Brother Mike Ministries

The many days of Judgment Day began on May 21, 2011!  
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ETERNAL LIFE: No Longer Possible!! ***

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Revelation 4:6-11
The Heavenly Throne of Christ!
By Brother Mike (8-30-19; 50 minutes)
   

6 And before the throne [there was] a sea of glass like unto crystal: and in the midst of the throne, and round about the throne, [were] four beasts full of eyes before and behind .
7 And the first beast [was] like a lion, and the second beast like a calf, and the third beast had a face as a man, and the fourth beast [was] like a flying eagle .  
8 And the four beasts had each of them six wings about [him]; and [they were] full of eyes within: and they rest not day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come .
9 And when those beasts give glory and honour and thanks to him that sat on the throne, who liveth for ever and ever ,  
10 The four and twenty elders fall down before him that sat on the throne, and worship him that liveth for ever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying ,
11 Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created .


INTRODUCTION   

In this study of Revelation 4:6-11, we continue with the theme, The Heavenly Throne of Christ, and we begin with verses 6-7, which state, And before the throne [there was] a sea of glass like unto crystal: and in the midst of the throne, and round about the throne, [were] four beasts full of eyes before and behind. And the first beast [was] like a lion, and the second beast like a calf, and the third beast had a face as a man, and the fourth beast [was] like a flying eagle. And, with respect to these two verses, we ask the questions, what is this sea of glass like unto crystal in the midst of the throne? And, what do these four beasts full of eyes represent? And, why are these four beasts described as like a lion, and a calf, and the face of a man, and a flying eagle? The answers to these questions and more we will find in this study. 

Then, we read more about these four beasts in verse 8, which states, And the four beasts had each of them six wings about [him]; and [they were] full of eyes within: and they rest not day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come. And, with respect to this verse, what do the six wings of the four beasts symbolize? And, why are the four beasts said to be full of eyes within? And, when the four beasts rest not day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come, what is this spiritually a picture of? The answers to these questions and more we will find in this study.  

Finally, we read in verses 9-11, And when those beasts give glory and honour and thanks to him that sat on the throne, who liveth for ever and ever, the four and twenty elders fall down before him that sat on the throne, and worship him that liveth for ever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying, thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created. And, with respect to these three verses, we ask, what do the crowns of the 24 elders represent? And, why do the 24 elders cast their crowns before the throne? And, we are told that all things are and were created for God's pleasure, but how can the unsaved have been and be created for God's pleasure? The answers to these questions and more we will find in this study.   

Now, may our holy and almighty Lord Jesus Christ who sits on His throne in heaven, and who is present everywhere, and who is worthy of all glory, honor, and power, and who sees all things empower us to comprehend His Word to His praise and majesty, for He has created all things, and for His pleasure they are and were created, amen.   


Revelation 4:6

6 And before the throne [there was] a sea of glass like unto crystal: and in the midst of the throne, and round about the throne, [were] four beasts full of eyes before and behind

In this verse, we first read, And before the throne [there was] a sea of glass like unto crystal. More literally, it is translated, And in sight of the throne, a glassy sea like unto crystal. What is this glassy sea like unto crystal? To answer this question, we must first know what this sea symbolizes, and then we will consider what it means that it is glassy like unto crystal. 

In the Bible, the sea represents the world or the unsaved (wicked) in the world as we can see in the following two verses. First, we read,  

Ps 98:7 Let the sea roar, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein .  

Here, we see that the sea and the fulness thereof is being likened to the world and they that dwell therein. But, then, we read in Isaiah 57,  

Isa 57:20 But the wicked are like the troubled sea, when it cannot rest, whose waters cast up mire and dirt .   

Thus, we see that the wicked of the world are likened to the sea. So, we can conclude from both these verses that the sea symbolizes the world, or the unsaved (wicked) of the world.  

Now, returning to our verse in Revelation 4 and knowing what we now know as to what the sea symbolizes, when our verse states, And in sight of the throne, a glassy sea like unto crystal, this glassy sea must somehow symbolize the world, or the unsaved of the world. So, what our verse is telling us is that in sight of the throne in heaven there was the world, or the unsaved of the world. That is, as one looked out from Christ's throne, he had a view of the world.  

But, why are we told that the sea, or the world, in sight of the throne was a glassy sea like unto crystal? First, the idea of it being glassy is that the sea or world was transparent to look upon, and, second, in that it was like unto crystal means that it was clear to look upon as we see crystal being used this way, for instance, in Revelation 22:1 where we read,  

Re 22:1 And he shewed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb .  

Notice how the pure river of water of life was described as clear as crystal. So, we see in this verse that for the pure river of water of life to be as crystal means that it is a clear and transparent river. 

Now, likewise, when our verse says, in sight of the throne was a glassy sea like unto crystal, it means that this sea was transparent and clear to look upon. And, the idea of this glassy sea being transparent and clear to look upon means that as one looked out from Christ 's throne in heaven to see this sea, which we already concluded is the world or the unsaved of the world, everything one saw was transparent and clear. That is, looking from Christ's throne in heaven at the glassy sea (looking at the world of unsaved humankind), everything about that world is transparent and clearly seen from Christ's throne. Indeed, from His throne in heaven, Christ sees everything and knows everything about unsaved humankind and the world. It is all completely transparent and clear to the eyes of Jesus Christ from His throne in heaven, and this is what it means that in sight of the throne was a glassy sea like unto crystal: once again, it means that in sight of the throne was a transparent and clear view of the world. Everything in the hearts of and about unsaved humankind below was completely transparent and clear to the throne in heaven, which meant that from the throne, it could be seen that the heart [of unsaved humankind] is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it (Jeremiah 17:9)?  

Well, we get confirmation that our interpretation of the glassy sea like unto crystal is a correct understanding when we now go to Revelation 15:2 where the glassy sea is once again mentioned. There we read, 

Re 15: 1 And I saw another sign in heaven, great and marvellous, seven angels having the seven last plagues; for in them is filled up the wrath of God .
2 And I saw as it were a sea of glass [a glassy sea] mingled with fire: and them that had gotten the victory over the beast, and over his image, and over his mark, and over the number of his name, stand on the sea of glass [on the glassy sea], having the harps of God

Notice that, in this verse, the sea of glass, or glassy sea, is mingled with fire. Since fire is commonly understood to symbolize judgment in the Bible, and we just learned that the glassy sea symbolizes the world, this glassy sea mingled with fire is a picture of the world come under judgment, which is a perfect match for the context of this verse as verse 1 of Revelation 15 speaks about seven angels having the seven last plagues, who we later find in Revelation 15:7 are given 7 golden vials full of the wrath of God, and they are told in Revelation 16:1 to pour out the vials of the wrath of God upon the earth. When we get to Chapters 15 and 16 in our study of the book of Revelation, we will learn that these seven angels who pour out the vials of the wrath of God upon the earth are the elect ever since May 21, 2011 who bring judgment against world. Therefore, seeing the glassy sea mingled with fire as symbolizing judgment on the world is in perfect harmony with the context of Revelation 15 on into Revelation 16, and so we have further confirmation that our interpretation of the glassy sea being the world is correct.   

Furthermore, we read further in Revelation 15:2 that them that had gotten the victory over the beast, and over his image, and over his mark, and over the number of his name - these can only be the elect - are said to stand on the sea of glass, or glassy sea. And, for the elect to stand on the glassy sea means that they are victorious over and have conquered the sea, which symbolizes that they are victorious over and have conquered the world. And, this makes perfect sense because we know that, in Christ, the elect have conquered or overcome the world because Christ has overcome the world. Remember what Christ said in John 16,    

John 16:33 These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world .  

And, we read that the elect overcome the world in 1John 5 where we read,  

1John 5:4 For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith .
5
Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God ?  

Thus, we see, once again, that interpreting the glassy sea to be the world is in perfect accord with the teaching of scripture, and we, once again, have confirmation that we are on the right path. 

Well, let's continue with our first verse of Revelation 4, it reads, and in the midst of the throne, and round about the throne, [were] four beasts full of eyes before and behind. Here, the first thing we notice is that these four beasts are in the midst of [or, it could be translated, in the middle of] the throne, and round about the throne. Since we know that Christ is the one who sits on the throne, for these four beasts to be in the midst of [or, like I said, it could be translated, in the middle of] the throne, and round about the throne, they must in some way be very closely associated with Christ Himself as it could be said of Him that He is in the middle of the throne as well.   

So, what do these four beasts represent? In seeking to answer this question, it is important to realize that the word translated as beasts in the King James Bible is more accurately translated as living ones or living creatures. And, when we realize this, we are reminded of the four living creatures mentioned in Ezekiel 1. There Ezekiel says the following beginning in verse 1 of Ezekiel 1 and through verse 14:  

1 Now it came to pass in the thirtieth year, in the fourth month, in the fifth day of the month, as I was among the captives by the river of Chebar, that the heavens were opened, and I saw visions of God .
2 In the fifth day of the month, which was the fifth year of king Jehoiachin's captivity ,  
3 The word of the LORD came expressly unto Ezekiel the priest, the son of Buzi, in the land of the Chaldeans by the river Chebar; and the hand of the LORD was there upon him .
4 And I looked, and, behold, a whirlwind came out of the north, a great cloud, and a fire infolding itself, and a brightness was about it, and out of the midst thereof as the colour of amber, out of the midst of the fire .  
5 Also out of the midst thereof came the likeness of four living creatures. And this was their appearance; they had the likeness of a man .
6 And every one had four faces, and every one had four wings .  
7 And their feet were straight feet; and the sole of their feet was like the sole of a calf's foot: and they sparkled like the colour of burnished brass .
8 And they had the hands of a man under their wings on their four sides; and they four had their faces and their wings .  
9 Their wings were joined one to another; they turned not when they went; they went every one straight forward .
10 As for the likeness of their faces, they four had the face of a man, and the face of a lion, on the right side: and they four had the face of an ox on the left side; they four also had the face of an eagle .   
11 Thus were their faces: and their wings were stretched upward; two wings of every one were joined one to another, and two covered their bodies .
12 And they went every one straight forward: whither the spirit was to go, they went; and they turned not when they went .  
13 As for the likeness of the living creatures, their appearance was like burning coals of fire, and like the appearance of lamps: it went up and down among the living creatures; and the fire was bright, and out of the fire went forth lightning .
14 And the living creatures ran and returned as the appearance of a flash of lightning .  

Notice in these verses of Ezekiel 1:1-14 that we just read that Ezekiel sees a vision of the four living creatures, and he tells us what they symbolize in verse 1, which said, Now it came to pass in the thirtieth year, in the fourth month, in the fifth day of the month, as I was among the captives by the river of Chebar, that the heavens were opened, and I saw visions of God. Thus, we can now answer our question as to what the four living creatures symbolize: they symbolize God Himself. And, we now know why God is symbolized by four beasts, and why these four beasts are full of eyes before and behind: God is symbolized by four beasts because the number 4 symbolizes universality (see Bible Number 4 ); that is, God is universal, which means He is everywhere present. And, not only is God universal, or everywhere present, but He is full of eyes before and behind, which symbolizes that God sees all things. Indeed, He is omnipresent (everywhere present) and He is all seeing. There is nothing that escapes His sight as He is everywhere present to see everything. As we read in Hebrews 4,  

Heb 4:13 Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do .  

O sinner, you may escape the sight of human beings, but you can never escape the sight of God. And, remember this,   

2Co 5:10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad .   

And, also, remember this, that the wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23).   


Revelation 4:7
:  

7 And the first beast [was] like a lion, and the second beast like a calf, and the third beast had a face as a man, and the fourth beast [was] like a flying eagle

Here, we have a further description of the four beasts, and, since we found in Ezekiel 1 that the four beasts represent God, what we have, here, is a further description of God Himself. We first read that the first beast was like a lion. And, when we ask, why a lion? We find that Christ is called the lion of the tribe of Juda in Revelation 5:5. Thus, the first beast which was like a lion is a picture of God the Son, namely Jesus Christ.  

Then, we read that the second beast [was] like a calf. Why a calf? When we realize that calves were commonly used in sacrifice during the Old Testament times, and these calves that were sacrificed all pointed to or foreshadowed the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross, then we can understand why the second beast that represents God was like a calf: it is because a calf represents Jesus Christ who was the sacrifice for our sins on the cross. So, both the first and second beasts symbolize God the Son, namely Jesus Christ.  

Then, we read that the third beast had a face as a man. This is obviously a reference to the Lord Jesus Christ who humbled Himself to become a man so that He could pay for the sins of His elect. We read in Philippians 2, 

6 Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God :
7 But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men :  
8 And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross .  

Thus, we see that the third beast is a picture of the Lord Jesus Christ just as the first two beasts were as well.  

Now, finally, our verse ends by saying, and the fourth beast was like a flying eagle. Why a flying eagle? As we consider an eagle, we discover that it was an unclean bird that the Israelites were not to eat. We read of this in Leviticus 11 where we read, 

13 And these are they which ye shall have in abomination among the fowls; they shall not be eaten, they are an abomination: the eagle, and the ossifrage, and the ospray . . . 

But, how can the fourth beast that we know represents God be like an unclean bird? The only way this can be is if we see this unclean eagle as symbolizing Christ who became sin (unclean) for us. That is, He took all our sins upon Himself as He went to the cross and so became unclean for us to save us from our sins. As the scripture declares,  

2Co 5:21 For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him

Thus, we see that the fourth beast is also a picture of Jesus Christ just as each of the previous three beasts are.  

Yet, not only does the flying eagle picture Christ, but it pictures the love of Christ in the care for and protection of His people. We can see this in such verses as Deuteronomy 32 where we read, 

11 As an eagle stirreth up her nest, fluttereth over her young, spreadeth abroad her wings, taketh them, beareth them on her wings :
12 So the LORD alone did lead him [Jacob], and there was no strange god with him .  

And, Yahweh says in Exodus 19, 

Ex 19:4 Ye have seen what I did unto the Egyptians, and how I bare you on eagles� wings, and brought you unto myself .  

And, again, we see how the Church was cared for and protected from Satan during the Church Age by the wings of a great eagle in Revelation 12 where we read,  

Re 12:14 And to the woman [the Church] were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness [into the world], into her place, where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time [for the duration of the Church Age], from the face of the serpent [from Satan] .  

Thus, we see that the fourth beast which was like a flying eagle not only represents Christ, but also the loving care of Christ for His people. And, yet, the flying eagle can also picture God or Christ coming in His wrath. For instance, we read in Jeremiah 48:40-42,  

40 For thus saith the LORD; Behold, he shall fly as an eagle, and shall spread his wings over Moab .
41 Kerioth is taken, and the strong holds are surprised, and the mighty men's hearts in Moab at that day shall be as the heart of a woman in her pangs .  
42 And Moab shall be destroyed from being a people, because he hath magnified himself against the LORD .   

And, we read in Jeremiah 49:22,  

Jer 49:22 Behold, he shall come up and fly as the eagle, and spread his wings over Bozrah: and at that day shall the heart of the mighty men of Edom be as the heart of a woman in her pangs

And, again, we read, 

Ho 8:1 Set the trumpet to thy mouth. He shall come as an eagle against the house of the LORD, because they have transgressed my covenant, and trespassed against my law

And, finally, we read,  

Hab 1:8 Their horses also are swifter than the leopards, and are more fierce than the evening wolves: and their horsemen shall spread themselves, and their horsemen shall come from far; they shall fly as the eagle that hasteth to eat .  

Thus, we see that the fourth beast which was like a flying eagle not only represents Christ and the loving care of Christ for His people, but it can also represent God or Christ coming in His wrath. 


Revelation 4:8
:   

8 And the four beasts had each of them six wings about [him]; and [they were] full of eyes within: and they rest not day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come .  

In this verse, we first read, And the four beasts had each of them six wings about [him]. We already learned that the four beasts represent Christ, but what do the six wings represent? We read about the six wings of God in Isaiah 6 where we read,  

1 In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple
2 Above it stood the seraphims: each one had six wings; with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly .  
3 And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory .  

Notice that instead of seeing four beasts, Isaiah sees Seraphims. These Seraphims cannot possibly be angels because they are described as being above the throne of God (verse 2), and only God Himself could be above the throne. Therefore, like the four beasts in Revelation 4, these Seraphims are a picture of God who, also, just like in Revelation 4, is described as having six wings. And, we are told what these wings are used for: we read in verse 2 of Isaiah 6, with two He covered His face, and with two He covered His feet, and with two He did fly. Thus, four of the wings are used as a covering while 2 of the wings are used to fly from one place to another.  

Now, let's first consider that two of the six wings covered God's face. Why do these wings cover God's face? When we come to realize that if anyone of us could see God's face, we would be consumed in an instant because of our sins, then we know why God's face is covered. It is covered to keep us from being instantly destroyed. Thus, the two wings that cover God's face represent God's mercy for human beings that they are not instantly consumed. 

But, then, what do the two wings covering God's feet represent? Since the feet represent the whole body in the Bible, and an uncovered or naked body is a picture of one's sins being exposed, that God's feet, and, therefore, body is covered by two of His six wings means that God has no sin, but He is perfectly holy. He is not naked, but He is covered in righteousness. Thus, the two wings that cover God's feet represent the holiness of God.  

And, finally, God has two wings by which He flies. These two wings are God's transportation. Yet, God needs no transportation as we know it because He is everywhere present. Thus, the two wings by which God flies represent His omnipresence. That is, God is everywhere present, and this is what His two wings by which He flies symbolize.  

So, in summary, the six wings that God has represent three different things: 2 wings represent God's mercy, 2 wings represent God's holiness, and 2 wings represent God's omnipresence. 

Well, now, our verse continues by saying the following about the four beasts that represent God: and [they were] full of eyes within. And, why would God be said to be full of eyes within? Well, because He is all seeing, of course. He sees all things everywhere, and from every angle or perspective. Nothing ever escapes His notice. You can hide many things from many human beings, but you can hide nothing from God. As was said before,  

Heb 4:13 Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do

Now, not only were the four beasts full of eyes within, but we read, and they rest not day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty. So, here we see the four beasts that represent Christ giving glory, honor, and thanks to Almighty God. So, we have the Son of God, Jesus Christ, giving glory, honor, and thanks to God: God giving glory, honor, and thanks to God. If you or I went around like this giving glory, honor, and thanks to ourselves, we would be considered an egotist beyond measure. But, when God does it, He is not being an egotist, but He is being a realist because God Himself really does deserve all the glory, honor, and thanks so much so that when God gives such glory, honor, and thanks to Himself, nothing can be said against it. In fact, to say something against it would be sinful because God does deserve all the glory, honor, and thanks, and so to say anything else would be a lie.  

We see other scriptural examples of God glorifying God, for instance, in John 17 where we read that Christ said, 

4 I have glorified thee on the earth: I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do .
5 And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was .   

Here, Christ says that He glorified the Father by completing the work on earth that the Father gave Him to do, and, now, He says to the Father to restore His glory that He once had before the world was. Thus, we see God glorifying God within the Godhead as we saw in Revelation 4. So, this God glorifying God within the Godhead is certainly a scriptural teaching.   

Now, returning to our verse, it concludes by saying of the Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come. We already covered this in Revelation 1:8 , and it simply reveals that God is eternal. He is from everlasting to everlasting. 


Revelation 4:9-10
:  

9 And when those beasts give glory and honour and thanks to him that sat on the throne, who liveth for ever and ever ,
10 The four and twenty elders fall down before him that sat on the throne, and worship him that liveth for ever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying . . . 

Here, we see that when the four beasts; that is, when God gives glory, honor, and thanks to Him that sat on the throne; that is, God giving glory, honor, and thanks to God in heaven, then the 24 elders, who we learned symbolize all the elect in heaven, fall down before him that sat on the throne; that is, the elect in heaven fall down before God, and worship Him that lives forever and ever. Thus, what we have here is a picture of what goes on in heaven: as God is glorifying Himself continuously, the elect in heaven worship God continuously who lives eternally. This doesn't mean that the elect in heaven are literally bowing down in worship continuously as we think of it here on earth, but it certainly means that the elect in heaven are always in perfect submission and obedience to the will of God, for being as such to God is one and the same as bowing down and worshipping Him continuously.  

Now, our verse says that the 24 elders (the elect in heaven) cast their crowns before the throne. The crowns, of course, represent the eternal salvations of all the elect in heaven, and they are cast down before Christ on His throne because the elect give all the glory, honor, and thanks to Christ for their eternal salvations. He is the one who humbled Himself to become a man to suffer and die for the sins of His elect so that they could be made the righteousness of Christ, and by the elect casting their crowns of salvation before the throne, means that they recognize that all the credit goes to Christ. He is worthy to be worshipped and praised for all eternity as He is the one who earned our crowns, our salvations, for us.   


Revelation 4:11
:   

11 Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created .  

In this verse, as the elect in heaven worship Christ, and cast their crowns before His throne, they say to Him, Thou are worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power. And, as we already stated, the reason that Christ is worthy to receive glory and honor and power is because He gave His very own life to save the elect from their sins. First, He greatly humbled Himself to be made into a man, and then He greatly suffered and died on the cross to insure that His elect would not only be saved from their sins, but also granted eternal life in a new heaven and earth to be created on the Last Day, where there is no more sorrow and sadness, no more pain and suffering, and no more death, but joy and righteousness with Jesus Christ our Lord. 

Yet, there is another reason for the elect in heaven as to why Christ is worthy to receive glory and honor and power: they said to Him, for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created. So, Christ is worthy of all glory, honor and power from the creation itself because He created the creation. Every created thing owes its very existence to Christ. As we read in Colossians 1,  

16 For by him [Christ] were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him :
17 And he is before all things, and by him all things consist .

Furthermore, we are told that Christ created and creates all things for His pleasure. And, this begs the question, does this mean that even the unsaved who will suffer His wrath are created for His pleasure? And, to this, we must answer, yes. O Yes, Yahweh says in Ezekiel 33:11, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but in so far as the unsaved being used to make known Yahweh's attributes such as His wrath and power, we read in Romans 9, 

21 Hath not the potter power over the clay, of the same lump to make one vessel unto honour, and another unto dishonour ?
22 What if God, willing to shew his wrath, and to make his power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction
23 And that he might make known the riches of his glory on the vessels of mercy, which he had afore prepared unto glory . . .  

And, so, we see that God uses the unsaved to reveal His power and wrath while using the saved to reveal His mercy. And, all of this, for God's pleasure. Yes, in the broadest sense of God using His creation to make His attributes known, all things are and were created for His good pleasure.   


SUMMARY & CONCLUSION: 

In this study of Revelation 4:6-11, we continued with the theme, The Heavenly Throne of Christ, and we began with verses 6-7, which state, And before the throne [there was] a sea of glass like unto crystal: and in the midst of the throne, and round about the throne, [were] four beasts full of eyes before and behind. And the first beast [was] like a lion, and the second beast like a calf, and the third beast had a face as a man, and the fourth beast [was] like a flying eagle. In these verses, we learned that the sea of glass like unto crystal symbolizes the clear and transparent view of the world, or the unsaved of the world, that is in sight of Christ's throne in heaven. We also learned that the four beasts full of eyes symbolize God who is everywhere present and sees all things. Furthermore, we learned that each of the four beasts represent Christ. The lion represents Christ in that Christ is the lion of the tribe of Judah. The calf represents Christ in that it was sacrificed for the sins of the people even as Christ was sacrificed for the sins of His people. The face of a man represents Christ in that Christ became a man to suffer and die for His people. And, the flying eagle represents Christ in that it was an unclean bird even as Christ became unclean by baring the sins of His people. We also found that the flying eagle symbolized the loving care of Christ as well as the wrath of Christ.  

Then, we had read more about these four beasts in verse 8, which states, And the four beasts had each of them six wings about [him]; and [they were] full of eyes within: and they rest not day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come. In this verse, we learned that the six wings of the four beasts; that is, the six wings of God, symbolize three different things. The two wings which cover God's face symbolize His mercy. The two wings which cover His feet symbolize His holiness. And, the two wings which are used to fly symbolize His omnipresence. We also learned that the four beasts (God) were full of eyes to reveal that God is all seeing. He is not only everywhere present, but he sees all things everywhere. Furthermore, when the four beasts rest not day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come, we learned that this is a picture of God glorifying God.  

Finally, we had read in verses 9-11, And when those beasts give glory and honour and thanks to him that sat on the throne, who liveth for ever and ever, the four and twenty elders fall down before him that sat on the throne, and worship him that liveth for ever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying, thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created. And, with respect to these three verses, we learned that the 24 elders (the elect) cast their crowns before the throne of Christ to symbolize that their crowns of eternal salvation are all due to Christ. He is the one who did all the work of suffering and dying on the cross so that each of the elect could be granted a crown of eternal life. We also learned that Christ created all things, and they were all created for His pleasure. Even the unsaved were created for His pleasure as they help reveal some of the attributes God such as His power and His wrath.  


Now, with that, may the LORD bless thee, and keep thee: The LORD make his face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee: The LORD lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace .

3:7-13
3:14-22  
4:1-5
4:6-11 
5:1-7
5:8-14

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