The Revelation · New Testament

Revelation 4

Revelation 4: a throne, four and twenty elders and four beasts

General context

A door is opened in heaven and the voice first heard as a trumpet calls John up. He is immediately in the spirit and sees a throne set, with one seated on it whose appearance is given by stones, jasper and sardine, with a rainbow round about like an emerald. Twenty-four seats stand round the throne with twenty-four elders on them, in white raiment and with crowns of gold. Lightnings, thunderings and voices come out of the throne, and seven lamps of fire burn before it. A sea of glass like crystal lies before the throne. Four beasts full of eyes before and behind stand in the midst of the throne and round about it; the first like a lion, the second like a calf, the third with a face as a man, the fourth like a flying eagle, each with six wings and full of eyes within. They do not rest day or night, saying "Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty". When they give glory, the elders fall down, cast their crowns before the throne, and say that the one seated is worthy because he created all things.

Cited passages: Revelation 4:1, Revelation 4:2, Revelation 4:3, Revelation 4:4, Revelation 4:5, Revelation 4:6, Revelation 4:7, Revelation 4:8, Revelation 4:9, Revelation 4:10, Revelation 4:11

Revelation 4 (KJV)

¹After this I looked, and, behold, a door was opened in heaven: and the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me; which said, Come up hither, and I will shew thee things which must be hereafter.

²And immediately I was in the spirit: and, behold, a throne was set in heaven, and one sat on the throne.

³And he that sat was to look upon like a jasper and a sardine stone: and there was a rainbow round about the throne, in sight like unto an emerald.

⁴And round about the throne were four and twenty seats: and upon the seats I saw four and twenty elders sitting, clothed in white raiment; and they had on their heads crowns of gold.

⁵And out of the throne proceeded lightnings and thunderings and voices: and there were seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God.

⁶And before the throne there was a sea of glass like unto crystal: and in the midst of the throne, and round about the throne, were four beasts full of eyes before and behind.

⁷And the first beast was like a lion, and the second beast like a calf, and the third beast had a face as a man, and the fourth beast was like a flying eagle.

⁸And the four beasts had each of them six wings about him; and they were full of eyes within: and they rest not day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come.

⁹And when those beasts give glory and honour and thanks to him that sat on the throne, who liveth for ever and ever,

¹⁰The four and twenty elders fall down before him that sat on the throne, and worship him that liveth for ever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying,

¹¹Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.

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Historical context

One image in the chapter is explained by the text itself: the seven lamps of fire are "the seven Spirits of God", the same phrase used in the greeting at 1:4 and in the message to Sardis at 3:1. Nothing else is explained. The text does not say who the twenty-four elders are, where they came from, or what they represent. It does not say what the four beasts are. The one on the throne is not named in the chapter; he is addressed as "O Lord" by the elders and described as "him that liveth for ever and ever". No place on earth is given, no time is stated, and the scene is introduced only as what follows "a door was opened in heaven". The elders speak of creation, "for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created", which is the one claim the chapter makes about the past.

Cited passages: Revelation 4:1, Revelation 4:2, Revelation 4:4, Revelation 4:5, Revelation 4:6, Revelation 4:9, Revelation 4:10, Revelation 4:11, Revelation 1:4, Revelation 3:1

Literary context

The word throne holds the chapter together, standing in seven of the eleven verses and organising the space: on the throne, "round about the throne", "out of the throne", "before the throne", "in the midst of the throne". John describes by comparison again, as in chapter 1, and never states directly what he sees: "like a jasper and a sardine stone", "like unto an emerald", "like unto crystal", "like a lion", "like a flying eagle". The chapter contains two utterances, one ceaseless and one occasional. The beasts "rest not day and night" with a threefold "Holy, holy, holy", and the elders respond by falling down and casting their crowns. The crowns given to the elders in verse 4 are surrendered in verse 10, which is the chapter's one movement of plot. Nothing is opened, poured or judged here; the chapter sets a scene that chapter 5 acts in.

Cited passages: Revelation 4:2, Revelation 4:3, Revelation 4:4, Revelation 4:5, Revelation 4:6, Revelation 4:7, Revelation 4:8, Revelation 4:10

Key moments

A door opened in heaven (Revelation 4:1). A voice like a trumpet calls John up to be shown things hereafter.
The throne and the one on it (Revelation 4:2). John sees a throne set in heaven with one seated on it.
Twenty-four elders (Revelation 4:4). Elders in white raiment with gold crowns sit on seats around the throne.
The seven lamps explained (Revelation 4:5). The seven lamps burning before the throne are said to be the seven Spirits of God.
Four beasts full of eyes (Revelation 4:7). The four living creatures are likened to a lion, a calf, a man's face and a flying eagle.
Crowns cast down (Revelation 4:10). The elders fall before the throne and cast their crowns before it.

For reflection

The chapter describes a throne room in great detail and never names the one sitting on the throne. What does the text gain, and what does it withhold, by describing only the seat, the light and the surroundings?