FRCC Harp & Bwl Ministry The Beauty Realm f Gd 1 9 And whenever the living beings give glry and hnr and thanks t the ne wh is sitting n the thrne, t the ne wh lives frever and ever, 10 the twenty-fur elders fall befre the ne sitting upn the thrne and wrship the ne wh lives fr ever and ever, and they cast their crwns befre the thrne, saying, 11 Yu are wrthy, ur Lrd and Gd, t receive the glry and the hnr and the pwer, because Yu created all things, and because f Yur will they were and were created. Revelatin 4:9-11 MATERIAL The symbl means material is included in the Excerpts belw. Revelatin 1-7: An Exegetical Cmmentary, BY ROBERT L. THOMAS (Bk unavailable nline) Revelatin (Baker Exegetical Cmmentary n the New Testament), BY GRANT R. OSBOURNE (Bk unavailable nline) EXCERPTS Taken frm Revelatin 1-7: An Exegetical Cmmentary REVELATION 4:9 9 And whenever the living beings give glry and hnr and thanks t the ne wh is sitting n the thrne, t the ne wh lives frever and ever (Revelatin 4:9) It is interesting that the sng f v. 8 is cnsidered as giving glry and hnr and thanks. The three wrds are nt used in v. 8, but they describe the sng. The first tw wrds, glry and hnr, pint t the perfectins f Gd, hliness, and mniptence, and eternality, as emphasized in the previus sng, whereas the last ne, thanks, expresses gratitude fr His gift f creatin. This is the praise that Gd is wrthy t receive frm His creatures. The ne sitting upn the thrne is further identified by the wrds t the ne wh lives frever and ever. The expressin is used again in v. 10 and in Rev. 10:6; 15:7. Its apparent surce is Dan. 4:34, t the ne wh lives frever, and Dan 12:7, the ne wh lives frever (als, Dan 6:26; Deut. 32:40), with the additin f and ever t strengthen the expressin. 34 At the end f that time, I, Nebuchadnezzar, raised my eyes tward heaven, and my sanity was restred. Then I praised the Mst High; I hnred and glrified him wh lives frever. His Frerunner Christian Church www.frerunner.cc
FRCC Harp & Bwl Ministry The Beauty Realm f Gd 2 dminin is an eternal dminin; his kingdm endures frm generatin t generatin. (Daniel 4:34) This is anther way f describing Gd s eternality, cmparable t the last part f the fur beings sng, wh was and wh is and wh is cming. REVELATION 4:10 The same quality is attributed t Christ in Rev. 1:18. 18 I am the Living One; I was dead, and behld I am alive fr ever and ever! And I hld the keys f death and Hades. (Revelatin 1:18) 10 the twenty-fur elders fall befre the ne sitting upn the thrne and wrship the ne wh lives fr ever and ever, and they cast their crwns befre the thrne, saying (Revelatin 4:10) The threefld respnse f the twenty-fur elders cmes in v. 10. This is the first f six times in the Apcalypse when the elders prstrate themselves ( fall ) befre either Gd r the Lamb (als 5:8, 14; 7:11; 11:16; 19:4). Three times they are jined by the fur living beings (5:8; 7:11; 19:4) and nce by all the angels (7:11). 11 All the angels were standing arund the thrne and arund the elders and the fur living creatures. They fell dwn n their faces befre the thrne and wrshiped Gd (Revelatin 7:11) 4 The twenty-fur elders and the fur living creatures fell dwn and wrshiped Gd, wh was seated n the thrne. And they cried: "Amen, Hallelujah!" (Revelatin 19:4) Here they fall befre Gd wh sits upn the thrne. Their prne psture is fr the sake f wrshiping the eternal ne ( the ne wh lives fr ever and ever ), the same title as the ne wrshiped by the fur living beings in v. 9. Their wn beauty and excellencies mean nthing t the twenty-fur elders. They give n indicatin f selfinfatuatin. Rather, ut f reverence and because f a spirit f deep humility they direct their adratin t the eternal Gd, the creatr f all and the svereign ver all. Their third act, preparatry t bursting frth in sng, is t cast their crwns befre the thrne. Everything revlves arund the thrne and Him wh sits upn it; this is the center f attentin in this heavenly scene. The crwns are emblematic f ryalty. Such marks f high dignity they vluntarily surrender by casting them befre the thrne s that greater hnr may accrue t Gd. REVELATION 4:11A 11 Yu are wrthy, ur Lrd and Gd, t receive the glry and the hnr and the pwer, because Yu created all things, and because f Yur will they were and were created. (Revelatin 4:11) The sng f the elders differs frm that sung by the fur living beings in v. 8. Apparently a great variety f sngs resund arund the thrne. Frerunner Christian Church www.frerunner.cc
FRCC Harp & Bwl Ministry The Beauty Realm f Gd 3 The sng f the elders resembles Jhn s summary f the fur beings sng in v. 9, because bth attribute glry and hnr t Gd. The sng f the elders, hwever, is mre fcused n the wnders f Gd s creatin as evidence f His glry and pwer. It begins with a declaratin f His wrthiness: Yu are wrthy, ur Lrd and Gd, t receive the glry and the hnr and the pwer. Like the sng f the fur living beings in v. 8, this sng gives praise t Gd als, but in cntrast t the earlier sng, the elders sng addresses Gd directly. Wrthy was used in the plitical language f the day n such ccasins as when the emperr marched in triumphal prcessin. In the ultimate sense, hwever, t attribute wrthiness t anyne less than the ne upn the thrne is blasphemus. This is a tribute t Gd s wrthiness t receive glry and hnr and pwer. The first tw terms f this tribute cincide with the first tw in Jhn s descriptin f the living beings sng (5:9), but the third term, pwer, replaces the thanks f the earlier sng. The reasn fr the change is the particular fcus f the elders in this sng upn Gd s creative pwer. As the sng f the living beings in 4:8 has fr its theme the hliness, mniptence, and everlastingness f Gd, aspects f His essential nature, s the ne in v. 11 revlves abut the theme f Gd s glry as reflected in His wrks, especially His wrk f creatin as seen in the last half f the sng: because Yu created all things, and because f Yur will they were and were created. REVELATION 4:11B Such an acknwledgment f Gd s creative wrk recalls Ps 22:6-9; 102:25; 136:5-9. 25 In the beginning yu laid the fundatins f the earth, and the heavens are the wrk f yur hands. (Psalm 102:25) 5 wh by his understanding made the heavens, His lve endures frever. 6 wh spread ut the earth upn the waters, His lve endures frever. 7 wh made the great lights His lve endures frever. 8 the sun t gvern the day, His lve endures frever. 9 the mn and stars t gvern the night; His lve endures frever. (Psalm 136:5-9) and because f Yur will they were and were created. (Revelatin 4:11b) The phrase because f Yur will fcuses upn the perating cause f the creatin f the universe. This cntext and the Apcalypse as a whle emphasize Gd s pwer as the Creatr. He and He alne is the ne and nly cause f creatin. The cmbinatin they were and were created has led t varius explanatins. One takes the frmer verb ( they were ) t express the existence f creatin in the will f Gd befre its actual existence and the latter verb ( and were created ) t refer t the actual creatin. In ther wrds, the phrase they were lks back t the eternal past and the phrase were created pictures the genesis f nature. This view intrduces the idea f the ptential existence f creatin in the will f Gd befre the actual creatin. Frerunner Christian Church www.frerunner.cc
FRCC Harp & Bwl Ministry The Beauty Realm f Gd 4 Anther explanatin is that the tw verbs speak f the simple fact f the creatin s existence ( they were ) and then f the fact f the beginning f its existence ( and were created ). All created things existed in cntrast t their prir nnexistence, and Gd gave them that existence by a specific act f His wn pwer. EXCERPTS Taken frm Revelatin (Baker Exegetical Cmmentary n the New Testament) EMPHASIS ON THE SOVEREIGN AND ETERNAL GOD 9 And whenever the living beings give glry and hnr and thanks t the ne wh is sitting n the thrne, t the ne wh lives frever and ever (Revelatin 4:9) Verse 9 is a tempral clause ( whenever ) mdifying the main clause in verse 10. These hymns are sung antiphnally (als in 11:15-18; 16:5-7; 19:1-8), with the living beings celebrating the hliness f Gd and then the elders respnding by prviding the refrain n his wrthiness t be wrshiped. 16 And the twenty-fur elders, wh were seated n their thrnes befre Gd, fell n their faces and wrshiped Gd, 17 saying: "We give thanks t yu, Lrd Gd Almighty, the One wh is and wh was, because yu have taken yur great pwer and have begun t reign. (Revelatin 11:16) 1 After this I heard what sunded like the rar f a great multitude in heaven shuting: "Hallelujah! Salvatin and glry and pwer belng t ur Gd, 2 fr true and just are his judgments (Revelatin 19:1-2a) The directin f their wrship sums up tw majr aspects f Gd in chapter 4. First, he sits n his thrne, a phrase drawn frm 4:2 and intended t represent the descriptin f the svereign Gd frm 4:2-3. He is the great Gd, the King f kings, the ne next t whm all earthly kings pale int insignificance. Secnd, he is the eternal Gd. T the ne wh lives frever and ever ccurs nt nly twice here (4:8, 10) but als in 10:6 and 15:7. In the bk as a whle, frever and ever encmpasses nt nly the everlasting majesty f Gd (1:6; 5:13; 7:12) but als the eternal glry and reign f Christ (1:18; 5:13; 11:15) as well as eternal judgment fr the unbeliever (14:11; 19:3; 20:10) and eternal reward fr the faithful (22:5). T him wh lves us and has freed us frm ur sins by his bld, 6 and has made us t be a kingdm and priests t serve his Gd and Father t him be glry and pwer fr ever and ever! Amen. (Revelatin 1:6) 15 The seventh angel sunded his trumpet, and there were lud vices in heaven, which said: "The kingdm f the wrld has becme the kingdm f ur Lrd and f his Christ, and he will reign fr ever and ever." (Revelatin 11:15) 5 There will be n mre night. They will nt need the light f a lamp r the light f the sun, fr the Lrd Gd will give them light. And they will reign fr ever and ever. (Revelatin 22:5) Frerunner Christian Church www.frerunner.cc
FRCC Harp & Bwl Ministry The Beauty Realm f Gd 5 It is clear that the fcus f this bk draws n the eternal future in rder t address the present. As we center n the Gd wh cntrls the future, we can vercme the difficulties f the present. THE TWENTY-FOUR ELDERS S ACT OF WORSHIP 10 the twenty-fur elders fall befre the ne sitting upn he thrne and wrship the ne wh lives fr ever and ever, and they cast their crwns befre the thrne, saying (Revelatin 4:10) Each time the living beings lift up their vices in wrship, the twenty-fur elders prstrate themselves befre Gd and wrship Him. In the secular realm it was cmmn fr petitiners t prstrate themselves befre the king and kiss his garment. Lesser kings wuld lay their crwns befre the emperr t shw their submissin t him. This cnstitutes the third act f the elders (in additin t prstratin and wrship), wh have crwns f gld n their heads (4:4) and yield them t Gd. This is an act f allegiance r subrdinatin and demnstrates that hmage belngs nly t Gd. Gd alne is wrthy f such beisance (def: deferential respect). T wrship any ther is sacrilegius. All earthly rulers (and heavenly in the case f the elders) must yield t the svereign Gd. THE SONG OF THE ELDERS GOD S SOVERIENGTY AND WORTHINESS Yu are wrthy, ur Lrd and Gd, t receive the glry and the hnr and the pwer, because Yu created all things, and because f Yur will they were and were created. Revelatin 4:11 While the wrship f the living beings is in the third persn, singing abut Gd, the wrship f the elders is directly sung t Gd in the secnd persn. The pening f the sng Wrthy are yu des nt ccur in the OT but appears t have been drawn frm Rman practice, the acclamatin accrded t the emperr r imperial representative as he entered a city. Gd alne is truly wrthy f wrship. This theme f superirity t all earthly rulers is cntinued in ur Lrd and Gd. It is nt the emperr wh deserves this title but Yahweh. The ascriptin f lrdship t Gd (1:8; 4:8, 11; 11:4, 15, 17; 15:3, 4; 16:7; 18:8; 19:6; 21:22; 22:5, 6) and Christ (11:8; 14:13; 17:14; 19:16; 22:20, 21) is a majr theme in the bk, centering n their csmic lrdship ver creatin. 3 and sang the sng f Mses the servant f Gd and the sng f the Lamb: "Great and marvelus are yur deeds, Lrd Gd Almighty. Just and true are yur ways, King f the ages. 4 Wh will nt fear yu, O Lrd, and bring glry t yur name? Fr yu alne are hly. All natins will cme and wrship befre yu, fr yur righteus acts have been revealed." (Revelatin 15:3-4) 14 They will make war against the Lamb, but the Lamb will vercme them because he is Lrd f lrds and King f kings and with him will be his called, chsen and faithful fllwers." (Revelatin 17:14) 16 On his rbe and n his thigh he has this name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS. (Revelatin 19:16) Svereignty is the primary emphasis. Frerunner Christian Church www.frerunner.cc
FRCC Harp & Bwl Ministry The Beauty Realm f Gd 6 Because Gd is wrthy and is Lrd f all, he must receive glry, hnr, and pwer. Here, pwer replaces the thanks f the earlier sng in verse 9 ( whenever the living beings glry and hnr and thanks ). Pwer is the favred term fr the pwerful miracles f Christ, and in Revelatin refers especially t the mighty deeds f Gd. It is nrmally attributed t Gd (4:11; 7:12; 11:17; 12:10; 15:8; 19:1), is extended t the Lamb in 5:12, and is attributed t bth tgether in 5:13. 10 Then I heard a lud vice in heaven say: "Nw have cme the salvatin and the pwer and the kingdm f ur Gd, and the authrity f his Christ. Fr the accuser f ur brthers, wh accuses them befre ur Gd day and night, has been hurled dwn. (Revelatin 12:10) 1 After this I heard what sunded like the rar f a great multitude in heaven shuting: "Hallelujah! Salvatin and glry and pwer belng t ur Gd, (Revelatin 19:1) 12 In a lud vice they sang: "Wrthy is the Lamb, wh was slain, t receive pwer and wealth and wisdm and strength and hnr and glry and praise!" 13 Then I heard every creature in heaven and n earth and under the earth and n the sea, and all that is in them, singing: "T him wh sits n the thrne and t the Lamb be praise and hnr and glry and pwer, fr ever and ever!" (Revelatin 5:12-13) In the OT and smetimes in the NT (Mark 14:62) it becmes a title fr Gd, Mighty One. 62 "I am," said Jesus. "And yu will see the Sn f Man sitting at the right hand f the Mighty One and cming n the cluds f heaven." (Mark 14:62) In the OT the pwer f Gd was especially bserved in the exdus f Israel frm Egypt. 24 "O Svereign LORD, yu have begun t shw t yur servant yur greatness and yur strng hand. Fr what gd is there in heaven r n earth wh can d the deeds and mighty wrks yu d? (Deuternmy 3:24) The triad f titles here nt nly adds the acclamatin f 4:8 ( the Lrd Almighty ) t the wrship f 4:9 but als celebrates Gd s pwer ver his creatin, which is the theme f the rest f the hymn. THE SONG OF THE ELDERS GOD S POWER MANIFEST IN CREATION The last half f this hymn fcuses n Gd, as the emphatic subject, and all creatin, as the bject. The first element centers n the creatin thelgy that virtually dminates the Bible (Ps 19:1-2; 33:9; Isa 40:28; 45:18; Eph 3:9; Cl. 1:16) and is a key theme thrughut the Apcalypse (Rev. 3:14; 4:11; 10:6; 14:7; 21:1). 1 The heavens declare the glry f Gd; the skies prclaim the wrk f his hands. 2 Day after day they pur frth speech; night after night they display knwledge. (Ps. 19:1-2) 9 Fr he spke, and it came t be; he cmmanded, and it std firm. (Ps. 33:9) 18 Fr this is what the LORD says he wh created the heavens, he is Gd; he wh fashined and made the earth, he funded it; he did nt create it t be empty, but frmed it t be inhabited he says: "I am the LORD, and there is n ther. (Isa. 45:18) Frerunner Christian Church www.frerunner.cc
FRCC Harp & Bwl Ministry The Beauty Realm f Gd 7 16 Fr by him all things were created: things in heaven and n earth, visible and invisible, whether thrnes r pwers r rulers r authrities; all things were created by him and fr him. (Cl 1:16) Only Gd creates life, but the majr message is the wrship f the Creatr wh has made all things pssible. Christ has already been called the ruler f Gd s creatin (3:14). Mrever, in 12:16 (the earth swallwing the serpent s fld) and 16:8 (the sun scrching the earthdwellers) creatin fights n the side f Gd against the dragn and his fllwers. This is part f the apcalyptic theme attested in Rm. 8:19-22, the graning f creatin as it lngs t be released frm the decay f this present evil wrld. In Revelatin the created wrld participates in the prcess f its release. In were the very existence f creatin is because f yur will. Behind creatin is divine prvidence; his will is the basis fr every aspect f creatin. In Heb. 11:3 (als Rm. 4:17) we are tld that Gd by his cmmand created the universe ut f nthing. Here we knw that the wrld is als sustained by his will. 17 As it is written: "I have made yu a father f many natins." He is ur father in the sight f Gd, in whm he believed the Gd wh gives life t the dead and calls things that are nt as thugh they were. (Rmans 4:17) All this is preparatry fr the fact that this wrld will be cnsummated and destryed in his wn svereign time (2 Pet. 3:7, 10). Gd is the Alpha and Omega f creatin! As Gregry K. Beale says, the pastral intentin thrughut the bk is t encurage Gd s peple t recgnize that everything that happens t them thrughut histry is part f Gd s creatin purpses. Frerunner Christian Church www.frerunner.cc