Revelation 4

1 After these things I looked, and behold, a door standing open in heaven. And the first voice which I heard was like a trumpet speaking with me, saying, “Come up here, and I will show you things which must take place after this.” 2 Immediately I was in the Spirit; and behold, a throne set in heaven, and One sat on the throne. 3 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. 4 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. 5 And from the throne proceeded lightnings, thunderings, and voices. Seven lamps of fire were burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God. 6 Before the throne there was a sea of glass, like crystal. And in the midst of the throne, and around the throne, were four living creatures full of eyes in front and in back. 7 The first living creature was like a lion, the second living creature like a calf, the third living creature had a face like a man, and the fourth living creature was like a flying eagle.

After these things; “that is, the revelations of the entire previous chapters..." (Whedon), which is the church age. ”We are no longer on earth but are transported into Heaven...” (Arno Gaebelein) where Jesus has granted overcomers with the right to sit with Him on thrones, as He overcame and sat down with His Father (Rev 3:21). John saw events after the Second Coming "things which must take place after this” (1b)— preparations for the enthronement of Jesus upon the throne of His earthly father, as He was a descendant of king David, fulfilling prophecy. Thus, the setting is the beginning of the Millennial Kingdom when the martyrs would rule over the rest of the saints.

"In the heavenly throne room (with the dazzling splendor of precious stones, a rainbow, thunder, and lightning), all attention is focused on the brilliant throne surrounded by the four living creatures (an exalted angelic order) and the twenty-four elders (redeemed humanity, as shown later). The unceasing acclamation to ‘the One sitting on the throne’ expresses the expectant atmosphere of the splendid moment…

’Twenty-four elders’ - Evidence strongly indicates, however, that the twenty four elders are redeemed and glorified humanity rather than angels [as some claim]. First of all, angels are never called elders in either the Bible or Jewish literature; they are never described as sharing God’s throne, but rather standing in God’s presence. Second the twenty- four elders wear white garments. The white garments in Revelation relate consistently to the faithful people of God. (3:4-5, 18; 6:11; 7:9, 13-14) Angels are never described in Revelation as wearing white robes. Third, the elders also wear golden crowns of victory. In Greek, it is stephanos, the victory crown…, rather than the royal crown (Gr. diadema), which represents eternal life and which is the reward to the faithful who overcome (cf. 2:10; 3:11). Paul believed that he would receive this crown on the day of the Lord’s (Second) coming. (2 Tim 4:8) The fact that the twenty-four elders wear the victory crown suggests that they are not rulers but rather the redeemed who have gained a victory. The stephanos crowns are never worn by angels in the Bible. All of these descriptions are limited to the people of God, and they rule out any possibility that the twenty-four elders are the heavenly presbyterium either of celestial beings of the righteous figures of the Old Testament [only].

The number ‘twenty-four’ regarding the elders consists of two sets of twelve. ‘Twelve’ is a crucial number in Revelation. In New Jerusalem , the twelve gates are named after the twelve tribes of Israel, and the twelve foundations have the names of the twelve apostles... In addition, twenty-four different courses of priests in the Old Testament temple took turns during the service (1 Chron 24:4-19), and they were called the officers of God (1 Chron 24:5). The twenty-four elders are continually involved in worship and in presenting the prayers of the saints to God (Rev 5:8), which is a priestly work.

All of these considerations strongly suggest that the twenty-four elders are the glorified saints. They are most likely a symbolic group representing all of the redeemed and faithful people of God of both the Old and New Testament church; that is, they represent the church in its totality. Their description fits well into the picture of the redeemed in Revelation; white garments, victorious crowns (stephanoi) , and sitting upon thrones are all promises given to the people of God. Their sitting on thrones next to the throne of God (4:4) brings to mind Jesus’ promise to overcomer in Revelation 3:21.” (Revelation of Jesus Christ by Ranko Stefanovic)

“And from the throne proceeded lightnings, thunderings, and voices," (5) “representing the awful majesty, holiness, and power of God...” (Justin Edwards) as in the giving of the law on Mt. Sinai. "Seven lamps of fire were burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God.” (5) We have passed from types to the substance. The Spirit of Yahweh God Almighty in His perfection is lighting the scene, as it is written of the New Jerusalem— “The Lamb is its light.” (Revelation 21:23)

“Before the throne there was a sea of glass, like crystal.” (6a) "Like" because nothing on this earth compares to that which is in Heaven. All things are new and we see in Heaven "an expanse of crystal-line clearness and splendor [answering to mysteries revealed]. It answers to the ‘paved work of a sapphire stone, and as it were the body of heaven in its clearness,’ Exod. 24:10; and to the firmament ‘as the color of the terrible crystal’ on which the throne of God rested, Ezekiel 1:22; Ezekiel 1:26.” (Justin Edwards) —“And in the midst of the throne, and around the throne, were four living creatures full of eyes in front and in back.” (6b) They oversee God’s creation. “Four beasts; rather, four living creatures. The word in the original is different from that applied to the persecuting beasts in chap Revelation 11:7; Revelation 13:1; 11, etc. The agreement between these four living creatures and the cherubim of Ezekiel’s vision, chapter 1 and Revelation 1:10, is so remarkable, that we must suppose that in both cases the same thing is represented. In both places they appear as the immediate attendants upon God’s throne, of which in Ezekiel they are the bearers; in both places they have the same four faces, only that in Ezekiel each has all the four, while here they are distributed one to each; in both places, moreover, their bodies are full of eyes… representing their ever wakeful vigilance and discernment of God’s will. In Ezekiel they and the wheels by them are all pervaded by the one Spirit of God: ‘Whithersoever the Spirit was to go they went; thither was their spirit to go,’ chap Revelation 1:20. None of God’s creatures are omniscient, but his omniscience directs all their movements.” (Justin Edwards) We see a full spectrum of living creatures. “The first living creature was like a lion, the second living creature like a calf, the third living creature had a face like a man, and the fourth living creature was like a flying eagle.” (7)

8 The four living creatures, each having six wings, were full of eyes around and within. And they do not rest day or night, saying: “Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, Who was and is and is to come!” 9 Whenever the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to Him who sits on the throne, who lives forever and ever, 10 the twenty-four elders fall down before Him who sits on the throne and worship Him who lives forever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying: 11 “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.”

If these were to remain silent, the rocks themselves would cry out. (Luke 19:40) The angels sing and the saints respond creating a doxology for those coming out of the dead church of formalism. “Casting their crowns is not a movement as if discarding the crowns for all the circumstances are against anything that unfavorable. It was a gesture of respect, recognizing the Lord as the one to whom they owed all the honor that was being enjoyed in possessing crowns.” (E.M. Zerr)