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Scripture Reading: Rev. 4—5
Chapters 4 and 5 of Revelation show us the scene around the throne in the heavens after Christ’s ascension.
The first main item mentioned in chapter 4 is the throne of God set in heaven (v. 2). The throne of God is the very center of the entire universe and the very source of all things. In Revelation the throne of God is not the throne of mercy but the throne of divine authority for judgment.
The One who is sitting upon the throne is God Himself. In verse 3a there are two figures that signify God — jasper and sardius. The One who sits on the throne is like a jasper stone and a sardius in appearance. Two in the Bible signifies a testimony. That two kinds of precious stones describe the appearance of God signifies that the appearance of God is a testimony, a witness, testifying what kind of God He is. Precious stones are not originally found in nature; they are formed by a process from other materials. This signifies that God is not natural but different from all natural things. In addition, the color green in the Scriptures signifies life, and red signifies redemption. A jasper stone is dark green and semitransparent, symbolizing that God is the God of life in its transparency, pureness, and brightness. Sardius, a precious stone with a red color, signifies redemption. God is a God of life and redemption. Life and redemption are the main items of the person and work of God. The bread at the Lord’s table signifies life, and the cup stands for redemption. The very God who directs the entire universe is a God of pure and transparent life, and He is also a God of redemption. He has the appearance of green jasper and red sardius.
Around the throne of God is a rainbow (v. 3b). The rainbow is first mentioned in the Scriptures as a sign that the very God of life and redemption is the One who establishes and keeps His covenant (Gen. 9:12-17). That the covenant in Genesis 9 was made for the sake of the inhabited earth indicates that although God will judge this earth with its inhabitants, He still remembers His covenant concerning the earth and will keep it. According to Revelation 4:3, the rainbow around the throne was like an emerald in appearance. An emerald is of a grass-green color, signifying the growing things, the lives on the earth. The rainbow declares to us that God will keep His covenant for the sake of the earth.
Verse 4 speaks of the twenty-four elders around the throne. There are many expositions of Revelation with many differing opinions. What we are speaking here is not the result of quick and simple decisions concerning the truth. Rather, what we are saying is based upon many studies of all these expositions. Some people say that the twenty-four elders here are the elders of the church, including the twelve apostles. However, we cannot agree with this. The scene revealed in chapter 4 encompasses the entire universe, and the elders and apostles of the church cannot be the elders of the entire universe. These elders must be the leading ones among the angels. According to the record of the Scriptures, the angels are the most ancient ones in God’s creation. Therefore, their leading ones are the real elders in the universe.
The praises of the twenty-four elders and the four living creatures are further proof that the elders here are not the redeemed elders in the church. In verse 9 the four living creatures give “glory and honor and thanks” to God, and the praise of the twenty-four elders in verse 11 speaks of “the glory and the honor and the power.” Because the living creatures represent the redeemed ones, they give thanks to the Lord for His redemption. Instead of thanks, however, the twenty-four elders give praise to the Lord for His power. The twenty-four elders are the leading angels who have been appointed to authority; they have the power to rule in the universe, so they praise the Lord for His power.
In verses 11 through 13 of chapter 5 there are two kinds of hosts praising God. There are the angelic hosts, the angels, and there is the rest of creation in heaven, on the earth, under the earth, and in the sea. Of all of these, there are two groups of representatives. The twenty-four elders as leading ones represent the angels, and the four living creatures represent the rest of creation (v. 14). The twenty-four elders take the lead among the angels to worship and praise God, and the four living creatures lead the rest of creation to worship and praise God. This further indicates that the twenty-four elders are the leading ones among the angels.
That the twenty-four elders have golden crowns upon their heads means that they were given the power to rule as kings (4:4). From the beginning of creation the Lord appointed the angels to have the power and authority to rule the universe. But at the second coming of the Lord, the earth will be handed over to the Lord and His overcomers. The angelic elders are also clothed in white garments, similar to the clothing of the priests. On the one hand, they have the authority to rule the universe, and on the other hand, they are the priests serving in the presence of God. In 5:8 each of the elders has a harp, which is for praising the Lord in His presence, and they have bowls of incense. The incense signifies Christ, and the bowls are the prayers of the saints. The angelic elders, as the most ancient of the creatures, praise the Lord, and they bring the saints’ prayers to God.
In the scene around the throne in the heavens there are also four living creatures, having the appearance of a lion, a calf, a man, and an eagle (4:6-8). These four living creatures resemble the cherubim in Ezekiel 1:5-10 and 10:14-15. The cherubim in Ezekiel 1, however, have four wings, but the living creatures in Revelation 4 and 5 have six wings (4:8), like the seraphim in Isaiah 6:2. The living creatures, therefore, must be a combination of the cherubim and the seraphim. As the seraphim, they are for God’s holiness (Isa. 6:3), and as the cherubim, they are for God’s glory (Ezek. 10:18-19; Heb. 9:5).
Moreover, Colossians 1:20 indicates that in addition to man, all other creatures except the angels need God’s redemption. Therefore, the four living creatures represent not man only but the entire redeemed creation.
Revelation 4:5 speaks of the seven lamps of fire burning before the throne. Authorities on Greek tell us that the word for lamp here denotes a torch. Common lamps are good for indoor use, but when we move, walk, and do things outdoors, we need a torch. This corresponds with the view of the book of Revelation, which speaks of God going outside His house to judge the world. These seven lamps are the seven Spirits of God. This does not mean, however, that God has seven Spirits. God’s Spirit is one, but in the intensified function and work of God’s operation, God’s Spirit is sevenfold. Therefore, He is the seven Spirits.
The seventh item presented here is a glassy sea like crystal before the throne (4:6). In Revelation 15:2 this sea of glass is mingled with fire. The better students of the Scriptures tell us that this glassy sea will eventually become the lake of fire. Originally it is a sea, but eventually it becomes a lake. In front of the tabernacle there was the laver for washing (Exo. 30:17-21), and in front of the temple stood a bronze sea with ten bronze lavers (1 Kings 7:23, 38). The people of Israel crossed the Red Sea and the Jordan River, and we Christians are baptized in water to deal with all the negative things. In the entire universe there is a sea to deal with every negative matter. Eventually, this sea will become the lake of fire.
If we combine all these seven items, we have a full picture of the scene in the heavens. In the universe there is a throne, and the One who sits on the throne is the very God of life and redemption. He will judge the earth, but He will never forget His covenant with man concerning the earth. Before Him and around Him there are the elders of the universe, representing the angels, and the four living creatures, representing the redeemed creation. Coming out from the throne are the seven “torches,” the seven lamps of fire, the sevenfold Spirit in God’s operation and judgment. Then whatever God judges becomes the “dirt” of the universe which is swept into the glassy sea.
Revelation 5:1 says that on the right hand of the One who sits upon the throne there is a scroll sealed up with seven seals. This scroll is a book of mystery. Verse 2 says, “I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, Who is worthy to open the scroll and to break its seals?” There was a challenge, but there was no answer: “And no one in heaven nor on the earth nor under the earth was able to open the scroll or look into it. And I wept much because no one was found worthy to open the scroll or look into it” (vv. 3-4). While John was weeping, the glad tidings came that there is One in the universe who is worthy, who is the Lion of the tribe of Judah and the Root of David. He has overcome so He may open the scroll and its seven seals. After hearing this, John turned and saw not a Lion but a Lamb. To the enemy Christ is the Lion, but to the redeemed ones He is the Lamb. This Lion-Lamb is the unique One who is worthy to open the scroll and its seven seals (vv. 5-6).
The scroll is the new covenant enacted by the Lord Jesus with His own blood for the whole universe. Without this scroll, this covenant, the universe could not exist. Moreover, the scroll is sealed with seven seals. All the mysteries, all the things that happen in the created universe, are recorded in this scroll.
When the Lord Jesus took the scroll and was about to open its seals, two hosts in the universe worshipped and praised Him. The first host is the angels, represented by the twenty-four elders, who take the lead to worship Him. The rest of the creation is represented by the four living creatures, who also take the lead to worship (vv. 7-8). The praise from the twenty-four elders contains seven items: power, riches, wisdom, strength, honor, glory, and blessing, and the praise from the four living creatures includes blessing, honor, glory, and might (vv. 12-13). This scene in the heavens reveals the One who is worthy to open the scroll and its seals, who is the overcoming Lion and the redeeming Lamb.
Some expositors say that from chapter 4, Revelation begins to speak of things in the future, but this is not accurate. Chapters 4 and 5 portray the scene in heaven immediately after the Lord’s ascension. When the Lord accomplished redemption and ascended to the heavens, He became the One who was worthy to open the secrets, the mystery, of God’s economy in the seven seals.
