11/02/18 Revelation 4:1-11 “The throne of God in heaven; an overview of Ch.4”
This chapter pictures Almighty God taking back His sovereign right to total control of all proceedings on earth. It establishes God’s authority as the Creator of all, therefore Author of all, and thus with authority over all.
Revelation 4:1 – After
this I looked, and, behold, a door [was] opened in heaven: and the first
voice which I heard [was] as it were of a trumpet talking with me; which
said, Come up hither, and I will shew thee things which must be hereafter.
“After these things
(the letters to
the seven churches) I saw (perceived with my eyes) and behold (lo) there was an open door in (into)
heaven; and the first voice (phone – voice; sound; speech) which I heard was like a trumpet talking
with me; (the
trumpet voice) said (lego – say; speak; teach; exhort; command; advise) “Come (Rise)
up here (to this
place) and I will show (expose to the eyes; give
evidence or proof of something; show by words or teaching) that (those things) which must be (become; come to pass)
hereafter.”
must – a statement that what is prophesied must
take place; there is absolutely no negotiation on any of the details of
anything that must come to pass from this point onward.
Some maintain that
this voice is the former (= first) voice of Christ as per Revelation 1.
Revelation 1:10-11a; 12a – 10 I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day, and heard
behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet, 11 Saying, I am
Alpha and Omega, the first and the last:
12
And I
turned to see the voice that spake with me.
Revelation 1:15b – and his voice as the sound
of many waters.
Others maintain
that this is actually the voice of a mighty angel presenting the words of
Christ to John. My personal view is that it is likely to be the voice of
Christ, yet I cannot reject the possibility that it is merely a mighty angel.
It is clear that
John (being “in
the Spirit on the Lord’s day” –
Revelation 1:10) is now being called (in the Spirit) to heaven to take note of those
things that were about to happen “hereafter” (that is, prophecy concerning the
future).
in the Spirit (Revelation 1:10, also compare with
Isaiah’s vision as recorded in Isaiah Ch.6) – Benson says: That is, in a trance, a prophetic vision; so overwhelmed
with the power, and filled with the light of the Holy Spirit, as to be
insensible of outward things, and wholly taken up with spiritual and divine.
Thus, this is the
actual commencement of the serious prophecy of the end-times, often termed the
tribulation, or even the great tribulation. Of course, the letters to the
churches do have a significant element of prophecy in them, speaking as they
do, not only regarding the actual churches of that day, but on matters that
concern the Church (the body of Christ) until its fulfillment, after which
Israel will complete its seventy weeks of years as prophesied in …..
Daniel 9:24-27 – 24 Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and
upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins,
and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting
righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most
Holy. 25 Know therefore and understand, [that] from
the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the
Messiah the Prince [shall be] seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks:
the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times. 26
And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not
for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the
city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof [shall be] with a flood, and
unto the end of the war desolations are determined. 27 And he
shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week
he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the
overspreading of abominations he shall make [it] desolate, even until
the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.
Jesus referred to
this event in …..
Matthew 24:14-16 – 14 And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in
all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come. 15
When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of
by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him
understand:) 16 Then let them which be in Judaea flee into
the mountains:
From these passages
it is clear that what Jesus referred to occurred in the middle of Israel’s
final week of years, which means that Israel’s fleeing for safety will happen
in the second half of the tribulation (1260 days or 3½ times 360 days).
Revelation 12:6 – And the woman (representing Israel) fled into the wilderness,
where she hath a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there a
thousand two hundred [and] threescore days.
Paul taught that
Israel would be blinded in part until the Church was complete.
Romans 11:25-27 – 25 For I would not, brethren, that ye should be
ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that
blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be
come in. 26 And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is
written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away
ungodliness from Jacob: 27 For this [is] my covenant
unto them, when I shall take away their sins.
Daniel prophesied
that Israel had 70 weeks of years (490 years) yet to run before the end of
their sins and the beginning of their righteousness. But with just one week of
years left on their timeline, they rejected Christ as their Messiah and were
consequently sidelined off their timeline, with the Gentile Church taking their
place. Israel will only return to that timeline when the Gentile Church has
completed its time. When Israel returns to her timeline, she has just 7 years
to go to the end of sin and beginning of righteousness.
“After this” (Revelation
4:1 above) clearly refers to the end of the age of the Church (which is not
specifically mentioned again in prophecy from Revelation Ch.4 onwards) and the commencement
of that final week of years (7 years) of Israel’s timeline – note the sealing
of the 144,000 of Israel in Revelation 7. The Church was dealt with via the
seven letters in Ch.2-3 with Christ’s authority to do so being spelled out
clearly in Ch.1. Now, in preparation for Israel’s involvement in the end-times
prophecies of the tribulation, God’s authority is being established in Ch.4,
with Christ’s authority, His right, being likewise established in Ch.5 as the
only one qualified to open the seals on the book of judgments (after which the
Lamb – Christ – commences the tribulation with the opening of the first seal in
Revelation 6:1).
Revelation 4:2 – And
immediately I was in the spirit: and, behold, a throne was set in heaven, and [one]
sat on the throne.
“in the spirit” is
the same phrase translated “in the Spirit” in Revelation 1:10.
John saw God
sitting upon the throne, a position of absolute authority.
See Isaiah 6:1 – In the year that king Uzziah
died I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his
train filled the temple.
Paul seems to have
had a similar experience (2 Corinthians 12:1-4), and Ezekiel in Ezekiel 1:26.
Some of Revelation 4 can be cross-referenced to Ezekiel Ch.1. Others also had
either visions of God or had direct communications with Him. For example, see
Daniel 7:9; Exodus 3:2-6; Exodus 24:9-11; Joshua 5:13-15; and Abraham’s communications
with God in Genesis.
The authority of
God is being established here. In the rest of Ch.4, God continues to be
established as supreme ruler of all His creation, the universe.
“on the throne” is used
8 times in the New Testament, all in Revelation, while “upon the throne” is
used a further 3 times in Revelation (and once in Matthew 25:31). All refer to
the authority of God and Christ as related to prophecy and judgment.
Revelation 4:3 – And he
that sat was to look upon like a jasper and a sardine stone: and [there was]
a rainbow round about the throne, in sight like unto an emerald.
The sardine stone
(or sardius) was a fiery red colour, while the emerald is green. The jasper is
usually described as an opaque quartz which can be red, yellow, brown or green,
sometimes blue. However, Revelation 21:11 suggests that jasper is clear as
crystal. Gill says: There
is one kind called the Aeizusa, like to air and another Crystallizusa, clear as
crystal. So Pliny speaks of a white Jasper called Astrios, and which, he says
is "crystallo propinquans," near to crystal, found in India, and on
the shores of Pallene.
God who sat upon
the throne of heaven appeared to be like a jasper and a sardius stone. Exodus
28:17-20 lists the precious stones on the high priest’s breastplate, with the
sardius first and the jasper last; this may be significant.
There was a rainbow
all around the throne, possibly in an arch over it. The rainbow appeared to
look like an emerald – probably from both a precious stone appearance, and the
colour of emerald.
John is “seeing”
this with a lack of reference to be able to actually comprehend what he
observes. He has described what he saw, yet he had no earthly reference with
which to accurately make suitable comparisons. To John, God is beyond his
comprehension, yet John attempts to put into words something that he doesn’t
fully understand.
Revelation 4:4 – And round
about the throne [were] four and twenty seats: and upon the seats I saw
four and twenty elders sitting, clothed in white raiment; and they had on their
heads crowns of gold.
elders – presbyteros (elder of age;
forefathers; a term of rank or office; members of the great council or
Sanhedrin; those who administered public affairs and justice in a city;
Christians who presided over assemblies or churches; the 24 members of the
heavenly Sanhedrin seated around God’s throne)
Around God’s throne
were 24 elders, clothed in white, wearing crowns of gold, sitting on seats
(actually “thrones”). They appear to be people, not other creatures, and
represent those who rule under God’s authority.
Revelation 5:8-10 – 8 And when he had taken the book, the four beasts and
four [and] twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of
them harps, and golden vials full of odours, which are the prayers of saints. 9
And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book,
and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God
by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation; 10
And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign
on the earth.
The number 24 also
suggests that these are 12 representatives of each of the Old Testament saints
and the New Testament saints. (Cf the symbology of the 12 tribal patriarchs of
Israel and the 12 apostles of Christ, although it is not necessarily
representing specifically these people. Also note the 24 divisions of the priesthood
as noted in 2 Chronicles 24:7-19, and that they claim to be kings and priests
in Revelation 5:10.)
Revelation 4:5 – And out
of the throne proceeded lightnings and thunderings and voices: and [there
were] seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, which are the seven
Spirits of God.
lightnings and
thundering and voices –
representing God’s power and authority.
Exodus 19:16 – And it came to pass on the third day in the
morning, that there were thunders and lightnings, and a thick cloud upon the
mount, and the voice of the trumpet exceeding loud; so that all the people that
[was] in the camp trembled.
seven Spirits – 4 times in New Testament, all in
Revelation.
Revelation 1:4 – John to the seven churches which are in Asia: Grace
[be] unto you, and peace, from him which is, and which was, and which is
to come; and from the seven Spirits which are before his throne;
Note the menorah, a
seven-branched candlestick used in temple worship.
Zechariah 4:2-3 – 2 And said unto me, What seest thou? And I said, I
have looked, and behold a candlestick all [of] gold, with a bowl upon
the top of it, and his seven lamps thereon, and seven pipes to the seven lamps,
which [are] upon the top thereof: 3 And two olive
trees by it, one upon the right [side] of the bowl, and the other upon
the left [side] thereof.
The seven Spirits
also refers to the seven eyes of the seven Spirits of God.
Revelation 5:6 – And I beheld, and, lo, in the midst of the throne
and of the four beasts, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as it had
been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of
God sent forth into all the earth. (Also see Zechariah 3:9 and Zechariah 4:10.)
Revelation 4:6 – And
before the throne [there was] a sea of glass like unto crystal: and in
the midst of the throne, and round about the throne, [were] four beasts (living
beings; living creatures) full of eyes before and behind.
sea of glass
like unto crystal –
possibly suggesting a great unbroken expanse, or perhaps relating to the sea in
the temple used as a laver for priests to wash their hands (see 1 Kings 7:23;
Exodus 30:19).
The living beings
appear to be the same as noted in Ezekiel 1:5-14, and in some way emphasise the
unbridled power of God. They appear to be called cherubim in Ezekiel 10, and
may be something like the seraphim (fiery ones) of Isaiah 6.
Revelation 4:7 – And the
first beast [was] like a lion, and the second beast like a calf, and the
third beast had a face as a man, and the fourth beast [was] like a
flying eagle.
Ezekiel 1:10 has
“ox” instead of “calf”. Ezekiel 10:14 has “cherub” instead of “calf”. However,
they have to be talking about the same creatures.
Revelation 4:8 – And the
four beasts had each of them six wings about [him]; and [they were] full
of eyes within: and they rest not day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord
God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come.
Isaiah appears to
describe similar creatures in his vision, where he calls them seraphim (fiery
ones).
Isaiah 6:2 – Above it stood the seraphims: each one had six
wings; with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and
with twain he did fly.
“full of eyes”
(teeming with eyes) suggests that nothing may escape their knowledge.
Isaiah also records
that they say, “Holy, holy, holy.”
Isaiah 6:3 – And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy,
holy, [is] the Lord of hosts: the whole earth [is] full of his
glory.
God’s eternal-ness
is noted in “which was, and is, and is to come”. This is a statement of the
great I AM who is ever-existent. See Hebrews 13:8; John 8:58.
Revelation 4:9 – 9 And when (as often
as; as long as) those beasts give glory and
honour and thanks to him that sat on the throne, who liveth for ever and ever, 10 The four and twenty elders fall
down before him that sat on the throne, and worship him that liveth for ever
and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying,
This is a picture
of total praise and worship, that those who are closest to the throne worship
God thus. Logically, it also may be saying that those who are not close to the
throne of God do not worship God thus; this does appear to be true. Therefore, our
praise and worship of eternal God is a measure of how close we are to the
throne of the God we claim to worship.
Revelation 4:11 – Thou art
worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created
all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.
glory and honour
and power – a three-fold
doxology, according to Ellicott. This can be compared the two-fold doxology
“glory and dominion” of Revelation 1:6.
“You are worthy, O
Lord, to receive glory, honour and power; for You have created all things, and
for your pleasure (by
your will) they are (were; have their being or
existence) and were created.”
All things exist by
the will (or according to the pleasure) of God, for He has created them all,
and therefore, as their Author, has all authority over all He has created.
Authority is a consequence of authorship; thus, you may only have authority
over that which you have authored. Consider a book that you have written. You
are its author; therefore, you have authority over how you write it (and not
someone who didn’t author it), and whether or not you should make any changes
to it. It is your work, and therefore your responsibility. If you didn’t author
a book, then you have no right to any decision-making concerning that book,
unless you have been granted such authority from the author. An editor may edit
a manuscript before it is published, but only with the delegated authority of
the one who wrote it.
So, if you created
the universe, then you have authority over all you have created. In fact, you
may have all the glory, and all the honour, and all the power (sometimes
translated dominion) that your creation can deliver. No-one else may have any
of these except from that which they have created, or authored,
themselves. Authority is a consequence of creation; thus, if you don’t create
anything, then you may have authority over all you have created, which is nothing!
Colossians 1:17 – And he is before all things, and by him all things
consist.
This is why satan
could not be permitted to have any glory when he made his move to take over
some of God’s authority as per Isaiah 14. He didn’t create any of it; neither
could he have any glory, honour and power from it. It just isn’t possible to
have glory, honour and power from something you never created!
Isaiah 42:8 – I [am] the Lord: that [is] my name:
and my glory will I not give to another, neither my praise to graven images.
Isaiah 48:11 – For mine own sake, [even] for mine own sake,
will I do [it]: for how should [my name] be polluted? and I will
not give my glory unto another.
As we head into a
study of the great tribulation, we have to realise that all that will happen will
be based entirely upon this absolute authority of Almighty God who knows all
things and has revealed some of those details in the book of Revelation. Note that
Revelation is sometimes called the Apocalypse, from the Greek word for
“revelation” (apokalypsis = laying bare; disclosure of truth; concerning
things before unknown; that which was not known before but has now been
revealed or visible or manifest).
Paul taught the
Ephesians that it was by such revelation (apocalypse) that the mystery of the
Gentiles being made partakers of the gospel was made known to him. Thus, it
ceased to be a mystery to those to whom the mystery of the gospel has been made
known. Therefore, those who still consider such things a mystery must not have
had the mystery of the gospel made known to them?
Ephesians 3:3a; 6; 6:19 – 3 How that by revelation he made
known unto me the mystery;
6 That the Gentiles should be
fellowheirs, and of the same body, and partakers of his promise in Christ by
the gospel:
19 And for me, that utterance may
be given unto me, that I may open my mouth boldly, to make known the mystery of
the gospel,
What a mystery, that a Christian should not know the mystery! I wonder
where that leaves the calvinists?
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