Heavenly Preparations Before The Judgments Fall On Earth
(Chapters 4-5)
Christ’s Rights to the Inheritance
Chapters 4 and 5 are introductory to the prophetic judgments that follow in the book, and in one sense, could be viewed as a parenthesis in the unfolding of events on earth. Chapters 2 and 3 have given us the Church’s history on earth through the last 2000 years. Immediately following the Church’s call to heaven, the events in chapter 6 will take place on earth—they are a continuation from chapter 3.
These intervening chapters (4-5) depict a scene in heaven that precedes the judgments that will fall on the earth. The subject before us in these chapters is Christ’s worthiness to possess the inheritance and to reign over it. The “inheritance” is every created thing in heaven and earth (Eph. 1:11, 14, 18). These chapters show that He has a double worthiness:
• In chapter 4 He is worthy because of His creatorial rights—“Thou hast created ... ” (vs. 11).
• In chapter 5 He is worthy because of His redemptive rights—“Thou hast redeemed [purchased] ... ” (vs. 9).
Ezekiel 21:27 tells us that God has One “whose right it is”—the Lord Jesus Christ. He will come at God’s appointed time to claim the inheritance and to reign over it in righteousness.
• Chapter 4 is occupied with “the throne” and Him (the Creator) who sits on it.
• Chapter 5 is occupied with “the book” and Him (the Redeemer) who is worthy to open it.
The Transfer of the Government of the Earth From Angels to Redeemed Men
Scripture indicates that the government of “the world to come” (the Millennium) will be in the hands of men—redeemed men (Heb. 2:5). Presently, the earth is under the jurisdiction of angels, who act for God administratively in the execution of His governmental dealings with men. After the present dispensation of grace comes to a close and the Church is called away to heaven, there will be a time when the angels will be gathered in and dismissed from their present office (Heb. 12:22-23 – “myriads of angels, the universal gathering”), and that office will be transferred into the hands of glorified men.
This is seen here in Revelation 4-5. The “four living creatures” represent (symbolically) the attributes of providential power in the execution of judgment in the earth. They are not actual creatures, but emblems of God’s ability to govern the earth providentially. They are described as “a lion” (power), “a calf” (firmness), “a face of a man” (intelligence), and “a flying eagle” (rapidity of execution). These living creatures are seen in chapter 4 as merged with (not distinguished from) the angels. They are viewed as one company acting for God in His government of the earth. Thus, the present administration of the earth is exercised through angels. But then in chapter 5, when the Lamb takes the book, “the four living creatures” are seen as separated and distinct from the angels. Instead they are merged with the elders (redeemed glorified men) as one company. They are seen acting together with the elders in the priestly function of praise (“harps”), in prayer (“bowls full of incense”), and in singing the song of the redeemed (Rev. 5:8-10). This shows that they couldn’t be actual creatures which God has created as angels are, because all such creatures do not know or sing the song of redemption. This change indicates that the administration of the earth will then be transferred into the hands of redeemed men who are glorified (Luke 19:16-19; Rom. 8:17; 2 Tim. 2:12; Heb. 2:5; Rev. 21:9-22:5).
W. Kelly said, “The living creatures in themselves represent the attributes of providential power in the execution of judgment; but the comparison of the chapters [4 and 5] points to a change in its administration from angels, who are now the agents, to the redeemed who are to be. Hence, in chapter 4 the angels are merged as it were in the living creatures; in chapter 5 they are distinguished in view of Christ’s co-heirs, to whom, and not to angels, God will subject the inhabited world to come (Heb. 2:5)” (Revelation Expounded, p. 87).
Christ’s Rights Through Creation
(Chap. 4:1-11)
Sin has marred the creation, but judgment will cleanse it and bring it back to a state in which it can be used for its original purpose—which is a stage for the display of the glory of Christ, the Son of God and the Son of Man.
Vss. 2-5—“The throne” presents to us a symbol of God’s seat of rule and authority in the universe. We learn from this that God is in control behind the scenes with His over-ruling hand. As the Creator, the Lord has rights to His creation. However, before it can be used for the display of His glory in the kingdom, it needs to be cleansed and set free from sin, Satan, and the world. The same power of God that created the whole world will be used to take it back for God. Christ Himself will intervene upon the course of this world (at His Appearing) to take the kingdoms of this world, and they will become “the kingdoms of our Lord, and His Christ” (Rev. 11:15).
He who sits on the throne is not described, but precious stones are used to set forth His glory in government. A. Roach said that “jasper” and a “sardine [carnelian]” indicate the Lord’s revealed glory and His unrevealed glory. Further to this, there is “a rainbow round about the throne.” This speaks of God’s covenant of blessing with the earth after judgment (Gen. 9). A rainbow, as we know, comes into view after a storm. Hence, this is a promise that God will bring blessing to the earth after the storm of His judgment has swept over it. The rainbow is said to have but one color—“emerald.” Green is the color of freshness, and indicates that God’s promise is fresh on His mind, and He is now about to fulfill it. “The twenty-four elders” represent believers from Old and New Testament times in their glorified state. They are “clothed in white raiment” indicating that they have been made pure by Christ’s work on the cross. They have their place in heaven on “thrones” round about the central “throne.” The “lightnings and thunderings [rumblings] and voices [peals of thunder]” that proceed out of the throne indicate that judgment will be the means of the earth’s cleansing (Isa. 26:9). The “seven lamps” bring before us the thought that God by the power of the Spirit is about to search out every evil and deal with it righteously.
Vss. 6-8—The “sea of glass” is an allusion to the laver in the temple, which was used for cleansing (1 Kings 7:23-26). Here it is not of water, but of glass. It suggests a scene of fixed purity for all who are part of this heavenly scene.
As mentioned, “the four living creatures” are symbolic of the execution of God’s government in the earth, associated with His throne. As merged with the angels in this fourth chapter, they seem to incorporate the attributes of both the cherubim and seraphim. The cherubim are concerned with the public government of God’s glory on earth (Gen. 3:24; Ex. 25:17-20; Ezek. 10:1-22) and the seraphim are concerned with maintenance of God’s holiness (Isa. 6:1-7).
Vss. 9-11—The great question is this: Who is worthy to execute the judgment and to prepare the earth for the coming kingdom? The answer is: He who has created it. This calls forth praise to Him who is the Creator from every creature in the universe. All heaven breaks out in praise to the Lord Jesus Christ on account of His creatorial rights.
Christ’s Rights Through Redemption
(Chap. 5:1-14)
Vss. 1-4—Like chapter 4, chapter 5 is a scene in heaven. It has to do with “the book” and Him who is worthy to open its “seals.” The book (a scroll) is not the Bible but the title deeds to the inheritance. It sets forth God’s purpose and counsel regarding the blessing of the whole world under the reign of Christ. It unfolds how He will be bring it to pass, which will be through His “judgments” (Isa. 26:9).
If the inheritance is to be re-claimed for God, the great question is who can do it? Who can remove the vast system of evil that has come in through man’s sin and rebellion in a way that would meet the demands of the throne? And, who can bring in the vast system of blessing of which the goodness of God has purposed for all in heaven and on earth? The whole universe is challenged with these great questions by the proclamation of “a strong angel”—and no one is found among all God’s creatures to be worthy or able.
For thousands of years men have endeavoured to suppress the evils of the world and introduce a condition of peace and well-being on earth, but none have been able to do it. Literally, everything has been tried in an attempt to accomplish this. Men have applied every form of government—monarchial, dictatorial, republican, democratic, socialist, etc., but none have been successful. Neither has religion or military force been able to reform the nations of the world. Men have tried to legislate laws through courts of justice and have proliferated the land with reformatories and prisons, but none of these things have worked either. At one time, or another, every class of men have tried to correct the course of this world in one way or another: kings, nobles, military commanders, the common people in society banding together in one cause or another, but these, too, have not succeeded. Among them all there has not been found anyone with either the ability or the worthiness to bring about peace and blessing to this world. They have all failed because they have only considered the rights of man and have ignored the rights of God and the requirements of His throne.
Vss. 5-6—Our eyes are then turned to see these requirements met in Christ perfectly. He is described in a two-fold way; firstly, as “the Lion,” and secondly, as “the Lamb.” As a “Lion” He is seen to be able, for a lion is known for its strength (Prov. 30:30). As a “Lamb” He is shown to be worthy, because though He is despised by men, He has overcome sin through death. He is presented as having three divine attributes:
• His “seven horns” symbolize His completeness in power—His omnipotence.
• His “seven eyes” symbolize His complete searching of all things—His omniscience.
• Having the “seven Spirits of God sent forth into all the earth”—speaks of His omnipresence.
Vss. 7-8—There are two distinct actions that follow: the taking of the book and the opening of its seals (chap. 6:1, etc.). Taking the book signifies Christ’s right to the inheritance as the Lamb, and the opening of its seals signifies Christ’s power in judgment to re-claim the inheritance as the Lion. His taking the book means that the time of the “patience of Jesus Christ” is past (chap. 1:9), and the time of His Lordship authority and power has come. When He takes the book, immediately the elders in heaven, acting as priests, fall down before Him having “harps” and “golden bowls” (vs. 8).
• The “harps” speak of the praises of the saints.
• The “bowls” speak of the prayers of the saints.
This indicates that this heavenly company of redeemed men (the 24 elders) understand that Christ is about to answer the prayers of the saints who have for thousands of years called on Him to come and set the world right for the glory of God (Luke 18:7). But more specifically, the praying saints with whom the heavenly company of elders are so deeply interested, are those who suffer on earth for their faith during the time when the apocalyptic judgments described in this book will be poured out. These saints are believers of the gospel of the kingdom that will be preached in that day. They are those whom God has redeemed from the nation of Israel and from the Gentile nations (chap. 7). The elders in heaven are seen as priests and heavenly observers in connection with these suffering saints below.
However, before Christ opens the seals and orders the judgments to fall upon the earth, all heaven breaks out into praise to Him who is able and worthy (vss. 9-14).
Three Spheres of Praisers in Three Concentric Circles
There are three distinct spheres of praisers in the latter half of chapter 5:
1) Vss. 9-10—The innermost circle encompasses the whole redeemed company of men in heaven—“the twenty-four elders.” They sing their praise to the Lamb (Christ) directly as they extol His ways in grace of redeeming men on earth. The theme of their song is Christ’s mighty work in redemption. Note: the words “us” and “we” in verses 9-10 in the KJV should be translated “them” and “they” as in the J. N. Darby Translation. This means that the elders are not referring to themselves, but to those on earth with whom God is working in grace.
W. Scott said, “The pronouns ‘them’ and ‘they,’ instead of as in the Authorized Version, ‘us’ and ‘we,’ mark an important distinction in the interpretation of this important passage. The elders do not sing of their own redemption, but of a people on earth. Their priestly service was on behalf of others, so here their song is of the redeemed on earth. They sing and celebrate the blessing of others, not their own. How unselfish! How unjealous! How intense the interest in God’s work of grace in the earth during the interesting interval between the Translation (1 Thess. 4:17) and the Advent of the Lord in power (Rev. 19:11-14). The redeemed in heaven delight to declare the blessing of the redeemed on earth.” (The Book of Revelation, pp. 140-141)
W. Kelly also said, “A very important change occurs in this verse, well known to every person tolerably acquainted with the original Scriptures. Persons who have studied the most ancient manuscripts and other witnesses of this book, all agree that it is, ‘and hast made them to our God kings (or a kingdom) and priests to our God.’ They do not speak of themselves. Indeed, I am prepared to go farther, and am bound to state my firm impression that in the ninth verse the word ‘us’ was put in by copyists who supposed that the elders were celebrating their own blessing. But the elders are so perfectly at rest about themselves that they can be occupied about others.....They are speaking about the saints whose prayers they were offering. As they were occupied with their prayers, so here they were praising the Lord for His goodness to the saints still on earth” (Lectures on the Revelation, pp. 118-120).
Vs. 10—Those whom Christ redeems are made "a kingdom of priests" and they will reign with Christ when He establishes His kingdom publicly. “On the earth” here could be translated “over the earth.” Many have taken this to mean that they will go to heaven and reign with the elders in the heavenly department of Christ’s kingdom (Dan. 7:18, 22, 27) in what the Lord called “the kingdom of their Father” (Matt. 13:43). If this is so, the elders are not referring to all the redeemed on earth, but to a specific class of saints who will be martyred and then raised to share in the heavenly side of the kingdom (Rev. 14:13; 20:4).
2) Vss. 11-12—The next circle has the elect “angels” in it. They join in the anthem of praise, but it is not said that they sing their praise. Nor do they mention the blood of the Lamb, not having known redemption personally. Nor is their praise to the Lamb, as was the elders, but rather, about the Lamb. These things denote a lesser understanding (as to experience) of God’s ways in grace and government.
3) Vss. 13-14—The third circle is broader yet and encompasses “every creature ... in heaven and ... earth and ... in the sea” in the lower creation. They are seen joining the praise of the Lamb, but like the angels, they do not sing. The notes of praise ascribed in their worship (four) are fewer than the angels (seven) and denote an even lesser understanding of God’s ways. This would be in anticipation of their deliverance from the bondage of corruption when Christ appears (Rom. 8:20-22).
Overview of the Book
A Brief Overview of the Order of the Chapters in the Book
The chapters that follow (6-22) resume the unfolding of events on earth. From the standpoint of the saints in heaven in chapters 4-5, the events in chapters 2-3 have been fulfilled in history, and the events in chapters 6-22 are yet to be fulfilled in the future.
As mentioned, if God is to use this world as a stage to display the glory of Christ in “the world to come” (Heb. 2:5), as He has purposed to do, it must first be cleansed of wickedness and wicked persons through judgment (Isa. 26:9). All evil—men and things—must be subjugated to make way for Christ’s reign in righteousness (Isa. 32:1; Zech. 14:9). Before Christ will personally intervene in judgment at His Appearing, various providential and indirect judgments will fall from “the throne” of God (chap. 4:5) and from “the altar” of God (chap. 8:5) and from “the temple” of God (chap. 11:19; 15:5-8).
As mentioned earlier, God holds various parts of the earth responsible for the degree of light that they have had. In the forthcoming chapters, the Lord takes up each of these spheres separately and judges those in them accordingly. The Christianized nations have had the greatest exposure to the truth through the gospel, and are most responsible. Therefore, the Lord begins with them and works out to the other parts of the earth that have had less light.
The Spirit of God in this book takes us over the coming final prophetic week in Daniel’s prophecy (Dan. 9:24-27) three times, and from three different perspectives—each ending with events surrounding the Appearing of Christ. They are:
• Chaps. 6–11:18—The judgment of the so-called Christianized western nations, culminating with the Appearing of Christ.
• Chaps. 12-14—The judgment of Israel, culminating with the Appearing of Christ.
• Chaps. 15-16—The judgment of the Nations outside the prophetic earth, culminating with the Appearing of Christ.
Then, after a long parenthesis in chapters 17:1–19:10, wherein the subject of Babylon (religious and political) is taken up in detail, the subject of Christ’s Appearing is resumed in chapter 19:11-21—which is where the preceding sections have left off. Then, chapters 20:1–21:8 present the Millennium (which will be established after Christ’s Appearing), followed by the Eternal State. Chapters 21:9–22:5 form an appendix giving us further details as to the Church being used to glorify Christ in the Millennium. Then, in chapter 22:6-21 The Lord gives His closing exhortations and a three-fold promise of His coming.
Five Parentheses in the Book
There are five parentheses that must be taken into consideration:
• Chaps. 4-5—Christ’s two-fold right to possess and reign over the inheritance, which is every created thing.
• Chap. 7—Believing Israelites and Gentiles preserved during the 70th week of Daniel (Dan. 9:27).
• Chaps. 10:1–11:14—The mystery of God and the two witnesses.
• Chap. 16:15—Christ appears as a Thief in judgment.
• Chaps. 17:1–19:10—Religious and political Babylon judged.
From this brief overview of the chapters, we can see that the book of Revelation is really a very orderly thesis on prophetic events. The fact that the Spirit of God would take the reader over the seven-year prophetic week of Daniel 9:27 three times, from three different perspectives, is very much in keeping with His way of presenting prophecy elsewhere in the Bible. Whether it is in the Psalms or the Prophets, when bringing prophetic subjects before us, the Spirit goes over that ground again and again—each time ending with the Appearing of Christ and the introduction to His kingdom (the Millennium). It is therefore, no surprise to the prophetic student to see this same order observed in the book of Revelation.
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Judgment of the Christianized Nations in the West
(Chapters 6–11:18)