This starts the third section of the book of Revelation, after John described his vision on Patmos and the present state of the churches in Asia, all according to the book’s table of contents provided in verse 1:19.
“Therefore write the things which you have seen, and the things which are, and the things which will take place after these things.”
Repetition is provided for the learning impaired, with the twice-used “after these things” in verse 4:1.
After these things I looked, and behold, a door standing open in heaven, and the first voice which I had heard, like the sound of a trumpet speaking with me, said, “Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after these things.” (Revelation 4:1)
A couple of insights. “A door was standing open in heaven.” While many of the Laodiceans had their doors shut, heaven’s door is always wide open. The second is this. While many have set a road block after the book of Jude, or maybe after Revelation 3, and race back to study a “safe” book like James, shouldn’t we be curious about what must take place “after these things?” Yes, we must keep our heads straight when entering this hallowed place, as it’s much like what’s encountered through C.S. Lewis’ “wardrobe.”
2 Immediately I was in the Spirit; and behold, a throne was standing in heaven, and One sitting on the throne. 3 And He who was sitting was like a jasper stone and a sardius in appearance; and there was a rainbow around the throne, like an emerald in appearance. (Revelation 4:2–3)
I’ve always been taught to pretty much take what’s written in Revelation (and the Bible) literally, rather than to allegorize each scene—which is not the case in “The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe!” And it’s best not to correlate everything read with what is presently known, unless it’s pretty clear that what is described matches something set up clearly throughout the Bible. John is seeing and hearing actual future things and reporting back. He’s doing his best to describe what he’s seeing, usually with the code word “like.” What he sees is a throne occupied by a “see-through” God (jasper) embellished with shades of fiery red (sardius), in a halo of greenish hues (emerald). Our first glimpse of Almighty God, and John, even “in the Spirit” can’t see him, which is the way it should be! But he can safely say he’s seen the “light!”
The throne and the one sitting on the throne is straightforward. The use of precious stones and the emerald rainbow in this description relates a glorious phenomenal sight. If we let this sink in, despite all that we have gone through or are going through, God is on his throne! But the problem is how can a lowly man like me approach such a throne without fear?
Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. (Hebrews 4:16)
This throne is not a scary place but an awesome one, one of grace and mercy, but as we will learn soon, we have a suitable intermediary, the Lamb of God, Jesus.
Around the throne were twenty-four thrones; and upon the thrones I saw twenty-four elders sitting, clothed in white garments, and golden crowns on their heads. (Revelation 4:4)
It is very likely that the twenty-four elders described here are believers, not angels. Our clues are the white garments and golden crowns. The only category of people qualified for this role are the redeemed in my mind. The number of elders, twenty-four in number, may allude to the twelve apostles and the twelve tribes. It may also stand for the twenty-four chief priests who headed up twenty-four courses of priests, of which Zacharias (Luke 1:5, 8–9) was one. Here’s something Jesus said that bolsters this opinion.
And Jesus said to them, “Truly I say to you, that you who have followed Me, in the regeneration when the Son of Man will sit on His glorious throne, you also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. (Matthew 19:28)
It helps to be of the persuasion that the dead in Christ and believers are “caught up” to heaven before the events described here occur (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18). Then this austere group can be populated by the “best of the best.” It is true that angels spend much of their time glorifying God “in the highest,” but it would seem best to give more weight to those in receipt of the standard issue “white garments and golden crowns” for their faith and service on earth. And you’d think calling them “angels” if they are indeed angels would be logical and preferable here.In any case, these elders are prominent in Revelation, being mentioned another five times in this book.
To recap, we’ve “seen” God and have proven that “no one has ever seen God.” There’s about to be a confab in heaven surrounding an unbreakable scroll which concerns the fate of the earth, with Jesus, the Lamb of God, waiting just off the stage.
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