Sunday School Notes: Revelation 4:4-8

⁴ And encircling the throne were twenty-four thrones, and upon the twenty-four thrones, elders sitting, having been clothed in white garments and upon their heads golden crowns. ⁵ And from the throne came out lightnings, and noises, and thunders, and seven lamp stands of fire burning before the throne, which are the seven spirits of God. ^6, And before the throne [something that was] like a glassy sea, like crystal. And in the midst of the throne and circling the throne, four living beings full of eyes in front and behind. ⁷ And the first living being [was] like a lion, and the second living being [was] like a calf, and the third living being had a face as of a man, and the fourth living being [was] like an eagle flying. ⁸ And the four living beings, each one having six wings, and full of eyes all around and within, day and night ceaselessly say, “Holy, holy, holy [is] the Lord God, the Almighty, who was and who is [being], and who is coming!”

John’s description of the twenty-four elders picks up on themes we saw in the seven letters (chapters 2 and 3). The “overcomers” in the letters are told they will have authority over the nations (2:26-28), they will wear white garments (3:5), and will sit with Christ on his throne (3:21). Here we see the twenty-four elders dressed in white and wearing crowns, ruling like kings. This reminds us that what we’re seeing in these visions is the working out of God’s promises, both to His people (positively in terms of victory and redemption), and the world (negatively in terms of judgment).

Why twenty-four elders? There are two suggestions I like: one I think most likely, and another that’s an nice idea, but probably not the answer. The one I like is that the twenty-four elders represent the 12 tribes of Israel and the 12 Apostles. In this we see another use of “corporate identity,” where one thing represents many things. For example, each of the letters was addressed to “the angel of the church in…” That angel represents the entire church. So here, the 12 tribes of Israel represent the Old Testament saints, and the 12 Apostles represent the New Testament saints–believers in Christ. This underscores the continuity between the Testaments, and unites all believers, both those who looked forward to the cross, and those who look back to the cross for their salvation–Jew and Gentile, all part of the same tree (to use Paul’s analogy from Romans 11). The “nice idea” is that the twenty-four elders represent the 12 books of the Hebrew Bible (Jewish tradition grouped the 12 Minor Prophets, Ezra, and Nehemiah into one “book,” which is where the twenty-four count comes from). Along with this is the idea that the book/scroll in mentioned in chapter 5 in the Tanakh (the Hebrew Bible), signifying that the things taking place when the seals are broken are fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy. As we will see, there are elements of this that go along with my understanding of what’s happening. Already we’ve seen echoes of Daniel and Ezekiel in Revelation (in this chapter, even), indicating a correlation between the visions of these prophets and what John sees. However, most Christians at this time would have been more familiar with the Greek Old Testament than the Hebrew, so the number of books in the Hebrew Bible wouldn’t have been foremost in their thinking. The 12 tribes/12 Apostles would be more apparent to John and his readers, I think.

The word I’ve translated “noises” in verse 5 is the Greek word phonê, which is a generic word for a sound. The word gets its specific meaning from its context. So, for example, when Peter hears the cock crow after his final denial of Christ, in the Gospel accounts the cock makes a noise. Since we know what noise a rooster makes, we can translate this “crow” in English. On the other hand, when a person lets out a loud “noise” from his mouth, we can translate this “shout,” because that’s what a loud human mouth-noise is called in English. In 4:5, the ESV translates phonê as “rumblings,” which, in the context is perfectly acceptable. The thunderous activity echoes the scene in Ezekiel 1:4ff., a passage that is an important parallel to what John describes here.

Not only do we have a storm-like commotion, but there is fire in the form of the seven lamp stands. The throne in Daniel 7 is a fiery throne, with wheels of fire and fire streaming out. Zechariah 4:2 mentions seven golden lamp stands which are associated with the Spirit of God in verse 6. In Revelation 1:12 and 20, we’re told that the seven lamp stands are the seven churches. Is this a change in imagery from the seven churches to the seven Spirits of God, such that while the “seven churches” interpretation worked for the letters, for the throne room we have to go with something else? Or is there a way in which both can be true–that the lamp stands could represent both the seven churches (i.e., the church in its fullness) and the seven Spirits of God? I lean toward the latter. We saw in chapter 1 that the “seven Spirits of God” are actually the seven-fold manifestation of the one Spirit of God, as depicted in Isaiah 11:2, and it is this Spirit that is at work in the churches. In this way, the lamp stands can represent both the church, and the Spirit who is working within the church.

The fire in the lamp stands recalls the fire in the Ezekiel 1:4ff. scene, as well as the fiery throne of Daniel 7:9. Thunder and fire are shown alongside judgment throughout the book of Revelation. We will see thunder at the end of each of the three series of judgments in 8:5, 11:19, and 16:18. There’s a lake of fire (19:20), Gog and Magog are consumed by fire (20:9-10), and the godless end up in the lake of fire (21:8). Since the thunder comes from the throne, we are reminded that judgment proceeds from God. It is by His hand that the nations are judged. But remember the bow from last week: the throne of God is where justice and mercy meet. So while there is judgment upon the world, those who are in Christ will be redeemed.

The next thing John sees is something like a “glassy sea like crystal.” If what we’re seeing here is a picture of heavenly worship, then this throne room could also represent the heavenly temple. If that’s the case, then this “glassy sea” might be the laver, as in the Tabernacle and Temple (see 1 Kings 7:23-26–note that it is called “the sea” (Hebrew: hayyâm)). We should also note that “the sea” is often pictured as a place from whence evil comes. In Daniel 7:2ff., the “beasts” come out of the sea, and in Psalm 74:12-15 God conquers monsters that come out of the sea. “The Beast” rises out of the sea in Revelation 12:1, and those who overcome “the Beast” stand around the sea of glass singing the song of Moses. If the sea is supposed to be a source of evil, the picture here of a sea like glass, still with nothing coming out, is a picture of evil conquered. When we get to Revelation 21:1, there is no sea in the new heaven and the the new earth.

The last thing John notes in this passage are the four “living beings” who are “in the midst of the throne and circling the throne.” Ezekiel 1:5-10 gives a description of four creatures that bears some resemblance to what we have here. In both passages we see a lion, a calf (or ox, the Greek can mean either), a man, and an eagle. In Ezekiel, these images are four faces on each of the creatures, whereas in Revelation one creature is like a lion, one like a calf/ox, etc. The number of wings on each creature is different too (four in Ezekiel, six in Revelation). However, the differences are not as important as the similarities. That shared symbolism is what connects Ezekiel and Revelation.

Before we discussed the meaning of the four creatures’ appearance, we took a moment to consider their location, because at first reading it seems a bit confusing. How can they be “in the midst of the throne” and “circling the throne”? One thought is that this is a vision, so the spacial aspect is not really important. Another consideration is that maybe they are in the vicinity of the throne, one on each corner–perhaps even holding the throne as in the Ezekiel vision (1:26).

John describes the four creatures as being “full of eyes” and having eyes “before” (i.e., in front) and behind. Verse 8 tells us that their eyes are “all around and within.” It seemed quite clear to us that this is a picture of omniscience, being “all-seeing” and “all-knowing.” But this can’t be in any divine sense since these are mere creatures, a point that will be made clear in chapter 5. These creatures will be mentioned again at the opening of the seals in chapter 6 where they participate in the administration of judgment. Also in chapter 15, they present to the seven angels the seven golden bowls of God’s wrath. So perhaps the point here is that God’s judgment isn’t blind. He judges based upon His full awareness of men’s hearts and everything that’s going on. Indeed, He knows and understands more fully than we could ever hope to, so His judgment is always fair and just.

As to the form of the creatures (lion, ox/calf, man, and eagle)–what do they mean? Someone in the group noted that all the creatures are said to be “like” except for the man who is said to have “a face as of a man.” In the Ezekiel passage, all four creatures are like men, but with four faces, each one depicting one of these creatures. Maybe John intended the same here but only noted the face-likeness of the man. Why a lion, a calf/ox, a man, and an eagle? The general picture is one of all creation since these four cover various forms of land creatures. The lion, the “king of the jungle,” is near or at the top of the food chain. The calf/ox is venerated in some cultures, and was indeed the object of veneration for the Israelites while Moses was on Mount Sinai. It is also a commonly-used sacrificial animal. The man is God’s special creation, made in His likeness, and with dominion over all animals. And the eagle is at or near the top of the winged-creature food chain. Around the throne of God, all these creatures bow and sing His praise. Taking these four creatures as collective representations of creation as a whole, we see here the whole of creation worshiping the One seated on the throne. The Westminster Catechism says that the chief end of man is “to glorify God and enjoy Him forever.” That’s precisely what these creatures are doing.

John says their worship is “ceaseless,” and their song is one that proclaims God’s holiness, power, and eternality. Their chorus of “holy, holy, holy” (the so-called “trishagion”–tris = “three”, hagion = “holy”) was also the song of the seraphim in Isaiah 6:3. Why three “holy”s? Certainly, one for each Person of the Trinity, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. But also one for each characteristic of God’s eternal nature: He who was, He who is, and He who is coming.

So this majestic scene in the heavenly throne room shows us a God who is sovereign and all-powerful. It also reminds us that creation is under His control, under His power, and in His service. God is all-knowing, all-seeing, and renders justice on the basis of His complete understanding of all things. This is important for John to understand in light of the things he is about to witness in terms of judgment. It is also good for us to reflect upon as we consider our own lives, and the things going on in the world and the church today.

Next time: The elders respond to the song of the four creatures.