And whenever the living creatures express glory and honor and thankfulness to the One sitting on the throne, who lives for ever and ever...Rev. 4:9.
 
    According to this text, one of the marks of heavenly life is the constant expression of thankfulness.  Those accustomed to having everything they need may find this difficult to understand.  We are more likely to complain about our minimal lack of comforts than we are to give thanks for our abundance.  What we need is a change of attitude.  The difference between thanks and complaints has more to do with our point of view than it does with the actual facts.  Let me illustrate.
 
    As a husband I get a bit grumpy whenever my wife hogs the covers.  But why don't I let the sudden breeze remind me to be thankful that she is not out somewhere with someone else?  And as a parent I get more than grumpy when I've asked one of my children to clean their room and later find them in front of the TV instead.  Why doesn't it occur to me to be thankful that my child is at home and not on the streets?
 
    When tax time comes, I complain about all I have to pay.  Shouldn't I be thankful instead that I am employed and that I make enough money to be worth taxing?  When my children's friends leave a mess after a party, I find it easy to fuss, but wouldn't it be better to be thankful that my children have friends, and that they trust my wife and me enough to bring them over to our house?
 
    The other day when I was complaining about clothes that fit a little too snug, why didn't it occur to me to be thankful that I have more than enough to eat?  You see, the difference between complaining and thankfulness is primarily attitude!
 
    When my lawn needs mowing, my windows could use some cleaning, and my gutters require fixing, it reminds me to be thankful that I have a home.  When I hear lots of complaints about the government, I can be thankful that we have freedom of speech where I live.  When the only parking spot is at the far end of the lot, I can be thankful that I am able to walk and that I have a car.  Or when my heating bill is extra large, I can be thankful that I have been warm.
 
    When the woman behind me in church sings off-key, I can be thankful that I can hear.  When we have a pile of laundry to wash, dry, and fold, I can be thankful that I have enough clothes.  When my muscles ache at the end of the day, I can be thankful that I have the ability to work hard.  And when the alarm goes off in the early-morning hours, I can be thankful that I am still alive.
 
Lord, teach me anew an attitude of gratitude and praise.  I want to use this day to practice for the heavenly chorus.

Each of the four living creatures had six wings, and the wings were full of eyes, all around and even underneath.  And they have no rest day or night, saying, "Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come."  Rev. 4:8.
 
    The threefold phrase "holy, holy, holy" echoes the sixth chapter of Isaiah.  In Isaiah's day Judah faced a serious crisis.  King Uzziah had just died.  To appreciate the significance of that event, it helps to know that he had reigned over Judah for 52 years. The vast majority of the people in Judah had never known any other sovereign.  To make matters worse, Uzziah had been one of the most successful kings that had ever governed the people of God.  So for the people, there seemed nowhere to go but down!  With fear they faced and uncertain future.
 
    At this time of crisis Isaiah has a vision of God's throne.  He sees angelic creatures around the throne singing, "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty" (Isa. 6:3, NIV).  Isaiah was a priest, a relatively holy man, in the holiest place (the Temple) among the holiest people on earth during one of the most faithful periods of their history.  Nevertheless, recoiling at the vision of the purity of God, he cries out, "Woe to me!...I am ruined!  For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the Lord Almighty" )verse 5, NIV).
 
    In the presence of God any sense of his own accomplishments or personal glory pales as he beholds absolute competence and total purity.  Isaiah recognizes his own uncleanness, not because he has compared himself with anyone else, but because he has come face to face with God!
 
    Here is a powerful spiritual principle.  It is easy to be proud of one's spiritual growth and achievements when one compares them with the real and perceived foibles of others.  The more you can put down what others do, the higher you can stand in your own observation.  But this means that your eyes are no longer on God.  You have built yourself up at the expense of a genuine relationship with Him!
 
    One of the clearest signs that a person has lost touch with God, therefore, is a critical and faultfinding spirit.  By way of contrast, the strongest indication that anyone has a living relationship with God is that he or she has a clear sense of personal depravity.  Those who have looked in the face of God are painfully aware of their weaknesses, sins, and shortcomings.  An authentic awareness of sin and guilt is the prerequisite for acceptance with God.  When we have truly hit bottom, we have nowhere to go but up!
 
Lord, I must have a glimpse of Your face today.  I need to remember that achievement is not the path to acceptance with You--instead that path is a humble and a contrite heart.

  In the midst of the throne and all around the throne were four living creatures full of eyes in front and in back.  The first living creature was like a lion, the second was like a calf, the third had a human face, and the fourth living creature was like an eagle in flight.  Each of the four living creatures had six wings, the wings were full of eyes, all around and even underneath.  Rev. 4:6-8.
 
    Here we run into a group of four "living things," the first of many strange and unusual creatures in the book of Revelation.  The creatures are covered with eyes and have six wings each.  Other strange beasts in Revelation include a slain lamb with seven horns and seven eyes, a talking vulture, locusts that have human faces and scorpion stingers, and a seven-headed, 10-horned dragon.  While they are all interesting, you won't run into any of them in the forest or in a zoo--unless you've been drinking!
 
    This reminds me of one of the most popular cartoon movies of all time--The Lion King.  While The Lion King appears on the surface to be an animal story, it's not actually about animals.  The creatures in the story represents people and how they relate to each other.  The Lion King is, in fact, an African apocalypse.  The cartoon begins with a perfect world, in which everything is in balance and harmony.  The forces of evil then destroy that world, and eventually the heroic actions of a son restore it to harmony.  The book of Revelation is a lot like that.
 
    Writers of books and cartoons have often used animals to illustrate how people and groups of people behave.  We find it easier to recognize ourselves and our behaviors if the insight comes through a story about animals.  If a writer tries to make sensitive points more directly, we tend to resist or reject them because we feel under attack.
 
    That's what makes the book of Revelation so powerful.  Although it reads like an animal story, it's not really about animals.  It is more like a cartoon drama about the interactions among groups of people, both good and evil.  And it is about the relationship between God and the human race, and how the course of human history will eventually turn out.
 
    Why then do people find the book of Revelation so tough to understand?  It's because the author recorded the drama of Revelation not in the twenty-first century but rather in the 90s of the first century A.D., and it is directed to a group of seven churches in the Roman province of Asia.  God spoke their language and encouraged them in their situation.  But in His message to them He was creating a dramatic series of images that would continue to inspire His people for nearly 2,000 years.
 
Lord, thank You for reaching out to the human race in forms that we have learned to enjoy.  Help us to see the deeper meaning behind Your words.

 And out from the throne came lightnings and noises and thunders, and seven lamps of fire, which are the seven spirits before the throne, were burning before the throne.  And before the throne was, as it were, a sea of glass clear as crystal.  In the midst of the throne and all around the throne were four living creatures full of eyes in front and in back.  Rev. 4:5, 6.
 
The book of Revelation makes no distinction between God's throne room and the heavenly temple.  It treats them as one and the same.  The throne is the place of power and authority, and the lightnings, noises, and thunders that issue from the throne would certainly enhance that impression.  The person who sits on the throne is the one in charge, the one who has the right to tell others what to do.
 
    Today's text, however, mentions the throne together with seven lamps of fire and four living creatures.  The lamps of fire recall the seven churches in chapters 1 through 3 (although the Greek words are different).  They also recall the lampstand[s] in the Hebrew tabernacle and Solomon's Temple.
 
    Most people are familiar with the covering cherubs on the ark of the covenant, guarding the spot where the glory of God would shine.  But Solomon had an even grander idea for the Temple he built.  He had some artists carve a pair of covering angels from olive wood.  They towered over the ark 15-17 feet high (depending on how the ancients actually calculated a cubit).  Also they had their winds spread out to a full span of 15-17 feet.  They were stationed in the Most Holy Place in such a way that a wing tip of one cherub touched the wall, a wing tip of the other touched the opposite wall, and their other wings met in the center of the room.
 
    This made a total of four cherubim or covering angels associated with the ark in the Most Holy Place.  So the four living creatures probably allude to the four cherubims in Solomon's Temple.  In that case our text describes both the heavenly throne room of God and the heavenly sanctuary.  The two are one and the same. 
 
    Since the authority of God is based in the sanctuary, the government of the universe rests not on raw power but on the spiritual principles of the sanctuary.  The God who exercises power and authority in the universe is also the deity who offers the kind of acceptance and forgiveness illustrated in the Old Testament sanctuary services.  The safety of the universe is grounded in a combination of power and grace, authority and compassion.  Our God can be trusted.
 
Lord, in my experience power almost always gets abused for selfish advantage.  I am grateful for the assurance that Your ways are not like those of the world.

                        And all around the throne were twenty-four thrones and on the thrones twenty-four elders were sitting, dressed in white garments with golden victory crowns on their heads.  Rev. 4:4.
 
    Through the centuries one of the major issues in Revelation 4 has had to do with the 24 elders in this and other passages.  Who are they?  Where did they come from?  What is their role in the heavenly throne room?  The 24 elders surround the throne of God, and each sits on a separate throne.  They seem to be heavenly beings of some kind, but the book of Revelation never tells us who they are.  Let's take a quick look at some of the evidence.
 
    The book of Revelation has several crucial numbers: 3, 4, 7, and 12.  The root numbers for the elder is the number 12.  12 + 12 = 24.  This raises the possibility that the elders are somehow related to the 144,000 of Revelation 7 and 14.  The number 144 consists of 12 x 12, while the number 24 is made up of 12 + 12  This combination returns in the description of the New Jerusalem with its 12 foundations and 12 gates.  The 12 foundations are connected with the 12 apostles of the Lamb, while the 12 gates are associated with the 12 tribes of Israel.
 
    One popular opinion about the 24 elders is that they are a group of angels.  While this may make a certain amount of sense, it is unlikely.  Nowhere in the Bible or in early Judaism do we ever find angels called elders.  Besides that, nowhere do ancient writings depict them as sitting on thrones, and nowhere do they wear victory crowns (stephanos), as the 24 elders do.  Throughout the time and place of the composition of Revelation these terms are always associated with God Himself or with the people of God.
 
    An excellent possibility is that these elders are the heads of the Old Testament and New Testament people pf God.  The description of the New Jerusalem might support this.  If so, the 24 elders represent all God's believers throughout history, combining the roles of the 12 apostles and the 12 tribes.  They represent humanity before God.
 
    Does Revelation 4 imply that the elders are in the heavenly throne room before Jesus arrives there?  But then, why not?  As the preparation for the inaugural ceremony in heaven got under way, these representatives of humanity would be ushered to the throne room before the ceremony began.  This way, envoys from the whole universe--including the human race--would be able to express their approval at the same time of Christ's enthronement.
 
    The bottom line is this: Whoever these 24 elders are, they in some way exemplify humanity before God.
 
Lord, it is comforting to know that humanity is constantly represented before You.  It helps me know that I can trust Your judgment in my case as well.

   Immediately I became in the Spirit, and behold, a throne was there in heaven, and there was One sitting on the throne.  The One sitting there was like in appearance as a jasper and sardius stone.  A rainbow, like an emerald in appearance, was all around the throne.  Rev. 4:2, 3.
 
    What kind of scene are we looking at here?  Is it a general description of the heavenly throne room or of a specific point in time?  After careful study it seems to me that chapter 4 is describing not a specific event but rather a general view of the throne room in heaven and what goes on in it on a regular basis.
 
    In our text, for example, it doesn't say that the throne was being set up--it simply states that "a throne was there in heaven."  When John arrives on the scene, the throne is already there.  Nothing new is taking place except that the prophet is now observing it.  This scene looks a lot like the one in Daniel 7--but with a difference.  Daniel 7 describes thrones "being set up" (Dan. 7:9).  The passage depicts a specific event.  But this is not the case in Revelation 4.
 
    The general nature of this scene is even more obvious in Revelation 4:9.  There it tells us that "whenever the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to him who sits on the throne and who lives for ever and ever, the twenty-four elders fall down before him who sits on the throne, and worship Him who lives for ever and ever."  The Greek grammar behind "whenever the living creatures...the twenty-four elders fall down..." indicates repetitive action, something that happens again and again and thus is not a specific time or event in either earth or heaven.
 
    I think this is an interesting observation.  We can, if we will, train ourselves to be much more observant of the Scriptures so that insights like this start popping up everywhere.  It reminds me of a photography class I took.  The first assignment was to photograph trees--single trees, multiple trees, a forest, branches, twigs, flowers on the trees.  The teacher said, "Shoot a roll of film that features only trees in all types of places and circumstances."
 
    At first it seemed like an impossible task.  But after a while I started looking at my world in ways I had never done before.  I found driftwood on the beach, stands of pines, trees losing their leaves, other trees in color, branches on the ground, etc.  The point of the project was to teach me how to observe my environment and notice things I had failed to see before.  Careful study of the Bible has the same effect.  We become more and more aware of God's will and His ways, and as a result our lives are never the same.
 
Lord, give me new eyes, that I may view Your Word in ways I have never done before, ways that mirror what You see.

     Immediately I became in the Spirit, and behold, a throne was there in heaven, and there was One sitting on the throne.  Rev. 4:2.
 
    One of the highlights of any visit to Istanbul, Turkey, is a chance to tour Topkapi Palace, the famous palace of the sultan on a hill overlooking the Bosporus and the Golden Horn.  I particularly enjoyed a visit to the palace museum that displayed the sultan's treasures.  An especially memorable part of he museum is a view of the sultan's throne.  I had never actually seen a throne before, and this one came as quite a surprise.  It looked roughly like a highly decorated love seat, with comfortable cushions.
 
    I had always thought that thrones were like armchairs, but this one was much too wide for that.  And then I remembered the text: "To the one who overcomes I will give to sit with Me on my throne" (Rev. 3:21).  Obviously the throne of heaven is not an armchair!  It is more like a couch, on which two or more people can sit.  Suddenly the New Testament texts about Jesus sitting down at the right hand of God made sense (Acts 2:33; Heb. 1:3, 13; 8:1, etc.).  Jesus here receives everything that the throne represents and offers a future place there to those who overcome.
 
    A careful reading of revelation 4 makes it clear that "throne" is the key word of the entire chapter.  Appearing 12 times in the chapter, it is the center and focus of the scene.  Everything that takes place in the heavenly throne room does so in relationship to the throne.  A series of prepositions signals the various actions.  Things happen "around" the throne, "upon" the throne, "out from" the throne., "before" the throne, "in the midst of" the throne, and "at the right side of" the throne.  Clearly the central word of this passage, the throne represents the central theme of everything that takes place in it.
 
    What is a throne and what does it symbolize?  A throne represents the right to rule.  The person who sits on it has the authority to govern a piece of territory, a nation, or a group of some kind.  Since the throne is the center, the key issue of this passage involves God's right to rule and how that functions in heavenly places.  While the book of Revelation normally associates the word "throne" with God, it can apply to Satan and his cohorts as well (Rev. 2:13; 13:2).  Thus the centrality of the throne here means this passage is a decisive development in the conflict between God and Satan over the dominion of the universe.  Revelation 4 and 5 portrays the crucial event in that war--the death of the Lamb and His resulting exaltation to the throne of God.
 
Lord, I accept that You have the right to rule in my everyday life.  May my decisions and actions today conform to Your gentle government of my life.

  After these things I saw, and behold, a door was standing open in heaven, and the first voice which I heard, like a trumpet [cf. Rev. 1:10], said to me, "Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after these things."  Rev. 4:1.
 
    After writing out the letters to the seven churches, John moves on to describe a scene in which a voice invites him to observe in heaven.  From here on in the book the primary focus dwells on things that are future from John's point of view (perhaps A.D. 95).  Why a book on future events?  Because God wants us to know that we can trust Him to get us where we need to go.
 
    In 1992 I had the opportunity to visit Disneyland in southern California with my extended family.  My greatest fear on that occasion was that the group would somehow get split up.  I was particularly concerned about my children, for they were 10, 6, and 4 years old at the time.  I explained to the children that if any of them lost track of us, they should "freeze" at that spot and wait for us to come looking for them.  If after an hour or so no one had shown up, their backup plan was to head for the park entrance and wait there.
 
    Everything went fine until 9:30 that night.  In the confusion right after the electrical parade, we lost our 10-year-old girl near the castle at the center of the park.  I immediately told everyone else to stay where they were while I went back through the crowd to the place where we had stood during the parade.  Back and forth I went, calling her name, but no response.  Panic began to set in almost immediately.  Where could she be?  How could I find her in the crowd?  When it was clear that she was no longer in that area, I took the group to the Tiki Birds, the next attraction on our agenda, and asked them to wait there while I checked the entrance of the park.  In agony I prayed the whole way, my mind spinning.  What if she's not there?  Then what?  Whom do I talk to?  How will we find her?  I walked down Main Street in fear and trembling.
 
    When I got to the entrance, I did not see her.  But I noticed a darkened area nearby and decided to see if she was hiding out there.  I had just started in that direction when a feeble voice squeaked, "Daddy?"  My head snapped around to see her on a bench.  With inexplicable joy I hugged her.  Not a word of rebuke came out of my mouth.
 
    She had forgotten the "freeze" part of the instruction and had gone directly to Plan B, causing much anguish for her family.  But we rejoiced that everything had worked out in the end.  God gave us the book of Revelation in order to spare us similar anguish.  Remembering its instructions will keep us from getting lost as the future unfolds.
 
Lord, thank You for providing us clear evidence that You know the future and can safely guide us home.  Give us listening ears and understanding hearts.

 After these things I saw, and behold, a door was standing open in heaven, and the first voice which I heard, like a trumpet [cf. Rev. 1:10], said to me, "Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after these things."  Rev. 4:1.
 
    We have come to the portion of Revelation that offers interpreters more difficulty than any other part--the seals and the trumpets.  Interpreters are seriously divided as to how to handle many of the texts in Revelation 4-11.  It is important to bring to them a sound interpretation, not one based on feeling, or a gut sense of current events, but on what we actually find in the text.  The only safe course in such passages as these is to determine, as far as possible, the author's actual intention in writing such passages.  To the degree that we can determine the writer's intention in the original setting, we will be on much safer ground in drawing out applications for our own time.
 
    From 1986 to 1992 I met with the Daniel and Revelation Committee of the General Conference.  It was a rich and exciting experience, trading ideas with 20-25 outstanding Bible scholars from all over the world on issues related to the book of Revelation.  In the course of three years we heard six different papers on Revelation 4 and 5.  Each one, written by a respected scholar, made a case for a specific perspective on the text, yet the committee rejected all six papers.  Such flat-out rejection puzzled me, but the committee was unanimous in suggesting that none of the perspectives grew naturally out of the text.  They then turned to me and asked me to write a paper on the two chapters.  Talk about intimidation!
 
    I read through the Greek text of Revelation 4 and 5 many times.  Suddenly it occurred to me: not a single one of the key words that would have backed up the six papers was present in the passage.  Respected scholars had offered "gut impressions" of what they thought was going on, but the specific language to support their ideas was missing!  In reading and rereading the passage, I came to very different conclusions about its message and purpose than the other authors had.
 
    Our opinions about the Bible are not the thing that matters.  What is vital is God's purpose through a human author and the method by which we discover that intent.  We need to begin by committing ourselves to the Word of God, no matter what opinions we may have brought to our study.  We must then give careful attention to the words of the text in context, and allow each word to have its place in revealing the message God would have us see.  The only truth that matters is the one He intended.
 
Lord, I repent of all the times I have come to Your Word to confirm what I already think.  Help me to be willing to accept Your wisdom on Your terms.

   After these things I saw, and behold, a door was standing open in heaven, and the first voice which I heard, like a trumpet [cf. Rev. 1:10], said to me, "Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after these things."  Rev. 4:1.
 
    The scene of Revelation 4 and 5 is one of the most dramatic in the Bible.  It is even more glorious in the original language than in translation.  I have never read this passage in Greek without tears in my eyes and an unbelievable thrill as my mind envisions what worship in heaven must be like.  The scene starts slowly but then crescendos and crescendos, until the entire universe becomes a single vast antiphonal choir ringing out the praises of he Lamb and the One sitting on the throne (Rev. 5:11-14).  The scene then concludes as the four living creatures utter "Amen" followed by thunderous silence.
 
    A danger that readers face when going through a passage such as Revelation 4 and 5 is the tendency to make too much of every detail and thereby miss its primary intent.  That purpose is to set forth the greatness of the heavenly throne room, the greatness of God and, therefore, the surpassing greatness of the slain Lamb.  The throne room of God lays all earthly claims to power and glory in the dust.  When one has had a glimpse of the open gates of heaven, it makes no sense to continue to be afraid of earthly powers or even specific human beings.  The passage invites us to shove all earthly intimidation into the shadows of God's transcending power and glory, and to acknowledge Him as the one true object of worship.  When we really know Him, we will understand what true worship is all about.
 
    It is a message I need to hear.  I have often allowed other human beings to influence me away from the path God wants me to tread.  I remember the 17-year-old in seventh grade who was twice my size and tried to intimidate me to shoplift some candy.  I think of the conference president who questioned my commitment to ministry, causing me to excel in busywork that looked good at the office, but didn't accomplish God's best in real life.
 
    A boss once used the time-honored technique of blackmail, with the result that I compromised my integrity in order to keep my job.  Another time the influence of a teacher I admired led me to question teachings of the Bible that were perfectly clear.  Can you understand why I buckled in these situations?  Can you grasp the power of intimidation and human attraction that so often steer us away from God's purpose for our lives?  In light of the heavenly throne room we can respond in only one way; repent, bow down, and acknowledge the only One who is truly worthy of my worship.
 
Lord, I feel convicted regarding the many times I have compromised my conscience to please some human being.  I choose to repent and follow You alone today.