Chapter 4
In the Throne Room of Heaven
1 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.”
After the letters to the seven churches were dictated by Jesus to John, the scene changes dramatically. An open door leading to heaven is seen by John and a loud voice is inviting him to come up and enter heaven. He is told, by God (as He alone knows the future) that he will then be shown what will take place in the future.
The first and last Greek words in this verse are ‘meta tauta’[1] which are normally translated as “after this.” John regularly uses these two words together to emphasize a transition. He used them earlier in Revelation 1:19, the verse that can be used as an outline for this book, to point out, just as he is doing here, a change. He also used them in Revelation 7:1, 9; 9:12 (often omitted, see ESV, KJV, NIV, NLT); 15:5; 18:1; 19:1; 20:3, each representing a significant change.
If “after this” refers to being after the “church age,” the period we are living in, then what follows would be those things that occur after the church (all living believers) has been removed, so that the Tribulation can begin. With John being called into heaven, many have interpreted this invite to include being a call for all believers to come up to heaven at that time, namely the rapture.
2 At once I was in the Spirit, and behold, a throne stood in heaven, with one seated on the throne.
John once again refers to being “in the Spirit” (see Revelation 1:10), we can only speculate what that means, but we do know that John is able to see, hear, touch, taste, smell, talk, write, and be seen, just as he would be able to do in his body. He now instantly appears in the throne room in heaven. He sees a throne and someone sitting on that throne. The remainder of this chapter is John attempting to describe what he is seeing and hearing.
3 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.
Not having any film or special effect to use as an analogy, John uses precious stones to describe this colorful scene. The person on the throne had an appearance of jasper and carnelian. Around the throne was a rainbow that looked like an emerald. Throughout the Bible we find many references to precious stones. However, most of the translations of the Hebrew and Greek names are largely based on context and "best guess." That is why Bible versions often vary when translating the same verse. While some of the words are undoubtedly translated correctly, we need to be careful when assigning color, transparency, or any other visual similarities, when comparing to modern-day stone names. Context does help as there are sometimes references or comparisons to something else like the sky (for example see Exodus 24:10). Occasionally archaeologists are able to connect the names of some stones to their correct modern identity, which may then require a revision of any incorrect translation. Even if we could precisely identify these stones as jasper, carnelian, and emerald, all three of these stones can vary in color, including being red, purple, or green.
4 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.
John begins to look around the room and notices that the throne where God the Father was sitting (Jesus will enter later) is surrounded by twenty-four other thrones. On each of those thrones sat an elder (Greek ‘presbúteros’,[2] an older person, often a representative or ambassador) who wore white garments and a golden crown. The text does not identify them leading to the development of great speculations. The number 24 appears several times in Scripture, both stated and implied, but nothing that directly connects to twenty-four individual rulers. Perhaps the best approach would be to recognize that those who are saved will be considered “royal priests.” Peter wrote, “But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession” (1 Peter 2:9a). Being purified by Jesus these rulers could be wearing white clothes and being royalty they would qualify to wear golden crowns (although these are ‘stéphanos’, crowns of victory, not ‘diadems’ which signify royal dignity like a king, see Revelation 12:3; 13:1; 19:12, see also 1 Corinthians 9:25; 1 Thessalonians 2:19; 2 Timothy 4:8; James 1:12; 1 Peter 5:4; Revelation 2:10). But who are they? Since there were twelve sons of Jacob (Israel) and twelve disciples of Jesus, some believe the twenty-four elders represent all those saved. Twelve from the Old Testament, saints that trusted God’s promises believing in the coming Messiah, and twelve from the New Testament, those who put their faith in Jesus, the Messiah that conquered death. Are they actually the twelve sons of Jacob or representatives of each tribe? Are they really the twelve disciples? We have no clue, but note John, who was one of the twelve disciples, did not mention any involvement.
5 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, 6a and before the throne there was as it were a sea of glass, like crystal.
John’s attention returns to the main throne as flashes of lightning and the rumbling of thunder are seen and heard from there. Seven torches of fire, being the seven Spirits of God (see Revelation 1:16, 20), are now seen in front of the throne. Also in front of the throne was a “sea of glass, like crystal.” Years earlier when Moses and others went up to heaven, they described the throne room’s floor as being like sapphire (another precious stone) and clear as the sky (see Exodus 24:10, see also Ezekiel 1:26), Here John may be describing what they were standing on.
6b And around the throne, on each side of the throne, are four living creatures, full of eyes in front and behind: 7 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. 8a And the four living creatures, each of them with six wings, are full of eyes all around and within,
John sees four living creatures and attempts to describe what he is seeing but due to their uniqueness he can only compare them to animals he knows. They each had several eyes both in front of them as well as their backside and six wings. One looked like a lion, another like an ox, the third creature had a face like a man, and the fourth was like an eagle. John records twice that they had eyes all around, truly unique creatures (compare with the description given in Ezekiel 1:4-14).
8b 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 creatures continually say, “Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is to come!” A statement of praise similar to Isaiah 6:3, recognizing God’s holiness and eternal existence (see Revelation 1:4). Many note how the praise in the throne room escalates from Revelation 1:6, to here in verse eight, to Revelation 5:13 and then to the final crescendo of praise in Revelation 7:12. It should also be noted that the book of Revelation contains several, what might be best described as ‘songs’ (see Revelation 4:8, 11; 5:8-13; 7:9-12; 11:15-18; 15:2-4; 19:1-8). Apparently many song writers agree as many hymns and songs have been written using this book as inspiration.
9 And whenever the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to him who is seated on the throne, who lives forever and ever, 10 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, 11 “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.”
In response to the four living creatures offering praise and thanks to God seated on the throne, the twenty-four elders cast their crowns before the throne. They then offer their own praise by 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.” Recognizing that He is the creator and that all things that exist came into existence by His will.
As noted above, crowns will be given to believers as rewards. In verse ten we read that any crowns received will likely be thrown in honor and respect before God on His throne.
Considerations
The Godhead[3]
The Bible attributes the action of creation to all three members of the Godhead, God the Father (see Job 38:4-7; Isaiah 42:5; Psalm 33:6), His Son, Jesus (see John 1:1-3; Romans 11:36; 1 Corinthians 8:6; Colossians 1:15-17) and the Holy Spirit (see Genesis 1:2); all three were intimately involved. Scholars call this three-person phenomenon, the Trinity. While the word is not found in Scripture, the concept of the Trinity is clearly taught throughout the Bible. The concept that one God that consists of three different people with three distinctively different personalities is truly incomprehensible to our way of thinking. This is just one aspect about God that human reasoning can’t resolve. We also see that Jesus is one-hundred percent God and one-hundred percent man, and that God can created something out of nothing! These things don’t compute! It should be comforting to know that our God is able, as He is infinitely greater than us, if we could understand all aspects of Him, He simply would not be big enough to be our God.
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[1] Strong’s Greek 3326 and 5023 respectively.
[2] Strong’s Greek 4245.
[3] Adapted from author’s book, “Everything a Christian Should Know About the Torah A Commentary on the First Five Books of the Bible”