The Lord has blessed me with an opportunity to speak with His church, more frequently than I had ever imagined. I am tremendously thankful and honored that I am able to fill in during times of need, too.
I struggled greatly with this sermon, though. I found myself Friday afternoon still sitting in front of a blank computer screen with no ideas on where I would take you this Sabbath. Finally, after many false starts, and after much distraction, I decided to share with you what I am most passionate about, and that is the book of Revelation.
Since the Lord has provided me this platform, I am going to begin to prepare a series taking us through the book of Revelation step-by-step. As time permits, and as you see fit, which I hope is often, I’d like to share with you the things I have learned and my thoughts and discoveries. I’d like to spend time with you examining the spiritual language of the book.
With that, why don’t we begin taking a look at chapter 4.
Chapter 4 is a whirlwind of spiritual images. John just finished with Jesus’ letters to His seven churches, and then all at once, John is “ravished in the spirit,” as is written in the Geneva text, and we are confronted with the sight of God’s throne room, beasts, thunder and lightning, and this image of an otherworldly worship. This fantastic vision I’m sure has overwhelmed many, and even turned some people off to the prophecies.
Let’s jump right in to the first image without hesitation:
[Revelation 4:2-3 And immediately I was ravished in the spirit, and behold, a throne was set in heaven, and one sat upon the throne. And he that sat, was to look upon, like unto a Jasper stone, and a sardius, and there was a rainbow round about the throne, in sight like to an emerald.]
We presume that this is God. According to John, himself, in chapter 1 verse 18 of his gospel, and 1st John 4 verse 12, no one has ever seen God. So how then can this be God?Interestingly, Paul, in his first letter to Timothy says
[1 Timothy 6: 14-16 14 That thou keep this commandment without spot, and unrebukeable, until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ,
15 Which in due time he shall show, that is blessed and Prince only, the King of kings and Lord of lords.
16 Who only hath immortality, and dwelleth in the light that none can attain unto, whom never man saw, neither can see, unto whom be honor and power everlasting, So-be-it.]
What Paul says here is fascinating. He says that Jesus is the only one who possesses immortality, and He dwells in the light that none can attain, no one ever saw nor can see. This figure is seated on a throne, and it says that the throne was set. God is eternal, and yet somehow this throne is not eternal, meaning it had not always existed, it was set. What could this mean? To look upon and behold this figure upon the throne is like to behold a polished golden brown quartz, in the midst of a rainbow. And what is the rainbow? It is a symbol of God’s covenant to never again destroy all flesh. It is my belief that what John is witnessing here is Jesus, as God seated on the throne of victory that was set after he conquered death. He sits in and dwells in the light of God, which no man can attain. Jesus, our God, is eternal, and He was there at the beginning according to John himself. John 1:1 right?
[John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.]
But, he didn’t take that throne until he conquered death.
What is at the foot of the throne? A rainbow of light in sight like to an emerald. What did we just witness here last week? Everyone was thrilled to witness the aurora borealis. What are the primary colors in the auroras? Emerald green, but there are others too, right? Purple, blue, gold, red, the earth is His footstool. It is the aurora borealis which we witness here in the flesh, that are at the foot of Jesus’s throne in heaven.
The next verse:
[Revelation 4:4 And round about the throne were four and twenty seats, and upon the seats I saw four and twenty Elders sitting, clothed in white raiment, and had on their heads crowns of gold.]
Who are the 24 elders? There are a couple of thoughts here. There are some who think the 24 elders could be the 12 patriarchs, and the 12 apostles. Which is possible. 1st Chronicles 24 mentions that there are 24 priestly divisions, or descendants of Aaron which serve in the house of God. My thoughts are that this has some spiritual meaning that is yet to be discovered. 144,000 is divisible by 24 which leaves 6000, which makes me think it has something to do with the elect. They are clothed in white, which means they were washed clean by the blood of the lamb, and they have crowns of gold which means they have laid their eyes upon the the shepherd and have been faithful to receive eternal life.
[Revelation 4:5 And out of the throne proceeded lightnings, and thunderings and voices, and there were seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, which are the seven spirits of God.]
Lightning and thunder proceed from the throne, as do voices. Using scripture to define scripture, we see from Job that thunder is the voice of God. Job mentions lightning, also, however it is different.
[Job 36:30-33 Behold, He spreads His lightning about Him, And He covers the depths of the sea. For by these He judges peoples; He gives food in abundance. He covers His hands with the lightning, And commands it to strike the mark.]
So, lightning is judgment. Remember, Jesus sees Satan fall like lightning in Luke 10:18. Also, Jesus has the appearance of lightning in Matthew 28, which means He has the power of Judgment. When the Angel of the Lord came to Daniel in the tenth chapter of his book, he had the appearance of lightning because: “Now I am come to make thee understand what shall befall thy people in the latter days: for yet the vision is for many days.” That was judgment.
Voices is plural, meaning it is of a multitude. The purpose of voices is to glorify God and it is also representative of the glory of God.
[Ezekiel 43:2 and behold, the glory of the God of Israel was coming from the way of the east. And His voice was like the sound of many waters; and the earth shone with His glory.]
So, God’s glory proceeds from the throne. And finally, we have the seven lamps of fire, which the verse tells us are the seven spirits of God. And if we look at chapter 3 of Revelation verse one, Jesus tells the church of Sardus that He possesses the seven spirits of God.
Continuing on to the next verse;
[Revelation 4:6 And before the throne there was a Sea of glass like unto crystal: and in the midst of the throne, and round about the throne were four beasts, full of eyes before and behind.]
The sea represents the world. It is of “glass like unto crystal” because nothing is hidden from the throne. And around the throne are of course the four beasts covered in eyes because they see all.
Now, a beast in the spiritual language of the scriptures is a witness. Here in Revelation chapter 4, it is a witness of God’s glory. We see here the spiritual manifestation, or spiritual expression, of God’s glory. Later on in Revelation chapter 13, we see the spiritual manifestation of that which is witness, and belong to Satan.
The witnesses here are called Cherubim. These are commonly mistaken for angels, or servants of God, but that is not the case. The instances in scripture where cherubim appear, are more in line with a representation of God’s glory, rather than something that acts in a messenger or servant capacity.
The definition of the Hebrew word Cherubim is unknown, but according to Strong’s it could mean Blessers or Mighty Ones
In Genesis, they guard the tree of life, which represents Christ.
[Genesis 3:24 Thus He cast out the man, and at the East side of the garden of Eden He set the Cherubims, and the blade of a sword shaken, to keep the way of the tree of life.]
In Exodus, they possibly have two wings.
[Exodus 25:20 And the Cherubims shall stretch their wings on high, covering the Mercy seat with their wings and their faces one to another: to the Mercy seat-ward shall the faces of the Cherubims be.]
[Ezekiel 10:20 This is the beast that I saw under the God of Israel by the river Chebar, and I knew that they were the Cherubims.]
Here they have four wings. Keep in mind in Hebrew wing can be used figuratively, as in “the extremity of a garment.”
Lets look at their description in Ezekiel:
[Ezekiel 1:5-25 Also out of the midst thereof came the likeness of four beasts, and this was their form: they had the appearance of a man, 6 And every one had four faces, and every one had four wings. 7 And their feet were straight feet, and the sole of their feet was like the soles of a calf ’s foot, and they sparkled like the appearance of bright brass. 8 And the hands of a man came out from under their wings in the four parts of them, and they four had their faces, and their wings. 9 They where joined by their wings one to another, and when they went forth, they returned not, but every one went straight forward. 10 And the similitude of their faces was as the face of a man: and they four had the face of a lion on the right side, and they four had the face of a bullock on the left side: they four also had the face of an Eagle. 11 Thus were their faces: but their wings were spread out above: two wings of every one were joined one to another, and two covered their bodies. 12 And every one went straight forward: they went whither their spirit led them, and they returned not when they went forth. 13 The similitude also of the beasts, and their appearance was like burning coals of fire, and like the appearance of lamps: for the fire ran among the beasts, and the fire gave a glister, and out of the fire there went lightning. 14 And the beasts ran, and returned like unto lightning. 15 Now as I beheld the beasts, behold, a wheel appeared upon the earth by the beasts, having four faces. 16 The fashion of the wheels and their work was like unto a Chrysolite: and they four had one form, and their fashion and their work was as one wheel in another wheel. 17 When they went, they went upon their four sides, and they returned not when they went. 18 They had also rings, and height, and were fearful to behold, and their rings were full of eyes, round about them four. 19 And when the beasts went, the wheels went with them: and when the beasts were lifted up from the earth, the wheels were lifted up. 20 Whither their spirit led them, they went, and thither did the spirit of the wheels lead them, and the wheels were lifted up besides them: for the spirit of the beasts was in the wheels. 21 When the beasts went, they went, and when they stood, they stood, and when they were lifted up from the earth, the wheels were lifted up besides them: for the spirit of the beasts was in the wheels. 22 And the similitude of the firmament upon the heads of the beasts was wonderful, like unto crystal spread over their heads above. 23 And under the firmament were their wings straight, the one toward the other: every one had two which covered them, and every one had two which covered their bodies. 24 And when they went forth, I heard the noise of their wings, like the noise of great waters, and as the voice of the Almighty, even the voice of speech, as the noise of an host: even when they stood, they let down their wings. 25 And there was a voice from the firmament that was over their heads, when they stood, and had let down their wings.]
That is an amazing vision. There is so much detail. Now, we could spend a whole day deciphering the language of the spirit here, but there are two things in particular I want you to remember: One, that every Cherubim had four faces, the face of a man, a lion on the right side, the face of a bullock on the left side, and of an eagle. And two, the Geneva text uses the word bullock, rather than an ox, which some other translations use. This is important, as we’ll see later.
[Revelation 4:7 And the first beast was like a lion, and the second beast like a calf, and the third beast had a face as a man, and the fourth beast was like a flying Eagle]
In Ezekiel, the beasts each have four faces on one body, as Christ’s time had not yet come, and the witness of His glory and righteousness existed in the spiritual presence of one body, and yet all four have always existed.
Here in Revelation, the four faces are separate, each on its own body representing the spreading of God’s glory and righteousness.
There are four beasts, or witnesses, ever-present at the throne, praising God and representing the glory of God, and their different faces has a meaning.
The Lion represents God and Christ the King
The Bullock is a castrated bull, or a young male calf, which represents His precious blood and sacrifice.
The face of a man represents the Elect.
And the eagle means His Spirit, or the Holy Spirit of God.
Later in Revelation chapter 11, two witnesses prophecy 1260 days, and they are the Elect and the Spirit.
Additionally, there are four different gospels and the witness of God’s glory in the flesh: Matthew, which is the witness of Christ the King; Mark, which is the witness of His sacrifice; Luke, the witness of His Elect; John, the witness of His spirit.
[Revelation 4:8 And the four beasts had each one of them six wings about him, and they were full of eyes within, and they ceased not day nor night, saying, Holy, holy, holy Lord God almighty, which Was, and which Is, and which Is to come.]
This verse is an example of how they endlessly give glory to God.
[Revelation 4:9 And when those beasts gave glory, and honor, and thanks to Him that sat on the throne, which lives for ever and ever,]
The beasts continually give the Lord glory, honor and thanks: 3 signs.
[Revelation 4:10-11 The twenty-four elders fell down before Him that sat on the throne and worshiped Him that lives forevermore, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying, You are worthy, Oh Lord, to receive glory and honor, and power :for you have created all things, and for your will’s sake they are, and have been created.]
The Lord receives glory, honor, and power from the 24 elders.
And later, at the end of Revelation chapter 5, the beasts and elders together with the multitude, will give the Lord power, riches, wisdom, strength, honor, glory, and praise: seven signs.
This concludes our study of the spiritual language in chapter 4 of Revelation. I hope it is meaningful for you, and I hope Revelation is less intimidating, and has become more approachable for you. Once you start to understand the spiritual language, and understand that there is a purpose and meaning behind everything in scripture, it begins to blossom as never before. Scripture must be used to define scripture. Man has no ability to interpret this book of his own accord. Scripture must be studied only in the context of itself and with prayer and God’s spirit. Scripture is no set of random words and arbitrary histories in the context of a long gone generation that we must somehow relate to. Scripture is alive with the breath of our Lord and King who sits on the throne now. So-be-it.