Previous verse Next verseAfter this I looked, and there before me was a door standing open in heaven. And the voice I had first heard speaking to me like a trumpet said, "Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this."
The "this" John is referring to are:
* the vision of a resurrected and glorified
Christ and
* the churches.
Now the "churches" are not referred to again in Revelation until the postamble. The view is switched from being on the earth to being in heaven in this chapter. Heaven is not familiar to John, and thus he stands there in amazement. All the things, symbols, beasts, phenomena (heavenly and earthly) that he will write about are just plainly outside the common person's experience. John is given a view which is not restricted by the physical dimensions of space and time.
That FIRST VOICE, Jesus, will show John the future. We may desire
that some of the items being described in the rest of Revelation are
optional, but they are not; they MUST take place.
Previous verse Next verse2At once I was in the Spirit, and there before me was a throne in heaven with someone sitting on it.
Humans are bound physically by time and space. So this "spirit
dimension" is unique and not common for man. It is, however, the
dimension(s) in which God moves. The transformation into this dimension
took place instantly.
Paul had a similar experience in 2 Corinthians 12:1-4 . When we are caught up to meet Christ, it will be instantaneous too (1 Corinthians 15:51-52).
Previous verse Next verse3And the one who sat there had the appearance of jasper and carnelian. A rainbow, resembling an emerald, encircled the throne.
Here we have two contrasting colors of gems:
Jasper is clear, dazzling and transparent. It is what the new Jerusalem looks like - Revelation 21:11.
Carnelian is deep, fiery, flashing red.
For the believer, the brilliance symbolizes the authority to carry out the judgment (from the throne). The red symbolizes Christ's shed blood; the price has been paid.
For the apostate church and unbeliever the brilliance will bring to light the depth of sin, wrong-doing, and denial. The fiery red is the testing of those sins (things of the flesh - wood, hay, stubble (1 Corinthians 3:12-17).
Note that "the groom" in the Song of Solomon 5:10 is white and ruddy, the same two colors. He is considered beautiful to look at. Thus, John is amazed at what he sees. John probably recalled this Old Testament passage as he stood there and looked.
From a Jewish perspective, the jasper stone is the last stone of the breastplate (Exodus 28:15-21). The breastplate was worn by the high priest "over his heart when he enters the holy place" (Exodus 28:29-30). This symbolizes the closeness that Christ (as our high priest now (Hebrews 9:11-14)) holds the Jewish people. He is carrying them (and us) right up to the throne if we accept Him .
This rainbow encircled the throne. A circle is complete and never
ending. The rainbow was a symbol of mercy,
Genesis 9:13-17 , everlasting between God and earth people. He
promised never to bring complete physical destruction to mankind (until
after the judgment...current heaven and earth pass away).
From physics, a rainbow is formed by the bending of white light into different wavelengths. While all colors appear in an earth rainbow; this rainbow only has an emerald green color. Thus, it is not generated from white light passing through rain but most likely is the excited state of atoms which then in turn give off the green light. Green often symbolizes life and fruitfulness.
Lastly, some final thoughts on THE THRONE. It is the focal point of
the spiritual realm. Judgment takes place there as well as reward.
Habakkuk prays out of fear that God in His "wrath will remember mercy",
Habakkuk
3:1-7 . It is this THRONE before which we all will stand!
Previous verse Next verse4Surrounding the throne were twenty-four other thrones, and seated on them were twenty-four elders. They were dressed in white and had crowns of gold on their heads.
Now "seated" may mean witnesses to the judgment to take place NOT as a jury but like when an execution takes place to 'validate' it. These 24 elders do also fall down before the One on the THRONE and cast their crowns before the One (verse 10). Thus these are not statues but live beings.
The "WHITE (ROBES)" denote purity and righteousness. These elders are 'clean' before God. If these robes have been washed, then they are redeemed by Christ's blood (sardius).
The golden crowns are promised rewards to believers, in particular, those at the church in Smyrna (Revelation 2:10). All believers who love his appearing will receive the crown of righteousness (2 Timothy 4:7-8).
Later on in Revelation 5:8 , we find the elders also have a harp and golden bowls of incense. The harps make sweet music to worship the Lord. The golden bowls contain the prayers of the saints. The 24 elders have been cleansed such that they can approach the main THRONE of God. Hallelujah!
A little sidelight, the 4 living creatures also are associated with
the 24 elders. The significance of this is not known.
Previous verse Next verse5From the throne came flashes of lightning, rumblings and peals of thunder. Before the throne, seven
This is a vision of the power, strength, and wrath of God; all this is
related to the THRONE being the seat of judgment. The true God causes
earthquakes (Jeremiah
10:10) or rules with a rod of iron (Psalm
2:4-9).
Now lightning is unique to the ecosystem of the earth after "the FLOOD". Before the flood, there was no rain on earth. Weather was in equilibrium ('greenhouse effect'); plants grew in this misty humid shroud (Genesis 2:5-6). Something occurred at the time of "the FLOOD" which opened the earth and caused the atmosphere to move and generate clouds and downpours (Genesis 7:11-12).
From physics, lightning is generated from an imbalance of electrical charge. Soft hail pellets are falling downwards while small chunks of the pellets break off with a positive charge and are lifted upward. This difference in charge potiential is on the order of 100 to 1000 volts per centimeter. As this breaking off of chunks of ice from the hail pellets continues, tremendous potiential is built up. For a spark to occur, the breakdown potential is 10,000 volts per centimeter (wet air) to 30,000 volts per centimeter (dry air). Lightning forms when the 10,000 volts per centimeter difference is found in the cloud. A "pilot leader" of discharge is about 100 meters long before it finds neutralization from the base of the cloud.
However, some clouds become so imbalanced that the lightning must replenish from the ground. About 5-50 meters above the ground, the "pilot leader" is met by a "stream" from the ground. The resultant heating and expansion of the atmosphere becomes the thunder we hear.
The point of all this discussion is that vast amounts of energy is generated during this process. It makes one wonder if God and the THRONE aren't really a huge energy source????? See Psalm 29 .
Jesus indicates the Holy Spirit's role in John 16:7-11:
Previous verse Next verse6Also before the throne there was what looked like a sea of glass, clear as crystal. In the center, around the throne, were four living creatures, and they were covered with eyes, in front and in back.
In the court of the Old Testament temple, a "sea" was made for the
priests to bathe in (1
Kings 7:23-26). The size was about 17 1/2 feet in diameter, 8 3/4
feet deep, and empty weight estimated between 25-30 tons. With water,
its weight was around
100 tons and its capacity was between 16,000 to 20,000 gallons.
The "sea" was located between the altar and the tent of meeting. The priests were required to cleanse themselves prior to entering the tent of meeting. The consequence if not bathed was death. See Exodus 30:17-21 .
Symbolically, today we, the true believers, are the royal priesthood: 1 Peter 2:9-10, Revelation 1:6, and Revelation 5:8-10. Like the priests in the Old Testament, we, too, must be clean, 2 Timothy 2:21. Furthermore, since Christ's blood "cleanses us from all sin" (1 John 1:5-10), He is our sea. This is confirmed by 1 John 5:6-12, Ephesians 5:25-27, and Hebrews 10:19-22; but this is another whole study in itself.
These four LIVING CREATURES are probably the highest order of angels.
They stand by the THRONE and execute the Lord's commands concerning the
Tribulation on earth. They are present when the seals are broken, and
they can speak,
Revelation 6:1-8.
Previous verse Next verse7The first living creature was like a lion, the second was like an ox, the third had a face like a man, the fourth was like a flying eagle.
Each of the living creatures has a characteristic. Compare them to the
living creatures in
Ezekiel 1:4-14. Probably they are the same with different sides of
their "likeness."
Symbolically, these living creatures represent the four attributes
of our
Lord Jesus. Some scholars have found a parallel to each of the gospels
in
the way they each portray Christ.
| LION | OX | MAN | EAGLE |
|---|---|---|---|
| Matthew | Mark | Luke | John |
| ancestry Messiah, King | Servant, Mark 10:45 | tender humanity | descended from heaven and returned back to heaven again |
| Revelation 5:4-5 | Isaiah 42:1-9 | Revelation 5:6 | John 1:34 ; John 1:44-51 |
| Jesus = Lion | Mark 8:1-3 | John 1:51 | soars through the heavens |
| government, law, and judgment | many miracles | The Christ Child | omni-present |
| the THRONE, the seat of government | . | Luke2:8-15 , Luke 22:39-44 | . |
| . | . | physical agony in the human form | . |
| ROYAL POWER | STRENGTH | SPIRITUALITY | SWIFTNESS |
Previous verse Next verse8Each of the four living creatures had six wings and was covered with eyes all around, even under his wings. Day and night they never stop saying: "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was, and is, and is to come."
Each of the four LIVING CREATURES
* had six WINGS andCompare this description with Isaiah's vision in Isaiah 6:1-3.
If the "King of Tyre" in Ezekiel 28:11-19 is Satan as many scholars believe, then we get a different picture of a created being who has fallen. Note the contribution that material things (verse 16) and beauty (verse 17) made to the ultimate downfall. The four LIVING CREATURES, while very powerful, are the opposite: reverent, humble, and obedient.
* was covered with EYES all around, even under his wings.These four creatures see all on behalf of the Lord. Zechariah records this differently in Zechariah chapters 3 and 4 BUT the eyes go throughout the earth anyway.
* Day and night they never stop saying:Technically, there is no night in heaven, so these living creatures give ceaseless honor. Furthermore, in Hebrew the repetition of a word adds emphasis. Double is rare, so three times is major emphasis!!!
"HOLY, HOLY, HOLY is the Lord God Almighty,
GOD IS HOLY
His name is HOLY and awesome -- Psalm 111:7-10.
Nothing UNCLEAN can be in heaven -- Revelation 21:22-27. All must be HOLY.
Somehow, we have the perception (deception - Revelation 12:9) that God will overlook
some shortcoming (uncleanness) BUT not so. Remember the testing will be
done by fire on the temple of God, which we are and is HOLY (1
Corinthians 3:12-17).
who WAS,
Perfect = HOLY in creation (John
1:1-2 ;
Psalm 90:1-2)
and IS,
Perfect = His work of redemption (Hebrews
10:11-13;
Hebrews 7:23-25)
and IS TO COME."
Perfect = His work of consummation (John
14:1-21)
Previous verse Next verse9Whenever the living creatures give glory, honor and thanks to him who sits on the throne and who lives for ever and ever,
This is a switch -- we come short of the glory of God,
Romans 3:23; certainly present suffering pales compared to future
glory,
Romans 8:18-22; we are being transformed,
2 Corinthians 3:17-18; and Christ will be glorified in us in that
day, a glory of His power,
2 Thessalonians 1:9.
Part of the awesomeness of God demands HONOR,
1 Timothy 6:13-16. We must HONOR both the Son and the
Father,
John 5:22-23.
Consider that these living creatures have never "fallen from grace", so
what are they THANKing Him for. Since it is not for redemption, it must
be for the privilege to serve Him.
Christ is able to sit on the THRONE not only as Redeemer but also as
God of judgment. Recall he sits as both jasper stone and a sardius
(white and red) in verse 2. To Daniel, in
Daniel 10:5-9, this vision was overwhelming!
These words are like at the beginning,
Revelation 1:17-18, and He will be exalted forever on high,
Hebrews 7:23-27.
Previous verse Next verse10. the twenty-four elders fall down before him who sits on the throne, and worship him who lives for ever and ever. They lay their crowns before the throne and say:
the twenty-four eldersWhen the four living creatures give GLORY, HONOR, and THANKS in verse 9 , the ripple effect upon the 24 elders is to cause them to the three actions above. "Fall down" means total submission as a servant before the Master. "Worship HIM" means to give all praise to the Forever God. "Lay our (their) crowns" means they recognize that even what they have been rewarded rightly belongs back with the Lord because of his GREAT WORK!
(1) fall down before HIM who sits on the THRONE, and
(2) worship HIM who lives FOREVER AND EVER.
(3) They lay their CROWNS before the THRONE and say:
This GREAT WORK is a recognition of Christ's work IN US of regeneration; 1 John 3:2 -- we shall be like Him; He is not like us (physically sinful) today.
This GREAT WORK is a recognition of Christ's work THROUGH US of service; Romans 1:18-19 -- God is made evident in us. "Let the beauty of Jesus be seen in me!"
This GREAT WORK is a recognition of Christ's work FOR US of keeping, cleansing, protecting, and perfecting; Philippians 3:20-21 -- transforming our body.
The CROWN I receive is because He bears much fruit through me. So I really didn't get and don't deserve the crown anyway (John 15:4-5-8).
Previous verse Next verse11"You are worthy, our Lord and God,
"You are worthy, our LORD and God,
to receive GLORY and HONOR and
POWER,
Twenty-four elders substitute POWER for THANKS that the four living creatures use. Perhaps because Christ in his resurrection had POWER to overcome death (which these 24 elders are thought to represent), these elders do acknowledge the Lord "to receive POWER".
for you CREATED ALL THINGS,
and by your WILL they were CREATED
and have their being."