A Vision of Heavenly Worship

Session 5: Revelation 4-5

Cheat Sheet

The appearance of jasper and ruby/carnelian is an image of the beauty and majesty that John saw when

the throne of heaven was revealed to him. These same precious stones are mentioned again as pictures of

beauty in Revelation 21.

A rainbow that shone like an emerald is a similar attempt by John to describe the awesome brilliance

that shone out from the throne of heaven. Ezekiel used similar language in his vision in Ezekiel 1:26-28;

Psalm 104:2 talks about God wearing “light like a garment.” The importance here is that we do not press

this language too literally; John is reaching for language to describe the indescribable.

The 24 elders have evoked a great deal of debate among New Testament scholars. Many argue that the

24 represent the 12 tribes of Israel and the 12 apostles. Others suggest that they are a group of senior

angels, or that they represent the fullness of time (24 hours) or act as a counterpoint to the twenty-four

celestial gods of Babylon. Yet John does not tell us. What we can say is that 24 as a number represents

wholeness: the number 12 was a metaphor for wholeness in Jewish thought, and here it is doubled, to

emphasise the fact that all authority and power is ultimately submitted to God. Also, in the ancient world,

one way of measuring a king’s power was in the size and importance of the royal council that attended him

at court. That such a group can be found in heaven only further underscores the power of the heavenly

King.

A sea of glass is also present in Ezekiel 1:22, although Ezekiel sees it from a different perspective.

Hebrew people were often afraid of the wild and unpredictable nature of the ocean, and at various points in

the Old Testament it is depicted as chaotic. Yet in heaven, God’s authority subdues the sea, which is a

picture of his power over all creation.

The four creatures, who also appear in Isaiah and Ezekiel’s visions of the throne (see Ezekiel 1 and Isaiah

6) are incredible, angelic beings, who exist solely to praise God. Yet they also each have traits in common

with regular earthly creatures. This reminds us that all creation is to be involved in praising God.

Laying crowns before the throne was something that commonly happened in the Roman court at that

time, as visiting kings and diplomats demonstrated their loyalty and submission to Rome and to Caesar by

laying their crowns at his feet. Yet this image challenges the early church that their ultimate allegiance must

be to God and to his throne.

A scroll would have evoked a range of images in the minds of the first hearers of this vision. Biblically,

other prophets had also spoken of heavenly scrolls that contained the will and judgements of God (e.g. in

Daniel 7:10; Ezekiel 2:9-10; and Isaiah 8:16). Culturally, if someone were to write their last will and

testament, it would be done on a sealed scroll, to be opened at their death. Essentially, this is an image of

a heavenly book that contains the ultimate purposes of God, to be revealed at the appropriate time.

The number seven, appearing repeatedly throughout Revelation, symbolised wholeness, fullness, and

completion in Jewish thought. For example, in 5:6, the Lamb has seven eyes, meaning that his “sight” is

perfect, whole, and complete. His seven horns mean that his power and strength is similarly perfect. So,

even though in Revelation 13, the beast has ten horns, to the Jewish mind, the Lamb’s perfect sets of

seven would have been more significant and impressive.

Golden bowls containing incense were a common feature of Hebrew ritual at that time, burned morning

and night at the daily worship rituals. Yet there was also a belief that prayer was “like incense” (Psalm

141:2), a pleasing scent that floated up before God. This concept is repeated in Revelation, appearing in

both 5:8 and 8:3-4, and would have been encouraging to these small, persecuted churches. Their small

prayers were reaching the throne of the Most High!

Study

Read Revelation 4 – 5.

These chapters present a powerful scene of heavenly worship. Yet the scene becomes even more

compelling when we begin to understand the impact this vision would have had upon the original hearers of

Revelation. There are three significant factors that can help us understand this chapter in greater depth:

1.Some strongly anti-Roman Empire language

2.Similarities and differences with Daniel 7

3.The development of Revelation’s High Christology

1: Anti-Empire

New Testament scholar David Aune highlights the following aspects of traditional Roman court ceremonies

in his study of Revelation 4 and 5. See if you can link each to some of what John sees:

• Paintings of the Roman emperors often depicted them surrounded by a council of elders and holding an official document as they dispensed justice
• A common sign of submission that the Romans adopted was the requirement that conquered kings and rulers come and lay their crowns at the feet of Caesar
• Emperor Domitian was escorted by a squad of 24 bodyguards
• A group of particularly devout Roman senators once spent an entire day facedown at the foot of Emperor Gaius Caligula’s throne (he wasn’t there at the time) singing songs of praise
• Emperor Nero employed a team of professional worshippers, approximately 5000 people, to follow him around, day and night, constantly clapping and shouting acclamations about his greatness.

How are each of these things picked up in Revelation 4-5? How is John’s depiction of heavenly worship superior to that practised by the Romans?

2: John and Daniel

Read Daniel 7:9-14

What common threads do you see between Daniel’s vision and the book of Revelation?

One significant difference between Daniel and Revelation is to do with the nature of the kingdom that God establishes. In Daniel 7, the language is of a kingdom that “will never be destroyed,” and later, that “will be an everlasting kingdom.” Daniel is describing something situated in the future. Yet take another look at Revelation 5:9-10. Notice that John says the kingdom has been “made”: he is talking about something that is now in existence.

What has caused this change to occur?

3: High Christology

Clearly, Revelation 4 and 5 puts Christ at the centre of heavenly worship. As a group, close your session by working carefully through these two chapters and identifying the ways in which Jesus Christ is described and addressed.

How might living with such a view of Jesus impact our lives and the lives of those around us?

Optional Extra Resources

• Have a listen to these two songs, each attempting to express aspects of the heavenly worship described in Revelation 4-5:
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8-Gxjtd6Wp4
• https://open.spotify.com/track/3pZVH0mPC6fxtmjOT0i9t5?si=f1356966fbb84be6
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eTTDD-Cs4EY
• https://open.spotify.com/track/3jdTacWFnJFb7uHXlapsuf?si=1d29a628f1264c15