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<TITLE>Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary on the Whole Bible [Revelation IV].</TITLE>
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<center><h1>Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary
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on the Whole Bible</h1>
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<h3><a href="http://www.biblesnet.com" target="_blank">Back to Biblesnet.com Home Page</a>
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[<A HREF="MHC00000.HTM">Table of Contents</A>]<BR>
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Matthew Henry<BR><I>Commentary on the Whole Bible</I> (1721)
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<CENTER>
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<BR><FONT SIZE=+3><B>R E V E L A T I O N.</B></FONT>
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<BR>
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<BR><FONT SIZE=+2>CHAP. IV.</FONT>
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<HR SIZE=1 WIDTH=50>
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<FONT SIZE=-1>
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<P>
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In this chapter the prophetical scene opens; and, as the epistolary
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part opened with a vision of Christ
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(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Re+1:1-20"><I>ch.</I> i.</A>),
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so this part is introduced with a glorious appearance of the great God,
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whose throne is in heaven, compassed about with the heavenly host.
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This discovery was made to John, and in this chapter he,
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I. Records the heavenly sight he saw,
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Re+4:1-7">ver. 1-7</A>.
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And then,
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II. The heavenly songs he heard,
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Re+4:8-11">ver. 8, to the end</A>.</P>
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<A NAME="Sec1"> </A>
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<TABLE WIDTH="100%" BORDER=0>
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<TR><TD><FONT SIZE=+1><I>The Vision of Heaven.</I></FONT></TD>
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<TD ALIGN=RIGHT VALIGN=BOTTOM><FONT SIZE=-1>A. D.</FONT> 95.</TD></TR>
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<TR><TD COLSPAN=2><HR SIZE=1></TD></TR>
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</TABLE>
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<P>
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<FONT SIZE=+1>1 After this I looked, and, behold, a door <I>was</I> opened in
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heaven: and the first voice which I heard <I>was</I> as it were of a
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trumpet talking with me; which said, Come up hither, and I will
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show thee things which must be hereafter.
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2 And immediately I was in the spirit: and, behold, a throne
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was set in heaven, and <I>one</I> sat on the throne.
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3 And he that sat was to look upon like a jasper and a sardine
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stone: and <I>there was</I> a rainbow round about the throne, in sight
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like unto an emerald.
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4 And round about the throne <I>were</I> four and twenty seats: and
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upon the seats I saw four and twenty elders sitting, clothed in
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white raiment; and they had on their heads crowns of gold.
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5 And out of the throne proceeded lightnings and thunderings
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and voices: and <I>there were</I> seven lamps of fire burning before
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the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God.
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6 And before the throne <I>there was</I> a sea of glass like unto
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crystal: and in the midst of the throne, and round about the
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throne, <I>were</I> four beasts full of eyes before and behind.
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7 And the first beast <I>was</I> like a lion, and the second beast
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like a calf, and the third beast had a face as a man, and the
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fourth beast <I>was</I> like a flying eagle.
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8 And the four beasts had each of them six wings about <I>him;</I>
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and <I>they were</I> full of eyes within--
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</FONT></P>
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<P>
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We have here an account of a second vision with which the apostle John
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was favoured: <I>After this,</I> that is, not only "after I had seen
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the vision of Christ walking in the midst of the golden candlesticks,"
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but "after I had taken his messages from his mouth, and written and
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sent them to the several churches, according to his command, after this
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I had another vision." Those who well improve the discoveries they have
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had of God already are prepared thereby for more, and may expect them.
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Observe,</P>
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<P>
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I. The preparation made for the apostle's having this vision.</P>
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<P>
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1. <I>A door was opened in heaven.</I> Hence we learn,
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(1.) Whatever is transacted on earth is first designed and settled in
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heaven; there is the model of all the works of God; all of them are
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therefore before his eye, and he lets the inhabitants of heaven see as
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much of them as is fit for them.
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(2.) We can know nothing of future events but what God is pleased to
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discover to us; they are within the veil, till God opens the door. But,
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(3.) So far as God reveals his designs to us we may and ought to
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receive them, and not pretend to be wise above what is revealed.</P>
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<P>
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2. To prepare John for the vision, a trumpet was sounded, and he was
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called up into heaven, to have a sight there of the things which were
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to be hereafter. He was called into the third heavens.
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(1.) There is a way opened into the holiest of all, into which the sons
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of God may enter by faith and holy affections now, in their spirits
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when they die, and in their whole persons at the last day.
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(2.) We must not intrude into the secret of God's presence, but stay
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till we are called up to it.</P>
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<P>
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3. To prepare for this vision, <I>the apostle was in the Spirit.</I> He
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was in a rapture, as before
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(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Re+1:10"><I>ch.</I> i. 10</A>),
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whether in the body or out of the body we cannot tell; perhaps he
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himself could not; however all bodily actions and sensations were for a
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time suspended, and his spirit was possessed with the spirit of
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prophecy, and wholly under a divine influence. The more we abstract
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ourselves from all corporeal things the more fit we are for communion
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with God; the body is a veil, a cloud, and clog to the mind in its
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transactions with God. We should as it were forget it when we go in
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before the Lord in duty, and be willing to drop it, that we may go up
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to him in heaven. This was the <I>apparatus</I> to the vision. Now
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observe,</P>
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<P>
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II. The vision itself. It begins with the strange sights that the
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apostle saw, and they were such as these:--
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1. He saw <I>a throne set in heaven,</I> the seat of honour, and
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authority, and judgment. Heaven is the throne of God; there he resides
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in glory, and thence he gives laws to the church and to the whole
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world, and all earthly thrones are under the jurisdiction of this
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throne that is set in heaven.
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2. He saw a glorious one upon the throne. This throne was not empty;
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there was one in it who filled it, and that was God, who is here
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described by those things that are most pleasant and precious in our
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world: <I>His countenance was like a jasper and a sardine-stone;</I> he
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is not described by any human features, so as to be represented by an
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image, but only by his transcendent brightness. This jasper is a
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transparent stone, which yet offers to the eye a variety of the most
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vivid colours, signifying the glorious perfections of God; the
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sardine-stone is red, signifying the justice of God, that essential
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attribute of which he never divests himself in favour of any, but
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gloriously exerts it in the government of the world, and especially of
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the church, through our Lord Jesus Christ. This attribute is displayed
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in pardoning as well as in punishing, in saving as well as in
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destroying sinners.
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3. He saw <I>a rainbow about the throne, like unto an emerald,</I>
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Re+4:3"><I>v.</I> 3</A>.
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The rainbow was the seal and token of the covenant of the providence
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that God made with Noah and his posterity with him, and is a fit emblem
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of that covenant of promise that God has made with Christ as the head
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of the church, and all his people in him, which covenant is as the
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waters of Noah unto God, an everlasting covenant, ordered in all things
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and sure. This rainbow looked like <I>the emerald;</I> the most
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prevailing colour was a pleasant green, to show the reviving and
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refreshing nature of the new covenant.
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4. He saw <I>four-and-twenty seats</I> round about the throne, not
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empty, but filled with <I>four-and-twenty elders,</I> presbyters,
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representing, very probably, the whole church of God, both in the
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Old-Testament and in the New-Testament state; not the ministers of the
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church, but rather the representatives of the people. Their sitting
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denotes their honour, rest, and satisfaction; their sitting about the
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throne signifies their relation to God, their nearness to him, the
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sight and enjoyment they have of him. <I>They are clothed in white
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raiment,</I> the righteousness of the saints, both imputed and
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inherent; <I>they had on their heads crowns of gold,</I> signifying the
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honour and authority given them of God, and the glory they have with
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him. All these may in a lower sense be applied to the gospel church on
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earth, in its worshipping assemblies; and, in the higher sense, to the
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church triumphant in heaven.
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5. He perceived lightnings and voices proceeding out of the throne;
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that is, the awful declarations that God makes to his church of his
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sovereign will and pleasure. Thus he gave forth the law on mount Sinai;
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and the gospel has not less glory and authority than the law, though it
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be of a more spiritual nature.
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6. He saw <I>seven lamps of fire burning before the throne,</I> which
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are explained to be <I>the seven Spirits of God</I>
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(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Re+4:5"><I>v.</I> 5</A>),
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the various gifts, graces, and operations of the Spirit of God in the
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churches of Christ; these are all dispensed according to the will and
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pleasure of him who sits upon the throne.
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7. He saw <I>before the throne a sea of glass, like unto crystal.</I>
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As in the temple there was a great vessel of brass filled with water,
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in which the priests were to wash when they went to minister before the
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Lord (and this was called a <I>sea</I>), so in the gospel church the
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sea or laver for purification is the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ,
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who cleanses from all sin, even from sanctuary-sins. In this all those
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must be washed that are admitted into the gracious presence of God on
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earth or his glorious presence in heaven.
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8. He saw <I>four animals,</I> living creatures, between the throne and
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the circle of elders (as seems most probable), standing between God and
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the people; these seem to signify the ministers of the gospel, not only
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because of this their situation nearer to God, and between him and the
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elders or representatives of the Christian people, and because fewer in
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number than the people, but as they are here described,
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(1.) By their many eyes, denoting sagacity, vigilance, and
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circumspection.
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(2.) By their lion-like courage, their great labour and diligence (in
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which they resemble the ox), their prudence and discretion becoming
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men, and their sublime affections and speculations, by which they mount
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up <I>with wings like eagles towards heaven</I>
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(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Re+4:7"><I>v.</I> 7</A>),
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and these wings full of eyes within, to show that in all their
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meditations and ministrations they are to act with knowledge, and
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especially should be well acquainted with themselves and the state of
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their own souls, and see their own concern in the great doctrines and
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duties of religion, watching over their own souls as well as the souls
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of the people.
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(3.) By their continual employment, and that is, praising God, and not
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ceasing to do so night and day. The elders sit and are ministered unto;
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these stand and minister: they rest not night nor day. This now leads
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to the other part of the representation.</P>
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<A NAME="Re4_8b"> </A>
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<A NAME="Re4_9"> </A>
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<A NAME="Re4_10"> </A>
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<A NAME="Re4_11"> </A>
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<A NAME="Sec2"> </A>
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<TABLE WIDTH="100%" BORDER=0>
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<TR><TD><FONT SIZE=+1><I>The Vision of Heaven.</I></FONT></TD>
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<TD ALIGN=RIGHT VALIGN=BOTTOM><FONT SIZE=-1>A. D.</FONT> 95.</TD></TR>
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<TR><TD COLSPAN=2><HR SIZE=1></TD></TR>
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</TABLE>
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<P>
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<FONT SIZE=+1>--8 And they rest not day and night, saying, Holy, holy,
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holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come.
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9 And when those beasts give glory and honour and thanks to him
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that sat on the throne, who liveth for ever and ever,
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10 The four and twenty elders fall down before him that sat on
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the throne, and worship him that liveth for ever and ever, and
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cast their crowns before the throne, saying,
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11 Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and
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power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure
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they are and were created.
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</FONT></P>
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<P>
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We have considered the sights that the apostle saw in heaven: now let
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us observe the songs that he heard, for there is in heaven not only
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that to be seen which will highly please a sanctified eye, but there is
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that to be heard which will greatly delight a sanctified ear. This is
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true concerning the church of Christ here, which is a heaven upon
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earth, and it will be eminently so in the church made perfect in the
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heaven of heavens.</P>
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<P>
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I. He heard the song of the four living creatures, of the ministers of
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the church, which refers to the prophet Isaiah's vision,
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Isa+6:1-13 "><I>ch.</I> vi</A>.
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And here,
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1. They adore one God, and one only, <I>the Lord God Almighty,</I>
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unchangeable and everlasting.
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2. They adore three holies in this one God, the Holy Father, the Holy
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Son, and the Holy Spirit; and these are one infinitely holy and eternal
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Being, who sits upon the throne, <I>and lives for ever and ever.</I> In
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this glory the prophet saw Christ, and spoke of him.</P>
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<P>
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II. He heard the adorations of the <I>four-and-twenty elders,</I> that
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is, of the Christian people represented by them; the ministers led, and
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the people followed, in the praises of God,
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Re+4:10,11"><I>v.</I> 10, 11</A>.
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Here observe,</P>
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<P>
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1. The object of their worship, the same with that which the ministers
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adored: <I>Him that sat on the throne,</I> the eternal everliving God.
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The true church of God has one and the same object of worship. Two
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different objects of worship, either co-ordinate or sub-ordinate, would
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confound the worship and divide the worshippers. It is unlawful to join
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in divine worship with those who either mistake or multiply the object.
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There is but one God, and he alone, as God, is worshipped by the church
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on earth and in heaven.</P>
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<P>
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2. The acts of adoration.
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(1.) They <I>fell down before him that sat on the throne;</I> they
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discovered the most profound humility, reverence, and godly fear.
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(2.) They <I>cast their crowns before the throne;</I> they gave God the
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glory of the holiness wherewith he had crowned their souls on earth and
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the honour and happiness with which he crowns them in heaven. They owe
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all their graces and all their glories to him, and acknowledge that his
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crown is infinitely more glorious than theirs, and that it is their
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glory to be glorifying God.</P>
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<P>
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3. The words of adoration: they said, <I>Thou art worthy, O Lord, to
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receive glory, and honour, and power,</I>
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Re+4:11"><I>v.</I> 11</A>.
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Observe,
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(1.) They do not say, <I>We give thee glory, and honour, and power;</I>
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for what can any creature pretend to give unto God? But they say,
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<I>thou art worthy to receive glory.</I>
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(2.) In this they tacitly acknowledge that God is exalted far above all
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blessing and praise. He was worthy to receive glory, but they were not
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worthy to praise, nor able to do it according to his infinite
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excellences.</P>
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<P>
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4. We have the ground and reason of their adoration, which is
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threefold:--
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(1.) He is the Creator of all things, the first cause; and none but the
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Creator of all things should be adored; no made thing can be the object
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of religious worship.
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(2.) He is the preserver of all things, and his preservation is a
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continual creation; they are created still by the sustaining power of
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God. All beings but God are dependent upon the will and power of God,
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and no dependent being must be set up as an object of religious
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worship. It is the part of the best dependent beings to be worshippers,
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not to be worshipped.
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(3.) He is the final cause of all things: <I>For thy pleasure they are
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and were created.</I> It was his will and pleasure to create all
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things; he was not put upon it by the will of another; there is no such
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thing as a subordinate creator, that acts under and by the will and
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power of another; and, if there were, he ought not to be worshipped. As
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God made all things at his pleasure, so he made them for his pleasure,
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to deal with them as he pleases and to glorify himself by them one way
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or other. Though he delights not in the death of sinners, but rather
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that they should turn and live, <I>yet he hath made all things for
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himself,</I>
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Pr+16:4">Prov. xvi. 4</A>.
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Now if these be true and sufficient grounds for religious worship, as
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they are proper to God alone, Christ must needs be God, one with the
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Father and Spirit, and be worshipped as such; for we find the same
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causality ascribed to him.
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Col+1:16,17">Col. i. 16, 17</A>,
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<I>All things were created by him and for him, and he is before all
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things, and by him all things consist.</I></P>
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<!-- (End Body) -->
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<HR>
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<TABLE WIDTH="100%">
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<TR>
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<TD ALIGN="LEFT" VALIGN="TOP">
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[<A HREF="MHC00000.HTM">Table of Contents</A>]<BR>
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[<A HREF="MHC66003.HTM">Previous</A>]
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Matthew Henry<BR><I>Commentary on the Whole Bible</I> (1721)
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