Revelation 4
-Devotion by Daniel Smead (MN)
Revelation four shows John’s vision-state resuming. He sees an open door in the heavens, and hears the voice like a trumpet which marked the launch of his vision in chapter one. It says “Come up here,” which sounds like a summons. It doesn’t seem like this was meant to convince John to do anything, though, as he doesn’t get an opportunity to. Rather, John simply passes into the next scene, which he then describes. The impact of John seeing the open door, and hearing the words, is that he thinks of the new scene as positioned “above” where he had been, in heaven. Really John hasn’t moved, since all of this is in a vision. (Seeing something like that “open door” might be a somewhat normal part of visions about heavenly matters. They say things like “the heavens were opened,” I think we just don’t normally ask what that looked like; Ezekiel 1:1, Acts 10:11.)
The new scene John enters often is referred to as “God’s throne room,” but we aren’t even told if it has walls. We do know that it centers on a throne. We are sure it is God’s throne, but the vision refers to “the one on the throne.” Later the vision sometimes describes individuals and objects as “in front of God’s throne,” but it never says “God” is in “God’s throne.” (In 21:5-8, “the one on the throne” at last speaks and acknowledges being “God.”)
The scene introduced in chapter four is the dominant one for John’s vision. Much of the activity in Revelation takes place or begins near the throne, and many announcements also come from there. John doesn’t spend the whole vision in one spot, but when he does move it seems that often this central location remains in his view.
Everything else in the scene is positioned relative to the throne. Twenty-four elders and their thrones encircle it. Four creatures covered in eyes, with six wings each, are also around the throne (similar to ones described in Ezekiel 1 and 10, with faces like a man, an eagle, a lion, and a calf/cherub). Before the throne there is something like a sea of glass, clear as crystal (see 1 Kings 7:23ff, especially v. 38; the “sea” expanded on the bronze basin used when there were few priests, in the Tabernacle, Deuteronomy 30:17ff). Also before the throne are seven burning lamps which are “the seven spirits of God.” That is the only detail in the chapter John offers any explanation for, but it isn’t extensive (1:4; 3:1; 5:6).
I haven’t addressed the description for “the one on the throne,” but seeing that figure would certainly grab your attention (well, in a vision – in person that would kill you). God seems to be a glowing, jewel-toned figure, surrounded by a halo with rainbow qualities. Lightning, thunder, and rumbling roll out from the throne. And any question one might have about the significance of that figure is shoved aside by seeing the attention paid from all else present. Elements of the vision seem to mirror other scenes in the Bible, like Isaiah 6, Ezekiel 1 and 10 (including the crystal sea, 1:22ff), Daniel 7, and God’s manifestation at Sinai in Exodus 19:16-18. This scene intensely shows God’s majesty and power – John speaks of how everyone present repeatedly sings praise to God, most of them after falling on the ground. And we hear nothing about John’s response to the scene. Over the whole vision we learn that John fell to the ground three times (twice to angels, by mistake; 19:10, 22:8) and wept once. He was not a stoic; I think what he experienced in his vision brought many responses from John which he simply did not record for us.
Of great significance is something absent from this text. Jesus. Spoiler alert, if you have not yet read Revelation, Jesus will be on the scene soon, and his presence changes things. I’m not sure how long John watched before the events of chapter five began, perhaps it was only a few seconds. John wrote about the pattern of praise offered by the living creatures, but probably not based on watching them for days. It might be through the kind of dream-logic knowledge that lets people “just know” certain things. Chapter four does not portray a particular moment in history, it reflects the idea of God, enthroned in majesty, receiving praise. But my mind wants to balk at the idea of separating out the glory of God from God making plans to save the world through Christ.
The scene, cut off where it is, strikes me a bit like a practice problem in a physics text which, in order to simplify issues, tells you to ignore the effects of friction, and also place all the events at sea level, so that the calculations you work out can focus on just one rule. In this case – God is great. But trying to picture heavenly matters without Jesus’ involvement, in the Church age, feels like this scene wants to show God’s majesty unaffected by God’s merciful plans for humanity, not having them come into play until chapter five.
Well, in my personal physics God is the mass of the universe (God is even more than that, still, grant me my metaphor, please). And if God is the mass of my universe, Jesus is the gravity by which I relate to all that is around me. Pulling them apart simply will not do. (Although the further you go from a center of mass, the less you feel the influence of gravity.)
Prayer
Lord, please open my eyes to your glory. I say I respect and honor you, and sometimes my mind is set on you, but at times I veer off and take my own course. If I were to see you, once, how great a difference that might make (if I survived). Help me to commit myself more closely to you without that step. Open my eyes, and let me recognize more fully the true importance of things I have not seen, but someday will. Thank you for your son, who has been such a help to me, and allow me to be of better service to him, and to you. Amen
Reflection Questions
- The book of Revelation contains several passages of praise, from angels, creatures, saints – declaring how mighty and worthy they found God and Christ to be. Have you ever tried using these in your private worship?
- We should be careful about basing a deep discussion of the relationship of God and Christ on a metaphor (a fully accurate metaphor wouldn’t be a metaphor). But you might use the following texts to consider how close you think John viewed God’s relationship with Christ as being:
“Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb.” (Revelation 7:10b)
“The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ; and He will reign forever and ever.” (Revelation 11:15)
“Then I looked, and behold, the Lamb was standing on Mount Zion, and with Him 144,000 who had His name and the name of His Father written on their foreheads. . . . These have been purchased from mankind as first fruits to God and to the Lamb.” (Revelation 14:1, 4b)
“I saw no temple in it, for the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. And the city has no need of the sun or of the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God has illuminated it, and its lamp is the Lamb.” (Revelation 21:22-23)
“And he showed me a river of the water of life, clear as crystal, coming from the throne of God and of the Lamb” (Revelation 22:1)
3. John was recording this vision while an exile, and relaying it to people in churches at risk of persecution – some at risk of death. Do you think they had a different view on the practice of offering worship to God than we normally do today?
Seek Grow Love 