Heaven’s Throne (Revelation 4:2–11) | Coronation (Part 12)

Transcript

JRNT 511
9/21/2025
Heaven’s Throne
Revelation 4:2-11
Jesse Randolph

Good evening. I’d like to invite you to open up your Bibles, to Revelation chapter 4. Last Sunday night we worked our way through exactly one verse of this chapter, Revelation 4:1 as we ramped up our study of this incredible book. This week we’re going to try to cover the remainder of chapter 4 as we take in, through the eyes of the Apostle John, this incredible scene of God’s throne room in heaven. So, it will be Revelation 4:2-11 God’s Word reads:

“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 those thrones I saw twenty-four elders sitting, clothed in white garments, and golden crowns on their heads. And 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. And 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.’”

We have a lot to cover tonight, so we’ll get right into it. Last week you’ll recall from verse 1, John began his third of three major divisions in the book of Revelation, by saying this in verse 1. “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.’” As we saw last week that voice was the voice of Jesus, risen, ascended, and glorified. The same Jesus who said to John, all the way back in Revelation 1:17, “Do not fear; I am the first and the last, and the living One; and I was dead, and behold, I am alive forever and ever, and I have the keys of death and of Hades.” It was again Jesus who had called John, here in Revelation 4:1 to “come up here.” And it was Jesus who said, “and I will show you what must take place after these things.”

And then John heeded Jesus’ call. Look at verse 2 now. This is John narrating. He says “Immediately I was in the Spirit.” We saw language similar to that back in Revelation 1:10, where at the beginning of his report of what he saw of this transcendent vision of the ascended Lord Jesus, John said, Revelation 1:10, “I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s Day.” John’s now repeating that language very similar language in Revelation 4:2 when he says, “Immediately I was in the Spirit.” He is saying here that he was brought into some sort of miraculous ecstatic state, brought about by the Spirit of God through which He was, in this vision, translated from his prison conditions on the isle of Patmos to God’s throne room in heaven. Though his feet were firmly planted on the rocky soil of the island of Patmos, all of John’s senses were, with the Spirit’s help, carried off into heaven, as it were. His ears actually heard what he heard in this heavenly scene. His eyes saw actually what he saw. The emotions he felt in this heavenly scene were real emotions. It was as though he were truly there.

The prophet Ezekiel experienced something similar in his day. Go ahead and turn with me over to Ezekiel 8:1. We are going to be in Ezekiel a couple of times tonight so you might want to keep a finger in that book. Ezekiel 8:1-3, “Now it happened in the sixth year, on the fifth day of the sixth month, as I was sitting in my house with the elders of Judah sitting before me, that the hand of Lord Yahweh fell on me there. Then I looked, and behold, a likeness as the appearance of one on fire; from His loins and downward there was the appearance of fire, and from His loins and upward the appearance of brightness, like the gleam of glowing metal. He sent forth the form of a hand and took me by a lock of my head; and the Spirit lifted me up between earth and heaven and brought me in the visions of God to Jerusalem, to the entrance of the north gate of the inner court where the seed of the figure of jealously which provokes to jealous was located.”

So, you see it there in Ezekiel’s context, the Spirit lifted him it says, “up between earth and heaven.” And now we have the Apostle John in our text saying he “was in the Spirit.” The Spirit of God translated his Spirit, meaning John’s spirit into God’s heavenly throne room. So again, though John was physically on the Isle of Patmos as all of this was taking place, he was truly experiencing being in the presence of God as he saw these glorious visions.

In Revelation 4:2, “Immediately I was in the Spirit.” Then look at what comes next. We saw these words last week, too. “And behold.” He speaks. There’s that magnifying glass-like language. Behold. It’s pointing to, highlighting what comes next. And what comes next you see it there, is a throne. Immediately I was in the Spirit and behold a throne was standing in heaven.”

Now last week we worked our way through the ideas of a first, and a second, and a third heaven. The first heaven we saw is the blue sky above. The second heaven is what we would call outer space. The third heaven would be the dwelling place of God. That’s what John is referring to here, the third heaven, the dwelling place of God. It was in that place God’s dwelling place where He saw it says, “a throne.”

Now the Book of the Revelation is commonly referred to as the “throne book” or a throne book, and that’s because the word “throne” is used 45 times in the book of Revelation. In chapters 4 and 5 alone we see that word throne 17 times. To give you a little bit of comparison we see the word 15 times, throne, throughout the rest of the New Testament. So, there’s a heavy emphasis on God’s throne in the book of Revelation. God’s throne is very much in focus here, not just in chapter 4 but we’ll see throughout this book. And note this about this “throne” which John saw. The throne it says, verse 2, was “standing in heaven.” Now that’s significant. Note that the focal point of John’s description of this throne he saw is not the material it was made of or how tall it was or how wide it was. John didn’t see this throne as a mere piece of furniture or a decoration. No. The fact that this was a throne “standing in heaven” is portraying intentionally God’s sovereign rule and authority. That “standing” term, that standing word is signifies that this is a stable throne, a set throne, a fixed throne, an immovable throne. And the fact that that throne in heaven is “standing” and “stands” even today, is a reminder to us all even right now. That while all the thrones of the world and the thrones of the earth totter, the throne of God in heaven above doesn’t move. Kings and nations and rulers, they come and go. Political movements, they come and they go. But what does Psalm 93:1 teach us? That our “God reigns.” He reigns in heaven above. He reigns from His throne. Psalm 47:8 says, “God reigns over the nations, God sits on His holy throne.”

This picture right here in verse 2 of God’s throne “standing in heaven” reminds us that this entire universe, every baby’s cry, every arc of every raindrop that falls on this earth, every liar’s whisper is under the dominion of an all-powerful, all wise, almighty God. He’s sovereign. He rules over all.

Here in verse 2 now John describes not only this vision he received of this throne that was standing in heaven, but he also notes, verse 2, that He saw “One sitting on the throne.” Now, some will say and some have said, that this “One sitting on the throne” must be Jesus. That this cannot be God the Father. They’ll cite passages like, Exodus 33:20, where Yahweh said to Moses, “You cannot see My face, for no man can see Me and live!” Or John 1:18, “No one has seen God at any time.” I Timothy 6:15-16, where God is referred to as “the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone has immortality and dwells in unapproachable light, whom no man has seen or can see.” I can see how passages like that might steer someone in the direction of saying that the “One sitting on this throne” in Revelation 4:2, must be Jesus.

But I’m actually of the view that the One sitting on the throne, the one that John encountered here is God the Father. There are a couple of reasons I get there. For starters, take a look with me at Revelation 5:13 just over the page, which speaks in the quoted language there, “To Him who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb.” What’s happening here? Well, the “Lamb,” God the Son, Jesus is being distinguished from “Him who sits on the throne.” This would seem to indicate that there are two different Persons of the Godhead who are being referred to here. God the Father and God the Son. And it’s God the Father who’s is referred to as “Him who sits on the throne.” Not only that, but we also think of what Jesus said in His Beatitudes specifically in Matthew 5:8, where He says, “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.” So, will the “pure in heart” actually “see God” or will then not?

How do we reconcile those statements in Scripture where we have some that say that no one can see God and then we have some that say, for instance Jesus, the “pure in heart” will “see God”? Well, what I would suggest is that those first three verses I quoted, Exodus 33:20, John 1:18, I Timothy 6:15-16, are referring to man in his unperfected, unglorified condition. Meaning, in his earthly frame, in his early body. What those passages are saying is definitely true that we, in these bodies, in our present condition, in our current state, could not behold any manifestation of God directly in His glory and survive that experience. We would be reduced to ashes right away. But when we do one day receive our immortal, imperishable bodies in glory and when we have that privilege of being in the presence of our Heavenly Father, that’s going to be a different experience. We won’t immediately be reduced to a pile of ashes when that happens.

John MacArthur expresses it this way. He writes, “I believe that in heaven we will see God Himself with our physical eyes. God will reveal the light of His glory, and through perfect eyes we will see the very face of God. God is spirit, John 4:24, and spirit is invisible; therefore, whenever God manifests Himself, He does so in the form of light. Seeing Christ and the Father will eternally awe us.” I would agree. That through perfected eyes, we are going to one day witness the manifestation of the Father in heaven as light as John did here.

Back to our text. John saw this “One sitting on the throne” as it says here in Revelation 4:2. Now he gives this description of the One sitting upon the throne. He gives this description of God upon His throne and because God is Spirit, John 4:24. Because God does not have a body as we know it. Because God is shapeless and formless. All that John could do in describing God the Father, was to refer to something colorful to describe something the Father is “like.” “He who was (note that language here) sitting was like.” I’m in verse 3 right now.

“He who was like.” Now that’s characteristic of the language John is going to use throughout the book of Revelation as he attempts, in human terms, to describe the things and the individuals and the people he saw in heaven and to do so in such a way that fellow humans like you and me can comprehend and understand.

So, verse 3, look at this text. “And He who was sitting was like a jasper stone and a sardius in appearance.” As he beheld God on His throne, the primary impression that John received in receiving this vision of God, was that of color. Specifically, that of a “a jasper stone.” The color it says of “sardius.” Now in John’s day the word “jasper” described a clear stone. We know that from the description of the new heavens and the new earth in Revelation 21:10-11 where he says there, John says, “And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great and high mountain, and showed me the holy city, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, having the glory of God. Her brilliance was like precious stone, as a stone of crystal-clear jasper.” Jasper was not opaque it didn’t have color it was clear. Jasper in John’s view here would have resembled a diamond. Some stone that brilliantly refracted all the different other colors. The clarity of this “jasper” stone, it would seem, is picturing in this scene, God’s purity, God’s holiness.

What about “sardius”? Well, that stone also goes by the name “carnelian” and it was a ruby-red in color. That stone, sardius or carnelian, pictured God’s fiery wrath toward sin. “Our God is a consuming fire.” We learn in Hebrews 12:29. What we have here pictured here with God being “like a sardius in appearance” is the fiery judgment that God was about to pour out. The picture here is of these present days of evil and wickedness which we live in eventually ebbing and going away. The picture now is of God’s righteous and holy wrath soon being meted upon this earth. So, these colors, these two colors that are pictured here of jasper and sardius, as they’re reflecting from heaven’s throne, they’re testifying to God’s holiness, God’s justice and the divine wrath He was soon to bring down on the earth.

Well as we continue on, we see that this beautifully colorful and radiant scene that John was taking in was only enhanced by the presence of a rainbow. The end of verse 3 says, “and there was a rainbow around the throne, like an emerald in appearance.” So apparently the color of this rainbow, perhaps due to the various colors that are flashing all throughout this heavenly scene, comes through predominantly as being greenish in hue. This rainbow it says was “around the throne.” Maybe it was a half-arc. Maybe it was completely encircling the throne. We’re not told. We don’t know. All we’re told is that this “rainbow” projected the light green color like emerald. And of course, the presence of this rainbow immediately brings to remembrance, those words from Genesis 9:11-13, where God said to Noah after He had flooded the earth and after the floodwaters had receded. He says, “Indeed I establish My covenant with you; and all flesh shall never again be cut off by the water of the flood, and there shall never again be a flood to destroy the earth.’ Then God said, ‘This is the sign of the covenant which I am giving to be between Me and you and every living creature that is with you, for all successive generations; I put My bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a sign of a covenant between Me and the earth.’”

So, the rainbow, we know, is a sign of God’s promise. A sign of God’s covenant that He will never flood the earth again as He did in the days of Noah. And what that means bringing this over to this passage, Revelation 4, is that this emerald-hued rainbow encircling the throne of God is this vivid reminder of God’s faithfulness. It’s a wonderful reminder that God’s mercy is as great as His majesty. That He will keep His covenant promises notwithstanding the judgments that are about to fall on the earth in this successive scenes in Revelation. God does not forget any of His promises.
So, John was “in the Spirit,” verse 2. The Holy Spirit had taken possession of John in this special way, allowing him to receive this vision. While “in the Spirit” John saw the eternal God sitting upon the throne in His majesty and in His splendor, projecting light like jasper, like sardius. Then John saw this brilliant light show coming from the throne of God. This rainbow encircling heaven’s throne.

Now as we turn to verse 4, the focus of John’s vision shifts from the appearance of the One who sat on this throne and the rainbow which encircled the throne, to what or better said Who was surrounding the throne. Look at Revelation 4:4, “Around the throne were twenty-four thrones, and upon those thrones I saw twenty-four elders sitting, clothed in white garments, and golden crowns on their heads.” So, around God’s throne in heaven, we have pictured here “twenty-four thrones.” There’s the principal throne, the throne of God which is the focus of this entire scene. But then there are these twenty-four lesser thrones surrounding God’s throne.

Like the principal throne, the main throne, no further description is given of these 24 lesser thrones. Like the main throne, the principal throne, the focus in this vision is not on what these twenty-four lesser thrones are made of or how large they are or how tall they are or how much space is in between each of these thrones or what the actual thrones themselves look like. The focus, rather, is on Who is on these thrones and Who is occupying these twenty-four thrones. Who are the figures, the individuals on these twenty-four thrones surrounding the heavenly throne of God? Well, we’re given an answer in the middle of verse 4. “Upon those thrones I saw twenty-four elders sitting, clothed in white garments, and golden crowns on their heads.” Now as we continue in our study of Revelation in months to come, we are going to see this group mentioned the “twenty-four elders” several different times. They come up 11 other times in the book of Revelation. Because we will see them many more times in our study, it is important to drill down and figure out and answer this question, “who are these elders”.

Now in doing my study on this passage, this past week I did read that there have been somewhere around 13 different views of who these elders are over the course of church history. We could spend all night studying all 13 views, but I think there really just three that are worth exploring in depth here. For the sake of time, we won’t go through all 13 but we will lay out the big three.

There are three major views on the identity of these elders. According to one view, the elders are angelic beings. According to a second view, these twenty-four elders represent all of the redeemed for all time with 12 of the twenty-four elders representing Israel and 12 of the elders representing the Church. The third view is that these twenty-four elders represent redeemed saints specifically and exclusively in the Church age.

Let’s take those one by one. Let’s start with the view that “elders,” these twenty-four elders are angels. For those who take this view, they will say that this group of twenty-four elders is this class of angels who assist God in executing His divine rule over the universe. They’ll point to passages like Psalm 89:7, which speaks to God being in this “council of the holy ones,” who they see as angels. Those who hold this view will also point to the fact that in the Gospel accounts after the resurrection of Jesus we do see angels clothed “in white.” John 20:12 is an example of that or in Matthew 28:3, the angel of the Lord there is portrayed as wearing “clothing as white as snow.”

So, there are some arguments to the angelic view. But there are a couple of reasons I don’t embrace that view. For starters, the word there for “elders” is the Greek word “presbuteroi.” It is a word in Scripture, which is used only to describe humans, whether the elderly statesmen of Old Testament Israel or the set-apart shepherds of the New Testament church. So that word presbuteroi is never used anywhere else in Scripture to describe an angelic class of beings. It would take some pretty serious grammatical stretching to make that word “elder” fit the category of “angel.”

Then there’s this. In fact, turn with me over to Revelation 7:11. Here it says, “And all the angels were standing around the throne and the elders and the four living creatures, and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God.” What do you notice there? Well, you notice that “angels” and “elders” are treated as separate groups, separate categories, distinct categories. And that would tell us that this group in Revelation 4:4, our passage, those twenty-four elders cannot themselves be angels. There are a couple other reasons for rejecting the angelic view. For instance, we never see angels depicted in Scripture as the “elders” are here as wearing crowns or sitting upon thrones or being rewarded. But I’ve laid out for you some of the basic reasons I do not hold to the angelic view.

Well that leads to the second view. According to this view these twenty-four elders in Revelation 4:4 represent the totality of God’s people in heaven. Meaning, these elders represent both Israel, meaning the 12 tribes of Israel, and they represent the Church meaning the 12 apostles. So, the “twenty-four elders,” are evenly divided between Israel and the Church. It’s like a heavenly senate with some “elders” being on one side and some elders being on the other.

The trouble with this view, though, is that as of the moment in history which this scene is depicting, meaning, after the Rapture of the Church but before the Tribulation falls on the earth, it wouldn’t make temporal or chronological sense for elders representing Israel at this point to be wearing crowns of victory on their heads. And that’s because as we’re going to see in weeks to come, that Israel is about to undergo national judgment and salvation in the period that’s known as the Tribulation. It comes later though. That comes in Revelation 6-19.

Now these “golden crowns” that we see represented here in verse 4, these are victory crowns, stephanoi. They’re a specific type of crown awarded to a victor. So, these elders in John’s vision in Revelation 4:4, are victorious, crowned men who have already received their reward. These elders then cannot be picturing Israel, because again as of this moment, before the Tribulation, Israel isn’t victorious. Israel hasn’t been redeemed. Israel hasn’t been rewarded. That all happens toward the end of the tribulation, after the Second Coming of Christ.

These twenty-four elders, I would say, are not angels. They aren’t a mixed group representing both Israel and the Church. Who are they then? Well, I think only one group is going to go into the Tribulation complete, as a completed organism and that’s the Church. That leaves us with this third option, which is that the twenty-four elders represent the redeemed Church. This is the view that I think makes the most sense and not just by process of elimination, but also by studying what we have already studied thus far in the book of Revelation.

Consider this. Note these descriptors for these elders here in verse 4. First of all, they are described as sitting “upon thrones.” “Around the throne were twenty-four thrones. And upon those thrones I saw twenty-four elders sitting.” Go back with me to Revelation 3:21. This is from the letter to the church at Laodicea and it says, “He who overcomes, I will grant to him to sit down with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne.”

Now we’re also told Revelation 4:4, that these elders are “clothed in white garments.” Filp back with me to Revelation 3:5, the letter to the church at Sardis. Where there it says, “He who overcomes will thus be clothed in white garments.” Revelation 4:4 again we’re told that these elders have “golden crowns on their heads.”

Go back to Revelation 2:10, the letter to Smyrna and look at the last sentence there. “Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life.” Do you see what’s happening there? Each of these descriptions of these elders given in verse 4, Revelation 4:4, they’re sitting “upon thrones,” they are “clothed in white garments,” they are wearing golden crowns on their heads, is directly in line with the things that were promised to the “overcomers” in the seven churches in the Church age.

And that I think, tells us that these twenty-four elders represent the completed body of Jesus Christ meaning, all believers, Jew and Gentile from the Day of Pentecost in Acts 2, up to the Rapture of the Church to heaven.

Now one more item here in verse 4. This is not necessarily a reason I hold to the view that I do, that these twenty-four elders represent the completed, glorified Church of Jesus Christ. Rather, this is a consequence of the view I hold. But the view I’ve just articulated I think provides a key supportive link for affirming the pretribulation Rapture of the Church. The view that our church affirms and upholds. Here’s what I mean by that.

Since these 24 elders represent the completed, glorified Church, that means the church here is being pictured as already being in heaven before the Tribulation comes down on the earth in Revelation 6. Meaning what we have here is yet another line of evidence that the Church will not pass through the Tribulation. Why? Because they’ve already been taken out of the world to be with the Lord at the Rapture. The Church is already as these elders indicate worshiping God around His heavenly throne as He prepares to bring the Tribulation judgment to the wicked on the earth. So, there’s a pretribulation Rapture benefit to holding the view that I hold.

Well, John’s vision of this heavenly throne room scene continues. Look at verse 5. He says, “And out of the throne come flashes of lightning and peals of thunder.” So, this impressive scene of heaven, which was flashing before John’s eyes, was only enhanced by these flashes of lightning, these sounds of thunder. And we might be tempted to minimize what John encountered here by measuring it against our own limited experience of a summertime thunderstorm. But that’s not the sounds that John is alluding to here, a Midwest, mid-July, midnight thunderstorm. What he’s describing here harkens back to the days of Moses where on Mt. Sinai lightning and thunder accompanied the trumpetlike blast of God’s voice causing God’s holy mountain to shake.

In fact, go with me back to Exodus 19:16-18. This is Israel at Sinai, and it says, “So it happened on the third day, when it was morning, that there were thunder and lightning flashes and a thick cloud upon the mountain (Mt. Sinai) and a very loud trumpet sound, so that all the people who were in the camp trembled. And Moses brought the people out of the camp to meet God, and they stood at the foot of the mountain. Now Mount Sinai was all in smoke because Yahweh descended upon it in fire; and its smoke ascended like the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mountain trembled violently.” I think there’s some trace of that language in God’s shaking of the earth that is being pictured now in Revelation 4. But John, as he describes here in Revelation 4, isn’t merely looking back at the days of Moses. Rather the vision that he’s been given here is also pointing forward to that firestorm of righteous fury which God was about to bring down on this sinful planet.

That language, “flashes of lightning and sounds and peals of thunder” is intentionally foreshadowing a few different passages later in the book of Revelation, look at Revelation 8:5. In conjunction with the seventh seal, it says “Then the angel took the censer and filled it with the fire of the altar, and threw it to the earth; and there followed peals of thunder and sounds and flashes of lightning and an earthquake.” Or look at Revelation 11:19. This is in conjunction with the seventh trumpet where it says, “And the sanctuary of God which is in heaven was opened, and the ark of His covenant appeared in His sanctuary, and there were flashes of lightning and sounds and peals of thunder and an earthquake and a great hailstorm.” One more, Revelation 16:18. This is in conjunction with the seven bowls of God’s wrath, which says, “And there were flashes of lightning and sounds and peals of thunder; and there was a great earthquake, such as there has not been since man came to be upon the earth, so great an earthquake was it, and so mighty.”

What each of these passages including ours, in Revelation 4:5, remind us of is that it is a “terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God.” That’s exactly what will happen to those unrepentant sinners who live during the Tribulation. They will “fall into the hands of the living God.” Which is what these “flashes of lightning and peals of thunder” in verse 5 of chapter 4 were portending. God is withholding His judgment now. But a future day is coming, where the levee will break and His wrath will be poured out upon the earth.

And then, end of verse 5, it says “And there were seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God.” Turn back with me to Revelation 1:4. Introductory chapter here. Revelation 1:4. Look at John’s opening words to the seven churches in Asia Minor. He says, “John to the seven churches that are in Asia: Grace to you and peace, from the One who is and who was and who is to come and from the seven Spirits who are before His throne.” Now, when we worked our way through this text back in February of this year, I explained how this text Revelation 1:4, though it does refer to “seven Spirits” is actually referring to the singular Spirit of God. How I got us there from seven to one, was by taking us to Zechariah chapter 4 where there is this angelic vision that was given to the prophet Zechariah. He receives this vision of both seven lamps and seven spouts and in that text, those seven lamps and those seven spouts, are connected to the singular Spirit of God. I made the case there from Zechariah 4 that John’s reference here in Revelation 1:4 to the seven spirits who were before His throne, that’s referring to the singular Holy Spirit of God. I haven’t changed my mind in seven or eight months. I stand by that interpretation. I stand by the argument. Not only in Revelation 1:4 but in our passage, Revelation 4:5. Meaning, the “seven Spirits of God” referred to here in our text are a reference to the Holy Spirit.

Now because the Holy Spirit is, by definition, “spirit.” That means He’s not humanly visible. The Holy Spirit doesn’t appear to the human naked eye until and unless He’s embodied in some fashion. That’s what happened when the Spirit alighted upon Jesus like a dove at His baptism. That’s what happened on the day of Pentecost, in Acts chapter 2, when the “tongues like fire” came down as a manifestation of the Spirit. And that’s what’s happening here in John’s vision into heaven. Where we see these “seven lamps of fire burning before the throne.” Those seven lamps of fire were the means by which John was informed of the presence of the Holy Spirit in this heavenly throne scene.

If you’re keeping track, this heavenly scene, this is important, is distinctly Trinitarian. We have God the Father on His throne. That’s what we have worked through so far. We’ve now just seen that God’s Spirit is present through these seven lamps of fire burning before the throne. And as we’re going to see next Sunday night as we continue on into Revelation chapter 5, God the Son, the Lamb, is upon His throne.

So, in this Trinitarian throne scene these “lamps of fire that are burning before the throne” again point to the fact that God is ready to make war on this sinful planet as His perfect wrath and vengeance will one day be poured out on this earth in this coming day of Tribulation.

Well John continues on with the description in verse 6. He says, “And before the throne there was something like a sea of glass, like crystal.” Now note, it’s doesn’t say it’s an actual “sea of glass.” It’s “something like a sea of glass.” It’s a simile. It’s like crystal. What’s John referring to there? Well, we have to remember that John was an ethnic Jew born in Judiah. So, what would not have been out of the ordinary for him to draw from the Old Testament Scriptures for reference to describe, as best as he could, what he was seeing in this otherwise inexplicable throne room scene.

One potential reference for his description here is Exodus 24:9, we’re told that “Moses went up with Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel, and they saw the God of Israel; and under His feet there appeared to be a pavement of sapphire, as clear as the sky itself.” That could be what John has in view here as he’s trying to put into words what he’s seeing in this throne scene. We do that later in Revelation in Revelation 15:2, John will again mention “something like a sea of glass” again. There in describing the victorious martyrs of the Tribulation period, he says “Then I saw something like a sea of glass mixed with fire, and those who have overcome the beast and his image and the number of his name, standing on the sea of glass, having harps of God.”

Here in our context in Revelation 4:5, that description of “something like a sea of glass” appears to be depicting this state of calmness, this state of tranquility around God and His throne. He is a God as we’ve seen, who is a God of holiness. He is a God as we’ve seen who is a God of justice. He is a God as we’ve seen from the rainbow encircling His throne is a God of faithfulness. He is also a God, as this scene seems to be portraying, He’s a God of perfect patience. He will bring about His judgment on this planet when it is time. He’ll bring His judgment on this planet on His timetable and not a millisecond later. He will unleash His fury on this planet at the right moment. But at this moment, right now, He is perfectly placid and perfectly tranquil within Himself. In the throne room, in otherwards, it’s the calm before the storm.

To review up to this point, John has seen this vision of God on His throne. He’s seen these 24 elders representing the redeemed completed Church. He’s seen these brilliant bolts of lightning flashing. He’s heard the rolls of thunder rumbling. He’s seen these burning torches representing the Spirit of God. He’s seen this scene before the throne of God which resembled a sea of glass.

Next verse 6, we’re given these fascinating descriptions of these beings who John saw in the presence of God’s throne. Middle of verse 6 into verse 7, “And in the center and around the throne, four living creatures full of eyes in front and behind. And 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.”

Now, the word for “living creatures” there is “zoon” from which we get our English words “zoo” or “zoology.” I bring that up because the translators who gave us the Old King James Version way back in the day 1611, that era. Unfortunately, they read our English word which we associate with animals, the zoo, zoology, back into the Greek text and they came up with an unfortunate word for these living creatures. In the Old King James, they’re called “beasts.” These are beasts around the throne. That’s a bad translation. The word here simply means “living ones.” By itself that word, living ones, doesn’t give us any indication whether these beings these “living ones,” these “living creatures” are animal, or human, or angelic or divine. So, we must figure that out for ourselves. What are these beings? Who are these living creatures? These four living creatures as it says in our NASB and LSB translations.”

Well in terms of what these “living creatures” are, the strongest argument from Scripture, is that they are angels. Angelic beings guarding the throne of God. Turn with me if you would back to Ezekiel chapter 1. We’re going to see a description here of a class of angels known as the cherubim. Ezekiel 1:4-14, the prophet there says “Then I looked, and behold, a storm wind was coming from the north, a great cloud with fire flashing forth continually and a bright light all around it, and in its midst something like the gleam of glowing metal in the midst of the fire. And within it there were figures with the likeness of four living creatures. And this was their appearance: they had the likeness of a man. And each of them had four faces and four wings. And their legs were straight, and their feet were like a calf’s hoof, and they sparkled like the gleam of burnished bronze. And under their wings on their four sides were hands of a man. As for the faces and wings of the four of them, their wings touched one another; their faces did not turn as they went; each went straight forward. And as for the likeness of their faces, each had the face of a man; all four had the face of a lion on the right and the face of a bull on the left, and all four had the face of an eagle. And such were their faces. Their wings were spread out above; each had two touching another being, and two covering their bodies. And each went straight forward; wherever the spirit was about to go, they would go, without turning as they went. As for the likeness of the living creatures, their appearance was like burning coals of fire, like the appearance of torches going back and forth among the living creatures. The fire was bright, and lightning was flashing from the fire. And the living creatures ran to and fro with the appearance of lightning.”

That’s the cherubim. This class of angels who would typically be associated with burning judgment. Note those features in that text I just read. There’s the face of a lion, the face of a bull, a man, and an eagle among other things. Some definite similarities to our text, Revelation 4:6-7 where the “living creatures” John saw had the face of a lion, a calf, and a flying eagle, among other things.

So, hold onto that thought for just a moment. Now back to Revelation 4:8. We’ll keep on reading into John’s vision here. Look now at verse 8. He continues saying “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.’”

Now turn back with me if you would, to Isaiah 6:1-3, where we’re going to see another class of angels, the seraphim, who are associated with burning purification. Isaiah 6:1-3, “In the year of King Uzziah’s death I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lifted up, with the train of His robe filling the temple. Seraphim stood above Him, each having six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. And one called out to another and said, ‘Holy, Holy, Holy, is Yahweh of hosts; the whole earth is full of His glory.’”

Now I had us get our eyes on both of those passages. Ezekiel 1 and Isaiah 6 because of the number of clear parallels they draw as these different classes of angels, cherubim and seraphim are laid out in both of those Old Testament prophecies.

There’s a parallel clearly to the “four living creatures” that John saw in our passage in Revelation 4. Though John’s description of what he saw here is not a carbon copy of what Ezekiel saw in his vision or what Isaiah saw in his vision. I really don’t think there’s really any question that what John saw here in his vision of heaven in Revelation 4 as he saw these “four leaving creatures,” that these were angels. Psalm 80:1, says that God is “enthroned above the cherubim.” And what John saw here in his vision is God enthroned over these angels, these “living creatures.” Who not only guard the throne of God but who worship around the throne of God.

Now a bit more on John’s description of these angels that he saw, these living creatures that he saw, in God’s throne room. In verse 6 you note it says they’re “full of eyes in front and behind.” Meaning, they have this power of perception and alertness that’s unparalleled among created beings. So, no matter where they are in the heavenly throne room, they are able to see clearly. They’re not omniscient. That is reserved for God alone. But these angels have a sense of comprehensive knowledge and perception. As they’re there in the throne room, nothing escapes their scrutiny. They see in all directions at the same times, and they will not allow anyone who is not absolutely holy into the presence of God or near the throne of God.

Then, in verse 7 here, John gives us these four “like” statements. “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.” All sorts of theories have been expressed over the years as to the meaning of these descriptions. Some have said that these four living creatures in these different depictions, they each represent the four Gospels. Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. You see some interesting allegorical interpretations out of the first few centuries of the Church that lead people there.

Matthew is presenting the lion of the tribe of Judah, so he’s the lion. Mark is focusing on the sacrificial servant, Jesus, the Lamb. That’s sort of close to a calf. Close enough. Luke is focusing on the humanity Christ, the man Christ Jesus so He’s the man. And then John with his focus on God the Son, Jesus being the divine Son. That’s connecting Him to heaven, the way that an eagles wings nearly touch heaven. So that’s how the Matthew Mark Luke John theory gets going.

Some have said that these four animals represent different attributes of God. Or these four depictions represent different attributes of God. The Lion depicts God’s majesty or His omnipotence. The calf indicates His faithfulness, His patience. The man depicts His intelligence and wisdom. The eagle depicts His supreme sovereignty. Maybe.

Others have said these four figures represent the animal kingdom. All of animal life. The lion represents wild creatures, the calf represents domestic animals, the eagle represents flying creatures, and then the one exception is man represents man. Maybe.

I’m not convinced as you can hear that any of those are actually the right one. I’m content to let my limited human understanding rest where it is and limit myself to saying the things I know for certain from the Scriptures about these “living creatures.” Like I think they’re angels based on Ezekiel and Isaiah.

We can see that these angels, here’s another truth, they vary in appearance, right? One has a face like a man, one like a flying eagle, one like a lion, one like a calf. Third, we do know from verse 6, that they are both “in the center and around the throne.” And that suggests, perhaps, that one is before the throne, like in front of the throne. One might be behind the throne and then you have one on either side of the throne. Whatever their position, the point is they have constant attention to the throne of God.

Fourth, as we just saw, they are “full of eyes in front and behind.” Fifth, as we’re going to see later in Revelation chapter 6, it’s going to be these living creatures, these angels who will be directly involved in announcing the coming judgments of the Tribulation. And then next, day and night, they give endless praise to God. Look at verse 8 again, “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.”

This is the first of 14 doxologies in the book of Revelation. These words of praise, these outbursts of worship and praise in Revelation. In this first one we see through John and his vision that these “living creatures” these angels are singing ceaselessly of the holiness and eternity of God. They are continually engaging in worship in which they tirelessly proclaiming the holiness of God. They are doing so in the form of this hymn, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God, the Almighty, who was and who is and who is to come.” They are ascribing to God holiness. That’s the triple use of that phrase holy, holy, holy. It’s underscoring this jewel of God’s attributes. They’re ascribing to God strength and might. He is “the Almighty” it says. And they’re ascribing to God eternality, glory, and honor. He is “the One who is, who was and who is to come.” They are in the upmost sense ascribing to God as it says in Psalm 29:2, the glory due His name.

Well speaking of giving glory to the God who sits on His throne, look at verse 9. That’s exactly what these “living creatures,” these angels are described as doing. It says “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…” We won’t take too much time with that language but simply stated this is yet another expression of the praise and the worship that is being given God in heaven by this class of angelic beings.

Now, in John’s vision verses 10 and 11, the focus turns back to the “twenty-four elders” who we encountered earlier. So, as the angels are giving glory and honor and thanks to God on His throne, John describes this scene here in verse 10. “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.’”

What we have here is a full-on worship scene playing out. The worship by the four living creatures is being attended to by the 24 elders who are also worshiping this One on the throne. They’re attributing to God the glory and honor and power that He has, and attains, and possesses, and are giving Him the praise that He is due. They are doing this with God the Father on His throne in a way that’s similar to the worship of Christ that we’ll see in Revelation 5 next Sunday night. In fact, look at a couple of these other doxologies in Revelation 5:12-13. It says, “Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and blessing.” That comes from the angels and the elders. Then verse 13, they continue and say, “To Him who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb, be the blessing and the honor and the glory and the might forever and ever.”

Back here in our scene, still in Revelation 4, as these twenty-four elders are worshipping the eternal God on His throne as they, verse 10, “worship Him who lives forever and ever.” It says they “fall down before Him who sits on the throne.” That’s a demonstration of their wonder and their worshipful adoring hearts. I mean these elders, as representatives of the entire redeemed Church, they are high and lofty in their own right. They’re representing the glorified completed body of Christ. Yet they humble themselves before the Lord by falling down before Him. They are instinctively acknowledging that He is the highest One in the universe. Not only that though, still in verse 10 it says they “cast their crowns before the throne.” The same golden crowns which John saw those elders wearing. These crowns of victory, Stepheoi. These crowns that declare them to be overcomers. These crowns which symbolize their own right to rule. They cast before the throne. They do so in acknowledgment of the fact that the crowns truly belong to God. He is the one responsible for whatever rewards they received in glory and the right to rule is His alone.

They fall down before God. They cast their crowns before His throne. And as they do, these elders, these victors, these representatives of the entirety of the redeemed completed Church; they acknowledge that God is their Creator and God is the sustainer of the universe. Verse 11, here is their song: “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.” They worship God, in other words, for who He is “our Lord and our God.” They worship Him for what He has done in creating all things and sustaining all things. As we’ll get into next week for redeeming sinners like us.

What we’ve just worked through is this transcendent scene. It’s this glorious scene. We’ve given it one evening to work through it in its entirety. Truth be told, even if we spent a 1,000 evenings working through this, we still wouldn’t have enough time to mine its riches.

This very scene which inspired a man named Reginald Heber an English pastor and hymnwriter in the early 19th century to write the lyrics to a song we all know. “Holy, Holy, Holy! Lord God Almighty.” He wrote the song in 1826. I’ll read you the second stanza and then we’ll close. “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 was and is and evermore shall be.”

God thank You for this time this evening to mine the riches of Your Word. Thank You for this glorious scene that we have laid out before us in this heavenly throne room scene that You’ve privileged John the apostle to witness. Thank You that he was faithful to Jesus in taking this revelation down. Thank You that this book has been preserved so we have this insight and this glimpse into your glorious plans for the future. Thank You that we can live today knowing that these plans for the future, Your plans for the future, are set and cemented in stone. Thank You that no matter what happens in this world, no matter what trials or difficulties or complications or procedures, or griefs, or worries that might confront us, that this is where we’re going. It begins with this heavenly throne room scene that You saw fit to reveal to John. Help us to be encouraged this week as we go through our weeks and to understand that this is the glorious future that you are pointing us toward and that even today this is where You exist and how You reside in this heavenly throne room scene full of glory and wonder and awe. Help us to dismiss any cheap or counterfeit visions that people claim they’ve had of heaven and instead take in the real thing You have given us here through John in Your Word and let us relish these truths. Let us rejoice in these truths and let us walk in faith in light of these truths. God, I pray for these dear people here this evening that you would give them a blessed week of focusing on you, focusing on the truth of Your Word, and focusing on our Savior, the source of our blessed hope, the Lord Jesus Christ. It’s in His Name we pray, Amen.