The Majesty & Wonder of the One

We might look at it as a stage setting for a drama that is about to unfold.

We might look at it as a painting hanging in a museum of art.

We might look at it as the words of a man whose imagination has gotten away from him.

Either of the first two is more accurate. Let’s go to the text…

It was a Sunday (the Lord’s Day). John was lonely, distressed, struggling to make sense of his exile on the Island of Patmos in the Aegean Sea. The believers in the seven churches in Asia Minor (modern Turkey) on the mainland were gathering for worship. They would have been praying for John. Many of their conversations were, no doubt, about their beloved spiritual leader’s exile.

Life goes on. When someone we love dies, life goes on. It goes on in a different way, but life goes on. When someone we care about is missing, life goes on. It goes on through tears, anxieties, anger, and more, but life goes on. For the people in the seven churches of Asia Minor, life was going on—children had to be raised, work had to be done, meals had to be put on the table, life had to go on.

But…on that Sunday, when the believers were gathering for prayer and praise, when John was feeling abandoned and lonely in his exile, God gave him something no one else has ever been given—The Revelation. It came as a vision to John from an angel, who had been given it by the risen Christ, who had received it from God, and John was charged with delivering this vision, this Revelation, to the seven churches, and, ultimately, to us.

A lot has changed from the first century—the heyday of the Roman Empire—to the twenty-first, but the basic spiritual needs of humanity have not. To grasp the words of the Revelation, we must put them in their context of the first century Roman Empire, and to a time when there were various persecutions of Christians and Jews, or any religion that the governing authorities in Rome thought was interfering with their reign and rule. But we must also see the relevance of the Revelation for today. The various signs and symbols and metaphors, the apocalyptic language, John used to describe his vision (Revelation) to us lend themselves to all manner of interpretation. The language of the Revelation lends itself to making it say what people want it to say. We must not allow ourselves to be caught in that trap; but we must seek the guidance of the Holy Spirit, understand the times in which it was written, and open our minds and our hearts to allow the Revelation to speak to us. Yes, the Revelation is relevant for our times as surely as it was relevant for those seven churches in Asia Minor when John sent it to them.

The stage is set for the unfolding drama of the Revelation in chapter four.

Or, if you prefer, John’s paintings (using descriptive words) has its first piece of art work in chapter four.

The first three chapters of the Revelation take place on earth, but in chapter four we are transported with John to heaven. “After this I looked, and there in heaven a door stood open!” John was not looking for the door. God opened it for him. A voice spoke inviting John, “Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this.” (We should note the use of the word “must” in that invitation—“must take place.”) We are about to catch a glimpse of the unfolding plan of God. But before we can come to the end of evil and all evil entails in the world, there are things that must unfold. Why does evil have its day? Because we have invited evil into our world; it has been, and still is, humanity’s choice. In the Revelation we will see that evil’s work in the world is not always what it seems; we must endure and be faithful.

What John sees through the open door of heaven is the setting for the Revelation about to be given him, and the one he has been told to write down and send to the seven churches, and ultimately to us.

First, he saw the throne. It is here that words fail him He struggles to describe for us the One on the throne. Was that because he could not look upon God? He tries to help us see by telling us the One on the throne looks like jasper and carnelian, two beautiful stones with which the people of Asia Minor would have been familiar. We must not fail to see the significance of the emerald rainbow above the throne; for it is an eternal reminder of God’s covenant with all of humanity—a covenant of hope. There will be revealed some great terrors in the Revelation, and those terrors are to be seen under the rainbow—the sign of the covenant of hope.

Twenty-four elders arrayed in white robes with golden crowns surround the great throne in heaven. Who are these elders? Do they represent the twelve tribes of Israel, and the twelve apostles? If so, what does that mean about the salvation of the Jews? Before you form an answer, let me share this verse as well, “It (the New Jerusalem) has a great, high wall with twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and on the gates are inscribed the names of the twelve tribes of the Israelites…” (Lest someone jump to the wrong conclusion about those gates, let us be reminded, “Its gates will never be shut by day—and there is no night there.”) So again, we must ask, what does that say about God’s relationship with the people of Israel? (To help you in your understanding, you might read Romans 11:25-32.)

The majesty and wonder of the One on the throne in heaven is revealed by the flashes of lightning and rumbles and peals of thunder that John sees and hears coming from the throne.

Seven flaming torches are in front of the throne, “which are the seven Spirits of God,” that is to say, the Holy Spirit. (Here we should be guided by the number seven which was considered to be a perfect number.) These seven flaming torches light the way to the throne. It is the Holy Spirit who ultimately lights the way, and shows us God the Father.

There is a sea of glass, like crystal, in front of the throne. The sea before the throne is not chaotic, but smooth as glass. One cannot just walk up to the throne. What happens if one walks on crystal? But…there is a way, a Way, to approach the throne. We’ll learn more later in the Revelation. But for now, let’s remember that Jesus said, “I am the way…”

Four “living creatures” stand around the throne. They are indeed strange and weird and remind us of something J.R.R. Tolkien or C.S. Lewis might have imagined. They have eyes all around—no one approaches the throne without being seen. They have six wings. But it is their faces that attract our attention—one like a lion (wild beast), one like an ox (domestic animals), one like a human (humanity), and one like an eagle (birds). They all continually praise the One on the throne with a song,

“Holy, holy, holy,

the Lord God the Almighty,

who was and is and is to come.”

The twenty-four elders join them in their praise and worship to the one on the throne. These elders cast their golden crowns before him, and join in singing:

“You are worthy, our Lord and God,

to receive glory and honor and power,

for you created all things,

and by your will they existed and were created.”

This is the stage that is set. This is the first painting in John’s museum of art.

The actions on the stage, or, if you prefer, the paintings that will come after, will sometimes be filled with beauty and wonder, but sometimes they will be filled with ugliness and evil.

But over it all, the beauty and wonder, the ugliness and evil…we must not overlook this:

“Then I saw heaven opened, and there was a white horse! Its rider is called Faithful and True…On his robe and on his thigh he has a name inscribed, “King of kings and Lord of lords.” (Revelation 19:11-16)