Revelation 4:1-11 - Holy, Holy, Holy, and Worthy!

Revelation 4:1-11

The Throne Room of Heaven (Is. 6:1–3)

1 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.”

2 Immediately I was in the Spirit; and behold, a throne set in heaven, and One sat on the throne. 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. 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. 5 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.

6 Before the throne there was a sea of glass, like crystal. And in the midst of the throne, and around the throne, were four living creatures full of eyes in front and in back. 7 The first living creature was like a lion, the second living creature like a calf, the third living creature had a face like a man, and the fourth living creature was like a flying eagle. 8 The four living creatures, each having six wings, were full of eyes around and within. And they do not rest day or night, saying:

“Holy, holy, holy,
Lord God Almighty,
Who was and is and is to come!”

9 Whenever the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to Him who sits on the throne, who lives forever and ever, 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, saying:

11 “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.”

After John was witness to the Lord giving His messages to the seven churches through their angels, He called the aged apostle to come to heaven’s door to see things that would be coming soon that he might record them for us to come through the ages afterwards.  The word gives us this account which is the rest of the book, starting with an immediate spiritual journey to stand before the throne of God in heaven above, outside the physical realm of the universe which the Jews called the third (2 Corinthians 12:2) heaven.  He witnessed the Almighty sitting high and lifted up (Isaiah 6:1) on His sovereign throne there and was witness to the splendor and grandeur of the LORD seated there with glowing appearance and surrounded by twenty-four elders on their lesser thrones there.  These wore white robes of purification by the Lamb and their own lives (Daniel 12:10, Revelation 7:14) and had been crowned with golden crowns (1 Peter 5:4) for their faithfulness.  They sat there to give glory and praise in honor to the LORD seated there by falling prostrate in worship as the living creatures (Ezekiel 1:5, 10, 10:14) attending the LORD gave glory, honor, and thanks to the eternal One.  They joined in the worship and praise as we who are in Christ will also one day!  Yes, these worship the One with the seven lamps of the Spirits of God before Him as the lightning and thundering voices fill His presence there and which we anticipate with fear and trembling.  The four living creatures endlessly sing praises of, “holy, holy, holy” that we feebly imitate now on earth in our congregations.  They praise Him who was and is and is to come, the eternally existing One.  We will imitate these like the elders seen here, casting the crowns of grace to honor Him when we see His face and proclaim the worthiness of the only One deserving of our glory, honor, and praise now and into forever.  We acknowledge that He alone created the universe with everyone and everything in it, and He alone holds everything together (Colossians 1:16-17) by His will and power for His glory.  How we who are now in Christ yearn eagerly for the time when time ends and eternity begins so we can join in this heavenly throng of praise to sing holy, holy, holy, and worthy is the Lamb (Revelation 5:8, 12) who was slain for our redemption and right to spend forever with our LORD God Almighty!