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4 Surrounding the throne were twenty-four other thrones, and seated on them were twenty-four elders. They were dressed in white and had crowns of gold on their heads. 5 From the throne came flashes of lightning, rumblings and peals of thunder. In front of the throne, seven lamps were blazing. These are the seven spirits of God. 6 Also in front of the throne there was what looked like a sea of glass, clear as crystal. In the center, around the throne, were four living creatures, and they were covered with eyes, in front and in back. ~ Revelation 4:4-6
We return today to the vision the Lord Jesus gave to John the Apostle of heaven and of Himself on the throne in heaven. The Bible refers to heaven about 550 times, and both the Hebrew and the Greek words used, refer to what is lofty or what is high up.
In v.4 we read, "Surrounding the throne were twenty-four other thrones, and seated on them were twenty-four elders. They were dressed in white and had crowns of gold on their heads."
From Revelation 4 til the end of the book of Revelation, we are shown the future. Revelation 4-5 sets the stage for the rest of the book. It describes the throne room in heaven, the presence of God and the Lamb, and it sets the scene for the judgment which begins to unfold in Revelation 6.
Surrounding the throne were twenty-four other thrones, and seated on them were twenty-four elders.
The stage here is being set in order to teach us about real worship. These twenty-four elders are mentioned twenty-four times in the book of the Revelation. In Revelation 20 we read, “I saw thrones and they sat upon them and judgment was given to them.” Clearly, there is a shared rulership in heaven. These are “elders” who have been granted the privilege of ruling with the LORD God.
According to v.4 “They’re clothed in white garments.” These are the garments of righteousness, imputed to them by faith in the Lord Jesus. They have become overcomers by faith in Christ and have been granted His righteousness. And, they had crowns of gold on their heads. The Greek word used for crowns is stephanous, which is the crown of the one who won the victory, the runner’s crown, the laurel wreath that was given to one who competed and won the victory.
In 2 Timothy 4:8, we read, “There is laid up for me the crown of righteousness which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that day and not only to me but also to all who have loved His appearing.”
Paul says there’s a day coming when believers are going to be coronated, enthroned, and crowned, and that glorious day is known as the Rapture. These are those who have been raptured and they represent the masses who entered heaven just before the seventieth seven of Daniel 9 begins.
In v.5 we read, "From the throne came flashes of lightning, rumblings and peals of thunder. In front of the throne, seven lamps were blazing. These are the seven spirits of God."
These sights and sounds are reminiscent of the time Moses was given the Law on Mount Sinai. They are symbolic of the judgments of God. Revelation is basically the time when God turns from grace to judgment. All through the Bible He has been gracious, appealing to people to open their hearts, seeking to encourage them stop and listen and adjust to the truth. The book of Revelation is about how God will visit judgment upon all those people on the earth who have rejected His Son.
The symbols here of lightnings, rumblings and peals of thunder, are repeated several times through the book of Revelation. They represent a reference point to which the book returns again and again. When we read of them we will realize that we have come again to the final scenes of God's judgment of man's evil. Each time they appear an additional element of judgment is added.
In v.6 we read, "Also in front of the throne there was what looked like a sea of glass, clear as crystal. In the center, around the throne, were four living creatures, and they were covered with eyes, in front and in back."
Here, John saw a great sea of crystal before the throne which speaks of the holiness of God. The sea is the Spirit of God in his purity and unsullied holiness. That is why we call him the Holy Spirit. It is that holiness which He must impart to anyone who dares to stand in the presence of God. "Without holiness," we are told in Hebrews "it is impossible to please God."
In Revelation 21:1 we read, “I saw a new heaven and a new earth and the first heaven and the first earth passed away and there was no longer any sea.”
So Revelation 21 says there’s no sea in heaven. What John saw here was crystal glass like a sea. On the throne sits God. His refracting presence coming through, as it were, diamonds and rubies and an emerald rainbow. And then at the very base of the throne is crystal glass, refracting through every imaginable prism that it could possibly contain the light of God’s glory and bouncing it throughout the infinite universe. A huge crystal base stretching out before it, glistening. This is the pavement of crystal on which the throne of God sits.
Heaven is not a world of shadows. It is a world of incredible light, refracting through jewels and crystals beyond anything we could ever describe or even imagine. This scene is of the God of the Bible who in all His glory, is ready to pour out His wrath on rebellious man. And, this sets the scene for worship. Not worship as we have known it in our churches. True and deep and heart-felt worship because we will see it all as it truly is. And, at that point, we will be totally invested in it because we will finally realize the utter magnitude of what the Lord Jesus did for us on the cross.
Without the awe that is created by this scene, we do not get the whole concept of worship. It was A.P. Gibbs who once said, "Prayer is preoccupation with our needs. Praise is preoccupation with our blessings. Worship is preoccupation with GOD Himself."
