John was called to this scene by a trumpet sound v.1,Waiting for response for Revelation 4:1 just as the saints will be awakened from the dead by a trumpet call (1 Corinthians 15:52),Waiting for response for 1 Corinthians 15:52 with the faithful invited to enter the political heavens to reign with Christ v.1.Waiting for response for Revelation 4:1 Immediately John was in spirit v.2,Waiting for response for Revelation 4:2 representative of all those who will be changed to Spirit nature. He saw Jesus upon his throne and it is significant that the aura around him was like a jasper and a sardine stone v.3Waiting for response for Revelation 4:3 because the first of these is sky blue, or heavenly, while the second is flesh coloured, so that these two together represent the divine and human aspects of Christ. The saints are represented by twenty four elders to show that they will be priests as well as kings Revelation 1:6,Waiting for response for Revelation 1:6 for David organised the priesthood into twenty four orders (1 Chronicles 24:1-19),Waiting for response for 1 Chronicles 24:1-19 and they are dressed in white raiment, representing their righteousness, and crowned with gold, representing their faith v.4.Waiting for response for Revelation 4:4 The saints are also the Israel of God which is consistently represented in the scriptures by four living creatures v.6Waiting for response for Revelation 4:6 with four faces v.7Waiting for response for Revelation 4:7 which are those of the cherubim upon the mercy seat of the ark of the covenant, the four standards of the camp of Israel, and the four aspects of Jesus presented in the Gospels. When Jesus and the saints reign, instead of the nations being in turmoil as “the sea and waves roaring” Luke 21:25,Waiting for response for Luke 21:25 they will be at peace and like “a sea of glass” v.6.Waiting for response for Revelation 4:6 Jesus will then be a manifestation of God in the earth and all the saints will honour him vs.8-11.Waiting for response for Revelation 4:8-11
“there was a rainbow about the throne”. The rainbow was given to Noah as the sign of God’s covenant that He would never again destroy the earth with a flood. The symbol is here re-deployed to again signify the unchangeableness of God’s covenant but this time with respect to the throne over Israel. This was the throne of the Davidic Covenant.
“out of the throne proceeded lightnings and thunderings and voices”. The awesome and frightening power displayed during a thunderstorm is used appropriately to describe the dramatic and frightening storm when God’s pent up fury is unleashed with awesome power upon the wicked nations. These appropriately describe the unleashing of the judgments of God via the saints.
In chapters 4 & 5 John describes the vision he had of Jesus and the saints in future glory.