And out of the throne go forth lightnings, and voices, and thunders; and seven lamps of fire, burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God;
John sees an open door in heaven, and then a throne. This verse shows what comes out of that throne. The storm signs and the burning lamps answer one question: what is this throne about to do?
Here the throne looks nothing like the throne believers approach today. These writers quote an older translation: "voices" where the ESV has "rumblings," "lamps" where it has "torches." One writer makes the contrast a question:
"Out of the throne proceeded lightnings and thunderings and voices." Do thunderings and lightnings and voices come out of the throne of God at this present time?... Certainly not. The throne of God now is a throne of grace, and we come to it boldly (Heb. 4). It would be impossible for man here below to come boldly to a throne out of which proceed thunderings and lightnings and voices.
What flows out of a throne tells you what time it is:
Lightnings and thunderings go with judgment. They are not symbols of mercy and grace. Today mercy flows from a throne of grace; in the millennial day a river of water, carrying blessing to the earth, will flow from the throne of God and the Lamb. Between the end of the day of grace and the beginning of the Kingdom glory comes a solemn interval. In it the throne will be judging the nations, and lightnings and thunderings are a fitting picture.
So when does this scene take place? The answer comes by ruling out the alternatives:
It is clear that the lightnings and thunderings suit neither the day of grace nor the millennial state... On the other hand, there are clearly saints on earth, while the twenty-four elders are before the throne above. So it is neither the millennial state nor the present one. It is an unusual period in between. There the throne is not one of grace as now, nor of displayed glory as later. It is clothed with what has rightly been called a Sinai character of awful majesty. It is judicial.
The verse names the lamps as the seven Spirits of God. Does that mean seven different Spirits? The lampstand in the tabernacle answers:
The lampstand had seven stems, showing the many-sided activity of the Holy Spirit in His testimony to Christ... In Eph. 4:4 we are told plainly, "There is... one Spirit." Though the lampstand had seven branches, there was only ONE lampstand. Seven lamps burning, yet only one light shining through them all.
Why picture the Spirit this way?
Here the Holy Spirit does not appear in the gracious power that marks His relationship to the church. He appears in governmental judgment, because the subject is a sinful, guilty world — the creature, and not the new creation.
Lamps give light; these lamps are lamps of fire. Fire has a settled meaning in Scripture:
Here it is seven lamps of fire burning, not on the earth, but before the throne. Fire expresses the holiness of God in judgment, as it always does. So the judgments God is about to carry out will be in the perfection of the power of the Spirit. They will match the unchanging standard of the holiness of the divine nature.
Lamps do what light always does — they expose:
Everything inconsistent with the absolute purity of the throne must be judged... "Those seven lamps of fire will search out and expose everything contrary to the holy nature of God."
Revelation uses the number seven for the Spirit in more than one picture, and where the symbol stands changes its meaning:
In the book of Revelation, the seven spirits, the seven lamps and the seven eyes are one and the same, but with different meanings. In Revelation 4:5... we see the fullness of the Spirit throwing light on, and bringing into judgment, whatever rebels against God's government on earth. In Rev. 5:6 the Lamb with "seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent out into all the earth" means Christ with the fullness of His knowledge, joined to the fullness of His power — the seven horns — to carry out God's plans for the earth.
- Throne. What comes out of a throne shows its character. Grace flows from it now. A river of blessing will flow from it in the kingdom. Here lightnings and thunderings announce judgment.
- Timing. This scene fits neither the present day of grace nor the coming kingdom. It belongs to an interval between them, marked by a Sinai-like majesty.
- Spirit. The seven lamps are the seven Spirits of God. That is not seven persons. It is the one Spirit working in many ways, as one lampstand carried seven burning branches.
- Fire. Fire stands for the holiness of God in judgment. God will carry out the coming judgments in the full power of the Spirit, by the standard of His own holy nature.
- Exposure. Nothing impure can stand before that throne. The lamps search out and expose whatever opposes God. Today the same throne is a throne of grace, and we can come to it boldly.
and before the throne, as a glass sea, like crystal. And in the midst of the throne, and around the throne, four living creatures, full of eyes, before and behind;
Commentary for this verse has not been generated yet.
and the first living creature like a lion, and the second living creature like a calf, and the third living creature having the face as of a man, and the fourth living creature like a flying eagle.
John sees four living creatures around God's throne in heaven. Their faces come from the highest ranks of creation. Why four? What does each face mean? And who are they?
The number itself carries meaning. One writer links four to the worldwide reach of God's rule:
Why "four" living ones? Because "four" represents the attributes of God in judicial dealing with man and creation. It is the mark of the world and of the human race, and it appears whenever everything everywhere is in view. Judgment is about to visit the whole scene under heaven; hence the number "four." So in the four living creatures grouped together we have a complete and perfect view of God's judicial government. The symbols are taken from the most prominent animals, not from those in the sea.
Each figure carries a quality. Where the ESV has "ox," older translations read "calf" — the word these writers use. One of them finds firmness even in the ox's foot:
The lion expresses strength, royal power. Jesus is the Lion of Judah. The likeness to a calf brings to mind firmness, the solid footing that belongs to the ox. The likeness to a man's face shows intelligence. The flying eagle stands for speed in judgment. It is always God in the creation. This points back to Ezekiel 1; but in Ezekiel every living creature had four faces, showing the power of providence, which sees all and acts on earth.
Each of the four is the best in its own class. Together they overpower every enemy:
In every sphere in the whole creation these beings are supreme. Man is supreme in intelligence. The lion is supreme among wild beasts. People count the ox as the greatest burden bearer, and the eagle as the swiftest and highest flyer… Satan and rebellious men have great intelligence, and they use it against God. But here are beings who excel in intelligence. Whatever the power, the endurance, or the speed with which the enemies move toward their goals, these living creatures will wear them down. They will out-think, out-last, out-wear and out-distance every hostile power, and they will never fail to carry out every detail of the will of God in the universe.
Some older English versions call them "beasts." One writer says that word is wrong:
The translation "beasts," as in the older common version, is wrong and misleading. It drags the human element down to the level of an animal, for the third living being has the face of a man. People constantly apply the word to animals, but it simply means (as the word animal itself does) "a living being."
Why do they stand so close? One writer answers from their role:
It seems the living creatures stand so near because they are the executive arm of judgment. Providential judgments will then be in progress. They characterize the action of the throne.
Commentators differ. One holds that the symbol shows a role, not fixed persons:
From this it follows that the four living creatures might be at one time angels, at another saints. The symbol shows the character of the attributes in action more than the persons entrusted with these judgments.
Another rules angels out, because of where the creatures stand:
These cannot be angels, for no angel is in the midst of the throne of God. Scripture says the Lamb is there (Rev. 5:6), for the Lamb is Himself God, and God gives His glory to no other. The living creatures stand for four distinct principles of God's government — living, vital principles at work in all His works.
Many have read the four figures as a portrait of Christ in the four Gospel accounts:
Here at once we see a difference between the first three and the fourth, which is the bird of heaven. As the Western interpreters saw, the eagle answers to the Gospel of John; the kingly lion to Matthew; the working ox to Mark; and the face of a man to Luke — the Gospel of His Manhood.
The pairings are not agreed. An older list matched them another way:
Irenaeus saw this as early as A.D. 120–200. He compared the Gospels with the four cherubim in Revelation. Several of the old books show a man with Matthew; a lion with Mark; an ox with Luke; and an eagle with John.
- Four = everywhere. Four is the mark of the world and the whole human race. So the four faces give a complete picture of God's judicial government.
- Four = qualities. Lion for royal strength, calf for firmness, man's face for intelligence, flying eagle for speed of judgment.
- Four = supremacy. Each creature is first in its own class. Together they out-think, out-last, out-wear and out-distance every opposing power.
- Four = position. They stand nearest the throne because they carry out its judgments. They show how the throne acts.
- Four = Christ. Many read the same faces in the four Gospel portraits of Christ. Commentators differ on which face fits which Gospel.
And the four living creatures, each one of them having respectively six wings; round and within they are full of eyes; and they cease not day and night saying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, who was, and who is, and who is to come.
John sees a throne in heaven. Around it stand four living creatures who never stop speaking. Their cry raises two questions: who are these creatures, and why is the holiness of God the one thing they say?
Commentators read these creatures as a picture of how God rules the earth.
The Apostle sees four living creatures in the middle of the throne and around it. They seem to be symbols of those who carry out the government of God. The lion, the calf, the face like a man, and the flying eagle may show that God's government will be marked by strength, firmness, intelligence, and speed. They never stop saying, "Holy, holy, holy." They testify that the government of God is holy, unstoppable in power, and unchangeable in character.
Commentators differ. What the creatures do elsewhere in the book argues against treating them as symbols only.
We judge that they are created beings, and not mere symbolic expressions of the attributes of God. They give thanks to God. They fall down. They hand the bowls to the angels. And they correspond so closely to the seraphim of Isaiah, the living creatures of Ezekiel, and the cherubim that guarded the tree of life with a flaming sword.
Before the cry, John notes two things: the creatures are full of eyes, and each has six wings.
The picture is full of meaning. It stands for hidden, instinctive intelligence — seeing everything in front and behind. Nothing escapes the eye of God and the power of God. Where man cannot see, He sees. Each of them had six wings, as in Ezekiel, and this means they carry out God's plans and purposes quickly. They cry, "Holy, holy, holy." This is something distinct from worship. God is celebrated here in power and glory.
The threefold cry is not new. Isaiah saw beings called seraphim who said the same thing.
The living creatures are like the seraphim in two ways: the number of wings, and the threefold cry of worship (compare Isaiah 6). The works of God praise Him. But deeper still, His attributes declare His holy, holy, holy nature — what He is in Himself. The very powers that carry out the righteous decisions of the throne here glorify Him in His divine Being.
"Lord God Almighty" stacks three titles together. One familiar name is missing from the list.
We still have here all the names of God except one — the name that concerns the church, Father. He is Lord God Almighty, Eternal. These are the names God has used to reveal Himself in every age. With the redeemed now He takes the name of Father. We have all that God has been on the earth with His people, and nothing else.
The third title, "Almighty," goes back to what God said to Abraham.
The throne in Revelation 4 is that of the LORD God Almighty (Jehovah, Elohim, Shaddai). As to Shaddai, we read in Genesis 17:1, "I am God Almighty; walk before me, and be blameless." Shaddai means almighty in resources rather than almighty in the abstract. Abraham proved that well, Israel proved it, and every homeless pilgrim now may prove it too.
The verse closes with past, present and future. Their order is not accidental.
"Which is" implies independent, unchangeable existence. "Which was" points to Jehovah's relation to the past. "Which is to come" shows His connection with the future. Revelation 4:8 reverses the order: "which was" comes before "which is." Chapter 4 looks at the government of the whole earth, and not that of Israel only, so the living creatures say "which was" first. It is a question of time. The change also hints that Jehovah's past deeds of power are a pledge. Eternal existence and almighty power are not idle attributes in the divine Being. He exercises them through all ages and in all circumstances.
The same cry once left Isaiah distressed. The elders around this throne hear it and react another way.
The elders are seen in holy calm. Even the threefold "Holy" of the living creatures does not dismay them, though a similar cry distressed Isaiah so long ago. They are in the presence of God on the ground of redeeming Blood, and they know it. Judgment must come, for the patience of God is now at an end. But judgment means nothing for those whose hope and confidence is the Blood of the Lamb.
- Government — Commentators read the four living creatures as symbols of God's rule over the earth: strength, firmness, intelligence, and speed. Others hold that they are created beings.
- Sight — Being full of eyes means nothing escapes Him. Where man cannot see, He sees.
- Holiness — The threefold cry echoes Isaiah's seraphim. It celebrates not what God does, but what He is in Himself.
- Names — Lord, God, Almighty are the titles God used with people on earth, and He holds them past, present and future. "Father," the name the church knows, is absent here.
- Rest — The creatures never stop, and the elders never tremble. The same holiness that distressed Isaiah leaves them calm. They stand there on the ground of redeeming blood.
And when the living creatures shall give glory and honour and thanksgiving to him that sits upon the throne, who lives to the ages of ages,
Chapter 4 shows John an open door in heaven and a throne. Crowned elders sit around it, and four living creatures are nearest to it. Verse 9 tells us what those creatures give to the One on the throne, and their praise sets the whole scene in motion.
Commentators read the living creatures as symbols of how God governs His creation. Their praise rises out of what they see.
Ezekiel 1, Revelation 4 and Revelation 5 are records of visions given to prophets. In them the living creatures seem to be symbols of how God acts in governing creation. God's ways have the strength of the lion, the endurance of the ox, the intelligence of a man, and the speed and height of an eagle. The living creatures are also "full of eyes," not only in front and behind, but within as well. They search all the future, all the past, and the deep inner secrets of God's ways. So they add to His praise, giving glory and honour and thanks to Him without pause, declaring Him three times Holy, the One who lives for ever and ever.
Glory, honour and thanks come as a set of three, matching the threefold "Holy" just before. Their words also differ from the words of the elders that follow.
Each living creature is itself a symbol of one or more of God's attributes. Now the four join together, before we see them acting in government, and give Him the glory, honour and thanks due to His Name. They have already announced His essential purity by saying the word "Holy" three times. Now their praise (v. 9), like that of the elders (v. 11), comes in three parts. One more thing marks off the deeper worship of the elders from that of the living creatures. The elders speak to God directly, as "You"; the living creatures speak about God as "Him." Notice this carefully. The living creatures stand here as symbols of the throne's judicial authority. Whoever the instruments are, angels or men, all must turn to Him in increased power and fullness.
That gap between speaking about God and speaking to Him goes deep. It comes down to redemption.
Someone has said "that the living creatures only celebrate and declare; the elders worship with understanding." All God's works will praise Him. But only the redeemed have the mind of Christ. Only they can enter into the things of God through the Holy Spirit and share them with Him, whether in grace or in judgment.
This title marks out a life that never fades. It holds steady while everything else changes.
He still has all the Old Testament names: Jehovah, Elohim, Shaddai. His attributes now celebrate His full name, as the Holy One who lives for ever and ever. His power and His being never fade away, unlike man, who at his best is empty. Through all changes these names remained true.
The chapter gives this One no personal name. That silence teaches something.
This worship is not addressed to the Father, but to the God of creation and providence. In this chapter Jesus is never named or seen on His own. Yet in creation He is the person of the Godhead who works; for "all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together." (Col. 1:16-17.) So the One worshipped here is not the Father as distinct from the Son. It is God the Creator — Father, Son, and Spirit.
Judgment from that throne had not moved the crowned elders. Verse 9 is what moves them.
Terror did not disturb them at all. Judgment does not shake them from their thrones. But when those living creatures give glory and honour and thanks to Him who sits on the throne, the twenty-four elders fall down. The moment the ones who carry out judgment give honour to Him who sits on the throne, the elders worship. What satisfaction in God this shows — what certainty that sin was at an end! He is certainly going to judge, but He will not judge those who are made His righteousness in Christ.
- Seeing. The living creatures are full of eyes, in front, behind and within. They take in all of God's ways, past and future. That sight feeds their praise.
- Saying. What they see, they declare: glory, honour and thanks. The three match their threefold "Holy." They speak about God, not to Him.
- The One addressed. Not the Father as distinct from the Son, but God the Creator — Father, Son and Spirit. His life never fades, and He stays the same through every change.
- Setting off worship. Judgment from the throne left the crowned elders seated. Honour given to God brings them off their thrones and onto their faces.
- The difference. The living creatures celebrate and declare. The redeemed worship with understanding, because only they have the mind of Christ.
the twenty-four elders shall fall before him that sits upon the throne, and do homage to him that lives to the ages of ages; and shall cast their crowns before the throne, saying,
Around the throne John sees twenty-four crowned figures on thrones of their own. At one moment they leave those thrones, fall to the floor, and throw their crowns down in front of God. Why would anyone give up an honour God Himself had handed them? And who are these crowned worshippers?
Gold crowns and thrones set this company apart. One writer links the number twenty-four to the twenty-four divisions of Israel's priests, making the group royal and priestly at once.
John saw thrones filled with twenty-four elders, the chiefs of the twenty-four divisions of the priesthood. They exercised priestly functions in Revelation 5:8. But they are a royal priesthood also; they wear crowns of gold and sit on thrones; and their clothing matches. Can there be a doubt that they are the glorified saints?
Their worship has content. One writer sets out what they bow before, and what they put down as they bow.
He is the Holy One who lives forever and ever. He has no passing power or being, as man has, who at his best is vanity. And the saints here fall down before the throne. They bow before His place in glory, and worship Him in His endless being. They lay down their given glory before His supreme and proper glory, giving all glory to Him alone, as alone worthy of it.
Notice where the crowns land: in front of the throne. One writer names the source of their dignity, and the ground of this worship.
The elders fall down before HIM whom they love and revere. They cast their crowns before the THRONE, recognising where their royal dignity comes from and what keeps it. God's glory as Creator is the ground of the elders' worship here. It rests on knowing God — what He is in His own Being, and as Creator and Sustainer of the universe. The worship in the next chapter is founded on redemption by blood, and so the Lamb becomes the central figure.
Seen from outside, throwing away a badge of honour looks like loss. One writer admits it seems strange, then says the heart that knows the Lord needs no command.
What were they? A rightful privilege given to be worn in front of everyone's eyes as a witness to their right to be kings and priests. The thought of a crown can appeal to the natural mind of man. But "casting them down" seems a strange thing. It means throwing off the badge of our link with the Lord Jesus Christ. But it is not strange to the heart that knows the Lord Jesus, that knows God. When He brings us into the glory, will it be a word of command to cast our crowns before Him? It will be a word springing from the very depths of the heart.
The elders lose nothing here. One writer sets their gladness against the pride of the natural heart.
The saint in glory is glad there should be something above himself there. He can strip himself of glory so that the Lord should have it all. What a contrast to the spirit of unbelief in the heart that does not like this! The pride of the heart cannot bear anything above it. But the saint in light is glad that Christ should have all the glory.
For these elders the question of judgment is already settled. One writer shows what does draw them off their thrones.
As far as judgment goes, the cross met every demand of righteousness. If there had been any sin left unremoved, oh, what trouble there would have been among all the twenty-four! But no; they sit in perfect peace on their thrones. But when His holiness is in view, they fall down before Him. They pay homage to Him who lives forever and ever. They cast their crowns before the throne. Their hearts are swallowed up in the delight of what God is.
Since the crowns end up on the floor, some ask whether it is worth pursuing them at all. One writer answers that having more to give away is the whole attraction.
I remember someone saying to us, "Go in for as many crowns as you can get." Then he added, "so that you may cast them all at the feet of Jesus." The more you can get, the more you will have for His praise and glory.
- Crowned — the elders are glorified saints, sitting on thrones as kings and serving as priests.
- Derived — their royal dignity came from the throne and is kept by it, so that is where the crowns land.
- Cast — no command produces this. It springs from a heart that knows the One on the throne.
- Glad — pride cannot bear anything above it. The saint in glory is happy for Christ to have it all.
- Now — go after every crown you can, because the more you carry into that scene, the more you have to lay at His feet.
Thou art worthy, O our Lord and [our] God, to receive glory and honour and power; for *thou* hast created all things, and for thy will they were, and they have been created.
In Revelation 4, crowned elders sing before God's throne. They say who deserves all glory, and they give one reason: God made everything. Judgment is about to fall on the earth, yet those nearest the throne answer with worship, not fear.
Two groups praise in this chapter, and they do not praise in the same way. One writer draws the distinction sharply.
Someone has remarked "that the living creatures only celebrate and declare; the elders worship with understanding." All God's works will praise Him. But only the redeemed have the mind of Christ. Only they can, through the Holy Spirit, enter into the things of God and share in them, whether in grace or in judgment.
The living creatures speak about God. The elders speak to Him, calling Him "our Lord and God" (Walter Scott).
The elders wear gold crowns, and they do not keep them. One writer explains where such crowns come from.
When Christ rewards the believer with a crown, or crowns, at His judgment seat, there will be no sinful nature left to swell with pride. The believer will cast those crowns at the feet of the One who gave them. It was His grace that produced this fruit in the believer, for His praise.
The crowns came from Christ, and the saints "use the crowns that Christ has given them to own their perfect submission to Him" (Hamilton Smith). The elders are "more blessed in owning His glory than in having their own" (Edward Dennett).
The word "for" carries the whole verse. The elders give the reason God is worthy.
These twenty-four elders (representatives, as I have said, of the saints), as kings and priests, understand what makes the Lord worthy of praise: "for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created." The Lord is the source and final end of all that exists.
Older translations read "for your pleasure" where the ESV has "by your will." Both point to God's will as the one cause.
If God's will alone brought everything into being, then everything remains answerable to Him. That is the argument the elders' last words make.
They praise Him as the Creator, and they own the sovereign claims this gives Him over all His creatures. His will alone called them into being, and by His will alone they went on existing. So, since they depend on their Creator, they must answer to Him in judgment.
People on earth will soon deny this claim. One commentator notes that those who are a new creation in Christ "enter into God's rights as Creator; which earth's inhabitants, and especially apostate Christians, are about to dispute and deny" (William Kelly).
The Lamb is not named separately in this chapter, which raises a question about who receives this praise.
This praise goes not to the Father, but to the God of creation and providence. In this chapter Jesus is never named or seen on His own. Yet in creation He is the person of the Godhead who works; for "all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together." (Col. 1:16-17.) So the one worshipped here is not the Father as distinct from the Son. It is God the Creator, including Father, Son, and Spirit. All the glory a creature has is only given to it. So the elders, though crowned, fall down and worship the ever-living One, casting their crowns before the throne and owning that He alone is worthy of honour, glory, and power.
This song does not mention redemption yet. That comes next: "In chapter 4, it is the praises of creation, and in chapter 5, the praises of redemption" (J. N. Darby).
A creation made for God's pleasure is not what we see around us now.
Sin has spoiled the beautiful creation, so that now the whole creation groans and suffers pain. But the saints in heaven have the mind of the Lord. They can see that God will deal with all the evil in judgment. Then God can once again take pleasure in His creation, just as He did long ago when the creation work was finished: "And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good" (Gen. 1:31).
- His will — Nothing exists by accident. God's will alone called everything into being and keeps it in being.
- His right — Because He made all things, He may judge all things. To depend on a Creator is to answer to Him.
- His worthiness — The elders give a reason for their praise. Worship that knows why it worships is worship "with understanding."
- His crowns — Real rewards go straight back to the Giver. The elders would rather own His glory than hold their own.
- His pleasure — Sin has spoiled what He made for His delight. Judgment clears the way for God to enjoy His creation again.