Image courtesy of confidentfaith.net. Quotations taken from Matthew Henry Commentary of Revelation or ESV Crossway Study Bible.
Reminder: These posts are not meant to be quick reads. These are Bible study notes, only effective if you take the time to look up the Scriptures for yourself. The power is in the Scripture, these notes merely serve as a rudimentary road map!
Revelation comes from the Greek noun apokalypsis, meaning “revelation, disclosure, unveiling”. Read Revelation 1:5-6. Revelation is a book about love! God, in His great mercy, chose to disclose, reveal, and unveil the future for our knowledge. Do not be intimidated, and do not be afraid! Pray for understanding and discernment, and be very careful about listening to anyone who is adding to Scripture! Some things are very clear, some things are hazy. We are only able to “prophesy in part” (1 Cor 13:9). It will not be crystal clear until faith becomes sight. But until then, God has made a pathway of preparation and realistic expectation for us to follow.
This quote from the Matthew Henry Commentary on Revelation puts it beautifully. “All events are therefore before His eyes, and He allows the inhabitants of Heaven to see as much of them as is fit for them. We can know nothing about the future except what God is pleased to tell us. These events were behind the curtain until God opened the door. (Rev 4:1) But insofar as God reveals His plans to us, we may and must receive them, and not pretend to be wiser than His revelation.” This is so good. When we arrive at a hazy part, we will often try to fill it in, rather than accepting that this specific part has not yet been revealed. A gentleman at our church, Dennis Corn, told me that it is still important to know the hazy aspects of prophecy, because we will one day be able recognize them when they come to pass. A terrific example of this is Revelation 11:7-9. It says,
“7 And when they shall have finished their testimony, the beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit shall make war against them, and shall overcome them, and kill them.8 And their dead bodies shall lie in the street of the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified.9 And they of the people and kindreds and tongues and nations shall see their dead bodies three days and an half, and shall not suffer their dead bodies to be put in graves.”
For centuries, these verses sounded impossible to Bible readers. How could people of all nations and languages see these dead bodies in a time period of only three and a half days? But television, internet, smart phones, and youtube gives this verse perfect clarity.
Read Revelation 4.
Verse 2-3: Once in Heaven, John’s immediate attention was drawn directly to the throne of God. It’s as though it were such a spectacular sight that his eyes would have no choice but to go there first. No features are described of God’s image even though we know from Revelation 5:1 that the One on the throne did have a physical form (His hand). The only description John can muster conveys brightness, myriads of colors, and great beauty.
The two stones described, jasper and carnelian (sardine), are two of the most beautiful and precious stones on Earth. Jasper is a transparent stone that gives the eye a variety of vivid colors. The carnelian or sardine is a deep red. (Deut. 4:24)
A rainbow is also mentioned, the emerald being the most prominent color. Read Genesis 9:11-17. The rainbow is God’s everlasting covenant with man. I find it beautiful and comforting that God kept the covenant this close to Himself. Deuteronomy 7:9 says “Know therefore that the Lord your God is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love Him and keep His commandments, to a thousand generations.”
Verse 4: The 24 elders. “These elders most likely represent the whole of God’s church. They seem to be representatives of the people. Their sitting down denotes their honor, rest, and contentment. Their sitting around the throne signifies their relationship to God, their nearness to Him, the sight and enjoyment they have of Him, and their constant regard for Him. Dressed in white, denoting that their sins have been taken away. They have crowns of gold on their heads, signifying the honor and authority given to them by God.”
Verse 5: Lightning and thunder comes out of the throne. One of the hugest lies ever told is that Heaven will be boring. That we will all stand around holding hands and singing hymns. What a joke! Think about thunder. Have you ever heard thunder that shook your house. It’s intimidating, it’s powerful, it’s awe-inspiring. And this is what the throne room sounds like! WOW! This verse starts a sound progression that gets louder and louder all the way through chapter 5.
The seven lamps of fire and the seven spirits are the Holy Spirit.
Verse 6: There is a sea of glass like crystal. When I was a teenager, I went on a mission’s trip to a small island in the Bahamas. As long as I live, I will never forget the beauty of the transparent Caribbean waters. We spent much of our time swimming, snorkeling, and floating. It was incredible. And as clear as that water was, this crystal sea will be even more so.
While the beauty of this sea excites me, I believe there will be more to it than just decoration.
I believe there are tremendous correlations between God’s throne room and the Old Testament Tabernacle (Exodus 30:17-21) and Solomon’s Temple (2 Chronicles 4:2-6). Both the Tabernacle and the Temple had a “sea”. The priests were required to wash themselves before being allowed to go before the Lord. Look at this verse:
Ezekiel 36:25-27 “Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean; I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and from all your idols. I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My judgments and do them.”
I wonder if Jesus will cleanse us, or perhaps even baptize us, in the crystal sea!
Verses 6-9: The four beasts… These are strange, angel-like creatures whose sole purpose seems to be praising their Creator. While there is much speculation over their appearance, my favorite thought is this: The four faces of the cherubim are reflected by the four depictions of Jesus in the four Gospels. The Gospel of Matthew focuses on the royalty and kingship of Jesus as the “Lion of the Tribe of Judah”. The Gospel of Mark emphasizes the servanthood and sacrifice of Jesus, and the “ox” is a beast of burden and a sacrificial animal. The Gospel of Luke emphasizes the humanity of Jesus, thus the “man”. The Gospel of John insists on the divinity of Jesus, God in flesh, represented by the noble eagle.
Verses 8-11: I want to end by discussing the progression of the volume of praise and sound. In verse 5, this begins with thunder coming from the throne. Also read chapter 5, verses 8-13. 1) thunder 2) the four beasts praise Him 3) the elders join the four beasts 4) the thousands of angels join in 5) Finally, every creature in the universe joins in!
The group Phillips, Craig, and Dean wrote “Revelation Song” based on these chapters. They use the exact wording of the Scripture, and also the sound progression (the song gets louder and louder). Please take the time to listen and worship with this song! I hope it blesses you and as much as it did me!
A White Stone with a New Name 