A Commentary in Simple English on Revelation

CHAPTER 4 The Throne in Heaven.

From 1:9 to the end of Chapter 3, John has written about Christ at work in His Church on earth. That one Church is made up of all true believers; but it is also made up of the churches that meet in many cities and smaller places.

But now God gives to John a 'vision' or sight of the glory of heaven. This takes up Chapters 4 and 5. From Chapter 6 onwards, the events, which take place in the world, will be described as they are seen from heaven. A lot will then be said about how men suffer; not much will be said about the success which men have. Heaven has no great love for kings on earth, or what men build. But heaven does feel for the pain and suffering of the poor.

It may help us a little to understand Chapter 4 if we think about three 'visions' of God in the Old Testament. In Exodus 24:9-11, Moses and the leaders of Israel go up Mount Sinai and see a 'vision' of God. Isaiah tells us about his 'vision' of God in Isaiah 6. This was in the Temple in Jerusalem. His God is holy! Then in Ezekiel 1 we have that prophet's vision. Ezekiel was in Babylon; he had been taken there from his home in Jerusalem by force with many other Jews. God rides His great 'chariot' out of the storm in the sky to the north. In verses 26-28 Ezekiel tries to tell us what he saw.

Verses 1-8: The Throne and the Holy One

John looks, and sees a door or gate, which is open in heaven (verse 1). It is not like the closed door of the church at Laodicea (3:20). [4.1] John does not go by stages to heaven. He needs no angels to help him up! The same voice, (1:10) which we know was the voice of Jesus, calls him up to heaven now.

Jesus promises to show John things that will happen 'after this'. But notice that the very first thing that John sees is something that is fixed. It is the 'throne' of God, which is fixed in heaven and which cannot be moved. The changes, which we see around us, may at times rather frighten us. Life may change quickly. Things may seem to get worse all the time. John wants us to know that God's throne, His seat as King and Ruler in glory, does not move. Nothing can move it. No one in earth, in heaven or in hell can shake it.

Then in verse 2, John says that he 'became in the Spirit'. (See 1:10; 17:3; 21:10.)'In the Spirit' he could do what God told him to do. John sees the throne: we know that the 'Someone' who sits on it is God. [4.2] God sits, not to rest, but to show that He rules. John says little about God Himself.

We do not know exactly which stone of great value John means. The first, 'jasper' may well really mean the diamond; this is the stone that is of greatest value. [4.3] The 'rainbow' (or halo) round the throne does not have seven colours so it is not like the rainbow which we sometimes see in the sky. It has only one colour, green. We read about the rainbow in Genesis 9:13-17. God gave the rainbow to Noah as a sign. It meant that there was peace between God and the world that He had made. (See Ezekiel 1:28; and Revelation 10:1.) The colour green is a sign of God's grace and of peace.

The diamond is not only of high value, but it is full of light. So is God. The red stone may remind us that God is a fire that burns everything up. (Hebrews 12:29). There is one God on the throne. It is not an empty throne. God rules all things. And there is only one on the throne. There are not two or three 'gods' or even many 'gods'. If there were, they might all try to do something different. They might fight each other. No; there is only One on the throne, and His purpose is not divided: it is one.

In verse 4, John sees twenty-four more thrones around God's throne. The twenty-four elders are thought to be the twelve sons of Israel, and the twelve apostles of Jesus. Together, they are a picture of the people of God in the Old Testament who have been made one with the people of God in the New Testament. [4.4] Their white clothes show that they are holy and pure and full of joy. The 'crowns' on their heads are made from gold. They are not the crowns which kings wear, but crowns for those who have won the race of life. They are crowns for those who have won the fight with sin and what is wrong.

In verse 5, John says that from the throne came lightning and thunders, and voices or sounds. He means that these voices came 'from God who sits on the throne'. We should think of Exodus 19:16. This is the same God who gave to Israel His law in the time of Moses. We know already (See 1:4.) that the seven lamps which burn so brightly are the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is God: He is One. But because He is so complete, so full, John sees Him again as 'the seven spirits'.

Then (verse 6) God is separate. He is separate from all He has made. In front of His seat as King there is a sheet or sea which looks like glass or ice (frozen water). It is clear: you could see through it. John stands at the gate or door into heaven and looks across the 'sea' to look at God.

Do not try to turn all this into a picture, even in your mind. We do not even know which side of the 'sea of glass' the thrones of the elders were. But the teaching is that God is holy.

In the last part of verse 6, and in verse 7, John begins to tell us about four 'beings' which are full of life. They seem to be at the base of God's throne. (See Ezekiel1: 5-21. Ezekiel calls them 'the cherubim' in 10:20.) They are not really 'angels', because angels carry God's messages, and these beings are part of God's throne. They have eyes with which to look at God's throne, and more eyes to look out at the world. One is like a brave lion. The lion is 'the king of the beasts'. The next is like an 'ox'. 'Oxen' are cattle, but farmers keep them because of their strength to serve and not for their milk or meat. The third being had a face like a man. It is thought that this is a picture of man's mind. Of all the things God has made, man has the best brain. The fourth being is like an eagle in flight. The eagle is the greatest of all birds. It flies fast and high and it can see for a long way. [4.5]

Each living being had six wings, like the cherubim, which Isaiah saw. (Isaiah 6:2). Although they are holy beings, yet they cover their faces. They cannot bear to look at God because He is so much more holy than they are. [4.6] These beings seem so wonderful to us. But God is much more wonderful than they are. All they want to do is to worship God, 'night and day', all the time. That is their desire. It is enough for them. It should be enough for us. It will be enough for us when we are in glory.

So John hears two great songs of praise to God. The first comes from the four living beings at the 'throne'. The second, which is in verse 11, is the praise that the twenty-four elders give to God.

First then, the living creatures sing the words from Isaiah 6:3: 'Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord God Almighty' [4.7] 'Almighty' means 'The one who rules all things'. God is holy; holier than the angels who have never sinned; holy beyond all that we can think; so holy that no place of worship on earth is pure enough for Him.

In the verse in Isaiah (6:3) the angels add: - 'The whole earth is full of His glory'. (See Habakkuk 2:14 or Isaiah 11:9.) We do not know why it was that John did not add these words here. It may be that he felt that men like the Roman Caesars wanted the honour and glory which was God's by right. They tried to take it for themselves. But instead John adds words that are like those of 1:4. There is one difference. There we read: - 'God is, and was'. That is the order of our experience. We know that God is, because now He saves us. Then we see that He always was God. But it is right for the living beings to say that 'God was and is'. God made them and they have always known Him. And He is the God who is still 'to come'.

God has all power: He is Lord. The false 'gods' could do nothing for themselves (Psalm 115:4-7). The false 'gods' had men who worshipped them. These men often had a great deal of power. The Christians were weak. But their God ruled all things. He had all power. So they then had nothing to fear, and nor have we now.

Verses 9-11 The worship of the Elders

God is, first of all holy. He is three times holy. Then after that, He is the Maker of all things. So we go from verse 8 to verse 11.

Just as the 'living beings' worship God (verse 9) so now the Elders too worship Him. (verse 10) God is the One who sits on the 'throne'. He lives; He is the One from whom all life came, and He is the One who still has life to give. He lives 'for ever and ever', or 'for the ages of the ages', through all eternity! (Daniel 7:14) Their song (verse 11) tells us that because God made all things it is right that we should give Him all honour. God not only made things at the very beginning but also His power keeps them in order now. [4.8] And if we look at 21:5 we shall see that God promises to make all things new. Chapter 5 will tell us why it was that God made all things.