Scripture: 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.”
Revelation 4:1-11 ESV [Click here to read the entire chapter.]
Observation: Recapping Friday’s Daily Focus, Jesus confronts the Laodicea church for being lukewarm in their faith and threatens to spit them out of his mouth. Noting they boast of their riches, prosperity, and self-sufficiency, Jesus contends they are the opposite: wretched, pitiful, poor, blind, and naked. So he challenges them to cover their sinful nakedness in garments refined by the fire of the Holy Spirit. Then, softening his words, Jesus counsels them to buy gold refined by fire from him so that they may be genuinely rich and clothe themselves in white garments (covering their shameful nakedness) and salve their eyes with ointment to see.
Next, assuring the church he loves those he reproves, Jesus urges the Laodiceans to be zealous and repent and then extends an amazingly gracious invitation to these reprobates: “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come into him and eat with him, and he with me” (v.20). Lastly, Jesus announces that he will grant those who repent and persevere a place on his throne because he has conquered and sits by his Father, reigning in majesty and glory.
Today’s reading marks a shift from the health of the churches to John’s vision of the events leading to Christ’s return. Seeing heaven’s door open, John again hears Christ trumpet for him to ascend in the Spirit and see what must occur. As John draws near, he sees God seated on his throne in all his magnificent glory:
- His appearance is like jasper and carnelian.
- An emerald-like rainbow surrounds his throne.
- Twenty-four elders wearing white garments and gold crowns are seated on thrones surrounding God.
- From a runway of a crystal-glass sea lined by seven torches (representing the seven spirits of God), his throne emanates flashes of lightning and peals of thunder.
- On each side of the throne, four living creatures (with eyes that circumference their heads, six wings, and individual faces of a lion, ox, man, and eagle) continuously proclaim the Lord’s eternal holiness and give thanks to him.
- Concurrently, the twenty-four elders cast their crowns before God’s throne and prostrate before him, praising their Lord as worthy of all the glory, honor, and power bestowed on him, for he created and sustains all things.
Of note, John’s vision of God seated on his throne connects with the vision of the glorified Christ in 1:10-16 and leads us to the dramatic imagery of the slain Lamb (tomorrow’s Daily Focus). Also, the repetition of “holy” three times is a grammatical superlative to emphasize there is no one more holy than God.
Takeaway: The imagery of God’s heavenly throne and those surrounding him harkens to Isaiah and Ezekiel’s prophetic visions. God’s anointing of Isaiah particularly stands out:
In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train of his robe filled the temple. Above him stood the seraphim. Each had six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. And one called to another and said:
“Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory!” And the foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of him who called, and the house was filled with smoke. Isaiah 6:1-4 ESV
Our text and the Isaiah passage poetically describe God’s incomparable majesty, might, and holiness. And both present six-winged angelic beings who attend to God and are actively mobile. Regarding the brilliance of the elements surrounding God’s throne, Ezekiel presents a similar vision:
And upward from what had the appearance of his waist I saw as it were gleaming metal, like the appearance of fire enclosed all around. And downward from what had the appearance of his waist I saw as it were the appearance of fire, and there was brightness around him. Like the appearance of the bow that is in the cloud on the day of rain, so was the appearance of the brightness all around.” Ezekiel 1:27-38 ESV
Our takeaway? We see the continuity of ancient prophecies that point to the majesty and glory of our Triune God and the joy, wonder, and fantastic celebration that awaits us when we pass from this mortal life to our eternal home prepared by our King (John 14:2), who reigns over all creation. So, like the four living creatures, we will join in the celestial songs of praise, declaring our Triune God’s holiness. And like the twenty-four elders, any treasures (crowns) we have earned toward heaven (Matthew 6:19-20) will be placed before our glorious King because he is “worthy” of all “glory and honor and power” (v.11).
Our part? Worship the one who is worthy in all we do, whether raising a family, advancing a career, or volunteering in missions. When we do, we will bring our King glory, satisfying our longings for relevance in his kingdom. Still, there will be no need to parade through heaven donning our treasured crowns, for, as Jesus taught, where our treasure is, our heart will be also (Matthew 6:21 ESV). Indeed, Jesus is our treasured crown!
Prayer: Father God, we thank you for your Son, who set aside his crown of glory to face humiliation and death so that he might become our treasured crown. Still, we confess we are prone to focus on our honor and glory. So please help us focus on worshiping you, our Triune God, in all life’s labors so that we might cast our crowns before you as we approach your heavenly throne. Amen.
Rev. Gordon Green, M.Div., M.A. Counseling
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