Charles Ellicott Commentary Revelation 4

After this (better, these things) I looked (literally, I saw; not “I looked,” as though the prophet turned his gaze then towards it), and, look, a door was opened (or, set open) in heaven. He did not look and see a door opening; he saw, and look! the door stood open.

There are differences as well as similarities between this vision and others where glimpses into heaven were given to prophets and saints. In Ezekiel’s vision, and in the scene of Matthew 3:16 (Acts 10:11), the heavens divide; in this vision, a door stands open.

The way into the presence of God lies open (Hebrews 10:19–20); all who have faith may enter. In the minds of such people, the thoughts of the heavenly will mingle with the sorrows of the earthly, and the calm of security will be theirs (Psalms 46:5).

But the scenes of earth’s troubles will always be dispiriting to those who cannot reach the heavenly viewpoint.

And the first voice (or, indeed, the first voice) which I heard was like a trumpet talking with me; (even one) which said, Come up here, and I will show you (the) things which must take place after this. The first voice spoken of here is the voice which the Apostle had heard in the opening vision (Revelation 1:10); he heard, and recognized that trumpet-like voice again.

It is strange that anyone should have maintained that this is not the voice of Christ. It is admitted that it must be the same as the voice of Revelation 1:10, but it is said that the voice of Christ is heard afterwards (Revelation 1:15), not as a trumpet, but as the voice of many waters.

The answer is simple: the voice of Christ has many tones, and the voice like a trumpet said, I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last .

And immediately I was in the spirit.— . The mind and soul were absorbed in the vision of things celestial. (See 2 Corinthians 12:1–4).

“Words may not tell of that transhuman change;
If I were only what You created,
Then newly, Love! by whom the heaven is ruled,
You know, who by Your light bore me up.” —

Paradiso, Canto 1, lines 68-73.

And, behold, a throne was set (i.e., not that the seer saw the throne being set, but when he saw it was already set) in heaven, and one sat on the throne.—(Compare to Micaiah’s speech, 1 Kings 22:19).

The enthroned One is not named.

Have we here a touch of the Jewish reluctance to name Jehovah? Or is it that the descriptive phrase, “He that sat on the throne,” is used here and kept before us throughout the whole book to remind us that the great world drama always moves forward under the eyes of the ruling One? (Revelation 5:7; Revelation 6:15; Revelation 20:11; Revelation 21:5).

And he that sat was to look upon like a jasper and a sardine stone.—In determining the significance of these emblems we must be guided partly by the analogy of Bible imagery elsewhere, and partly by our knowledge of precious stones.

The sardian, or sardine, is acknowledged to be a stone of fiery red colour; the emerald, to which the bow around the throne is compared, is almost certainly a bright green; the hue of the jasper is the difficulty. The jasper—the last stone in the high priest’s breastplate, and first of the twelve foundations of the New Jerusalem (Exodus 28:20 and Revelation 21:19)—is described by the best authorities as a dark, opaque green. Such a colour is quite in harmony with the colours of the other stones in the breastplate, and particularly with the foundation stones. These foundation stones seem to be arranged in shades of colour (see Notes on Revelation 21:19 and following). However, the dark opaque green would be a poor combination with the red sardius and the green emerald in the vision of this chapter.

Is there no further light? We have a jasper stone spoken of in Revelation 21:11; Revelation 21:18, with the descriptive phrase, clear as crystal! Does this not point to a stone somewhat different in appearance from that spoken of simply as jasper? Such a clear crystal stone would be the most natural companion to the sardine, and the combination of the sparkling brightness and fiery red fits the union of brightness and flame that appears elsewhere in the Bible (Revelation 11:1; Ezekiel 1:4; Ezekiel 8:2; Daniel 7:9), and is best understood of the holiness and righteousness of God.

The latter half of this verse shows us these surrounded by the emerald-coloured bow, the evident symbol of divine mercy. The allusion to the bow in the cloud (Genesis 9:12–16) is obvious; the bow completely encircled the throne, as mercy encompassing judgment. It was a covenant token, bearing witness to God’s faithfulness in dark times, God’s care for the ark of His Church, and His mercy shining forth after storm.

And around the throne were twenty-four seats (or, thrones), and on the seats (or, thrones) I saw twenty-four elders sitting, clothed in white garments; and they had on their heads crowns of gold.—Perhaps the wish to give its due pre-eminence to the thought of Him who sat on the throne caused our translators to describe the elders as sitting on seats; but the same word throne is used for both, and those who are now seated on thrones are called (Revelation 5:10) kings and priests.

In the similar vision in Ezekiel no human beings are seen; their appearance here is significant. They are the representatives of Christ’s Church and people, of those whom Christ calls His friends, and who are admitted to know what their Lord does (John 15:15). Various reasons have been suggested why they should be described as twenty-four in number: they are the twelve tribes doubled, to signify the union of the Gentile with the Jewish Church; they are the two sets of twelve, to represent the two Testaments; they are the twelve Patriarchs conjoined with the twelve Apostles.

It will be seen that these were all different forms of the same thought, that the twenty-four elders represent the complete Church of God in the past and in the future, in the Jewish and Gentile worlds; and as such the true spiritual successors, as priests to God, of those twenty-four courses (1 Chronicles 24:1–19) arranged by David, and which some have thought gave rise to the use of the number twenty-four in this passage. It is the great united Church. The same thought is touched upon in the double song of Moses and the Lamb (Revelation 15:3), and in the gates and foundations of the New Jerusalem (Revelation 21:12; Revelation 21:14).

And out of the throne proceeded (rather, proceed; there is a change in the tense used) lightnings and thunderings and voices.—These are viewed by some as the indications of approaching judgments. Perhaps it is better to view them as the tokens of God’s power of judgment than as hints of immediately approaching judgments.

The scene at Sinai (Exodus 19:16) was no doubt in the prophet’s mind. There the clouds and lightnings were not so much tokens of coming judgment as the symbols of that righteous power which can show itself in judgment. “Clouds and darkness are round about Him; righteousness and judgment are the habitation of His throne” (Psalms 97:2). They are the constant tokens of that power of God.

“Which makes the darkness and the light,
And dwells not in the light alone,
But in the darkness and the cloud
As over Sinai’s peaks of old.”

And there were seven lamps (or, torches) of fire burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God.—See Revelation 3:1.

The Spirit of God in His manifold powers is thus described under emblems of fire. This is not merely a fire of judgment. The baptism of the Holy Spirit is a baptism of fire (Matthew 3:11–12). The flaming presence purges the spirit from sin; the Holy Spirit consumes evil. It is an unquenchable fire against all evils, whether in people’s hearts, in their lives, or in the world (compare to 1 Corinthians 3:13 and Hebrews 12:29).

May there not be an allusion to the covenant with Abraham, which was ratified by fire? Lamps, or torches, of fire (lampades puros, LXX, same as in this passage) went between the divided pieces of the heifer and the she-goat. If this is correct, the vision of this chapter reminds us that God is ever mindful of His covenant. The rainbow (the token of the covenant with Noah), the flaming torches (tokens of the covenant with Abraham), and the thunderings and lightnings (the tokens of the covenant at Sinai) are ever with Him. (Compare also to Ezekiel 1:4.)