Over the heads of the living creatures there was the likeness of an expanse, shining like awe-inspiring crystal, spread out above their heads.

and then in verse twenty-six we read

Ezekiel 1:26 ESV

And above the expanse over their heads there was the likeness of a throne, in appearance like sapphire; and seated above the likeness of a throne was a likeness with a human appearance.

And so Ezekiel has a very similar vision of the throne of God. When we get to chapter fifteen in the book of revelation we are going to find the sea mentioned again. What the sea represents like much of what we will find in the book is greatly debated. Some believe for instance that the sea represents a vast expanse that separates mankind from God. Some see it as symbolic of God’s omniscient vision of everything within the world and that there is nothing that hinders God’s gaze from penetrating to the depths. In fact there are more views, these are simply two of the better ones that are offered. I believe that the simplest way to understand this sea of glass that appears like crystal is as a picturesque element that simply adds to the majesty of the divine presence. Particularly as the sea of glass would have reflected back the glory of God emanating from God and the Throne just envisioned. This would have simply magnified the majesty of the glory of God in the vision that John is given.

Then in the last half of verse six through verse eight John writes concerning the four living creatures.

Revelation 4:6–8 (ESV)

And around the throne, on each side of the throne, are four living creatures, full of eyes in front and behind: 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!”

The Four-Living Creatures

Okay. Now this is the kind of stuff we all think about when we think about the book of Revelation right? Even though these supernatural creatures are not the focus of the book at all. It is what we like to focus on.

So what are these creatures. To put it simply they are angelic beings. Unfortunately we have in our culture reduced angelic beings to being either fat cuddly little kids with wings or beautiful women appearing out of no where. Welp, nope. Not quite right. Now, not all, but some angelic beings appear to be a bit scary for our human minds to imagine. Some angels do appear to have human form. We see similar visions to our four living creatures here given to Isaiah in Isaiah chapter six and to Ezekiel in Ezekiel chapter ten. In our vision here in the book of Revelation of the four living creatures there is some consistent biblical symbology that is important for us to see. The fullness of eyes represents a ceaseless vigilance and vast if not unlimited intelligence, and their wings suggest a swiftness towards action. It also would fit within the passage that the four different heads represent different aspects of creation. And I believe that this is the main importance we need to see in the appearance of the four living creatures. And so in the Lion we would see representation of the wild beasts within creation, and the ox would represent domesticated animals, the face of a man representing humanity, and finally the eagle representing flying creatures. All of which were created separately in the creation account in Genesis chapter one. This leads us to two possible ways to see these four creatures. They could be representing the praise and adoration of Gods creation. This would mean that we should see that all of creation was created to worship God not simply mankind. These four living creatures may also be angelic beings who are used by God in executing his rule and divine will in all the order of His creation. We see that they sing a song of adoration, “Holy, Holy, Holy, is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come!” Which makes me think that this isn’t a question of either or. But rather both and. I believe that they satisfy both of these roles before God.

So lets take a step back now and look at another way that some have understood the meaning of the four living creatures. There are many historically that took the four creatures to represent the writers of the four gospels. Typically seeing John as the Lion, Luke as the Ox, Matthew as the Man, and Mark as the Eagle. There are things about each writer and each gospel that make this idea appealing. However, that is not found anywhere or in anyway in our text. And so I believe should be avoided.

Here is the importance of the four living creatures, I believe. I believe that they represent the creation and its worship of its creator. We see in their song that they worship God as the eternally existent one, who was and is, and also as the one to come. This suggests the longing of creation for deliverance from the bondage of sin that affects not only humanity but all of creation. Paul wrote about this very thing in Romans eight verses twenty through twenty-three

Romans 8:20–23 ESV

For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies.

I believe that this is an amazing picture given to us of the Throne of God as a place of worship for all of creation.

Then after this picture of the four creatures we then see them join in with the twenty-four elders in worship and adoration of their creator. and we read in verses nine through eleven

Revelation 4:9–11 ESV

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.”

And so now we are given a picture of the four creatures praising God for his essential nature as the eternal God. They give glory and honor and thanks to him who is seated on the throne, who lives forever and ever.

And at the same to the twenty-four elders praise God for the glory of His created works. “For you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created.”

The Twenty-Four Elders

So, who are these twenty-four elders. Perhaps the most common view is that they are the leaders of the twelve tribes of Israel and the twelve apostles. I do believe that this is an easy understanding to come to. There is some logic that might fit well. Another fairly common view is that these twenty-four elders are representative of the church which is to be raptured. I think this is a little more difficult but I can see how they come to this position. Particularly if you hold to the rapture occuring before the time of great tribulation. Both of these positions would hold that those who conquer will receive crowns and are rewarded for their works by being seated upon thrones. Do either of these fit within the context of chapter four. I would argue it’s a tough fit for either of these positions. It requires us to push a lot of meaning into this specific passage. I do believe that there are some features and actions of the elders that we see here and later that make it difficult in fact to accept either of these two positions.

First the elders are going to be seen again in chapters five and seven. Let’s look at a couple of these references and see if they make sense for us in our understanding of the Heavenly realm.

In Revelation 5:8 we read

Revelation 5:8 ESV

And when he had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each holding a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints.

Okay my biggest struggle here is the idea that these elders carry the prayers of the saints to the foot of the throne of God. I believe that this is the function of angelic beings. Not dead saints. However, now we see how some have come to this understanding.

Next we read in verse nine. But first we are going to read it in the new king james, which falls in line with the king james, so that we can see how we get the idea that these are saints who have died. In this verse it is the twenty-four elders who sing a new song. And we read.

Revelation 5:9 (NKJV)

And they sang a new song, saying:

“You are worthy to take the scroll,

And to open its seals;

For You were slain,

And have redeemed us to God by Your blood

Out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation,

Who was redeemed by the blood of God?

Only humanity is to be redeemed from sin. When we are fully redeemed from sin all of creation is removed from the curse. Angelic beings do not need redemption. And fallen angelic beings are not offered the opportunity for redemption.

So this verse says that the twenty-four elders have been redeemed to God by His blood.

The saints are singing the new song. And so they are the ones who are redeemed. Here’s the problem. As time has progressed since the original writing of the King James version we have come to a far greater understanding of ancient Greek and as such our ability to translate certain difficult greek constructions has simply gotten better. And so for instance in the NIV we read.

Revelation 5:9 (NIV)

And they sang a new song, saying:

“You are worthy to take the scroll

and to open its seals,

because you were slain,

and with your blood you purchased for God

persons from every tribe and language and people and nation.

That’s a big difference in translation. In fact every modern translation uses a similar wording to the NIV in this verse. It is only the New King James that has chosen to hold on to the older translation from the older King James.

But, this is an important distinction. If the twenty-four elders were people who had been saved by the blood of Jesus. Well, then us is the proper translation of this passage. However, that is not what they are saying in the original Greek. They are making a distinction between themselves and those people who are redeemed by the blood of Jesus. I believe that this distinction is made because they are not human. They are, I believe, angelic beings. The elders themselves are not of the redeemed, instead they sing of those who are redeemed.

We are going to look at one more passage to, I believe, bring further proof to the point. In chapter seven we are going to see a large salvation event occur among the people of Israel. And during this event 12,000 people from each of the 12 tribes will come to worship Jesus. As a result of the vision of this event one of the elders steps forward and asks John a question. We read in Revelation 7:13 and 14

Revelation 7:13–14 (ESV)

Then one of the elders addressed me, saying, “Who are these, clothed in white robes, and from where have they come?” I said to him, “Sir, you know.” And he said to me, “These are the ones coming out of the great tribulation. They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.

The key, I believe is this word sir. I know your sitting there thinking John is simply being polite. However this is a significant title of respect that is found no where in the new testament in regards to a fellow believer. It is only found in reference to angelic beings or to Jesus himself. And it is typically translated as Lord or Master. Hmmm… That changes things a little bit doesn’t it.

I believe that the twenty-four elders are a body of angels who have been created in order to execute the divine rule within the universe. Angels are often times pictured wearing white clothing. Paul in fact refers to different ranks or functions among the angels. We have pictures in the Old Testament of God surrounded by an angelic host. All of this combined brings me to this understanding of the twenty-four elders.

With all of that I do not want us to loose the importance of the picture of the twenty-four elders. And that is that they worship God. Why? because he is about to bring all of history to its final goal.

We have been given this amazing picture of the Throne of God. Surrounded by angelic beings worshipping and praising our God. And they are praising their creator because behind all of creation is the active sovereign will of the Creator. God is not some white haired old man silently sitting on some throne waiting for all of history to play out. He is the glorious exalted risen Jesus who is actively executing his sovereign will over His creation.

So What?

Three simple points

First

God Is In Charge

We have now come to the point in our book where God is about to reveal his judgment upon the world. He is also about to reveal Satans attempt to overthrow the will of God for His people. And before we get to all of that. God wants us to know that no matter what we suffer or at whose hands we suffer, God is sovereign and that the events that unfold before our eyes every day are a part of a sovereign plan. And that plan ends in our redemption and the vindication of our faith.

As we continue in the book we are going to read about God’s judgment that is about to come upon this world. As we read these passages we need to remember that Johns revelation was written primarily to reveal to us the greatness of the glory of God. And we need to find that glory as it is revealed even in his judgment. When this is our focus we will not read about these horrible events that are about to befall this world for mere entertainment are simple curiosity about the future. But we will read them as the revelation of the glory of our risen Lord Jesus.

Next point I want to discuss is...

The Heart of God

Augustine generations ago wrote that “God thirsts to be thirsted after.” Our God is immovable and may seem stone like in his stature, but not his heart. The heart of Jesus is the most sensitive and tender of all. In Mark 9 he says that he is moved by a simple cup of cold water given to one who is in need. In Luke 17 he is moved by the one leper who returns to give thanks and then appears wounded that the other nine simply go on about their lives as though nothing major ever happened between them and Jesus. In Mark 14 we see a man touched by the desires of a woman to be saved from her sin who anointed his feet. And then at the death of Lazarus, his friend, He weeps. We should understand that the heart of God finds joy in our affection for him. He finds pleasure in our allowing him to shower us with his affection by His Spirit. He is a good and glorious father.

Finally, these truths should lead us just as they did the twenty-four elders and the four living creatures to a place of adoration and praise and worship of our God.

God Invites You To Worship Him

God is inviting us as he did John into an intimate encounter with Him as we worship His glory and greatness. The nature of the worship of the angels that we see here should be seen as an invitation by God to come and worship Him in the same way. The Elders offer not only their words but their own glory before God as they cast their crowns before His feet. Because as we see in their song they recognize that God is the author and very purpose of their existence. We should see in the casting of their crowns a great sign of humility before God. They have not chosen to hold on to their crowns themselves’ or to cast their crowns before Satan, but they have chosen to cast their crowns before God alone. Humility requires our humiliation, not like we tend to think. But rather the intentional view of ourselves as less than God almighty. We recognize who God is and who we are and the immeasurable difference between God and ourselves.

We need to begin to see that our primary job in heaven is to worship God. This invitation is given here today and we need to engage in worship that focuses on God’s worthiness. Both in his character and in his deed. When we engage in worship of God it is the closest we can come to tasting what heaven will one day be like for us.

This vision of heavenly worship that we have the opportunity to glimpse should remind us that no matter what our calling or gifts we may experience here and now we will all one day become the same as God’s worshipers. There is no place in heaven for those things that we so often times find value in here and now. But our devotion and worship of God will be eternal. So taste the glory of God every time you come before Him in worship of His great glory.

Amen.

Father God we praise you as the almighty creator of heaven and earth. Jesus you are the one who was and is and is to come! You alone are worthy to receive glory and honor and power for you created all things. And by your will all things were created. We praise you for who you are Lord. And we ask that you would call us and bless us with the power and opportunities to speak your name and your gospel before this fallen world so that the numbers of your people your worshipers might be made complete.

Now may the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, equip you with everything good for doing his will, and may he work in us what is pleasing to him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.

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