Revelation 4-5 gives us a glimpse into the heavenly throne room, where King Jesus is worshiped as the only one worthy to break the seal and open the scroll.
If someone asked you to help them picture
God and heaven, how would you do it?
Revelation
4:1-5:14
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.” 2 At once I was in the Spirit, and
behold, a throne stood in heaven, with one seated on the throne. 3 And he who
sat there had the appearance of jasper and carnelian, and around the throne was
a rainbow that had the appearance of an emerald. 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. 5 From the throne came
flashes of lightning, and rumblings and peals of thunder, and before the
throne were burning seven torches of fire, which are the seven spirits of God,
6 and before the throne there was as it were a sea of glass, like crystal. And
around the throne, on each side of the throne, are four living creatures, full
of eyes in front and behind: 7 the first living creature like a lion, the second
living creature like an ox, the third living creature with the face of a man,
and the fourth living creature like an eagle in flight. 8 And the four living
creatures, each of them with six wings, are full of eyes all around and within,
and day and night they never cease to say, “Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God
Almighty, who was and is and is to
come!” 9 And whenever the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to
him who is seated on the throne, who lives forever and ever, 10 the twenty-four
elders fall down before him who is seated on the throne and worship him who
lives forever and ever. They cast their crowns before the throne, saying, 1
“Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to
receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were
created.” Then I saw in the right hand of him who was seated on the throne a
scroll written within and on the back, sealed with seven seals. 2 And I saw a
mighty angel proclaiming with a loud voice, “Who is worthy to open the scroll
and break its seals?” 3 And no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth was
able to open the scroll or to look into it, 4 and I began to weep loudly
because no one was found worthy to open the scroll or to look into it. 5 And
one of the elders said to me, “Weep no more; behold, the Lion of the tribe of
Judah, the Root of David, has conquered, so that he can open the scroll and its
seven seals.” 6 And between the throne and the four living creatures and among
the elders I saw a Lamb standing, as though it had been slain, with seven horns
and with seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the
earth. 7 And he went and took the scroll from the right hand of him who was
seated on the throne. 8 And when he had taken the scroll, the four living
creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each holding a
harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. 9
And they sang a new song, saying, “Worthy are you to take the scroll and
to open its seals, for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people
for God from every tribe and language
and people and nation, 10 and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our
God, and they shall reign on the
earth.” 11 Then I looked, and I heard around the throne and the living
creatures and the elders the voice of many angels, numbering myriads of myriads
and thousands of thousands, 12 saying with a loud voice, “Worthy is the Lamb
who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and
glory and blessing!” 13 And I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and
under the earth and in the sea, and all that is in them, saying, “To him who
sits on the throne and to the Lamb be blessing and honor and glory and might
forever and ever!” 14 And the four living creatures said, “Amen!” and the
elders fell down and worshiped.
The Holy Bible:
English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), Revelation 4-5.
Study Notes:
John’s words,
“After this,” refer to the letters to the churches God instructed him to write.
At the start of chapter 4, John’s vision turned from the seven churches to a
glimpse of heaven.
As John entered, he
saw a heavenly throne. The concept of a throne room conveys the idea of God’s
kingship, majesty, and holiness. Like Isaiah, John saw “the Lord seated on a
high and lofty throne” (Isaiah 6:1). John did not describe God; rather, he described
the majesty surrounding Him. God’s majesty surpasses the ability to describe
it. Other images in John’s vision, such as the stones of jasper and carnelian,
lightning and thunder, point to the power and holiness of God. God must be
worshiped for who He is.
The heavenly
creatures (angels in the forms of a lion, ox, man, and eagle) sing God’s
holiness in His presence throughout all time. Holy refers to something that is
set apart, in this case, referring to God’s nature, which is uniquely set apart
from everything else. The repetition communicates that God is utterly other
than anything or anyone. Additionally, these angels drew attention to God’s
power (“Almighty”) and His eternal quality (“who was, and is, and is to come”).
In chapter 5, John
saw more activity surrounding the scroll with seven seals. This scroll is not
specifically identified, but we do know that this scroll ushers in the judgment
of God and end of time. The scene is dramatic as everyone waits to see who is
worthy to open the scroll. Who could it be other than Jesus Christ? No one
except Jesus can open the scroll because He has conquered through His own
blood.
There are three
thoughts to consider:
1. Our reaction to
seeing God should always be worship.
2. Jesus alone is
worthy to be King.
3. Heaven displays
the work of the trinity (Father, Son, Spirit).
Questions for
Discussion
John struggled to
describe what he saw. What aspect of God or your relationship with Him do you
have the hardest time putting into words?
Look at the
heavenly creature’s song in verse 8. What specific aspects of God the Father’s
nature did they praise?
What specific
attribute of God do the elders praise in verse 11?
What specifically
about the character of God the Father motivates you to worship?
Why is Jesus worthy
to open the scroll?
What part of your
life is Jesus worthy to control that you have not allowed?
END
We must remember
what Dorothy only learned at the end of her journey – we already have all
that we need.
Just as Glinda told
Dorothy that she always had “the power to return home,” we always have “the power
to return,”
the power to seek, the One who loves us.
Daily we make choices whether to find satisfaction in people, places, or
things or to keep our eyes focused on Jesus and to make Him our heart’s
desire. Just as Dorothy had to make the
journey and “learn it for herself,” along the path
of life we have experiences that grow and shape us and remind us of the power
that we already have.
The gift of the
indwelling Holy Spirit is a power far
superior to any type of “ruby slippers” found in this world.
Our biggest problem
is that we don’t always believe, or many we just forget, that we have the
Lord’s power in us. All too often we are
like Dorothy, searching for something we already possess.
Like the times in
which we search for our keys, only to realize they are in our pocket; or searching
for sunglasses to find them resting atop our head. They aren’t lost - we had them all
along. We just forgot where they
were.
Our power is from the Holy Spirit, the light of Jesus, who dwells in us, teaching us, guiding us, strengthening us, and testifying to the truth and love of Jesus.
The world gives us
depictions of what heaven will be like and our imaginations can run wild on the
topic.
If someone asked you to help them picture God and heaven, how would you do it?
Revelation
4:1-3
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.” At once I was in
the Spirit, and behold, a throne stood in heaven, with one seated on the
throne. And He who sat there had the appearance of jasper and carnelian, and around the
throne was a rainbow that had the appearance of an emerald.
4:4-6a
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. From the throne came flashes
of lightning, and rumblings and peals of thunder, and before the
throne were burning seven torches of fire, which are the
seven spirits of God, and before the throne there was as it were a sea of
glass, like crystal.
4:6b-8
And around the
throne, on each side of the throne, are four living creatures, full of
eyes in front and behind: the first living creature like a lion, the second living
creature like an ox, the third living creature with the face of a
man, and the fourth
living creature like an eagle in flight. And the four living creatures,
each of them with six wings, are full of eyes all around and within, and day and night
they never cease to say,
“Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God
Almighty, who was and is and is to come!”
Our first glimpse of heaven
is a place full of the authority and power of God.
Is this what you think of when you think of God and
heaven?
Why does God choose to show this picture of heaven?
- God is on the throne and orchestrating all the events that John will record.
- The world is not spinning out of control; the God of creation will carry out His plans as Christ initiates the final battle with the forces of evil.
- John shows us heaven before showing us earth so that we will not be frightened by future events.
So, we see a throne, creatures, and people. Now we
could get caught up in the interpretation and identity of these creatures, but
they should take a second seat to the depiction of God and activity around the
throne.
“The Main thing are the Plain things.”
And whenever the
living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to Him who is seated on the
throne, who lives forever and ever, the twenty-four elders fall down before Him
who is seated on the throne and worship Him who lives forever and ever. They
cast their crowns before the throne, saying, “Worthy are You, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power,
for You created all things, and by Your will they existed and were created.”
Who are these 24
elders?
What specific
attribute of God do the elders praise in verse 11?
The first activity
we see is worship.
The creatures and
the elders worship the One who sits on the throne. They declare that He is holy
and worthy.
What specifically
about the character of God the Father motivates you to worship?
Then I saw in the
right hand of Him who was seated on the throne a scroll written within and on
the back, sealed with seven seals. And I
saw a mighty angel proclaiming with a loud voice, “Who is worthy to open the
scroll and break its seals?” And no one in heaven or on earth or under the
earth was able to open the scroll or to look into it, and I began to weep
loudly because no one was found worthy to open the scroll or to look into it.
5:5-7
And one of the
elders said to me, “Weep no more; behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of
David,
has conquered, so that He can open the scroll and its seven seals.” And between
the throne and the four living creatures and among the elders I saw a Lamb
standing, as though it had been slain, with seven horns and with seven eyes, which are the
seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth. And He went and took the scroll from the
right hand of Him who was seated on the throne.
And when He had
taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell
down before the Lamb, each holding a harp, and golden bowls full of incense,
which are the prayers of the saints. And they sang a new song, saying, “Worthy
are You to take the scroll and to open its seals, for You were slain, and by Your
blood You ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and
nation, and You have made them a kingdom and priests to our God, and they shall
reign on the earth.”
The second activity
we see is a cosmic interrogation surrounding a scroll with 7 seals.
The creatures in
heaven wonder, is anyone worthy to open the scroll?
Why is Jesus’
worthy to open the scroll?
5:11-14
Then I looked, and
I heard around the throne and the living creatures and the elders the voice of
many angels, numbering myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands, saying
with a loud voice, “Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and wealth
and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing!” And I heard every
creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all
that is in them, saying, “To Him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be
blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever!” And the four living creatures said, “Amen!”
and the elders fell down and worshiped.
The Holy Bible:
English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), Revelation 4-5.
The final activity
is the continuation of worship.
This time, Heaven
erupts into song, praising the Lamb who was slain.
Jesus is not one of
many; He is the one and only.
Jesus Alone is
Worthy.
Jesus Alone is
Able.
What part of your
life is Jesus’ worthy to control that you have not allowed?
