What really controls the course of history; the course of events in the world:
Kings, presidents, world leaders, news media, celebrity opinions, international corporations, international banking, biological forces, evolution, chemical reactions, Allah, Mother Nature?
Many in the Church today believe that Satan controls events. Some teach that we are pilgrims and strangers living in Satan’s kingdom as this world is thought to be under his dominion and control.
In contrast, in Revelation chapters 4 and 5, John is taken behind the curtain to the Throne Room of God and shown the reality behind all of history…
Revelation 4:1 After this I looked, and there before me was a door standing open in heaven. And the voice I had first heard speaking to me like a trumpet said, “Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this.” 2 At once I was in the Spirit, and there before me was a throne in heaven with someone sitting on it. 3 And the one who sat there had the appearance of jasper and ruby. A rainbow that shone like an emerald encircled the throne. 4 Surrounding the throne were twenty-four other thrones, and seated on them were twenty-four elders. They were dressed in white and had crowns of gold on their heads. 5 From the throne came flashes of lightning, rumblings and peals of thunder. In front of the throne, seven lamps were blazing. These are the seven spirits of God. 6 Also in front of the throne there was what looked like a sea of glass, clear as crystal.
In the center, around the throne, were four living creatures, and they were covered with eyes, in front and in back. 7 The first living creature was like a lion, the second was like an ox, the third had a face like a man, the fourth was like a flying eagle. 8 Each of the four living creatures had six wings and was covered with eyes all around, even under its wings. Day and night they never stop saying:
“‘Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty,’ who was, and is, and is to come.”
9 Whenever the living creatures give glory, honor and thanks to him who sits on the throne and who lives for ever and ever, 10 the twenty-four elders fall down before him who sits on the throne and worship him who lives for ever and ever. They lay their crowns before the throne and say:
11 “You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being.”
Revelation 4:1 After this I looked, and there before me was a door standing open in heaven. And the voice I had first heard speaking to me like a trumpet said, “Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this.”
A door is opened and John sees the reality behind events: he sees the Throne of God, the place from which history and the world are controlled. All of life is to be understood from the heavenly perspective.
Christ explains to John the purpose of chapter 4: I will show you what must take place, these are things that must and will take place, not by chance, not by good fortune, not by the will of men, the will of evil forces, and not by bad luck.
There is a divine plan for history and it begins in the Throne Room. God is sovereign over all of history.
Our God is in the heavens: he hath done whatsoever he hath pleased. Psalm 115:3
The Lord does whatever pleases him, in the heavens and on the earth, in the seas and all their depths. Psalm 135:6
The Lord Almighty has sworn, “Surely, as I have planned, so it will be, and as I have purposed, so it will happen… This is the plan determined for the whole world; this is the hand stretched out over all nations. For the Lord Almighty has purposed, and who can thwart him? His hand is stretched out, and who can turn it back? Isaiah 14:24-27
Remember the former things, those of long ago; I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me. I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come. I say, ‘My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please.’ From the east I summon a bird of prey; from a far-off land, a man to fulfill my purpose. What I have said, that I will bring about; what I have planned, that I will do. Isaiah 46:9
Nothing holds back God’s hand. He speaks and it is done. When God plans something it cannot fail. We must never have preconceived notions about what is and is not possible. We should never think of this world as being in the control of Satan. The Throne of God is the center of the universe. If the Church doesn’t understand this truth, the Church will be weak, discouraged, lack zeal, and be tempted to withdraw or compromise.
The Lord reigns, let the nations tremble; he sits enthroned between the cherubim, let the earth shake. Psalm 9:1
Revelation 4:2 At once I was in the Spirit, and there before me was a throne in heaven with someone sitting on it. In the Old Covenant, God, at various times, anointed select people with the Spirit, Numbers 11:29, but now that Christ is enthroned and reigning, New Covenant believers have what Old Covenant believers could only dream and wish for: the Spirit has been given to all believers, Acts 2:17-21 Please don’t take that unbelievable blessing as mundane. Be amazed! Moses’ wish has now come true in you… I wish that all the Lord’s people were prophets and that the Lord would place His Spirit on them. Numbers 11:29
Revelation 4:3 And the one who sat there had the appearance of jasper and ruby. A rainbow that shone like an emerald encircled the throne.
John is seeing and describing God’s Throne Room in heaven. His description matches that of the Old Testament Prophets.
Ezekiel 1:26 And above the firmament over their heads was the likeness of a throne, in appearance like a sapphire stone; on the likeness of the throne was a likeness with the appearance of a man high above it. 27 Also from the appearance of His waist and upward I saw, as it were, the color of amber with the appearance of fire all around within it; and from the appearance of His waist and downward I saw, as it were, the appearance of fire with brightness all around. 28 Like the appearance of a rainbow in a cloud on a rainy day, so was the appearance of the brightness all around it. This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the Lord.
John is in the true Temple, after which the earthly tabernacle was patterned, Exodus 25:40, Hebrews 8:1-2, 5
After Noah’s flood, God hung his war-bow up over his Throne. The rainbow symbolizes God’s Covenant of peace with Noah, in which God promised to restrain his wrath throughout all of history. All of history is possible only because of God’s restraint; restraining his wrath until his ends are accomplished on earth. In fact, God provides even for those who are in open rebellion against him, even softening their hearts and leading them to repentance. Acts 14:15-17, Romans 2:4
Revelation 4:4 Surrounding the throne were twenty-four other thrones, and seated on them were twenty-four elders. They were dressed in white and had crowns of gold on their heads. 5 From the throne came flashes of lightning, rumblings and peals of thunder.
Again, patterned after the heavenly Throne Room, in the Old Covenant there were 24 divisions of priests, I Chronicles 24:17-19, and 24 divisions of singers, I Chronicles 25. The picture of 24 worship leaders was an idea that the Jewish readers of Revelation would be familiar with.
Throughout the Scriptures men in leadership are referred to as elders.
Moses summoned all the elders of Israel… Exodus 12:21
Moses and Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, and the seventy elders of Israel went up 10and saw the God of Israel. Exodus 24:9-11
See also: Numbers 11:16-17, I Timothy 3:1-7, Titus 1:5-9, Hebrews 13:17, James 5:14-15
They sit on thrones. John has already taught that Christians reign with Christ Revelation 1:6, they wear crowns Revelation 2:10 & 3:11, they have been granted kingly authority with Christ over the nations Revelation 2:26-27, apostates will bow before them Revelation 3:9, and they are, in fact, seated with Christ. Revelation 3:21
The elders are kings and priests sitting on the 24 thrones. Matthew 19:27-30 John brings together these two images of the Old Covenant to show us the New Covenant Church, the New Jerusalem, the New Presbytery of Heaven: the representative assembly of the Royal Priesthood of the Church.
Revelation 4:5 From the throne came flashes of lightning, rumblings and peals of thunder. In front of the throne, seven lamps were blazing. These are the seven spirits of God.
This is again a reference to the sevenfold Holy Spirit from Revelation 1:4-5.
Revelation 4:6 Also in front of the throne there was what looked like a sea of glass, clear as crystal.
In the earthly copy of the heavenly Temple there was a Laver, called a sea, which was a large bronze water basin for ceremonial washing. I Kings 7:23-26, Exodus 30:17-21
Ezekiel describes standing under the glory cloud of God and looking up through the sea before the throne and seeing four creatures, the Throne and the pre-incarnate Christ.
I looked, and I saw a windstorm coming out of the north—an immense cloud with flashing lightning and surrounded by brilliant light. The center of the fire looked like glowing metal, 5and in the fire was what looked like four living creatures. In appearance their form was human… Spread out above the heads of the living creatures was what looked something like a vault, sparkling like crystal, and awesome… Above the vault over their heads was what looked like a throne of lapis lazuli, and high above on the throne was a figure like that of a man. Ezekiel 1:4-5, 22, 26
From our point of view history looks like an unpredictable raging sea. But from the perspective of God’s Throne, history and all events are crystal clear because God has decreed all things.
Revelation 4:6 In the center, around the throne, were four living creatures, and they were covered with eyes, in front and in back. 7 The first living creature was like a lion, the second was like an ox, the third had a face like a man, the fourth was like a flying eagle. 8 Each of the four living creatures had six wings and was covered with eyes all around, even under its wings. Day and night they never stop saying:
“‘Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty,’ who was, and is, and is to come.”
This is exactly what Isaiah had seen in the Throne Room:
I saw the Lord, high and exalted, seated on a throne; and the train of his robe filled the temple. 2 Above him were seraphim, each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying. 3 And they were calling to one another:
“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty;
the whole earth is full of his glory.” Isaiah 6:1-3
Holy, Holy, Holy; the chief end of the creatures before the Throne is to glorify God and enjoy him forever, praising him for his holiness, almighty power, and his eternity. Westminster Confession of Faith Shorter Catechism Question 1
Revelation 4:9 Whenever the living creatures give glory, honor and thanks to him who sits on the throne and who lives for ever and ever, 10 the twenty-four elders fall down before him who sits on the throne and worship him who lives for ever and ever. They lay their crowns before the throne and say: 11 “You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being.”
The heavenly praise does not end with the song of the living creatures. The twenty-four elders join in responsive praise, casting their crowns before the throne, thereby acknowledging that their authority and dominion come from God alone. They go on to praise him for his works in creation and history.
Remember when Christ taught his disciples how to pray in Matthew 6:10?
We are to ask God that: Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
To that end Christ is revealing to his Church a heavenly worship service, teaching us how to worship God on earth as God is worshipped in heaven. We are not left to our own imaginations as to how to structure or not structure worship.
First, we see that worship is corporate, not individualistic. It is not internal, not a spectator event, not a performance. There is full participation of the heavenly beings.
Second, worship is a dialogue of responses. The Elders and living creatures are shown singing responses back and forth. Worship is a liturgy of prayers, songs, and Psalms. God speaks and man responds.
Third, Worship is orderly. I Corinthians 14:40
The Sunday worship… is God’s people coming into the palace for a formal ceremony before the Throne, an official audience with the King. We come to confess our faith and allegiance, to take solemn, to receive forgiveness, to offer up prayers, to be instructed by God’s officers, to eat at His table, and to render thanksgiving for all His benefits; and we are to respond to all of this with music and singing. David Chilton, “Days of Vengeance”
Ask yourself, how would you comport yourself if you were to be brought before an earthly king? And then remember this is no earthly king you come before in worship, this is the Creator of life and ruler of the universe!