Revelation 4:1-11
The One Sitting upon the Throne
Letters to the Seven Churches
Church
Christ
Commendation
Rebuke
Exhortation
Promise
Has forsaken first
love
Remember;
repent; do deeds
you did at first
Will eat from tree
of life
Don’t fear; be
faithful unto
death
Crown of life;
unhurt by 2nd
death
Ephesus
Holds the 7 stars
and walks among
the 7 lampstands
Deeds, hard
work,
perseverance;
hates practice of
Nicolaitans
Smyrna
The First and Last;
died and came to life
Endures
persecution and
poverty
Pergamum
Has sharp, twoedged sword
Remains faithful
despite
persecution
Some hold to
teaching of
Balaam &
Nicolaitans
Repent
Hidden manna
and stone with
new name
Thyatira
Eyes like blazing
fire, feet like
burnished bronze
Deeds, love,
faith, service,
greater deeds
than at first
Tolerates
Jezebel, her
immorality &
idolatry
Repent; hold fast
to what you have
Authority over
the nations and
the morning star
Sardis
Holds the 7 Spirits of
God and the 7 stars
Strengthen what
remains. repent
White clothing,
acknowledged
before God
Hold fast what
you have
Pillars in temple;
new names of
God’s ownership
Be zealous and
repent
Will eat and rule
with Christ
Philadelphia
Laodicea
Holy and true, holds
key of David
The Amen, faithful
and true witness,
source of creation
--Deeds, keeps
Christ’s word &
does not deny
Him, endures
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Dead
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Lukewarm,
wretched, pitiful,
poor, blind,
naked
Outline of Revelation
Preparation of the Prophet: His Past
Vision (1:1 – 20)
Preparation of the People: Their Present
Condition (2:1 – 3:22)
Publication of the Prophecy: Its Future
Expectation (4:1 – 22:5)
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Opening of the Seven-Sealed Scroll (4:1 –
8:1)
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The One sitting on the throne (4:1-11)
The seven-sealed scroll of the Lamb (5:1-14)
John’s Invitation to Heaven (4:1)
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A significant change of scene: John sees a door
into the heavens where God dwells and is
invited to come up. Who is the one who issues
the invitation?
John is transported in a visional state into
heaven for this portion of Christ’s revelation to
him.
“What must take place” makes clear that these
things are part of the fixed will of God. He is
completely in control of the future and is
working out the plan which He has established
from the foundation of the world.
The Heavenly Throne (4:2-4)
John proceeds to describe what he sees: a room of
indescribable beauty with God Himself as the central
figure.
God is sitting on a throne, symbolizing His sovereign
rule over the universe and His right to exercise
judgment upon it.
The one sitting upon the throne is described as being
similar in appearance to:
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Jasper - Modern jasper is opaque, but the key to identifying
this type of stone is in Rev 21:11. What aspect of God’s
character would a crystal clear color represent?
Sardius – This stone is fiery, deep red in color. What would it
represent?
The overall picture is one of God’s holy character
reacting with wrath to man’s ongoing rebellion and
sinfulness, and that produces the wrath that will come
later.
The Heavenly Throne (4:2-4)
We also have a description of a rainbow around the
throne that was like an emerald. What would it
symbolize?
Besides the rainbow, there are also 24 thrones
positioned around the throne, with 24 elders sitting on
those thrones. There are two major interpretations as
to who these elders are:
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Humans – Either the church or Israel or both. White clothing
and crowns are cited as evidence that these are humans.
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There is no evidence anywhere in the context that these elders
represent some larger group.
Angels – A special class of beings who are particularly close to
God's throne.
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in their functions, they do the same things as angels do
elsewhere in Revelation. For example, the elders in 5:8 offer
bowls of incense like the angel in 8:3. In 7:14, one of the elders
acts as an agent of revelation, something that has been reserved
for angels throughout the book.
Activities around the Throne
(4:5-11)
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“From the throne proceed flashes of
lightning and sounds and peals of
thunder” (Rev 4:5). What OT scene does
this hearken back to, and what is the
significance of this?
This storm theophany shows up at the end of each series of judgments: seals (8:5),
trumpets (11:19), and bowls (16:18).
Activities around the Throne
(4:5-11)
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“From the throne proceed flashes of lightning and
sounds and peals of thunder” (Rev 4:5). What OT scene
does this hearken back to, and what is the significance
of this?
Another picture of the wrath of God comes in the “seven
lamps of fire burning before the throne,” not calm and
soft lights, but blazing torches that emit a fierce light.
What do these represent?
The sea of glass like crystal pictures the splendor and
majesty of God, emphasizing His purity and
separateness from all that He has created.
This whole picture of the throne is one in which the
Creator is about to launch a massive program to purify
His creation.
Activities around the Throne
(4:5-11)
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“…in the center and around the throne, four living creatures
full of eyes in front and behind” (4:6). What do these
creatures represent?
Here’s what we can say about them based on the context:
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They are an exalted order of angelic beings, as indicated by their
closeness to the throne of God, and similar to the Seraphim and
Cherubim of the OT (Isa 6:1-3; Ezek 10:2, 14, 20).
They must have something to do with the judicial authority of
the throne.
They represent different aspects of animate creation.
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Lion - king of the jungle; nobility
Ox - strength
Human - intelligence and reason
Flying Eagle - swiftness
Together then, the four living beings represent all animal life
from the perspective of greatest nobility, strength, wisdom,
and speed.
Eyes all over their body symbolize their alertness and
comprehensive knowledge.
Activities around the Throne
(4:5-11)
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Both day and night the four living creatures
around the throne offer recurring praise to God.
They particularly acknowledge His holiness, His
power, and His eternal nature.
Each time they offer this praise, the twenty-four
elders join in, bowing down in worship and
casting their crowns before the throne.
The elders’ praise is different from the four living
creatures and centers on the wonder of God’s
creation; God’s power as displayed in creation
provides the basis for His praise.
Next Week: The Seven-Sealed
Scroll of the Lamb
(Rev 5:1-14)
Read Rev 4 - 5