Verse 1 After this I looked, and, behold, a door was opened in heaven: and the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me; which said, Come up hither, and I will shew thee things which must be hereafter.
The voice that is as a trumpet is that voice recorded in Revelation 1:10-11 which has been identified as Jesus. Remember that the metaphor of the trumpet is that it arrests a person’s attention. This was the first voice that the Apostle John heard in his visions. Here he is invited to go into Heaven via his spirit. Has this happened before? Yes. The Apostle Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 12:2, “I knew a man in Christ above fourteen years ago, (whether in the body I cannot tell; or whether out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth;) such as one caught up to the third heaven.” Notice that John is going to be shown things which will happen, but for which there is no time table as assigned by Scofield in his end-time doctrine.
Application: The Apostle John sees in his vision a door opening in Heaven. As with all of this particular book and with most of the other New Testament books, a reader must know and understand the Old Testament in order to understand the word pictures or the messages being presented. Scripture was written about Jesus, and written about and written to the people of God, and at the time of this writing, the Gospel message was being written by Jews and shared with mainly the converted Jews who understood the Old Testament. Unfortunately today, modern evangelical Christian churches often fail to educate their congregations regarding the Old Testament Scripture as it is felt that the Church age is under a new covenant and therefore the things written during the old covenant age are not important. The Apostle Paul did not think in this manner as he wrote in 2 Timothy 3:16, “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:” All scripture includes all of the Old Testament writings.
Where is there a reference to a door being opened in Heaven? Psalms 78 states starting in verse 21, “Therefore the LORD heard this, and was wroth: So a fire was kindled against Jacob, and anger also came up against Israel; Because they believed not in God, and trusted not in his salvation: though he had commanded the clouds from above, and opened the doors of heaven, and had rained down manna upon them to eat, and had given them of the corn of heaven. Man did eat angels’ food: He sent them meat to the full.” God brought blessings to the Hebrew people by providing them with food from Heaven. However, read all 72 verses of this Psalm which deals with the Hebrew people after God lead them out of Egypt. In this Psalm, which is historical in nature, God also brings judgement upon His people for their sins.
There are also references to windows of heaven. In Genesis 7:11 Moses wrote, “In the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, in the second month, the seventeenth day of the month, the same day were all the fountains of the great deep broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened.” God was pouring out judgement upon the whole Earth and cleansing it with a flood. Then in Genesis 8:2 Moses wrote, “The fountains also of the deep and the windows of heaven were stopped, and the rain from heaven was restrained;” God was stopping His judgement, the flooding of all the Earth, when He closed the windows and the fountains of the deep. Isaiah 24:18 states, “And it shall come to pass, that he who fleeth from the noise of the fear shall fall into the pit; and he that cometh up out of the midst of the pit shall be taken in the snare: for the windows from on high are open, and the foundations of the earth do shake.” This is again in reference to judgment. Malachi 3:10 states, “Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the LORD of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.” This is in reference to people who are faithful to support the work of the LORD with their resources receiving a blessing from God. So doors and windows in Heaven seem to be portals between Earth and God’s throne room through which can come blessings and judgements. And according to Genesis 28:12-13, the patriarch Jacob dreamed a dream dealing with portals in Heaven. “And he dreamed, and behold a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven: and behold the angels of God ascending and descending on it. And, behold, the LORD stood above it, and said, I am the LORD God of Abraham thy father, and the God of Isaac: the land whereon thou liest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed;”
Application: It is not possible here to present what the Bible says about the shape of the Earth, and a study will be done later to show you, the reader, what God states about His creation. Suffice it to say, God’s record of this Earth on which mankind lives is not the heliocentric message given by so-called science. The Bible teaches that the Earth is flat and not spinning through space at 1000 miles per hour and that there is a firmament separating the Earth and the water surrounding it from the water that is above the Earth. Ever wonder what is the real reason for the blue sky? This firmament appears to be what opens when God speaks of doors and windows opening in Heaven. Do the research and decide for yourself. Today, there is not one scientific experiment that has ever proven that the Earth has a curve and is in the shape of a ball. Sorry, but that is a fact.
So in summary, the door is not a physical door. It is the spiritual access to Heaven that Jesus went through when He ascended from the Mount of Olives after the crucifixion and resurrection, and the access that the Apostle John and the Apostle Paul went through and wrote about. The trumpet is not a real trumpet as trumpets do not speak language but tones and emotions. Trumpets arrest your attention and are for warning, for direction and for announcements. The sound of a trumpet is clear and concise. The Apostle John’s body did not go to Heaven as it was flesh and flesh cannot enter or inherit the Kingdom of Heaven. He was to see events and things that were to happen soon.
Verses 2-3 And immediately I was in the spirit: and, behold, a throne was set in heaven, and one sat on the throne. 3 And he that sat was to look upon like a jasper and a sardine stone: and there was a rainbow round about the throne, in sight like unto an emerald.
The Greek word translated as “jasper” is “iaspis” and it means a precious stone of various colors such as purple, blue, green, brass or clear as crystal. Purple is a color that represents royalty. Green is the color that represents the Earth. Blue is the color that represents the Heavens. Brass is the color that represents power, strength and authority. And crystal is representative of the firmament that covers the Earth and separates God’s throne from His footstool. Isaiah 66:1 and Acts 7:49 both state, “Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool:” The Greek word translated as “sardine” is “sardinos” and it is a precious stone that can be a yellow or brownish-red in color or flesh colored which is representative of the peoples of the Earth and of the flesh of the body that God inhabited who was and is called Jesus. The rainbow first appeared in the sky and in the Scripture after the flood of Noah’s time. It represented the end of God’s judgement via flood waters of the Earth and everything in it. He promised never to destroy the Earth again by flood. The rainbow above, however, is not described as a typical, multi colored one, but as an emerald. What does this represent? How about the earth’s vegetation?
We really do not know today exactly what the stones referenced above were, but since the jasper is often thought to be a clear stone like a diamond and the sardine is thought to be a red stone from Sardis, why did the Apostle John liken the one sitting on the throne to these stones? Why is this important? What else do they represent? Could it be that the clear stone is like water and the red stone is like blood? What flowed from Jesus when the Roman soldier stabbed Him with a sword? Was it not described as water and blood, a clear fluid and a red fluid? See John 19:34. Perhaps the Apostle John was seeing the Savior, Jesus Christ, like these stones because of His death on the cross which was to save the whole world.
Application: The throne here is similar to that described in the Old Testament book of Isaiah. Only one being is sitting on the throne. The Apostle John does not see the three Catholic gods of god the father, god the son and god the holy spirit. There has been and will always only be one God, the Creator of the universe and the Salvation of the world. This Almighty God manifests himself in three different ways. He is an invisible spirit that inhabits the whole universe, He shows or manifests himself as a man, Jesus, and He dwells with His people in their flesh as the Holy Ghost or Holy Spirit.
Verse 4 And round about the throne were four and twenty seats: and upon the seats I saw four and twenty elders sitting, clothed in white raiment; and they had on their heads crowns of gold.
The number 24 is not literal here. Is it possible that the millions of believers that have died and are now in Heaven are not gathered around the Savior and his throne and just 24 are allowed into His presence? Not likely. So think. What could this number represent?
The number 24 in Scripture represents two twelves: the twelve sons of Israel and the twelve apostles of Jesus. In other words, these elders represent both the old covenant and the new covenant saints or all of God’s people. These elders were clothed in white rainment which represents righteousness and they had crowns of gold because they were ruling and reigning with Jesus. They are a royal priesthood.
What are the seats? Did Jesus not say we would rule and reign with Him and judge the nations? Are we as believers not counted as kings and priests? What is a seat? In days gone by and still today in many cultures people did not provide chairs for their visitors. They sat on pillows or rugs on the ground. Furniture was for the rich and famous and the ordinary person had to use coverings on the ground. What happens when we sit in our recliners in our living rooms? Are we not resting and relaxing? Have we not ceased to work? This word picture is showing the saints in Heaven resting and relaxing from their labors and enjoying the presence of the Lord.
Application: How much time do we as believers today spend resting and relaxing in the presence of the Lord? Is it even ten minutes a day? Be honest and look at what you are doing each 24 hours (there is that number again). If you are like most believers, tasks and distractions are always present to stop a meaningful time with Jesus. The devils make sure the phone rings and the kids fight and the dog encounters a skunk. So, it takes work to map out a quiet time to read the word, to pray, and to listen for God’s reply. Perhaps we need to commit to a quiet time everyday. After all, we seem to have time to read emails, text friends and family, and watch or participate in entertainment. The thing is that all our busyness will neither save our soul or provide us with eternity in Heaven. Ask yourself where your priorities should be.
Verse 5 And out of the throne proceeded lightnings and thunderings and voices: and there were seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God.
Psalms 77:18 states, “The voice of thy thunder was in the heaven: the lightnings lightened the world: the earth trembled and shook.” Exodus 19:16 states, “And it came to pass on the third day in the morning, that there were thunders and lightnings, and a thick cloud upon the mount, and the voice of the trumpet exceeding loud; so that all the people that was in the camp trembled.” Exodus 20:18 continues, “And all the people saw the thunderings, and the lightnings, and the noise of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking, and when the people saw it, they removed, and stood afar off.” Many other Old Testament verses record the power and awesomeness of the presence of the LORD as related to thunder and lightning and that His voice is like a trumpet. The Apostle John is seeing and recording the things that the Hebrew people actually experienced when Moses went up into the mountain to receive the ten commandments from God.
Verse 6 And before the throne there was a sea of glass like unto crystal: and in the midst of the throne, and round about the throne, were four beasts full of eyes before and behind.
The Apostle John is describing what he is seeing in Heaven. This writer does not know if there was/is actually a glass or a glassy expanse before the throne of God, but whatever John saw must have been spectacular! The Greek word translated as “beasts” is “zoon” and it can mean a living being, an animal, a brute, or a beast. Usually, in Scripture, a reference to a beast or a beast system that is metaphor and not the actual thing is one connected with a fleshly or Earthly governmental system. Daniel chapter 7 records a vision in which Daniel saw “four great beasts” coming up “from the sea, diverse one from another.” One looked like a lion with eagle’s wings, one like a bear, one like a leopard, and another was indescribable. In verse 17 the beasts are explained. “These great beasts, which are four, are four kings, which shall arise out of the earth.” Since this prophecy of Daniel has come to pass, it is now known that the kings and kingdoms associated with these beasts were Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece and Rome. Since the beasts in the Apostle John’s vision are Heavenly and around the throne or seat of ruler-ship and power of God, these four beasts can be signifying the governance of the LORD Jesus Christ. The number four in Scripture pertains to the Earth, and the fact that these critters are full of eyes indicates that they are watching everything, everywhere, all the time. So what do the beasts in these verses represent since they are Heavenly and not associated with the Earth as are the beasts in the visions of the prophet Daniel?
Verse 7 And the first beast was like a lion, and the second beast like a calf, and the third beast had a face as a man, and the fourth beast was like a flying eagle.
God provided four New Testament books called the Gospels which record the birth, life, ministry, death, and resurrection of His Son, Jesus. The first book is Matthew, and under the inspiration of the Holy Ghost/Spirit, Matthew presents Jesus as a lion or a king. The second book is Mark and, again, under the inspiration of the Holy Ghost/Spirit, Mark presents Jesus as a servant or an ox (calf). In the third Gospel book of Luke, Jesus is presented as a man, the Son of God, and in the Gospel book of John, Jesus is presented as an eagle, God Almighty above the Earth. These beasts represent the full ministry and character of the LORD Jesus Christ. The Apostle John and the early Church would have understood what these critters represented. They would not have expected to die, go to Heaven, and see four unusual beasts congregating around the throne of the LORD.
Verse 8 And the four beasts had each of them six wings about him; and they were full of eyes within: and they rest not day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come.
The beasts, the elders and all the other symbolism seen by the Apostle John present a picture of pure worship and praise to the LORD Jesus Christ which He received after His ascension into Heaven as recorded in Acts chapter 1. The events of worship and praise in this vision given to the Apostle John have already happened and are ongoing.
Application: Believers today are to worship and praise the LORD Jesus Christ. Just as worship and praise is occurring in Heaven, so it should be occurring simultaneously here on Earth.
Verses 9-11 And when those beasts give glory and honour and thanks to him that sat on the throne, who liveth for ever and ever, 10 The four and twenty elders fall down before him that sat on the throne, and worship him that liveth for ever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying, 11 Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created. (Revelation 4)
Notice that everything that Jesus created was done so for His pleasure. The question is, “Do Christian believers bring pleasure to the LORD?” Hopefully the answer is “yes”.