Seated on the Throne

Revelation 4:1-11 - Riley Boggs

“Reginald Heber was born in Cheshire, England, 1783. He came from well-off parents, allowing him to receive exceptional education throughout his early years. Reginald easily could have taken these blessings for granted, but he did not. For Reginald, failing his education would be to tell God that His gifts ­are undesirable. Therefore, Reginald learned the value of hard work through his appreciation of God’s gifts. In turn, he received top grades and was praised for his academic ability. Soon after completing his education, Reginald was ordained into the Anglican Church and became a minister.

Rather than using his great education and reputation to find the largest and most glamorous church to lead, Reginald chose a tiny church in the little village of Hodnet, England. Within his congregation, Reginald had a reputation for two things: being a devout man of God, and being a wonderful poet; the perfect recipe for a legendary hymn.

In 1823, Reginald was called to serve in India. He was still young – only 40 years old – and the responsibility was greater than his years. His title was Bishop of Calcutta, which made him leader over missions in India, the Island of Ceylon, and even all of Australia. During his time in India, Reginald worked tirelessly. Once again, he refused to squander this great gift from God. His chief ambition was to build a training school for local clergy so the area would have ministers long after Reginald was gone. Along with building the school, Reginald also traveled across India spreading the gospel.

Over the years, the intense climate and even more intense responsibility wore on Reginald’s health. Through the hardship, he never relented. Such an effort did he give that on one Sunday, directly after an outdoor sermon to a large group of Indians, Reginald dropped dead from heatstroke.

In death, Reginald’s work carried on, for it turned out that during his time at the tiny church in Hodnet, Reginald had written a number of hymns. He never sought publication; perhaps too humble, or perhaps thinking his work not good enough. But his wife saw the beauty in her husband’s work, and she put a collection of her husband’s hymns together and had them published. Fifty-seven hymns made up the collection, and all fifty-seven are still being used to this day. Of the collection, one stood out far above the others: Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty! Early in the morning my song shall rise to Thee!” That is an article from the website HymnCharts, written by Taylor Brantley. (https://hymncharts.com/2022/09/07/the-story-behind-holy-holy-holy/) 

The reason that I wanted to begin with that story this morning is because that legendary hymn, “Holy, Holy, Holy”, was inspired by the very passage we are looking at today. It was here, in Revelation 4, where Reginald Heber found the words to the hymn that has been sung by millions upon millions of Christians over the years. Needless to say, the passage we are looking at this morning is thick with the theme of worship. As we work through it, I hope you’ll see this as well. And not only see it, but be drawn to worship as well.

As a reminder, the way the book of Revelation is structured is in seven cycles of seven. Two weeks ago we finished up the first cycle, which was the seven letters to the seven churches, found in chapters 1-3. This morning we begin the second cycle, which starts here in chapter 4 and goes until chapter 8 verse 1. Now it’s important for you to remember this cyclical structure because it affects how we interpret different things. That is true beginning with verse 1 in the passage we are looking at today. Twice in verse 1 we see the phrase “After this” used. First by John, then by Jesus. Now if you were reading and interpreting this book as if it were a timeline of sorts, then when you read, “After this”, you might think that what you are about to read is going to take place after what we just read in the seven letters to the churches. And in one sense that is true, because all the things written in this book are future to John. But, in another sense, and the one that is applicable to us, we know that these things aren’t future, they are present. So, when John says, “After this”, we should simply take that to mean that a new vision is taking place. He’s telling us the order in which the visions have come to him, not the order in which these things are to happen. And that is important to take note of because the vision we are about to see here is one that we should all acknowledge to be one that is taking place right now. The things we see in these verses are present realities.

I’m sure you noticed as I just read through this vision, but it is pretty amazing to say the least. Pretty amazing, and a maybe a bit overwhelming at first read. There are different objects like thrones and lamp stands. There are different sights and sounds, like thunder and lightning, and a sea of glass. There are different characters. One on the central throne who can’t be described by words, 24 elders on other thrones around that, and then 4 kind of bizarre creatures. And then all of this culminates in this scene of worship where the One on the center throne is being praised. There’s a lot going on, and a lot of things that need to be parsed out a bit to get a better understanding of what is happening. So, my plan is to highlight the 3 things that I think rise out of this passage for us, and try to explain the details as we go along.

So, with all of that said, our passage begins with Jesus speaking to John and then calling him up to heaven, in the spirit, so that he might see this vision. And the vision begins, in verse 2, like this. Look at it with me. John says, “At once I was in the Spirit, and behold, a throne stood in heaven, with one seated on the throne. And he who sat there had the appearance of jasper and carnelian, and around the throne was a rainbow that had the appearance of an emerald.” Now it’s no secret that the One who is on the throne in this vision is none other than God Himself. What John is seeing here at the beginning of this vision is the God of the Universe sitting enthroned in the heavens. But what is not clear, or at least it wasn’t to me when I first read this, is why God is described like this by John.

These 3 things mentioned, jasper, carnelian, and emerald are stones. They are stones that would were known for their beauty. John says that the appearance of God, the One on the throne, was like these things. And not only that, but he says that around the throne had the appearance of a rainbow. Of course we know the rainbow to not only be a beautiful thing we can see in nature, but also a covenant promise that was made after the flood. This is how John describes this vision of God. And as I just mentioned, at first read, it feels a bit odd. It’s a bit odd because the image that I create in my own head whenever I read this is really no image at all. I can’t make sense of it.

Well, I actually think that’s the point that John is making. There are no words to describe what he is saying. It’s beyond words. It’s beyond anything we can imagine. That’s the first point I have for us this morning…

1.) God’s beauty and splendor is beyond anything we can imagine (vv.1-3)

See what I think John is doing here is mixing Old Testament symbols and references in this unique way on purpose. He’s not trying to paint a picture for us in our minds, because he knows that’s useless. Nothing we can imagine gets even close. So instead what He is doing is trying to do is simply move us to a place where we are in awe of God. Not because we can see and understand, but because His beauty and splendor exceeds our understanding.

There are countless good things that have come as a result of the rapid advancement of technology in the past 50 years. I won’t go through them, but you can simply look around this room and your life and see that to be true. That being said, there have also been countless bad things that have also come from this. The one that I want to mention this morning is our inability to be amazed. Because we have access to seeing and experiencing almost everything, we’ve come to a place where the most unbelievable things on this planet don’t even capture us anymore.

That part of us that ought to stand dumbfounded at sheer beauty of things has been dulled by the endless stream of things we see on our phones and TV’s. It’s not uncommon for people to drive 20+ hours to see things like the grand canyon, only to find themselves bored of it on 20 minutes. “Yep, that’s the Grand Canyon. Hey, what are we doing for dinner?” I don’t know if that part of us is even recoverable at this point. I’d like to think so, but it seems unlikely.

And as bad as it is that we have nearly lost our appreciation and wonder of creation, there is still a danger that is far worse. That is, we project our lack of amazement of the things of this world onto the things outside of this world. More specifically, we can be tempted to not long for heaven all that much, because we worry that we will grow bored after a while. Remember, this whole book, the book of Revelation, has been written to the church so that we might persevere in faith until our Lord’s return. And so this passage, this vision of Jesus, is supposed to stir our hearts and minds to long for eternity more and more. It’s supposed to cause us to live more boldly, putting more on the line, because we know what awaits us. But, if we approach this text with this dulled sense of wonder, then this passage won’t actually accomplish what it is intended to accomplish in us.

The reality is that God’s beauty and splendor is something you cannot grow bored of. Not in a hundred years, not in a thousand years, not in a million years, not in an eternity. I know that seems impossible because we have the attention span of a gnat and the imagination of a rock, but it is true. John sees God on his throne and he is immediately at a loss for words. It cannot be communicated. His beauty, His splendor, His glory, will so capture us that it will never let us go. We won’t have to try and stir up awe within our hearts, it will overwhelm us.

We need to be a people who continually speak of God in this way, both to ourselves and to the world. We need to be careful to not explain away God or make Him out to be just a more elevated man. If we do that, then we will likely find ourselves a little less eager to stand before Him and dwell with Him for all eternity. But, if we speak of Him as He is. If we speak of Him as the One who sits enthroned in the heavens and whose beauty and splendor is beyond our wildest imaginations, then we will be more prone to bold faith and worship, which is precisely why this passage has been brought to us.

The vision continues, in verse 4, by telling us that there are 24 thrones around the central throne where God is. John says, “Around the throne were twenty-four thrones, and seated on the thrones were twenty-four elders, clothed in white garments, with golden crowns on their heads.” Now, I’m going to be honest upfront and tell you that I’m not settled as to who these twenty-four elders actually are. The number 24 is no doubt intended to be taken symbolically, as two times the number 12, which is a number of completeness. And yet, there are many true groups of 12, or 24, throughout the Scriptures that this could be a direct reference to. For example, some interpret these 24 elders to be the 24 orders of priests or the 24 orders of singers found in the Old Testament temple. These groups worship God in His sanctuary, and so they see the same thing happening here, and interpret it that way. Others take the number to be entirely symbolic, pointing out the roles of these elders to be more angelic in nature, and interpret these elders to be the Lord’s heavenly council. I think both of those are reasonable options, but, for now, I take this third option.

I think that these 24 elders are a representation of God’s people throughout all of history. I think these 24 elders are comprised of 2 groups of 12. The first group being the 12 heads of the tribes of Israel and the second group being the 12 apostles. I don’t mean that they are literally those people, as John himself is an apostle, and isn’t seeing himself there. Rather I think they are angelic beings that are simply representing those groups. And so, taking it this way, around God’s throne is the fullness of God’s people, dwelling and reigning with Him, like we see promised all throughout Scripture. From the Old Testament saints who believed in the promise, to the New Testament saints who believed in the fulfillment of the promise in the person and work of Jesus Christ. All of God’s people are represented here.

Now part of the reason that I think this is the right interpretation, for now, is because of how I also interpret the 4 living creatures that are mentioned starting in the second half of verse 6. Look there with me. John writes, “And around the throne, on each side of the throne, are four living creatures, full of eyes in front and behind: the first living creature, like a lion, the second living creature like an ox, the third living creature with the face of a man, and the fourth living creatures like an eagle in flight.” And then he says that each of these creatures have six wings and are full of eyes all round and within.

It’s passages like these, misinterpreted, that have caused many Christians to hold this book at an arms distance. These beasts seem weird, and when you try to actually picture them in your mind, they seem a bit scary. Well this is one of those times where it is crucial that we stop trying to interpret everything literally. What John is doing here is very similar to what he did just a few verses prior with by describing God. He’s mixing Old Testament references to symbolize a larger thing. These 4 beasts should remind you of two different Old Testament passages. The first one being the cherubim in Ezekiel 1 and the second being the Seraphim in Isaiah 6. Now if you were to go to these passages and read the descriptions, then you would notice that John’s description varies here. That’s intentional because he isn’t drawing a one-to-one reference here. He’s doing more than that.

See around God’s throne are the 24 elders, a representation all of God’s people. But also around God’s throne are 4 beasts that I believe are representation all of creation. A clear picture that everything and everyone is in submission to the One on the central throne. That is the second point I have for us this morning...

2.) God is the sovereign Ruler of all things (vv.4-7)

As I have mentioned many times now, the purpose of this book is to encourage Christians who are awaiting the return of their Savior. It’s intended to strengthen the faith of the church. It’s intended to embolden and encourage us. No doubt that is why the Lord gives this vision to John to record for us. This picture of all of creation being subject to God should be an incredibly encouraging thing to us. The absolute sovereignty of God, over all things, should be something that wakes us up in the morning and pushes us forward in faith, no matter what our circumstances are.

I say this because it seems as though more times than not, Christians don’t want a God who is truly sovereign over all things. They want a God who is sovereign over most things, but is hands-off when it comes to suffering and salvation. The issue with this is two-fold. First, God’s sovereignty cannot be divided for our convenience. He is either entirely sovereign, or He is not. And both here, and throughout all of Scripture, the clear answer is that God is indeed entirely sovereign. The second issue with this is that we diminish the character of God if we try to strip away His sovereignty from the difficult things of life. In other words, because we can’t make sense of why God would do something, we simply say that He didn’t do it. We can’t reconcile what’s happening around us with who we know God to be, so we try to absolve Him from it altogether.

But if we do that, then we actually miss why God’s sovereignty is so encouraging. We miss why this passage is so encouraging. The reason that the sovereignty of God is something that we must cling to is because it is our refuge when things don’t make sense. It is what eases the turmoil in our hearts and minds when things seem to be out of control. Why? Because regardless of whether or not we understand it, God is over it. He is over it and His wonderful character is behind it. In fact, I believe that is part of what John is doing with these 4 creatures. Each of them represent an aspect to God’s sovereignty. The lion is noble, the ox is strong, the man is wise, and the eagle is swift. Each of the 4 are chiefs of those categories.

So what John is trying to encourage the church with here is the church can press on in bold faith because God sits on the throne and rules over all. And He does so with noble power, like a King, with the utmost strength, with all wisdom, and immediatley. His sovereignty is absolute and it is good, because He is good.

In R.C. Sproul’s book, “Chosen By God”, he says this, “If there is any part of creation outside of God’s sovereignty, then God is simply not sovereign. If God is not sovereign, then God is not God. If there is one single molecule in this universe running around loose, totally free of God’s sovereignty, then we have no guarantee that a single promise of God will ever be fulfilled.” The good news for us, from this passage, is that God is indeed sovereign, and so every single promise He has made will, with absolute certainty, be fulfilled.

I want to spend the rest of our time looking at the final few verses, starting in the second half of verse 8. After we get the description of the 4 living creatures, we then are told that they are doing something. John writes, “...and day and night they never cease to say, ‘Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come!” These 4 creatures that represent all of creation are declaring the truths of God in song. A beautiful song, that has these 3 sets of 3, which is intended to convey this idea of perfection in God. Absolute holiness in the fullness of God forever and ever.

But the scene doesn’t stop there. In response to these creatures worshipping God, the 24 elders worship God as well. You can see this starting in verse 9. “And whenever the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to him who is seated on the throne, who lives forever and ever, the twenty-four elders fall down before him who is seated on the throne and worship him who lives forever and ever. They cast their crowns before the throne, saying, ‘Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created.’”

What we have here now is a representation of all of creation and all of God’s people praising Him. That is the final point I have for us this morning.

3.) God is worthy of our endless praise (vv.8-11)

Whenever I’m writing sermons, I try to use different stories or illustrations to make the point of the passage clearer. Sometimes it’s easier, sometimes it’s harder. I say that because whenever I got to this point in my sermon, I got completely stuck. I wrote and erased different things over and over again, and I could not figure it out. So eventually I just sat back from my desk and starred at my computer and read over and over again, “God is worthy of our endless praise”, “God is worthy of our endless praise.” And eventually it dawned on me that the very fact that I could not find a clever way clarify this point was making very point itself. In other words, the simple reality of life is that God is worthy of our endless praise. It isn’t all that complicated. It’s just true. If the God of the Bible is who He says He is, and He has done what He says He has done, then there cannot ever be too much praise given to Him. Of all people, we should know this. We are a people who have been redeemed by God Himself.

Now as I say that we should know this, I also have to acknowledge the fact that we often don’t live like this. More times than not, if we are honest, we do not prioritize worship. We prioritize a lot of different things and allow worship to just fill the gaps. I know I am guilty of this. I often utitlize the times in my life where I can’t be doing anything else to pray or worship. When I’m driving or mowing or doing something like that. Since I can’t be doing anything else, I just that be the time. And that is good, but I do think it can be telling. Telling of the hard truth that maybe I have wrongly directed praise filling time too much my life. I mean, do I really think an hour of my day dedicated entirely to worship is worth it? Does that seem like too much time during such a busy day when I have so many “important” things to do? I’ll be the first to say that I am deeply convicted by those questions. When I look at my life, if I’m honest, there is often a lack of worship. Maybe some of you all feel the same. Maybe when you look back on the past month of your life and you count up the time where you have done nothing but praised God, you also feel that way.

It’s so easy to lulled to a lack of praise by the world around us. It’s easy to get caught up in the day-to-day grind of life and begin to confuse what really matters. The small and unimportant things in life are the things we give the most attention and emotion, and the big and most important things are the things we do when we have extra time. It’s so easy to do that. Jesus knows this reality, and it is why He has brought us into this scene through the vision to John. This passage is intended to be a shock to the system for Christians who are living right now. We enter this building with our minds fixed on a million different things. Work, school, hobbies, money, and relationships. Worries, fears, anxieties, and doubts. There’s all these things taking up the room in our hearts and minds.

Think of it like the trance that kids get into when they are watching cartoons. They sit there absolutley tranfixed on the TV. Eyes glazed over, completely obvlious to everything around them. That is how many of us have entered this room this morning. This passage is intended to be a jolt that snaps us out of that. We are supposed to see this unbeliebally glorious scene of worhsip and be reminded of our whole purpose, to worship God. It’s the very reason we were created.

Let this passage be what brings you back to a posture of praise. Look at see just how beautiful and wonderful God is. It is beyond anything we can ever imagine. Be reminded of His Sovereign Might. Be reminded that He rules the world, and He does so for the good of His people. Look at see the creatures never ceasing to sing to God. Look at the elders falling down before God, casting their crowns before Him, and deeming Him worthy of all glory and praise and honor, and allow it to move you to do the same. God is worthy of your worship.

And not only that, but be reminded that the One who sits on the throne, in all of His glory, loves you. He loves you and proved it by sending His Son to save you from your sins and the punishment they deserved. God has decided to bring you near, not because of anything you have done, but because of His great love for you. What else can we do but praise Him, endlessly, as we await the return of the One who laid down His life for us?