Revelation 4
1 After this I looked, and, behold, a door was opened in heaven: and the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me; which said, Come up hither, and I will shew thee things which must be hereafter. 2 And immediately I was in the spirit: and, behold, a throne was set in heaven, and one sat on the throne.
What follows are the ‘things which must be hereafter’. For surely we know that it was after the time that John was witnessing all this at. And, most probably, a vast majority of the next 18 chapters is future for us too. After this refers to these 7 churches, specifically, and most probably churches in general; i.e. the church age. This a clear time marker; there is a change here in focus; something new is to come about. It seems to be speaking of the ‘Rapture’ here. Jesus Christ is “The Door”; the door to Heaven and His Father. John related that he saw a literal door; maybe there is one that allows entrance into the 3rd Heaven…the abode of God. We remember the Heavens opening up at Christ’s baptism and also at Stephen’s martyrdom. The ‘trumpet’ will sound at the Rapture (trump of God). “Come up hither” very well may refer to (other than John’s vision) the rapture of the saints; we probably will here these very words from the ‘voice of the archangel’ and/or the shout of the Lord Himself. When the rapture occurs, we will all “immediately (be) in the spirit”. We shall all be changed in a moment (1 Co 15). Maybe the first thing that we will see once entering into Heaven will be the Throne of God. This Throne might very well be the Judgement Seat of Christ; or it is the Throne of God the Father, with His Son at His right hand (however, it states that there was just ‘one’ that ‘sat on the throne’).
Thus, I strongly believe that Revelation 4:1,2 is speaking of the Rapture: after the church age; door opens in heaven; trumpet sounds; come up hither; immediately in the spirit; before the throne in heaven.
3 And he that sat was to look upon like a jasper and a sardine stone: and there was a rainbow round about the throne, in sight like unto an emerald. 4 And round about the throne were four and twenty seats: and upon the seats I saw four and twenty elders sitting, clothed in white raiment; and they had on their heads crowns of gold. 5 And out of the throne proceeded lightnings and thunderings and voices: and there were seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God.
(3) Jasper is “an opaque, impure variety of quartz, of red, yellow, and also of some dull colors, breaking with a smooth, highly polished surface.” The red variety was commonly the color worn by princes. The Sardine stone was typically bloodred in color. (Barne’s Notes) This probably further illustrates His princeliness and may also point to the blood He shed. The throne of God will have an emerald green rainbow around it.
(4) I assume these 24 “seats” are in a complete circle “round about the throne” (though it could be in a semicircle facing inward or outward). These “elders” are in an authoritative position (wearing golden crowns). These are already in place, so it probably is made up of men who lived long before the rapture. Though, they have golden crowns, which may have been given already at this Judgement Seat. In the Old Testament, there were 24 priests on duty at all times (1Chr 24). Most likely these 24 elders are the 12 sons of Jacob and the 12 apostles (Matthias, not Iscariot) (Rv 21:12,14).
(5) Apparently, directly “out of the throne proceeded” these amazing things; maybe it was coming out of the area around the throne. “Lightning and thundering” is always associated with judgement in the Bible. The “voices” may be those of the Godhead, or angels, or the living creatures, or the 24 elders. The Seven Spirits of God are mentioned again here, and the context is just after the Rapture; thus, they may not be specifically related to those 7 churches.
The throne of God is pictured here with an emerald green rainbow, 24 elders, lightnings and thunderings, seven lamps of fire, a sea of crystal glass, and 4 beasts.
6 And before the throne there was a sea of glass like unto crystal: and in the midst of the throne, and round about the throne, were four beasts full of eyes before and behind. 7 And the first beast was like a lion, and the second beast like a calf, and the third beast had a face as a man, and the fourth beast was like a flying eagle. 8a And the four beasts had each of them six wings about him; and they were full of eyes within: …
(6) In front of this throne was a huge area (sea) of glass that appeared like crystal…the purest glass imaginable. How big of an area would it need to be to ‘house’ all the saints of all time? There were 4 individual animals (beasts) with eyes all over the bodies. If these are literal eyes, then these can take in a lot of visual data of the area around them. Their appearance is literal I believe, but is to be applied symbolically. These 4 beasts are many times mentioned in Revelation in association with the 24 elders giving praise to the Lamb. Why are 4 beasts located at ‘center stage’ before the throne of God? Odd. I believe that John literally saw this, and that they really do look like this (though, it says ‘like’, so they were not actually such). I also believe that their appearance is to be symbolic of some great truths. They probaby represent the 4 different representations to the Gospels: Matthew presents Christ as the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the coming King of Kings; Mark presents Christ as a suffering Servant (calf); Luke presents Christ as the Son of man, i.e. His humanity; and John presents Christ as God Almighty (eagle).
It appears that Ezekiel saw the same creatures, and called them ‘cherubim’ (Ez 1:4-14, 22-24; 10:20-22,12,14).
8b …and they rest not day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come. 9 And when those beasts give glory and honour and thanks to him that sat on the throne, who liveth for ever and ever, 10 The four and twenty elders fall down before him that sat on the throne, and worship him that liveth for ever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying, 11 Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.
One of the 4 beasts main tasks, along with the 24 elders, is to give praise to God who sits on the throne. I don’t believe that for eternity they will be repeating this over and over again 24/7. It was probably being done during a specific period of time; maybe just at the beginning of the Tribulation…and/or at other key prophetic events.
Worship here involves falling down, casting crowns, and proclaiming the Lord’s worthiness. There will be a whole lot of praise and worship in Heaven. Our worship leaders at this time in Heaven will be the 24 elders and the 4 Beasts. There doesn’t seem to be any band, or line of professional singers, and definitely no drums.
Revelation 5
1 And I saw in the right hand of him that sat on the throne a book written within and on the backside, sealed with seven seals. 2 And I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, Who is worthy to open the book, and to loose the seals thereof? 3 And no man in heaven, nor in earth, neither under the earth, was able to open the book, neither to look thereon. 4 And I wept much, because no man was found worthy to open and to read the book, neither to look thereon. 5 And one of the elders saith unto me, Weep not: behold, the Lion of the tribe of Juda, the Root of David, hath prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof.
(1) Him: Looking at verses 6 and 7, we may conclude that this is the Father. Jesus Christ sat down on the right hand of the Father.
Book: In Daniel 12, Daniel speaks of his vision of the Great Tribulation and it was to be sealed in a book till the end.
It appears that over 600 years transpired between Daniel’s sealing this book and the revealing of its contents by John.
Seals: There is an ancient Roman law that required a will to be sealed 7 times. The 7th seal opens the 7 trumpet judgements (Rv 8-11); and the 7th trumpet opens the 7 vial judgements (Rv 15,16). Chronologically, Revelation 5 and 6 seems to be located in the very first part of the 7 year Tribulation. Though, some conservative scholars spread the 7 seals across the entire Tribulation period.
(2) Strong angel: Gabriel or Michael? There must be different strengths amongst angels, for this one is described as ‘strong’, vice others.
Worthy: There is only one ‘worthy’ One…the Lord Jesus Christ. Someone had to be found worthy so this judgement could be meted out. All those Baptist brethren murdered….oh God, where is thy judgement!
(5) Lion: Jesus is the Lion of the tribe of Juda, the Root of David. The Bible says that ‘Judah is a lion’s whelp’, and it is believed that the lion was the emblem of this tribe. “Christ was the root of David as to his divine nature; he was a branch out of the stem of Jesse as to his human nature.” (Adam Clarke’s Commentary)
6 And I beheld, and, lo, in the midst of the throne and of the four beasts, and in the midst of the elders, stood 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. 7 And he came and took the book out of the right hand of him that sat upon the throne.
8 And when he had taken the book, the four beasts and four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps, and golden vials full of odours, which are the prayers of saints. 9 And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation; 10 And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.
(6) Lamb: This Lamb is Jesus Christ. He appeared as a slain lamb; a white lamb that has been killed will no doubt have blood on it; maybe He is showing His scars and still has that precious blood staining His pure white clothing. He stood and victoriously took that book with His nail pierced hand.
Seven Spirits: The 7 Spirits is/are related to the 7 eyes of Jesus Christ; all this is seemingy symbolic (Lamb, slain, 7 horns, etc.).
(8) Prayers: Think about all those prayers over the centuries given up by our Baptist (and other Christian) martyrs! God keeps track of your prayers!
(9) New song: I’m sure there will be great songs sung from ages past there also. We will be learning new songs in Heaven. There won’t be an electric guitar and drum set around the throne, though! There won’t be long haired men with earings, eye liner, tight black clothing, or cowboy boots leading the music with these! The TBN praise and worship team won’t be there. It’s 4 Beasts and the 24 elders! Interestingly, only the harp and the trumpet are mentioned as musical instruments associated with worship in Heaven.
Worthy: His worthiness is directly related to His blood! We are redeemed by His blood. It’s good to sing about the blood!
(10) Kings: It is very important to discern who the ‘us’ and ‘we’ are here. For sure it refers to the 24 elders; but, verse 9 shows that they came out of all nations; so, it may very well refer to all the redeemed…or some group in between. Who will be reigning on the earth? Those with glorified bodies might reign over those transated into the Millenium, and their subsequent offspring. But in the Eternal State, it wouldn’t make sense to have everyone ruling, for who would they rule over? I personally believe that the ‘us’ and ‘we’ here are faithful O.T. Jewish saints and faithful church folk (as derived from the 24 (12 and 12) elders’ identities).
11 And I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne and the beasts and the elders: and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands; 12 Saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing. 13 And every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying, Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever. 14 And the four beasts said, Amen. And the four and twenty elders fell down and worshipped him that liveth for ever and ever.
Many angels: All along and around the throne, were these angels, numbering well over 100 million (10,000 times 10,000)! This throne area is immense. I can’t comprehend what 100 million + loud angelic voices sound like! It will be very loud in Heaven during the worship of the Lamb. How loud is it in our worship?
Every creature: These are all the redeemed of all time up to then. Probably a billion or more people! Very loud.
People say “amen” in heaven a lot. How about in our services?
Worshipped: If you want to worship the Lord right, fall down; make yourself insignificant and unnoticable. Standing and stretching and waving your arms and hands up to the ceiling, and then swaying to the praise team’s music is the direct opposite of what we see here!
Revelation 6
1 And I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals, and I heard, as it were the noise of thunder, one of the four beasts saying, Come and see. 2 And I saw, and behold a white horse: and he that sat on him had a bow; and a crown was given unto him: and he went forth conquering, and to conquer.
(1) What now proceeds is that which was prophesied in Daniel 9:24-27 (i.e. the 70th week of Daniel).
The Lamb, Jesus Christ, is very much interested in having these seals opened, and for judgement to come upon the earth. God used many different beings to speak to John; here it was one of the four beasts.
(2) These 4 horses are similar to the vision shown Zechariah (Zech 1:8, 6:2-6). White horse: may be a counterfeit of the King of Kings riding on His white horse in Rev. 19. Christ has ‘many crowns’! Many think this involves the rapid rise of the AntiChrist to power using deception.
Bow: this weapon apparently has no apparent arrows with it; this suggests a military conquest not requiring bloodshed. Dan. 8:25 states “By peace shall he destroy many”. He ‘shall destroy wonderfully’ (Dan 8:24).
The White Horse judgment represents the antichrist conquering through peace treaties; getting the militaries to lay down their weapons and ‘work with the antichrist’. Many believe that Antiochus Epiphanes fulfilled this scripture (I disagree).
3 And when he had opened the second seal, I heard the second beast say, Come and see. 4 And there went out another horse that was red: and power was given to him that sat thereon to take peace from the earth, and that they should kill one another: and there was given unto him a great sword.
Red horse: red pictures bloodshed; the false peace involving negotiations and treaties is now quickly replaced by gross carnage. “Kill all Christians!” will no doubt be proclaimed at this time. This aspect of the AntiChrist’s regime will involve great military might. He may cause the nations that had brokered peace between them, to turn against each other. The Red Horse judgment involves worldwide wars and bloodshed. The ‘great sword’ might be some amazingly powerful weapon (nuclear, laser, electromagnetic, etc.?).
5 And when he had opened the third seal, I heard the third beast say, Come and see. And I beheld, and lo a black horse; and he that sat on him had a pair of balances in his hand. 6 And I heard a voice in the midst of the four beasts say, A measure of wheat for a penny, and three measures of barley for a penny; and see thou hurt not the oil and the wine.
Black horse: black pictures death; here probably referring to economic disaster along with a resultant great famine.
Balances: symbolic of weights and measures, i.e. the economy. They had to weigh out the food due to its scarcity.
Wheat: a measure was what a man would typically eat in a day. The ‘penny’ (a Roman Denarius) was about what a man would earn in a day. ‘Barley’ was used by the poorer of the poor. Food staples are hurt in all this. The ‘oil and the wine’ were luxury items. The basic necessities of life became extremely expensive, while the luxury items were normal priced. The Black Horse judgment involved economic collapse with resultant worldwide famine.
7 And when he had opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth beast say, Come and see. 8 And I looked, and behold a pale horse: and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him. And power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with sword, and with hunger, and with death, and with the beasts of the earth.
Pale horse: Widespread death: one fourth of the earth’s population is killed in this judgment (1 billion?). They were killed by weaponry (sword), starvation, disease (death), and ravaging wild beasts.
Death and Hell: These are ‘personifications’; this horse pictures worlwide death, with the resultant doom of Hell for them all.
9 And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held: 10 And they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth? 11 And white robes were given unto every one of them; and it was said unto them, that they should rest yet for a little season, until their fellowservants also and their brethren, that should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled.
Souls slain: these are clearly martyred saints; i.e. those that were killed directly because of their belief in Jesus Christ and His Word. This can happen to us; holding true to the KJV Bible. Old time Baptists were burned at the stake using their Bibles as fuel! Are these the martyred saints of all time? just N.T. martyrs? or only Tribulational martyrs? Verse 11 I think clarifies that it is not just Tribulational martyrs: this is the beginning of the Tribulation, and probably has not had widespread martyrdom yet. They are allowed to be at this very close position to the throne of God. They had ‘white robes’; I assume not everyone has this given to them; at least not as ‘white’ of a robe.
Matthew 24:8,9 might be referring to this – “All these are the beginning of sorrows. Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name’s sake.”
The 5th Seal judgment deals with the crying of the martyrs. Some believe that this seal involves the killing of the saints in the Tribulation.
12 And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal, and, lo, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood; 13 And the stars of heaven fell unto the earth, even as a fig tree casteth her untimely figs, when she is shaken of a mighty wind. 14 And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places. 15 And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains; 16 And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb: 17 For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?
This most likely correlates to Joel 2,3 and Isaiah 13. Now comes a worldwide earthquake, no doubt. This caused all the ‘mountains and islands’ to be ‘moved out of their places’: “every mountain shall be made low” (Is 40:4). Most likely, Jerusalem will be the highest point on Earth after this. This earthquake may have been accompanied by volcanic eruptions all over the globe whose ash would certainly darken the sun greatly and would possibly give the appearance of red to the moon at night. Though, this may be by another phenomenon. These stars falling may be actual stars exploding and (thousands of years later) having their pieces come to the earth as meteors. The 1st and/or 2nd heaven(s) departing as a scroll is quite interesting: apparently the heavens as we now know them will be rolled up and basically disappear. Very strange! They wanted the rocks to actually fall on them, maybe to simply hide them, or maybe to kill themselves. They understood where these judgements were coming from, and why. It was preached to them by the 2 witnesses, the 144,000, and the angels. The 6th Seal judgment involves cosmic disturbances. Is this just prior to Jesus’ 2nd Coming? There are other cosmic disturbances in the 4th Trumpet and 4th Bowl judgments.