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some thoughts on Revelation 4 

John the Apostle was blessed beyond measure to have a vision of the throne room of God in heaven.  At first he saw a door standing open in heaven and then he heard a voice calling to him, “Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after these things.”  Then in the blink of an eye he was in the spirit and was standing in the very throne room of heaven.  His eyes first fell upon the throne itself and then quickly moved to the figure sitting upon it.

He was like a jasper stone and a sardius stone in appearance.  The jasper stone is green and the sardius stone is red.  But, what the two have in common is their ability to be affected by light.  Like most precious stones, these two can color light that is passed through them or reflect light that is shone upon them.  Otherwise said, what John saw, was not like anything in all of his experience before this.  It was nearly indescribable, to such an extent that he could only comment on the colors of light shining out from the glorious One.

As John’s vision expanded to include more of the room he noticed there was an emerald colored rainbow around the throne and a circle of twenty-four elders, clothed in white, with golden crowns on their heads, sitting on twenty-four thrones.  Then suddenly his attention was directed back to the throne in the middle as a flash of lightning flared from the throne along with a boom of thunder.  He noticed that there were seven lamps of fire burning just before the throne and that the floor was made of something like crystal.

Then he saw the seraphim, six winged creatures, uniquely suited to exist in close proximity to the throne of God.  They had many eyes on them and resembled a lion, a calf, a man, and a flying eagle.  Day and night they cry out “Holy, Holy, Holy, is the Lord God, the Almighty, Who was and Who is and Who is to come.”  When these same creatures spoke in the vision of Isaiah, the very foundations of the building shook violently. Here these supernatural beasts give glory and honor and thanks to Him Who lives for ever and ever.  They might be powerful but they are nothing in comparison to their Master.

Just then all of the twenty-four elders flung themselves on the floor and divested themselves of any dignity they had a moment ago sitting so grandly on their thrones.  These elders each cast their crowns towards the throne in an act of submission thereby symbolizing that they offer to the One on the throne their symbol of authority and royalty.  With this gesture of obeisance they say “Worthy are You, our Lord and our God, to receive glory and honor and power; for You created all things, and because of Your will they existed, and were created.”

What must John have felt?  Was he numb?  Did he shake uncontrollably?  Did he drop to the crystalline floor?  Did he join in the chorus of these extra-terrestrial beings as they lauded the One on the throne?  One day we will know; we will be able to ask him directly and hear the whole experience from his perspective.  Until then, one thing is certain: GOD IS HOLY!  He is beyond all created beings.  His glory shines more brightly than the sun.  He is not to be trifled with and He will one day come to inhabit the earth.