Revelation 4
WORSHIPING GOD IN HEAVENRevelation 4:1-5
Introduction by the Life Application New Testament Commentary[i]
: "The book now shifts from the seven churches in Asia to the
future of the worldwide church. John saw the course of coming events similar to
the way Daniel and Ezekiel had seen them. Many of these passages contain clear
spiritual teachings, but others seem beyond our ability to understand. The
clear teaching of this book is that God will defeat all evil in the end.
Meanwhile, we must live in obedience to Jesus Christ, the coming Conqueror and
Judge."
Revelation 4–5 provide glimpses
into Christ’s glory. Chapter 4 is John’s vision into the throne room of heaven.
God is on the throne, orchestrating all the events that John recorded. The
world is under his control, and he will carry out his plans as Christ initiates
the final battle with the forces of evil.
Rev 4:1 Then as I looked, I saw a door standing open
in heaven, and the same voice I had heard before spoke to me like a trumpet
blast. The voice said, "Come up here, and I will
show you what must happen after this."
Just think, you are standing in your kitchen and you felt
that you had to step out on the porch because you wanted to look at the sky for
some reason. When you do you hear a trumpet blast out a very loud sound. There
are others in the street but they do not react to the sound. Then you hear a
voice, the voice of God. He has just invited you to Heaven to see what will be
the future of mankind. Now what, do you say sure let’s go or do you look for
someone playing Prank on you. You are a
Christian so you know it happened to John in: (Revelation 4:1) and in (Eze_1:1). Now you know that you have been chosen by God
to hear and see the glories of God. What would be going on in your mind.
Rev 4:2 And instantly I was in the Spirit, and I saw
a throne in heaven and someone sitting on it. Rev 4:3 The One sitting on the throne was as
brilliant as gemstones—like jasper and carnelian. And the glow of an emerald
circled His throne like a rainbow.
Rev 4:4 Twenty-four thrones surrounded Him, and
twenty-four elders sat on them. They were all clothed in white and had gold
crowns on their heads. Rev 4:5 From the throne came flashes of lightning and
the rumble of thunder. And in front of the
throne were seven torches with burning flames. This is the sevenfold Spirit of
God.
These two verses as is true with most verses
in Revelations is full of possibilities: From The Life Application New
Testament Commentary[ii]
We get the following: 4:4 Surrounding God’s
throne were twenty-four thrones with twenty-four elders sitting on them.
John did not identify these twenty-four elders. Evidently, the worship they
were providing was more significant than who they were. Scholars have proposed
several possibilities for the identity of these twenty-four elders:
·Because there were twelve tribes of Israel in the Old Testament and
twelve apostles in the New Testament, the twenty-four elders (twelve plus
twelve) in this vision represent all the redeemed of God for all time (both
before and after Christ’s death and resurrection). They symbolize all
those—both Jews and Gentiles—who are now part of God’s family. The twenty-four
elders show us that all the redeemed of the Lord are worshiping him.
The twenty-four elders are the heavenly counterpart of the
twenty-four priestly ranks who served the Temple (1Ch_23:6; Who were these tribes 1Ch_24:7-18).
·Most likely, the
elders are an angelic group providing this worship, and the reference to
twenty-four remains speculative. Their continuous praise supports this view,
and the fact that they serve with, but are distinguished from, the four living
creatures( (Rev_4:11;
Rev_5:9-10;
Rev_11:17-18;
Rev_19:4
I have used The Message
bible for these verses. It puts them in the most magnificent way.
·. The twenty-four elders are beings who live in heaven and worship God
at his throne (see also Rev_14:3)
Do you remember who the 144,000 are?.
Though they are crowned and dressed in white, they clearly do not represent the
church. These leaders sing of human believers, not about themselves (Rev_5:9).
In view of their actions, such as worshiping and offering bowls of incense,
they seem to be a special order of angels.
4:5 In Revelation, lightning and thunder are associated
with significant events in heaven. Lightning and thunder had filled the sky at
Mount Sinai when God had given the people his laws (Exo_19:16).
The Old Testament often uses such imagery to reflect God’s power and majesty
(see Psa_77:18).
In Revelation, thunder and lightning always form part of the scene in God’s
throne room and highlight a significant coming event—for example, they mark the
seventh seal (Rev_8:5),
the seventh trumpet (Rev_11:19),
and the seventh bowl (Rev_16:18).
What are the Seven Spirits?
I. Spirit of
Truth
John 15:26
(NLT)
“But I will send you the
Counselor°-the
Spirit of truth. He will come to you from the Father and will tell you all
about me. John 15:26 Or Comforter, or Encourager,
or Advocate. Greek Paraclete.John 16:13
(NLT)When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide
you into all truth. He will not be presenting his own ideas; he will be telling
you what he has heard. He will tell you about the future. 1 John 4:6
(NLT)But we belong to God; that is why those who
know God listen to us. If they do not belong to God, they do not listen to us.
That is how we know if someone has the Spirit of truth or the spirit of
deception.
II. Spirit of
Power
2 Timothy 1:7
(NLT)For God has not given us a spirit of fear and
timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.
III. Spirit of
Love
2 Timothy 1:7
(NLT)For God has not given us a spirit of fear and
timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.
IV. Spirit of
Self-Discipline
2 Timothy 1:7
(NLT)For God has not given us a spirit of fear and
timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.
V. Spirit of
Wisdom
Deuteronomy
34:9 (NLT)Now Joshua son of Nun was full
of the spirit of wisdom, for Moses had laid his hands on him. So the people of
Israel obeyed him and did everything just as the LORD had commanded Moses. Proverbs 1:23
(NLT)
Come here and listen to me! I’ll
pour out the spirit of wisdom upon you and make you wise.
VI. Spirit of
Judgment
Isaiah 4:4
(NLT)The Lord will wash the moral filth from the
women of Jerusalem.°
He will cleanse Jerusalem of its bloodstains by a spirit of judgment that burns
like fire.
Isaiah 4:4
Hebrew from the daughters of Zion.
Isaiah 19:14
(NLT)The LORD has sent a spirit of foolishness on
them, so all their suggestions are wrong. They cause the land of Egypt to
stagger like a sick drunkard. (This
spirit was sent to punish the Egyptians, thus, it is of the Spirit of
Judgment.)Isaiah 29:10
(NLT)For the LORD has poured out on you a spirit of
deep sleep. He has closed the eyes of your prophets and visionaries. (This spirit was sent to punish the enemies of
Jerusalem, thus, it is the Spirit of Judgment.)
VII. Spirit of
Life
Revelation
11:11 (NLT)But after three and a half
days, the spirit of life from God entered them, and they stood up! And terror
struck all who were staring at them. Zechariah
12:10 (NLT)
“Then I will pour out a spirit
of grace and prayer on the family of David and on all the people of Jerusalem.
They will look on me whom they have pierced and mourn for him as for an only
son. They will grieve bitterly for him as for a firstborn son who has died.
Agape
Dave
II.
[iii] Scripture quotations are
taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, © 1996. Used by permission
of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, IL 60189 USA. All rights reserved.
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