Revelation 4:1-5
Introduction
This chapter begins a new phase in the book of Revelation.
The church plays a prominent
role in the first three chapters, mentioned over 18 times. After
chapter 3, the church is not
referred to again until chapter 22 verse16.
This discovery was made to John, and in this chapter he,
I.
Records the heavenly sight he saw, Revelation 4:1-7. And then,
II.
The heavenly songs he heard, Revelation 4:8-11.
Revelation 4:1 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."
After these
things…
John now
begins to describe events following his letter to the seven churches.
John was in the process of writing a letter to the seven churches in
Asia, Jesus standing in the middle of seven candlesticks is dictating the
letter to John. Following the completion of the letters, chapter 4 takes
place. In Revelation 1:19, Jesus establishes the structure of the book of
Revelation.
Revelation 1:19 "Write the things which you have seen, and the
things which are, and the things which will take place after this.
And the first voice, which I had
heard speaking to me like a trumpet,
Here John hear the same voice
what he heard before. It mention in Rev. 1:10. From that we can understand this
voice belongs to whom. It is none other than our Lord and savior Jesus Christ
"Come up here,"
John is caught up to a scene taking place in heaven.
Although not mentioned explicitly, John’s call up to heaven by a voice sounding
like a trumpet, parallels events in I Thessalonians 4:13-18, John represents a
picture of the rapture. In the rapture, the church is “caught up” to the
presence of Christ with a shout from Christ and the call of God’s trumpet.
Similarities
between the John’s call into Heaven and the rapture are striking when we
compare the two.
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Rapture I Thes. 4:13-18
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John’s caught up
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At the end of Church age
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At the end of the letters to the churches
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Shout from Jesus to believers
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Jesus calls John up
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Trumpet of God
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Voice like a trumpet
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Believers on earth
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John on earth
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Immediate translation
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Immediately John was in the Spirit
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Believers taken into the Lord’s presence
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John taken into the Lord’s presence
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Revelation 4:2 At
once I was in the Spirit, and behold, a throne stood in heaven, with one seated
on the throne.
Throne set in
heaven.. John
is immediately ushered to the center of Heaven, and to the throne of God.
John then describes the scene for his reader. John, literally
taken to the throne of God in Heaven describes what he sees. Daniel saw
the “Ancient of days” on his throne and one like the “Son of man” approach the
throne(Daniel 7:9,13), Ezekiel saw “Glory of the Lord” as a glorified
man, seated on His throne (Ezekiel 1:27) and Isaiah also so the Lord seated on
his throne (Isaiah 6:1), in descriptions similar to John’s.
One sat.
Some bible translations, translated One Sat ,
Some translated WITH ONE. Actually in
the
Greek bible, not mentioned about ONE.
There is a
debate whether this is Father or the Son sitting on the throne. The dilemma
here is the one seated on the throne is described as Creator of all things
which is the work ascribed to Christ. (John 1:1-3, Col. 1;16-17, Heb
1;2-3,10-12, 3:3,4, Rev. 4;11).
The one
seated on throne is distinguished from the Lamb in chapter 5, who is Christ,
because he is the only one able to open the scroll.
However, in
Revelation 22:1,3 both the Lamb and God the Father are pictured as being on the
throne of God.
Jasper..
The
one who sits on the throne is described as having the appearance of
Jasper. In the Old Testament, the High Priest would wear a breastplate
with 12 stones. Each of the 12 stones represented one of the 12 tribes of
Israel. The priest would bear Israel on his chest as he ministered before
God in the Temple. (Exodus 28:15-20) Jasper was the last stone of
the 12, and took on shades of different color. The Jasper stone
referenced here is clear like crystal.( Rev 21;11) Jasper would represent
the tribe of Benjamin. The crystal clear represent the purity and
holiness of God.
Sardius..
Sardius
was the first stone on the breastplate and represented the tribe of
Reuben. Sardius was a red stone, like a ruby or carnelian. This
would have represented the redemption of humanity by the blood of Christ.
Here we see the last stone and the first stone of the Jewish Priesthood
pictured on the throne of God.
Revelation
chapter 1, Christ is also described in terms reminiscent of Israel’s High
Priest. Hebrews (Heb. 9:11,25 10:11,25) describes Christ as our High
Priest, who is at the right hand of God the Father. Here we see Christ in
the very role as High Priest seated on the throne.
Rainbow. The fourth
stone on the breastplate was an Emerald, the emerald represented the fourth
son, Judah. John describes a rainbow around the throne with the
appearance of an Emerald. Through Judah, the Messiah came and took away
the sins of humanity. In Noah’s day, God established the rainbow as a
symbol of his agreement to not destroy the earth with a flood. Here the rainbow
with an emerald appearance represents the peace between man and God, the result
of the Jesus the Messiah’s death, who came from the tribe of Judah.
Revelation
4:4 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.
Answer
one
Twenty-four
thrones John describes 24 thrones surrounding the throne of God, the
Greek word qrovno Thronos means, throne seat, a chair of state
having a footstool. There has been debate about these 24 thrones. Some
have argued they represent angelic authority over God’s creation. While
others argue they represent New Testament saints. To understand these
twenty-four thrones, we need to ask who is sitting on them. What is their
background? What do they say?
Twenty-four
elders. One
of the arguments put forward is the 24 elders sitting on the throne are
angels. The problem with this argument is in the description of the 24
elders. Five arguments against the elders being angles are;
1. The Greek word for elder is presbuvtero Presbuteros means elder, of
age. The reason this cannot apply to angels is all angles are the same
age, there is no elder angel.
2.
The term “elder” in the Bible is always used to apply to men, not angels.
3.
Elders are always representing people, in both Israel and the church
4.
There are no visions of elders in both Ezekiel’s vision of the throne
(Ezk.1-10) and Isaiah vision of the throne (Isaiah 6). Christ had not yet paid
for the sins of humanity.
5.
These same elders sing the song of redemption in Revelation 5:9-10, angels were
never redeemed.
Answer 2
Some
people argue that, out of these 24 elders, 12 are belongs to 12 tribe of Israel
and rest 12 are 12 apostle of Jesus Christ. If it is true apostle John also one
of the members of that 24 elders, but John not mentioned anywhere, he was there
in midst of the 24 elders.
But
Old Testament and New Testament God and Jesus promised to their saints.
Matthew 19;28 So Jesus
said to them, "Assuredly I say to you, that in the regeneration, when the
Son of Man sits on the throne of His glory, you who have followed Me will also
sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.
The number 24
matches the 24 orders of priests in Israel (I Chronicles 24:7-19). Since
the apostles are promised positions of authority ruling over Israel (Matthew
19:28). And Old Testament saints, such as David, are also promised
positions of authority in the coming kingdom (Ezekiel 34:24). It is reasonable
to assume the 24 elders are the12 apostles representing the church and 12
elders from Israel representing Israel, and some people received the contact
certificate of God such as Abel, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, Enoch,
Elijah, Joshua, Daniel, David, Isaiah.. etc.
But
one thing we can understand that God made the earth and all thing on earth was
similar like heaven.
1. God created
man in His own image.
2. God gave
instruction about tabernacle, how it should be, it same like in heaven outer
course, holy place and most holy place. In the same way they construct the
tabernacle.
3. God gave
instruction to Aaron to appoint 24 people to serve in temple it is mentioned
in 1 chronicles 24:7-19.
4. King David
also appoint 24 people to serve God, how
Aaron appointed it is mentioned in 1 chronicles
24:20-31
In the same
way, in the heaven also 24 elders are appointed by God to serve Him. But we
can’t tell who they are. This is one of the mysteries of heaven. But thing sure
these 24 elders are redeemed by Jesus Christ because these same elders sing the
song of redemption in Revelation 5:9-10.
Even King David also mentioned about this elders in Psalm 89:6,7
White robes. In addition
to the above arguments, the clothing the elders wear, “white robes”, is the
dress of “Overcomers” (Revelation 3;4,5,18; 6:9, 7;9,13,14; 19:14).
White robes are promised to the victorious saint.
Revelation 4:5 From
the throne came flashes of lightning, and rumblings[1] and peals of
thunder, and before the throne were burning seven torches of fire, which are
the seven spirits of God,
Lightnings,
thunderings. Israel on the exodus journey also experienced the lightings and
thunder from top of Mt. Sinai when the presence of the Lord was on the
mountain. (Exodus 19:16) The nation trembled before God and asked Moses
to talk to them rather then God.
The thunder
and lightning from the throne also demonstrate the coming judgment about to
fall on the earth in the coming chapters.
Seven
lamps. John also describes seven lamps of fire burning before the
throne of God. These seven lamps are different from the seven lampstands
which Jesus Christ stood in the midst in chapter one. These seven lamps
of fire represented the seven spirits of God or the seven-fold ministry of the
Holy Spirit. Isaiah 11:2 lists the sevenfold characteristic of the Holy Spirit.
1.
The Spirit of the Lord
2.
The Spirit of wisdom
3.
The Spirit of understanding
4.
The Spirit of counsel
5.
The Spirit of power
6.
The Spirit of knowledge
7.
The Spirit of the fear of the Lord
In the
tabernacle and the Temple the seven lamps of the golden candlestick before the
Holy of Holies was a type of the reality in Heaven. (Hebrews 9;23)
The whole tabernacle and Temple was a microcosm picture of God’s throne and
heaven.