After these things... Revelation 4:1
After what things? After the time of the churches.
When does Revelation 4 happen? It takes place after the time of the churches.
When will the time of the churches be over? When Jesus takes the church to be with Him—the time which we call the Rapture. There is nothing clear in here, but there is an intimation that Chapter 4 and what follows are going to take place after the Rapture. That would mean that Christians won't be here for the rest (and trust me, no one wants to be here for the rest). However, in order to know for sure when the church is caught up to be with Jesus—we must have clear, repeated doctrine, or teaching, and that, my friends, is just not the case. It is not clear, nor is it repeated. So what do we trust in? Our righteous and true God.
After these things I 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.” Revelation 4:1
John sees a door standing open in heaven (remember the angel is signifying the revelation of the things which must take place) and he hears the first voice, the same one he heard in Revelation 1, the one that was like the sound of a trumpet. The voice is speaking to him and tells John to come up to heaven. The voice tells John he will show him what must take place after these things, the churches.
Immediately I was in the Spirit; and behold, a throne was standing in heaven, and One sitting on the throne. And 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. Revelation 4:2-3
Immediately John was in the Spirit and he saw a throne standing in heaven. He saw the One Who was sitting on the throne, God, the Father. He described Him as being like a jasper stone and a sardius in appearance. Each of these stones has been reported to be in varied colors. A jasper stone has been said to be purple, green, red, yellow, blue, or even translucent, and a sardius stone can be red… or not. We cannot be sure about the identity of the specific stones John saw, perhaps we do not even have the exact same stones on earth. What we can know for sure is that, in antiquity, both of these stone were always precious, valuable, rare, and desirable.
Around the throne of God was a rainbow; it was like an emerald in appearance. It does not say the rainbow was an emerald, which, by the way, can be anywhere in hue from colorless to black, but it says the rainbow was like an emerald. What does that mean exactly? Well… because most of us know very little about stones, even an emerald, we automatically want to apply the limited information we have to what God says. Most of us probably know nothing more about an emerald than it is green and so we immediately see a green rainbow in our mind’s eye. Perhaps that is what John saw; but perhaps he was talking about the clear depth of color, albeit green, that emeralds command. As we work our way through the book of Revelation, always be careful to listen to what God’s words are, rather than what we might think they mean. What is probably more intriguing than the color of the rainbow is its shape—the rainbow was around the throne. The Greek word for around is kuklothen and means from all around, or round about. That doesn’t sound exactly like the shape of a normal rainbow, does it?
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. Revelation 4:4
The Greek word for around is once again, kuklothen, so the verse is saying that all around, or round about, the throne are 24 more thrones. An elder sits on each one of those 24 thrones, and a golden crown sits on each of the elder’s heads. They are wearing white garments, which refers to their purity.
Out from the throne come 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… Revelation 4:5
The throne of God, the Father, is in the middle of this vision, and from it is coming flashes of lightning and sounds and peals of thunder. Can you just imagine the formidable sight and the fearsome sounds that John witnessed? In front of the throne there are seven lamps of fire, which are burning. John tells us these are the seven Spirits of God.
...and before the throne there was something like a sea of glass, like crystal; and in the center and around the throne, four living creatures full of eyes in front and behind. 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. Revelation 4:6-7
In addition to the seven lamps of burning fire before God’s throne, there is something like a sea of glass—like crystal. In the center and around the throne are four living creatures. These creatures are full of eyes in front and behind. Try to picture them if you can. The first creature is like a lion, while the second creature is like a calf. The third creature has a face like that of a man, and the fourth creature is like a flying eagle.
And 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.” Revelation 4:8
Each of the four living creatures has six wings and each living creature is full of eyes around (here is our kuklothen word) and within, which is the Greek word esothen and means from inside, or internally. Amazing and impossible to completely grasp!
Whether you can imagine them or not, what you can know for sure, and what is most important, is that they never, ever, ever cease to say, “Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord God, the Almighty, Who was and Who is and Who is to come.” They aren’t singing, but it is music to my mind to consider their praise and worship endlessly repeating, like an eternal loop, this beautiful stanza. This is not a meaningless maxim, it is an address, or speech, in which these creatures declare glorious truths about God!
And when the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to Him who sits on the throne to Him who lives forever and ever the 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, “Worthy are You, our Lord and our God, to receive glory and honor and power; for You created all things, and because of Your will they existed, and were created.” Revelation 4:9-11
When do the 24 elders fall down before God, the Father, Who sits on the throne? When the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to God, Who is sitting on His throne. God, Who lives forever and ever is worshiped by the 24 elders in a specific way—they cast their crowns before His throne and continue to say, “Worthy are You, our Lord and our God, to receive glory and honor and power; for You created all things, and because of Your will they existed, and were created.”
He is our Lord. He is our God. He is worthy. He is worthy to receive glory—His glory is due Him and He will receive it—He will bring it to Himself. He is worthy to receive honor and power. Why? Because God created all things! All things exist because of His will, or pleasure.
Ohhhh… Mankind is in for a big, big shock! God did create all things (no evolution, just God) and He is ultimately going to receive the glory for it. He is ultimately going to receive honor for it (unlike the disdain He receives at present) and He is ultimately going to take His power and rule over that creation (including even the “all-powerful”, haughty species called man).
Chapter 4 happens after these things, and yet, at the same time we are seeing there is something that is about to take place in the throne room. What we see in Chapter 4 is most likely what happens in the throne room all the time now (except, perhaps, for the climactic worship of the elders). The one ingredient that is missing is Chapter 5. Who is missing in Chapter 4? God, the Son. God, the Father, is sitting on the throne, but Jesus is not mentioned. That is because He is not there… yet. He is going to appear.
Here is an important thing to heed. Do not read a commentary or a fiction book about Revelation until you know the book. I am serious about that. You will be judged according to the words of the Bible, His Word—we all will. He says that you are to hear what He says—and until you know this book for yourself, you have no business listening to anybody else about it. He has spoken. You need to hear it, you need to know it. If you have ears you are to hear what He is saying. He sent the revelation so that you (if you are one of His bondservants), would know what is about to take place. Slaves obey their Master. We need to obey Him and study His Word.
I'm thinking once you know this book, the other (the stuff you have read about the book of Revelation instead of the book of Revelation) will taste rotten to you because you will realize just how false most of it is.
His Book could be studied for all of eternity… and still taste sweet…
