Revelation 4:1-11

After this I looked, and, behold, a door was opened in heaven: and the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me; which said, Come up hither, and I will shew thee things which must be hereafter. ² And immediately I was in the spirit: and, behold, a throne was set in heaven, and one sat on the throne. ³ And he that sat was to look upon like a jasper and a sardine stone: and there was a rainbow round about the throne, in sight like unto an emerald. ⁴ And round about the throne were four and twenty seats: and upon the seats I saw four and twenty elders sitting, clothed in white raiment; and they had on their heads crowns of gold. ⁵ And out of the throne proceeded lightnings and thunderings and voices: and there were seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God. ⁶ And before the throne there was a sea of glass like unto crystal: and in the midst of the throne, and round about the throne, were four beasts full of eyes before and behind. ⁷ And the first beast was like a lion, and the second beast like a calf, and the third beast had a face as a man, and the fourth beast was like a flying eagle. ⁸ And the four beasts had each of them six wings about him; and they were full of eyes within: and they rest not day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come. ⁹ And when those beasts give glory and honour and thanks to him that sat on the throne, who liveth for ever and ever, ¹⁰ The four and twenty elders fall down before him that sat on the throne, and worship him that liveth for ever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying, ¹¹ Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.

“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth” are the first words of the Scripture in Genesis 1:1. The Bible begins with God as Creator. In His creation God demonstrates His divine wisdom and power. In His creation of sentient beings, He demonstrates His love and grace. There was a point at which there was only the Triune God (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit). There were no heavens and no earth. There were no people, animals, plants, or angels. There was only God. He is the “I AM” (Exodus 3:14). He alone is the eternally existent One and spoke all things into existence.

Revelation 4 is a vision of the apostle John in the last book of the Bible in which God completes the revelation of His Son Jesus Christ. In this vision, John sees God on His throne. In this vision God is worshipped as the Creator of all things to whom all things belong. From John’s vision we learn three things about God from this reality that He is the Creator of all things.

As Creator, God has perfect authority. Since He made all things, He rules over all things with perfect authority. Psalm 115:3 tells us, “But our God is in the heavens: he hath done whatsoever he hath pleased.” In Revelation 4 John sees “a throne” that “was set in heaven.” This throne had been there and continues to be there. This throne is the same throne that Isaiah saw in Isaiah 6 that is “high and lifted up.” It is raised up above all other thrones in heaven because God has absolute and perfect authority and rules over all things. He has such authority because He is the maker of all things. Deuteronomy 10:14 tells us “Behold, the heaven and the heaven of heavens is the Lord’s thy God, the earth also, with all that therein is.” Psalm 24:1 declares, “The earth is the Lord’s, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein. For he hath founded it upon the seas, and established it upon the floods.” Therefore, all people are accountable to Him and all of creation belongs to Him. He has perfect authority.

God also has perfect existence. John sees much surrounding the throne of God. There are 24 elders with their “white raiment” and “crowns of gold” (4:4). There are “thunderings and voices” and a “sea of glass.” The 24 elders represent the redeemed people of God as is more clearly revealed in Revelation 5:10 as they are made “kings and priests” through God’s redemption in Jesus Christ. There are “four beasts” which are creatures who are covered in eyes and have four different faces. They are the same creatures Ezekiel saw in Ezekiel 1 and 10 that are identified there as Cherubim. Their declaration is similar to the Seraphim of Isaiah 6:2-3 in that they declare “Holy, holy, holy.” In the presence of God, they claim His perfections as the “Almighty” and the One “which was, and is, and is to come.” God alone is eternal. He has no beginning and will have no ending. He is the “Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty” (Revelation 1:8). His existence is perfect and eternal.

Lastly, God has a perfect purpose for His creation. God had a good purpose in bringing this world and all it contains into existence. The 24 elders and the four living creatures in heaven worship God because He is the Creator of all things. They affirm that it is purely by His “pleasure” that “they are and were created.” Everything exists right now for the good pleasure of the will of God. All people, angels, animals, and every blade of grass exists because He has willed it all to exist. His purpose in creation is a good one because He is a good God. God is not only the Creator, but He is the sustainer and director of all things. He sustains His creation by “upholding all things by the Word of His power” (Hebrews 1:3) and He guides all things with His sovereign will. God is the One “who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will” (Ephesians 1:11).

Since God is the Creator of all things, we must acknowledge and worship Him as the One with perfect authority, perfect existence, and a perfect purpose. We must submit to His authority, live for eternity, and surrender to His purpose in our lives. The good news is that the Creator has not left fallen humanity, that has rebelled against Him, to ourselves, but He has sent His only begotten Son into the world to reconcile us to Himself. A way has been made for us to know our Creator in a personal and saving way through Jesus Christ. Have you surrendered to the Creator? Do you know Him? Are you surrendered to His good purpose in your life?