In the previous study it was asserted that Revelation 4 should be considered one of the Bible’s greatest chapters. The reasoning is that it presents what is perhaps the most informative vision of the glory of God as He reigns in heaven. Many other chapters considered among the Bible’s greatest – Psalm 23, Isaiah 53, and Romans 8 – focus on the vital subject of what God has done and continues to do for our salvation. But Revelation 4 presents us with God Himself in the radiant glory of His enthroned being.

In order to see some of the greatness of this chapter, here are some themes that should enflame our minds. The first impression we should glean from this vision is the surpassing preeminence and majesty of God. Nothing is more important or interesting than God. No subject is so mind and soul expanding as God. No earthly pastime should loosen the grip of our imagination from the wonder of contemplating God’s glory. One way to approach the preeminence of God is to understand the Hebrew word for glory. The basic meaning of the word kabod is “weighty.” The point is that God is consequential: a heavyweight, not a lightweight.

A second impression we gain from this vision is the right longing of the human heart for glory. Christians sometimes see the Bible’s call to humility as opposed to a wholesome craving for glory. In fact, man was made for glory. We were designed to be glory-seekers. This is why people exult in movie stars and sports icons. But the quest for glory itself is implanted in the human heart by God in order to be satisfied by none other than Himself.

In a memorable essay, The Weight of Glory, C.S. Lewis noted that believers are currently on the outside of the glory we see reflected in nature. But he urges us to look on nature’s lesser glory – the blazing sunrise or the burning autumn leaves – and realize that we will soon be within the true glory they signal. We should, Lewis says, “take the imagery of Scripture seriously, [and] believe that God will one day give us the Morning Star and cause us to put on the splendor of the sun.” We see the echoes of a coming glory in the beauty of nature, yet we cannot now “mingle with the splendors we see.”

The third impression we can get from Revelation 4 pertains to the beauty that is so integral to this vision. Notice that the sights of this vision are surpassingly beautiful, and no doubt the angel voices, together with those of the twenty-four elders, excels the loveliness of any sound heard on earth. All this reminds Christians to value and cultivate the classical triad of virtue: the good, the true, and the beautiful. The most important form of beauty for Christians to cultivate is “the beauty of holiness” (Ps 29:2), reflecting back to God the loveliness of His own character as His grace has formed it in our hearts. Revelation 4 reminds us that we are a race designed by God to bear the image of the beauty seen in this vision: in our bodies, our character, our relationships, our deeds, and especially our worship.

Did you know that all of nature worships God? Even inanimate objects – stars, stones, trees, flowers, waters – give Him praise. When we think of worship, Christians should realize our great need for biblical models in honoring God. Revelation 4 provides insights into the worship of God in heaven. Its most basic principle is that worship is praise in response to God’s revelation of Himself. We see this in the worship of the four living creatures, who “day and night…never cease” giving praise to God (v. 8).

The worship of the four living creatures highlights the holiness of God: “They never cease to say, ‘Holy, holy, holy’” (v. 8). This scene echoes the angelic worship shown in Isaiah 6. The four living beings are compared to the cherubim of Ezekiel 1, but they are also like the worshiping seraphim of Isaiah’s vision. In the Bible, repetition marks special emphasis, and of all of God’s attributes, only holiness receives threefold repetition. The living creatures also praise God’s power, calling Him “Lord God Almighty.” The third attribute for which God is praised is His eternity: “who was and is and is to come!”

God is praised not only for what He is, but also for what He does. Revelation 5 will praise God for His redeeming work in Christ. Chapter 4 praises God for the glory of His work as Creator. We see this in the worship of the twenty-four elders: “Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created” (v. 11). God made and even now upholds all that there is, and for this He is rightly to be praised. When we consider how great is God’s glory as Creator, we remember why our praise is given to Him alone. The Christians of the first century refused to acclaim Caesar as God, suffering death for their exclusive devotion to Christ as Lord. So must Christians today in the twenty first century refuse to bow before the idols of our age. The logic of Revelation suggests that the best way to keep ourselves from idolatry is to gather with fellow believers to praise the holy, almighty, and eternal Creator God.

Having seen what worship is from John’s vision of heaven, we should conclude with observations about what worshipers do. The four living creatures and the enthroned elders show us three things. First, their example urges us to humble ourselves in the presence of the holy, almighty, and eternal God. When God is lifted up, human pride is always cast down, and so it should be in worship, our hearts ought always to be prostrate before God, especially in gathered worship.

Second, God’s people rejoice in worshiping Him. This attitude is urged throughout the Psalms (Ps. 97:12). We can infer joy in Revelation 4 through the songs that the worshipers were singing. These are the first of the many hymns recorded in Revelation, all of which joyfully celebrate the glory of God’s person and works, especially as He saves His beleaguered people. Congregational singing in praise to God should thus be one of our chief joys this side of heaven.

Finally, we worship God by confessing Him as Savior and Lord. The twenty-four elders gave their confession by “casting their crowns before the throne, saying, ‘Worthy are you, our Lord and God’” (vv. 10-11). They were acclaiming their submission to God as the only true Sovereign. They were confessing that any glory of their own as Christ’s people has come from God and is for His praise only. How exciting it is for Christians to realize that by God’s grace in Christ, we are in this life gaining crowns to cast at His feet, adding the testimony of our lives to the praise of the entire creation forever.

One day each of us will stand before God. If you are not a Christian, cleansed from your sin by the redeeming blood of Christ, you will hear God’s dreadful pronouncement of your guilt and eternal punishment. If you are a believer in Christ, you will rejoice to hear God’s admission into the holy courts of eternal praise in heaven. Will you have a crown to lay at God’s feet on that day? Surely we will realize then what now so few seem to know: that our chief end and our greatest blessing is to live for the praise of God forever and be able to say, with rejoicing in our hearts, “To God alone be all the glory!”

Revelation 4:6-11 Study Questions:

How does John describe the four creatures surrounding the throne (vv. 6-8)?

Twice John tells us that these creatures are “full of eyes,” what is implied by this image?

Which of God’s attributes do the creatures emphasize in their song of praise?

According to the song of the elders (v. 11), why is God worthy of worship?

What can we learn from this passage about praising God as the Creator of all things in our private prayers and public worship?

Humans are given the capacity to reflect, to understand what’s going on; and in particular, to express that understanding in worship. How might we be more intentional about allowing our thinking about God to inform our praise?