I Looked, And Behold!

After completion of the seven letters to the churches in chapters 2 and 3, the book moves it’s setting into Heaven itself (Rev 4:1). John is invited to see into the divine court of God himself. The ESV says, “After this I looked, and behold…”. If you are familiar with the Old Testament book of Daniel, this phrase will remind of you Daniel’s own vision in Daniel 7 where he says in 7:2, “I saw in my vision by night, and behold…”. Again in 7:6 he says, “After this  I looked, and behold…”. In 7:2 he says, “After this I saw in the night visions, and behold…”.  Finally in 7:13 Daniel says, “I saw in the night visions, and behold…”

The similarities between Rev 4 and Dan 7 are unmistakable and only deepen from there. Rev 4:3-4 gives a vision of God on his throne with other thrones along with him as does Daniel 7:9. Rev 4:6 opens up talking about four living creatures matching up nicely with Dan 7:3 which describes four great beasts. In both Revelation and Daniel these four creatures/beasts are described in dramatic language which makes it clear that these are supernatural entities.

But there is a stark difference between Dan 7 and Rev 4 when it comes to these beasts. In Daniel 7 these beasts are depicted as chaotic, coming out of the sea, ferocious, arrogant. They are said to represent kingdoms of earth in opposition to God and against God’s people. In the book of Daniel, these beasts are judged and their dominion is stripped and given to the “Son of Man” (Dan 7:12 and Dan 7:14). In contrast, the creatures in Rev 4 are rather worshipping God (Rev 4:8). And when these creatures worship, the elders enthroned with God worship as well and declare God as Worthy. This same characteristic of Worthiness will be attributed to Jesus (the lamb) in Rev 5:9.

So what is the point of all this? Daniel was writing as an exile in Babylon. He was among a people who were oppressed by the nations of the world (the four beasts of his vision) and his vision showed him a day when God would judge the nations and give all authority to a “Son of Man”. John’s vision in Rev 4 (and later in Rev 5) shows us that the Son of Man has arrived, conquered, and is in control in the person of Jesus. The Creatures in Revelation do not rebel as did those in Dan 7 but rather sit in submission to God. The lamb who was slain is ‘worthy’ to do the work of God. (In Daniel, this means to judge with authority.  In Rev 5 this will mean open the scrolls which is a metaphor for pronouncing God’s judgment.) This identifies the Lamb of Revelation with the Son of Man from Daniel because in both renderings, the Son of Man/Lamb are given authority to carry out God’s divine work.

When we say, “Jesus is Lord”, we are saying something that is overwhelmingly packed with the deepest of meaning. He is God and He is Our God. All authority in Heaven and earth are his (Matt 28). But unlike the false Gods and the rulers of this world, he calls us to share in his glorious victory (see Daniel 7:18, 21) and sit with him in his exaltation (Eph 2:6).  Chapter 4 (and 5) of Revelation are a gift to the reader.

Chapters 2 and 3 were convicting to us as a church and rightly so.  Chapters 6 onward contain some frightening images of judgment. But Rev 4 invites us to rest in the knowledge that our God, in Christ (the Lamb, the Son of Man), is the judge. And despite our sins from chapters 2 and 3, if we commit and hold to a life of repentant and worshipful submission to our God, we will persevere through the trials of the 7 seals and celebrate with him at the marriage supper of the lamb (Rev 19:6-9).