THE REVELATION OF JESUS CHRIST TO HIS SERVANT JOHN
The Unveiling of the Kingdom on Earth and in Heaven
Lesson 7
Part III: The Ethical Stipulations of the Seven Seals (Chapters 4-6)
Chapter 4
The Liturgy of Creation in the Throne Room of God and
The Things Which Are Still to Come
Holy and Eternal Lord,
We give You our thanks for the vision of heavenly worship that You reveal to us in the earthly sacrifice of the Mass. It is the vision You give us to sustain us on our journey to salvation when, one day, we hope to receive our welcomed into heavenly worship in the company of saints and angels. In the meantime, our hope of Heaven gives us the faith to persevere in holiness in maintaining our spiritual garments of grace so that God will find our presence worthy at the Wedding Feast of the Lamb and His Bride. We pray in the name of God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
and they saw the God of Israel beneath whose feet
there was what looked like a sapphire pavement pure as the heavens themselves
Exodus 24:10
In the year of King Uzziah's death, I saw the Lord seated
on a high and lofty throne; His train filled the sanctuary. Above Him stood
seraphs, each one with six wings: two to cover its face, two to cover its feet
and two for flying; and they were shouting these words to each other:
Holy, Holy, Holy is Yahweh Sabaoth. His glory fills
the whole earth.
Isaiah 6:1-3
Beyond the solid surface above their heads, there was
what seemed like a sapphire, in the form of a throne. High above on the form
of a throne was a form with the appearance of a human being. I saw a
brilliance like amber, like fire, radiating from what appeared to be the waist
upwards; and from what appeared to be the waist downwards, I saw what looked
like fire, giving a brilliant light all round. The radiance of the encircling
light was like the radiance of the bow (rainbow)
in the clouds on rainy days. The sight was like the glory of Yahweh. I
looked and fell to the ground, and I heard the voice of someone speaking to me.
Ezekiel 1:26-28
Jesus said to them, "In truth I tell you, when
everything is made new again, and the Son of man is seated on His throne of
glory, you yourselves will sit on twelve thrones to judge the twelve tribes of
Israel."
Matthew 19:28
Chapters 4-7 are the third section of Jesus' Covenant Treaty Lawsuit against the Old Covenant Church. The Ethical Stipulations declared the laws of citizenship required for the people of the Sinai Covenant. St. Paul understood the commitment required in this regard when he wrote: it is in Him that we live, move, and exist (Acts 17:28). Paul was expressing that God is the foundation of our very existence. Yahweh is the center of our actions, our thoughts, and every aspect of our lives. And a central element of our relationship with Him is His Sanctuary, where we come to offer the Most Holy Trinity worship in the sacrifice of the Mass and unite with our God in the mystery of the Holy Eucharist. An essential concern of the Stipulations section of the Sinai Covenant that Yahweh made with Moses and the people of Israel was the establishment of the One Holy Sanctuary: You shall seek Yahweh your God in the place which He will choose from all your tribes, there to set His name and give it a home: that is where you must go. That is where you must bring your burnt offerings and your sacrifices, your tithes and offerings held high (Dt 12:5-6).
The earthly Sanctuary of Yahweh was an image of God's Sanctuary in heaven (Ex 25:9, 40; 26:30; Num 8:4; Acts 7:44). The inspired writer of the Letter to the Hebrews (believed to be St. Paul) wrote, referring to the earthly Jerusalem Temple: these maintain the service only of a model or a reflection of the heavenly realities; just as Moses, when he had the Tent to build, was warned by God who said: "See that you work to the design that was shown you on the mountain (Heb 8:5). And he also wrote: Only the copies of the heavenly things are purified in this way; the heavenly things themselves have to be purified by a higher sort of sacrifice than this (Heb 9:23). In Chapter 4, we, along with St. John, are going to be ushered into the heavenly Sanctuary to see that "higher sort of sacrifice.
Please refer to the list of the visions of Ezekiel, Daniel, and Zechariah from the handout for Introduction Part I. Beginning with Revelation Chapter 4, we will continually refer to those revelations God gave of those Old Testament prophets that duplicate John' visions with amazing accuracy.
Revelation 4:1-11 ~ The
Heavenly Court Glorifies God on His Heavenly Throne
1 Then, in my vision, I saw a door open in Heaven and
heard the same voice speaking to me, the voice like a
trumpet, saying, "Come up here: I will show you what is to take place in the
future." 2
With that, I fell into ecstasy,
and I saw a throne standing in Heaven,
3 and the One who was sitting on the throne, and the One
sitting there looked like a diamond and a ruby. There was a rainbow encircling
the throne, and this looked like an emerald. 4 Round
the throne in a circle were twenty-four thrones, and on them twenty-four elders
sitting, dressed in white robes with golden crowns on their heads. 5 Flashes
of lightning were coming from the throne, and the sound of peals of thunder,
and in front of the throne there were seven flaming lamps burning, the seven
Spirits of God. 6 In front of the throne was a sea as transparent as
crystal. In the middle of the throne and around it were four living creatures
all studded with eyes, in front and behind. 7 The
first living creature was like a lion, the second like a bull, the third living
creature had a human face, and the fourth living creature was like a flying
eagle. 8 Each of the four living creatures had six wings and
was studded with eyes all the way round as well as inside; and day and night
they never stopped singing: "Holy, Holy, Holy is the
Lord God, the Almighty; who was, and is, and is to come." 9 Every
time the living creatures glorified and honored and gave thanks to the One
sitting on the throne, who lives forever and ever, 10 the
twenty-four elders prostrated themselves before him to worship the One who
lives forever and ever, and threw down their crowns in front of the throne,
saying: 11 "You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory
and honor and power, for you made the whole universe; by your will, when it did
not exist, it was created."
What John heard in his vision of the heavenly Sanctuary:
What John saw in his vision of the heavenly Sanctuary:
1 Then, in my vision, I saw a door open in heaven and heard the same voice speaking to me, the voice like a trumpet, saying, Come up here: I will show you what is to take place in the future.' 2 With that I fell into ecstasy, and I saw a throne standing in heaven
John has another vision (the
first was Rev 1:10-20). John says, Then in my vision, I saw. The words
"I saw" or "in my vision I saw" is a formula that always introduces a new
vision. This expression, or in its variations, appears seven times in the Book
of Revelation (1:13; 4:1; 7:1, 9; 15:5; 18:1; 19:1).
Question: What day of the week is it? See Rev 1:10.
Answer: It is Sunday, the Lord's Day.
Question: What was the first thing John saw?
Answer: He saw a door standing open in Heaven.
Question: When did the door to Heaven, closed since the fall of
Adam, first begin to open? See Mt 3:14; Mk 1:10; Lk 3:21-22.
Answer: The door to Heaven opened at Jesus' baptism.
John's new vision is of a door opened to Heaven. Notice that he doesn't see it opening. The door is already open. Isn't it amazing to think that because of Jesus, our Redeemer, the passage into Heaven stands wide open waiting to receive us?
Question: What does Jesus tell John concerning the next series
of visions? See 4:1
Answer: Everything he sees will take place in the future.
The question is "when" in the future. Will it be in the future of John's lifetime? The evidence in the Book of Revelation and the events that will take place in the "future" all suggest the majority of events will indeed take place in John's lifetime.
Significantly, the whole revelation of John's vision is in the liturgical setting of heavenly worship. This liturgical context is part of the key to understanding what will be revealed to John as he becomes a witness and participant in divine worship with the saints and angels. According to the Catholic Dictionary, the definition of the word "liturgy" is "A public service, duty, or work. In Scripture, it refers to the religious duties to be performed by priests and Levites in the Temple, especially those related to the Sacrifice; in Christian use among the Eastern Churches it means the Eucharistic Sacrifice. In present-day usage, liturgy is the official public worship of the Church, and it is thus distinguished from private devotion. It is the special title of the Eucharist and the administration of the sacraments ... Its function is twofold: to give honor and praise to God, which is worship, and to obtain blessings for the human race, which is sanctification" (Catholic Dictionary, "Liturgy" pages 231-32).
The etymology of the word
"liturgy" is from the Greek leitos meaning "people" + ergon, meaning
"work" or "duty" = leitourgia, meaning a public duty or public work,
which in religious terms is understood to refer to the unity of the community
actively participating in worshiping God (Catholic Dictionary, "Liturgy" page
232).
Liturgy is, therefore, the
exercise of public worship, whether here on earth or in the heavenly
Tabernacle. Liturgy is the means by which we give honor and praise to God, communal
acts that fulfill a twofold purpose:
There is a liturgical reason and purpose for John's vision recorded in the Book of Revelation in which Jesus instructs him to "write down" what he sees and hears (Rev 1:19) just as there is a liturgical reason to view all of sacred Scripture in a liturgical context. Mankind's liturgical destiny separates him from the beasts also created on the sixth day (Gen 1:24-31). The difference between them is that God exclusively created humankind in His image and likeness with immortal souls and to be holy beings capable of entering into God's rest by communing with Him on the seventh day (Gen 2:1-3).
In God's first Sanctuary, known as "the Garden of Eden," He created Adam and Eve to walk in His Divine Presence and glorify Him through a task/duty that was a sacrifice of service and praise. In this first movement of God's great liturgical symphony of interaction with humanity, Adam serves the function of God's first priest; he tended and guarded the holy Sanctuary of the One True God (Gen 2:15). Ever since Adam and Eve's fall from grace and expulsion from the Sanctuary that was Eden, God planned to restore humankind to the destiny as an immortal sinless being in full communion with the Trinity. It is significant that sacred Scripture first came to the Church in the context of the preparation and instruction for the liturgy of the Sinai Covenant. It was in the event of the theophany at Sinai where Yahweh would establish the liturgy of what we now call the Old Covenant Church that Moses put all Yahweh's words into writing (Ex 24:4) and Yahweh then said to Moses, "Put these words in writing, for they are the terms of the covenant which I have made with you and with Israel" (Ex 34:27-28). Then as now, sacred Scripture has a liturgical context.
John heard the voice like
a trumpet (Rev 4:5) just as Moses and the children of Israel did at
the Theophany on Mount Sinai (Ex 19:16-19). In this case, the trumpeting is
the voice of God the Son, Jesus Christ (Rev 1:10, 17-20; 4:1). We have already
seen the connection between God's voice and the sound of the shofar (ram's horn
trumpet) in Chapter 1.
Question: What is the command that John hears, and what day is
it? See Rev 1:10, Mt 28:1-7; Acts 20:7.
Answer: The voice calls to John, "Come up here!" It
is the Lord's Day, the first day of the week that we call Sunday, the day of
Christ's Resurrection, and the day set aside by the New Covenant Church for
liturgical worship.
It is the day John, as Christ's priestly minister, celebrates Holy Eucharist in the earthly Sanctuary, but on this day, John will ascend to Heaven, as we do every Lord's Day in the weekly ascension of the Church, to celebrate the heavenly liturgy. Every Sunday, t+he Church acts out St. John's experience in Chapter 4 of Revelation at the Sursum Corda of the Mass that is the opening dialogue of the Preface to the Eucharistic Prayer, when the priest, reflecting Christ's call "Come Up!" calls out to the congregation "Lift up your hearts!" And then the assembly of the faithful replies in unison, as one voice, "We lift them up to the Lord!"1
John hears the same invitation in 4:1 repeated in Revelation 11:12 when a loud voice from heaven said to them [martyred saints] "Come up here," and while their enemies were watching, they went up to heaven in a cloud. St. Germanus, Bishop of Paris (d. AD 576), must have been thinking of these invitations in Revelation when he wrote: The Church is an earthly heaven. The souls of Christians are called together to assemble with the prophets, apostles, and hierarchs in order to recline with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob at the mystical banquet of the Kingdom of Christ. Thereby having come into the unity of faith and communion of the Spirit through the dispensation of the One who died for us and is sitting at the right hand of the Father, we are no longer on earth but standing by the royal Throne of God in heaven, where Christ is, just as He Himself says: "Righteous Father, sanctify in Your name those whom You gave me, so that where I am, they may be with Me."
1b I will show you what is to take place in the future.
Question: What did Jesus tell John in Revelation 1:19?
Answer: He told John to: (1) write down all that you see of
present happenings, and (2) what is still to come.
What John saw was the vision of the glorified Christ (Chapter 1). What was presently happening was the condition of the seven churches (Chapters 2-3). Now we will see what is to happen in the future. The burning question for Biblical scholars is, "How far into the future?" If the answer is that these events "still to come" will take place 2,000 years in the future, it would have very little relevance for John's audience. If the John is writing in AD 96 during the reign of Roman Emperor Domitian, Christians have experienced relatively little persecution since the death of Nero in AD 68 and have enjoyed tolerance during the rule of the Flavian Roman Emperors Vespasian and Titus with only some hardships for influential Romans who converted during the reign of the last Flavian Emperor who was Domitian. However, for the next two hundred and forty years, persecution of Christians will sporadically experience periods of intense persecution followed by relatively minor suffering until one last surge of tribulation (AD 300-312) before the Church comes under the protection of the first Christian Roman Emperor, Constantine I.
But, if John is experiencing his vision in AD 68 or 69AD, the approaching disaster will be God's judgment on apostate Israel with four Roman legions advancing on Judah, the fall of the Jerusalem, and the destruction of the Temple which brings about the end of Old Covenant worship with much of the surviving population sold into slavery (see Jesus' prophecies of these events in Mt 24:1-22; Mk 13:1-23; Lk 2:17-24). After the disaster of the Jewish Revolt and the destruction of the Jerusalem Temple, the Jews will only have two choices: reformulate worship of Yahweh devoid of the Sinai Covenant (since the Temple no longer exists) or turn to the Church founded out of the fulfilled Old Covenant by Jesus the Messiah that is the New and Eternal Covenant of the new Israel promised by the prophet Jeremiah in the Book of Jeremiah (Jer 31:31-34; 32:40; 50:5) and announced as fulfilled in Christ by His apostles (Heb 12:24 and 13:20).
2 With that, I fell into ecstasy, and I saw a throne
standing in Heaven
The first part of this verse is
better translated, "Immediately I was in the Spirit." In Revelation 1:10,
we noted that the expression "in the Spirit" is technical prophetic language that
refers not to St. John's feelings but to his objective experience as an
inspired receiver of divine revelation as God's holy prophet. To be "in the
Spirit" was the unique privilege of God's prophets, but to be "caught up in the
Spirit" was to be received into the heavenly assembly. Only a very few of
God's prophets had the privilege of standing in the heavenly court to
deliberate in the council of the angels. But now, with the coming of the New
Covenant, what was at one time an exclusive prerogative of God's holy prophets
has become the privilege of all of those who are washed in the blood of the
Lamb and clothed in the white robes of divine grace. John is caught up before
the heavenly assembly, and he sees God sitting on His throne.
3 and the One who was sitting on the throne, and the One sitting there looked like a diamond and a ruby. There was a rainbow encircling the throne, and this looked like an emerald. Notice in his description of God's heavenly sanctuary that John never describes God, only what surrounds God, and he gives a wonderfully vivid description of the Throne of God.
The Book of Revelation is very focused on thrones, especially God's throne mentioned in almost every chapter of Revelation. The word throne or thrones (thronos) appears 47 times in Revelation out of a total of 62 times the word appears in the entire New Testament. The next most frequent use of the word "throne" is in the Gospel of Matthew, where it occurs only four times. The Christian church in John's time was familiar with earthly thrones, and they were especially concerned about Caesar's throne and all it represented. John reminds the Christians of the Roman Empire that there is another throne that is above all earthly thrones!
The prophets Isaiah and
Ezekiel also described God's heavenly throne room in Isaiah 6:1-4 and Ezekiel 1:1-28. Chapter 4 of Revelation is the beginning of the amazing parallels
between John's vision in the 1st century AD, Isaiah's in the 8th
century BC, and Ezekiel's in the 6th century BC. Notice the mention
of the rainbow in Ezekiel's vision in Ezekiel 1:28.
Question: Where are there other Old Testament passages that
recall the rainbow in the context of a covenant formation? See Genesis 9:8-17.
Answer: The rainbow is God's Covenant sign in the Covenant with
Noah and all creation after the flood.
Interestingly, John sees a seven hued rainbow around the Throne of God, which looked like an emerald. There is also mention of a rainbow/bow in Ezekiel 1:28, in Revelation 6:2 (as God's war bow) and 10:1.
In the text, John mentions three precious stones.
Question: What are the three stones John mentions?
Answer: The New Jerusalem translation names diamond, ruby, and emerald.
Other translations read, "And He who sat there was like a jasper stone and a sardius in appearance" (KJV), or "like jasper and carnelian. Around the throne was a rainbow as brilliant as emerald" (NAB and RSV). The lack of specific terminology in ancient writings makes it difficult to identify the precious and semi-precious stones John mentions with complete accuracy. These stones, in the original Greek, are iaspis (perhaps an opal or diamond), sardion (a reddish stone which may be a ruby), and smaragdinos (which may have been an emerald), represented three of the twelve tribes of Israel on the breastplate of the high priest (c.f., Ex 28:17-19) and are also mentioned as being in Eden (Ez 28:13). In John's vision (and in Ezekiel's; see 1:26-28), God is surrounded by a blaze of brilliant light.
4 Round the throne in a circle were twenty-four thrones,
and on them, twenty-four elders sitting, dressed in white robes with golden
crowns on their heads.
Some scholars suggest the elders
are representative of the Old and New Covenant Church: the twelve patriarchs (physical
fathers) of the Old Testament and the twelve Apostles (spiritual fathers) of
the New Testament. Other scholars say they are heavenly authorities (angels of
special rank).
There is evidence at least
that twelve of these elders are the Twelve Apostles, including Matthias, who
was elected to replace Judah (Acts 1:23-26).
Question: Do you recall a promise Jesus made to the Apostles
that concerned "thrones"? See Mt 19:28
Answer: Jesus promised that they would sit on thrones in His
heavenly kingdom. Jesus said to them, "In truth I
tell you, when everything is made new again, and the Son of man is seated on
His throne of glory, you yourselves will sit on twelve thrones to judge the twelve
tribes of Israel."
The key to their identity is perhaps in the use of the word "elders" that most likely indicates these men represent the Church of the Old Sinai and New Covenants. In Holy Scripture, the term "elder" only applies to men in authority and never to God's spiritual messengers or to God's prophets who are His human messengers. In the New Testament, see for example: Mt 15:2; 16:21; 21:23; 26:3, 47, 57, 59; 27:1, 3, 12, 20, 41; 28:12; Mk 7:3, 5; 8:31; 11:27; 14:43, 53; 15:1; Lk 7:3; 9:22; 20:1; 22:52, 66; Acts 4:5, 8, 23; 6:12; 11:30; 14:23; 15:2, 4, 6, 22, 23; 16:4; 20:17; 21:18; 1 Tim 5:17; Tit 1:5; Heb 11:2; Jam 5:14; 1 Pt 5:1, 5; 2 Jn 1; and 3 Jn 1.
One argument used for the elders as spiritual beings that some scholars suggest is that the Church will not be seated, white-robed, and crowned, in the presence of God until after the Parousia (Second Advent) of Christ and the Final Judgment Day; therefore, the elders of John's vision have to be a class of angels. However, Paul clearly says in Ephesians 2:6 ~ it is through grace that you have been saved and raised us up with Him and gave us a place with Him in Heaven, in Christ Jesus. And Jesus promised the faithful of Sardis and Laodicea that they would wear "white robes" like the elders in Revelation 4:4 (Rev 3:4-5, 18).
From earliest times in the Church, the title "elder" has stood for those who have power and authority within the sacred assembly of the Old Covenant and the New Covenant Church ( Ex 12:21; 17:5-6; 18:12; 24:9-11; Num 11:16-17; Acts 15:23; 22:5; Rom 9:12; 1 Tim 3:1-7; Tit 1:5-9; Heb 13:17; Jam 5:14-15; and 2 Jn 1; to give you a few examples). In different translations, the Greek word presbyteroi (plural) or presbyteros (singular) translates as "elders" or "presbyters" and also as "priest" in the New Testament. The Old Testament Hebrew has separate classifications between elders and priests. Our English word "priest" comes from the Greek presbyteroi. 1 Timothy 4:14 uses presbyterion for the body of elders; for example, in the New American translation: Do not neglect the gift you received when, as a result of prophecy, the presbyters laid their hands on you. In the New Testament, "elders" refers to the ministerial priesthood of the New Covenant Church.
The function of the ministerial priesthood in the Old Covenant Church and the New Covenant Church was the same. The priest was the link between God and the people. In the Sinai Covenant, the priest represented God the Father while in the New Covenant ministerial priesthood, the priest represents Christ to the assembly of the faithful. The chief difference between the two is that the office of the Old Covenant chief priests was hereditary through the line of Aaron son of Levi, while the lesser ministers were descendants of the other clans of Levi (Levi was the son of Jacob/Israel and Leah). However, the High Priest was from the chief priests of the bloodline of Levi's great-grandson Aaron (Moses' brother). In the New Covenant, Christ is our High Priest, and the ministerial priesthood is now a calling by the Holy Spirit that is only dependent, not a human bloodline, but by God Himself.
A second valuable observation in determining the identity of those wearing white robes is that they are sitting on thrones. John already revealed that Christians are reigning with Christ (Rev 1:6), they will wear crowns (Rev 2:10; 3:11), they have been granted kingly authority with Him over the nations (Rev 2:26-27), and that they are seated with Christ on His Throne (Rev 3:21). It seems likely that this is consistent with (and a continuation of) what Christ has revealed to John in Revelation Chapters 1-3.
Question: How many times, do you suppose, will John use the word
"elder" in the Book of Revelation, and what does the number represent? Hint:
if you have read the document "The Significance of Numbers in Scripture," you
should know the answer. Hint: it isn't the number 7, which is fullness, completeness,
or spiritual perfection. See Rev 4:4, 10; 5:5, 6, 7,
11, 14; 7:11, 13; 11:16; 14:3; and 19:4.
Answer: John uses the word "elder" twelve times in the Book
of Revelation, the number of divine government as in the twelve tribes of
Israel and the twelve Apostles.
Since John's visions are all "signs," the most likely explanation is that the "twenty-four" elders do not represent a literal number. Instead, they signify the entire people of God, those of the previous old covenants and the New in Christ, worshiping before God's throne in Heaven.
Which brings us to consider the symbolism of the number 24 in sacred Scripture: 12 is the number of "perfection in government" and a number Biblically associated with the people of God as the Sacred Assembly of the Church:
The number 24 is a multiple of 12 and, therefore, it is reasonable to assume that the number 24 is also associated with the Church:
It is reasonable that John should see the twenty-four elders who are both kings on thrones and priests in the Presider's chair as associated with the Church. They are the representative assembly of the Royal Priesthood of the New Covenant Church. In the Old Covenant Church, only the High Priest wore a crown; now, the Old Covenant priesthood of Aaron has been both transformed and transcended. With Christ as the eternal High Priest, the other representatives of the New Priesthood all wear crowns. For information on the white robes of the elders, see the commentary from the letter to Laodicea in Revelation 3:18 in the previous lesson.
5 Flashes
of lightning were coming from the throne, and the sound of peals of thunder,
and in front of the throne there were seven flaming lamps burning, the seven
Spirits of God
John's vision of the
heavenly court recalls the manifestation of God to the people of the Old
Covenant Church on Mount Sinai ~ Now at daybreak two days later, there were
peals of thunder and flashes of lightning, dense cloud on the mountain and a
very loud trumpet blast (Ex 19:16-19; also see Ezekiel's vision in 1:4-14
and 10:1-18). John mentioned the seven lamps in 1:12 and 20 and the seven
spirits who are before the throne in 1:4.
These are visual effects that accompany the "Glory-Cloud" of God's moveable throne. Verse 5 also recalls John's vision in Revelation Chapter 1. Once again, the imagery is shown to be the heavenly original of the copy of the earthly Tabernacle (Heb 8:5; 9:23) with the lamps of the menorah (lampstand) burning within the Holy Place. The seven flaming lamps and the seven Spirits of God represent the Third Person of the Holy Trinity in His sevenfold fullness of perfection and activity. As in Chapter 1, there is a combination of the three aspects of the Glory-Cloud imagery in Revelation 4:1-5.
Question: Can you name the three aspects of Revelation 4:1-5?
Answer: (1) the voice in Rev 4:1, (2) the brilliant Glory of
God in Rev 4:3, (3) God the Holy Spirit in Rev 4:5.
6 In front of the throne was a sea as transparent as
crystal. In the middle of the throne and around it, were four living creatures,
all studded with eyes, in front and behind. 7 The
first living creature was like a lion, the second like a bull, the third living
creature had a human face, and the fourth living creature was like a flying
eagle.
The description in verses 6 and 7 is another point that recalls the vision of the prophet Ezekiel in the
Book of Ezekiel, Chapter 1:1-14. In the Ezekiel passage, keep in mind that
John and Ezekiel are viewing the heavenly throne from two different
perspectives. John is standing in the heavenly court itself and he is looking down
on the "sea" of glass while Ezekiel is standing at the bottom of the
Glory-Cloud and is looking up through its open center so that the "sea" at the
top gives the appearance of a blue sky or "firmament" above him. It is the
same vantage point of Moses, Aaron, and Aaron's two sons, and the seventy
elders saw in Exodus 24:8-11. Moses and the elders of Israel looked up to see
God when they gathered for the sacred meal at the ratification of the Sinai
Covenant, and the firmament-sea appeared as a sapphire-colored pavement: Moses,
Aaron, Nadab, Abihu and seventy elders of Israel then went up, and they saw the
God of Israel beneath whose feet there was what looked like a sapphire pavement
(Ex 24:9-10).
In the earthly Tabernacle, God commanded Moses to build, each of the pieces of the earthly Tabernacle's furniture corresponded to the heavenly Tabernacle that included Bronze Laver, which was called the "sea" (Ex 30:17-21) placed in front of the entrance to the Holy Place. Made from the mirrors of the women, it would have reflected the water. This Laver or "Sea" represented the sapphire or crystal/sapphire transparent floor in the heavenly Sanctuary.
|
ISAIAH 6:1-7 |
-Four Living Creatures |
| -Called Seraphs, which means "the burning ones" | |
| p>-Six wings: two covered their faces, two their feet, two for flying | |
| -he couldn't see their faces; covered by their wings | |
| -They sing before the throne of God: "Holy, Holy, Holy" | |
| -One purified Isaiah with a burning coal | |
| -encircle the throne of God |
There are no other references to Seraphs or Seraphim outside of Isaiah Chapter 6 except for a possible connection with the fiery serpents of Numbers 21:6,8 and Isaiah 14:29 (some scholars suggest a link). Hebrew = sarap, plural serapim. Etymology = fiery one
|
EZEKIEL 1:4-28 10:1-18 |
Four Living Creatures in what looked like fire |
|
They had four faces and four wings each face on four sides: man, lion, ox and eagle (Ez 1:10), or ox, man, lion, eagle (Ez 10:14) |
|
| They had straight legs with feet like a calf, and hands like a man | |
| They are called cherubim (Chapter 10:20) | |
| Their bodies were full of eyes (10:12) | |
| They transport the fiery chariot of God (Ezekiel could see the throne above them in the throne room of God in 10:18; some translations vary on how they list this verse, but it comes after 10:17) |
Both Ezekiel and John see a rainbow associated with God's throne (Ez 1:28; Rev 4:3 and 10:1).
Another parallel to Ezekiel's vision is that John also sees Four Living Creatures standing in the middle of the throne and around it as they supported the Chariot-Throne of God. See, for example, Psalms 18:9-10 ~ He parted the heavens and came down, a storm-cloud underneath His feet; riding one of the winged creatures, He flew, soaring on the wings of the wind. Notice the closeness of the Living Creatures to God's Chariot-Throne.
Question: What positions do they occupy near God's Throne?
Answer: Verse 6 places them in front and behind.
Other translations read "in the middle and around." The many eyes of the creatures symbolize that they are all-seeing; nothing escapes their gaze or God's ceaseless watch over every part of creation.
Question: Compare the living creatures of John's vision with the
cherubim in Ezekiel's vision in Ezekiel 1:4-12 and the six-winged seraphim
(literally "the burning ones") in Isaiah 6:1-4. What similarities do you
recognize in these visions?
Answer: In all the visions, there are Four Living Creatures
with wings and faces who stand by God's throne.
The number 4 in Scripture usually represents the earth. The earth is also related to the altar of God. An altar has four sides, and the earth has four cardinal directions. You can compare the Biblical ideas of the four corners/cardinal directions of the earth, four winds, four seasons of the year, four rivers from Eden that watered the whole earth, and so on. These Four Living Creatures are not cuddly little angles; they are awesome creatures that are the visible indications of the presence of Yahweh the Almighty! Some scholars have suggested that the Four Living Creatures stand for God's world (or nature) as the twenty-four elders stand for the Church.
Ezekiel had a similar vision
of the Four Living Creatures. Read Ezekiel 1:4-15 and compare it with
Revelation 4:7-8 and Ezekiel 10:4-15.
Question: What four forms/faces do the creatures have?
Answer: (1) a lion, (2) a bull or ox, (3) a human (4) an eagle.
Ezekiel 1:4 lists the same four faces but in a different order: human, lion,
bull/ox, and eagle. In Ezekiel Chapter 10, he lists them as ox or bull, human,
lion, and eagle.
There are about eighty references to cherubim in the Old Testament. The etymology is uncertain: Hebrew = kerub, plural kerubim. A few references include:
| Four living creatures covered with eyes front and back |
| Faces like a lion, ox/bull, man, and eagle |
| Six wings; eyes front and back, inside and out |
| Sang Holy, Holy, Holy but with a different second verse than Isaiah 6:3 |
| Stood around the throne of God |
Comparing the descriptions in
Isaiah Chapter 6 and Revelation Chapter 4, there appear to be two
classifications of heavenly beings: Seraphs and Cherubs.
The Fathers of the Church saw these marvelous four living creatures as symbols of
the four Gospels, however, they did not agree on which creature represented
which Gospel.
| Early Church Scholars | Creature with a human face | Creature with a lion face | Creature with the face of a bull/ox | Creature with an eagle face |
| St. Irenaeus of Lyons | Matthew | John | Luke | Mark |
| St. Augustine of Hippo | Mark | Matthew | Luke | John |
| Pseudo-Athanasius | Matthew | Luke | Mark | John |
| St. Jerome | Matthew | Mark | Luke | John |
There is another aspect to the symbolism of the four creatures that have caused many scholarly debates and the spilling of much ink, and that is the possible connection between them and the signs of the four quadrants of the zodiac in its earliest form where the eagle replaced the scorpion. See the document on the Four Living Creatures in Revelation and the Zodiac in the handouts to this lesson.
In our earthly liturgy of worship, we hear the priest call out the Sursum Corda: "Lift up your hearts," and the assembly responds with, "We lift them up to the Lord." Reflected on this connection between the Mass and John's heavenly vision a few moments and then read Revelation 4:8: Each of the four living creatures had six wings and was studded with eyes all the way round as well as inside; and day and night they never stopped singing: "Holy, Holy, Holy, is the Lord God, the Almighty; who was and is and is to come." Compare the doxology of praise of the Four Living Creatures in Revelation to the doxology of the Seraphim in Isaiah 6:3, "Holy, holy, holy is Yahweh Sabaoth. His glory fills the whole earth."2
Question: How many times do the living creatures call out God's
holiness, and what does this signify?
Answer: Three times HOLY! Three is the number of fullness
and completion; it is also the number of the Most Holy Trinity.
In our liturgy of worship, after the response, "We lift up our hearts," we hear the priest say: "And so we join the angels and the saints in proclaiming your glory as we sing" and, as one voice, the congregations sing the Sanctus: "Holy, Holy, Holy Lord, God of power and might, heaven and earth are full of your glory. Hosanna in the highest. Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest." In the Sursum Corda, followed by the Sanctus, we are drawn up to join with heavenly worship just like St. John in the book of Revelation! There are three elements God has put in place in divine worship; the same three He installed in the ritualized worship set in place at the Sinai Covenant and to which we, in the New Covenant Church, are faithful. Can you name these three elements? To help you with your answer, see verses 9-11.
9 Every time the living creatures glorified and honored
and gave thanks to the One sitting on the throne, who lives forever and ever,
10 the twenty-four
elders prostrated themselves before Him to worship the One who lives forever
and ever, and threw down their crowns in front of the throne, saying:
11 "You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory
and honor and power, for you made the whole universe; by your will, when it did not exist, it was created."
Question: What is the acclamation of praise of the
twenty-four elders? What are three aspects of heavenly liturgy that are
illustrated in this passage and are part of our earthly liturgy in the
Sacrifice of the Mass?
Answer: The heavenly assembly, acting as one,
according to the prescribed ritual, responds in unison, praising God and
acknowledging His holiness in glory, honor, and power. Heavenly worship is (1)
corporate, (2) ordered, and (3) responsorial.
It is similar to what Isaiah heard when admitted to heavenly worship in Isaiah 6:3. He heard the Seraphim call out a doxology in his vision of heavenly liturgy before the throne of God: In the year of King Uzziah's death, I saw the Lord seated on a high throne; his train filled the sanctuary. Above him stood seraphs, each one with six wings: two to cover hits face, two to cover its feet, and two for flying; and they were shouting these words to each other: "Holy, holy, holy is Yahweh Sabaoth. His glory fills the whole earth (Is 6:1-3).
Question: What are three actions of the twenty-four elders after the Living Creatures proclaim God's holiness in verses 10-11?
Answer: The elders:
In the liturgy of the Mass, the congregation also kneels after the Sanctus.
Question: Why do they throw down their crowns, and for what do
they praise God?
Answer: When they cast their crowns before God's throne,
they acknowledge that their authority and dominion come from God alone.
11 "You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory
and honor and power, for you made the whole universe; by your will, when it did
not exist, it was created."
In their response to the Four
Living Creature's doxology of praise, the elders give homage to God and praise
Him for His works in the Creation event and history.3 For both the
Old and New Covenant Church, worship on earth was seen to be a liturgical participation
joined to worship in Heaven.
From Chapter four of Revelation to the end of the book, John's visions will parallel the visions of God's prophet Ezekiel. Ezekiel was commissioned by God (Ezekiel Chapter 1) as His prosecuting attorney/prophet to deliver the Covenant Lawsuit to the kingdom of Judah and to prophesize the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple by the Babylonians in 587/6 BC. It is worth noting that no other book in the Old or New Testament provides a more precise time frame of a prophet's ministry. Ezekiel explicitly records the dates of his visions 14 times, and scholars can calculate those dates to correspond with the way we keep our calendar. Ezekiel's commissioning and first vision came seven years before the conquest of Jerusalem on July 31, 587/6 BC. This link between Ezekiel's prophesy of a Covenant Lawsuit resulting in the destruction of the First Temple and John prophesizing a Covenant Lawsuit just before the destruction of the Second Temple, may give a better understanding as to when John had his vision. It is another indication that God sends His prophets in advance of His judgments to call the people to repentance and to prepare the faithful remnant. This link supports the interpretation that John's vision came before the destruction of Jerusalem and the Second Temple in 70 AD.
We must not miss the importance of the corporate nature of divine worship. Since the ratification of the Sinai Covenant and the establishment of the Old Covenant Church, worshipping Yahweh is not individualistic, nor is it opened to private interpretation or expression. It is not to say that there is no place for individual, private worship, but it does mean that individual expression must be in addition to the gathering together of the Sacred Assembly of the covenant people of God. The Church must come together in full participation of the united members of the congregation, demonstrating unity and harmony of worship. This communal worship is also radically different from a gathering of the Church in Bible study or a praise and prayer group, as important as those gatherings may be. We are commanded to "Keep the Lord's Sabbath" which in the New Covenant is Sunday commemorating the day of Jesus' Resurrection, and we do this by coming into the presence of God as a public work (meaning of the word "liturgy") in a formal ceremony before the Throne of God in an official audience with the King of Kings. We come to confess our faith, to repent our sins, receive forgiveness, to hear the Word, and be instructed by God's representatives (ministerial priesthood), to take a solemn oath in the profession of faith, to offer prayers and sacrifices, and to commune with Him as we eat at His table. We give thanksgiving for all His blessings, and we are to respond to all of this with singing praise in His name. After all, the Mass is an invitation to come before the King of Kings in heavenly worship with angels and Saints. How can we possibly refuse or take for granted such an awesome invitation?
Revelation Chapter 4 introduced us to the heavenly liturgy. Our earthly liturgy of worship in the Mass is inspired by St. John's vision. Compare John's vision of heavenly worship with the celebration of the Catholic Mass in the chart below.
THE MASS IN THE REVELATION OF ST. JOHN
"the golden thread of liturgy is what holds together
the apocalyptic pearls of John's Revelation."
Dr. Scott Hahn
| Revelation | Revelation Scripture References | Celebration of the Mass |
|
Introductory Rites "The Lord's Day" = Sunday Worship |
1:10 | Introductory Rites |
| High Priest Priesthood of the Faithful | 1:13; 1:6; 20:6 | Processional |
| Antiphonal chant | 4:8-11; 5:9-14; 7:10-12; 18:1-8 | Entrance Antiphon |
|
Altar Incense Vestments Consecrated celibacy Lampstands (menorah) |
6:9; 8:3-5; 9:13; 11:1; 14:18; 16:7 5:8; 8:3-5 1:12, 13; 2:5; 4:4; 6:11; 7:9; 15:6; 19:13-14; 14:4 14:4 1:13; 4:5 |
Priest reverences the altar by kissing it and with incense
if celebrating a high Mass. He wears the appropriate vestments Celibate clergy Baptismal candle, Eucharistic candle, etc. |
| Sign of the Cross | 7:3; 14:1; 22:4 | Sign of the Cross and Greeting |
| Blessing | 1:3; 14:13; 16:15; 19:9; 20:6 | The Rite of Blessing |
| Penitence | Chapters 2 and 3 | The Penitential Rite |
| Gloria | 15:3-4 | Gloria Opening Prayer |
| Revelation | Revelation Scripture References | Celebration of the Mass |
|
Liturgy of the Word The prominence of the Virgin Mary |
1:19 12:1-6; 12:13-17 |
Liturgy of the Word |
| Book or Scroll Readings from Scripture |
5:1 Chapters 2-3, 5; 8:2-11 |
1st Reading, Responsorial Psalms, 2nd Reading |
| Alleluia | 19:1, 3, 4, 6 | Alleluia and Gospel |
| Intercession of angels and saints | 5:8; 6:9-10; 8:3-4 | Intercessions |
| Revelation | Revelation Scripture References | Celebration of the Mass |
|
Liturgy of the Eucharist Eucharistic Host |
2:17 | Liturgy of the Eucharist |
| Chalices | 15:7; Chapter16; 12:9 | Preparation of the Gifts (the wine and bread) |
| Invitation to "Come up here!" | 2:1 and 11:12 |
Eucharistic Prayer, intro dialog = Sursum Corda, "Lift up your hearts;"4 acclamation: "We lift them up to the Lord" |
| Holy, Holy, Holy Elders kneel before God | 4:8 4:9-10 | "Holy, Holy, Holy" (Sanctus) Kneel after the Sanctus |
| Great Amen | 19:4; 22:21 | The Great Amen Communion Rite |
| Lamb of God | 5:6, 8, 12, 13; 6:1, 16; 7:9, 10, 14, 17; 12:11; 13:8, 11; 14:1, 4 twice, 10; 15:3; 17:14 twice; 19:7, 9; 21:14, 22, 23; 22:1, 2 | "Lamb of God You take away the sins of the world" |
| Marriage Supper of the Lamb | 19:1-10 | "This is the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. Happy are those who are called to his table" |
| Silent Contemplation | 8:1 | Silent Contemplation |
| Devotion to Archangel Michael Worldwide/universality (catholic) of the Church |
12:7 7:9 |
Concluding Rites
Mass celebrated around the world |
See CCC # 1090; 1137-1139; 2642
St. John's experience of entering the heavenly throne room is also our experience in the sacrifice of the Mass. When we come to the altar-table to receive the Eucharistic bread and wine which has become the glorified Body and Blood of the Savior, we, the faithful, are no longer inside time, but we momentarily enter an existence without time. As in St. John's experience, the division between heaven and earth becomes blurred when the voices of angels and saints join with ours in singing the Sanctus, the acclamation of praise to the Triune God (Isaiah 6:3; Revelation 4:8), and as we process forward to receive communion, like St. John in Revelation Chapters 4-6, we find ourselves standing in the presence of the Living God, in the midst of the heavenly liturgy, bearing witness to the victory of Jesus Christ in whom time as we know it is contained within His holy and redeeming sacrifice offered on the altar of the Cross in 30 AD!
Endnotes:
1. This dialogue is recorded in all the earliest liturgies of the Christian Church
and appears in all ancient rites.
2. Isaiah's doxology in 6:3 was already in use in Synagogue worship and was taken up by early Christians in their liturgies.
3. The elders acknowledge God's authority over them and the world, which is something the kings of the earth refuse to do in Rev 17:2.
4.The Sursum Corda in Latin literally means "lifted hearts" and is the opening dialogue to the Preface of the Eucharistic Prayer or Anaphora. It dates back to at least the third century and the Anaphora of the Apostolic Tradition. The earliest liturgies of the Church record it and it appears in all ancient rites.
Catechism references for
this lesson (* indicates Scripture
quoted or paraphrased in the citation):
Rev 4 (CCC 1138*);
4:2 (CCC 1137);
4:6-11 (CCC 662*);
4:8-11 (CCC 2642*);
4:11 (CCC 295, 2855*)
Michal Hunt, Copyright © 2000, revised 2019 Agape Bible Study. Permissions All Rights Reserved.