The First Four Trumpets (Revelation 8)

The First Four Trumpets (Revelation 8)

We now know who will be able to stand when God’s retribution for the persecution of His saints is administered.  The entire story has been laid out for John.  The coming of righteousness, followed by the arrival of the unrighteous, the increasing levels of persecution by the Roman Empire and the retribution of God for the persecutors.  Then we see the explanation of who will be protected and be able to stand when God unleashes His wrath against  the enemies of Christianity and now we come to the climax of the saga.  Everything has been building to this point.  the seventh and final seal is opened and before anything happens there is a period of suspense and anticipation.  What is going to happen?  So many times in the past God’s children saw the vengeance of God on nations who opposed righteousness.   Sodom and Gomorrah comes to mind as one of the most devastating and memorable of them all, having been utterly destroyed by fire raining down on them from above.  Many were the unrighteous nations and empires toppled by God through the centuries and the readers are left for a suspenseful period of time before the wrath of God begins to fall on the persecutors of His faithful children. 

God wants all mankind to be saved and He is willing to allow His people to undergo horrible hardship in order to give all mankind the opportunity to repent and come to His saving grace but as longsuffering as God is, there are limits to what He will tolerate against His beloved children and He has reached that point and is about to act.  The Roman Empire has pushed God to the limit as we will see later on.

Many in the religious world today believe that these visions of John depict a series of events connected with the end times of all earth.  Such is not the case.  We must interpret Revelation for what it says it is and to who it claims to be written to.  The first verse of Revelation provides us with two very important pieces of information.  First the message has been “signified by His angel” which means the message contained therein has been given in symbolic language and not literal.  The key to understanding what the symbols mean is to consider what they mean elsewhere in the rest of scripture and using those to shed light on the meaning of the visions John is seeing. 

The second piece of information in the first verse which is vital to our understanding of it today is that the things revealed in the book “must shortly come to pass“.  This thought is reinforced in verse 3 and then repeated at the end of the Revelation in chapter 22:10 where inspiration says “the time is at hand“.  The time period of the 21st century is not “at hand” with the first century neither is a period of 2000 years or more to be understood as coming to pass shortly.  

A third very significant clue as to how we should understand the Revelation is found in the 4th verse of the introduction of Revelation in chapter 1.  By inspiration, John directly addresses His letter to “the seven churches which are in Asia“.  So in view of this fact and in consideration of the imminent time period under which inspiration places the events in this letter, we are forced to apply its primary relevance directly to the first readers of this letter in the first century.  Whatever this letter meant to them, must be what it means to us today.

Following is the continuation of the vision John was given.  The events seen thus far are already known to the first readers.  They know about the coming of righteousness, they already know they are living under intense persecution. Most of the things John has described to this point are things the first readers are well aware of and can relate them to their immediate circumstances.  What they want to know now is what is going to happen to the them and what is going to happen to their ruthless persecutors.  This is what they have been waiting for.  They have just learned that God is going to take measures to protect them during His retribution and now is the time.

As with the other parts of the visions, it is much easier to visualize the big picture of what is going on rather than focusing on the minute details.  What is happening in the overall vision?  God hears the prayers of His saints and visits His wrath upon the world of the ungodly. 

Revelation 8:1
“And when he opened the seventh seal, there followed a silence in heaven about the space of half an hour.”
The seventh seal is now opened.  God is on His throne and He’s put up with the persecution of His children all He’s going to.  The Angels are silent, all the martyrs and the redeemed are silent.  In the earlier parts of the vision, all the attention was focused on the throne and on God and the lamb and His Spirit.  All worship has stopped, all activities have ceased.  There is not a sound made.  All attention is now diverted to the earth.  Everyone who would be saved out of the empire has been identified and preserved.  The Roman Empire has run out of time just like ancient Babylon did as recorded in Habakkuk 2:20, “But Jehovah is in his holy temple: let all the earth keep silence before him“.   

Revelation 8:2
“And I saw the seven angels that stand before God; and there were given unto them seven trumpets.”
The seventh seal will not be like the other six which came one after another with great action. This will be a series of seven trumpets.  Let’s keep in mind that this is a vision which is intended to form in the readers mind an idea of what is taking place.  We need to focus on the picture as a whole and not so much on the minute details.  A trumpet was used as a symbol for announcing important events or actions so this was the alert to warn of the approach of the woes which are to fall upon the world.

The number 7 symbolizes the meaning of totality or completeness associated with God’s authority on the earth so the seven angels with the seven trumpets are a picture of unity, perfection, fullness and completeness of what God was going to do. 

Revelation 8:3-4
“And another angel came and stood over the altar, having a golden censer; and there was given unto him much incense, that he should add it unto the prayers of all the saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne.  And the smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, went up before God out of the angel’s hand.”
Incense was a symbol of ascending prayers to God.  It comes directly from the old testament alter of incense before the veil of the Tabernacle, nearest to the mercy seat where the Levitical priests burned incense every morning.  The golden censer was a pan on which live coals from the alter were placed which was used to burn the incense. 

We remember the story of Nadab and Abihu who died before the Lord for using strange or unauthorized fire.  The fire which was to be used to burn the incense in the golden censer had to be taken from the alter.  No other fire was acceptable.  The golden censer and the alter in John’s vision is reminiscent of the one in the story of Nadab and Abihu. 

In temple worship, the aroma of the burned incense represented the prayers of the Israelites to God and this meaning is carried forward into John’s vision.  The assurance to the first readers of Revelation an all thereafter is that God hears the prayers of His children and He will answer.   It must have seemed to the Christians living under the great persecution that God was not listening because they were being killed and mistreated because of their faith.  And it is difficult when life’s trials get oppressive, we often wonder if God is even listening to our prayers.  Think how much worse it would be if our fellow saints and loved ones were dying because of their faith.  The Christians living under the great persecution needed to be reassured that God was hearing their prayers and that He was going to help them.  But they also needed to understand that there would be persecution and many of them would die.  We will see later on in this study of Revelation that so many did die that the enemies of righteousness thought they had stamped out Christianity forever.  God never promises His faithful children a life of ease.  Such a thing became impossible when God granted all mankind unconditional free will.   

Yes God hears the prayers of His children.  We know this from verses of scripture such as James 5:16, 1 Peter 3:12, 1 John 3:22 and 1 John 5:14-15.  The vision of God receiving the prayers of His children served as a great comfort to those living under the great persecution and we know from the large quantity of incense given to the angel in the vision that there were a lot of prayers to be heard.  God heard them all and those who overcome will emerge victorious in the end.

Revelation 8:5
“And the angel taketh the censer; and he filled it with the fire of the altar, and cast it upon the earth: and there followed thunders, and voices, and lightnings, and an earthquake.”
The angel that offered the prayers of the persecuted Christians then fills the censer full of fire from the alter and casts it upon the world of the ungodly.  This is God’s response to the cries of His oppressed children.  The thunders, voices and lightnings were introduced earlier as expressive of the divine power, majesty and authority of God (Revelation 4:5).  An Earthquake is a familiar Old Testament figure used to describe God’s judgment against the enemies of His people.  God’s tolerance of the persecution of His children has reached His limit. 

We need to keep in mind here that this vision is an overall picture of God’s handling of the enemies of His children throughout the Roman Empire over a period of time.  All of these things did not boil up to a head with God destroying the empire in a single blinding act of Godly retribution.   Yes there were severe natural calamities such as exploding volcanoes, earthquakes, plagues and famines, but these events were spread out over vast expanses of territory and decades of time.  There are many instances in Revelation where plagues and woes were administered to the enemies of God and they repented not of their evil deeds.  God gave the woman represented as Jezebel time to repent, (Revelation 2:21.  In Revelation 9 we see later on in this vision where God released numerous plagues on the enemies of His children with the intent of bringing the survivors to repentance, (Revelation 9:20).  In Revelation 16:9-11 we see that God poured out His wrath on the enemies of His children so that they would repent.   God didn’t just reach his limit and destroy all the enemies of His children at once.  Rather He selectively administered these judgments across the empire in a progressive fashion over a period of time with the primary purpose of bringing any who would to repentance. 

What happens today when a horrendous natural disaster or major calamity befalls mankind?  When people are faced with insurmountable, unexplainable events such as earthquakes, Tsunamis and terrorist attacks where hundreds and thousands of innocent people lose their lives there is always many who turn to God for comfort and support.  Are we today so different than those who lived in the first century?  Would there not be those who turned to God in the first century when Mt. Vesuvius exploded and incinerated Pompeii and Herculaneum?  When people of all times who are comfortable and think they don’t need anything, including God, are slapped in the face with their own mortality and helplessness in the face of devastation and destruction, there are some who will turn to God for comfort.  History records that the Roman Empire had more than her fair share of natural calamities, some of which were of such overwhelming magnitude as to leave one numb from the shock and disbelief.  In the studies to come, we will observe many of the natural and self inflicted disasters that befell the Roman Empire along the course of her downward spiral into ultimate defeat and destruction. 

The angel filling the censer with the fire from the alter and casting it upon the earth is a picture of God’s wrath unleashed on the elements of the earth with a twofold purpose.  The primary purpose was to warn everybody in the Roman Empire against evil and to bring them to repentance and the second purpose was to deplete their resources to the point that they would be conquered.  God’s primary purpose has always been the salvation of the lost. 

Revelation 8:6
“And the seven angels that had the seven trumpets prepared themselves to sound.”
In Amos 3:6 and Hosea 5:8, trumpets were used to sound an alarm to warn of approaching danger.   The picture here is that angels were preparing to warn of the retribution and judgment of God on the enemies of righteousness.  The visions of the seven trumpets are reminiscent of the plagues of Egypt, all of which were designed to demonstrate God’s power and bring Pharaoh to repentance.  The Roman Empire made the same mistake Pharaoh did.   If Pharaoh would have let the Israelites go, he would have saved himself and all of Egypt a great deal of misery.  He was given numerous opportunities to do so and failed.  Similarly the Roman Empire was given numerous opportunities to repent and refused and were now going to face God’s wrath for their actions. 

It is key to note that when the first four trumpets were sounded, various parts of the physical world were effected.  Natural disasters are a tremendous drain on the resources of any empire or nation whether it be the Roman Empire or a nation today.  Vast resources are used to try and alleviate the suffering of the effected people and in so doing deplete a nations ability to protect itself from hostile enemies.   It is not going to be possible to match any of these up with specific events in the natural history of the Empire, but there is no doubt the empire suffered more than its share of devastating natural disasters.  Numerous cities were destroyed by earthquakes and some of them were outright incinerated by eruptions.  There was a famine of such magnitude that sufficient food for the population was unavailable.  The hunger of the famine was so severe, people were eating foods which were unhealthy just to survive and this sparked a plague which swept across the empire, lasting over a decade and killing untold millions of people.  History records that entire cities were totally depopulated from this plague.  Interestingly, many centuries after the writing of Revelation, there was an earthquake of such magnitude that it dried up the shores of the Mediterranean Sea in the effected area.  An entire mountain was said to have disappeared during this devastating earthquake.  But that wasn’t the end of it.  When the earthquake subsided and the displaced water returned, it came back with a vengeance.  History records that boats were washed as far as 14 miles inland and lodged in trees and upon housetops.  Those who did not die in the earthquake were drowned in the waves of the returning water.   These natural disasters occurred over centuries of Roman history and were key in the decline and ultimate downfall of the Empire. 

It is not going to be possible to match up the following events heralded by the trumpets with actual events in the history of the empire with any degree of certainty.  We are going to have to recognize the fact that God did use natural events to help bring about the punishment and downfall of the empire and not try to pinpoint them to specific disasters.  They were spread out over the empire separated by both geography and time.   God later speaks of the downfall of the empire in the past tense as if it has already happened so we know that the visions revealing the fate of the empire are not depicting it in perfect chronological order.  Later in Revelation we see a vision of the Empire being picked apart by birds, bit by bit, piece by piece, (Revelation 19).  Also we have in the same vision with the birds and earlier in chapter 14 the description of God’s wrath and retribution being pictured like the treading of grapes in a winepress.  The image here is that of a slow, constant, deliberate, methodical pounding out and picking apart of the Empire over a period of time.  History bears out the fact that this is indeed what happened.  A combination of natural disasters and internal depravity and unrest combined to weaken the empire to the point that it was picked apart from within and without, eventually overthrown and finally destroyed. 

Revelation 8:7
“And the first sounded, and there followed hail and fire, mingled with blood, and they were cast upon the earth: and the third part of the earth was burnt up, and the third part of the trees was burnt up, and all green grass was burnt up.”
The first trumpet sounds and we have God’s retribution in the form of intense weather.  Fire and burned trees and grass are descriptive of a long hot dry spell which depletes the agricultural products for the people and grass necessary to graze livestock.  Long hot dry spells leave a nation in a weakened state and are miserable to have to endure and live through.  The third part of the earth indicates that this was occurring over a vast territory of land but was by no means empire wide. 

Revelation 8:8-9
“And the second angel sounded, and as it were a great mountain burning with fire was cast into the sea: and the third part of the sea became blood; and there died the third part of the creatures which were in the sea, (even) they that had life; and the third part of the ships was destroyed.”
And when the second angel sounded his trumpet, earthquakes and burning mountains which are picturesque of volcanic eruptions are in mind here.  When these events occur in the seas they can cause devastating tidal waves.  The eruptions are often time accompanied with the release of poisonous or super heated gases which are deadly to life both in and out of the water.  History records that this was indeed the case in the Roman Empire.  We know of the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius and what it did to Herculaneum and Pompeii.  And this was only one of several which occurred in the empire and was not the worst by any means.  Offshore earthquakes cause monstrous tidal waves which wash ships and fish ashore and we know from history that this happened to the Roman Empire as well. 

Again, the third part of creatures in the sea and the ships destroyed indicate extensive but not total destruction. 

Revelation 8:10-11
“And the third angel sounded, and there fell from heaven a great star, burning as a torch, and it fell upon the third part of the rivers, and upon the fountains of the waters; and the name of the star is called Wormwood: and the third part of the waters became wormwood; and many men died of the waters, because they were made bitter.”
A star falling from heaven shows that this retribution was coming from God above. In this judgment scene, the fresh water supply is affected.  During the time of the Roman Empire most fresh water came from springs, rivers or shallow hand dug wells.  They did not have the technology to drill deep wells into fresh water sources and pipe it to all the people.  When something happened to effect the water supply, there was little they could do to alleviate the problem. 

Wormwood in the Old Testament was used to denote judgment, especially in instances of idolatry: “lest there should be among you man, or woman, or family, or tribe, whose heart turneth away this day from Jehovah our God, to go to serve the gods of those nations; lest there should be among you a root that beareth gall and wormwood” (Deuteronomy 29:18).  Jeremiah prophesied of the judgment of the Israelites for the worshipping of Baalim: “therefore thus saith Jehovah of hosts, the God of Israel, Behold, I will feed them, even this people, with wormwood, and give them water of gall to drink” (Jeremiah 9:15).

The term wormwood symbolizes Calamity, sorrow and bitterness of life.  Now, because of their persecution of the Christians, the Roman empire will taste the bitterness of the wrath of God.  It is not possible to relate this event to anything specific but our own experiences with natural disasters may give some insight on what is happening to the water supply in this vision.  Destructive huge scale natural disasters kill many people leaving few to clean up the aftermath.  Where the seas or oceans are involved, flood waters inundate the effected areas, killing on a massive scale and polluting the fresh water sources with sewage and the dead bodies of both animals and humans.  This polluted water becomes disease ridden, foul smelling and bitter and to drink it without boiling it would be hazardous to the health of anyone or anything drinking it.  People and livestock must have fresh water to survive and when the water supply has been disrupted and all that is available to drink is fouled then life is going to get difficult indeed. 

Revelation 8:12
“And the fourth angel sounded, and the third part of the sun was smitten, and the third part of the moon, and the third part of the stars; that the third part of them should be darkened, and the day should not shine for the third part of it, and the night in like manner.”
The moon and the stars represented figures of authority in the minds of the first readers of Revelation.  The Sun mentioned alongside the moon and stars here would put it in the same category.  When a devastating natural calamity occurs the authorities in charge of maintaining law and order are often unable to function properly.  Those without food or necessities and in desperate situations will take from those who have by force.  There is all kinds of looting, stealing and profiteering going on and the people in charge of enforcing law are unable to keep these things in check. 

People are displaced from their homes, millions are dead, food and water is scarce, violence is raging unchecked and where are the soldiers?  Where are the authorities?  Where are the rulers who have governed and kept the peace and provided protection and security from their enemies for so long?  They can’t be seen amid the destruction and people are in despair.  The rulers and kings they had worshipped and trusted for so long can’t help them in the face of God’s wrath.  The times are indeed dim for those suffering the judgment of God.  The powerful Emperors with their glistening armies all bright and shining and proud and the powerful rulers of the provinces in their shining palaces are eclipsed into darkness in the face of the wrath of the real authority in charge; the one true and living God. 

Of importance here is that the judgments announced by the first four trumpets were a call to repentance and not the total destruction of the enemies of God.  They were a selective application of God’s retribution over specific portions of the known world designed to bring the enemies of righteousness to a realization that their emperors, false gods, kings and governors were not the ones in charge and that there was a higher power that demanded their obedience and was intolerant of their persecution of His faithful children.   

Revelation 8:13
“And I saw, and I heard an eagle, flying in mid heaven, saying with a great voice, Woe, woe, woe, for them that dwell on the earth, by reason of the other voices of the trumpet of the three angels, who are yet to sound.”
The eagle was representative in this vision of a bird of ill omen as seen in Old Testament writings such as Jeremiah 49:22 and Hosea 8:1.  This eagle is proclaiming to those who live on earth and have seen and survived the first four judgments that they haven’t seen the end of it yet and the worst is yet to come.  The first four trumpets symbolized the smiting of the natural world and the consequences thereof, but now they will have far more to worry about than ever before when the last three trumpets are sounded.

Summary Paraphrase

And when Jesus at last prepared to reveal God’s judgment on the world of the ungodly, all of heaven stood silent for a period of time in breathless expectation and awe.  The angels charged with announcing God’s retribution were standing before His throne and were each given a trumpet with which to signal the coming woes. 

Then another angel came and stood over an alter before God’s throne, holding a golden censer in his hands.  And he was given an abundance of incense to burn therein, mingling its fragrance with the cries and prayers of God’s oppressed children coming up from the earth.  And in answer to those prayers,  the angel then filled the censer with the fire of God’s wrath from the alter and cast it upon the world of the wicked and God’s anger was like lightning in the skies and the earth was shaken from the thunderings of His voice.

And all the angels that were going to announce God’s retribution on the enemies of His children prepared themselves to sound.  When the first angel sounded there followed severe weather, violent storms and heat waves so intense that the vegetation and the trees died over great areas of the earth.  When the second angel announced the coming of God’s wrath there were great earthquakes and eruptions which set the mountains on fire and caused massive tidal waves that destroyed many of the inhabitants of the seas along with the ships that sailed on them.  And the third angel sounded, and God’s wrath coming from heaven caused all the rivers and springs of water on the earth to be fouled and bitter.  And many people died from drinking the poisonous bitter water.  And then the fourth angel sounded and the great rulers and leaders of the afflicted people could no longer be seen. 

And then I saw an eagle flying in the air over the earth saying in a great voice, “Woe woe woe, to all the people of the earth because of the terrible things that will happen when the last remaining angels blow their trumpets.”

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Who Will Be Able to Stand? (Revelation 7)

Who Will Be Able to Stand? (Revelation 7)


Chapter 4 opened this vision with a picture of God on His throne and being worshipped by all creation.  Chapter 5 introduced Jesus Christ as the one worthy redeemer, qualified to reveal the will of God and likewise being worshipped.  Chapter 6 is the picture of our redeemer revealing the coming of the redemption and righteousness of God, followed closely by the enemies of it and a step by step progression which brings us to the point at which God’s fearful judgment upon the earth is imminent.

In times past, God’s wrath upon nations such as Sodom and Gomorrah, or in the case of the great flood, the destruction was sudden and total.  But in these examples and many others, we see a period of time given where any who would be righteous had the opportunity to avoid destruction.  The people of Sodom and Gomorrah had an opportunity to be spared if only a handful of righteous could be found.  Noah was a preacher of righteousness all during the time he constructed the ark on which the entire hope of mankind relied (2 Peter 2:5).  It took a hundred years to build the ark and during that time he preached to the masses.  The unrighteous who lived at the time of the great flood had a hundred years to repent. 

We see from a study of the deliverance of the promised land to the Israelites that God would not let the Canaanites be destroyed until after there was no hope of any of them being found righteous.  In Genesis 15:16 and context, we have God speaking to Abraham in a dream where He was giving Abraham certain facts surrounding the land his descendants would inherit: “But in the fourth generation they shall come hither again: for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet full.”  Backing up to Genesis 15:13, we see God telling Abraham his descendants would be enslaved for 400 years while this was taking place. The word “Amorite” was used there as a term for the pre-Israelite population of Canaan.  When the Israelites arrived at the Jordan river after 40 years of wandering in the wilderness, the Amorites of old were then identified as the Canaanites of the time. 

What we see in Revelation chapter 7 is a parallel of God’s actions toward a people who are about to be destroyed.  God will wait to utterly destroy a nation until there are no more souls among them who can be saved.  God is longsuffering and is not willing that any should perish.  In this we see the tremendous love that God exhibits towards the lost.  Inspiration teaches us that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us (Romans 5:8).  We also see that God places a high priority on the souls of the lost.  He left the Israelites in bondage for four hundred years while the Canaanites degraded themselves completely into idolatry.  Only after the Canaanites had utterly abandoned God’s righteousness and there was no more potential for the salvation of souls were they driven out.  If the people of Canaan had been destroyed while there was yet any potential for righteousness, then souls would have been lost that otherwise would have been saved if God would not have destroyed them. 

As evil and idolatrous as the Roman Empire was, there were souls among them that were righteous and there were those who would eventually turn to righteousness before everything was said and done.  The faithful Christians, despite the persecution against them, were spreading the gospel, reaching the lost and helping people find their way out of idolatry and into the truth of God’s righteousness.  We must keep in mind that God has a much broader perspective on things than we do.  We are limited in our knowledge of the here and the now and what has been.  God sees all that plus what will happen in the future.  he knows if someone will respond to the truth tomorrow, or the next day, or the next.  He knows who is going to respond to the opportunity for salvation and He wants them to be saved.  And if God had swept in and utterly destroyed the Roman Empire while there were yet souls who would turn to God, then He would have destroyed their hope for salvation.     

God so loved the world that He sacrificed the fleshly life of His only Son that whosever sought righteousness could have eternal life.  John 3:16 does not limit God’s love to only the saved, but encompasses all of His creation.  He loves the sinners and the saved alike.  And we who are Christians must realize this and realize also that God who was willing to sacrifice the life of His Son, is willing also to sacrifice the lives of His saints to the purpose of the salvation of man.  Saving the eternal souls of the lost is more important in the eternal purpose of God than the fleshly lives of His Son and the saved.

And with that thought in mind, we are going to use that as the backdrop for how we look at the 7th chapter of Revelation.  Yes God is in charge, Yes He will punish and eventually destroy the Roman Empire for all the evil, pain and suffering they inflicted on the Christians, but not until their work on earth was complete and all the souls that could be saved were, “And there was given them to each one a white robe; and it was said unto them, that they should rest yet for a little time, until their fellow-servants also and their brethren, who should be killed even as they were, should have fulfilled (their course)” (Revelation 6:11). 

Who will be able to stand against God’s judgment?  “Wherefore take up the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and, having done all, to stand” (Ephesians 6:13).  While this is a picture of the last day when all of the creation is judged, the answer is still applicable; the righteous will stand in the end.

Revelation 7:1
“After this I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding the four winds of the earth, that no wind should blow on the earth, or on the sea, or upon any tree.”

Here we have the number four used multiple times which was symbolic of the world in which we live.  We see the four corners of the earth, the four winds coming from all directions being overseen by four angels.  This is figurative for the entire world which in the minds of the 1st century readers encompasses all of the Roman Empire and the nations it was unable to conquer such as the Parthians.  The winds are an Old Testament symbol which was a figure of divine retribution.  The winds being held back by the angels was the wrath of God on the enemies of righteousness.  And we have a vivid picture in the account of the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah what can happen when the winds of God’s retribution are released. 

We also notice that God’s wrath is aimed at natural things of the earth.  We learn in later accounts of John’s visions that God used natural calamities to pour out His retribution on the persecutors of the Christians.  History records many devastating earthquakes and other natural disasters which occurred in the first century which can be associated with the Revelation.  For example great earthquakes destroyed several cities in Asia Minor at different times and let’s not forget the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius which utterly obliterated the cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum in the first century.  Dealing with the consequences of these natural disasters seriously depleted the resources of the Roman Empire and were contributing factors to its ultimate downfall.

Revelation 7:2-3
“And I saw another angel ascend from the sunrising, having the seal of the living God: and he cried with a great voice to the four angels to whom it was given to hurt the earth and the sea saying, Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we shall have sealed the servants of our God on their foreheads.”
The angels who have the power to bring God’s retribution upon the earth are told to wait until the servants of God are sealed.  The word “sealed” is translated from the Greek word  sphragizo (sfrag-id’-zo); which means to stamp (with a signet or private mark) for security or preservation (literally or figuratively).  This is the same word used in John 6:27; “Labour not for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you: for him hath God the Father sealed“, and in Ephesians 1:13, “In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise“.  When any person believes and obeys the gospel, they are said by scripture to be “sealed” or “marked for preservation“.  God’s retribution on the earth was to be postponed until all of God’s servants were marked for preservation.  As we saw in Ephesians 1:13, this sealing occurs at the moment of one’s conversion, so the servants of God who are to be marked for identification include those who who will respond to the gospel and become Christians as well as those who already had. 

Being sealed on the forehead is not to be taken literally.  Paul taught in  2 Timothy 2:19, “Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his. And, Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity.”  All Christian have the assurance that God knows who His children are and that they are in fellowship with God the Father and with Jesus Christ, (1 John 1:3), so it follows to reason that God knows His children on a personal level.  Anyone whom God knows and fellowships is identified for preservation.  Being sealed on the forehead therefore means to be recognized by face on sight.

Revelation 7:4
“And I heard the number of them that were sealed, a hundred and forty and four thousand, sealed out of every tribe of the children of Israel”
The number 144,000 is the number 12, which is a symbol for organized religion, multiplied by the number 1000 which is the number 10 multiplied by itself three times.  The number 10 is the number for completeness and the number 3 was symbolic for God.  This brings the number to 12,000.  This number is then multiplied again by 12 which is the number for organized religion which brings it to 144,000.  Another way of expressing this figurative number is “the total sum of all God’s children from all nations.” 

Some religious organizations today try and literalize this number saying this is all that will be in heaven.  They fail to read just a few sentences onward where John sees the same group of people in this same vision, “a great multitude, which no man could number, out of every nation and of (all) tribes and peoples and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb.”  One must ask why anyone would literalize the 144,000 and then turn around and ignore the innumerable multitudes of the saved out of every nation of the earth standing before the throne of God.  So often it is the case that Revelation explains itself but one has to look at the whole vision, taking into consideration all of what is happening, not just isolated components of them and then trying to build a doctrine out of it.  The symbolic language in Revelation must be interpreted in light of what the rest of scripture says, not the other way around. 

Revelation 7:5-8
“Of the tribe of Judah (were) sealed twelve thousand: Of the tribe of Reuben twelve thousand; Of the tribe of Gad twelve thousand; Of the tribe of Asher twelve thousand; Of the tribe of Naphtali twelve thousand; Of the tribe of Manasseh twelve thousand; Of the tribe of Simeon twelve thousand; Of the tribe of Levi twelve thousand; Of the tribe of Issachar twelve thousand; Of the tribe of Zebulun twelve thousand; Of the tribe of Joseph twelve thousand; Of the tribe of Benjamin (were) sealed twelve thousand.“

Of interest here is that verse 4 closed with the words “sealed out of every tribe of the children of Israel”.  The twelve tribes listed are not the complete list of the actual patriarchs of the 12 tribes of old Israel.  Ephraim and Dan are not mentioned.  They were replaced with Levi who did not receive a land inheritance and Joseph, the father of Manasseh and Ephraim who were two of the Patriarchs.  So we can rule out the original tribes of Israel and the original children of Israel as being the subjects of this vision.  The Israel in view here is the spiritual house of Israel, not the old Israel.  the term “house of Israel” occurs in the old testament 146 times in reference to old Israel.  The New Testament Israel is referred to as a spiritual house in 1 Peter 2:5 so we see a contrast between the old Israel and the new.  The Israel in view here in John’s vision is the Israel of the new testament which included all the gentiles.  “For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body , whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit” (1 Corinthians 12:13).  The “children of Israel” under the new covenant is the body of Christ.  Also known as the kingdom of Christ (Ephesians 5:5, Colossians 1:13), the body of Christ (Romans 12:5, 1 Corinthians 12:27), and the church of Christ (Romans 16:16).

Revelation 7:9
“After these things I saw, and behold, a great multitude, which no man could number, out of every nation and of (all) tribes and peoples and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, arrayed in white robes, and palms in their hands”
As soon as John is finished describing the sealing of the children of Israel under the new covenant, the scene switches immediately back to the throne room of God where we get a vision of all the saved of all the ages. 

Keeping in mind this is the answer to the question “who will be able to stand?“, this is a picture of the souls who will be preserved and will be able to stand through God’s retribution on the unrighteous.  The fact that every single one of them came from what was referred to as a “tribe of Israel” indicates that only the children of God will be preserved.  This effectively leaves out everybody else.  

Those who are arrayed in white robes is explained fully in verse 14.  The palms they are holding is an Old Testament symbol taken from the Feast of Tabernacles and represents the joy resulting from deliverance and the peace which comes from assurance of future preservation.

Revelation 7:10
“and they cry with a great voice, saying, Salvation unto our God who sitteth on the throne, and unto the Lamb.”
The persecution of the Christians living under the Roman Empire was horrendous.  They were starved, discriminated against, beaten, enslaved, captured and killed just for being Christians.  It looked like oppression was coming from every conceivable direction and nothing could save them.  The immediate application for them was that there was indeed salvation from the persecution, but only through God’s plan of redemption.  The application for all is that the terms for salvation of all mankind is only through God and the sacrifice of the Lamb, His Son for the sins of all.  The first century Christians were needing saved from their immediate circumstances, but that was secondary in importance to being saved from eternal destruction.  This is the salvation which is of the utmost importance.

“Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, and the truth, and the life: no one cometh unto the Father, but by me” (John 14:6).  “And in none other is there salvation: for neither is there any other name under heaven, that is given among men, wherein we must be saved” (Acts 4:12).

Revelation 7:11-12
“And all the angels were standing round about the throne, and (about) the elders and the four living creatures; and they fell before the throne on their faces, and worshipped God, saying, Amen: Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honor, and power, and might, (be) unto our God for ever and ever. Amen.”
This is another vision of the worship of God in His throne room.  Interestingly, there are seven attributes given to God here in praise.  Likewise in the throne scene in Revelation 5:12, there were seven given by the angels to Jesus as well.  This cannot be a mere coincidence and serves to symbolize the sevenfold perfection of God.  

Revelation 7:13
“And one of the elders answered, saying unto me, These that are arrayed in white robes, who are they, and whence came they?”
One of the elders in John’s vision asked him who those in the white robes were and where they came from.  This question was asked so that it would be answered.  This is one of those times when the visions explain themselves.  The forthcoming answer will serve to identify the 144,000 as those who were of the great innumerable multitude clothed in white and standing before the throne of God.  The words used to explain these victorious saints make up some of the most beautiful imagery in all of the Revelation.  This is a wonderful and comforting picture of what awaits not only the 1st century Christians, but all who come through the trials of life and emerge triumphant over the evil influences of sin.

Revelation 7:14
“And I say unto him, My lord, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they that come of the great tribulation, and they washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.”
The great tribulation in view here is the persecution of the saints under the Roman Empire.  Those who shall stand are the ones who come through the great persecution, faithful unto death.  The sacrificial blood of Jesus washed away all their sins and they are clothed in righteousness, having their garments without spot, white and free of the darkness of sin. 

Revelation 7:15
“Therefore are they before the throne of God; and they serve him day and night in his temple: and he that sitteth on the throne shall spread his tabernacle over them.”
And because they were arrayed in white robes they are envisioned before the throne of God where they serve him constantly.  There is no day and night in heaven as we know it.  This is merely a figure of speech meant to form a picture of perpetual worship to God. 

The tabernacle spread over them by God is an old testament figure of the old tabernacle where the Israelites worshipped before the first temple was built.   The tabernacle was where God dwelt among the Israelites.  Having His tabernacle spread over them would then mean that they are sheltered in the dwelling place of God.  “LORD, who shall abide in thy tabernacle? who shall dwell in thy holy hill? He that walketh uprightly, and worketh righteousness, and speaketh the truth in his heart” (Psalms 15:1-2).  The entire 15th Psalm is a description of who will dwell in the tabernacle of God. 

Revelation 7:16
“They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more; neither shall the sun strike upon them, nor any heat”
These are pictures of various persecutions under which the Christians were living as described in the fourth seal.  The hunger and the thirst they went through was very real.  Christians were denied the ability to work good jobs and to buy or sell in the Roman Empire.  Hunger was a very common trial for them.  The sun or heat spoken of is probably an illusion to the fact that many of them were burned to death.  History records that Nero would douse Christians in a flammable substance and set them on fire in his garden at night, using their burning bodies as night lights while he drove his chariot among them.  We don’t know this for a certainty but tradition has it that Antipas, God’s faithful martyr was publicly burned to death in the streets of Pergamum.

Revelation 7:17
“for the Lamb that is in the midst of the throne shall be their shepherd, and shall guide them unto fountains of waters of life: and God shall wipe away every tear from their eyes.”
Jesus described Himself as the “good shepherd” that “giveth His life for the sheep” (John 10:11).  The Psalmist wrote, “The Lord is my shepherd” who leads me “beside the still waters” (Psalm 23).  Jesus is well known in the minds of His children as the lamb and the shepherd who gave His life so that His sheep could live. 

There will be no tears in heaven, God having removed all cause for sorrow.  Consider not only the tears of those who were martyred for Christ, but also the tears of those whose loved ones died leaving them without their fathers, or mothers, or wives or husbands.  Think about the destitute survivors whose husbands and fathers were slain, all their possessions taken, leaving them bereaved, alone and without any means of support.  Think about the families who saw their loved ones torn to shreds by wild beasts in the Coliseum for the entertainment of the Romans.  Think about the families whose fathers were forced to fight the gladiators and die in front of tens of thousands of jeering Romans.  Imagine how hard that would be and imagine the tears of grief and despair.  All of this sorrow will be forever gone for those who overcome and emerge triumphant.  God Himself is pictured here as wiping the tears from the eyes of His children.  What a beautiful and comforting picture this is for any Christian but especially to those who are suffering greatly because of their faith. 

The fountains of the waters of life.  Fountains suggest that the living waters are plentiful and the waters of life is reminiscent of Jesus’ words to the Samaritan woman He spoke with at Jacob’s well: “Jesus answered and said unto her, Every one that drinketh of this water shall thirst again: but whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall become in him a well of water springing up unto eternal life” (John 4:13-14).

So many times in Revelation, John sees the faithful in the throne room of God.  There are those in the world today who try and use these visions to set forth the teaching that all Christians who have died are presently in heaven.  We must keep in mind that the Revelation is purposefully symbolized for the protection of the first readers who were living during the great persecution of the Roman Empire and therefore the language is obscured.  Biblical teaching elsewhere in scripture places the souls of the faithful dead in a place of paradise within the Hadean realm where they await the coming of Jesus.  The saved thief on the cross joined Jesus in paradise (Luke 23:43) and we know from other scripture that Jesus went to Hades after His death on the cross (Acts 2:27).  Lazarus and the rich man likewise went to Hades upon their deaths (Luke 16:23).  The rich man was in torment while Lazarus was pictured in a place of comfort in Abraham’s bosom.  Inspiration records a conversation between Abraham and the lost rich man.  Nowhere in scripture does it even remotely hint that those in their final destination of Hell will be engaging those in Heaven in conversations.  Hell, (Gehenna), is described in scripture as eternal and total separation from God forever.

In Acts 2:34 we read that “David is not ascended into the heavens: but he saith himself, The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand“.  Jesus Christ is the only one who has been resurrected from the Hadean realm and has ascended to Heaven.  The faithful dead have not yet been resurrected and are therefore awaiting this event in the paradise section of the Hadean realm. 

John 5:28-29
“Marvel not at this: for the hour cometh, in which all that are in the tombs shall hear his voice, and shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of judgment.”  This event has not yet occurred therefore nobody but Jesus has ascended to heaven. 

It is often the case in Revelation that events which are to happen in the future are visualized as having already been accomplished.  This is to give the impression of the absolute surety of the event.  Notice later on in John’s visions that an angel declares, “Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great, that hath made all the nations to drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication” (Revelation 14:8).  The Babylon here is a figure for the Roman Empire and God’s angel declares it’s downfall as having already occurred.  The downfall of the empire is so sure that it is spoken of in past tense terms.  Likewise the gathering of God’s saints about Him in Heaven is so sure that it is spoken of in the same past tense terms.  It is also significant to note within the vision itself that the scene switches from the saints on earth under the persecution immediately to the throne room where they were again pictured in the presence of God while in reality many of the 144,000 were still living on earth, some who were yet to respond to the gospel and come into fellowship with God.

Summary Paraphrase

Revelation 7

And after these things I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding back God’s retribution like the wind so that it would not descend on the earth nor the sea nor on the trees.  And then I saw another angel ascending from the direction of the rising sun with a message from God.  And he cried with a loud voice to the four angels who were commanded to bring God’s judgment upon the earth, saying, “Do no harm to the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, until all the faithful servants of our God are saved.”

And I heard the number of God’s children which were redeemed: and there were great multitudes of them from among all the corners of the earth.  From each and every nation of the earth,  both Jews and Gentiles, all of those who would be redeemed were found and saved.  And after this I saw them all again in a vision before the Throne of God and there were so many that no man could number them.  They were standing before the throne of God, with the Father and with Jesus, clothed with righteousness, having been delivered from their persecutors and now at peace. 

And they all cried in unison, “Salvation comes only from God on His throne and from His Son.”  And then all the angels standing round about God’s throne and all the elders and all the redeemed fell on their faces and worshipped God saying “Amen: Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honour, and power, and might, be unto our God for ever and ever. Be it so.”

And one of the elders asked me, “Who are these which are clothed in righteousness and from where did they come?” And I answered him, “Sir, you know these things” And then he said to me, “These are they which were faithful unto death through the great persecution, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the sacrificial blood of the Son of God.  And now they are the only ones of earth who will be able to stand and they shall serve God day and night in His temple: and He shall shelter them where He dwells.  They will never again go hungry or thirsty, neither will they ever again suffer under the persecution of the unrighteous.  Because Jesus, the good shepherd who is enthroned at the right hand of God shall make sure they are fed and He will lead them to fountains of the waters of life and God Himself shall wipe all the tears of tribulation from their eyes. 

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God, the Avenger of His Children (Revelation 6)

God, the Avenger of His Children (Revelation 6)


Chapter 4 opened this vision with a picture of God on His throne and being worshipped by all creation.  Chapter 5 introduced Jesus Christ as the one worthy redeemer, qualified to reveal the will of God and likewise being worshipped.  The Holy Spirit is also represented as being with those who were pictured as being in the midst of the throne (Revelation 5:6).  So we have all three persons of the Godhead, present in the throne room of God and receiving the worship, adoration, praise and honor of all the saved. 

Something of significance to the first readers of Revelation is happening.  Jesus receives the sealed book of God’s will from the right hand of the Father who sits on His throne.  This book contains the totality of God’s will for mankind from the beginning to the end, however, of importance to John and His brethren living under the immediate circumstances of the persecution, the focus is on their immediate future and the future of the Lord’s church. 

Revelation 6:1
“And I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seven seals, and I heard one of the four living creatures saying as with a voice of thunder, Come.”
The Lamb and the creatures represent the same thing they did in earlier parts of the vision.  Once their identity is established in a vision, it remains consistent throughout.  Jesus is opening the first seal.  A seal in this usage represents something that is hidden from view.  The breaking or loosing of the seals in figurative for revealing the contents therein.  Jesus is starting to reveal the contents of the scroll and the creation is telling John to come. 


Revelation 6:2
“And I saw, and behold, a white horse, and he that sat thereon had a bow; and there was given unto him a crown: and he came forth conquering, and to conquer.”
Horses were always a war animal, especially when someone is pictured as seated on them with weapons of war in their possession.  White is the symbol of purity and righteousness so this white horse is symbolic of something good.  In the old testament prophecy of the coming of Jesus Christ we read:

“From him shall come forth the corner-stone, from him the nail, from him the battle bow, from him every ruler together.  And they shall be as mighty men, treading down (their enemies) in the mire of the streets in the battle; and they shall fight, because Jehovah is with them; and the riders on horses shall be confounded.  And I will strengthen the house of Judah, and I will save the house of Joseph, and I will bring them back; for I have mercy upon them; and they shall be as though I had not cast them off: for I am Jehovah their God, and I will hear them”  (Zechariah 10:4-6).

The cornerstone and the house of Judah is representative of Jesus Christ.  Earlier in John’s vision, the lamb was also called the lion of the tribe of Judah.  We know that Jesus Christ descended from the patriarch Judah (Hebrews 7:14).  We see in the prophecy of Zechariah the conflict, the battle, and the battle bow.  Jesus is pictured in Revelation as riding a white horse, carrying a bow and conquering.   The prophecy of Zechariah 10:4-6 is fulfilled in Jesus Christ and confirmed in Revelation 6:2.  The loosing of the first seal was the coming of the Gospel, the perfect plan of redemption for mankind, the law of Christ. 

The crown given to Jesus was the crown of a winner indicating victory in the conflict as He went forth conquering and to conquer.  Jesus overcame the world and lived a sinless life.  He delivered the New Covenant, the law of Christ while He was on earth and after being crucified, He arose, conquered death and ascended to Heaven where He reigns as the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords at the right hand side of God the Father. 

Revelation 6:3-4
“And when he opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature saying, Come.  And another (horse) came forth, a red horse: and to him that sat thereon it was given to take peace from the earth, and that they should slay one another: and there was given unto him a great sword.”
The persecutor of the church is introduced.  He is pictured riding on a red horse.  The color red was associated with bloodshed in the minds of the first century Christians so the red horse here is a symbol of bloody persecution.  The rider on the red horse was given the power to wage war and would cause the inhabitants of earth to kill each other.  Swords are used in battle to kill one’s opponents, thus we see more reference here to the shedding of blood.  Jesus had come on the white horse and had delivered the way of righteousness and established His church.  Close upon His heels came the rider on the red horse who would persecute the Christians in the Lord’s church.   

This persecution was nothing new to the Christians.  “Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name’s sake” (Matthew 24:9).  “Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution” (2 Timothy 3:12).  “Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you” (Matthew 5:10-12).  The churches had already been warned earlier that persecution was coming and who was the cause of it in Revelation 2:10, “Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer: behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days: be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life.”

Revelation 6:5-6
“And when he opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature saying, Come. And I saw, and behold, a black horse; and he that sat thereon had a balance in his hand.  And I heard as it were a voice in the midst of the four living creatures saying, A measure of wheat for a shilling, and three measures of barley for a shilling; and the oil and the wine hurt thou not.“

The color black is representative of darkness and oppression.  Darkness came over the earth when Jesus died on the cross.  The life of the light of the world was being extinguished and left darkness in its path.  There were a lot of trade guilds in the Roman empire.  These trade guilds were similar to the labor unions of today.  One had to be a member of the trade guild in order to work in that profession.  These trade guilds were idolatrous and would offer worship to various pagan gods and in to the Roman Emperor as well.  A trade guild that properly worshipped the Emperor was well favored by the Empire and was allowed to conduct business unmolested.  This presented a serious problem for the Christians.  They could not be a part of these trade guilds and participate in their idolatrous practices.  Not being a member of these trade guilds meant the could not get good jobs which resulted in leaving them poverty stricken. 

Then to make matters worse, the imperial cults in charge of enforcing emperor worship in the empire had the power to deny the right to participate in any kind of trade to anyone refusing to bow down and worship the emperor.  The main imperial cult that was responsible for this was called the “Concilia”.  

A balance was a simple set of scales used to evenly and fairly weigh out such things as silver, gold and food.  They were constructed with a simple beam with a balancing point or fulcrum in the center. They worked by placing an object with a known weight on one side of a beam and when the food or other substance to be weighed was placed on the other side, the equal weights on both sides would cause the whole to balance.   Balances were an emblem justice in Biblical times, (Job 31:6; Psalms 62:9; Proverbs 11:1) and today as well.  Our justice system in the US today is represented by a blindfolded woman holding a set of balances on which truth is weighed out fairly.   Balances were used to weigh out food in exchange for money and a shilling was about a days wages for a days work for someone in the lowest working class.  The first century Christians, incapable of working the better jobs found themselves struggling just to earn money enough to feed their families.

Oil and wine were luxuries beyond necessary needs.  The Christians who were forced to work the lowliest jobs were unable to buy such things, restricted to only that which would sustain their lives and barely enough of that.  They couldn’t afford oil, wine or other luxuries and those who were represented by the the rider on the black horse held it out in front of them, taunting them with it. 

The rider in the black horse with the balance in his hands had the power to tip the scales against the Christians thus causing poverty and hardship for them.  In Jesus’ letters to the churches of Asia, one of the things stressed the most was the forbidding of participating in the riotous public feasts where the meat sacrificed to pagan gods was eaten.  Hunger and poverty was a powerful means of persecution in the first century and we see this vividly portrayed in the rider on the black horse carrying the balances.

Revelation 6:7-8
“And when he opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature saying, Come.  And I saw, and behold, a pale horse: and he that sat upon him, his name was Death; and Hades followed with him. And there was given unto them authority over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with sword, and with famine, and with death, and by the wild beasts of the earth.”
The color of dead flesh is pale.  The rider on this horse is picturesque of our modern day grim reaper.  His name is death and he is populating the realm of the dead with the souls of men, especially the righteous.  The Christians were put to death by swords, they were starved out and they were slaughtered in the Roman arenas by gladiators and wild beasts.  History records that Nero blamed the great fire of Rome on the Christians and used them as scapegoats in an attempt to detract the blame from himself.  The executions of Christians was intended to be a spectacle. Those professing faith were often sewn up inside the skins of wild animals and thrown into the arena where dogs tore them apart. Others were covered in flammable material and burned alive to light Nero’s gardens at night while he rode around in his chariot among them. Some fell by the sword, others were beheaded, still others were tortured to death. All in all, this was the most widespread and brutal persecution of Christians to date.  And it wasn’t over when Nero died.  The Christians still had to deal with the persecution under the reign of Domitian, which was worse yet. 

The forth part of the earth is interesting.  To those living in the first century, the number four was symbolic of the world in which we live.  In Revelation 20:8, all of the people on earth are represented by the nations “in the four corners of the earth.” so it is probable that the fourth part of the earth could well be the whole world.  The persecution under Nero was bad in Rome, but under Domitian, it escalated to the whole empire.  Christianity became illegal and the imperial cults were dispatched across the realm to stamp out Christians wherever they could be found. 

To be fair to the scholarship of more learned men than myself, I feel compelled to point out the fact that many hold to Revelation 6:7-8 to be a judgment of God on Rome in some fashion.  I disagree with this view of the fourth seal.  Those following along with this study should be well advised to seek out for themselves the history and the facts and make a determination for themselves.  It is my belief that seal number four is representative of the Empire, (world), wide persecution of the saints under the rule of imperial Rome.  The judgments upon Rome were yet to come after the souls of the martyrs cried out for justice as we will see in the loosing of the fifth seal.

 Revelation 6:9
“And when he opened the fifth seal, I saw underneath the altar the souls of them that had been slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held”
In the vision of the opening of the fifth seal we see a picture of all the multiplied thousands of Christians who had been slain because of their faith.  These are the Martyrs of Christ.  These are the ones who sacrificed everything for the testimony of the word of God.
“Blessed are they that have been persecuted for righteousness’ sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.  Blessed are ye when (men) shall reproach you, and persecute you, and say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.  Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets that were before you” (Matthew 5:10-12).  “For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: but whosoever will lose his life for my sake, the same shall save it” (Luke 9:24).

Revelation 6:10-11
“and they cried with a great voice, saying, How long, O Master, the holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth?  And there was given them to each one a white robe; and it was said unto them, that they should rest yet for a little time, until their fellow-servants also and their brethren, who should be killed even as they were, should have fulfilled (their course).”
The souls of those who had been slain wanted to know when justice would be served to their murderers.  This indicates that those who are dead are conscious and aware of the circumstances around their death.  The account of Lazarus and the rich man portrays the lost rich man as being in torment and begging for relief while Lazarus was being comforted in the company of Abraham.  

They were pictured as being given white robes.  As is often the case, the book of Revelation often explains itself:  “And one of the elders answered, saying unto me, These that are arrayed in white robes, who are they, and whence came they?  And I say unto him, My lord, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they that come of the great tribulation, and they washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.”  The tribulation was the great persecution of the saints by the Roman Empire.  And the white robes they wore were made spotless by the blood of Jesus.  Obviously this is figurative, not to be taken literally.  Blood would not wash anything white.  The imagery here is of the sacrificial blood of Jesus washing away the blackness of sin from the redeemed.  Clothing is the first thing one sees when they see someone.  Sin can not be hidden from God, therefore the stains of sin are pictured as being out there in plain view, on their garments and not hidden beneath.  Those who are clothed in white garments overcame, kept themselves pure and are clothed in righteousness.  “But thou hast a few names in Sardis that did not defile their garments: and they shall walk with me in white; for they are worthy.  He that overcometh shall thus be arrayed in white garments; and I will in no wise blot his name out of the book of life, and I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels” (Revelation 3:4-5)

They were told to rest “until their fellow-servants also and their brethren, who should be killed even as they were, should have fulfilled (their course)”.  The Christians who were killed were told that more would die before it was all over.  This persecution had been going on for some time and it was going to continue for a while.  God was not going to out and out destroy the Roman Empire in one blazing torrent of destruction.  In the garden of Eden, God granted man the freewill choice to decide whether to obey or rebel and this choice has never been taken away.  When someone really loves someone, they give them a choice.  God has never forced mankind to follow Him and is longsuffering of rebellion.  The Roman empire was enormous and it was populated with millions and millions of souls all of which were given plenty of opportunity to repent.    God did not want any of them to be lost, not even the evil emperors who were slaughtering Christians.  “The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some count slackness; but is longsuffering to you-ward, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9).  No one who died lost in the Roman empire will ever be able to say they didn’t get a fair chance to repent.  “And the rest of mankind, who were not killed with these plagues, repented not of the works of their hands, that they should not worship demons, and the idols of gold, and of silver, and of brass, and of stone, and of wood; which can neither see, nor hear, nor walk: and they repented not of their murders, nor of their sorceries, nor of their fornication, nor of their thefts” (Revelation 9:20-21).

Of importance also is that while so many had been killed because of their faith, and that so many more were going to be killed, the Christian facing such tribulation has the promise from God that they will never be tempted beyond what they are able to withstand.  Paul wrote, “There hath no temptation taken you but such as man can bear: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation make also the way of escape, that ye may be able to endure it” (1 Corinthians 10:13).  This is an important promise in that it teaches us that God knows individually what each of His children can endure and that Satan will not be permitted to force a child of God to sin against his or her ability to withstand.  A way of escape is promised and to the faithful martyrs of Christ, this way of escape was mortal death.  “Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his saints” (Psalms 116:15).

Revelation 6:12-13
“And I saw when he opened the sixth seal, and there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the whole moon became as blood; and the stars of the heaven fell unto the earth, as a fig tree casteth her unripe figs when she is shaken of a great wind. ”
We are getting into a part of the Revelation now that would be dangerous to the Christians in the first century in the hands of their oppressors.  This is the beginning of the judgment of the enemies of God and if they could understand what it meant, it would make life for the Christians all the more difficult.  The Revelation would be rounded up and denied from circulation by the authorities.  The imperial cults in charge of enforcing emperor worship would have immediately confiscated all traces of such a letter and would likely have immediately put to death anyone found possessing it.  By now, the Christians reading it know that the key to understanding the message is the rest of the Bible.  The first visions were easily associated with Jesus Christ and have become progressively more difficult as we get deeper into the letter.  The faithful Christians reading it are easily taught in a progressive manner to look to the rest of scripture for the keys to unraveling the symbols and their meaning while those who have no knowledge whatsoever of Christ or of old testament scripture are left in utter bewilderment and confusion over it.  They will not perceive any danger or threat to themselves, merely thinking the Christians who cherish this letter are merely a bunch of foolish idiots following after a confusing God who communicates in unintelligible ways.  

The genius of God is so evident in how this letter is presented.  The Revelation is given in such a way that only those familiar with the symbolism could understand it and at the same time pointing His faithful children into a study of His word for the things they don’t understand.  God communicates to His afflicted saints while protecting them from their enemies and at the same time sends them through a journey of scripture unlike anything else could have.  One can visualize the old grey headed Jewish Christians who had grown up under the old law setting with the younger ones studying this cherished message of hope from God by inspiration of John and combing through the old testament scriptures to show them what all these symbols meant.  Jerusalem had been destroyed and the Jewish Christians had been dispersed all over the Roman Empire.  There were plenty of people with the knowledge and ability to comprehend the Revelation and to teach those who could not how to understand it. 

What’s the big picture so far?  Laying aside the imagery of all the symbols and focusing on the activities, what is going on so far in the opening of the seals?  The first seal was the coming of Jesus, the second seal represented the coming of the persecutor of the church, the third seal saw this persecution on a worldwide scale, the forth seal was the death of the saints by persecution, and the fifth seal was a picture of the slain crying out for the killing to end and for justice.   Since this letter is addressed specifically to those living in the 1st century and with seven of their congregations having been addressed specifically and in consideration of the fact that the first sentence of the letter told them the events contained therein were going to “shortly come to pass“, we have no logical recourse but to conclude that this letter is in reference to their immediate situations and use that as the basis for how we understand it today and to make the appropriate applications to our lives as necessary. 

The opening of the sixth seal brings the judgment of the persecutors of the church into view.  The martyred saints had cried out for justice and were told to wait yet a “little time” and now in the opening of the sixth seal, we see God’s assurance to them that He will avenge their blood on those who inflicted their deaths and caused such hardship.  By inspiration, John pictures a world in upheaval, with earthshaking natural events, the falling of earthly kings, the loss of the light of righteousness and the encroachment of darkness upon an evil oppressive people. 

To illustrate this, inspiration draws heavily on old testament pictures and descriptions brought upon earlier heathen nations who had sought the destruction of God’s people.  Isaiah used similar language to describe the downfall of Babylon, “Behold, the day of Jehovah cometh, cruel, with wrath and fierce anger; to make the land a desolation, and to destroy the sinners thereof out of it.  For the stars of heaven and the constellations thereof shall not give their light; the sun shall be darkened in its going forth, and the moon shall not cause its light to shine” (Isaiah 13:9-10).  “She shall be visited of Jehovah of hosts with thunder, and with earthquake, and great noise, with whirlwind and tempest, and the flame of a devouring fire” (Isaiah 29:6).  “I clothe the heavens with blackness, and I make sackcloth their covering” (Isaiah 50:3).

The prophet Joel use these symbols to describe a future judgment against Israel in connection with the coming of the Messiah, “And I will show wonders in the heavens and in the earth: blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke.  The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and terrible day of Jehovah cometh” (Joel 2:30-31).

And in the new testament Jesus used this same symbolic language to foretell the destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans, “But immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun shall be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken” (Matthew 24:29).

Like many times before, the imagery of falling empires is pictured as the shaking of mountains, the falling of the stars, things turned to blood, loss of light, the encroachment of darkness, smoke, fire and desolation.  This picture of the judgment of God coming on the Roman empire is nothing new in the minds of Christians familiar with similar events foretold in the old and new testament.

Revelation 6:14
“And the heaven was removed as a scroll when it is rolled up; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places.”
Here is more old testament imagery used to visualize the judgment of God bringing about the end of an empire.  “And all the host of heaven shall be dissolved, and the heavens shall be rolled together as a scroll; and all their host shall fade away, as the leaf fadeth from off the vine, and as a fading (leaf) from the fig-tree” (Isaiah 34:4).  Mountains were symbols of permanence, strength and the foundations of the earth were going to be removed from their places.  These are not literal mountains, but rather are used as a figure for the Roman Empire which seemed to be invincible and unconquerable in it’s power. 

The islands represented to the 1st century people the outer reaches or most remote lands and far away possessions of a nation.  At the fall of Tyre, God said the islands would shake, “Thus saith the Lord Jehovah to Tyre: shall not the isles shake at the sound of thy fall, when the wounded groan, when the slaughter is made in the midst of thee?” (Ezekiel 26:15) “Now shall the isles tremble in the day of thy fall; yea, the isles that are in the sea shall be dismayed at thy departure” (Ezekiel 26:18.  The coming of judgment of God on the enemies of the Christians would shake the powers of the earth to their furthest reaches.  

Revelation 6:15-16
“And the kings of the earth, and the princes, and the chief captains, and the rich, and the strong, and every bondman and freeman, hid themselves in the caves and in the rocks of the mountains; and they say to the mountains and to the rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb:”
All the inhabitants of the earth from the slaves to the kings are stricken with terror as the judgment of God descends upon them.  They will go anywhere to hide from the destruction associated with the fall of a great world power.  There was always death and destruction and great fear when an empire was conquered.  And this holds true today.  Great world powers do not go quietly into oblivion.  They are destroyed and the results are far reaching and devastating. 

This is not a picture of the end times judgment as many today try and teach.  These people have time to hide in the caves and the rocks of the mountains.  There is not time to hide when Jesus returns for the final judgment.  This return will be in the twinkling of an eye, (1 Corinthians 15:52), as a thief, in which day [singular] “in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall be dissolved with fervent heat, and the earth and the works that are therein shall be burned up” (2 Peter 3:10).  The judgment in view here is not the judgment of all creation, rather the judgment of the Roman empire. 

Revelation 6:17
“for the great day of their wrath is come; and who is able to stand?”
Jesus has opened the sixth seal which is the judgment of the enemies of all righteousness.  Nothing can stop it, nothing can stand in the way.  God is seated on His throne, in complete control and nothing can interfere or stand in the way of His judgments.  The evil Roman Empire for all it’s vast wealth and power cannot hope to stand. 

Who is able to stand?  Nahum asked this same question as God’s judgment was about to fall on Nineveh.  Once repented at the preaching of Jonah, but forsaking God and returning to her evil ways, she faced the same fate as the Roman Empire before the wrath of God.

Nahum 1:3-6
“Jehovah is slow to anger, and great in power, and will by no means clear (the guilty): Jehovah hath his way in the whirlwind and in the storm, and the clouds are the dust of his feet. He rebuketh the sea, and maketh it dry, and drieth up all the rivers: Bashan languisheth, and Carmel; and the flower of Lebanon languisheth.  The mountains quake at him, and the hills melt; and the earth is upheaved at his presence, yea, the world, and all that dwell therein.  Who can stand before his indignation? and who can abide in the fierceness of his anger? his wrath is poured out like fire, and the rocks are broken asunder by him.”

Summary Paraphrase:

And I saw Jesus Christ, the lamb of God, the Lion of the tribe of Judah open the first of the book and the saved cried with a thunderous voice, “Come”.  And I saw a vision of Jesus riding on a white horse with the Gospel of the Kingdom of God and He rode forth to conquer the enemies of righteousness and He prevailed.

And then I saw Jesus reveal the second part of the book and the creation around the throne said “Come”.  And I saw a vision of someone riding on a bloody horse, who came to take peace from the earth and to compel mankind to slay one another.  He was given great power to accomplish this from Satan.

And then Jesus revealed the third part of what is to come and I heard the voices of the creation around the throne say “Come”.  Then I looked and saw a rider on a horse of darkness carrying a set of scales.  And then I heard a voice coming out from those around the throne saying “A measure of wheat for a days wages and three measures of barley for the same.  And don’t even bother with the oil and the wine because you can never afford it.”

And then Jesus, the Lamb of God revealed what was next and I again heard the voices of the creation say “Come”.  When I looked I saw a rider on a pale ghostly horse and the rider’s name was death and the realm of the dead was filled in his wake.  And he was given the freedom over all the four corners of the earth to slay mankind with swords, famine, wild beasts and other forms of killing.

And then the Lamb revealed the next part and I saw underneath His alter, all the souls of the righteous who were slain because of their faith to the testimony of Jesus.  And they cried out in unison with a loud voice saying, “Oh Holy and True Father, how long before you judge our murderers and avenge our blood on their heads?”  And each one of them was clothed in robes of righteousness and told that they must rest and be patient a while longer. For God’s righteous purpose is not yet fulfilled and many more of their faithful brethren will be slain and will join them before it’s done.

And then the lamb revealed the judgment of the enemies of the Christians.  There were upheavals and the darkness on the earth was so thick, the sun could not shine through it.  The moon shown only bloodshed and the leaders of the earth fell like green figs blown from their trees in a storm.   The heavens revealed the coming judgment from God above and the unshakable powers and strongholds of the earth were moved out of their places to their furthest reaches.

And all the unbelieving kings of earth and all their princes and captains; everyone from the rich and powerful to the slaves will hide themselves wherever they can to try and escape.  They will beg the mountains and the rocks to fall on them in order to hide themselves from the face of the wrath of God’s judgment.  For their time of facing God’s wrath has come and who among them will be able to stand?

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God the Redeemer Revealed (Revelation chapter 5)

God the Redeemer Revealed (Revelation 5)


Revelation chapter 4 was a vision of God on His throne, sovereign, powerful, worshipped by all creation and worthy of that worship.  Chapter 5 is a picture of Jesus Christ who is the only one powerful and worthy enough to reveal the message of redemption and revelation to mankind.   In chapter 5 we further see the power and righteousness of God.  This is to set Him forth as the supreme authority which no man, especially the worldly Roman emperors could hope to usurp.  Under the circumstances of 1st century Roman persecution, the Christians see those leaders who are corrupt and evil and they are comforted with these visions of a righteous and all powerful God who cannot be touched by worldly influences or swayed in any way by the Roman authorities no matter how powerful they may appear.  God is in charge and He is the one true and living God, eternal, all powerful, ever righteous, supreme and unconquerable. 

Looking at the big picture in chapter 5 we see a continuation of the throne scene.  Here we are introduced to the lamb, also described as the lion of the tribe of Judah and the root of David.  Obviously this is Jesus Christ, the Son of God and the redeemer of mankind.  The book He is worthy to unseal and open is, in part, the revelation of God regarding the Christian’s hope and perseverance in Christ and the fate that awaits the enemies of God.   Jesus Christ lived in the sinful world and prevailed against all temptations and emerged as the only one powerful enough and with the authority to reveal what was going to happen.

So now all the persons of the Godhead are pictured together in the throne scene.  God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit have all been represented and are the center and focus of the worship and adoration of the creation. 

Revelation 5:1
“And I saw in the right hand of him that sat on the throne a book written within and on the back, close sealed with seven seals.”
God was holding in His right hand a book.  The right hand is symbolic of a favored position.  The right hand of God is where Jesus is pictured as ruling His kingdom (Hebrews 8:1, 10:12, 12:2, 1 Peter 3:22).  Notice that the book in God’s hand was written on the inside and on the back.  Typically things written in the first century were on scrolls and they would be rolled up.  This scroll had writing on the front and back which gives the impression that there is a lot to be revealed.  The book is full and complete.  There is no more room for anymore writing or anything to be added to it or changed in any way and when it is opened the people will know all they need to know.

This scroll is also tightly sealed with seven seals.  The number seven representing total completeness means that the book was sealed in such a way that it was not going to be easily opened.  The picture here is that the future cannot be in any way known but by the intervention of Jesus Christ and will remain a secret until he comes along and reveals it.  No one can know the mind of God until it has been revealed.   Paul taught, “but as it is written, Things which eye saw not, and ear heard not, And (which) entered not into the heart of man, Whatsoever things God prepared for them that love him.  But unto us God revealed (them) through the Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God.  For who among men knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of the man, which is in him? even so the things of God none knoweth, save the Spirit of God.” (1 Corinthians 2:9-11).

Revelation 5:2
“And I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a great voice, Who is worthy to open the book, and to loose the seals thereof?”
And John sees in his vision a powerful angel.  Obviously not all angels are created equally, there being some kind of hierarchy among them.  We do not know how this works however we see in scripture where Michael the archangel contended with Satan for the body of Moses.  In the Greek the word for archangel means “chief angel”.  This angel was powerful and high in authority which suggests that any angel less than he was not even in consideration as a candidate for the task of revealing the future. 

Power alone is not qualification enough to reveal these secrets either.  The proper candidate had to be worthy of this task.  This is a significant point.  Jesus was worthy in light of His righteousness, having lived life on earth as a man and successfully enduring having never sinned, not even when scourged and crucified by His own creation.  Jesus earned the right to reveal the secrets of God.

Revelation 5:3
“And no one in the heaven, or on the earth, or under the earth, was able to open the book, or to look thereon.”
In particular, none of the emperors of the Roman Empire had the authority or were worthy to reveal what was going to happen.  They were not even able to look at it.  The first century people were being forced to worship the emperors as gods on earth.  These emperors were being hailed as all powerful individuals and they certainly looked it to the those outside the church.  But those in the church were being given a picture of the real authority, the real king and the real God. 

Revelation 5:4
“And I wept much, because no one was found worthy to open the book, or to look thereon”
The Christians were living in desperate times.  John was told to come see what would happen in chapter 4 verse 1.  The persecution was bad and it was going to get worse.  Keep in mind that John was on Patmos at the time he received these revelations.  Patmos was a forced labor prison facility for the Roman Empire.  John was most likely not there of his own choosing so was feeling the pressure of the persecution.  He was on an island of rock far away from his beloved brethren and was undoubtedly greatly concerned for their wellbeing.  He was undoubtedly anxious, possibly frantic to know what the fate of his brothers and sisters would be, not to mention the fate of the Lord’s church in general.  With the lives of his brethren hanging in the balance, it looked like no one would be able to tell him what he so desperately wanted to know.  So in despair he wept for his brethren, the church and for himself. 

Revelation 5:5
“and one of the elders saith unto me, Weep not; behold, the Lion that is of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, hath overcome to open the book and the seven seals thereof.”
John was comforted with the words that Jesus had overcome sin and was able to reveal God’s message.  The lion, because of its strength and courage is known as the king of beasts. The Lion of the tribe of Judah thus signifies the kingly power and majesty of Christ the Lord. He is the conqueror, the Ruler, the King whose lineage is traced through tribe of Judah.  “For it is evident that our Lord hath sprung out of Judah; as to which tribe Moses spake nothing concerning priests” (Hebrews 7:14).  Reference also Genesis 49:10, Micah 5:2, Luke 3:33.

King David, son of Jesse (Ruth 4:22),  was a descendant of the tribe of Judah.  Therefore the root of Jesse and of David shows Jesus’ connection with that lineage. “And there shall come forth a shoot out of the stock of Jesse, and a branch out of his roots shall bear fruit” (Isaiah 11:1).  Reference also Isaiah 11:10, Jeremiah 23:5, Romans 1:3.

God spoke to David through the prophet Nathan; “And it shall come to pass, when thy days are fulfilled that thou must go to be with thy fathers, that I will set up thy seed after thee, who shall be of thy sons; and I will establish his kingdom.  He shall build me a house, and I will establish his throne for ever.  I will be his father, and he shall be my son: and I will not take my lovingkindness away from him, as I took it from him that was before thee;  but I will settle him in my house and in my kingdom for ever; and his throne shall be established for ever” (1 Chronicles 17:11-14).

Revelation 5:6
“And I saw in the midst of the throne and of the four living creatures, and in the midst of the elders, a Lamb standing, as though it had been slain, having seven horns, and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God, sent forth into all the earth.”
And John sees in the midst of it all Jesus Christ, the Son of God pictured here as both a powerful and noble lion, ruling over the other beasts, and as a sacrificial lamb with seven horns, meaning perfect power, and seven eyes, meaning perfect all seeing vision.  Being pictured in the midst of the throne conveys the idea that Jesus was sharing the throne with God.  “He that overcometh, I will give to him to sit down with me in my throne, as I also overcame, and sat down with my Father in his throne” (Revelation 3:21).  “for the Lamb that is in the midst of the throne shall be their shepherd, and shall guide them unto fountains of waters of life: and God shall wipe away every tear from their eyes” (Revelation 7:17).  “And there shall be no curse any more: and the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be therein: and his servants shall serve him” (Revelation 22:3).

Jesus is pictured here as a lamb which is symbolic of the sacrificial system and thus represents the redemption of sin.  “On the morrow he [John the baptist], seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold, the Lamb of God, that taketh away the sin of the world” (John 1:29).  “…He was led as a sheep to the slaughter; And as a lamb before his shearer is dumb, So he openeth not his mouth” (Acts 8:32).  “but with precious blood, as of a lamb without spot, (even the blood) of Christ” (1 Peter 1:19).

The seven eyes of the lamb which are the seven Spirits of God is representational of the perfect and complete Spirit, the Holy Spirit, given to Jesus without measure.  “For he whom God hath sent speaketh the words of God: for he giveth not the Spirit by measure.  The Father loveth the Son, and hath given all things into his hand” (John 3:34-35).

Revelation 5:7
“And he came, and he taketh (it) out of the right hand of him that sat on the throne.”
Jesus, the Son of God, the only one in existence worthy to unseal the revelation of God has taken it from the right hand of God the Father.  John who wept because no one could be found who could reveal the will of God now saw the book containing that message in the hands of Jesus Christ.  It should be noted here that this vision is not just a vision of the revelation at hand, but a general representation of God’s will overall being given into the hands of Jesus.  Jesus has been given all authority in heaven and on earth, (Matthew 28:18) and has the right to execute judgment (John 5:27).  The book taken from the hand of the Father by Jesus is representative of the eternal purpose of God’s plan for man’s salvation.  All authority has been passed to the Son in His ascension to reign at the right hand of God the Father.   And only He is able to open this book and reveal the contents. 

The things said to be in that book represented the plan formulated in the mind of God before time began and was a mystery until the fullness of time when it was brought forth and revealed.  “making known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he purposed in him unto a dispensation of the fulness of the times, to sum up all things in Christ, the things in the heavens, and the things upon the earth; in him, (I say,)  in whom also we were made a heritage, having been foreordained according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his will” (Ephesians 1:9-11).  See also Romans 16:25, 2 Timothy 1:9 and Titus 1:2. 

In this vision we are seeing a grand scene of the overall passing of authority from God the Father to God the Son and His ascension to the throne where He now rules.  One almost gets the feeling they are witnessing a coronation ceremony of sorts where the one who prevailed and has passed the test now assumes the role promised Him since before time began.

Revelation 5:8
“And when he had taken the book, the four living creatures and the four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having each one a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints.”
And when Jesus who had prevailed had taken possession, and the authority of, God’s word, all creation, represented as the creatures over whom the Lion of Judah reigns, fell down before Him.  We notice here that the Son of God is worthy to receive worship. 

All those around the throne have in their possession harps and vials of odours which are the prayers of the saints.  These instruments of worship are figurative and have no bearing on manmade instruments in our worship today.  Harps are old testament symbols of praise to God.  Harps, psaltries and viols were instruments of praise in old covenant worship and were never used in the new covenant worship during the first century nor for about a thousand years afterwards.  Paul referred to the harp, pipe and trumpet in 1 Corinthians 14:7-8 in order to illustrate a point, but gave no indication they were used in worship.  John later wrote of hearing the one hundred and forty four thousand whose voice was “as the voice of harpers harping with their harps” (Revelation 14:2), and he saw those who were victorious before the beast and his image “having the harps of God” (Revelation 15:2).  Whatever these harps are in the throne room of heaven, we know they were provided by God and were suitable for use there, but on earth, God “dwelleth not in temples made with human hands, neither is he worshipped with men’s hands as though he needed anything” (Acts 17:24-25 KJV).  In contrast to the heavenly instruments mentioned here, they are all silenced in fallen Babylon (Revelation 18:22).  If one is going to literalize the harps here and take them to authorize manmade musical instruments in worship to God on earth today then they better at least acknowledge that the harpers and other musicians would not have been completely silenced after the fall of the Roman Empire if there were any of them performing in the Lord’s church at that time. 

The “golden bowls full of incense” were identified as being the prayers of the saints.  In old testament worship incense was burned in the temple while prayers were being offered outside (Luke 1:10).  In Revelation 8:3-4 the same figurative language we see in verse 8 is also used to illustrate the prayers of the saints; “And another angel came and stood over the altar, having a golden censer; and there was given unto him much incense, that he should add it unto the prayers of all the saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne.  And the smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, went up before God out of the angel’s hand.”  The incense and the harps in this vision were old testament symbols which represented the prayers and the praise of the Christians.  If we were going to literalize the harps, then consistency would demand that we also literalize the incense and start burning it during our prayer in worship to God. 

In this verse we see the prayers of the saints coming before the Throne of God.  Our prayers are heard by God.  James taught that the “fervent prayers of a righteous man availeth much” in 5:16. “And this is the boldness which we have toward him, that, if we ask anything according to his will, he heareth us: and if we know that he heareth us whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions which we have asked of him” (1 John 5:14-15).  “Now we know that God heareth not sinners: but if any man be a worshipper of God, and doeth his will, him he heareth” (John 9:31).  What a comfort it must have been to the persecuted Christians to know that their prayers of affliction and supplication were heard by God.

Revelation 5:9
“And they sing a new song, saying, Worthy art thou to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou was slain, and didst purchase unto God with thy blood (men) of every tribe, and tongue, and people, and nation,”
The new song being sung here is the song of redemption.  A song never before heard because Jesus Christ was slain as the perfect sacrifice and with His blood accomplished something the blood of bulls and goats could never do; the removal of sin completely.  The old law of Moses with the animal sacrifices was unable to make the Israelites perfect (Hebrews 10:1).  The blood of bulls and goats could not take away their sin (Hebrews 10:4).  It was only a temporary measure until Jesus’ blood would redeem them completely.  Those who lived faithfully under the old covenant and offered the blood of the sacrifices were purchased by the blood of Jesus when He died on the cross (Hebrews 9:15).  Those today who live after the cross do not have to offer the yearly sacrifices because we have been purged and been made complete (Hebrews 10:1-10).  Today we have a covenant which is faultless, being established on better promises (Hebrews 8:6-7), with Jesus as our High priest and mediator (Hebrews 6:20;12:24, 1 Timothy 2:5).  And this blood sacrifice of Jesus was for all mankind, not just for those living under the old law (Hebrews 10:10, Ephesians 2:12-18).  All the faithful children of God who lived under the old law, and all the saved under the new covenant both Jews and Gentiles were singing the new song of redemption, never before heard or known until Jesus Christ came and offered His blood for all sins forever and then sat down on the right hand of God (Hebrews 10:12-14). 

Revelation 5:10
“and madest them (to be) unto our God a kingdom and priests; and they reign upon earth.”
Under the old law, the Jewish High Priest offered up the sacrifices for the sins of the people after he had offered up sacrifices for his own sins (Hebrews 7:27).  The Jewish high priests were taken from among men so they were imperfect (Hebrews 7:28).  Jesus blood purged the sins of all His children forever (Hebrews 10:14) and there is no longer a need for a Jewish High Priest to offer up sacrifices.  Jesus is our High Priest now and because of the blood of His sacrifice all His children are now able to offer up their own sacrifices and praise and worship to God. 

The kingdom mentioned here is the kingdom of God which is peopled by the “called out” or in the Greek is the word “Ekklesia” which is translated “church” in the new testament.  The Ekklesia is not a building, rather it is a people made up of all the saved in Christ.  And all the members of the Ekklesia have been purged of their sins by the blood of Christ and can therefore serve as a priest in their own capacity.  In short, all who are saved can now offer their praise and worship to God directly without having to go through a Jewish High Priest as a mediator.  Our mediator today is not some man who is himself sinful, but Jesus Christ who is sinless and is the perfect High Priest.  The kingdom of God is the total assembly of His children today and it is called a kingdom because everyone in it is a royal priest unto God. 

“But ye are a elect race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for (God’s) own possession, that ye may show forth the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvellous light: who in time past were no people, but now are the people of God: who had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy” (1 Peter 2:9-10).

Revelation 5:11
“And I saw, and I heard a voice of many angels round about the throne and the living creatures and the elders; and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands”
What John was seeing here was the whole creation; angels, elders and the redeemed assembled about the throne of God and they were too numerous even to count. 

Revelation 5:12-13
“saying with a great voice, Worthy is the Lamb that hath been slain to receive the power, and riches, and wisdom, and might and honor, and glory, and blessing.  And every created thing which is in the heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and on the sea, and all things are in them, heard I saying, Unto him that sitteth on the throne, and unto the Lamb, (be) the blessing, and the honor, and the glory, and the dominion, for ever and ever.”
In chapter 4 we saw God on His throne with His Spirit receiving the worship of all creation.  In chapter 5 we see His Son, Jesus Christ introduced, worthy and receiving all the worship of all the creation as well.  Notice carefully the wording “Unto him that sitteth on the throne, and unto the Lamb”.  The Lamb is equally worshipped with He who sits on the throne.  The Godhead is made up of three persons, God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit, perfectly united with one single nature, thus when God is worshipped on His throne, all three are.   

Revelation 5:14
“And the four living creatures said, Amen. And the elders fell down and worshipped.”
The word “Amen” means “be it so“.  Jesus Christ, the Son of God has been presented as the only one worthy to reveal the word of God and to receive the worship and adoration of all the creation.  Looking at this through the eyes of the first century Christians living under the oppression of the Roman Empire we see a contrast between this and what the Roman Empire insisted on.  The emperors who demanded to be worshipped as Gods were not Holy.  They were not worthy of the worship of mankind.  They didn’t purchase anything with their blood and couldn’t if they wanted to because it was unfit for the task.  They did not come back from the dead when they died.  They did not prevail against the world and emerge sinless.  None of them were pictured standing around the throne of God receiving the worship of all creation.  None of them reached up and took from God’s right hand the sealed book. 

To the first readers of the Revelation, God is presented as the only true and worthy recipient of man’s worship and this has to be a tremendous comfort to those who are being persecuted because of their faith.  Total and complete praise is seen as being offered to God and God alone.  His throne rules, be it so.

Summary Paraphrase:

And I saw God seated on His throne and holding in His right hand a perfectly sealed scroll with words written on it inside and out.  And then I saw a powerful angel announcing in a loud voice, “Who is worthy to break the seals and open this scroll?”  And no one in heaven or on the earth or in Hades was able to open the scroll and reveal its message.  And I wept greatly because no one could be found to open the scroll and read it.  Then one of the elders said to me, Stop weeping!  God’s Son, the Lion of the house of Judah, the offspring of King David has prevailed.  He can break the seals and open the scroll.

And I looked and saw with God on His throne and among the elders and the saved of earth, His Son who had been slain but was now standing, having all power and authority and with the all seeing Spirit of God who has been sent far and wide into all the earth.  And the Son went and took the scroll from the right hand of the Father seated on His throne.  And when God’s Son held the scroll in His hand, all the elders and the saved bowed before Him and worshipped and the prayers of the saints on earth were heard and were like bowls of sweet incense before God.

And now they are singing a new song never heard before, saying You are worthy to take the scroll and to reveal its message for You were slain and with your blood you purchased all men unto God from every tribe and language and people and nation of the earth.  And you made them a royal race in your kingdom and priests to our God and they shall reign as kings over the earth.  

And then as I looked, I heard the voices of many angels on every side of God’s throne and of the elders and all the saved and there were so many they could not be numbered.  And they were all proclaiming loudly, “Worthy is the Son who was slain to receive all the power and riches and wisdom and might and honor and majesty and blessing!”  And then I heard every created thing everywhere crying out in unison unto God and His Son, to You be the blessing and the honor and the glory and the dominion for all eternity.”  And then all the saved said ” AMEN!!!, Let it be so!” And the elders laid down on their faces and worshipped Him who lives forever and ever.

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John’s Throne Vision (Revelation chapter 4)

The Throne of God (Revelation 4) The entire 4th chapter of Revelation is a vision of the throne room of God.  The seven churches have been addressed and it is now time to move into the task of revealing those things that must shortly come to pass.

God is sovereign over all His creation, therefore it is only fitting for the first vision to establish His glory and supreme power.  Before any of the trials of the Christians, before any of the atrocities of their enemies, we first get to see the supreme God, creator and ruler of the universe on His throne.  As mentioned in previous studies, the figurative language is not meant to be taken literally, rather it is designed to illustrate things by association in the imaginations of the first readers. 

Before we try and break every aspect of this vision down, we are first going to take a broad view of the vision as a whole.   The throne scene of chapter 4 is a very easy vision to understand so this will be a relatively easy and straightforward exercise.  The means by which we first look at this vision will form the pattern for later more difficult visions.

The primary goal of these lessons are not so much to break each aspect of the visions down and explain them, but to teach others how to do so for themselves.  I can just about guarantee that I will not be completely accurate on my interpretation of all of these visions, especially in view of the broad range of opinion among scholars out there.  The approach we are going to use for these visions is going to be to allow the Bible to explain the details to the greatest degree possible and to try to choose what would make the most sense to someone reading this letter in the first century.  We are going to keep in mind that those living in the first century are going to read this letter and naturally associate it with the circumstances under which they are living.  And for good reason because the Revelation was addressed to them, it was delivered to them first, the visions described therein fit their historical circumstances so closely that it cannot be coincidence.  Therefore we are going to look at this marvelous work, to the greatest degree possible, through their eyes.

The Broad View of Chapter 4.  Who are the characters in the vision? What are they doing?  What activities are taking place overall?  The answers to these and similar questions will better help us to realize what these visions mean in the grand scheme of things. 

God is the chief and primary subject in view.  He is pictured as being seated on a throne.  The language describing Him paints a picture of glory, power, and majesty in the imaginations of the readers.  God is being worshipped and exalted by all the rest of the characters of the vision continually.   Who worships God?  All of His creation who willingly choose to do so.   Now that we have formed a general picture of what the vision is all about, keeping that in mind, we will now move on to the specifics.  

Looking back in the old testament we see Ezekiel’s vision of the throne scene.  It is of great interest that we observe the similarities between the two and consider that the first readers of this Revelation, especially the Jewish Christians would be familiar with the imagery and would be able to visualize an association between the two.  As we look at John’s vision of God’s throne, let’s keep in mind Ezekiel’s as well. 

Ezekiel 1:25-28
25 And there was a voice above the firmament that was over their heads: when they stood, they let down their wings.
26 And above the firmament that was over their heads was the likeness of a throne, as the appearance of a sapphire stone; and upon the likeness of the throne was a likeness as the appearance of a man upon it above.
27 And I saw as it were glowing metal, as the appearance of fire within it round about, from the appearance of his loins and upward; and from the appearance of his loins and downward I saw as it were the appearance of fire, and there was brightness round about him.
28 As the appearance of the bow that is in the cloud in the day of rain, so was the appearance of the brightness round about. This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of Jehovah. And when I saw it, I fell upon my face, and I heard a voice of one that spake.

Revelation 4:1
After these things I saw, and behold, a door opened in heaven, and the first voice that I heard, (a voice) as of a trumpet speaking with me, one saying, Come up hither, and I will show thee the things which must come to pass hereafter.

After the messages to the churches were delivered, John looked and saw into heaven.  And he heard the same voice he heard earlier speaking to him.  This voice was like a trumpet, coming through loud and clear and it was telling him to approach and see the things which must happen later. 

Revelation 4:2
Straightway I was in the Spirit: and behold, there was a throne set in heaven, and one sitting upon the throne;

And immediately John was under the influence of the Holy Spirit and he was shown a vision of a throne placed in heaven and there was someone setting on that throne.  A throne represents a place from which someone of authority rules his subjects.

Revelation 4:3
and he that sat (was) to look upon like a jasper stone and a sardius: and (there was) a rainbow round about the throne, like an emerald to look upon.

And He that sat upon the throne shone like diamonds and sardius stones.  Sardius stones were a bright red stone found mainly near Sardis and named for it.  They are said to be the modern day equivalent of the carnelian.  The first readers of Revelation knew exactly what they were and it is possible they would associate the blood red color of a sardius stone with Jesus’ blood of the new covenant.  God’s everlasting covenant never to destroy the earth with a flood again was sealed with a rainbow in the clouds.  The rainbow would likely symbolize an everlasting covenant with God to the minds of the first readers. 

Revelation 4:4
And round about the throne (were) four and twenty thrones: and upon the thrones (I saw) four and twenty elders sitting, arrayed in white garments; and on their heads crowns of gold.

The twenty-four elders were setting on thrones in this image.  Thrones and crowns are representative of a position of authority so these elders are going to be prominent figures in the minds of the first readers.  There were twelve Patriarchs of the tribes of Israel, the sons of Jacob, and there were twelve original apostles of Jesus Christ.  It is almost certain the 24 elders mentioned in this vision are representative of these individuals.  These elders, dressed in white which represents purity, were seated round about the throne of God which places Him as the centerpiece of their attention.  All eyes are on God. 

Revelation 4:5
And out of the throne proceed lightnings and voices and thunders. And (there was) seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God;
The lightnings, voices and thunderings are reminiscent of the conditions surrounding Mount Sinai while the people waited for the giving of the law.  “And it came to pass on the third day, when it was morning, that there were thunders and lightnings, and a thick cloud upon the mount, and the voice of a trumpet exceeding loud; and all the people that were in the camp trembled.  And Moses brought forth the people out of the camp to meet God; and they stood at the nether part of the mount.  And mount Sinai, the whole of it, smoked, because Jehovah descended upon it in fire; and the smoke thereof ascended as the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mount quaked greatly” (Exodus 19:16-18).

The seven lamps of fire are described as being the seven Spirits of God.  We know God only has one Spirit (Ephesians 4:4), so the seven is therefore representative of the totality of God’s Spirit which rounds out the image of His complete power and sovereignty.  It is only fitting that a vision of the throne room of God include His Holy Spirit, present with Him in a position of authority, glory and power. 

Revelation 4:6
“and before the throne, as it were a sea of glass like a crystal; and in the midst of the throne, and round about the throne, four living creatures full of eyes before and behind.“
In the imaginations of the 1st century Christians, the sea, being a source of many a storm and the death of many a mariner, represents something violent, unpredictable and dangerous.  But the sea in this vision is still, calm and tranquil.  Jesus calmed the storms as recorded in Mark 4:39.  As powerful as God is and as ominous as the thunders and lightnings are, those in His immediate presence are on calm, peaceful waters, having nothing to fear.  Those standing about the throne of God have come through the storms and are on a sea that has been calmed, at peace and is still. 

The sea of glass like a crystal is a barrier between the Christians and God on His throne.  Christians walk by faith and not by site, not being allowed in the literal presence of God in His throne room.  At the end time when the redeemed inherit their home in heaven, they will have to access God through the limitations of any barriers.  They will be in his literal presence.  In Revelation 21 we are given a vision of Heaven and in verse one, the sea which is present in this vision is absent. 

The living creatures in John’s vision are similar to Ezekiel’s vision of the four creatures in chapter 1; “And out of the midst thereof came the likeness of four living creatures. And this was their appearance: they had the likeness of a man” (Ezekiel 1:5). “As for their rims, they were high and dreadful; and they four had their rims full of eyes round about” (Ezekiel 1:18).

The number four was symbolic of the world in which we live and when the first readers saw this number they would then associate it with all life on this earth.  In interpreting what these living creatures are, it is important to examine their characteristics and what they were doing.  They were alive and were assembled about God’s throne, in verse 9 they are worshipping God on His throne, giving thanks to Him.   All mankind is commanded to give “thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Ephesians 5:20).   Examine the activities and qualities of these figurative animals and compare them with who or what we know in existence that would best match their characteristics and behavior.  The four living creatures assembled all around the throne are representative of all of mankind in God’s creation who are saved.

Revelation 4:7
“And the first creature (was) like a lion, and the second creature like a calf, and the third creature had a face as of a man, and the fourth creature (was) like a flying eagle.”
These characteristics are exactly like those of the creatures in Ezekiel’s vision; “As for the likeness of their faces, they had the face of a man; and they four had the face of a lion on the right side; and they four had the face of an ox on the left side; they four had also the face of an eagle” (Ezekiel 1:10).

Looking closely at the creatures in Ezekiel’s vision we see one of their characteristics that sheds tremendous light on what they represented.  “And they went every one straight forward: whither the spirit was to go, they went; they turned not when they went” (Ezekiel 1:12).  The creatures in Ezekiel’s vision followed wherever the Spirit led never turning from their course.

All four creatures represented mankind as a whole, each individual creature exhibited one of man’s unique qualities when taken as a whole separate mankind utterly from the rest of the animal kingdom and from the lost.  The saved who were assembled about the throne were noble like a lion, domesticated and in servitude like a calf or an ox, wise like men who had ears and listened to what the Spirit said they came from the far corners of the earth, soaring high above the lost of the world, like eagles on wings.  Noble, in faithful service, wise, and soaring high above the lost on earth.  Who is this a picture of?  They are the saved of the earth that follow wherever the Spirit leads. 

Revelation 4:8
“and the four living creatures, having each one of them six wings, are full of eyes round about and within: and they have no rest day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy, (is) the Lord God, the Almighty, who was and who is and who is to come.”
Here we have the four living creatures praising God in the same fashion as the Seraphim in Isaiah 6:2-3, “Above him stood the seraphim: each one had six wings; with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly. And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is Jehovah of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory.” 

Some have suggested that the living creatures of Revelation 4 are representative of the Seraphim in Isaiah because of the similarity of the six wings.  The living creatures in Ezekiel have four wings each while the Seraphim each have six which match the wing count of the four living creatures in Revelation.  It should be noted that the number of Seraphim in attendance around the throne of God is not mentioned while the living creatures of Ezekiel are and are described with the same facial features and animal likenesses.  It is often the case in Revelation that John draws on the imagery of numerous accounts in order to complete the total picture of what he is seeing in his own vision.  The purpose for this is to refer the reader’s mind back to other Biblical imagery to help form in his mind a picture of the vision in John’s mind.  It is helpful to focus more on the activities than the specifics.  What’s going on?  What are they doing?  Who is being worshipped and who is doing the worshipping and how are they doing it?   It is this Bible student’s opinion that the imagery of the four living creatures is not an either/or case, rather they represent a combination of the two in appearance and activity. 

The four figurative creatures in John’s vision had more wings than an ordinary eagle.  The characteristics one would associate an eagle with are amplified in this vision threefold.  These creatures never cease from worshipping and thanking and giving honor to God.  This is representative of an everlasting eternity in presence with God where the saved will honor and glorify Him who existed before anything did, is living now and will come again which is representative of Jesus Christ. 

Revelation 4:9-10
“And when the living creatures shall give glory and honor and thanks to him that sitteth on the throne, to him that liveth for ever and ever, the four and twenty elders shall fall down before him that sitteth on the throne, and shall worship him that liveth for ever and ever, and shall cast their crowns before the throne, saying,”
And when all of saved mankind from the earth worship God on His throne who lives forever and ever, the 24 elders fall down before the throne and worship God with them, throwing their crowns on the ground at the foot of God’s throne.  The elders are not in any way the recipients of worship.  The worship of the living creatures and the elders is directed wholly and solely upon God.  All the figurative crowns, which came from God, are removed and thrown at His feet.  When God is worshipped, all eyes, all glory, all reverence, all praise and all attention is directed solely at Him. 

Revelation 4:11
“Worthy art thou, our Lord and our God, to receive the glory and the honor and the power: for thou didst create all things, and because of thy will they were, and were created.”
God claims to be worthy to receive glory, honor and power.  This is in contrast to those of the first century who demanded to be worshipped as Gods on earth but were not worthy.  The word “for” introduces an explanation of what was first stated.  The Roman emperors didn’t create anything.  It was not because of their will that anything existed.  They built a lot of temples to their own glory but they didn’t create anything.  It was God’s will that all things were created and existed.  No man had anything to do with that and inspiration claims this makes God worthy of glory and honor.  “The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament showeth his handiwork” (Psalms 19:1).

There were so many false pagan gods one could worship.  These Gods were dreamed up in the minds of men and were a reflection of man’s capricious ways.  These Gods were often portrayed as possessing the lustful and worldly characteristics of the people that dreamed them up.  The God we serve is not like those gods.  The pagan gods invented and served by men were no better than they were.  The one true and living God we serve is true, just, trustworthy and pure.  God is incapable of any unrighteous act and is the image of absolute holiness and perfection and is powerful beyond human comprehension.  Inspiration used the creation in this example to illustrate God’s power.  Consider for a moment just how vast the known universe is and what it must have entailed to bring about its creation from nothing.  The Roman emperors who proclaimed themselves to be gods and required the worship of men couldn’t create the dust on their sandals.  They were untrustworthy, cruel and followed after the lusts of their own hearts. 

We serve a powerful, caring, just, honest, trustworthy, righteous and deserving God.  Our God is perfect and is worthy of the honor and glory of His creation.  Our God is worth living for and certainly worth dieing for if necessary.  And as we will see later on, many did die for Him. 

Summary Paraphrase:

Revelation 4
After Jesus finished addressing the seven churches,  I looked and saw a door standing open in heaven!  And the first voice which I had heard again addressed me like the calling of a trumpet and said to me, “Come up here, and I will show you what must take place in the future. ”  And immediately I came under the Holy Spirit’s power and I saw a throne standing in heaven, with someone seated on it!   And He Who sat upon the throne radiated light like diamonds and rubies and all around His throne was a halo that looked like an emerald rainbow.

Twenty-four other thrones surrounded the main throne, and seated on these thrones were twenty-four elders all dressed in white spotless clothing, with crowns of gold upon their heads.  Out from the central throne came flashes of lightning and rumblings of thunder, and in front of this throne seven blazing torches burned, which represented the sevenfold perfect Spirit of God.  And in front of the throne there was also what looked like a transparent glassy sea like a crystal, still and calm and safe.  And around the throne, in the center at each side of the throne, were all the saved, seeing what is before and behind them, noble, penitent, wise and soaring on the wings of eagles, high above the earth. 

And when they all offer glory, honor and thanksgiving to God who sits on His throne and will never die, all the elders throw their crowns at God’s feet and fall on their faces with them and join them in worship, crying out “Worthy are You, our Lord and God, to receive the glory and the honor and dominion, for You created all things and by Your will they were brought into being and were created.”

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