With the completion of the letters to churches, John was shown the throneroom of God. As it says in verse one: 1 After these things I looked, and behold, a door standing open in heaven. And the first voice which I heard was like a trumpet speaking with me, saying, “Come up here, and I will show you things which must take place after this.”2 Immediately I was in the Spirit; and behold, a throne set in heaven, and One sat on the throne.
3 And He who sat there was like a jasper and a sardius stone in appearance; and there was a rainbow around the throne, in appearance like an emerald. The "He" that John describes is God. Now, in John's time, one of the most precious stones was emerald because it was so sparse in the region. But not only that, the emerald stone is thought to preserve love. The emerald has long been the symbol of hope and faith, and is considered to be the stone of prophecy. Now, what is overlooked by many is the sardius stone. Many people don't know what a sardius stone even looks like, here it is:
Okay, so now you've seen a sardius stone, but why does John describe God as being like a sardius stone, rather than say, a diamond, or a sapphire? The reason why John chose to compare God's physical image to a sardius stone is because inscribed on the sardius stone (later on in Revelation) was the name Judah, which means "Praise of Jehovah" and denotes the expression of praise. The sardius stone was red in color symbolizing blood & man. The tribe of Judah was the regal and ruling tribe of God. It was out of this tribe that the lawgivers and kings came. Blessings, joy, strength, and victory were always their portion.
Verse 4:
4 Around the throne were twenty-four thrones, and on the thrones I saw twenty-four elders sitting, clothed in white robes; and they had crowns of gold on their heads.
Ignorantly, many people believe that the 24 elders represents the 24 hours in a day. But remember, back in biblical times, they didn't have 24-hour clocks.
If we go back to the book of Matthew we read:
50 And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice, and yielded up His spirit.
51 Then, behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom; and the earth quaked, and the rocks were split,
51 Then, behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom; and the earth quaked, and the rocks were split,
52 and the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised;
53 and coming out of the graves after His resurrection, they went into the holy city and appeared to many.
These saints, whom are not named, are called the "first-fruits" Notice how in verse 53, they did not come out of their graves until AFTER Jesus was resurected from the grave: 1 Corinthians chapter 15 explains the "first-fruits.
22 For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive.
23 But each one in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, afterward those who are Christ’s at His coming.
24 Then comes the end, when He delivers the kingdom to God the Father, when He puts an end to all rule and all authority and power.
Notice there is the obvious resurrection/rapture of the righteous at Messiah's coming that all of us today hope to be part of, as well as the one at "the end" that speaks of when the rest of the (unrighteous) dead are raised. However what we often look over is the the fact that at Messiah's resurrection there were also "firstfruits" PLURAL.
Having all of this information, we can accurately assume that the 24 elders are the firstfruits when Jesus ressurected from the grave.
Verse 5:
5 And from the throne proceeded lightnings, thunderings, and voices. Seven lamps of fire were burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God.
The 7 spirits of God are:
1 — the Spirit of the Lord;
2 — the Spirit of wisdom;
3 — the Spirit of understanding;
4 — the Spirit of counsel;
5 — the Spirit of might;
6 — the Spirit of knowledge;
7 — and the Spirit of the fear of the Lord.
Verse 6:
6 Before the throne there was a sea of glass, like crystal. And in the midst of the throne, and around the throne, were four living creatures full of eyes in front and in back.
7 The first living creature was like a lion, the second living creature like a ox, the third living creature had a face like a man, and the fourth living creature was like a flying eagle.
8 The four living creatures, each having six wings, were full of eyes around and within.
When I first read this I had to think to myself, why are these creatures in the throneroom of God? Then I read:
And they do not rest day or night, saying:
“Holy, holy, holy
Lord God Almighty,
Who was and is and is to come!”
But just like the 24 elders, what do the 4 creatures represent? Well, in a sense:
The four living creatures stand for everything that is noblest, strongest, wisest, and swiftest in nature. Each of them has the pre-eminence in his own particular sphere and world. The lion is supreme among beasts; the ox is supreme among cattle; the eagle is supreme among birds; and man is supreme among all creatures. The lion is the king of beasts, the noblest of them all. The labouring ox is the strongest of beasts. The eagle is the swiftest of all birds. And man is the wisest in all creation. So, then, the beasts represent all the greatness and the strength and the beauty of nature. Here we see nature praising God. In the verses which are to follow we see the twenty-four elders praising God; and when we put the two pictures together we get the complete picture of both nature and man engaged in constant praise and adoration of God. The ceaseless activity of nature under the hand of God is a ceaseless tribute of praise.
Verse 9:
9 Whenever the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to Him who sits on the throne, who lives forever and ever,
10 the twenty-four elders fall down before Him who sits on the throne and worship Him who lives forever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying:
11 “ You are worthy, O Lord
To receive glory and honor and power;
For You created all things,
And by Your will they exist and were created.”
You see, even those who are the kings of kings and have came back from the dead and have a special place for themselves in heaven still worship the one who created them, selfless, honorable, and worthy, THAT is the one they worship.
-----End Chapter 4-----
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