Revelation (Written)

Friday, 30 October 2020

The four living creatures, each having six wings, were full of eyes around and within. And they do not rest day or night, saying:
“Holy, holy, holy,
Lord God Almighty,
Who was and is and is to come!” Revelation 4:8

Continuing with the symbolism of the four living creatures of the previous verses, John describes them further, saying, “The four living creatures, each having six wings.” As noted, these four creatures represent the four gospels. They speak of the living Christ who came to accomplish His mission. The number four in Scripture speaks of creation. EW Bullinger defines it as –

“…that which follows the revelation of God, namely, His creative works. He is known by the things that are seen. Hence the written revelation commences with the words, ‘In-the-beginning God CREATED.’ Creation is therefore the next thing—the fourth thing, and the number four always has reference to all that is created. It is emphatically the number of Creation; of man in his relation to the world as created; while six is the number of man in his opposition to and independence of God. It is the number of things that have a beginning, of things that are made, of material things, and matter itself. It is the number of material completeness. Hence it is the world number, and especially the ‘city’ number.”

Of the number six, he then says it “has to do with man; it is the number of imperfection; the human number; the number of MAN as destitute of God, without God, without Christ.” That may seem inappropriate for a being before the throne of God, but it is the symbolism that is being relayed that is what is to be focused on. To get a further clue as to these beings, Isaiah 6 provides the following –

“In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lifted up, and the train of His robe filled the temple. ² Above it stood seraphim; each one had six wings: with two he covered his face, with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. ³ And one cried to another and said:
‘Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts;
The whole earth is full of His glory!’” Isaiah 6:1-3

In this, we have a representation of the four gospels – the message of Christ that goes throughout the whole world (the created order) to all peoples (the human number). Those who respond are covered by the kanaph (the Hebrew word for “wing”), meaning an edge or extremity. The covering of the face would signify reverence and humility, covering the feet would indicate obedience and possibly modesty, and flying with two wings swiftness in executing God’s commands. Their wings then testify to the state of the redeemed in the world where the gospel has gone forth. With this understanding, John continues, saying they “were full of eyes around and within.”

It is not the wings that are full of eyes, but the creatures. The idea is that their view remains unhindered even with the movement of the wings. The eyes are that which behold. In this case, and because the eyes are all over the creatures, they never stop viewing the Lord. Because of the glory they see, John says, “And they do not rest day or night.”

As the creatures represent the gospel going forth to the people of the world, it is the continuous state of that since it was first given. It is an eternal message that never ceases to be proclaimed. The eyes speak of what it beheld in the gospels concerning the glory of God. What is displayed there is beheld by man and the response is that the creatures then say –

“Holy, holy, holy,
Lord God Almighty,
Who was and is and is to come!”

It is through the gospels that the nature of God – His Triune nature – is finally revealed to man. Thus, the call is known as the Trisagion, or “Thrice Holy.” In the gospels, man discovers that God is Father, God is Son, and God is Holy Spirit. Each is Kyrios ho Theos ho Pantokratōr, or Lord the God the Almighty, and all are displayed through the Son. He is the focal point of our understanding of the Godhead. It is He who reveals the unseen God to us through the record of the gospels. As fully God, He is the One, “Who was and is and is to come.”

The phrase takes the reader back to Revelation 1:4 & 1:8. To understand the terminology, you can refer to the commentary there. In the end, it is Jesus Christ who is on display to the whole world. Man is lost, and without Him, there is no hope. But through the message of the gospels, man can comprehend the nature of God who sent the Son to redeem him. The proclamation of “Holy, holy, holy” continues on forever because man who has come to Christ will live forever in the presence of God to declare His praise. It will be an unceasing chorus proclaiming His glory for all eternity.

A notable difference between Isaiah’s vision and John’s is when the seraphim in the temple at Jerusalem spoke, they said, “The whole earth is full of His glory.” However, the angels in John’s vision say, “Who was and is and is to come.” The difference is that Isaiah was on earth and God’s presence in the temple was radiating out through the world, illuminating it with His splendor. John, however, was taken to the heavenly throne room. Instead of speaking of His illumination of the creation (something already implied in the “four” gospels), the creatures proclaim His eternality – He is the one who transcends time, space, and matter which comprise His creation. He is infinitely and timelessly holy.

Life application: In the vision Isaiah beheld, the four living creatures are called seraphim. This word means “burning ones,” and their burning appearance certainly comes from reflecting the glory of God. This is similar to Moses’ face when he spoke with God. Afterward, his face shone radiantly. These creatures are always in the presence of God and therefore burn intensely. Therefore, they behold the glory of God directly and they are continuously strengthened in their being. They are ever being revitalized from the glory of what they see and will be eternally awake, alert, and responsive to what they behold.

God is infinitely holy, or infinitely separated from what is fallen and sinful. In this repetition of “holy, holy, holy,” there is an emphasis on God’s supreme holiness. But holiness doesn’t just separate “from,” it also separates “to.” When someone or something is dedicated and purified, there is a separation “to” God. The perfect separation to God for humans is to be united to Him through Christ and His work on our behalf.

In coming to Christ, the transfer from “condemned” to “saved” is made. This is not of ourselves, but because of God’s work in Christ. He alone can make the change in fallen man because He alone is JESUS.

Simply unimaginable! O God, to gaze upon Your infinite glory and beauty is the desire of our hearts. Now we have Your word to meditate upon and to see what Your glory is like, but in the future, we will know intimately that which we now only see in our minds’ eye. We long for that wonderful day when we behold You through our own living eyes! Amen.

Thursday, 29 October 2020

The first living creature was like a lion, the second living creature like a calf, the third living creature had a face like a man, and the fourth living creature was like a flying eagle. Revelation 4:7

In this verse, we have the continued description of the four living creatures brought into the narrative in the previous verse. John describes them in terms that have already been hinted at, or even explicitly seen in Scripture. Taking the various accounts and weaving them together, we can determine the meaning of the symbolism.

In Numbers, the tribes of Israel were encamped around the tabernacle in a very specific order. On each side, one main tribe was named, and it was accompanied by two other tribes that fell under its degel, or standard.

What each degel was is left unstated. However, it can be deduced by taking later passages in Scripture and combining what is said into one overall theme. This includes where we are now in Revelation 4:7.

Tradition says what they are – which is often a tad more than useless, and which normally leads to something meaning whatever one wishes – but the Bible also alludes to each. First is the standard of Judah, the Lion. Only one time in the Bible is the Lion specifically connected to Jesus. That is in Revelation 5:5 –

“Behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has prevailed to open the scroll and to loose its seven seals.” Revelation 5:5

The obvious connotation then is that the Lion is specifically connected to Judah. This confirms what was stated in Genesis –

“Judah, you are he whom your brothers shall praise;
Your hand shall be on the neck of your enemies;
Your father’s children shall bow down before you.
⁹ Judah is a lion’s whelp;
From the prey, my son, you have gone up.
He bows down, he lies down as a lion;
And as a lion, who shall rouse him?” Genesis 49:8, 9

If we can determine one other standard, then we can form a pattern. And it can be done. Ephraim is represented by an ox several times in Scripture. The first time is in Deuteronomy 33. In the blessing of Joseph, of which Ephraim was the preeminent son, he is equated to a wild ox in verse 17. In Hosea 10:11, Ephraim is called a “trained heifer,” meaning an ox. He is again called a bull in Jeremiah 31:18. These are sufficient to give two standards based on a vision of four living creatures seen in Ezekiel 1 –

“As for the likeness of their faces, each had the face of a man; each of the four had the face of a lion on the right side, each of the four had the face of an ox on the left side, and each of the four had the face of an eagle. ¹¹ Thus were their faces.” Ezekiel 1:10, 11

Ezekiel beheld a vision of four living creatures, each with four faces. The faces are described first as a man. Thus, it is the one Ezekiel is seeing first. To the right is a lion. The right from Ezekiel’s position then corresponds to the east as the tribes are laid out. Thus, the man would be to the south, facing him, where the tribe of Reuben would be. On the left, meaning the west, was an ox. That matches where the tribe of Ephraim, the ox, is according to the camp layout. And that leaves the eagle facing north, where the tribe of Dan is. Thus, we can, with all certainty, see the four standards of the tribes – Judah is a Lion; Reuben is a Man; Ephraim is an Ox; and Dan is an eagle. From there, we can see the intended order of these in a numerical sequence from this verse from the book of Revelation –

“The first living creature was like a lion, the second living creature like a calf, the third living creature had a face like a man, and the fourth living creature was like a flying eagle.” Revelation 4:7

The order of the faces is described by John in the same order as the layout of the four gospels – Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Matthew describes Jesus as the great Son of David, and thus King. The symbol of a king is a lion. The king is equated to a lion in Proverbs 19:12 –

“The king’s wrath is like the roaring of a lion,
But his favor is like dew on the grass.”

Kings are again equated with lions in Jeremiah 50:17 –

“Israel is like scattered sheep;
The lions have driven him away.
First the king of Assyria devoured him;
Now at last this Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon has broken his bones.”

The symbolism of the lion representing a king is found in Ezekiel 32:2, and elsewhere, also. Next, Mark focuses on Jesus the Servant. The ox is considered a servant animal. In the third Gospel, Luke focuses on Jesus’ humanity, calling Christ the Son of Man. He uses the term 26 times in this way. And finally, John focuses on Christ’s deity, calling Him the Son of God, specifically 10 times, but alluding to the Father/Son relationship continually. The eagle is thus a symbol of John’s Gospel, reflecting the Divine nature of Christ.

The camps are laid out by four standards in Numbers; the standards are revealed to us in Ezekiel; and their order is given to us in Revelation – an order that matches that of the four gospels. Thus, the four sets of tribes, consisting of twelve individual tribes, branching out from the tabernacle to the east, west, south, and north are reflective of the four gospels. They are the witness of the Lord who came and tabernacled among us.

What is recorded there reveals what was anticipated throughout the Old Testament, and that is then explained in the rest of Scripture, as to His Person, His work, and how it pertains to us.

The four creatures around the throne are representative of the four gospels. The eyes all around them are emblematic of the eternal witness of Christ and His fulfillment of the gospels. Everything He did was witnessed and testifies to His sinless perfection. Their being “in the midst of the throne, and around the throne” signifies that they are the central point of the record of Christ – His coming, His fulfillment of the promise of God, His faithful witness, and His centrality to the testimony of God in relation to humanity.

Life application: In the end, everything points to Jesus either directly or indirectly. What is veiled is there for us to unveil as we read and meditate on Scripture. The Person of Jesus Christ is the full and complete revelation of God to us in a form that we can understand. He is the glorious image of the invisible God. He is Jesus.

How wonderful it is to see our Lord and Savior revealed in the pages of the Holy Bible. Thank You, O God, for opening up wonderful pictures of Jesus to us in a manner we can understand and appreciate. Surely, You are a great and awesome God! You are full of splendor and majesty, and You are worthy of all of our praise and devotion! Amen.

Wednesday, 28 October 2020

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. Revelation 4:6

John continues the heavenly scene around and before the throne saying, “Before the throne there was a sea of glass.” The word “glass” is an adjective and should read “glassy.” It describes the appearance rather than what the sea is made of. The word is only found in Revelation. This glassy sea is said to be “like crystal.” This would then indicate its purity and clarity.

As this sea is “before the throne,” it indicates that it must be crossed in order to reach the throne. The ark symbolized the throne, or dwelling place, of God in the tabernacle and temple. Therefore, the comparison is possibly being made to the bronze laver (a basin used for ceremonial ablutions) in the tabernacle and the bronze sea at the temple. The laver and the sea were used to hold water for ceremonial washing of the priests as they performed their duties. They were to “wash with water, lest they die. ²¹ So they shall wash their hands and their feet, lest they die” (Exodus 30:20, 21).

This washing purified the priests externally so that they could minister. What then appears to be the meaning of this glassy sea reflects the absolutely pure and undefiled state of the One on the throne. It being like crystal would then indicate that it is reflective in nature. Thus, the purity and wholly undefiled state would, through God’s light, sanctify those who come near to the throne, just as the laver/sea were used for such (external) sanctification. There is the power to transform those who approach into the purity of the image of Christ.

Next, John says, “And in the midst of the throne, and around the throne, were four living creatures.” Concerning this wording, Albert Barnes appears to correctly analyze the Greek –

“Not occupying the throne, but so as to appear to be intermingled with the throne, or ‘in the midst’ of it, in the sense that it was beneath the center of it. The meaning would seem to be, that the four living creatures referred to occupied such a position collectively that they at the same time appeared to be under the throne, so that it rested on them, and around it, so that they could be seen from any quarter. This would occur if their bodies were under the throne, and if they stood so that they faced outward. To one approaching the throne they would seem to be around it, though their bodies were under, or ‘in the midst’ of it as a support. The form of their bodies is not specified, but it is not improbable that though their heads were different, their bodies, that were under the throne, and that sustained it, were of the same form.”

If his analysis is correct, it would then correspond to the construction of the sea used in Solomon’s temple –

“And he made the Sea of cast bronze, ten cubits from one brim to the other; it was completely round. Its height was five cubits, and a line of thirty cubits measured its circumference.
²⁴ Below its brim were ornamental buds encircling it all around, ten to a cubit, all the way around the Sea. The ornamental buds were cast in two rows when it was cast. ²⁵ It stood on twelve oxen: three looking toward the north, three looking toward the west, three looking toward the south, and three looking toward the east; the Sea was set upon them, and all their back parts pointed inward.” 1 Kings 7:23-25

Of these living creatures, it says that they are “full of eyes in front and in back.” The thought here is that nothing is out of their view – they can see in all directions. Further, the implication is that they are open, signifying that they are always seeing and never resting. All that is done is taken in by them and evaluated by them. They would have discernment in all matters, physical and spiritual. Their gaze misses nothing, and they are ever vigilant.

Life application: Due to the apocalyptic nature of Revelation, there will obviously be a wide variety of ideas about what the symbolism of various scenes and events is conveying. Some can be more surely identified than others, but it is good to stick as closely as possible to a conservative evaluation. If Scripture elsewhere provides insights, it is to be used. If it does not, then take each symbol only so far and don’t run off on wild speculation.

Considering the nature of God, when properly understood, will often give helpful insights – He is pure, undefiled, holy, merciful, etc. Transferring those attributes to symbols is an acceptable way of making the symbolism come alive to the reader. And so, sticking with what is known, and not going too far in one’s own mind, is a sound way of looking at, and evaluating, the depictions.

Lord God, it is wonderful to know that someday faithful believers will actually gaze upon the throne of our Lord and see His majesty revealed to us. To think on His glory is simply beyond our comprehension. But You have given us advanced insights into the heavenly throne room in Your word. How wonderful is the depiction presented in its pages! Someday, our eyes will behold that wonderful scene. May that day be soon. Amen.

Tuesday, 27 October 2020

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. Revelation 4:5

John is still describing the scene of the throne that stood before him. In the previous verse, there were the twenty-four elders sitting on twenty-four thrones around the main throne. The attention is now directed again to that main throne saying, “And from the throne proceeded lightnings.” The translation is incorrect. The verb is in the present tense to highlight the constant nature of what is occurring – “And from the throne proceed lightnings.”

Lightning is given as a display of the power of God. In Job 1:16, what is called “the fire of God” is believed to be describing lightning. It is a consuming fire that can be carefully directed to take life, or to move those close by to fear.

Next, John notes “thunderings.” These are probably a result of the lightnings, as one would expect during any large storm. The lightning is the visible display, while the accompanying thunder accentuates the terrifying effects of the display.

Thirdly, John says, “and voices.” The content of the voices is not given, but it is probably referring to what is stated in Acts 13:27 –

“For those who dwell in Jerusalem, and their rulers, because they did not know Him, nor even the voices of the Prophets which are read every Sabbath, have fulfilled them in condemning Him.”

In other words, the voices are representative of the prophetic utterances of the Lord going forth, speaking His word from His divine throne. These are accompanied by the lightnings and thunderings in order to display the terror of the word which goes forth. The scene is calling to mind the display seen by Israel at Mount Sinai –

“Then it came to pass on the third day, in the morning, that there were thunderings and lightnings, and a thick cloud on the mountain; and the sound of the trumpet was very loud, so that all the people who were in the camp trembled. ¹⁷ And Moses brought the people out of the camp to meet with God, and they stood at the foot of the mountain. ¹⁸ Now Mount Sinai was completely in smoke, because the Lord descended upon it in fire. Its smoke ascended like the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mountain quaked greatly.” Exodus 19:16-18

The difference between that account and this one in Revelation is striking. At Sinai, the Lord spoke out of the midst of the cloud and fire. There was no visible form of the Lord to behold. However, John sees the form of the Lord (verse 2 says, “and One sat on the throne”). The unseen Lord, Yehovah, of the Old Testament is shown to be Christ Jesus, the Incarnate Word of God. What was concealed in the Old is revealed in the New. However, it is the same Lord in all of His glorious splendor.

John next says, “Seven lamps of fire were burning before the throne.” The word is lampas, and it is where our modern term “lamps” is derived from. It signifies a lamp, torch, or light. Seven of them indicates spiritual perfection. It is the perfection of light radiating out of the throne. Of these John says, “which are the seven Spirits of God.”

This takes the reader back to verse 3:1 where it says, “These things says He who has the seven Spirits of God and the seven stars.” As noted, the seven Spirits are brought forward from Old Testament symbolism –

“There shall come forth a Rod from the stem of Jesse,
And a Branch shall grow out of his roots.
² The Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon Him,
The Spirit of wisdom and understanding,
The Spirit of counsel and might,
The Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord.” Isaiah 11:1, 2

The seven Spirits of God are these seven Spirits, each accomplishing its own purpose and yet united as one, resting on God’s Christ. As He sits upon the throne of God, the seven Spirits of God issue forth from His throne.

Life application: As noted above, the heavenly scene in this verse is calling forth the memory of the Lord’s manifestation of Himself on Mount Sinai. Later in Acts, we read this –

“When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. ² And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. ³ Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them. ⁴ And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.” Acts 2:1-4

Revelation 4:5 takes the reader to the very place where these past events originated – the throne of God Almighty which is occupied by the Lord Jesus. At Sinai, the people heard the law spoken out which would then be engraved on stone. They were given a law they couldn’t fulfill to demonstrate to them the grace they needed.

Those in Jerusalem received the sealing of the Holy Spirit on hearts of flesh. They received the grace necessary for salvation from the Lord who fulfilled the law on their behalf. What proceeds from the throne here in Revelation will be judgment upon the world which has rejected those precepts and the grace offered through Christ. They have decided to do things their own way and they will be judged in the choice they have made.

Just, righteous, and holy is the Lord who will judge the unrepentant world during the tribulation period. This time of trouble is drawing near for the people who have rejected Him.

Lord, if fallen man only knew the tribulation that is set to come upon the world; if he only knew the absolute holiness of You who created him; if he could only reason out the more important issues of life… Lord, help us to be faithful witnesses to Your grace before the days of judgment issue forth from Your throne. Amen.

Monday, 26 October 2020

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. Revelation 4:4

John just described the throne where the Lord sits in heaven, now he continues with, “Around the throne were twenty-four thrones.” The idea of a throne is that of rule and authority, just as in the previous verses. There is an order in heaven where God has placed thrones representing the actions of a court as one might find in an earthly rule, such as the “seven princes of Persia and Media” of Esther 1:14, or other such references in Scripture. Jesus speaks of this type of thing in Matthew 19 –

“So Jesus said to them, ‘Assuredly I say to you, that in the regeneration, when the Son of Man sits on the throne of His glory, you who have followed Me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.’” Matthew 19:28

Whether these twenty-four thrones are actual or symbolic can be argued, but either way, they represent an established authority of some type – actual or typological. From there, John next says, “and on the thrones I saw twenty-four elders sitting.” The concept of the thrones was stated first to show the type of category that is filled by the elders. From there, the elders are then mentioned to reveal that they fill that category.

The word “elder” is presbuteros. It signifies a mature man, seasoned in judgment. Again, whether these are literal or symbolic of a type of authority that is set in the heavenly realm can be argued. Either way, a state of such authority does exist. With this in mind, Albert Barnes provides a most extensive thought on the matter. Despite being rather long, it is precise and well laid out. Therefore, it is cited here –

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Very various opinions have been entertained in respect to those who thus appeared sitting around the throne, and to the question why the number twenty-four is mentioned. Instead of examining those opinions at length, it will be better to present, in a summary manner, what seems to be probable in regard to the intended reference. The following points, then, would appear to embrace all that can be known on this subject:

(1) These elders have a regal character, or are of a kingly order. This is apparent:

(a) because they are represented as sitting on “thrones,” and

(b) because they have on their heads “crowns of gold.”

(2) they are emblematic. They are designed to symbolize or represent some class of persons. This is clear:

(a) because it cannot be supposed that so small a number would compose the whole of those who are in fact around the throne of God, and,

(b) because there are other symbols there designed to represent something pertaining to the homage rendered to God, as the four living creatures and the angels, and this supposition is necessary in order to complete the symmetry and harmony of the representation.

(3) they are human beings, and are designed to have some relation to the race of man, and somehow to connect the human race with the worship of heaven. The four living creatures have another design; the angels Revelation 5:1-14 have another; but these are manifestly of our race – persons from this world before the throne.

(4) they are designed in some way to be symbolic of the church as redeemed. Thus, they say Revelation 5:9, “Thou hast redeemed us to God by thy blood.”

(5) they are designed to represent the whole church in every land and every age of the world. Thus, they say Revelation 5:9, “Thou hast redeemed us to God by thy blood, out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation.” This shows, further, that the whole representation is emblematic; for otherwise in so small a number – twenty-four – there could not be a representation out of every nation.

(6) they represent the church triumphant – the church victorious. Thus, they have crowns on their heads; they have harps in their hands Revelation 5:8; they say that they are “kings and priests,” and that they will “reign on the earth,” Revelation 5:10.

(7) the design, therefore, is to represent the church triumphant – redeemed – saved – as rendering praise and honor to God; as uniting with the hosts of heaven in adoring him for his perfections and for the wonders of his grace; As representatives of the church, they are admitted near to him; they encircle his throne; they appear victorious over every foe; and they come, in unison with the living creatures, and the angels, and the whole universe Revelation 5:13, to ascribe power and dominion to God.

(8) as to the reason why the number “twenty-four” is mentioned, perhaps nothing certain can be determined. Ezekiel, in his vision Ezekiel 8:16; Ezekiel 11:1, saw twenty-five men between the porch and the altar, with their backs toward the temple, and their faces toward the earth – supposed to be representations of the twenty-four “courses” into which the body of priests was divided 1 Peter 2:9), and to have alluded to the fact that the priesthood under the Jewish economy was divided into twenty-four courses, each with a presiding officer, and who was a representative of that portion of the priesthood over which he presided. If so, then the ideas which enter into the representation are these:

(a) That the whole church may be represented as a priesthood, or a community of priests – an idea which frequently occurs in the New Testament.

(b) That the church, as such a community of priests, is employed in the praise and worship of God – an idea, also, which finds abundant countenance in the New Testament.

(c) That, in a series of visions having a designed reference to the church, it was natural to introduce some symbol or emblem representing the church, and representing the fact that this is its office and employment. And,

(d) that this would be well expressed by an allusion derived from the ancient dispensation – the division of the priesthood into classes, over each one of which there presided an individual who might be considered as the representative of his class.

It is to be observed, indeed, that in one respect they are represented as” kings,” but still this does not forbid the supposition that there might have been intermingled also another idea, that they were also “priests.” Thus, the two ideas are blended by these same elders in Revelation 5:10; “And hath made us unto our God kings and priests.” Thus understood, the vision is designed to denote the fact that the representatives of the church, ultimately to be triumphant, are properly engaged in ascribing praise to God. The word “elders” here seems to be used in the sense of aged and venerable men, rather than as denoting office. They were such as by their age were qualified to preside over the different divisions of the priesthood.

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In his commentary, Barnes somewhat dismisses the number twenty-four. However, EW Bullinger rightly defines it as “the number associated with the heavenly government and worship, of which the earthly form in Israel was only a copy. We are told that both Moses and David ordered all things connected with the Tabernacle and Temple worship by direct revelation from God, and as a copy of things in the heavens, Hebrews 8:5; 1 Chronicles 28:12, 19. And the sevenfold phrase (in Exo 40) ‘as the LORD commanded Moses’ witnesses to the Divine ordering of all. It was so with the twenty-four courses of priests in the earthly Temple; these were formed on the ‘pattern of things in the heavens.’ In Revelation 4, we read of the twenty-four heavenly elders, who are the twelve Patriarchs from the Old Testament and the twelve Apostles from the New.’”

Whether these are actually the Patriarchs and Apostles, or symbolic of them can, again, be debated. However, they are certainly representative of what issued from them – meaning the tribes of Israel, and the body of believers we today call the “church.” Of these men, John says they are “clothed in white robes.”

This idea of white robes will be defined later in Revelation 19:8 to indicate “the righteous acts of the saints” (NKJV), or the “righteousness of the saints” (Webster’s). What seems more appropriate is the latter. It is the imputed righteousness of Christ. These elders are purified through Christ and are sanctified for the role they have been appointed. The idea of white garments has already been presented in Revelation 3:4.

Finally, John finishes the verse with the words, “and they had crowns of gold on their heads.” This is a reference to the position of ruling authority that accompanied the idea of sitting on thrones. However, this could extend to priestly duties as well. The high priest of Israel had a plate of pure gold on his turban which identified his priestly office. Thus, the crowns may signify both kingly and priestly authority.

Again, these beings that are described may only be symbolic, and they could simply be reflective of the single office of Christ. He is the Human who represents all redeemed humanity before God – both Israel of old and the church. This would appear to be wrong based on, for example, verse 4:10 where “the twenty-four elders fall down before Him who sits on the throne.” But as long as the scene is given as only typology, it would be no different than that of the slain Lamb and the four living creatures of verse 5:6. In that verse, the four living creatures (yet to be mentioned) and the twenty-four elders are noted in one verse. As will be seen, the four living creatures will, in fact, represent aspects of Christ.

Life application: Jesus is the focal point of all of Scripture. It is important to not take something that is apocalyptic in nature and then dogmatically state that it is describing something that can only be inferred. In the case of the twenty-four elders, they may represent actual humans in the number given. They may represent a body of authority that is reflected in the descriptions given. They may represent all believers from both Israel and the church. Or, they may represent the authority of Christ over the redeemed of both the Mosaic and New Covenants. As such, these may not be literal thrones in heaven with literal people on them.

The book of Revelation is carefully describing a heavenly scene in a manner that we can comprehend, and which is to then reveal spiritual truths. In the end, all righteousness (white garments) comes from Christ alone. Likewise, all authority – both kingly and priestly – is derived from Christ alone. With this in mind, we can be secure in our theology even if lesser points are debated over.

Lord Jesus, all rule in heaven and on earth belongs to You. To You every knee will bow, and every tongue will confess. Your word states that it is so. Help us to be willing to stand up for these truths and to proclaim that there is one path to salvation and only one way to be right before God. May we never waffle in this matter. Without You, there is no hope. But through You, there is eternal peace and security. Thank You for what You offer to the people of the world! Amen.