God’s Throne Room
As Revelation 3 came to a close, Christ told the church in Laodicea, “The one who conquers, I will grant him to sit with me on my throne, as I also conquered and sat down with my Father on his throne” (Rev. 3:21). This statement about the throne of the Father and Son naturally leads into the vision of the throne room in Revelation 4-5.
Revelation 4: Worship of the Father
In this chapter, John sees “a door standing open in heaven.” This phrase isn’t all that different from Ezekiel who wrote that “the heavens were opened, and I saw visions of God” (Ezek 1:1). Like the OT prophet, John has a vision of heaven, without literally going there.
This vision harkens back to Ezekiel 1:26-28 which speaks of a glorious figure seated on a throne with a rainbow and bright colors all around. Similarly, John sees a colorful scene with someone seated on a throne. When John sees the figure on the throne, he can only describe him by using images of precious stones. The stones John mentions are the same stones the high priest wore on his ephod (Exod. 25:7). They are also in the garden of Eden (Ezek. 28:13) and in the New Jerusalem (Isa. 54:12; Rev. 21:11-20). The precious stones seem to suggest the glorious, majestic nature of God. For no one can describe him as he really is. His glory is beyond human comprehension.1
The Twenty-Four Elders
Around the throne are twenty-four elders. The twenty-four elders are most likely angelic beings representing the complete people of God. Recall that angels also represented each of the seven churches (Rev. 2-3). Twenty-four is probably a reference to the combined twelve patriarchs from the OT and the twelve apostles from the NT (Rev. 21:12-14). These angels are wearing white robes and crowns which represent both purity and rule–the same rewards promised to the churches who overcome (Rev. 2:10; 3:5).
Again, we should not think that these elders are the actual people of God, for they are clearly distinguished from the saints elsewhere (Rev. 7:9-17). Moreover, they sing in the third person instead of the first person when singing about Christ’s redeemed: “you have made them a kingdom of priests to our God and they shall rein. Finally, these elders are always mentioned alongside other angels in Revelation (4:9-10; 5:2; 14:3; 19:4). In short, these elders represent the people of God and stand before God’s throne on the people’s behalf.
The scene was truly awesome. Loud echoes of thunder and bright flashes of lightning filled the throne room in a similar way to Mt. Sinai (Exod. 19:16-19). Then John says he saw “a sea of glass like crystal.” Commentators disagree on the meaning of this allusion. I think that since the sea represents chaos in the OT (Isa. 51:9-11; Ezek. 32:2), and it’s the place of origin for the beast (Rev. 13:1), the smoothness of the sea in this vision suggests that God rules over evil and will one day still the chaos and dark forces in the world.
The Four Creatures
Around the throne, John also saw four six-winged creatures with eyes all over them crying out, “holy, holy, holy, is the Lord, God Almighty, who was and who is and who is to come.” This vision harkens back to Ezekiel’s vision of four cherubim with eyes all over (Ezek. 1:5, 18) as well as Isaiah’s vision of the six-winged seraphim chanting “holy, holy holy” in heavenly temple (Isa. 6). To describe these cherubim/seraphim, John can only use similes. He says they are “like” a lion, an ox, a face of a man, and a flying eagle.
As the elders represent all the special people of God, the four beasts represent all of creation, signifying that all of creation proclaims God’s glory.
While these four creatures worship God day and night, John tells us that the twenty-four elders join in the worship of “the one who is seated on the throne, who lives forever and ever.” That is to say, the four creatures and twenty-four elders can’t help but respond in praise to the Lord. He is worthy to receive all glory and honor and power because he is the self-existent, holy creator and sustainer of all things.
Revelation 5: Worship of the Son
Next, John sees that God is holding a scroll in his right hand which had seven seals. Writing was on the front and the back, signifying that it contained many events (Ezek. 2:9-10). The scroll represents the judgments of God, which Revelation 6 makes obvious. Unfortunately, no one was “worthy” to open the scroll, not even the angelic beings.
This reality causes John to cry. One of the elders, however, came over to John and told him not to weep. Why? Because there is someone who is worthy.
The Lion and the Lamb
The Lion of the tribe of Judah is worthy! He is worthy because he conquered through his death and resurrection. And because Jesus conquered, he makes it possible for his churches to conquer (Rev. 2:7, 11, 17, 26; 3:5, 12, 21). The Lion of the tribe of Judah is a reference to Genesis 49:8-12 where Jacob promises Judah that he will rule with a royal scepter and devour his enemies like a crouching lion (Num. 23:24; 24:9). The Lion of Judah is also the “root of David” which refers back to Isaiah 11:1: “There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse, and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit.” That is to say, while the people of God had been cut down to a stump in judgment, someone from Jesse and David’s line will triumphantly sprout forth.
God promised David that his heir would rule forever (2 Sam. 7:12-14; Ps. 89:28-29; 132:11). The prophets also reaffirmed this promise (Isa. 9:6-7; Jer. 23:5-6; Ezek. 34:23-24; Hos. 3:5). Who, then, is this one who comes from the tribe of Judah and the royal line of David? It’s none other than Jesus of Nazareth (Matt. 1:1-17).
Yet even though the elder described Jesus as a lion, when John looks he sees a lamb! And not just any lamb, but a lamb that had been slain. The slain lamb alludes back to the Passover lamb (Exod. 12:3-5) as well as other daily sacrifices (Exod. 29:39-41). Additionally, it refers to the suffering servant who was “led like a lamb to the slaughter” (Isa. 53:7). After Jesus burst onto the scene, the NT writers consistently referred to him as the sacrificial lamb (John 1:29; Acts 8:32; 1 Cor. 5:7; 1 Pet. 1:19).
The lamb has seven horns signifying complete and perfect strength. He also has seven eyes signifying the seven spirits of God–a reference to the Holy Spirit. Again, we should not take the number seven literally in apocalyptic literature. In fact, this whole vision contains images that symbolically represent other realities. That is to say, we shouldn’t think of Jesus as a literal lamb with seven literal horns and seven literal eyes.
The irony of this image is that while Jesus conquered, he didn’t do so with the might of a lion. Rather, he conquered through his loving sacrifice on the cross. And while he laid down his life, John notes that the lamb now stands as the resurrected savior!
Worshiping the Lamb
Only Jesus was “worthy” to open the scroll which leads the heavenly congregation to worship him. Just like they worshiped the Father in Revelation 4, they now give that same worship to the Son. They play harps in praise (Ps. 32:3; 150:3) and brought golden bowls of incense which symbolically represent the prayers of the saints (Ps. 141:2). Elsewhere in Revelation we read that the prayers of the saints call for judgment on the wicked and deliverance for the saints (Rev. 6:10; 8:4).
Suddenly, this angelic host bursts forth with a new song (Rev. 14:3). In the OT, the people of Israel always sang a new song in response to God’s deliverance (Ps. 33:3; 40:3; Isa. 42:10).2
And they sing that Jesus is “worthy.” No one was worthy but him. He is the Lamb who was slain and purchased for God with his blood people from every tribe, tongue, people, and nation. Blood is significant as it was the means by which one made atonement (Lev. 17:11). Also note that through Jesus, God fulfilled the promise to Abraham that his line would be a blessing to all the nations (Gen. 12:1-3). Now, it’s the global church that is a kingdom of priests (Rev. 1:6)–a designation that described OT Israel (Exod. 19:6).
John then notices that not only are the elders and four creatures worshiping the lamb, but myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands are worshiping in unison–all crying out that Jesus is worthy to receive blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever.
Takeaways from the Throne Room
What should be our takeaways from this vision? First, the throne room vision is an excellent reminder that God sits securely on his throne sovereignly ruling over his creation. Yes, things may look a bit chaotic and out of control (COVID), yet God remains in control of all things. Therefore, we can keep persevering knowing God is accomplishing his good plan.
Second, God is worthy of our worship. Notice that both the Father and Son receive unashamed worship from the angelic beings. They both receive the same accolades and both are said to be “worthy.” The beauty of apocalyptic literature is that it gives us a heavenly perspective on ultimate reality. The reality John proclaims is that while the world may seek our worship and devotion, only God is truly deserving of it. After all, he is the creator and sustainer of all things–the holy one.
As we peak into the throne room, we are reminded why the church gathers weekly to worship the King. We are putting into practice what we were made to do and what we will do for all eternity. We also observe that the heavenly being aren’t bored or passive in their worship. The whole scene portrays a certain level of intensity as they worship God with all their might.
Third, Jesus is the lamb slain for our sins. Those in the throne room recognize the significance of Christ’s death on the cross. Jesus paid the ransom penalty for our sins (Matt. 20:29). And he rescues everyone who turns to him and embraces his death and resurrection as their only hope of redemption. Those who turn to Jesus are the ones who conquer. They are the ones who receive white robes and a crown of life. And one day, they will join the hoards worshiping God in his throne room.
