GOD PRAISED AS THE CREATOR (VERSES 8b-11)

Revelation 4:8-11

⁸Thefour living creatures, each having six wings, were full of eyes around and within. And they do not rest day or night, saying:

“Holy, holy, holy,
Lord God Almighty,
Who was and is and is to come!”

⁹Whenever the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to Him Who sits on the throne, Who lives forever and ever, ¹⁰the twenty-four elders fall down before Him Who sits on the throne and worship Him Who lives forever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying:

¹¹ “You are worthy, O Lord,
To receive glory and honor and power;
For You created all things,
And by Your Will they exist and were created.”

Praise Prompted by the Living Creatures (verses 8b- 9)

We can see the worship that the four living creatures are giving to God [verses 8b and 9]. They refer to God as “holy.” The central meaning of holiness is “otherness” or “separateness”—separate from things that are finite, that are “crearturely” (that’s an interesting word, isn’t it?) and, moreover, that are sinful. There’s a secondary meaning when we think about God being holy, and that is, His absolute purity. He is completely pure. Pure comes from a Greek word that means “unmixed.” There is nothing that is mixed in with God. He is absolutely Who He is and what He is with no admixture at all.

Praise Offered By the Twenty-Four Elders (verses 10-11)

The twenty-four elders join in with the living creatures in their worship and thanksgiving to the One Who sits upon the throne, the One Who lives forever [verse 10]. They prostrate themselves before God and cast their crowns before the throne. Here, we see a description of heavenly activity. This is what heaven will be. This is what heaven is even now, praising and worshiping God, Who is sitting on His throne.

The idea of casting their crowns down before Him is an interesting thought, an interesting image. In doing some reading about that, the suggestion is this: God, of course, is upon His throne. We think about an earthly king, an earthly ruler who sits upon a throne, and he wears a crown. That’s not described here, but think about it from this standpoint: there are no other crowns, there are no other subordinate crowns around God. We mentioned in our last lesson that this word “crown” is the “reward” that they have been given. But these twenty-four elders do not wear their crowns as if they were somehow elevated in status above what they are in the presence of Almighty God.

They are singing praises to God. The first hymn is sung by the four living creatures, and the second hymn is sung by the twenty-four elders. They sing a hymn of praise to God that He is worthy to receive the adoration of men because He IS the Creator, and all things have come from Him, all things depend upon Him. God’s glory is shown in His mighty works.

That is what the Psalmist says, Psalm 19, verses 1-6:

¹ The heavens declare the glory of God;
And the firmament shows His handiwork.
² Day unto day utters speech,
And night unto night reveals knowledge.
³ There is no speech nor language
Where their voice is not heard.
⁴ Their line has gone out through all the earth,
And their words to the end of the world.
In them He has set a tabernacle for the sun,
⁵ Which is like a bridegroom coming out of his chamber,
And rejoices like a strong man to run its race.
⁶ Its rising is from one end of heaven,
And its circuit to the other end;
And there is nothing hidden from its heat.

Paul declares that God’s invisible attributes are clearly seen by the things He created, Romans 1:18-20. He is the Creator worthy of worship: “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the Truth in unrighteousness, because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse….” The twenty-four elders express their praise of God for He created all things, and by His Will they exist and were created.

We continue to hearken back to the 1^st Century Christians who were under Roman rule. They were under the iron fist of the Roman ruler Domician, who required people to call him “lord,” whose very name was a name to be synonymous with, or elevated above, God. These people, so oppressed, so put down, see this picture in heaven. No, it’s not a Roman Governor, it’s not a Roman Emperor on the throne receiving glory and honor and worship. It is the God of heaven, and the heavenly host joins together in praising God for His creative work.