Filled with anticipation, as he eavesdropped on the captivating conversation between Jesus and the seven angels, John suddenly noticed a door standing wide open before him. At that moment, a voice, akin to the melodious sound of a trumpet, gently beckoned him, saying, come up and witness the marvellous events that are yet to unfold. John entered into a wondrous spiritual realm, where his eyes beheld a majestic throne, adorned by the presence of an indescribable being.
And the one who sat there had the appearance of jasper and ruby. A rainbow that shone like an emerald encircled the throne.
Revelation 4:3 (NIV)
John describes the glory of God by drawing comparisons to precious stones found on earth in an attempt to capture the magnificence of His presence. Perhaps John could relate to these stones as being ornamental adornments of the breast piece of the high priest as prescribed in Exodus (28:17-20). In his limited knowledge, John was not able to comprehend God’s throne room in heaven and tried to equate what he saw to things emitting somewhat similar radiance here on earth. Similarly, in our finite comprehension, we fail to grasp the entirety of God’s intended plan for our lives, thereby inadvertently accepting earthly pursuits over the path that He has chosen for us.
The Elders
Surrounding the throne were twenty-four other thrones, and seated on them were twenty-four elders. They were dressed in white and had crowns of gold on their heads.
Revelation 4:4 (NIV)
The identities of the twenty-four elders remain a subject of speculation, evoking various interpretations. Some propose that they symbolize the twelve tribes of Israel and the apostles of Christ. Others believe that these elders represent the celestial angels who incessantly offer worship in the heavenly throne room. Another perspective suggests that they serve as representatives of the entirety of God’s faithful. Drawing from the book of Chronicles, where both the choir and the order of priests were comprised of twenty-four elders, some argue that John’s vision alludes to the order of priests serving in the Lord’s temple as mentioned in the Old Testament.
What we must remember is that it’s not that the earthly order is being replicated in heaven, but through the will of God, the heavenly order found its way into our forms of worship on earth. Similarly, when John saw flashes of lightning, rumblings, and peals of thunder emanating from the throne of God, people relate it to a similar scene when God’s presence surrounded Mount Sinai. In John’s vision, it is not Mount Sinai being replicated in heaven, but rather God’s presence descending on the Mount in all its glory, just as it is in heaven.
From the throne came flashes of lightning, rumblings and peals of thunder. In front of the throne, seven lamps were blazing. These are the seven spirits of God. Also in front of the throne there was what looked like a sea of glass, clear as crystal.
Revelation 4:5-6 (NIV)
Seeing from afar, God’s presence would have felt thunderous and left John in awe and wonder. The sea of glass is often used by the authors of the Bible to describe the floor of the throne room in heaven (Exodus 24:10; Ezekiel 1:22; Revelation 15:2). Functioning as the celestial floor and the terrestrial ceiling, this sea of glass serves as the translucent pavement encircling the heavenly throne. Acting as a chasm between the heavenly realm and the earthly realm, its transparent serenity showcases the tranquility of heaven in stark contrast to the tumultuousness of the earthly realm, as revealed by Jesus through the parable of the rich man and Lazarus.
And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been set in place, so that those who want to go from here to you cannot, nor can anyone cross over from there to us.
Luke 16:26 (NIV)
The Worshipping Creatures
In the center, around the throne, were four living creatures, and they were covered with eyes, in front and in back. The first living creature was like a lion, the second was like an ox, the third had a face like a man, the fourth was like a flying eagle. Each of the four living creatures had six wings and was covered with eyes all around, even under its wings. Day and night they never stop saying:
Revelation 4:6-8 (NIV)
“‘Holy, holy, holy
is the Lord God Almighty,’
who was, and is, and is to come.”
Day and night, these creatures incessantly sing praises to the Lord God Almighty. These creatures are similar to the ones mentioned in the Old Testament prophecies of Ezekiel and Isaiah, with slight variations. This could be because God had a different purpose when He gave these men their respective visions about the creatures. It could also be that each of them witnessed the same vision but, while recollecting and putting pen to paper, they captured it according to their own pre-conceived notions and perceptions.
The significance of these creatures is not clear, with some interpreters relating the lion with wild beasts of the forest, the eagle with birds, the ox with cattle, and the man with all human beings, as representations of all of God’s creations. However, a more plausible explanation for the creatures could be that they represent different aspects of Christ. He is called the Lion of Judah and the Son of Man by the Bible authors. He is also like the ox, which is a sacrificial animal that Jesus became for us on the cross when He died for us. The eagle is a scavenger bird that looks for carcasses and removes the decaying organs from them, just as Jesus removes the decaying parts of our lives. The fact that the creatures had eyes all around them could mean that He sees everything and is aware of the true state of our hearts.
Whenever the four living creatures give glory and honour to the one who sits on the throne, the twenty-four elders fall down before Him in reverence. Laying their crowns before Him as a mark of total submission, they worship the one who lives forever and ever, singing,
“You are worthy, our Lord and God,
Revelation 4:11 (NIV)
to receive glory and honor and power,
for you created all things,
and by your will they were created
and have their being.”
Discussion Questions
- Why did John choose to use precious stones as a means of describing the grandeur of God?
- Who are these twenty-four elders?
- Why do flashes of lightning, rumblings and peals of thunder surround the throne?
- What is the sea of Glass that John sees on the floor of the throne room?
- What do the four creatures represent?
- Ezekiel, Isaiah, Daniel and John described their visions of heaven but why do their accounts differ?
The Jordan Valley 
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