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Revelation Lecture 7

WORTHY ARE YOU, OUR LORD AND GOD

Revelation 4:1-11

Key Verse 4:11

1. How does John describe the voice he heard (1; 1:10)? What invitation was given to John (1)? How is the one seated on the throne described (2-3)?
2. What might the twenty-four elders represent (4)? What do the lightning, rumblings, and thunder reveal about God (5)? How might the lion, ox, human being, and eagle represent different aspects of God’s creation (6-7)?
3. What might the living creatures’ six wings and many eyes symbolize (8a; Isa 6:2; Ezek 1:18)? What does their praise reveal about God’s character, power, and eternal nature (8b)? Why is ceaseless worship the proper response to God?
4. What does the elders’ act of falling before God and laying their crowns before his throne reveal about true worship (9-10)? Why is God worthy to receive glory, honor, and power (11)? What does this teach us about our purpose as his creation?

Revelation Lecture 7 Sep. 20, 2026

WORTHY ARE YOU, OUR LORD AND GOD

Revelation 4:1-11

Key Verse 4:11

“You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being.”

We have studied Jesus’ messages to the seven churches. These churches faced constant pressure to compromise their faith. The church in Ephesus had forsaken the love it had at first. Some believers in Pergamum had fallen into false teachings. The church in Thyatira tolerated the woman Jezebel. The church in Sardis had a reputation for being alive, but it was dead. The church in Laodicea was self-sufficient. Only two churches received no rebuke from Jesus: the churches in Smyrna and Philadelphia. Yet their circumstances were very difficult. Smyrna suffered from affliction and poverty, while Philadelphia had only “little strength.” There is no church whose circumstances are always favorable. Every church has its own weaknesses and struggles. Through our study of these seven churches, we have had an opportunity to examine ourselves. Some of us have realized that we had lost our first love and repented. Some have heard Jesus’ voice saying, “Wake up!” and become spiritually alert again. Some have recognized that, as people living in New York, we had become spiritually self-satisfied. So we made a decision to humble ourselves and seek Jesus more earnestly.

Now Jesus wants to show us a picture of the perfect church in heaven. This heavenly church is a worshiping community that gives glory and honor to God and to Jesus. At this time, let us turn our eyes away from the things of this earth and look toward heaven. Please look at verse 1: “After this I looked, and there before me was a door standing open in heaven. And the voice I had first heard speaking to me like a trumpet said, ‘Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this.’” There are many doors in the book of Revelation. We learned that Jesus placed an open door of mission before the church in Philadelphia. We also learned that Jesus stood at the door of the Laodicean church—the door of our hearts—and knocked. Now we see another door: a door standing open in heaven. Then John hears the Lord’s invitation: “Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this.” God invited John to come up so that he might reveal the mysteries of heaven to him. What a great privilege this was for John!

What happened to John? Verse 2 says, “At once I was in the Spirit.” Through the work of the Holy Spirit, John was given a vision from God. In this vision, he was taken up into heaven, where he could see the heavenly reality. What did he see there? John says, “There before me was a throne in heaven with someone sitting on it.” At the center of the heavenly vision John saw was a throne, and God the Father was seated on it. Some of us may wonder whether the one on the throne is Jesus. However, Revelation 5:6 says, “Then I saw a Lamb, looking as if it had been slain, standing at the center of the throne.” This Lamb is Jesus. Therefore, the one seated on the throne is God the Father. The throne symbolizes God’s kingship and sovereign rule. At the very center of the kingdom of heaven is God himself.

How is God’s appearance described? John says, “The one who sat there had the appearance of jasper and ruby.” Jasper and ruby are precious stones. John compares God’s appearance to the brilliance and beauty of precious stones. Jasper, which Revelation later describes as “clear as crystal,” may suggest God’s purity and holiness (21:11). The deep red color of ruby may suggest his majestic presence. Together, they point to the indescribable beauty and glory of God. John continues, “A rainbow that shone like an emerald encircled the throne.” The rainbow was the sign of God’s covenant with Noah (Gen 9:13). Therefore, the rainbow around the throne reminds us of God’s covenant faithfulness. The emerald may suggest life, beauty, and hope. The entire picture reveals that the God seated on the throne is glorious, holy, and faithful.

“Surrounding the throne were twenty-four other thrones, and seated on them were twenty-four elders. They were dressed in white and had crowns of gold on their heads.” (4) These twenty-four thrones suggest that those seated on them share in God’s reign under his sovereign authority. Who was seated on these thrones? “Seated on them were twenty-four elders.” Who, then, are these twenty-four elders? Let us look at how John describes them: “They were dressed in white and had crowns of gold on their heads.” We have already encountered white clothes and crowns in Jesus’ messages to the seven churches. In Revelation 3:5, Jesus promised the believers in Sardis, “The one who is victorious will, like them, be dressed in white.” In Revelation 2:10, Jesus said to the suffering believers in Smyrna, “Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you life as your victor’s crown.” Jesus promised that those who remain faithful to him through trials and persecution—even to the point of death—will be dressed in white and receive the victor’s crown. Therefore, the twenty-four elders may represent believers who have remained faithful to Jesus to the end and have gained the victory.

Why, then, are there twenty-four elders? There are several interpretations. Some believe that they represent the twenty-four divisions of priests in the Old Testament. Others connect them with the twenty-four divisions of temple musicians. Still others understand them as heavenly representatives of the whole people of God: the twelve tribes of Israel and the twelve apostles of Jesus Christ. I follow this last interpretation. The twelve tribes represent God’s people in the Old Testament, and the twelve apostles represent God’s people in the New Testament. Together, they symbolize the whole people of God, redeemed by Christ.

“From the throne came flashes of lightning, rumblings and peals of thunder.” (5) This reminds us of God’s appearance at Mount Sinai and reveals his awesome presence, power, and majesty. What else was in front of the throne? “Seven lamps were blazing. These are the seven spirits of God.” As we have already learned, the seven spirits of God refer to the fullness and perfection of the Holy Spirit. Verse 6 continues, “Also in front of the throne there was what looked like a sea of glass, clear as crystal.” This description may remind us of the enormous bronze basin in Solomon’s temple, which was called “the Sea” (1 Kings 7:23-26). But there is something interesting here. The sea before God’s throne is not a restless sea filled with dark and threatening waters. It looks like glass, clear as crystal. In biblical imagery, the sea can represent chaos, evil, and forces that oppose God. Later in Revelation, the first beast comes out of the sea. However, before God’s throne, the sea is completely calm and clear. It is like glass. This shows that every power of chaos and evil is under God’s sovereign control. Nothing is hidden from him, and nothing can threaten his reign. Later, Revelation 21:1 says that in the new heaven and the new earth, “there was no longer any sea.” This may symbolize the complete removal of chaos, evil, and everything that opposes God.

What else did John see “in the center, around the throne”? He saw four living creatures. What kind of beings were they? John says that “they were covered with eyes, in front and in back.” They could see in every direction. This may represent their ability to perceive everything around them as they serve in God’s presence. The four living creatures had different appearances. The first was like a lion, the second was like an ox, the third had a face like a man, and the fourth was like a flying eagle. This description is similar to the living creatures in Ezekiel 1. However, in Ezekiel, each creature has four faces, while in Revelation, each of the four creatures has a different appearance. Verse 8 says, “Each of the four living creatures had six wings.” This reminds us of the seraphim in Isaiah 6. Each seraph had six wings: “With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying.” John’s vision seems to bring together the living creatures in Ezekiel and the seraphim in Isaiah. John also says that each creature “was covered with eyes all around, even under its wings.” These heavenly creatures remained constantly aware of God’s glorious presence.

What were these four living creatures doing? Verse 8b says, “Day and night they never stop saying.” They were continually worshiping God. Day and night, without ceasing, they praised the One seated on the throne. What did they say? “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was, and is, and is to come.” They said “holy” three times: “Holy, holy, holy.” This threefold repetition emphasizes God’s absolute and perfect holiness. God is completely pure and entirely separate from all sin and evil. The Lord God is almighty. Nothing is beyond his power, and no one can resist his sovereign will. The Roman Empire appeared powerful. But the true Almighty was not the Roman emperor. The Lord God was—and still is—the Almighty One seated on the throne. “Who was, and is, and is to come.” God existed before the beginning of creation. He is present and active among his people today, and he will come to complete his work. God’s kingdom remains forever. He is the eternal God. The living creatures gave “glory, honor and thanks to him who sits on the throne and who lives for ever and ever.” (9) They gave him glory because of his greatness, honor because he alone is worthy, and thanks because every blessing comes from him.

How did the twenty-four elders respond to the worship of the living creatures? Verse 10 says, “the twenty-four elders fall down before him who sits on the throne and worship him who lives for ever and ever. They lay their crowns before the throne.” The twenty-four elders left their thrones, humbled themselves, and fell down before God. This shows us the heart of true worship. To worship God means to humble ourselves before him and acknowledge that he alone is worthy of our complete devotion. Then the elders laid their crowns before the throne. What does this mean? They recognized that everything they had—their victory, honor, and authority—came from God. They surrendered themselves and gave all the glory to God.

As they laid down their crowns, they said: “You are worthy, our Lord and God,
to receive glory and honor and power.” Why is God worthy to receive glory, honor, and power? The elders continued: “For you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being.” God is worthy because he is the Creator of all things. The whole universe exists because God willed it to exist. Nothing came into being by itself. Everything was created by his will, and everything continues to exist because he sustains it.

What, then, is worship? D. A. Carson, the editor of Worship by the Book, defines worship in this way: “Worship is the proper response of all moral, sentient beings to God, ascribing all honor and worth to their Creator—God precisely because he is worthy, delightfully so.” In other words, worship is the right response of those who know God and recognize his true worth. We give all honor and praise to our Creator because he alone is worthy—and we do so joyfully. Carson also says that we should not begin by asking whether we enjoyed the worship. Instead, we should ask, “What is it that God expects of us?” This question calls us to examine ourselves. Worship is not mainly about our preferences, feelings, or enjoyment. The most important question is, “Was God pleased with my worship?”

Romans 12:1 clearly reveals to us what true worship is. “Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship.” This verse teaches us that worship includes our whole life. True worship is our whole-life response to the God who created us and redeemed us. It is laying down our crowns, offering ourselves to God, seeking what pleases him, becoming holy, sharing his love, and building up his church. God is worthy of nothing less than our whole lives. Because God has shown us his amazing love through Jesus Christ, we offer ourselves to him as living sacrifices. We surrender our time, abilities, relationships, possessions, plans, and future to God. We no longer live only for ourselves. We live to fulfill God’s will. Worship also means becoming holy because God is holy. We cannot praise God’s holiness with our lips while continuing to embrace sin in our lives. As we worship the holy God, we repent of our sins and allow him to transform us into the likeness of Jesus. Worship also means sharing God’s love with others. God loved us and gave his Son for us. Therefore, we share his love with our families, neighbors, coworkers, and students. We participate in God’s mission so that people of every nation may know and worship him. Mission is an invitation for others to join in the worship of the true God.

Worship is corporate as well as personal. We come to church to serve, encourage, forgive, and build up one another. We use the gifts God has given us to strengthen the body of Christ. Corporate worship is a special time when we offer ourselves to God together as his people. As we read Revelation chapters 4 and 5, we see that worship is not an isolated or merely private activity. The living creatures and the twenty-four elders worship God together. In the same way, when the church gathers, we listen to God’s Word, sing his praises, pray, give thanks, and confess our faith together. In corporate worship, we enjoy fellowship with God and fellowship with one another. We come into God’s presence together, and we are united as one body in Christ. We encourage one another to keep our faith and live for God’s glory.

Why is worshiping God so important for us? When life becomes difficult, worship is often the first thing we neglect. We may say, “I am too busy,” “I am too tired,” or “I have too many problems.” But these are the very times when we most need to come before God and worship him. In fact, we need to worship God even more when we are busy, tired, and struggling. When we focus only on our problems, they can seem overwhelming. Fear, anxiety, disappointment, and exhaustion can fill our hearts. But worship turns our eyes away from our circumstances and fixes them on the God who sits on the throne. Our problems may not disappear immediately, but our perspective begins to change. We remember that God is greater than our problems and that he is still in control. This is what the suffering churches in Revelation needed. When John looked into heaven, he saw the true reality: God was seated on the throne. The heavenly beings were worshiping him as the holy, almighty, and eternal God. Through this vision, the believers could find courage to remain faithful.

God also works to restore us through worship. When we come before him with tired and wounded hearts, he renews our spirits. He replaces our fear with faith, our anxiety with peace, and our discouragement with hope. Through his Word, prayer, praise, and fellowship with other believers, God strengthens us to continue our life of faith. Worship does not always remove our difficulties, but it gives us strength to face them. God helps us overcome temptation, endure suffering, and remain faithful to Jesus. Therefore, the busier and more difficult our lives become, the more earnestly we should worship God. Let us not allow our problems to keep us away from him. Instead, let us bring our problems into his presence. As we worship, may God restore our souls, renew our strength, and give us victory through faith. Amen.