Introduction

Now that we have reviewed the vision of all that the Apostle John saw in the first three chapters of the Book of Revelation, we come to a transition in the Book. In chapter four John now sees a heavenly door that is opened by God. In the first three chapters we see John's vision of the risen and glorified Christ and His message to the seven churches, but in chapter four the focus begins to shift from an earthly perspective to one of heaven. What we will read in chapters four and five will give a foundation for the remainder of the Book.

1 After this I looked, and there in heaven was an open door. The first voice that I had heard speaking to me like a trumpet said, “Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this.” 2 Immediately I was in the Spirit, and a throne was set there in heaven. One was seated on the throne, 3 and the One seated looked like jasper and carnelian stone. A rainbow that looked like an emerald surrounded the throne. 4 Around that throne were 24 thrones, and on the thrones sat 24 elders dressed in white clothes, with gold crowns on their heads. 5 Flashes of lightning and rumblings of thunder came from the throne. Seven fiery torches were burning before the throne, which are the seven spirits of God. 6 Something like a sea of glass, similar to crystal, was also before the throne. Four living creatures covered with eyes in front and in back were in the middle and around the throne. 7 The first living creature was like a lion; the second living creature was like a calf; the third living creature had a face like a man; and the fourth living creature was like a flying eagle. 8 Each of the four living creatures had six wings; they were covered with eyes around and inside. Day and night they never stop, saying: Holy, holy, holy, Lord God, the Almighty, who was, who is, and who is coming. 9 Whenever the living creatures give glory, honor, and thanks to the One seated on the throne, the One who lives forever and ever, 10 the 24 elders fall down before the One seated on the throne, worship the One who lives forever and ever, cast their crowns before the throne, and say: 11 Our Lord and God, You are worthy to receive glory and honor and power, because You have created all things, and because of Your will they exist and were created.

The entire message of chapter four is focused around the worship of God, who is on His throne. The word "throne" is used at least 12 times in this passage. Do you think that maybe the Holy Spirit wants us to focus on the "throne of God" before we go any further in the Book? I agree. It is vital that we get a grasp of chapters four and five in order for us to understand and appreciate what He will say in the remaining chapters of Revelation. With that said, let's look at several truths from this passage that stand out loud and clear.

God is worthy of all our worship because He is Holy, Sovereign, and the Everlasting Creator. Truth be known, there are numerous idols that are constantly competing for our worship. Oh we may not have statues and other replicas of gods in our home but there are other idols. But we are reminded in this passage that none of them come close to being worthy of our devotion. Can these other things provide us with eternal life or give absolute truth? Can they carry us through our troubles and tribulations and completely deliver us from evil? No! God is alone worthy of our worship because He is our creator. We must consider where our true affection lies.

Another truth is that the only "true worship" is completely God focused and God centered. So many times we have a tendency to drift away from God and become drawn to things that satisfy our own personal needs. But if our worship is true it will be vertical first toward God and then that relationship will lead us to reconciled relationships with others. Someone once said, "when worship loses its God-centeredness, it loses it power to transform." Think about that. When our relationship with God is not right, all of our other relationships will not be right.

Lastly, worship of the One True God will change us from the inside out. I heard a pastor once say that you could tell a lot about a congregation by how they sing. He wasn’t talking about how well, loud, or even how passionately they sang, he was talking about the people singing with such abandon of themselves that they sing in response to who God is and what He has done. Worship reminds us that God is holy and that He loves us. We gain a clearer perspective of who God is. The fact is that we were created to worship and if we don’t worship God we will worship something. But when we worship God we are actually taking part of heaven itself, and we will never be the same.