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3. Worshiping the One That Sits on the Throne (Revelation 4:8-11)
The Twenty-Four Elders Prostrating Before the Throne of God
REVELATION 4:9-10
9 When the living creatures give glory, honor, and thanks to him who sits on the throne, to him who lives forever and ever, 10 the twenty-four elders fall down before him who sits on the throne, and worship him who lives forever and ever, and throw their crowns before the throne, saying,
The four throne guardians were prayer leaders for the other creatures in heaven. John interprets their worship saying that that they give glory, honor and thanks to God.
The glory of the Lord consists of the fullness of all his characteristic features, names and charisma. For those who are far away the glory of God Almighty is covered by his holiness. Nevertheless it remains its radiant content, full of indescribable loftiness, majesty, beauty and magnificence. Glory is uncovered holiness. While the cherubim praise the holiness of God, they increase his glory.
All honor is due to God alone, as he created and upholds everything. None of the creatures lives forever and none of them has the power to create anything from nothing. None of the creatures has enough patience, wisdom and power so as to bear the sins and rebellion of mankind and nevertheless to be just in his judgments. The love of God is unlimited and ought to be praised incessantly.
Our God deserves our gratefulness as he never changes. He was and is faithful and constantly good. Psalm 103 is a guideline for never ceasing thanksgiving. Our gratefulness by word and deed is a sign of our love. Whoever thanks God will live in a comforted manner and in a deep joy. But who does not give thanks to God, will vegetate with an inner idleness and will not find the purpose of his life and death.
John emphasizes twice regarding the praise of the four throne guardians that he who sits on the throne lives forever and ever. Our Lord is alive! He is not dead matter, nor is he only a force action. On the contrary, he has life in himself. He is the source of every life. His life incessantly creates new life. He is our life.
His vital force is unfailing. His lifetime is not confined by time and is without an end. If time is described in terms of consecutive aeons and time spaces, he lives from aeon to aeon. He existed even before time begun. God is eternal. He is the first and the last. Nobody is eternal except God.
At each time when John saw the four living creatures praise the holy, living and eternal God, the twenty-four elders joined in from the bottom of their heart. They made visible their worship with their gestures. They did not remain seated during this prayer but kneeled down. They prostrated and worshiped him who lives from eternity to eternity. They emphasized their devotion by casting down their golden victory’s laurels before him who sits on the throne and confessed therewith that all their success, faithfulness, faith, love, hope, martyrdom and devotion did not arise from themselves, but were a grace of the Most High. They emptied themselves from all their own honor and did not count any of their privileges as their own merit. They did not make any claim on their glory, abilities and fruit and surrendered them to the threefold Holy One.
In this complete devotion and self-denial the high standard of the sanctification of the twenty-four elders was manifested. They loved God with all their heart.
Jesus said, "How can you believe who receive honor from one another?" (John 5:44). Here is one of the keys to the understanding of the Holy Trinity. Jesus was gentle and lowly in heart (Matthew 11:29). He always glorified his father as the Holy Spirit always glorifies the Son (John 16:14). None of the persons of the Holy Trinity honors itself but honors always the other person. Therefore, the Father could deliver all power in heaven and on earth to the Son. Likewise the Son delivered the power for building his church to the Holy Spirit. Our God is a humble God! The worship of the twenty-four elders before his throne is an echo and a mirror image of the humility of God. Jesus emphasized that we should learn from him as he is gentle and lowly in heart and we will find rest for our souls (Matthew.11:29). Humility and worship belong together.
Islam, too, is founded on worship. Islam means devotion, surrender and submission. Yet the motive of worship of Muslims is not at first love to Allah but their fear of God, their commitment to obey the law and their attempt to get an account of good deeds in heaven. Allah remains indefinitely far-off from Muslims. His greatness is beyond every comprehension and he calls himself "The Proud" (Sura al-Hashr 59:23). Muslims are worshiping in an attitude of slaves, but not as free sons. They do not know Allah and have no access to his throne (Sura al-Jinn 72:8). Allah leads whom he wishes and misleads whom he wishes (Suras al-An'am 6:39; al-Ra'd 13:27; Ibrahim 14:4; al-Nahl 16:93; Fatir 35:8; al-Muddaththir 74,31). He is not a father-God, but a despot whom one worships because of fear and not because of gratefulness. Islam is dominated by a spirit which is different from the spirit before the throne of God and which is a spirit of anxiety and of an unconscious despair without the result of peace in holy and blessed rest.
PRAYER: You, who sit on the throne, are worthy of all glory and thankfulness, as the honored elders in heaven fell down and cast their crowns before You. We are not worthy to magnify You because we are sinners, but the blood of Jesus Christ purified us and Your Holy Spirit sanctified us. Therefore, we give praise to You and commit ourselves to You in gratitude for Your love and Your eternal salvation.
QUESTION:
- What does the falling down of the twenty four elders before God signify?