A Taste of Heaven: Daily Thoughts from Revelation (Revelation 4:1-11)

Did Walt Disney think of Disney World and Disney Land as little tastes of heaven? Pastor Greg Laurie thinks so. As Laurie notes, the Bible tells us that God has put eternity in our hearts (Ecclesiastes 3:11). We are made for perfection, we are made for heaven. We have come to accept that such a life cannot exist here. Or have we?

Revelation is God’s foretelling of heaven’s coming to earth and all that must happen to make that occur. And God gives John a vision of heaven to share with us.

After this I looked, and behold, a door standing open in heaven! And the first voice, which I had heard speaking to me like a trumpet, said, “Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this.” At once I was in the Spirit, and behold, a throne stood in heaven, with one seated on the throne. And he who sat there had the appearance of jasper and carnelian, and around the throne was a rainbow that had the appearance of an emerald. Around the throne were twenty-four thrones, and seated on the thrones were twenty-four elders, clothed in white garments, with golden crowns on their heads. From the throne came flashes of lightning, and rumblings and peals of thunder, and before the throne were burning seven torches of fire, which are the seven spirits of God, and before the throne there was as it were a sea of glass, like crystal.  And around the throne, on each side of the throne, are four living creatures, full of eyes in front and behind:  and before the throne there was as it were a sea of glass, like crystal.

And around the throne, on each side of the throne, are four living creatures, full of eyes in front and behind: the first living creature like a lion, the second living creature like an ox, the third living creature with the face of a man, and the fourth living creature like an eagle in flight. And the four living creatures, each of them with six wings, are full of eyes all around and within, and day and night they never cease to say,

“Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come!” And whenever the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to him who is seated on the throne, who lives forever and ever, the twenty-four elders fall down before him who is seated on the throne and worship him who lives forever and ever. They cast their crowns before the throne, saying, “Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created.” (Revelation 4:1-11 ESV)

The idea of a doorway into heaven is intriguing. Jacob saw a stairway leading into heaven.  Did John?  He is told to “come up here” but was that up a staircase or up in the sky?  His transportation is not described, simply that he was suddenly in the Spirit and observing the throne of God.

The “first voice” is Jesus’ voice (Rev. 1:10-13).  Why doesn’t he just say that?  Does he wish to de-emphasize that it is Jesus or highlight it?  If we just read through this it is de-emphasized, but if we think about it, it is highlighted that this is Jesus pointing John to heaven. Once John is there, of course, the focus of the first part of this vision is on God’s retinue and on God the Father Himself.

God’s appearance, described in terms of fine jewels or at least their colors, is so minimal that it is nearly no description at all.  He sees Him sitting on a throne, so apparently He looked human. We know that God does not have a body (John 4:24), but He chooses to make an appearance for human eyes to impress upon those eyes His grandeur.  How does John take his focus off of God to see what else is there, but he does.

God’s retinue of 24 elders on thrones (perhaps representative of the 12 tribes of Israel and the 12 apostles united in praise) and 4 living creatures inspires a sense of majesty.  God does not hesitate to let others share thrones with Him.  But it is only from His throne that lightning and thunder come.  The seven torches are the Holy Spirit, separated we might say, from the rest of the retinue, as we would expect of the third member of the Trinity. A sea of glass (“as it were”, a clue that we cannot fully make literal sense of what John is describing [see this article]) also makes for a majestic awe.

The living creatures immediately remind of Isaiah’s vision (Isa. 6).  The creatures cry holy, holy, holy, as in Isaiah, but instead of “the whole earth is full of His glory” coming after, they say, “who was and is and is to come,” the words from John’s original commissioning for this message.  That is their focus now that the end of the ages has come.

The action of the elders is subtly different.  They have crowns, undoubtedly bestowed for service rendered, but they cast them at the feet of the throne as recognition that God alone is worthy to rule.  He alone is worthy to receive the credit for creating all things.  What a blood stirring sight and sound!

Should we talk or even think about heaven? Absolutely! Though we may not be able to comprehend its majesty, it is always a prelude to acknowledging God’s greatness as Creator of all things and as the great Author of history who has a fitting end for history’s participants, us, whom He made in His image and for whom He has designed a glorious inheritance. “Have a magical day!”