I Saw A Door  

Revelation 4:1

After I saw and heard these things, I saw a door open into heaven. The same voice I had heard speaking to me before like a trumpet said, Come up here! I will show you the things that must take place afterwards. 

a door open... The revelation of Yehoshua HaMashiach, which will come, and is come, through the Holy Spirit and through the visions of this Book and in all the Scriptures, actually begins with the unsealing of the great scroll received by the Lamb, as recorded in chapter five.  

like a trumpet... as in the first chapter of the book...

Come up here!   Come up to the level of viewing the redemption of Israel from among the nations from the prophetic perspective of the Throne of God.

afterwards... When the great trumpet voice says to Yochanan that he will show him the things that must take place "afterwards", the meaning of "afterwards" here is in reference to Yochanan's personal experience.  In reference to the Revelation itself as it is unfolded in heaven it is Yochanan's appearance before the One seated upon the Throne, as recorded next, which sets the stage for the beginning of the Revelation.

I will show you...  Since the time of Mashiach's ascension into heaven, he has been concealed from Israel and from the whole earth.  This book is about that concealment coming to an end — how that is to happen, why there is a concealment and why there is a revelation.  The actual Revelation will begin with the Lamb opening the Scroll of The Revelation.  After the Revelation is given completely in the form of visions to Yochanan, it is then taken into time in the Spirit and given to Yochanan, "on the Lord's Day, as recorded in chapter one.  Receiving then the whole of the Revelation, Yochanan writes down all that he experienced in the Great Revelation vision.

Through the Door....

Revelation 4:2

Instantly I was in the Spirit, and I saw  One seated on a throne in heaven. The appearance of the 

I was in the Spirit... We must begin, then, by understanding that the vision of the One seated upon the throne is a vision received from the beginning among the prophets of Israel. It was seen by all the children of Israel on Mount Sinai. Knowledge of it has been received through the generations in Israel as the tradition of what is called the vision of the Chariot.  A most remarkable difference between wha tYochanan experiences here and what is recorded as having been experienced before in visions of the chariot is that the twenty four elders appear here and that there is much action and dialogue that takes place between all present in the vision.

in the Spirit, and I saw...  He is not more in the Spirit than he already was but he is expressing how that all elevations and changes of perspective that occur in the Revelation occur through the Spirit.

One... The prophetic visual representation of the One God is in nature very much like the symbolism of a word itself, like the symbolism of a written or spoken name. Although such symbols are limited when they point to the One God he endows them with supernatural power to accomplish their purpose.

Revelation 4:3

One sitting on the throne was like jasper and carnelian stone, while an emerald rainbow circled the throne. 

stone... The pure physicality of stone accentuates the fact that the vision of Him is a symbol like a written word or name. That the stone appears like jasper and carnelian suggests the stones of the symbolism of the twelve tribes of Israel, as well as the stone of the Tablet of the Ten Commandments.

One sitting on the throne ...  While on earth Yochanan's experience began with the vision of the glorified Mashiach.  In heaven his experience began with the vision of the One seated upon the Throne.  Yochanan knows himself to be caught up in a vision of the One Upon The Throne, like Ezekiel and Isaiah and other prophets were, and records his experience in dialogue with their experiences as recorded in the Scriptures.

emerald rainbow...  In association with appearance like a precious stone of the One sitting on the Throne, the emerald appearance of the rainbow around the Throne is suggestive of more than an emerald colour.  There is a suggestion of the rainbow around the throne being formed of one solid emerald stone.  A rainbow is normally ephemeral. The symbolism here is that the promise given with the rainbow to Noah has become realized in a permanent, eternal fulfillment.

Revelation 4:4

Around the throne were twenty four thrones. Twenty four elders sat upon the twenty four thrones, wearing white robes and golden crowns of victory. 

the twenty four... That there are to be twenty four elders seated upon thrones around the Chariot is a revelation that is given for the first time here in the Book of the Revelation of Yehoshua HaMashiach (Jesus Christ), as prophesied in Psalms 107:32. Like the Tabernacle moved from place to place, the Chariot was before seen to move from place to place; now with the Revelation of Yehoshua HaMashiach it is seen in a vision to have come to rest in one place. It is as if the Temple in Heaven is built in one place by the Throne coming to rest in one place. This is shown at this beginning point in the book of the revelation of Yehoshua HaMashiach, in order that it might be seen that the thrones of the twenty four elders are set up and established around the throne of the One Who Is Above All for the purpose of the twenty four elders of Israel being witnesses to, (from their rightful place), the immediate revelation of the Mashiach and his full redemption of Israel.

"As I looked, thrones were set in place, and the Ancient of Days took his seat. His clothing was as white as snow; the hair of his head was white like wool. His throne was flaming with fire, and its wheels were all ablaze." Daniel 7:9

To clarify what has been said:  In the first chapter of the Book of the Revelation of Yehoshua HaMashiach we are told that God gave the Revelation to him to give to his servants. It is to be understood that God gave it to him in a place outside of time. It is a supernatural place "after which" all that is written in the revelation is complete and "before" the eternal judgment of the world. From that supernatural place outside of time Yehoshua sends this revelation by his angel to Yochanan (John) in time. It is at the point of, and by the action of, the Revelation being given to Yehoshua and from Yehoshua to Yochanan that the twenty four thrones of the elders are set up. Just as Yochanan (John), and we through him, are the audience to the visions of this Revelation, so the twenty four elders are seen to be set up upon their thrones to form a part of the audience of the visions of this revelation, to be its lead witnesses. These things are signified to us by fact that the twenty four elders are said to (already) be "wearing white robes and golden crowns of victory."

That the twenty four elders are the twenty four elders of Israel is itself an aspect of this revelation. Their number corresponds to the twelve tribes of Israel. It corresponds to the number of the tribes of Israel in a manner which is doubled for reasons we will understand later. At this point we can find a clue as to who these twenty four elders are by recognizing that Yochanan's vantage point in seeing all the visions would seem to be from the distance of the circle of the thrones of the twenty four elders itself. Although we are not told explicitly that this is the case, we could easily imagine that Yochanan himself is seeing all that he sees while sitting in, or rising from, one of the twenty four thrones.

Lightning and Thunder From The Throne 

Revelation 4:5

Flashes of lightning, rumblings and peals of thunder came from the throne. Directly in front of the throne were seven blazing torches which are the seven spirits of God. 

peals of thunder...  Every instance of prophetic thunder in the Revelation represents the Voice of God and comes from the Throne of God.

in front of the throne ...  All that has come and that will come as the visions of this Revelation come from the throne and come in the form of revelations of lightning and thunder. At a distance it is a strike of lightning which creates the thunder. But as the storm of judgment approaches it is the reverse. First thunder comes as a warning. Then lightning strikes home. And then the final thunder comes to announce what has been done.

seven blazing torches...  as in a seven branched menorah, these lights were the the sevenfold Spirit of God.

The Spirit of God is one with a sevenfold manifestation, as when the Shechinah, the form of the Spirit of God as accompanying and dwelling with All Israel, had a sevenfold manifestation as seven pillars of cloud by day and seven pillars of fire by night. Four pillars of the Divine Presence accompanied the tribes of Israel by surrounding them on the East, South, West and North. One pillar of the Divine Presence traveled beneath their feet, one above them, and one in front of them leading their way. As this was done on earth, the seven spirits of God in the sevenfold menorah stood before the One who sat upon the throne in the Temple of heaven. Likewise, it was always so, and is, that, while being present in heaven before the throne, the Divine Presence accompanies Israel on the earth, in the Land of Israel and in exile, though it is not always made so visibly to those who dwell upon the earth.

Four Heavenly Living Creatures 

Revelation 4:6

Approaching the throne was something like a sea of glass, like clear crystal.  Adjacent to the the throne in each direction there were four living creatures, all of them having eyes in front and behind.

sea of glass...  The sea of glass, like crystal, has reference to the firmament that separated the upper waters from the lower, the heavens from the earth.  That divide will be overcome when God reigns upon the earth as he reigns in heaven. This comes with the final Revelation of Israel's Messiah. There is much to be said about the sea of glass, the apparent waters, like clear crystal, approaching the throne. In this approach to the throne is the mystery and secret of the relationship of faith and knowledge, and we must return to this later.

the throne in each direction... In relation to the visions of the Throne of God in Ezekiel and Isaiah, the Throne is often called the Chariot. The Throne is seen to have wheels made of a certain kind of angels. The Throne, or Chariot, moves. Central to the structure of the Chariot Throne in the visions of the prophets were the same four living angelic creatures as seen here.

Lion, Ox, Human, Eagle

Revelation 4:7

 Of the four living creatures, one was like a lion, another like an ox. A third had a face like that of Adam. And the fourth had the head of an eagle as though it were in flight. 

lion... having attributes of sharp peripheral focus and action like a lion

ox...  having attributes of strong, straightforward determination like an ox

human...  having attributes of perceiving and facilitation relationships like a human

eagle...  having attributes of surveying and targeting like an eagle

Glory And Honor Given To The One Who Sits On The Throne

Revelation 4:8

Each of the four living creatures had six wings;  and they possessed eyes to see in every direction. Day and night never cease to say, “Kadosh, kadosh, kadosh Adonai Elohei-Tzva’ot, asher haya v’hoveh v’yavo!"

 four living creatures...six wings... making them able to move and carry the throne in every direction, as well as to cover themselves before the throne when still, together and individually...

never cease to say... the four living creatures, speaking in the Holy Tongue...

Kadosh, kadosh, kadosh...  which translated is, "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God of Hosts, who was and who is and who is to come!”

About the Four Living Creatures there is much more to be said and known in the Revelation of Mashiach and for his sake.  We must, therefore, return to this later.

Revelation 4:9

At those times when the living creatures give glory, honor, and thanks to the One who sits upon the throne, who lives forever and ever, 

At those times... they are in the Revelation among the foremost observers and receivers of the Revelation. When the different goals of the Revelation, at their different stages are reached, they exclaim their praise for Hashem and for the Lamb, for they are among the highest order of servants to this Revelation in the earth.

Thrown Down Crowns

Revelation 4:10

the twenty four elders bow down and worship the One who lives forever and ever. They throw their crowns of victory down in front of the throne and say, "

bow down and worship...  When the four living angelic creatures give their praise, the 24 elders do likewise.  The relationship between the Four Living Creatures and the Twenty-Four Elders of Israel will be seen to be a relationship that is entwined in every way.  They throw down their crowns which were given to them by the grace of Hashem, to show that the sum of all the Revelation is the revelation of the grace of Hashem.

Revelation 4:11

You are worthy, our Lord and God, to [be the One recognized to] have[the] glory, honor, and power,[by those who experience salvation]because you created all things; they came into existence and were created because of your will."

You are worthy...  Preliminary concerning The Four Living Creatures: as said, there is to be much revealed concerning the role of the Four Living Creatures in the revelation of the Mashiach of Israel. The nature of the four creatures represents their attributes, and those attributes are essential attributes through which the One who sits upon the throne rules the world and reveals His Mashiach, first to Israel, then also to the world —Through their service in the work of the redemption of Israel for the sake of the salvation of the world, they recognize that the time is come for the Throne to come to the place of the final judgment of the nations in their relationship to Hashem's Self-Revelation through Mashiach's Torah Israel. To this end, they recognize that He is worthy of their stopping and standing before Him, in order to bring His throne to rest in the heavens in one place for this final judgment in the earth.

Also as I have said, through consideration of the actions of these angelic creatures, and consideration of their relationship with the twenty-four elders, as given in this book, there is much that is meant to be revealed to us. This will come out, with God's help,  in the chapters to come. The importance of this point is emphasized here by the statement that it is when the Four Living Creatures bring forth their praise of the One upon the throne that the twenty four elders of Israel follow their lead to offer their praise of the One who sits upon the throne. The praise that The Twenty-four Elders give here is the praise that embodies corporate repentance for Adam. For it was Adam's failure to praise the One upon the throne as being worthy of Adam's faith in Him as the Creator of all things that brought the judgment of death upon the world. Only the twenty four elders of Israel have the place, the ability and the authority to make this confession on behalf of corporate Adam.