Revelation 4:6b-11 – Praises to the Creator

In these verses we see two sets of song of praise offered to the Creator God. One by four living creatures and the other by the 24 elders whom we said represented the embodied people of God. The activity that is worth our attention in the four living creatures is that they do not cease to praise God day and night and round the clock. The four creatures described as full of eyes around and within, suggest that they are fully focused, fully present and awake as they worship the Creator God. They do not take their eyes off the One who is so glorious and beautiful. Continuously, they proclaim, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God, the Almighty, who was and who is and who is to come.”

The four living creatures remind us of the seraphim that the prophet Isaiah saw in his vision in Isaiah 6. They also remind us of the creatures that Ezekiel saw in his vision in Ezekiel 1. Those four creatures that John saw were described this way: one was like a lion, the other a calf and the third one had the face of a man and the fourth was like a flying eagle. Many things had been said of these four creatures. The lion is the king of the jungle known for its strength and power. The calf also has tremendous strength but it is relentless in service and labor. Man is known for his intelligence, understanding and leadership. The eagle is known for its swiftness, its ability to stay on course and can soar higher towards the goal. They have also been alluded to the four Gospels: Matthew – human; Mark – lion; Luke – calf; and John – eagle. Most likely the four creatures represent the whole creative order. And they ascribe holiness to the Trinity, and praise the Almighty God for Who He is, His immutability and eternalness.

Every time the creatures offer their praises to Him who sits on the throne, the 24 elders will also fall in reverential fear and awe to Him, the changeless and eternal One on the throne. The 24 elders represent the redeemed of the Lord. And on top of the worship, they also cast their crowns before His throne. The difference between the worship of the whole creative order and the redeemed is that: one simply worship Him, but the other worship Him because they fully understand why He is being worshiped. They know that He alone deserves worship because He is the source of all our existence and the reason and purpose for our being. We, the redeemed, are created to worship Him, to ascribe glory and honor and power and might and strength to His glorious name. And this is the first duty of every one of us.  

Worship to the Almighty should be the activity of all creature. And it certainly must be the central activity of all Christians. Whether in private or in church, the key reason for our existence is worship. Amidst the glittering lights, the booming sound of the instruments and the music they produce, and the melodious voices of the singers and worship leader, let’s remember that in worship, God is central. He is the reason for the worship. He is our focus. It is to Him and him alone we offer our worship!