Revealing Revelation: Jesus' Throne

In Revelation 4, John hears a voice "like a trumpet" call out to him. The voice says, “Come up here, and I will show you what must happen after this.” It is Jesus calling to his beloved friend. He wants to show John what will happen at the end of time. John says he sees a throne with Jesus sitting on it. He is amazed at the beauty and brilliance of the throne. He compares it to gemstones, like jasper and carnelian, which is a reddish-brown stone. He then makes a beautiful illustration by saying that the glow of these precious gemstones circle Jesus' throne like a rainbow. This is comforting to John, just as the sign of a rainbow was comforting to Noah after the flood in the Old Testament.

Sitting around Jesus' throne are twenty-four smaller thrones with twenty-four elders seated upon them. They were all clothed in white with gold crowns on their heads. In front of the throne are seven torches burning with flames. In front of the throne is a shiny sea of glass, sparkling like crystals. In verses 6-8 we learn of four creatures who would be hideous to earthly eyes, but are beautiful in God's eyes. Each of the four beings were covered with eyes, front and back. The first of these living beings was like a lion; the second was like an ox; the third had a human face; and the fourth was like an eagle in flight. Each of these living beings had six wings, and their wings were covered all over with eyes, inside and out. Day after day and night after night they will say, "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God, the Almighty— the one who always was, who is, and who is still to come.”

This will be the song that all of God's people will sing to Him in Heaven. Singing is the ultimate form of praise and this is what everyone will do unendingly in the Kingdom.

Verses 9-11 go onto say how whenever these four beings sing this song, the twenty-four elders will fall prostrate on the ground, worshiping Jesus and will lay their gold crowns at His throne. They will then say, “You are worthy, O Lord our God, to receive glory and honor and power. For you created all things, and they exist because you created what you pleased.”