Revelation 4

Revelation 4

This fourth chapter of Revelation has one primary purpose, one main message to communicate to us. We are tempted to attempt to fathom the meaning of every symbol and image, but before we do that, we must not miss the main picture. This chapter is a picture of the entire universe seen not from a physical perspective, but from the perspective of its order. The first question we need to ask is not, “What does this or that symbol mean?” The first question is, “Who is at the center of the universe? Who is it all about?” 

When Adam and Eve sinned, they were attempting to place themselves at the center of the universe as the ones who determined right and wrong and law. The rebellion of Satan was an attempt to place himself at the center of the universe, to usurp God's authority. When we sin, we are doing the same thing. By a sin of commission, we are actually trying to take God's place at the center and place ourselves as the one who rules. In a sin of omission, we are ignoring the one who is on the throne. We have been entirely too casual in our thinking about sin. We think of sin as a single act or a simple broken rule. It is much worse than that; it is an attempt to throw God from His throne and to take that place for ourselves. Every attempt to do so is inevitably going to fail, and we are ruined in the process.

Look at the One on the throne, and we will see we are insignificant, tiny, living dust that could be blown to the four corners of the world in a moment. In contrast to our smallness, we see the One who is on the throne. In verse 8, we see three descriptions of Him, none of which would apply to us. He is holy, almighty, and eternal. In verse 11, we see why He is worthy of worship. It is because all that exists apart from Him was created by and has their ongoing existence in Him and because of His will. This incomprehensibly large universe in which our lives are insignificant compared to God. It is as if in making it, He says, “Here is a tiny picture of my power.” The beginning point of understanding Revelation and of being a disciple is to understand it is about God and not me. That is why, as a disciple, our first call, our first order of life, is to die to self.

“Lord, grant me true humility before Your greatness. AMEN”