Jesus Is Worthy Of Praise
– Revelation Four –
John had
observed the vision of Christ in the midst of the golden candlesticks. God had
told him, "What thou seest, write in a book, and send it unto the seven
churches which are in
God opened a door in heaven and by way of
prophetic vision showed John many other things. This chapter provides the
background for the reminder of the book of Revelation. John’s situation is much
like Ezekiel's when, in a vision, he was taken to
In this vision John saw twenty-four elders,
and four beasts or living creatures covered with eyes, front and back. John
observed all of these as they gave glory to God. As these visions were given he
was in a very devout state of mind. His mission was to record accurately the
things he observed in these visions. The focus of this vision is upon the
Almighty God that was sitting on the throne. (Revelation 4:3) The one true God
is living, pure, and holy. We must hold Him in awe!
John described what he saw – Revelation
4:1-3: After the letters had been completed to the seven churches John
saw a door opened in heaven. The voice of the Son of God is heard by John and
is compared to the sound of a trumpet. Just as the Spirit lifted Ezekiel up so
John was called up into heaven to see things concerning God and the church.
John was shown things that would come to pass in the church, the world and in
the
John used the figure of the open door in
several senses in the book of Revelation. The "open door" pictured
opportunity for sinners to correct their situations. (Revelation 3:8) The door
is also used to represent the "human heart." (Revelation 3:20) Now in
Revelation four "a door" is a picture of the entrance into heaven
itself. The reality of heaven is greater than any description we have of it.
John is focused on the occupied throne. All the
other things in the vision are described in relationship to this throne. In the
mind of the atheist there is no throne. The humanist says there is a throne, but
man is upon it. There is a throne for the Christian and the Almighty sits upon
this throne. As the sovereign God, Jehovah has the right to be one the throne
in heaven. We will never get it right in life until we understand that God is
on the throne and has the right to rule our lives.
John described who He saw -- Revelation
4:4-5:
Around the throne John saw twenty-four elders. John observed that
these elders were sitting on thrones. The elders are representative of the
people of God, or the great company of the redeemed. The picture of victorious
saints is seen even more clearly as we observe the white robes and crowns.
Isaiah 61:10 says, "...He has clothed me with the garments of salvation,
He has covered me with the robe of righteousness." The white robes
represent the righteousness gained by the faithful through the Christ. The
crowns show final victory for the faithful. (2 Timothy 4:8) God's faithful
people have eternal victory through Christ. They can look forward to a robe and
a crown. Christians become joint heirs with Christ. (Romans 8:17) What a joy to anticipate reigning with
Christ!
The lightnings, thunderings, and voices
around the throne are reminiscent of God's presence at
John described four beasts – Revelation
4:6-7: The crystal sea made possible a clear view of God. The sea often
represents populations of the earth. This likely provides a picture of the
tranquility and peacefulness of souls that have died in the service of God.
At this point both Ezekiel chapter
one and Isaiah chapter 6 provide us with much help. The visions are so much alike that we feel
justified in accepting what is revealed there as having the same meaning here.
"This is the living creature that I saw under the God of Israel by the
The beast or living creatures are pictured as
having faces like a lion, a calf, a man, and a flying eagle. Many have thought
that this pictures different gifts God has given to men in the spreading of His
word. Some do so with courage, others with more meekness, some with more wisdom
and others with great insight. The result being that when the truth is taught
and obeyed it leads people to the throne of God.
John described God as worthy – Revelation
4:8-11: We quickly observe that the focus of John's vision is not on
the twenty-four elders, nor on the four strange creatures. The focal point is
God on the throne, worthy of praise and worship. Those around the throne are
living under a continual sense of the holiness of God, the Father, Christ the
Son, and the Holy Spirit.
In their worship the cherubim declare that
the Lord God is Almighty. His hand is on everything that is good. The worship
of the cherubims caused the twenty-four elders to bow down in worship. Their
worship should also promote our worship. In our worship we must recognize the
worth that belongs to our great God. These elders removed their victory crowns
in respect to Him that make victory possible.
Those around the throne could only say,
"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."
(Revelation 4:11) The Creator of all things, the provider of our salvation is
certainly worthy of all praise.
Jesus' greatness, power, might and sacrifice
should move us to obey Him. To obey the gospel one must hear the salvation
message (Romans