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Sermon preached on Revelation 4 by Rev. W. Reid Hankins during the Morning Worship Service at Trinity Presbyterian Church (OPC) on 1/19/2025 in Petaluma, CA.
Sermon Manuscript
Today we get to contemplate the majesty and sovereignty and glory of our God. Our series in Revelation continues by introducing its next major section. Chapters 1-3 showed us the vision of Jesus caring for his churches on earth. Now, we come to a new vision that begins by giving us a glimpse of heaven, the very throne room of God Almighty. That transition happens in verse 1 with John saying, “After this I looked, and behold, a door standing open in heaven!” That signals a new vision that will go through chapter 7, a vision primarily dealing with the unsealing of seven seals which will bring a measure of God’s judgment on this earth. But it begins here, in this chapter, not on earth, but in heaven. Let us appreciate the contrast. After the first vision had us consider the sorts of trials that Jesus’ churches are facing on earth, the perspective now is changed to what is simultaneously happening in heaven. Indeed, while we are tested here on earth, we are given this glimpse of heaven to find great encouragement. Let us then consider our great God in his heavenly throne room even as we prepare for him to tell us about the things that would soon take place. Let us be encouraged that such a God is our Lord and God in these last days.
Let us begin in our first point by considering this throne and who is on it and what is around it. Notice, that verse 1 sees John invited into this throne room by Jesus himself. There, in the ecstasy of the Spirit, John sees this throne in heaven. This is reminiscent of similar experiences recounted by the prophets such as in Daniel 7, Isaiah 6 and Ezekiel 1. Let me remind you that what John sees here is surely not like a video recording of an actual physical throne room of God, since God is a Spirit. Rather, it is an apocalyptic vision that portrays with physical imagery the spiritual realities of God and his reign over all things.
The description of the throne itself is minimal, though we should recognize that the throne is a place of authority. A ruler sits on a throne. So then, as soon as we hear about the throne, verse 2 immediately tells us there is one sitting on that throne. It is clear from verses 8 and 9 that the one seated here is the Ancient of Days, God Almighty, the Great I Am. Consistent with God’s prerogative at Sinai where no image was given, here too we are not given a physical description of God that we could use to conjure an image in our mind. But we are given something of the emanations of God, radiant with light and color. God’s description as the stones of jasper and carnelian will find an echo at the end of Revelation, in chapter 21 when the New Jerusalem arrives as our final dwelling place with God. There, the precious jasper stone is described to be as clear as crystal, like the glory of God. And so, God here has some radiantly clear crystal light emanating from him. In complement to this, the carnelian stone would be a reddish rock and is found as one of the foundation stones in the New Jerusalem, along with other precious and colorful stones. Verse 3 continues by describing a rainbow around the throne, with its prism of color like an emerald, which is also another foundation stone in Revelation 21. So, with these rocks and the rainbow, we are immediately confronted with some sort of luminary brilliance to begin to try to put into words the glory of God Almighty.
John then describes for us what he sees in front of the throne. He sees seven torches of fire, which he interprets for us as the seven spirits of God. Additionally, he sees a sea of glass, like crystal. As for the seven spirits of God, let us remember that we said that was a description of the Holy Spirit, pulling from language from Zechariah to emphasizes how God sees and is present throughout the whole earth. Next chapter will continue this heavenly throne room scene with Jesus coming into focus, and Jesus will also be described as having the seven spirits coming forth from him. Taken together, we have the whole Trinity represented here, and a wonderful picture of how the Holy Spirit proceeds from both the Father and the Son. But in this chapter, this reference to the Holy Spirit explains how God is both seated in heaven and also involved in earthly affairs.
As for the sea of crystal, earlier prophets also saw something similar. Moses and Aaron and the seventy elders were granted some vision of it in Exodus 24:10. Ezekiel also in Ezekiel 1. It’s description like glass, speaks to something calm and tranquil. The ancient world saw the seas as a place of chaos, but not this sea. This sea’s crystal clarity speaks to the purity of God and this heavenly holy of holies. We can also remember that the old covenant tabernacle had the large Bronze Sea which was a water basin used for purification by the priests in the worship of God. God’s holiness demands purity; they are closely connected.
So then, in our first point, we have begun to recognize something of the glory and sovereignty and holiness of God as he is seated on the throne. We can take an application right here that for Christians, this is our God. He who loves us, and has a perfect plan for us, sits sovereignly over all the world, and by his Holy Spirit is actively governing it. He is in control. Romans 8:28 is not just lip service. This glimpse of God’s transcendent throne room should encourage us, no matter what trial we Christians are facing. Let us continue that thought as we recognize that there are two more things in this throne room that we’ve not yet observed. There are these four creatures and there are these twenty-four elders. Those will be our other two points for today’s sermon.
Let us then continue to our second point by considering these four creatures. We’ve been recognizing that other prophets have seen much of this throne room in one way or another, and that is also the case with these creatures. Ezekiel sees almost identical creatures in Ezekiel chapter 10 and they are identified as angels. Isaiah has some slightly differently described angels that give similar praise to God in Isaiah 6. So, that Old Testament background would lead us to interpret these four creatures as angels. Again, I point out that angels are spirits, and so we shouldn’t think that they have actual physical appearances. Rather, the way they physically appear in this vision tells us something about them.
In this case, we notice that their appearance involve faces of four creatures you would find on earth, a lion, an ox, a man, and an eagle. That might suggest these angels have some way in which they represent the created order, as if all creation is represented as they worship God before his throne. But what might be more the case is that this suggests them as exalted above all the creation. The lion, the ox, the human, and the eagle, each represent something on the top of the order of their kind of creatures. Lions have their strength among wild animals. Oxen are top among service animals. Humans are known for their intellect and rational thought. Eagles are proverbially swift. So, these angels stand above the creation as the strong, smart, swift, servants of God.
But these angels are also described as being covered with eyes. They are full of eyes, front and back, eyes all around and within. These eyes are complemented by the fact that these angels have wings. What does all this convey? Well, it is somewhat similar to how the Holy Spirit is described as seven eyes sent through all the earth. These angels, in their lesser way, are heavenly beings that are equipped to see and attend to various things on earth. Angels elsewhere (Daniel 4) are referred to as watchers who can come down from heaven to earth to accomplish any task God gives them. Metaphorically speaking, you would need eyes and wings to accomplish that. John sees these creatures and we recognize that our transcendent God has his holy angels that he commands to work out his will on earth.
Indeed, in future chapters, we will see these four creatures carrying out God’s will, particularly to bring judgment upon this wicked world. They will show God’s sovereign response to the troubles in this world, and that too should encourage us. But here, in today’s chapter, they are focused on worship. They are perpetually worshipping, day and night. I guess this is another strength of angels, that they can do this non-stop. Their worship is described in verse 9 as a giving to God. They are giving glory, honor, and thanks to God. This means they are glorifying God, honoring God, and thanking God. How they especially do that is through their specific praise there in verse 8. They declare, maybe even sing, “Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come!” To describe God as holy speaks to how he is set apart above all. To repeat it three times is especially emphatic. Various things can be described as holy, such as saints and angels and even places. But God is the holy of the holiest. The angels go on to refer to God essentially by his two greatest names that he has been revealed as, God Almighty, El Shaddai in the Hebrew, and the I Am, Yahweh in the Hebrew, the one who was and is and is to come. These names reveal God’s omnipotence and his eternality. They also affirm his thrice-holiness, for he alone is truly eternal and omnipotent. Indeed, angels possess great strength, but not God’s power. Indeed, while the Christian is granted eternal life, yet not only did we have a beginning, but we will always depend upon God for that eternal life. God, is the eternal one who has life in himself. He is not dependent on any other.
Let us take then an application that while there is work to be done for the Lord, there is a yet a priority of worship. Indeed, we will see these angels soon at work to carrying out God’s will, but here they are first engaged in devoted worship. How easily we can be distracted in our worship. How often we can be tempted to lament that he calls us to set aside one day a week to be a holy day of special worship, even while he yet gives us six other days for other affairs. Let us pray that we would have a heart that so loves to be in worship. Let us remember with David in Psalm 84 that better is a day in God’s house than a thousand elsewhere, that our soul would long for worship, that our hearts would be so glad to sing for joy to the living God. Indeed, while we were created a little lower than the angels, we will ultimately be exalted above them in Christ, and join with them in the heavenly worship of the Triune God.
That segways us then to our third point, to turn and consider these twenty-four elders. Who are these elders and why are there twenty-four of them? There have been more proposed interpretations than you might think. Some have suggested that they also represent angels as some heavenly council of the Lord. Yet, while it is not without precedence to find an angel appearing in the form of a human, I am inclined to think these human elders in the vision are representatives of the triumphant saints who have already died and gone to be with the Lord in heaven. Ironically, some who want to say the angels in chapters 1-3 are really humans, here want to say that these humans are really angels, but I think we would need more in the text to warrant that conclusion. Rather, by this point in time when Revelation was written, there would have been already many saints who had died in the Lord and Scripture would tell us that they are up in heaven with the Lord in an initial state of glory, even while they await the final state of glory in the coming resurrection and new creation.
As to why there are twenty-four, the most reasonable explanation to me is that it combines the two sets of twelve that so prominently represent God’s people through the ages. I refer to how there were the twelve tribes of Israel, especially prominent under the old covenant, and closely related to that, there are the twelve apostles of the new covenant. Together, these twenty-four elders in the vision likely represent all those saints who were saved under either the old or new covenants. Now, if you try to start giving each of them a name, I think you miss the point. Again, this is not a video recording of actual people, and no specific identification is given for any of them. But the continued prominence of the twelve tribes and the twelve apostles continues to show itself in Revelation, maybe most significantly when you get to the New Jerusalem in Revelation 21. There, the twelve gates have the name of the twelve tribes inscribed on them, and the twelve foundations of the city wall have the names of the twelve apostles inscribed. If you haven’t figured out yet, there is clearly an echo of this chapter’s heavenly throne room with that New Jerusalem in Revelation 21, for as it will say, that is heaven come down to earth, Revelation 21:10.
Think with me further on that idea. It is significant that this chapter finds echoes in the New Jerusalem at the end in Revelation 21. What we see in this chapter’s glimpse into heaven will find further expression in the glory that Christ will usher in when he returns. All the glorious promises Christ has promised us will be fully and eternally enjoyed then, when he returns, and ushers us into the glory of the new heavens and the new earth with that new Jerusalem come down out of heaven. But this glimpse into heaven shows that already, right now, the saints who have died in the Lord have already begun to experience a great measure of it.
Just think about this in light of the seven letters that we just studied. Remember how each ended with a promise to him who conquers, that they will enjoy some future blessing and reward. We see some of these deceased saints already beginning to enjoy this, even before the final consummation. It’s all there in verse 4. To the church in Smyrna, Jesus promised the victorious that they will receive a crown of life, and here we see these elders wearing gloriously golden crowns. To the church in Sardis, Jesus promised the victorious that they will be clothed in white garments, and that’s what these elders are wearing. To the church in Laodicea, Jesus promised the victorious a throne to sit on with God, and here we see these elders seated each on a throne around God’s throne. Our God is faithful and Jesus’ promises are already beginning to be realized by the church triumphant even while we wait with patient endurance for the consummation when Christ returns. If Jesus has already begun to reward his people who trust in him, he will surely do so in the full at the day of his coming. Jesus is faithful and true.
So think about these deceased saints. If you and I have some sense right now about how our sin deserves God’s damnation, surely a saint who is now with the Lord understands this even more. That will surely make them all the more appreciate that they have been saved by grace through faith in Jesus. The gospel says none of us can save ourselves. That is why Jesus died in our place, to pay the penalty for our sins. Jesus holds the keys of death and hades. That is why those who die in Christ already the experience a resurrection of their souls to go to heaven with the LORD while they await the resurrection of their bodies on the last day. These saints have known how they didn’t deserve to be saved, but not only have they been saved and raised in this first resurrection, they’ve even been rewarded. They sit in great authority with the transcendent, eternal, omnipotent God over all the earth. So what do they do, in response? They worship.
Their song is there in verse 11. “Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created.” Our God is entitled and due all praise and all position and all recognition for the simple fact alone that he is the creator. This also is emphatic by repeating it three times, with three parallel ways to describes God as the creator of everything. Now, this will stand on its own as a song of praise. As creatures, it is our obligation to worship the God who created us, for that reason alone. But I mentioned that this scene really doesn’t end in chapter 4. This heavenly throne room scene continues into chapter 5 where Jesus is introduced. We’ll see next time that a new song is written that clearly complements this song. There, we’ll see how worthy Jesus is to be praised for what he did to save us. There will be two songs, actually, directed specifically to Jesus, and a last song that praises both God and Christ Jesus. What a crescendo of praise in response to God in Christ who is both our creator and redeemer.
So then, two related applications come from considering these twenty-four elders. One, they show us that Jesus’ promises can be trusted. So, whatever trouble we experience today, let us keep trusting in Jesus for he who promised is faithful. Second, these triumphant saints already are starting the victory party in such praise to God. Let us join with them in our worship and praise. Gratitude for our salvation should make us a worshipping people. Let us be renewed in our zeal in our worship. Today’s passage especially presents God in himself as worthy to be praised and God as creator as worthy to be praised. Next week we’ll continue to be encouraged to worship as we think more about Jesus as savior as especially further reason for our worship.
Amen.
Copyright © 2025 Rev. W. Reid Hankins, M.Div.
All Rights Reserved.
