Read
Revelation 4:1-6a
Exodus 24:9-11
Isaiah 6:1-7
Remember
Revelation is an apocalyptic, prophetic, letter written by John to show the seven churches (therefore the universal church) what was revealed to him by Jesus, from God. The point of John’s letter to these churches, and to us, is to give us comfort and confidence in the midst of the conflict and the struggle that is the Christian life which is lived in a world that seems to be overrun with evil, suffering, and death. Jesus wants us to see that not everything is as it seems.
John uses the pattern of seven progressive and parallel sections to reveal to us the reality that God is controlling everything and is using all of the events of history to bring blessing to his people and establish his kingdom on earth.
Reflect
Revelation 4:1-6a is the beginning of the second of the seven sections (Rev. 1-3 are the first). The beginning of this section begins just like the beginning of the first one, with a picture of God on the throne. This time, John sees more explicitly imagery that echoes and builds upon throne room imagery from elsewhere in Scripture. We see that the throne room is a more real reality than every earthly copy (tabernacle and temple), and that it is the center of all of creation because it is where the localized presence of God is. Exodus 24:9-11 and Isaiah 6:1-7 are especially echoed in this passage and the significance is not lost on John. This is the same God who has been working with and through Israel, and is the same God who Jesus fully revealed in his earthly ministry.
We can imagine why Jesus would have wanted to invite John into the throne room: Life in the first century, especially for an Apostle who had been commissioned by Jesus and had a charge to spread the Gospel to the ends of the earth was not an easy life. In fact, we know that John was exiled on an island, cut off from the rest of the church, except by the vain hope of sending them letters. It would be natural to feel discouraged and frustrated by those circumstances! Jesus brings John into the throne room to give him the powerful evidence of the sovereign reign of God over all circumstances and to comfort him with the perfect power of God which has become his inheritance. All of the symbols (rainbows, thunder/lightning, gem stones, sea of glass, and the 24 thrones for the elders) work together to accomplish this one goal: the glory of God is John’s inheritance and he can rest in the perfect sovereignty of the Lord.
Questions
What are some observations you can make about the similarities between what John sees and what Moses and Isaiah see in Exodus 24:9-11 and Isaiah 6:1-7? How might this have been especially comforting to John?
How do the different symbols work together to give John confidence?
What are some of the things that we go through in our context as Christians that make it hard to believe that God is in control of every detail of our life?
How does the glory of God help us live faithfully as Christians and give us focus for everything that we do?