Revelation 4:1 “After this I looked and saw a door standing open in heaven. And the voice I had previously heard speak to me like a trumpet was saying, “Come up here, and I will show you what must happen after these things.”
By the time that John made it to Patmos and saw the visions that resulted in the Book of Revelation, he had traveled a good share of the known world. Even when John was still with Jesus, he had enough connections to make it into the High Priest’s palace without any problems. No, John was no longer a naive fisherman from Galilee! And John had had many experiences in prayer as a believer. But now John was about to enter a new dimension of experience. C.S. Lewis, in his book “The Great Divorce,” describes Heaven as being a place where things are so hard and so real that everything less is like a vapor. Those trying to enter heaven find that even the grass is hard and sharp on their ghostly feet, until they are transformed and made truly real. Those truly wishing to enter heaven entered a different dimension. John was about to have a similar experience.
Before Jesus was crucified, there was a huge densely woven curtain or veil between the Holy of Holies and the outer courts in the temple of Jerusalem. When Jesus was crucified, that curtain was torn from top to bottom, signifying that God Himself, had destroyed it. Traditionally, only the priests could enter the Holy of Holies and they had lots of restrictions on their movements. Through the blood of Jesus’ sacrifice, all mankind now had entrance into the Holy of Holies. Now God was opening the very door of Heaven to John and calling him to come up. John must have been thrilled and terrified all at the same time!
Revelation 4:2 – 4 “At once I was in the Spirit, and I saw a throne standing in heaven, with someone seated on it. The One seated there looked like jasper and carnelian, and a rainbow that gleamed like an emerald encircled the throne. Surrounding the throne were twenty-four other thrones, and on these thrones sat twenty-four elders dressed in white, with golden crowns on their heads.”
Many people think of God as an old man with a beard dressed in white robes. Nothing could be farther from the truth! First of all, God transcends form. Second, God dwells in unapproachable light.
1 Timothy 6:16 says, “He alone is immortal and dwells in unapproachable light. No one has ever seen Him, nor can anyone see Him. To Him be honor and eternal dominion! Amen.”
Three precious stones are mentioned in connection with God: jasper, carnelian, and emerald. William Barclay describes these gems in this fashion: The jasper is nowadays a dull opaque stone, but in the ancient world it seems to have been a translucent rock crystal, through which the light would come with an almost unbearable scintillation. Some think that here it means a diamond, and this is not impossible. The sardian (carnelian), so called because it was said to be found mainly near Sardis, was blood-red; it was a gem which was frequently used to have engravings incised on it and may correspond to the modern carnelian. The emerald is most likely the green emerald which we know. The picture of the presence of God which John saw was like the blinding flash of a diamond in the sun, with the dazzling blood-red of the sardian; and there flashed through both the more restful green of the emerald, for in that way alone could the eye bear to look upon the sight. It may well be that the jasper stands for the unbearable brightness of the purity of God; that the blood-red sardian stands for his avenging wrath; and that the gentle green of the emerald stands for his mercy by which alone we can meet his purity and his justice.”
Not to take anything away from Barclay, but I also wonder if the red sardian/carnelian symbolizes the Blood of Jesus that takes away all our sins and makes a way for us into heaven. And green traditionally has represented life. Why can’t the emerald symbolize new life and life eternal?
Who are the twenty – four elders surrounding God’s throne? Traditionally, the priests were organized into twenty – four groups or courses that served in the temple in strict rotation. At the same time, the twenty – four elders might represent the twelve apostles and the twelve Jewish patriarchs. Others feel that these elders represent the church as a whole, both Jewish and Gentile believers. Personally, I think there are several interpretations working simultaneously and that all of these are valid. God is the ultimate Multi – Tasker. Just when we think we understand exactly what God wants in a given situation, He goes off and does a totally new thing in a startling new fashion, leaving us blinking in amazement.
The elders are wearing white robes, the symbol of purity and holiness, while they bear gold crowns on their heads. Jesus promised the faithful in the letters to the churches that precedes these verses that they too would wear golden crowns if they persevered to the end.
What would we have done, had we been in John’s place? One advantage John had over many of us was that he really did believe in God as Immortal, Omnipotent, and above all our knowledge or comprehension. Many of us wish to believe in idols that we have cut down to suit ourselves. But we were not made to worship the creations of our hands, but the Creator who formed us and made us and who knows us better than we know ourselves. As you read through these verses, ask God to reveal Himself to you… but be prepared for a shock. For if you are truly seeking God, you might get a bigger vision than you bargained for, just as John did.
PRAYER: Father God, thank you for your Nature, for Holiness, Righteousness, Truth, and Light. Lord, please reveal yourself to each one who truly seeks you. In the mighty and powerful Name of King Jesus. Amen.
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