Unit: Revelation (Part 1)
Theme: Call to Arms
Lesson Text: Revelation 4:1-11
Supplemental Texts: Isaiah 6:1-4; Daniel 7:9-10; 1 Timothy 6:15-18
Aim: Worship him who lives forever.
—–
Download a PDF of this month’s lesson material (the studies by Mark Scott, the Applications by David Faust, and Discovery Questions): LOOKOUT_September_2024.
Send an email to [email protected] to receive PDFs of the lesson material each month.
—–
By Mark Scott
The lesson title is a command. David said it (1 Chronicles 16:29; Psalm 29:2). The psalmist said it (Psalm 96:9). The angel said it—twice (Revelation 19:10; 22:9). And Jesus said it (Matthew 4:10; John 4:24). Why is it so important? Because we become what we worship (Hosea 9:10b).
The Bible reveals more than one unique worship setting (e.g., Exodus 40:34-38; 1 Kings 8:62-66; Ezra 3:10-13; Isaiah 6:1-13; 2 Corinthians 12:1-4). But hardly any passage equals the power and glory of what John saw in Revelation 4-5. With the help of the Spirit, John saw the glory of the Father in chapter four. And with the help of the scroll, John saw the glory of the sacrificial lamb in chapter five. The glories of heaven would strengthen the troubled believers on earth.
Worship God for He Is Glorious (1-6a)
After this referred to after John saw the condition of the seven churches—not seven ages of the church. It is a phrase similar to “And I saw,” which occurs throughout Revelation. John saw an open door to a vision of a heavenly worship scene. He also heard a familiar voice (1:12). The voice was loud, like a trumpet. This indicates power. Trumpets were used to announce feast days as well as to announce battle commands. The voice told John to “Come up here.” Some take this to refer to some kind of rapture of the saints, but that over stresses the language, and the command is to John, not to the church. What would happen following the vision of Christ and his churches is this throne-room vision.
When John claimed to be in the Spirit, he was claiming inspiration to tell this vision without error. What occupied his attention was this throne (mentioned eleven times in chapter 4). This was central to the vision. More than God sat on thrones in this book, but the description was too glorious to be anyone but God. The description is stunning. The appearance was like jewels surrounded by a rainbow (i.e., promise to remind God not to flood the world again—Genesis 9). Around this central throne were twenty-four other thrones on which twenty-four elders sat (symbolic of Old Testament Israel and New Testament Israel). These were pure (dressed in white) and had crowns on their heads (Genesis 46:8-25; Matthew 19:28). All kinds of cosmic signs broke out indicating power—i.e. lightning, thunder, lamps, and a sea of glass clear as crystal. Even if all the images in these verses are not teased out with clear identifiable meanings, the overall scene is glorious.
Worship God for He Is Holy and Worthy (6b-11)
John moved from telescope to microscope. He noticed what was closer to the throne. They were identified as four living creatures. There was a lion (wild animals), an ox (domestic animals), a man (or face like one—human beings), and an eagle (flying animals). This may be a way of speaking of all creation worshiping God. Daniel used similar images with different referents—symbolizing governments. One interpretative insight would be that John draws upon Old Testament imagery, but does not use it the same way as the Old Testament writers. These creatures had six eyes and six wings (one shy of the perfect and complete number of seven—indicating that they were not equal to God). Rather they worshiped God. But the eyes symbolized their awareness of what they were doing. The wings indicated mobility, and worship for the one on the throne was coming from everywhere.
The worship service being described seemed to be unending. This was also indicated by the phrase day and night. In words reminiscent of Isaiah 6, the living creatures say, “Holy, holy, holy.” This is the only virtue of God repeated to the third power—one praise of holiness for each member of the triune God since he is called Lord God Almighty.
When the living creatures in closest proximity to God offer up this praise, the twenty-four elders take their cue and fall down and worship the one on the throne. They even go beyond this. They lay down their royal crowns before the throne. This acknowledged that the one on the throne was the King of kings. Then they cry out the worthiness of God. He is the one in the universe who should receive glory and honor and power. The reason for this praise went back to Genesis 1. God as Creator is being acknowledged. The elders affirm that God created all things by his divine will and that these created things have their being from him. Eugene Peterson would say, “Glory, glory, glory.”
0 Comments