Revelation 4

1. After these things I looked, and there before me was an open door in heaven. And I heard the same voice that spoke to me before. It was the voice that sounded like a trumpet. The voice said, “Come up here, and I will show you what must happen after this.”

Some teachers say that now we are being shown what happens after the days of the church on earth.

Some teachers say that the rest of this book does not show the church on earth so this shows that the church has been taken up in the rapture. The rest of this book has God’s throne as the main idea as everything that happens starts from the throne.

Some teachers say that the church must go through the time of God’s wrath but this reminds us of when Abraham asked the Lord, “Will you destroy Your people with the wicked people?” Genesis 18:25

There are other verses which show us that God will not bring His anger on us in the last days because we are covered by the blood of Jesus. 2 Peter 2:9, Matthew 24:21-22, 1 Thessalonians 5:9

You will find many secrets about the last days when you put together the feasts of Israel with the things of the last days. These feasts are connected to the blowing of trumpets which were signals to those who heard them.

There will be times when God asks us to, “Come up here!” When we see things the way God sees them down below on the earth it helps us to think about how He sees things differently than we do. We see that God has a reason for doing things that we may not understand. We can ask Him to help us see things this way more often.

2. Then the Spirit took control of me. There before me was a throne in heaven. Someone was sitting on the throne.

 Ezekiel and Daniel were taken by the Spirit also. Ezekiel 3:14, Daniel 8:2

3. The One who sat on the throne looked like precious stones, like jasper and carnelian. All around the throne was a rainbow the color of an emerald.

The rainbow reminds us of God’s promises that He would not bring a flood on the earth and that there will always be seasons on the earth. The scientists who have hidden the truth about climate change are listening to the thoughts of seducing spirits. Genesis 9:11–17

4. Around the throne there were 24 other thrones. There were 24 elders sitting on the 24 thrones. The elders were dressed in white, and they had golden crowns on their heads.

King David made a group of twenty-four priests to represent the priests. Some teachers think that the twenty-four elders represent the Old Testament priests others say they represent the church. Whoever they are, they have crowns as a reward and angels are never promised to receive crowns. Ezekiel 1:5–21, 1 Chronicles 24

5. Lightning flashes and noises of thunder came from the throne. Before the throne there were seven lamps burning. These lamps are the seven spirits of God.

Isaiah shows us the seven ways that God’s Spirit was working in Jesus and shown to us:

And the Spirit of the LORD will rest on Him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the LORD.

And the Spirit of the LORD will rest on Him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the LORD. Isaiah 11:2

6 – 8

Also before the throne there was something that looked like a sea of glass. It was clear like crystal. Around the throne, on each side, there were four living creatures. These living creatures had eyes all over them, in front and in back.

The first living thing was like a lion. The second was like a calf. The third had a face like a man. The fourth was like a flying eagle.

Each of these four living creatures had six wings. The living things were covered all over with eyes, inside and out. Day and night they never stop saying: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God All-Powerful. He was, He is, and He is coming.”

John says they were like a man but not a man or an animal. These creatures are a type of angel. Isaiah and Ezekiel saw these same angels and tried to describe them.

With Him were mighty seraphim [angels, burning ones], each having six wings. With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they flew. Isaiah 6:2, Ezekiel 1:5–24 Ezekiel 10:8–17.

9 – 10

These living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to the One who sits on the throne. He is the One who lives forever and ever. And every time the living things do this, the 24 elders bow down before the One who sits on the throne. The elders worship Him who lives forever and ever. They put their crowns down before the throne and say:

Putting their crowns before the throne shows that they know these rewards are a gift from God that they do not deserve. We need to see all of God’s gifts to us this way.

The angels and men show us how to worship God. They are thinking only of Him and the things He has done. Sometimes when we are before God we are thinking of many other things while our mouth is saying something else.

We can come into real worship when we think of some things that He has done in our lives and in others. We can ask Him to give us some deeper understanding of some place in Scripture. We can picture ourselves before His throne and all the things we will see there.

11. “Our Lord and God! You are worthy to receive glory and honor and power. You made all things. Everything existed and was made for your pleasure.

We were created for God’s pleasure and purpose. The devil wants us to live for our own pleasure. We will only be happy when we lived the way we were created to live. Hebrews 11:6