Revelation 4 The Throne in Heaven
Third Major Section of Revelation: Chapters 4-22
(Benware, “Understanding End Times Prophecy”)
Revelation 4– The Throne in Heaven
Revelation 4 / Cross References / Other Verses & Notes1After these thingsI looked, and behold, a door standing open in heaven, and the first voice which I had heard, like the sound of a trumpet speaking with me, said, "Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after these things."
“must” – reflects the sovereign purpose of God, it is immutable, “unable to change” / Revelation 1:1The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show to His bond-servants, the things which mustsoon take place; and He sent and communicated it by His angel to His bond-servant John,
Revelation 1:19"Therefore write the things which you have seen, and the things which are, and the things which will take place after these things.
Revelation 22:16"I, Jesus, have sent My angel to testify to you these things for the churches… /
- After these things – after church age [amillennialists miss the phrase]
- “Church” not mentioned again until Rev 22
2Immediately I was in the Spirit; and behold, a throne was standing in heaven, and One sitting on the throne. 3And He who was sitting was like a jasper stone and a sardius in appearance; and there was a rainbow around the throne, like an emerald in appearance. / Ezekiel 1:22-28 Now over the heads of the living beingsthere was something like an expanse, like the awesome gleam of crystal, extended over their heads. …26… something resembling a throne…a figure with the appearance of a man. …28As the appearance of the rainbow in the clouds on a rainy day, so was the appearance of the surrounding radiance. Such was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the LORD. And when I saw it, I fell on my face…
Luke 1:32-33 "He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David; 33and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever; and His kingdom will have no end."
Isaiah 54:9 "For this is like the days of Noah to Me; When I swore that the waters of Noah Should not flood the earth again, So I have sworn that I will not be angry with you, Nor will I rebuke you. 10"For the mountains may be removed and the hills may shake, But My lovingkindness will not be removed from you, And My covenant of peace will not be shaken," Says the Lord who has compassion on you. /
- Standing open – always opened
- Throne – not of grace but judgment (adjudication)
- Rainbow – iris (halo), covenant token, God keeps His promises…
- Church trials are over
- Earth’s redemption near
- Israel’s redemption near
- God will never rebuke Israel again.
4And around the throne were twenty-four thrones; and upon the thrones I saw twenty-four elders sitting, clothed in white garments, and golden crowns on their heads.
Note: the Old Testament saints have not been resurrected yet, only the Church saints.
Rev 5:9-10And they *sang a new song, saying, "Worthy are You to take the book and to break its seals; for You were slain, and purchased for God with Your blood men from every tribe and tongue and people and nation. 10"You have made them to be a kingdom andprieststo our God; and they will reign upon the earth." / Revelation 19:7-8 "Let us rejoice and be glad and give the glory to Him, for the marriage of the Lamb has come and His bride has made herself ready." 8It was given to her to clothe herself in fine linen, bright and clean; for the fine linenis the righteous acts of the saints.
1 Cor. 9:25 incorruptible crown - Victor
1 Thes. 2:19crown of rejoicing – Soul winner
2 Tim. 4:8crown of righteousness – Loved His appearing
James 1:12crown of life - Martyr
1 Peter 5:4crown of glory – Elder /
- There were 24 “courses” of priests serving the Lord [1 Chr. 24:1-19]
- Elders–presbuteros
- Crowns – stephanos, crown of victory; not authority [diadema]
5And from the throne proceed flashes of lightning and sounds and peals of thunder. And there were seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God; / Exodus 25:37 "Then you shall make its lamps sevenin number; and they shall mount its lamps so as to shed light on the space in front of it.
6and before the throne there was, as it were, a sea of glass like crystal; and in the center and around the throne, four living creatures full of eyes in front and behind. 7And the first creature was like a lion, and the second creature like a calf, and the third creature had a face like that of a man, and the fourth creature was like a flying eagle. 8And the four living creatures, each one of them having six wings, are full of eyes around and within; and day and night they do not cease to say,
"Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God, the Almighty, who was and who is and who is to come." / Ezekiel 1:10 As for the form of their faces, each had the face of a man, all four had the face of a lion on the right and the face of a bull on the left, and all four had the face of an eagle.
Isaiah 6:1-3In the year of King Uzziah's death I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, lofty and exalted, with the train of His robe filling the temple. 2Seraphim stood above Him, each having six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. 3And one called out to another and said, "Holy, Holy, Holy, is the LORD of hosts, The whole earth is full of His glory."
Doxology /
- Four living creatures – [zoon] created, cherubim?
- Lion – Matthew
- Calf – Mark
- Man – Luke
- Eagle – John
- Four living creatures – worship who God is.
- Cherubimare found –
- In Gardin of Eden
- On Mercy Seat
- Tabernacle curtains
- Tabernacle veil
9And when the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to Him who sits on the throne, to Him who lives forever and ever, 10the twenty-four elders will fall down before Him who sits on the throne, and will worship Him who lives forever and ever, and will cast their crowns before the throne, saying,
11"Worthy art Thou, our Lord and our God, to receive glory and honor and power; for Thou didst create all things, and because of Thy will they existed, and were created." / Romans 11:25 For I do not want you, brethren, to be uninformed of this mystery, lest you be wise in your own estimation, that a partial hardening has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in;
Doxology /
- Cast crowns – acknowledging that only God’s grace and salvation gave them victory over sin and death. [1J 5:4-5]
- 24 Elders – worship what God has done.
Revelation 4, page 1