It is the Lord HIMSELF [and no other] {very emphatic in GK of 1Thes 4} -
-- Who descends
with [GK='en', with, in] a shout [ie., a command: "Come up here!"]
with [in] voice of archangel [or, archengellic voice] {no definite article}
with [in] trump of God [ie., trumpet sound pertaining to God] {no def. art. }
These terms describe His voice, not voices of others. It is Christ Himself -
-- Who calls to His own. . . .Contrast Mat 24:29,31 which does not speak of the Rapture, but of the gathering of the remnant of Israel at the end of the Tribulation. Note that 'immediately after the Tribulation... He shall SEND His angels...to gather'.
. . . Note that this event (in Rev 4) is prior to the beginning of the Tribulation (in Rev 6).
which said, Come up hither, and I will shew thee things which must be hereafter {lit., after these things}.
The Gk. indicates a change to an entirely different scene & subject.
The change in John's viewpoint (in his vision), is also representative of the new perspective of the Church, following the Rapture.
We are moving now into the third division of the book (from Rev 1:19)-
The things which you have seen,
The things which are,
The things which shall be after these things [ie., after the church age of ch. 2,3]
he that sat- lit., 'the One sitting' [applies to each occurrence that follows].
like a jasper and a sardine stone:
jasper [perhaps diamond] as seen in the City's foundation:
radiant, luminent with the Glory of God. cp. Rev 21:11 -- Speaks of God's holiness.
sardius / cernilius / ruby- a bright red stone.
-- Speaks of the blood of redemption (or) the rage of God's wrath (cp. "fire" in Ezek 1:26-28).
and [there was] a rainbow round about the throne, in sight like unto an emerald.
rainbow - GK= 'iris', halo -
-- Speaks of God's faithfulness to keep His promises (as to Noah), including His promise to judge sin, and "in wrath remember mercy". Gen 9:9-17; Rom 2:8,9; Hab 3:2
Emerald - Judah ['praise'] the tribe through which God's Son came into the world (eg., Rev 5:5).
Note that the first two stones mentioned here are "the first and the last" on the breastplate. This fact also speaks of Him (1:11).
4:4 And round about the throne [were] four and twenty seats:
and upon the seats I saw four and twenty elders sitting,
clothed in white raiment; and they had on their heads crowns of gold.
Who are these elders?
They are NOT...
-- angels [to whom thrones & crowns are never promised].
-- Israel [to whom thrones & crowns are not promised. . . . Note that Ex 19:5,6 was conditional, "if..."; but they failed.]
-- the millenial throne [which is on earth, these are in heaven]. Jer 3:17
The word 'elder' (or, 'overseer') is used in the NT almost exclusively of the church.
(The exception, in Heb 11:2, refers to OT members of 'the household of faith' who were justified by faith through looking forward to the coming of Christ, and who without us 'received not the promise'. Heb 11:2,4,7,26,39,40)
Crowns, in the NT, are rewards reserved for the faithful in the church. (eg., 2:10)
seats= thrones [GK= thronos; The same word is used for the Throne.]
These thrones, associated with the judgment Throne of God (vs. 2-4), must be occupied by the saints of God (ie., the church), since they will judge the world.
4:7 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 fouth beast was like a flying eagle.
[Further discussion of this vs. follows v. 8.]
These faces are identified in Ezekiel 1:10,11, but in a different order. There the order appears to be according to ability to subdue, or take dominion. Here, the order speaks of Christ as He is revealed in the 4 gospels:
Matthew - the Lion of the tribe of Judah, proclaims the kingdom.
Mark - the servant- an Ox is a beast of burden and of sacrifice.
Luke - the son of man, who came to seek & to save the lost.
John - the son of God, above us all, brought grace & truth down to man.
4:8 And the four beasts had each of them six wings about [him];
[they were] full of eyes within:
These creatures were seen, in vision, by Ezekiel & Isaiah, with some differences (eg. # of wings).
In either case, they are concerned with, and focused upon, the Holiness of God.
Cherubim = 'grasped ones' or 'those held captive'
They are captivated by the glory & holiness of God. They are unable to turn their gaze from studying Him. Their all seeing eyes examine everything 'in the midst... and round about the throne' including themselves (eyes 'within'). There is no taint of the unholy. They are undeviating from the purposes of God's Holy Spirit (Eze 1:12).
Seraphim = 'burning ones'
They not only proclaim God's holiness, but also purge away unholiness (Isa 6:6,7).
and they rest not day and night,
lit., rest they have not...
saying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty,
The 'Thrice Holy' occurs only here and in Isa 6:3.
Isaiah emphasizes His omnipresence: 'the whole earth is full of His glory'.
Here the heavenly emphasis is on His omnipotence and eternality.
which was, and is, and is to come.
this formula refers to God the Father and the Son (cp. 1:4,8).
4:9 And when those beasts give glory and honour and thanks
when- ie., whensoever, so often as... (cp. v.8: 'they rest not...')
to him that sat on the throne, who liveth for ever and ever,
the One sitting... is the Living One (so identified 110x in Bible).
4:10 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,
worship= to ascribe worth. It requires no words, it is the attitude of heart.
"worship" occurs 24x in Rev. More than half of occurrences refer to worship misdirected toward the Beast or demons. This points out the conflict between good & evil, and also the human lack of discernment. John himself twice misdirects worship toward the angel, and is rebuked: "See thou do it not, Worship God." Rev 19:10; 22:9
4:11Thou art worthy, O Lord,
Essentials of worship:
-- a sense of the worth of the Lord.
-- a sense of my own unworthiness.
They had nothing in themselves to offer. They offer only what they have received of Him: thrones & crowns are all submitted to Him.
to receive glory and honour and power:
lit., "the glory, the honor, the power" - There is none apart from Him
for thou hast created all things,
and for thy pleasure they are and were created. {cp. Col 1:16,17}
Note that since the Living Creatures speak of God's attributes (Holy, Almighty, eternal...; v.8), we might expect them to add "power" to their list. But rather, they "give thanks" v.9. And though the elders speak of His works (thou hast created v.11, thou hast redeemed 5:9), they lift up His "power". We might expect them to be overwhelmed with thanksgiving for their own redemption.
It seems that each of these groups is not primarily focused on its own state, but on that of the other. In the other, they see anew God's faithfulness, wisdom, and power.
"The living creatures rejoice in the presence of a redeemed group, in whom they see the earnest of a restored race... they give thanks for the fulfilling of God's faithful purposes. The elders rejoice in the presence of the Power which will bring to reality the hope of the groaning creation." Rom 8:21 (JBSmith)