Literal Things Presented in Symbolism.
“From the throne came flashes of lightning and the rumble of thunder. And in front of the throne were seven torches with burning flames. This is the sevenfold Spirit[a] of God. In front of the throne was a shiny sea of glass, sparkling like crystal. In the center and around the throne were four living beings, each covered with eyes, front and back.” – Revelation 4:4 -6.
One thing we should remember when approaching the book of Revelation is that it portrays literal things in a symbolic way. The messages to the seven churches were written in somewhat straightforward language, from now on the book employs even more symbolic language that is not always easy to interpret. This language is taken from the history of God’s people, as recorded in the Old Testament. A correct interpretation of Revelation requires a proper understanding of its symbolic language in light of the Old Testament. There are rules for interpreting Revelation! Theologians call them hermeneutics.
So who are these creatures around the throne? Where did they come from? What is their role in the heavenly throne room? The 24 elders are around the throne of God and each sit on a separate throne. They seem to be heavenly beings of some kind, but the book of Revelation never tells us WHO they are, and they have never been mentioned before in scripture.
Could they be those raised from the dead at the time of Jesus’ resurrection, as mentioned by Matthew in Matt 27:51-53?
The book of Revelation has several crucial numbers: 3, 4, 7, and 12. The root number for the elders is the number twelve. 12 + 12 = 24. This raises the possibility that the elders are somehow related to the 144,000 of Revelation 7 and 14. The number 144 is made up of 12 x 12; the number 24 is made up of 12 + 12. This combination returns in the description of the New Jerusalem with its 12 foundations and 12 gates. The 12 foundations relate to the 12 apostles of the Lamb, while the 12 gates are associated with the 12 tribes of Israel. In Bible numerology 12 is the number of the kingdom. (More on Bible numerology to come.)
These are not angels. Nowhere in the Bible or in early Judaism are angels ever called elders. Nowhere are they ever depicted as sitting on thrones, and nowhere do they wear victory (stephanos) crowns, as the 24 elders do. Throughout the time and place when Revelation was written, these terms are always associated with God Himself or with the people of God.
It would seem the 24 elders represent all God’s believers throughout history, combining the roles of the 12 apostles and the 12 tribes. Whoever these 24 elders are, they in some way represent humanity before God.
There is no distinction made between God’s throne room and the heavenly temple. The throne is the place of power and authority, and the lightning, noises and thunders that come out from the throne would certainly enhance that impression. (Reminiscent of God’s appearance on Mt Sinai when the Ten commandments were engraved on stone to signify there permanence.) The person who sits on the throne is the one in charge, the one who has the right to tell others what to do.
The throne is mentioned together with seven lamps of fire and four living creatures. The lamps of fire recall the seven churches. They also recall the lampstands in the Hebrew tabernacle and Solomon’s temple.
Most people are familiar with the covering cherubs on the Ark of the Covenant, covering the spot where the glory of God would shine. But Solomon had an even grander idea for the temple he built. He had some artists carve a pair of covering angels from olive wood. These towered over the ark, 5-6mtrs high. They also had their wings spread out to a full span of 5-6 metres. They were stationed in the Most Holy Place in such a way that the wingtip of one cherub touched the wall, the wingtip of the other touched the opposite wall, and their other wings touched in the centre of the room.
This made a total of four cherubim or covering angels associated with the ark in the Most Holy Place. So, the four living creatures probably allude to the four cherubim in Solomon’s temple. In that case, our text describes both the heavenly throne room of God and the heavenly sanctuary. The two are one and the same.
Remember, the heavenly sanctuary is the place where the Omnipresent God has chosen to meet with His creation. Since the authority of God is based in the sanctuary, the government of the universe is not based on raw power but on the spiritual principles of the sanctuary. The God who exercises power and authority in the universe is also the God who offers the kind of acceptance and forgiveness illustrated in the Old Testament sanctuary services. The safety of the universe is grounded in a combination of power and grace, authority and compassion. Our God can be trusted. Albert Einstein once asked “Is the universe a friendly place?” The sanctuary answers that question – yes it is! And Scripture declares that “God is Love.”
Loving this series Ross, as also the Daniel series.
And yes, the Revelation is a revelation, not of horns and beasts primarily but of Jesus, from before creation to the end of time. Jesus the covenant-keeping God who “cut” or established the covenant in his own flesh on the cross. Jesus the King, the Lord, the Lamb, the mighty warrior Michael, the High Priest who in all he does shows his love for us. Words are insufficient. Thanks for what you’ve done to make Revelation so accessible. God bless.
Thanks Linda, my blessing is twofold: firstly the blessing of researching and writing and secondly that people read them and get a blessing from them also. There are about 250 people receiving the SMS’s series. Who knows how long before we get shut down all together?