• 7/27/2025: Revelation 1:4-8; accompanying text: John 8:13-20 • 8/3/2025: Revelation 4:1-11; accompanying text: John 17:1-5 • 8/10/2025: Revelation 5:1-13; accompanying text: John 1:29-31 • 8/17/2025: Revelation 7:9-17; accompanying text: John 14:1-4 • 8/24/2025: Revelation 13:1-18; accompanying text John 12:30-32 • 8/31/2025: Revelation 21:1-6; 22:1–5; accompanying texts: John 4:1-14; 16:20-22
Week 2 (8/3/2025): The Elders and the Four Living Creatures
Revelation 4:1–11
Accompanying text: John 17:1-5
A door stands open in heaven, and the Spirit invites John to see what’s inside.
On the throne, God sits in glory. Note how Revelation observes the stricture against depicting God as any living creature or heavenly body (Deuteronomy 4:16–19) and so uses mineralogical images instead: “And he who sat there had the appearance of jasper and carnelian, and around the throne was a rainbow that had the appearance of an emerald” (4:3). Note also how the sevenfold Spirit is linked to God enthroned, their identity merged and distinguished at the same time.
The 24 elders signify the 12 tribes of Israel plus the 12 apostles; in essence, the whole people of God. Revelation, like Romans 9–11, consistently chooses against supersessionism.
The four living creatures hearken back to Ezekiel’s vision, and both sources give us our symbols of the four Evangelists: Matthew the man, Mark the lion, Luke the ox, and John the eagle. If your church is graced with such imagery, now’s a good time to explain it!
Then Ezekiel blends into Isaiah, and the four living creatures sing as if they’re cherubim, “Holy, holy, holy.” Now you know what to choose for the hymn after the sermon! You could even walk the congregation through each line of that hymn; or if “This Is the Feast” appears regularly in your liturgy, do the same, in either case, drawing connections to the hymns of praise found here in Revelation.
• 7/27/2025: Revelation 1:4-8; accompanying text: John 8:13-20
• 8/3/2025: Revelation 4:1-11; accompanying text: John 17:1-5
• 8/10/2025: Revelation 5:1-13; accompanying text: John 1:29-31
• 8/17/2025: Revelation 7:9-17; accompanying text: John 14:1-4
• 8/24/2025: Revelation 13:1-18; accompanying text John 12:30-32
• 8/31/2025: Revelation 21:1-6; 22:1–5; accompanying texts: John 4:1-14; 16:20-22
Week 2 (8/3/2025): The Elders and the Four Living Creatures
Revelation 4:1–11
Accompanying text: John 17:1-5
A door stands open in heaven, and the Spirit invites John to see what’s inside.
On the throne, God sits in glory. Note how Revelation observes the stricture against depicting God as any living creature or heavenly body (Deuteronomy 4:16–19) and so uses mineralogical images instead: “And he who sat there had the appearance of jasper and carnelian, and around the throne was a rainbow that had the appearance of an emerald” (4:3). Note also how the sevenfold Spirit is linked to God enthroned, their identity merged and distinguished at the same time.
The 24 elders signify the 12 tribes of Israel plus the 12 apostles; in essence, the whole people of God. Revelation, like Romans 9–11, consistently chooses against supersessionism.
The four living creatures hearken back to Ezekiel’s vision, and both sources give us our symbols of the four Evangelists: Matthew the man, Mark the lion, Luke the ox, and John the eagle. If your church is graced with such imagery, now’s a good time to explain it!
Then Ezekiel blends into Isaiah, and the four living creatures sing as if they’re cherubim, “Holy, holy, holy.” Now you know what to choose for the hymn after the sermon! You could even walk the congregation through each line of that hymn; or if “This Is the Feast” appears regularly in your liturgy, do the same, in either case, drawing connections to the hymns of praise found here in Revelation.