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.