seekeroftruth
Well-Known Member
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[a] 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,’[b]
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.”
a. Revelation 4:5 That is, the sevenfold Spirit
b. Revelation 4:8 Isaiah 6:3
This insight is from enduringword.com.
As I was thinking about the elders and their crowns, I was reminded that one of the churches would be offered a crown.... the church at Smyrna had a probelm with Jewish traditions.... but those who survived that church would be issued crowns.... and now.... I've got 24 elders placing their crowns before the throne.
The crowns here are more like the crowns they won at the Olympic games..... those green crowns.... the sign they practiced,,,,, planned.... trained.... and ran the race with success.
John was invited into Heaven.... where he was asked to use earthly words to describe a Heavenly place. There are no words to describe Heaven.... if there were... well we wouldn't have to go there..... Heaven is way more magnificent than earth.... Heaven is where it all began....
Sure I saw the critters and the eyes.....The eyes are said to mean that the one on the throne can see the past, present and future at will. I wrote all about them the last time I was there.... but the fact is.... those four creatures might well be a symbol for the kind of rulings came down from the throne just as it might be about the critters themselves. Heaven is way above our pay scale..... we'll just have to accept the fact that John was trying to describe something that is totally indescribable.
I can hardly wait to see it..... The Throne
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,’[b]
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.”
a. Revelation 4:5 That is, the sevenfold Spirit
b. Revelation 4:8 Isaiah 6:3
This insight is from enduringword.com.
In the description of heavenly things, John uses symbols. However, not everything is symbolic. As in the parables of Jesus, many of the details are merely descriptive and they are not necessarily intended to carry a special significance of their own.
Also, we should keep in mind the nature of symbolism: the symbol is always less than the reality. The reality of heaven is even greater than the description we have of it.
“It is very little that we can know of the future state, but we may be quite sure that we know as much as is good for us. We ought to be as content with that which is not revealed as with that which is. If God wills us not to know, we ought to be satisfied not to know. Depend on it, he has told us all about heaven that is necessary to bring us there; and if he had revealed more, it would have served rather for the gratification of our curiosity than for the increase of our grace.” (Spurgeon)
Come up here, and I will show you things which must take place after this: John will be shown things that concern the future (which must take place after this), not John’s present day.
Some like to interpret what John saw up through Revelation 19 as fulfilled in what took place before John’s day – notably, in the Roman invasion and destruction of Jerusalem. Jesus clearly told John that He would show him things which must take place after this.
Some like to interpret what John saw up through Revelation 19 as fulfilled in history after John’s day but before our present day. But these events have yet to be fulfilled in any sort of literal sense; they can only be said to have been fulfilled by making them wildly symbolic. Therefore, we regard what Jesus will show John in the following chapters of Revelation as belonging to the future, and as proceeding the coming reign of Jesus on earth.
Whenever the living creatures give glory… the twenty-four elders fall down before Him: The worship of the twenty-four elders is prompted by the cherubim. Since the cherubim worship God day and night, so do the elders.
As I was reading this chapter this morning.... I got to thinking about those twenty four elders.... and the work they have to do..... and I got to thinking.... jumping up and down.... pulling the crown off and laying it.... over and over and over again.... well that's a lot of work.... As I was thinking about the elders and their crowns, I was reminded that one of the churches would be offered a crown.... the church at Smyrna had a probelm with Jewish traditions.... but those who survived that church would be issued crowns.... and now.... I've got 24 elders placing their crowns before the throne.
Now.... apparently people think of royal crowns when they read this verse. The crowns described here are not like the crowns a king would wear.... after all Jesus is the only King and He's in charge of all the kings..... but this is not the kind of crown Jesus was talking about..... jewels and gold are not a prize Christians are working for.... at least the ones who make it to Heaven. The crowns here are more like the crowns they won at the Olympic games..... those green crowns.... the sign they practiced,,,,, planned.... trained.... and ran the race with success.
John was invited into Heaven.... where he was asked to use earthly words to describe a Heavenly place. There are no words to describe Heaven.... if there were... well we wouldn't have to go there..... Heaven is way more magnificent than earth.... Heaven is where it all began....
Sure I saw the critters and the eyes.....The eyes are said to mean that the one on the throne can see the past, present and future at will. I wrote all about them the last time I was there.... but the fact is.... those four creatures might well be a symbol for the kind of rulings came down from the throne just as it might be about the critters themselves. Heaven is way above our pay scale..... we'll just have to accept the fact that John was trying to describe something that is totally indescribable.
I can hardly wait to see it..... The Throne