Revelation 4
Revelation 4 starts with the words “After these things.”
After what things?
It will help to look at Revelation 1:19, where Jesus gives the outline of the Revelation. He says:
Revelation 1:19 (NKJV) “Write the things which you have seen, and the things which are, and the things which will take place after this.
“The things which you have seen” refers to the vision John saw of Jesus on the Island of Patmos. “The things that are” points to Jesus’ letters to the seven churches. In chapter 4, the Revelation transitions to the things which will take place after this. John moves through the vision sequentially as the vision moves through time sequentially.
This exact phrase, “After these things,” is used 8 times in the Revelation, and each time it marks a transition in the events John saw in the vision Jesus gave him. This structure and manner of speaking are evidence that Revelation is speaking of things still in the future.
In addition, “After these things” seems to refer to the things of the Church. From this point until chapter 22, the Church is not mentioned in Revelation, although the saints are.
As a transition, Revelation 4:1 says, “I looked, and behold, a door standing open in heaven.”
John says, “and behold,” because it was a surprise to suddenly see a door or passageway open to heaven. The transition is sudden, almost catching us by surprise.
Revelation 4:1 refers to heaven. The Bible speaks of three heavens. The first heaven is the sky or our atmosphere. The sun, moon, and stars, or what we call “space,” is the second heaven. The third heaven is the invisible realm where God dwells. Though we cannot see it, this realm is all around us. For example, when Elisha’s servant’s eyes were opened, he saw the armies of God all around. (2 Kings 6:17) The door that stands open is a door into this realm.
When John saw the open door, he also heard the voice of Jesus say, “Come up here, and I will show you things which must take place after this.”
We can observe two things in this statement. First, the things John sees will take place “after these things.” And second, Jesus says that these things “must” take place. The language He uses makes it clear that these things “must” take place as a matter of necessity. In other words, they HAVE to happen.
Revelation 4:2 tells us that John was immediately in heaven upon hearing the voice.
Revelation 4:2 (NKJV) Immediately I was in the Spirit; and behold, a throne set in heaven, and [One] sat on the throne.
This passage speaks of John’s experience in his vision and also prefigures what will happen at the end of the Church age. 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 speaks of this event, saying:
1Thessalonians 4:16-17 (NKJV) 16For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. 17Then we who are alive [and] remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord.
Verse 17 says that we shall be “caught up.” In the Latin Vulgate, this is translated “rapiemur,” which in English means to “snatch,” “grab,” or “carry off.” In the long history of the Church, the being “caught up” event described in 1 Thessalonians 4 has become known as the “rapture” because of the Latin word “rapiemur.”
The sudden transition of Revelation 4:2 points to the “rapture.” Look again at 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17. The text says that the dead in Christ will rise first then we who are alive will be caught up. This passage purposely leaves out the unredeemed dead and states that “the dead in Christ” are raised at this time. In addition, Jesus is not said to descend to the earth, but the saints are “caught up” (raptured) to meet the Lord in the air.
Revelation 4 does not name the Rapture but prefigures it in the sudden transition to heaven as the scene from which events are viewed. As John views things in heaven, he uses the word “behold” again to express surprise at the scene before him. We find this in Revelation 4:2.
Revelation 4:2 (NKJV) Immediately I was in the Spirit; and behold, a throne set in heaven, and [One] sat on the throne.
“Immediately” and “behold” in this verse are sudden as will be our transition to heaven.
The first things John observed in heaven are the throne and the One who sits on the throne.
The throne and the One on the throne are what the book of Revelation, and indeed, the whole Bible, are about. We watch and wait for the One on the throne. Nothing in heaven or on earth moves without His permission. All that happens in heaven and earth is subject to the throne and the One who sits on the throne. In Revelation 1, Jesus speaks of things that “must” take place. The throne is the reason for the necessity. These events are decided by God, who sits on the throne. All things exist and were created for His glory. Revelation 4 points to this conclusion as it ends in verse 11.
Revelation 4:11 (NKJV) “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.”
As the events that must take place begin to be revealed, Revelation takes us to the throne room of Heaven because everything happens according to the purpose of God.
We live as if this life, this world (the physical universe), is all there is. We may go to church on Sunday and even read our Bibles, but our priorities, where we spend our time and money, show that we put ourselves and our desires before God. John gives us a glimpse into realities that support and maintain this world. We exist by God’s will, and yet we defy Him in order to satisfy ourselves. We must, absolutely must, follow the instructions given in Colossians 3.
Colossians 3:1-6 (NKJV) 1If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. 2Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. 3For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. 4When Christ [who is] our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory. 5Therefore put to death your members which are on the earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. 6Because of these things the wrath of God is coming upon the sons of disobedience.
To set our minds on things above and put to death our flesh, we must walk by faith and not by sight. The world we cannot see is the realm we will live in forever. We are in this world for a short time, and then we will be eternally in the world we cannot see today.
John continues Revelation 4 by describing the One who sat on the throne.
Revelation 4:3 (NKJV) 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.
The Holy Spirit guides John in describing what He saw, and the choice of words is significant. Sardius is blood red, like ruby, and Revelation 21 describes jasper as crystal clear. When God established the tabernacle and the worship Israel gave to Him, He had them fashion a breastplate for the high priest. This breastplate had twelve stones, one for each of the twelve tribes. Jasper was the first stone and represented Reuben, and Sardius was the last stone and represented Benjamin.
When God says, “I am the first and the last,” He implies that He is also everything in between, and by using the first and last stones of the breastplate, God shows that He is the God of Israel, the One who said, “Thou shall have no other God’s before Me.”
Jesus taught that to love God with all your heart, soul, and strength is the greatest commandment. Nothing is more significant to us than God and who He is as our Creator, Redeemer, and Friend.
As John continues His description, he mentions the rainbow.
When God destroyed all life on earth with the flood, He made the following promise to Noah and his descendants (we are descendants of Noah).
Genesis 9:11-13 (NKJV) 11“Thus I establish My covenant with you: Never again shall all flesh be cut off by the waters of the flood; never again shall there be a flood to destroy the earth.” 12And God said: “This [is] the sign of the covenant which I make between Me and you, and every living creature that [is] with you, for perpetual generations: 13“I set My rainbow in the cloud, and it shall be for the sign of the covenant between Me and the earth.
God remembers His promises. This is why He chooses to appear in colors like Sardius and Jasper, and this is why He chooses to show a rainbow around His throne.
God has made many promises. Most significant for us is that He has promised to forgive our sins if we confess them. He promises eternal life to anyone who believes in Jesus. He promises to complete the work that He began in us, and He promises to deliver us from the wrath to come.
As John describes the throne and its surroundings, he points to proof that God keeps His promises. The evidence is the 24 elders who sit on thrones around God’s throne.
Revelation 4:4 (NKJV) 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 elders wore the “stephanos,” the crown of a victor, rather than that of a sovereign. It was made of gold, indicating that the elders had been rewarded for victory accomplished. The Apostle Paul refers to this crown when he says:
2 Timothy 4:8 (NKJV) Finally, 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.
Referring to this crown, Paul also said he ran the race to win the victor’s crown. Let’s look back at Jesus’ promise to the Church in Sardis.
Revelation 3:4-5 (NKJV) 4“You have a few names even in Sardis who have not defiled their garments; and they shall walk with Me in white, for they are worthy. 5“He who overcomes shall be clothed in white garments, and I will not blot out his name from the Book of Life; but I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels.
Because of the white robes and victors' crowns that John sees in Revelation 4, we understand that the elders represent the raptured Church around the throne, giving praise to God. While we know who they represent, we are not told who they are individually.
Who they are individually is not as important to us as making sure that we are there when the time comes. Let’s look again at what Paul said about the crown of righteousness.
2Timothy 4:8 (NKJV) Finally, 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.
The crown is for all who have loved His appearing. We must ask ourselves if we love this world more than God. Do we place more value in our desires than God’s? We must examine our hearts and ask God to grant us repentance. He promises:
Romans 10:13 (NKJV) For “whoever calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved.”
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