Principles of Interpretation: There are patterns to Revelation which should be considered when trying to understand it. One pattern is that each new section is introduced by a scene from the temple. There is significance to these introductions. Do not ignore them. They are a key to understanding the section. Another pattern is that the book is written in symbolic language. The King James Version translates verse 1 as “he sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant John:” To signify is to show in signs, i.e., symbols. Those symbols are based in the rest of the Bible, both Old and New Testament. As such, look to the rest of the Bible to interpret Revelation rather than using Revelation to interpret the rest of the Bible. This also means that you need to let the Bible interpret itself rather than attempting to have it fit into today’s headlines. In short, do not treat Revelation as separate from the rest of the Bible. Instead, expect that the events described in Revelation have been presented in other parts of the Bible. A third pattern in Revelation is the idea of judgement. There are courtroom scenes and wrath and complaints about God not bringing justice. In fact, humans are not the only ones under judgment. God Himself is on trial, and the repeated verdict is that God is just, holy, and worthy. From the beginning claim that this is the Revelation of Jesus to the promise in the last chapter that we shall see God’s face, Revelation is an examination of who our Creator is and whether He is worthy of our loyalty.

Disclaimer: There are four basic methodologies used to interpret the book of Revelation in modern society: futurism, historicism, idealism, and preterism. Many modern churches have embraced the idea of the secret rapture, which is a form of futurism. On the other hand, some churches say that Revelation deals solely with events that were happening in the apostolic era. This is called preterism. Other churches teach that Revelation does not describe any specific time period. Instead, the symbols are philosophical and/or spiritual ideas. The series of studies that I am posting is based on historicism, which says that the Bible teaches that Revelation begins with the time of John and describes the interactions of the church with a hostile world throughout history culminating in the final future eradication of sin from the universe. This view denies a secret rapture. I do not want you to be in confusion about the basic premises of this series of lessons. If you disagree with the historicist viewpoint, please study for yourself to be certain that the interpretations that you have been told by others and simply accepted make sense with the whole Bible. As you study, first ask for guidance from the Holy Spirit; then study the verses, and let the Bible interpret itself. Even if you disagree with my comments, you may find the verses and background information that I provide useful. Finally, I want to emphasize that I myself am still studying Revelation and my understanding is deepening each time I open the book and read. Revelation is a distillation of the whole Bible; as such, the limited space of this blog and my limited understanding means that these lessons are not nearly as in-depth as they could (and maybe should) be.

References: See the end of this post for sources and references.

God’s Throne in the Earthly Temple–Before we can understand what John sees in Revelation 4, we must look at some descriptions of the temple.

Exodus 25:10-22

(10)  “They shall make an ark of acacia wood. Two cubits and a half shall be its length, a cubit and a half its breadth, and a cubit and a half its height. (11)  You shall overlay it with pure gold, inside and outside shall you overlay it, and you shall make on it a molding of gold around it. (12)  You shall cast four rings of gold for it and put them on its four feet, two rings on the one side of it, and two rings on the other side of it. (13)  You shall make poles of acacia wood and overlay them with gold. (14)  And you shall put the poles into the rings on the sides of the ark to carry the ark by them. (15)  The poles shall remain in the rings of the ark; they shall not be taken from it. (16)  And you shall put into the ark the testimony that I shall give you. (17)  “You shall make a mercy seat of pure gold. Two cubits and a half shall be its length, and a cubit and a half its breadth. (18)  And you shall make two cherubim of gold; of hammered work shall you make them, on the two ends of the mercy seat. (19)  Make one cherub on the one end, and one cherub on the other end. Of one piece with the mercy seat shall you make the cherubim on its two ends. (20)  The cherubim shall spread out their wings above, overshadowing the mercy seat with their wings, their faces one to another; toward the mercy seat shall the faces of the cherubim be. (21)  And you shall put the mercy seat on the top of the ark, and in the ark you shall put the testimony that I shall give you. (22)  There I will meet with you, and from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubim that are on the ark of the testimony, I will speak with you about all that I will give you in commandment for the people of Israel.

• The mercy seat is the throne of God. This is where the shekinah glory of God shone out from the Most Holy Place. In the tabernacle of Moses there were images of two creatures called cherubim with wings spread wide above the mercy seat. This was a meeting place between God and man. This was a place where God gave instructions to Moses or His high priest. Those instructions were to be passed on to God’s people.

Isaiah 6:1-5

(1)  In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train of his robe filled the temple. (2)  Above him stood the seraphim. Each had six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. (3)  And one called to another and said: “Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory!” (4)  And the foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of him who called, and the house was filled with smoke. (5)  And I said: “Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts!”

• Where is Isaiah?  He is in the temple, but not literally, because he could not be in the most holy place in body. This was a vision.
• What does Isaiah see? The Lord with a long robe filling the temple.  The creatures that Isaiah sees are called seraphim instead of cherubim, and they are flying rather than just kneeling by the throne.  The seraphim say that God is holy and the earth is full of his glory, not just the temple.  The seraphims’ voice is loud and shakes the temple.  The temple is full of smoke.  Isaiah feels unworthy in the presence of the Lord and the seraphim.
• Who does Isaiah say that he has seen?  Yahweh, the King, the Lord of the angelic beings

Thrones in the Heavenly Temple

Hebrews 4:14-16

(14)  Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. (15)  For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. (16)  Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

Hebrews 8:1-2

(1)  Now the point in what we are saying is this: we have such a high priest, one who is seated at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in heaven, (2)  a minister in the holy places, in the true tent that the Lord set up, not man.

• Where is Jesus?  In heaven
• What is Jesus’ position?  High priest
• Where do we go with confidence?  The mercy seat.  Hebrews is describing the heavenly throne room
• From these verses, what is the mercy seat?  The throne of God

Revelation 4:1–Now we have the background to get into Revelation 4

After this I looked, and behold, a door standing open in heaven! And the first voice, which I had heard speaking to me like a trumpet, said, “Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this.”

• What does the voice say that John will see? what must take place in the future
• When was “this”?  John’s time.  From this we can see that there is no way for the following visions to be about a time before John’s time.  They take place in the future from John’s time.

Revelation 4:2-9

(2)  At once I was in the Spirit, and behold, a throne stood in heaven, with one seated on the throne. (3)  And he who sat there had the appearance of jasper and carnelian, and around the throne was a rainbow that had the appearance of an emerald. (4)  Around the throne were twenty-four thrones, and seated on the thrones were twenty-four elders, clothed in white garments, with golden crowns on their heads. (5)  From the throne came flashes of lightning, and rumblings and peals of thunder, and before the throne were burning seven torches of fire, which are the seven spirits of God, (6)  and before the throne there was as it were a sea of glass, like crystal. And around the throne, on each side of the throne, are four living creatures, full of eyes in front and behind: (7)  the first living creature like a lion, the second living creature like an ox, the third living creature with the face of a man, and the fourth living creature like an eagle in flight. (8)  And the four living creatures, each of them with six wings, are full of eyes all around and within, and day and night they never cease to say, “Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come!” (9)  And whenever the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to him who is seated on the throne, who lives forever and ever,

• Where is John’s body?  Patmos
• Where is John in the vision?  Heaven
• John sees some strange creatures in his vision, yet in Exodus and Isaiah, we have already been introduced to the strange creatures called cherubim and seraphim who are active near God’s throne. In fact, there are even more accounts of strange creatures in Ezekiel.

Four Living Creatures–Who are these strange creatures? What can we learn about them from the Bible itself?

Ezekiel 1:4-28

(4)  As I looked, behold, a stormy wind came out of the north, and a great cloud, with brightness around it, and fire flashing forth continually, and in the midst of the fire, as it were gleaming metal. (5)  And from the midst of it came the likeness of four living creatures. And this was their appearance: they had a human likeness, (6)  but each had four faces, and each of them had four wings. (7)  Their legs were straight, and the soles of their feet were like the sole of a calf’s foot. And they sparkled like burnished bronze. (8)  Under their wings on their four sides they had human hands. And the four had their faces and their wings thus: (9)  their wings touched one another. Each one of them went straight forward, without turning as they went. (10)  As for the likeness of their faces, each had a human face. The four had the face of a lion on the right side, the four had the face of an ox on the left side, and the four had the face of an eagle. (11)  Such were their faces. And their wings were spread out above. Each creature had two wings, each of which touched the wing of another, while two covered their bodies. (12)  And each went straight forward. Wherever the spirit would go, they went, without turning as they went. (13)  As for the likeness of the living creatures, their appearance was like burning coals of fire, like the appearance of torches moving to and fro among the living creatures. And the fire was bright, and out of the fire went forth lightning. (14)  And the living creatures darted to and fro, like the appearance of a flash of lightning. (15)  Now as I looked at the living creatures, I saw a wheel on the earth beside the living creatures, one for each of the four of them. (16)  As for the appearance of the wheels and their construction: their appearance was like the gleaming of beryl. And the four had the same likeness, their appearance and construction being as it were a wheel within a wheel. (17)  When they went, they went in any of their four directions without turning as they went. (18)  And their rims were tall and awesome, and the rims of all four were full of eyes all around.(19)  And when the living creatures went, the wheels went beside them; and when the living creatures rose from the earth, the wheels rose. (20)  Wherever the spirit wanted to go, they went, and the wheels rose along with them, for the spirit of the living creatures was in the wheels. (21)  When those went, these went; and when those stood, these stood; and when those rose from the earth, the wheels rose along with them, for the spirit of the living creatures was in the wheels. (22)  Over the heads of the living creatures there was the likeness of an expanse, shining like awe-inspiring crystal, spread out above their heads. (23)  And under the expanse their wings were stretched out straight, one toward another. And each creature had two wings covering its body. (24)  And when they went, I heard the sound of their wings like the sound of many waters, like the sound of the Almighty, a sound of tumult like the sound of an army. When they stood still, they let down their wings. (25)  And there came a voice from above the expanse over their heads. When they stood still, they let down their wings. (26)  And above the expanse over their heads there was the likeness of a throne, in appearance like sapphire; and seated above the likeness of a throne was a likeness with a human appearance. (27)  And upward from what had the appearance of his waist I saw as it were gleaming metal, like the appearance of fire enclosed all around. And downward from what had the appearance of his waist I saw as it were the appearance of fire, and there was brightness around him. (28)  Like the appearance of the bow that is in the cloud on the day of rain, so was the appearance of the brightness all around. Such was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the LORD. And when I saw it, I fell on my face, and I heard the voice of one speaking.

Ezekiel 10:1-22

(1)  Then I looked, and behold, on the expanse that was over the heads of the cherubim there appeared above them something like a sapphire, in appearance like a throne. (2)  And he said to the man clothed in linen, “Go in among the whirling wheels underneath the cherubim. Fill your hands with burning coals from between the cherubim, and scatter them over the city.” And he went in before my eyes. (3)  Now the cherubim were standing on the south side of the house, when the man went in, and a cloud filled the inner court. (4)  And the glory of the LORD went up from the cherub to the threshold of the house, and the house was filled with the cloud, and the court was filled with the brightness of the glory of the LORD. (5)  And the sound of the wings of the cherubim was heard as far as the outer court, like the voice of God Almighty when he speaks. (6)  And when he commanded the man clothed in linen, “Take fire from between the whirling wheels, from between the cherubim,” he went in and stood beside a wheel. (7)  And a cherub stretched out his hand from between the cherubim to the fire that was between the cherubim, and took some of it and put it into the hands of the man clothed in linen, who took it and went out. (8)  The cherubim appeared to have the form of a human hand under their wings. (9)  And I looked, and behold, there were four wheels beside the cherubim, one beside each cherub, and the appearance of the wheels was like sparkling beryl. (10)  And as for their appearance, the four had the same likeness, as if a wheel were within a wheel. (11)  When they went, they went in any of their four directions without turning as they went, but in whatever direction the front wheel faced, the others followed without turning as they went. (12)  And their whole body, their rims, and their spokes, their wings, and the wheels were full of eyes all around—the wheels that the four of them had. (13)  As for the wheels, they were called in my hearing “the whirling wheels.” (14)  And every one had four faces: the first face was the face of the cherub, and the second face was a human face, and the third the face of a lion, and the fourth the face of an eagle. (15)  And the cherubim mounted up. These were the living creatures that I saw by the Chebar canal. (16)  And when the cherubim went, the wheels went beside them. And when the cherubim lifted up their wings to mount up from the earth, the wheels did not turn from beside them. (17)  When they stood still, these stood still, and when they mounted up, these mounted up with them, for the spirit of the living creatures was in them. (18)  Then the glory of the LORD went out from the threshold of the house, and stood over the cherubim. (19)  And the cherubim lifted up their wings and mounted up from the earth before my eyes as they went out, with the wheels beside them. And they stood at the entrance of the east gate of the house of the LORD, and the glory of the God of Israel was over them. (20)  These were the living creatures that I saw underneath the God of Israel by the Chebar canal; and I knew that they were cherubim. (21)  Each had four faces, and each four wings, and underneath their wings the likeness of human hands. (22)  And as for the likeness of their faces, they were the same faces whose appearance I had seen by the Chebar canal. Each one of them went straight forward.

Summary of the Four Living Creatures

When we compare the information in Revelation 4:6-9 with the two chapters in Ezekiel, we can see that the four living creatures are some kind of majestic and powerful beings who play a major part in interaction between God and Earth:

I am not sure of the symbolism of the faces, except that the changing nature of their features represents their various functions.  Notice that in Revelation, each one is performing only one function so that the face of each creature is stable while in Ezekiel all of the creatures have all of their functions showing so that their faces change.

Another theory is that the four faces represent four facets of their character. I tend to not put much credence into this idea, but I do not totally discount it either. However, the idea of the changing faces showing the creatures’ current function makes more sense to me.

• The face of a man–human intelligence or sympathy.
• The face of a lion–great courage.
• The face of an ox– patient or submissive.
• The face of an eagle– swift to carry out their work.

There is much that we do not know about the four living creatures, but we can be sure from the descriptions of them in the Biblical record that they work intimately with God, have a high rank, and are celestial rather than literal earthly beasts. They play an essential part of carrying out the plans of God here on earth.

Seven Spirits of God:

Revelation 4:5 mentions the seven Spirits of God. This is also spoken of in Revelation 5:6 

(6) And between the throne and the four living creatures and among the elders I saw a Lamb standing, as though it had been slain, with seven horns and with seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth.

• “The seven spirits of God clearly represent the perfect ministry of the Holy Spirit. There is only one Holy Spirit, not seven. But seven is a symbolic number intended to convey the idea of completeness and perfection. The Holy Spirit carries on a continual and flawless ministry for the people of earth. John saw Jesus as ‘a Lamb as it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent forth into all the earth’ (Revelation 5:6). Jesus sends forth the Holy Spirit with perfect power (the seven horns) and perfect wisdom (the seven eyes) to meet the needs of all who are in this world. It is His work to lead humans to sense their need of a Savior, to draw their hearts to Christ, to convict the conscience of sin, and to empower those who come to Christ to repent of their sins and reach out to others” (Unlocking Revelation).

Twenty-Four Elders

Revelation 4:10-11

(10)  the twenty-four elders fall down before him who is seated on the throne and worship him who lives forever and ever. They cast their crowns before the throne, saying, (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.”

This seems to be some kind of heavenly court in session. The Bible mentions another heavenly court in Job where decisions were made regarding the earth.

Job 1:6-12

6)  Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan also came among them. (7)  The LORD said to Satan, “From where have you come?” Satan answered the LORD and said, “From going to and fro on the earth, and from walking up and down on it.” (8)  And the LORD said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, who fears God and turns away from evil?” (9)  Then Satan answered the LORD and said, “Does Job fear God for no reason? 10)  Have you not put a hedge around him and his house and all that he has, on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land. (11)  But stretch out your hand and touch all that he has, and he will curse you to your face.” (12)  And the LORD said to Satan, “Behold, all that he has is in your hand. Only against him do not stretch out your hand.” So Satan went out from the presence of the LORD.

• There is some disagreement about who the 24 elders are.  One idea is that the 24 elders are beings of other worlds, such as is described in Job.  I do not know all of the arguments supporting this idea. Someone I respect is quite certain that the evidence points in this direction. On the other hand, I tend to go with the argument that the 24 elders are humans on the heavenly council.  Several theologians whose works I consult, take this position. “Around the throne are gathered a group called the twenty-four elders.  Who are they? They are definitely not angels or any other order of heavenly beings, for nowhere in the Bible are angels called elders” (Plain Revelation).
• “The fact that they have crowns suggests that they are some of the overcomers of earth: ‘Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love His appearing’ (2 Timothy 4:8; see also Revelation 2:10; 3:11)” (Plain Revelation).
• The twenty-four elders have their foreshadowing in the Old Testament sanctuary system. The ancient priesthood was divided into twenty-four groups who rotated in their service. It was their responsibility to assist the high priest in his work (see 1 Chronicles 24:1-18). Revelation indicates that the twenty-four elders participate with Christ, our great High Priest, in the priestly work of the heavenly sanctuary. They possess “golden vials full of odours, which are the prayers of the saints” (Revelation 5:8). Since they themselves were once sinners in need of the Savior’s grace, they are able to assist Christ in His work as High Priest (Plain Revelation).
• If these are human overcomers who are involved in a heavenly council, “how and when did they go to heaven? The Bible tells us that when Christ arose from the dead, He also raised some others who were asleep in their graves (see Matthew 27:50-53; Ephesians 4:8). From among these who were resurrected with Christ must have come the twenty-four elders title is reserved in Scripture for human beings who are recognized as individuals of honor and experience (see 1 Timothy 5:1-2, 19; 1 Peter 5:1-5).  Because of their spiritual maturity, elders hold positions of responsibility” (Plain Revelation).
• There is also the function of the 24 elders to take into account. In Revelation 5:8 it says “And when he had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each holding a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints.” It would make more sense for humans to be holding the prayers of humanity than for this job to be given to the leaders of the various worlds who would need to be paying more attention to their own people’s needs even though they sympathize with human problems and rejoice when a sinner is saved.  In fact, we are told that we are God’s priests, so it would make sense that the assistants handling the prayers of the saints would be priests, i.e. humans, serving their high priest Jesus.

Summary:  This chapters paints a picture of busy activity with lightnings and thunder and voices which could represent the comings and goings of the elders as they work for humanity and the elders presenting the prayers of the world to Jesus.  In other words, we are given a peek into God’s command center where He directs His servants and where meetings take place among His council.

References:

• Andrews Study Bible–In some lessons, I refer to study comments in this Bible.
• Plain Revelation–A book by Ranko Stefanovic that summarizes the meaning of various sections of Revelation
• Revelation of Jesus Christ–A book by Ranko Stefonovic that comments on each verse of Revelation.
• Salvation in Signs and Symbols–a series of shows where two pastors and two others study through the books of Revelation and Daniel. These programs can be accessed at 3abnplus.tv . Scroll down to 3ABN Dare to Dream Network and choose Salvation in Signs and Symbols from the list there.
• Seventh-Day Adventist Bible Commentary (Volume 7) (Copywrite 1957)–This is the old green set of commentaries, not the new commentary series that is in the process of being published and should be released after 2022. (Boy, I would love to get my hands on that set when it comes out!)
• Table Talk–A series of shows where four pastors discuss various topics. These programs can be accessed at tabletalk.online . Season 4 focuses on Revelation.
• Unlocking Revelation–A series of pamphlets that can be downloaded for free from lightbearers.org and clicking on Resources