Jump Start # 2957

Revelation 4:10 “the twenty-four elders will fall down before Him who sits on the throne, and will worship Him who lives for ever and ever, and will cast their crowns before the throne, saying”

Revelation four has always been a favorite of mine. This visionary chapter begins with John seeing a door standing open in Heaven. That very idea is amazing. A closed door means keep out. A locked door means you can’t get in. But here, the door is open. It’s inviting. God is wanting John to see what’s on the other side. God is giving John a peek into Heaven.

A peek into Heaven. Wouldn’t we all like that? A postcard from Heaven. A snapshot of Heaven. We have so many questions about what it will be like. What will we do, some have asked. Will we recognize each other, some are concerned about. Some have a very worldly, selfish, and even unbiblical imagination about Heaven. They think that there will be sail boats, puppy dogs, kids flying kites, people picking flowers, chocolate fountains, and endless fun. Fun, fun, fun is the key word in how most see Heaven. Go-carts, rock climbing, amazing food that’s how so many want Heaven. They want an amusement park. They want an eternal vacation. Some have even built belief systems and written books around these kind of ideas.

John got to see. The door was opened and he took a look. And, what we have in Revelation four is a purely divine realm. Immediately, John sees God. That’s the first thing John saw, God upon His throne. There were living creatures and twenty-four elders, as our verse states. John doesn’t see any other people. What John saw wasn’t a stagnate picture. Things are happening. The creatures are declaring the holiness of God. The twenty-four elders are bowing down. They are throwing their crowns before the throne. They are declaring the honor of God.

There are some lessons we take from these twenty-four elders:

First, whether they represent the O.T. and the N.T. combined, or leadership in God’s kingdom, being twelve and twelve, they understand their place. They bow before the throne. The one on the throne is greater than they are. They are not to be worshipped. They are not standing right beside the throne. They bow. They recognize the greatness and grandeur of God.

Second, they cast their crowns before the throne. The twenty-four elders were sitting on thrones. They have crowns upon their heads. Thrones and crowns make us think of rulers, authorities, kings. Yet, in the presence of God, they get off of their throne and bow. They take off their crowns and cast them before God’s throne. They are nothing. They are not important. Their value is not remembered. It is God. It is always about God.

Third, they verbally declare that God is worthy to receive all glory, honor and power. It is because of God that all things were created. They recognize that. They express that. Whatever they did to receive their thrones and crowns is nothing compared to God.

And, right here, in this first look into Heaven, John is shown a powerful, powerful example of humility. John didn’t wear a crown. John didn’t sit on a throne. He was a former fisherman that became a preacher of righteousness. And, what does he see? He sees not one, but all twenty-four elders bowing and casting their crowns before God.

What a great lesson and picture for us. We need to remember our place. We need to be humble. The credit does not go to us, but to the Lord. It is God who gives the increase. We are but tools of the Lord. So, it is time for us to come off of our thrones and realize that we are before the Lord. Our degrees, our achievements do not matter when it comes to the Lord. Titles that we have earned, are nothing more than crowns. They may impress each other, but before the Lord, we must lay them at His throne. We do not stand before the throne, we bow. We come not singing our song, but honoring Him who is before all.

We owe our lives and our eternity to the Lord. What a great picture. Off the thrones. Bowing down. Rolling those crowns before the Lord. We are nothing. He is everything. I am His and He is mine!

Our worship, our homes and our lives need to reflect this picture that John has given to us in words. Twenty-four, rising off their thrones, bowing down before the Lord, and casting their crowns before Him.

He is everything. He is all.

Roger