Revelation 4

We are now getting into the thick of the book of Revelation; and this is my absolute favorite chapter in the entire book.  I do encourage you all to read along with me, as well as to study on your own.  I’m sure that you’ll see why later. So, without further adieu, let us begin.

The first few verses hold some very important visual symbols for us to analyze.  The first is in verse two:  “At once I was in the Spirit, and behold, a throne stood in heaven, with one seated on the throne.”  The picture of the throne shows us a picture of the royalty of God; only kings would sit on a throne during the era of the Roman Empire.  Another thing is the phrase “one seated on the throne.”  There is only one ruler of the heavens and the earth and everything under the earth and He sits on the throne in heaven.  But perhaps my favorite verse in this entire chapter is the first part of verse 3:  “And he who sat on the throne had the appearance of jasper and carnelian….”  Both jasper and carnelian were very precious jewels; jasper was considered one of the most precious jewels around, and carnelian was used throughout the Roman Empire as signet rings.  But the important thing is that that phrase is all John ever says to describe God.  Why?  Because is so glorious, He so amazing, that He defies human understanding, He defies human vocabulary.  After just this simple phrase, John moves on to describe the scene around the throne.

The picture that John gives us is simply amazing.  The throne is both serene (“around the throne was a rainbow that had the appearance of an emerald”) and terrifying (“From the throne came flashes of lightning, and rumblings and peals of thunder”).  This same throne is surrounded by four fearsome and magnificent creatures, each representing a characteristic of God.  The first of the four living creatures, who was “like a lion,” represents God’s royalty and God’s majesty; as the lion is often referred to as the king of the beasts.  The second living creature, who was “like an ox,” represents the strength of God.  The third living creature, “with the face of a man,” represents the dignity and wisdom of God; man is the most dignified (at least in theory) and the wisest of all creation.  The fourth living creature, who was “like an eagle in flight,” represents the gracefullness and the beauty of God.

In verse 8, John tells us the purpose of these creatures; which is to praise God night and day, ceaselessly (“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!’”).  These creatures were created for one purpose and one purpose only, to glorify God unceasingly.  John also tells us that even kings and princes will bow down to God; this can be found in verse 10.  Something else very important to note is that all things, animate and inanimate, man and beast will praise the name of God.  We have already seen how the four living creatures praise God.  In verse 10-11, we seen that men will praise God; and in the first part of verse 6, we see that even the beauty of a sea of glass pleases God.  This is the purpose of all creation, to praise and glorify God.