A vision of Christ and the saints in possession of the Kingdom of God on earth
One of the outstanding doctrines emerging from our study of the Apocalypse is that the kingdoms of men in their present form are to be swept away, and will be replaced by a Divine political kingdom. The administration of this new order will be in the hands of Christ, as King of kings and Lord of lords, and he will be assisted by the “saints” (or sanctified ones), called out from every nation under heaven, who now in this time of probation serve him acceptably. This is, of course, the theme of the prophets also, particularly Daniel, Ezekiel, Zechariah and Isaiah. The rest of the prophets have the same message, although perhaps not in such dramatic detail.
The fourth chapter commences with the words, “After this”, showing that the opening vision of the book, in which John saw Jesus with the seven stars in his right hand (Rev. 1. 20) centred among the seven lampstands (ecclesias) has passed. A new vision is introduced in which John sees a door opened in heaven. The voice that he hears sounds like a trumpet, and invites him to, “Come up hither, and I will show thee things which must be hereafter”.
The term “heaven” in this verse does not refer to the dwelling place of God, but to the ruling political arena on earth. Reference to the notes at the back of the -Diaglott” by Benjamin Wilson, shows that “heaven” often refers to the governments on earth. This is particularly so in Isa. 1. 2 where both the leaders and subjects of Israel were addressed “Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth”. Isaiah’s message was against Israel and it was not necessary for him to address the place of God’s throne. A further reference to 2 Peter 3. 7, shows clearly that the Apostle’s “heavens and earth which are now” were none other than the Jewish order of things, against which God’s judgments were to be poured out.
A door is a means of entry and is often used figuratively in Scripture (John 10. 9, 1 Cor. 16. 9, 2 Cor. 2. 12). Prior to the times indicated in this chapter under consideration, it will not be possible for the saints to enter into the governments of the earth. Only the reappearance of Christ on earth and His interference in the affairs of men can lift the saints to a position of rulership.
The “first voice” refers to the voice of Christ himself. In Rev. 1. 10 John recorded a “great” voice as of a trumpet—powerful —authoritative. The trumpet was used for the purpose of summoning armies and assemblies, hence the authority attached to it. See also 1 Cor. 15. 52 regarding the resurrection.
“Come up hither” are words which must be read in conjunction with the rest of the sentence; “and I will skew thee things which must be hereafter”, showing that John was exalted in a vision to behold the things to be enacted in a future age. Let us note particularly that John was to be shown things which must be hereafter, that is after John’s day. This point is worthy of note, because some people think that the things revealed in the Revelation were all finished by the end of John’s life.
“A Throne Set in Heaven”
This is not a reference to Christ’s position in heaven, the dwelling place of God, in John’s day. We must bear in mind the whole teaching of the Master. In Matt. 19. 28-30 Jesus indicates very definitely that His disciples would not receive their reward until a future age, in which the kingdom of Israel would be revived as the ruling political heavens of the time. If the following passages are examined we cannot fail to see a consistent line of teaching in relation to the kingdom of God. Jeremiah 3. 17. The throne will be set in Jerusalem, and all nations will pay homage there to Jesus who advised Pilate regarding his kingship, “To this end was I born and for this cause came I into the world”. Matthew 25. 31-46. Here we are shown that Christ will not sit upon the throne of his glory until his return to the earth. The judgment is visualized in the 32nd verse and the 46th verse, connecting very strongly with Daniel 12. 2 in regard to the resurrection. Many other references will suggest themselves to the keen student of scripture, all of which must be reconciled with the angel’s promise to Mary, “The Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David, and he shall reign over the house of Jacob (or Israel) for ever”.
The occupant of the throne is described in Rev. 4. 3 as being like unto a Jasper and a Sardine stone. It may seem peculiar to liken a person to a stone, but in the light of the Scripture, there are some good reasons for so doing. Consider the following. Gen. 49. 24, Christ is foretold as the shepherd—the stone of Israel. Isa. 8. 14, Christ —a stone of stumbling and a rock.
The properties of the two stones mentioned have their counterpart in the occupant of the throne. Two natures are represented. Jasper is sky blue and crystal clear, representing the Spirit of God condensed into substance. Sardine is flesh coloured, and depicts the Adamic nature. The Hebrew word “Odem” is equal to the Greek “Sardius”, and is also the word translated “Adam”.
The description of the person before us then is of one who was the manifestation of God; Deity manifested in flesh and after his resurrection changed to spirit nature: son of God and son of man.
Surrounding the throne was the likeness of a rainbow of an emerald colour. “In sight like unto an emerald.” The rainbow was the symbol of God’s covenant (Gen. 9. 12-17) and is used in Ezek. 1. 28 in the vision of future glory. A rainbow appears in the natural heavens after a shower of rain, and is caused by the rays of the sun shining through myriads of water particles in the air, and is generally reflected against a background of white clouds.
This description applies to the condition of affairs on the earth, when Christ will reign. The following scriptures indicate this. Psa. 72. 6: “He shall come down as rain upon the mown grass, as showers that water the earth.”
Isa. 40. 6: Here the prophet writes “All flesh is grass. The grass withereth—” This applies to mankind today who wither or perish because of a lack of the word of God. Today the teachers of the people are as “Clouds without water”, hence the people or grass cannot flourish.
Deut. 32. 2-3: “My doctrine (teaching) shall drop as the rain—as the small rain upon the tender herb. As showers upon the grass. Because I will publish the name of the Lord.”
In the kingdom age the people “shall be all taught of God”. None shall need to enquire “know ye the Lord, for all will know Him from the least to the greatest”. Instead of leaders who are “clouds without water”, the rulers of the future age will impart righteousness and truth to the subjects of the Kingdom, like the particles of water reflecting the light of the heavens in the rainbow, so the saints will reflect the glory of God, and the people will receive undreamed of blessings from on high.
“Four and Twenty Seats”
John now records that there were twenty-f our seats round about the throne, and upon them were seated twenty-four elders, clothed in white raiment, having crowns of gold on their heads.
God’s dealings of the future have been prefigured in the things of Israel in the past. To the two sons of Aaron, Eleazar and Ithamar had been committed the priesthood in Israel, the other two sons having been swallowed up in the earthquake at the hand of Moses, because of offering strange fire before the Lord. God had promised (Num. 25. 11-13) that the priesthood would be committed to Eleazar in his line forever, and yet we find that the high priests in Israel to the time of Abiathar, in the days of David, were of the line of Ithamar. Because of unfaithful service, Eli’s sons were killed and Eli himself died in sorrow realising the end of his line was justly merited. Zadok the descendant of Eleazar, officiated jointly with Abiathar the descendant of Ithamar in the days of David. Midst the intrigues round the throne of David Abiathar was found unfaithful to David and was removed from his office by Solomon. David during his reign had divided the priesthood into twenty-four orders (Chronicles 24). These were to attend to the sanctuary and the house of God.
Hence in the Apocalypse the twenty-four elders (rulers) seated round the throne are symbolic of the immortalized priests of the future age. Priesthood and mediatorship will still be required during Christ’s thousand years’ reign because of the mortal population who will be the subjects of the kingdom. That the twenty-four elders indicate the immortalized saints will be seen from their white raiment, which is indicative of the righteousness of the saints, particularly when we compare Rev. 19. 8 with the present passage under consideration.
Furthermore it is said of these elders that they had on their heads crowns of gold. The term “crown” will be seen to be a “stephan” (Young’s Concordance). While a “stephan” was a type of crown, it was not such as was traditionally worn by kings. It was a coronal wreath awarded to the victors in the Olympic games. This type of crown was only awarded to those who overcame all trials and opposition and proved themselves worthy to be recognised as victors. Paul’s allusion to this will be seen to be extremely fitting.
Gold of course indicates that the crown awarded is an incorruptible one, and even as gold is tried (treated) in the fire in order to purge away all dross, so those represented by the twenty-four elders, will similarly have been perfected by trial in this present time of probation. The submission of the twenty-four elders is noted in the closing verses of Rev. 4 and also by their words of praise and adoration recorded in Rev. 5. 8-10. In these verses particularly is brought home to us the fact that the twenty-four elders are representing the saints or those who shall be redeemed from this age. Their praise and adoration is well merited by him who is shown as seated upon the throne in their midst, for he is King of kings and Lord of lords.
The Solution