1. The Throne (verses 1-6a)
2. The Worship (verses 6b-11)

Summer is upon us. This means that it’s vacation season in America. Millions of families will travel away from home for a break from their regular lives at home. Their vacation may be spent seeing family. Their vacation may be spent enjoying activities on the beach in Daytona or at the shows in Las Vegas. Their vacation may be spent visiting historic or important cities, say Philadelphia or Washington or New York. Their vacation may be spent seeing various tourist stops, like Mount Rushmore or Disney World or Alcatraz. the wonders of the creation, like the Rocky Mountains or Yosemite or Crater Lake.

On those trips, people will take photos and videos, perhaps never more than ever before with everyone with phones in their pockets. They will post those pictures on Facebook or Instagram or Snapchat or BeReal, trying in some way to capture the moment and communicate it with the world. But somehow, the pictures that are taken, are never really quite the same as being there! Especially when you consider the great wonders of the created world.

A picture of the Grand Canyon simply doesn’t compare with being there. There’s something that a two-dimensional picture just can’t capture of the grandeur of our creation. A picture from the Maid of the Mist at the feet of Niagra Falls can’t quite capture the feeling of the moment, with the noise and the water and the wind and the height of the falls. A picture at the base of a Redwood tree, just can’t capture the enormity and the size and the height of such trees. It simply can’t be done. But that doesn’t mean that we don't try. We try to capture any bit of the glory of what we see.

Well, this morning, we are going to see the apostle John try. He took a trip. His trip was to heaven. John had a chance to see into the throne room of God almighty. He didn’t take a picture of the place, but he did give us a short description of what he saw. His description is recorded for us in Revelation, chapter 4. So I invite you to open your Bibles to Revelation, chapter 4. My message this morning is entitled, “A Glimpse of Glory.” Because, that’s what we see John will give to us this morning. He will give to us a mere glimpse into the glory of God. Eleven short verses that describes what he saw.

Revelation 4:1-11
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.” At once I was in the Spirit, and behold, a throne stood in heaven, with one seated on the throne. 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. 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. 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, and before the throne there was as it were a sea of glass, like crystal.

And around the throne, on each side of the throne, are four living creatures, full of eyes in front and behind: 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. And the four living creatures, each of them with six wings, are full of eyes all around and within, 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!”

And whenever the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to him who is seated on the throne, who lives forever and ever, 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,

“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.”

Verse 1 begins with John describing his experiences. He begins verse 1 by saying, “After this.” That is, after the events of chapters 1, when John heard this voice, telling him to write everything that he sees, and send it to the seven churches of Ephesus and Smyrna and Pergamum and Thyatira and Sardis and Philadelphia, and Laodicea. That “after this” of verse 1, is after hearing Jesus speak to the churches in Revelation 2 and 3.

Now, we don’t know if there was a time gap here for John to write down all that Jesus said. I would assume so, as it would take a bit of time to write everything down. But it wouldn’t have been necessary, as Jesus could have brought it all to memory again, or, perhaps John even wrote down the Revelation letter by letter. He hears what Jesus says to Ephesus, and then writes it down. He hears what Jesus says to Smyrna, and then writes it down. Then, having finished writing, a new scene emerges.

John looks, and he sees a “door standing open in heaven.” it may have been simply an arch of some type. or, there may have been a door on its hinges, that was clearly open. While he sees the door, he hears the voice. It’s that same old voice that he heard in chapter 1.

Revelation 4:1
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.”

And it’s right here that Revelation begins to change. Up until this point, everything that John has seen is in the present. It is to real churches in real cities. But now, he will begin to see into the future. He begins to see what will take place after this, and this is where the controversy of the book of Revelation comes because people focus their attention upon “when” these things take place, rather than focusing upon “what” will take place. People will be set upon their timeline of Revelation, what the signs will be, and when everything takes place as if Revelation is some sort of puzzle book to be figured out. But Revelation isn’t a puzzle book. It’s a picture book. It’s a picture of what will take place in the future?

What takes place in the Revelation? Judgment. Lots of judgment, as God pours out his wrath upon the unbelieving world! Now, within the judgment, God rescues his people. He marks them out and protects them. Through the judgment, the Lord will establish his kingdom! Before that though, we see the God who will make this happen. Do you see what the voice said in verse 1?

Revelation 4:1
“Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this.”

It “must” take place, because the Lord will see to it that it will take place. That’s the purpose of chapter 4. It shows us, it shows John, that God is on his throne. As Psalm 115:3 says, "Our God is in the heavens; he does all that he pleases."

This is why John is shown the Lord in all of his glory, it sets up the rest of Revelation, with the Lord, the sovereign one, reigning on high! You can see this in verse 2.

Revelation 4:2
At once I was in the Spirit, and behold, a throne stood in heaven, with one seated on the throne.

Once John entered through the portal of the heavenly door, he found himself in a new setting. He was in heaven. The center of what he saw was the throne. This is my first point this morning:

1. The Throne (verses 1-6a)
 
In verses 2-6, John simply describes what he sees in heaven, and it all centers on the throne. The throne of God is the first thing that he sees. The throne of God is the center of everything that he sees. In fact, in Revelation 4, in these 11 verses, this “throne” is mentioned 12 times. It is the theme of Revelation, chapter 4: The Throne. The throne is a symbol God’s sovereignty. God rules and reigns in the heavens!

For the original readers of the Revelation, this would have come with great comfort because they were facing persecution from the power of Caesar. But greater than the kingdom of Caesar is the rule of the Lord, who is seated on the throne! In fact, this is the first thing that John mentions about the throne. He mentions the one who is on the throne. He says that he was seated on the throne. This is how God rules the universe. He rules it sitting down. in fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if his feet were up on a footstool. God isn’t anxious or worried. He doesn’t pace in his palace. He is seated, in total control of what takes place.

When John describes the appearance of the one seated on the throne, he describes him in terms of precious stones. Look at verse 3,

Revelation 4:3
And he who sat there had the appearance of jasper and carnelian.

Now, this “jasper” is probably a clear stone. This same word is used in Revelation 21:11, which describes it as being “clear as crystal.” This carnelian stone is a deep red color. Some have describe it as looking like fire. That’s the vision of God that John sees. He sees God as a stone. You need to catch the symbolic nature of this vision. Because, God is not a precious stone! When Jesus was described in chapter 1, he was described as a glorious man, with a golden sash around his chest (1:13), white hair like wool, like snow (1:14), eyes like a flame of fire (1:14), feel like burnished bronze (1:15), a voice like the roar of many waters (1:15), a sharp two-edged sword coming out of his mouth (1:16), and his face, bright as the sun shining in full strength (1:16).

However, when God is described in Revelation, chapter 4, we see him described as precious stones! God is not a stone. But that is what John saw. It gives you a sense of the glimpse of glory that John saw. Again, I remind you, this is apocalyptic literature! Strange and bizarre pictures, which can be understood, as far as they stand. but they represent something beyond the vision and we can understand that all John saw of God was this glow of the clear and deep red stones.

Then, John transitions from the one “on the throne” to what it looked like “around the throne.” Look again at verse 3,

Revelation 4:3
... and around the throne was a rainbow that had the appearance of an emerald.

John saw a rainbow. This rainbow “had the appearance of an emerald.” Again, this is difficult to picture. A rainbow is usually a giant, colorful ark in the sky, spanning from one side of the horizon to the other. This rainbow, seemingly, was “around the throne,” a circular rainbow. One that didn’t start on the ground, ascend to the heavens, and land on the other side. This rainbow seems more like a disk or an aura or a globe, that was “around the throne.” Further, this rainbow is strange because it had the appearance of an emerald. That is, it was green. Rainbows aren’t green, they are ROYGBIV- Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo, and Violet. Remember, this is an apocalyptic scene, where John is trying to communicate with us the appearance of what he saw in the throne of God. It all communicates majesty and glory and beauty of God’s throne!

Then, in verse 4, we see some other thrones, 24 of them to be exact. We read,

Revelation 4:4
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 doesn’t tell us if these thrones are on the outside of the emerald rainbow, or on the inside. Or whether these thrones are around the throne in two dimensions like numbers on a clock. Or whether they are in three dimensions on top of the throne and to the right and left of the throne. We don’t know. Nor do we know exactly who these elders are. Some hold them to be people. Others hold them to be angels.

Those who hold them to be people say, they are clothed in white garments and have golden crowns on their heads. This is exactly what God promised the overcomers in Revelation 2-3. Those who overcame in Laodicea, were promised white garments, and that they would sit on a throne. Those who overcame in Smyrna and Philadelphia, were promised crowns. Further, they find the symbolism compelling! Twelve representing the twelve tribes of Israel. Twelve representing the twelve disciples. That is, a combination of the Old and New Testament saints, now ruling in harmony around the throne of God.

Others hold these 24 elders to be angelic beings. The biggest reason for this is how these elders appear in later chapters of the Revelation. They are seen as different and distinct from people. In Revelation 5:8, they hold the golden bowls of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. In Revelation 5:9, they sing of the redemption that God worked on behalf of people. In Revelation 7:11, they are worshiping the Lord, right alongside of other angelic beings. Regarding their appearance, angels are often seen as being clothed in white, so that’s not much of a problem with them being angelic beings. But again, whoever they are, whatever they represent, they are seen as prominent members around the throne there to support the authority of the one on the throne!

Have you noticed, the most important people in this world are surrounded by others? Celebrities have their body guards. The president has his cabinet around the table. So with God, he has twenty-four magnificent beings, who all sit on their thrones. We shall see that they are all subservient to the Lord. As we continue on into verse 5, John describes for us what comes “from the throne.” We have seen who is on the throne. We have seen what is around the throne. Now we see what comes “from the throne.”

Revelation 4:5
From the throne came flashes of lightning, and rumblings and peals of thunder,

Would we have been there, we would have seen flashes of light and we would have heard the sound of the thunder. John’s experience in seeing heaven is so different than what we read here. I imagine that a good handful of you went to see the fireworks this past Tuesday. As much as we try to capture the glory of the fireworks, a picture of the “Grand Finale” with all of the fireworks going off in rapid succession, doesn’t quite compare with being there and experiencing it for ourselves. What John describes for us is these flashes of lightening coming from the throne and emanating upward and outward. For us, lightning generally comes down from the clouds. But for John, he saw this lightning protrude from the throne itself, lightning in all directions. Coming with it the sounds of thunder.

It is here that you sense the mighty power of the judgment of God. We will see, as we work our way through the Revelation, that thunder and lightning often comes at the end of the judgments of God, denoting the power of God. At the end of the seal judgments in Revelation 8:5 we read of the angel who "took the censer and filled it with fire from the altar and threw it on the earth, and there were peals of thunder, rumblings, flashes of lightning, and an earthquake." After the trumpet judgments, we read "Then God's temple in heaven was opened, and the ark of his covenant was seen within his temple. There were flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder, an earthquake, and heavy hail" (Revelation 11:19). After the bowl judgments are poured out, we read "The seventh angel poured out his bowl into the air, and a loud voice came out of the temple, from the throne, saying, “It is done!” And there were flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder, and a great earthquake such as there had never been since man was on the earth, so great was that earthquake" (Revelation 16:171-18).

Likewise here in Revelation 4, we see flashes of lightning, and rumblings and peals of thunder. The majesty of this firework display would have made a mockery of any firework display that we witnessed on Tuesday. After this, we see John describe what was “before the throne.”

Revelation 4:5
... before the throne were burning seven torches of fire, which are the seven spirits of God,

“Before the throne” is a reference to the area between John and the throne. He saw “seven torches of fire” that were “ burning.” He then interprets these as “the seven spirits of God.” This is now the third time that these “seven spirits” are mentioned. They are first mentioned in Revelation 1:4. "Grace to you and peace from him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven spirits who are before his throne", They are also mentioned to the dead church, the church in Sardis, in Revelation 3:1, “And to the angel of the church in Sardis write: ‘The words of him who has the seven spirits of God and the seven stars.

This is probably a reference to the Holy Spirit, in all of his fullness, in all of his power. So, we see God the Father on the throne. We see the Holy Spirit before the throne. In chapter 5 we will see Jesus, God the Son, in this throne room scene as well. It all speaks to us of the fullness of God. Though we do see something else was also before the throne.

Revelation 4:6
and before the throne there was as it were a sea of glass, like crystal.

This speaks of the distance between John and the throne. He wasn’t seeing this up close. There was this glassy sea that was in front of the throne. Surely it was reflecting the flashes of lighting off its surface. Surely it was reflecting the seven torches of fire off its surface. This reflective surface served only to make the throne of God more majestic. All of this is only a glimpse of the glory of God. I have tried my best to paint the picture for you. That you might see the wonders of this throne room scene.

When others saw this scene, they were deeply affected. Isaiah saw this scene. His response was one of brokenness. He said, "And I said: “Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts" (Isaiah 6:5)! Ezekiel saw the same scene. You can read about it in Ezekiel, chapter 1. Ezekiel had the same response as Isaiah. He says this: “When I saw it, I fell on my face” (Ezekiel 1:28). Such is the response that we ought to have to the glory of God. Here, John gives us only a glimpse. Now, that’s just the scene of heaven that John saw.

2. The Worship (verses 6b-11)

John first describes the worship by describing the “four living creatures.” Look at the second half of verse 6.

Revelation 4:6
... And around the throne, on each side of the throne, are four living creatures, full of eyes in front and behind:

We have never seen such a creature on earth in all of our lives. Perhaps this is why John doesn’t have a name for them. He simply calls them “the four living creatures.” They will appear again in the book of Revelation, either performing worship (as they do here), or initiating judgment (as they do in other places in Revelation like 6:1, 7; 15:7). They are always called, “the four living creatures.”

These creatures have eyes all around its body. The closest that I can think of is of our common house fly. I read this week that a fly has some 3,500 eyes. They really aren’t eyes. They are called ommatidia, which are really just light receptors. But that’s what they have in their big, bulging eyes. Thousands of light receptors. It’s difficult to sneak up on a fly. But we, with our single eyes, can see more clearly than a fly, who simply gets an impression of light. These creatures mentioned in Revelation 4 have eyes, not just merely light receptors, but eyes all in front of them, and behind them. These eyes speak of their knowledge of what’s going on. They see everything. Nothing escapes their notice. These creatures are further described in verse 7.

Revelation 4:7
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.

When Ezekiel saw his vision of heaven, he saw these very same creatures. Except, Ezekiel noticed that each of these creatures had four faces. On the right side was a face of a lion. On the left side was a face of an ox. On the other sides were face of a man and an eagle (Ezekiel 1:10). Perhaps Ezekiel was able to observe these creatures longer than John did. He was able to notice that they had four faces. Perhaps John merely saw the one side of each of their faces.

Now, there is speculation as to the meaning of these faces. Do they represent Israel? Are they representative of power or responsibility? I don’t know what they mean. I just know that they cover the gamut of the creatures that we see on earth. The Lion is the king of the wild beasts The Ox is the strongest of the domesticated animals. The Human face is the face of intelligence. The eagle is the most magnificent of the creatures in the sky. Perhaps this represents all of creation worshiping the Lord! We get a fuller description of these creatures in verse 8.

Revelation 4:8
And the four living creatures, each of them with six wings, are full of eyes all around and within,

Isaiah gives us a bit more detail of these wings. He says, "Each had six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew" (Isaiah 6:2). We would only speculate if we try to figure out why these creatures use their wings in this way, but they do. Then we finally get the sound track:

Revelation 4:8
... 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!”

This is the background noise of heaven-this constant declaration of the holiness of God. If there is any attribute of God that summarizes his essence more than any other, it is this: his holiness. This is a difficult word to translate. It has the idea of cleanness, of purity. That which is holy is pure of all defilement. It is whiter than the best cleaner can ever clean. It is purer than the purist mountain spring water ever becomes.

But holiness also has the idea of being set apart. Your fine china is set apart, only to be used on special occasions when the most special guests come for dinner. Holiness also holds the idea of perfect morality. The one who is holy has no blemish in his character. The one who is holy has no sin in his behavior. And it’s repeated three times! When the Hebrew language wants to say, “very,” it will often repeat the word. God is not only “holy,” nor is he only “holy, holy.” God is “holy, holy, holy.” God is “set apart pure without blemish.” God is “set apart pure without blemish.” God is “set apart pure without blemish.”

This, by the way, is why we need Jesus. None of us are able on our own to enter into the presence of such a holy God. When Isaiah was in the presence of this holy God, he said, “Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts" (Isaiah 6:5). It helps to know that Isaiah was a righteous prophet of God! When he spoke, God spoke. He was an upright man, perhaps the most upright in all of Judah! When he came into God’s presence, he was ruined. He needed the cleansing touch of the coal from the fire! So also we need the cleaning that comes through the blood of Jesus, who died on the cross for our sins, to bring us to God.

"For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God" (1 Peter 3:18). Again, we will see this in chapter 5, when it is said of Jesus, "for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation" (Revelation 5:9). Jesus was “the Lamb who was slain” (Revelation 5:12). The only way that we can be made right with God is through Jesus. Such is the holiness of God. Forever, throughout all eternity, the holiness of God is mentioned day and night, without ever ceasing. But the worship of Revelation 4 isn’t only seen with these four living creatures. We also see the elders worshiping the Lord.

Revelation 4:9-11
And whenever the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to him who is seated on the throne, who lives forever and ever, 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,

“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.”

It seems as if these four living creatures are prompted in their worship by these living creatures. For its “whenever the living creatures” worship the Lord, that these 24 elders (whoever they are) worship in their own way. They don’t fly around the throne, constantly speaking of the holiness of God. They fall prostrate before the throne of God and they worship him. It is interesting to note that the word, “worship,” at its core, means “to fall down before.” So these 24 elders fall down, and fall down before the Lord, as if to signal, that “I am below you.” Which they also symbolize by removing their crowns and casting them before the throne. The crowns, which are emblematic of their power and authority, are willingly placed at the feet of the him who sits on “the throne.” This is clearly pointing out who is the one who is truly above all. It’s not the elders. It’s not the four living creatures. It’s the Lord! He “deserves” our praise.

That’s exactly what the elders say.

Revelation 4:11

“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.”

God is worthy of all of our praise. He created all things! We are the created! Let’s us all remember that. The Lord earned our praise! We are to give him all the glory, honor and power! Let us never forget this.

This sermon was delivered to Rock Valley Bible Church on July 9, 2023 by Steve Brandon.
For more information see www.rockvalleybiblechurch.org.