Revelation Chapter 4 – Introduction
Revelation chapter 4 is an interesting chapter for several reasons. Verse one begins with the words, “After this…” The logical question to ask is, “After what?” The events recorded in this chapter are what John saw and after he received the messages that he wrote to and about the seven churches in Asia. This chapter opens the rest of the Book of Revelation, while prophetically, it shows the end of the church age.
John is a type of the present-day believer, which God will invite into heaven through the event commonly known as “the Rapture.” The Rapture, or catching away of the church before God’s wrath is poured upon the world, is described in 1 Thessalonians 4:17. “Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.” (KJV)
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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.” (KJV)
God may use the exact words at the Rapture as He did to John, which were, “Come up hither…” God then told John that He would show him the future, the events that would occur after the church age has ended.
Revelation 4:2
“And immediately I was in the spirit: and, behold, a throne was set in heaven, and one sat on the throne.” (KJV)
John gave another clue about the Rapture in this verse. He said he “was in the spirit.” We know from other Bible verses that “flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God” 1 Corinthians 15:50 (KJV). When Christian believers are taken to heaven in the Rapture, we will have spiritual bodies, not bodies of flesh and blood like we do now. John begins to describe what he saw when he found himself in the throne room of God.
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.” (KJV)
John used descriptions of precious stones to help his reader visualize what he saw in God’s throne room. He specifically named three distinct gems: jasper, sardine, and emerald. These stones naturally occur in various colors, so even the colors of heaven cannot be pictured with certainty. John wanted to portray both the rarity and the exquisite beauty of what he saw in heaven. The best he could think of when describing what he saw were rare and precious gemstones.
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.” (KJV)
In verse 4, of Revelation chapter 4, John also described the other entities inside the throne room. He saw twenty-four “elders” sitting in a circle wearing white clothing with each wearing a gold crown. The exact identity of these twenty-four elders is not known. Some Bible scholars believe that this these could be the heads of the twelve tribes of Israel and the twelve apostles. Or these individuals may be symbolic of believers throughout the ages.
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.” (KJV)
John heard and saw come out of the throne “lightnings, thunderings, and voices.” John also mentioned seeing seven lamps of fire, which he explained as “the seven spirits of God.” The Bible says God is a triune godhead composed of God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit ─ one Spirit of God.
The reference to seven spirits of God in this verse is a reference to seven distinct characteristics of the singular spirit of God. John may have been alluding to the verse in Isaiah 11:2, which names exactly seven different characteristics of God’s Spirit. “And the spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD” (KJV)
John knew his immediate audience, composed mainly of Jews, would be familiar with this portion of the Old Testament.
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 full of eyes before and behind.” (KJV)
John saw a “sea of glass” that surrounded the throne of God. This crystal glass sea may be figurative in language. John may not have been able to accurately describe what he was observing, but this sea of glass gives the idea of perfect and complete total peace. And if there is total complete, perfect peace within the throne room of God, it is logical to believe that this peace stretches out beyond the throne room into all of heaven’s surroundings. Also, in verse 6, of Revelation chapter 4, John introduced four different animals, “beasts,” which he writes were full of eyes. They had the ability to see many things all at once.
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.” (KJV)
John gave a broader description of these living creatures that surrounded God’s throne. These creatures were similar, but different. Specifically, they resembled a lion, a calf, a man, and an eagle. Even the animal which resembled a man was still an animal. Bible scholars don’t know what these four similar, but different, living creatures represent. One idea is that they each represented the Hebrew classification of living, conscious beings: beasts, cattle, mankind, and birds. If this is correct, then these creatures prove that all creation, especially sentient beings, continually praise their Creator.
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.” (KJV)
Not only did these living creatures have eyes, they also had six wings, which identified them as angels. The six wings are characteristics of a type of angel called “seraphims.” The prophet Isaiah described seraphims as having six wings in 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.” (KJV)
These special angels have the eternal, but joyous, task of continually giving praise to God. The thrice repeated word “holy” used by them is both a reference to the three Persons of the Godhead, and a reference that God has been, and will be holy throughout the three parts of time ─ past, present and future ─ since they use the phrase “which was, and is, and is to come.”
Revelation 4:9
“And when those beasts give glory and honour and thanks to him that sat on the throne, who liveth for ever and ever” (KJV)
These heavenly creatures voluntarily gave God praise in three distinct categories: glory, honor, and thanks. They knew God deserved glory and honor for Who He was and is. But they also gave Him thanks. Giving God thanks is very personal, it is a response from the grateful heart of these creatures. What exactly these angels were thanking God for is unknown, but they were thankful to God for something special that He did for them.
Revelation 4:10
“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,” (KJV)
As John watched and heard the angels praise God, the twenty-four elders joined in this joyful chorus by falling before God and casting their crowns to Him. This casting of the crowns by the twenty-four elders is similar to believers receiving crowns, then with hearts overflowing in love and adoration, giving the same crowns back to Him. Grateful believers know the only way a Christian believer can earn any crowns, any heavenly rewards, is only by the grace and help of God. This action by the twenty-four elders makes some Bible scholars believe these individuals are symbolic of Christian believers.
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.” (KJV)
The heavenly crescendo cumulates in the last verse of chapter 4, concludes with the words of twenty-four elders. The reason for their praise is because God gave them life. He created them and He created all things, including the mind to create and the senses to enjoy. All that God created, He did so for His praise. Therefore, it was a pleasure for these created beings to give praise to their Creator.
Revelation Chapter 4 – Review Questions
1. The beginning of this chapter was the close of which dispensation? (The Church Age.)
2. The voice that John heard was like what instrument? (John heard a voice like trumpet.)
3. The rainbow that John saw in the throne room of God was like what precious gem? (The rainbow was like an emerald.)
4. The seven lamps of fire burning before the throne of God were what? (They were the seven sprits of God.)
5. How many wings did each of the four beasts that were in the throne room of God have? (Each one had six wings.)
6. What did the twenty-four elders cast before the throne of God? (They cast their crowns before God.)
7. Why did God create all that He did? (He created everything for His pleasure.)
Revelation Chapter 4 – Personal Reflection Question
Since God made you for His pleasure, what are you doing to please Him?
Revelation Chapter 4 – Behind the Scenes Stuff
One time at the Christian school I attended, we were talking about casting crowns to Christ. One of my friends, who was very blunt, said something like, “Why should we even try to earn crowns if we are just going to give them to God?” (I had the same question in mind but was afraid to ask!)
The teacher answered, “How would you feel if everyone had at least one crown to give to Jesus and you didn’t have any?” I never forgot his wise answer, and it made my friend think, too.
Later, as an adult, I learned that not only would we cast our crowns at Christ’s feet in tribute for receiving them, but then we would pick them up again; He would give them back to us. I don’t fully understand the connection between crowns and heavenly rewards, but I have learned that it will be something that I don’t want to miss out on!
