Worship in Heaven
Revelation 4-5
As Pastor Luis has shown us, Revelation is vision of the majesty of a sovereign God in complete control of His creation. It highlights the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ and His eternal kingdom. From an earthly perspective, it might seem like the enemies of the kingdom of God are winning. As you read through Revelation you find that Christians are being persecuted, imprisoned, and martyred. Tragedy and trial and turmoil are rampant and the Great Dragon (Satan), the Beast, and the False Prophet appear to have the upper hand. But John’s vision reveals that appearances can be deceiving! The course of history is not determined by political intrigue or military might, but by the sovereign God of scripture. What John discovered is that there are two worlds, two dimensions of reality. One is earthly and visible, the other is heavenly and invisible. These two realms are intricately connected because they are both controlled by the Lord.
Remember that Revelation 2-3 look at letters from the Lord Jesus Christ to seven churches here on earth. These are seven real churches that also represent the whole of the church during this church age. Revelation 6 then begins to describe the final judgment of God as He pours out His wrath on the unbelieving world prior to the second coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. What happens in between the letters to the churches and the description of God’s judgment? Revelation 4 and 5.
These chapters take place in heaven. Revelation 4:1 says, “After these things I looked, and behold, a door standing open in heaven. And the first voice which I heard was like a trumpet speaking with me, saying, ‘Come up here, and I will show you things which must take place after this.’” The events of Revelation 4-5 take place around the throne of God. John writes in Revelation 4:2, “Immediately I was in the Spirit; and behold, a throne set in heaven, and One sat on the throne.” The throne is the focus of these two chapters. The word “throne” appears 17 times in chapters 4-5 and 38 times in the entire book of Revelation. The throne is at the center and everything else is “around” (kuklothen and its derivatives, Rev. 4:3,4,6,8; 5:11; 7:11) the throne. John thus describes the throne of God as the focus of a series of concentric circles made up of first a rainbow (Rev. 4:3), then a circle of the four living creatures (Rev. 4:6), then a circle of the twenty-four thrones upon which the twenty-four elders sit (Rev. 4:4). According to Revelation 5:11 (and again in 7:11), a great host of angels also encircled the throne.
John’s description of God on the throne conveys His majesty, glory and holiness (Rev. 4:3), “And He who sat there was like a jasper and a sardius stone in appearance; and there was a rainbow around the throne, in appearance like an emerald.” Then Revelation 4:5 gives us a picture of God’s power and wisdom, “And from the throne proceeded lightnings, thunderings, and voices. Seven lamps of fire were burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God.” The whole scene shouts the truth that God reigns.
The atmosphere of John’s experience is one of mystery and wonder. We have a glimpse of heaven and the heavenly worship given to God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. We see God in a resplendent blaze of unapproachable light, the jewels refracting the glory and majesty of His luminous beauty. Here is where all worship begins: in the throne room of heaven where God reigns supreme! When we see God as He is, sovereign over all, we will worship Him as we should.
Now back to Revelation 4:4. John’s vision moves out from the center focus of the throne of God to what surrounds it (Rev. 4:4), “Around the throne were twenty-four thrones, and on the thrones I saw twenty-four elders sitting, clothed in white robes; and they had crowns of gold on their heads.” The twenty-four elders play an important role in the heavenly worship of God and are described in the following ways:
(1) They wear white garments and golden crowns (Rev. 4:4).
(2) They prostrate themselves before God in worship (Rev. 4:10; 5:14; 11:16; 19:4) and cast before him their golden crowns (Rev. 4:10).
(3) They sing hymns of praise to God (Rev. 4:11; 5:9–10; 11:17–18).
(4) They have harps and bowls full of incense that are said to represent the prayers of the saints (Rev. 5:8).
(5) Individual elders make comments to John (Rev. 5:5; 7:13), and on one occasion an elder functions as an interpreter for John, describing the significance of the innumerable multitude.
(6) While the twenty-four elders play a central role in Rev. 4–5 (where they are mentioned seven times), they are peripheral in the throne scenes in the rest of the book (Rev. 7:11, 13; 11:16; 14:3; 19:4).
There are several views as to their identity. I will briefly mention four.
(1) Some see in them an exalted angelic order, like the cherubim and seraphim. Some grounds for this view are: Like angels, the elders mediate the prayers of the saints to God (Rev. 5:8); They also interprete for John the meaning of the heavenly visions (Rev. 5:5; 7:13), another standard angelic function in Revelation; John describes them in Rev. 4:9-10; 5:8,14; 7:11; and 19:4 as joining with the four living creatures and the rest of the angelic host in typical angelic activity.
(2) Some believe these are Old Testament saints. They point out that the 24 Elders are distinguished as a separate group from the angels. Also, nowhere else in the Bible (outside Revelation) are angels called “elders”. Furthermore, in Revelation angels never wear crowns or white clothing or sit on thrones, but such descriptions are predicated only of saints who are in heaven (Rev. 7:13-15; 19:7-8,14) or of the saints’ reward after death, as a result of their perseverance (Rev. 2:10; 3:4-5; 3:21; 20:4). In the Old Testament David organized the temple servants into twenty-four orders of priests (1 Chron. 24:3-19), twenty-four Levitical gatekeepers (1 Chron. 26:17-19), and twenty-four orders of Levites commissioned to prophesy, give thanks, praise God, and sing to the accompaniment of harps and lyres and cymbals (1 Chron. 25:6-31). Hebrews 11:2 calls the faithful Old Testament saints presbuteroi “elders”.
(3) Another possibility is that they are exalted NT saints. The resurrection of the righteous will be to a form similar to angels (Luke 20:35-36, “But those who are counted worthy to attain that age, and the resurrection from the dead, neither marry nor are given in marriage; nor can they die anymore, for they are equal to the angels and are sons of God, being sons of the resurrection.” Thrones are sometimes used as a metaphor for the heavenly reward of the righteous.
(4) A fourth view is a combination of the last two; that they are representatives of the entire community of the redeemed from both testaments. It is difficult not to see in the number 24 a reference to the 12 tribes of Israel and the 12 apostles of the NT church (they are associated again in Rev. 21:12-14).
The 24 courses of priest in the Old Testament finds its fulfillment in the saints of God in Christ. Revelation 1:6 says that Jesus Christ “has made us kings and priests to His God and Father.” So the 24 elders are a picture of a holy priesthood. And it’s also a holy kingship (Rev. 4:4), “Around the throne were twenty-four thrones, and on the thrones I saw twenty-four elders sitting, clothed in white robes; and they had crowns of gold on their heads.” They are a royal priesthood. That is what Peter calls us (1 Pet. 2:9), “But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.” It’s a picture of you in heaven. These 24 elders represent the entire body of Christ.
“Sitting”, they are sitting because the work of redemption is finished. As Paul looked forward to (2 Tom. 4:7) they have “fought the good fight, … have finished the race, … have kept the faith.” So Paul says (2 Tim 4:8), “… there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing.” They are clothed in white garments; they are clean. Golden crowns on their heads; they’re royal.
And notice what they do in Revelation 4:10, “the twenty-four elders fall down before Him who sits on the throne and worship Him who lives forever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne.”
We finally get our humility down as we worship before the throne. It’s an act of submission, of reverence, of humility. It’s an acknowledgment that “God I am only here because of You.” On that day our selfish, sinful pride will be gone and we will have our humility together.
And we will know and believe the word of God from the very beginning—starting in Genesis. Notice Revelation 4:11, saying:
“You are worthy, O Lord,
To receive glory and honor and power;
For You created all things,
And by Your will they exist and were created.”
There will be no doubt about the word of God. We will finally believe every word of God is true from the account of creation forward. No more atheistic evolution; no more humanistic promotion. We see the truth of God is it really is. This is God’s eternal discipleship plan come to fulfillment.
Then look at Revelation 5:1. John writes, “And I saw in the right hand of Him who sat on the throne a scroll written inside and on the back, sealed with seven seals.” As Pastor Luis showed, this scroll represents God’s redemptive plan and righteous judgment. The scroll contains the content, course, and consummation of history, how things will end for both Christian and non-Christian. When the seals are broken we see the contents of the scroll immediately transpire in Revelation 6 through the end of the book.
The scroll is meant to be opened and read. Revelation 5:2 says, “Then I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, “Who is worthy to open the scroll and to loose its seals?” The problem comes in Revelation 5:3, “And no one in heaven or on the earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll, or to look at it.” John’s reaction to this predicament is sorrow (Rev. 5:4), “So I wept much, because no one was found worthy to open and read the scroll, or to look at it.” John weeps because he knows that the scroll has to be opened for history to come to its consummation for the glory of God—and no one is found worthy.
Now look at who answers John. Revelation 5:5, “But one of the elders said to me, “Do not weep. Behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has prevailed to open the scroll and to loose its seven seals.”” It is one of the elders, one of the 24 who represent the whole of believers in Christ. Look at who finally get their view of sovereignty together. We finally know the truth only God is sovereign and only the Lord Jesus Christ is worthy to control history and bring all things to consummation for the glory of God.
Revelation 5:6-7 show us the picture of Jesus Christ, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the one who is worthy:
6 And I looked, and behold, in the midst of the throne and of the four living creatures, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as though it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent out into all the earth. 7 Then He came and took the scroll out of the right hand of Him who sat on the throne.
Then notice what else the elders do in Revelation 5:8, “Now when He had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each having a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints.” They fell down before the Lamb. We are finally going to get our worship right. We are going to fall down in the presence of Christ. And each one has a harp. We are going to sing and present musical worship to God in perfection. We are going to have a magnificent chorus to give worthy worship to Him who is worthy of worship.
And we’re finally going to get our prayer life together. They had, “golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints.” We’re finally going to pray as we were always meant to pray. It will come before God’s throne as sweet smelling incense, pleasing to God.
And notice in Revelation 5:9 we are finally going to get our doctrine of the atonement down, “And they sang a new song, saying: “You are worthy to take the scroll, And to open its seals; For You were slain, And have redeemed us to God by Your blood Out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation.”” So we finally get down a correct understanding of the cross and of salvation. Revelation 5:10 goes on, “And have made us kings and priests to our God; And we shall reign on the earth.” There is no bad doctrine in glory. And also we are going to get our doctrine of prophecy down, “And we shall reign on the earth.” We will come back to reign with Christ in the millennium.
So, do you see what happens when the church is in the presence of God and sees Him on His throne as He is? God completes us so that we get it right: our theology, bibliology, Christology, pneumatology, soteriology, anthropology, ecclesiology, eschatology. We truly worship because we know the truth. We are sitting and kneeling before the one true teacher, our Lord Jesus Christ. We are in the presence of the seven-fold Holy Spirit of God. We see God on His throne. This is worship in spirit and in truth.
Some day we will worship perfectly, worthily, for God’s glory. But listen. This book is meant to be instruction for us now as well. John intends for us to understand the scene in Revelation 4-5 as a heavenly pattern according to which worship in the church is to be patterned. That’s why Pastor Luis repeats to us: “Doctrine matters.” When we get our doctrine right; when we believe the word of God; when we see God for who He is; when we get a full view of the glorified Christ—that is when we get our worship right.
To God be the glory!
