Revelation 4

1 After these things I looked and saw a door opened in heaven; and the first voice that I heard, like a trumpet speaking with me, was one saying, “Come up here, and I will show you the things which must happen after this.”

2 Immediately I was in the Spirit. Behold, there was a throne set in heaven, and one sitting on the throne

3 that looked like a jasper stone and a sardius. There was a rainbow around the throne, like an emerald to look at.

4 Around the throne were twenty-four thrones. On the thrones were twenty-four elders sitting, dressed in white garments, with crowns of gold on their heads.

5 Out of the throne proceed lightnings, sounds, and thunders. There were seven lamps of fire burning before his throne, which are the seven Spirits of God.

6 Before the throne was something like a sea of glass, similar to crystal. In the middle of the throne, and around the throne were four living creatures full of eyes before and behind.

7 The first creature was like a lion, the second creature like a calf, the third creature had a face like a man, and the fourth was like a flying eagle.

8 The four living creatures, each one of them having six wings, are full of eyes around and within. They have no rest day and night, saying, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God, the Almighty, who was and who is and who is to come!”

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,

11 “Worthy are you, our Lord and God, the Holy One, to receive the glory, the honor, and the power, for you created all things, and because of your desire they existed and were created!”

Around Revelation 4

Context

Context for this book is being written. A note appears here only once it names its sources.

AI explanation

Revelation 4 · Written by an AI model · Not reviewed by a theological reader

This explanation was written by an AI model to help you get started. It names no sources and can contain mistakes. Scripture comes first, and context with sources is shown separately on this page.

What this chapter says

A door stands open in heaven. John hears the same trumpet-like voice that spoke to him before: Come up here, and I will show you what must happen after this. Immediately he is in the Spirit, and there is a throne, and someone sitting on it who looks like jasper and sardius. A rainbow, like an emerald, surrounds the throne.

Around it sit twenty-four elders in white with golden crowns. Lightnings, sounds and thunders come from the throne, and seven lamps of fire burn before it. In front of it lies something like a sea of glass, like crystal.

Four living creatures, full of eyes, stand in the middle of the throne and around it: one like a lion, one like a calf, one with a face like a man, and one like a flying eagle. Each has six wings. They never rest, day or night, saying “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God, the Almighty”.

And whenever they give glory, the elders fall down, throw their crowns before the throne, and worship the one who lives forever, because he created all things.

Background

After the letters to the seven assemblies on earth, the scene moves to heaven, to a throne room where worship goes on. The images draw on Old Testament visions of God's throne, such as Isaiah 6 and Ezekiel 1 and 10. Christians differ about who the twenty-four elders are: some see representatives of the people of God, others angelic beings. The chapter sets the stage for the scroll in chapter 5.

About this explanation

Written by Claude Sonnet 5.5, an AI model, on 19 October 2026. It draws on the WEB text and general knowledge and was not checked against sources by a person. Every quotation from Scripture is checked automatically against the WEB text.

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World English Bible. Public-domain source and edition notes