"With these wonderful words John introduces the New Testament church to Old Testament understanding. For the first time in the book of Revelation, here at the very beginning, he is bringing the Old Testament literal types and shadows over into the New Testament fulfillment. The Old Testament was all about natural, physical, earthly types and shadows of kingship and priesthood. Their kings and priests sat on physical thrones and offered animal sacrifices upon brazen altars in temples made with hands. But now John is raising this kingship and priesthood into a higher, spiritual dimension and announces to the saints that Christ now “hath made us kings and priests unto God and His Father.” With this simple beginning John does what we have seen him do constantly throughout the book of Revelation — refer to Old Testament terminology within the context of New Testament spiritual reality! And then, shortly, we are shown another scene."
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"And round about the throne were four and twenty seats: and upon the seats I saw four and twenty elders sitting, clothed in white raiment; and they had on their heads crowns of gold. And out of the throne proceeded lightnings and thunderings and voices: and there were seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, which are the seven spirits of God. And before the throne there was a sea of glass like unto crystal: and in the midst of the throne, and round about the throne, were four beasts full of eyes before and behind” (Rev. 4:4-6).
"Let us get a firm mental picture of this scene which John saw in heaven, in the realm of the Spirit. He saw the throne of God and God sitting on the throne. And in the middle of the throne,"
"He saw the throne of God and God sitting on the throne. And in the middle of the throne, and also encircling the throne, were four beasts, full of eyes in front and behind. Then in a circle around the throne were twenty-four other thrones (called seats in the King James Bible), and on these thrones were twenty-four elders clothed in white robes and with crowns of gold on their heads. In the midst of the throne and of the four beasts, and in the midst of the elders, stood a lamb as it had been slain. Before the throne, evidently between the elders and the throne, stood seven lamps of fire burning. Outside the circle of the elders stood a great multitude of the redeemed from every nation and tribe on earth; they were clothed in white robes and had palm branches in their hands. Around all this were the angels of heaven, an innumerable host — myriads upon myriads, thousands upon thousands. What a scene!"
"In the midst of the throne! The four “Living Creatures” are four manifestations of LIFE — THE LIFE OF THE GOD OF THE THRONE!"
"The four Living Creatures are four expressions of the POWER AND DOMINION OF THE THRONE! If you want to know what the God of the throne is like, then take a look at the four Living Creatures in the midst of the throne. In them (in their symbology) is manifest the attributes of the life of the God of the throne. If you wish to know the nature of the authority, rule, and dominion of the throne, then understand the nature of the four Living Creatures in the midst of the throne, for these embody within themselves the character of the dominion of the God of the throne. Not only do they represent the life and nature of the God of the throne, not only do they express within themselves the character of the dominion of the throne — they likewise reveal the very life, nature, character, and dominion of A-L-L WHO SHARE THE THRONE!"
"The word “beasts” is an unfortunate translation, being necessarily associated in our minds with the brute creation and that which is typified thereby. It is not the Greek word therion which in thirty-five instances in the book of Revelation is translated beast, meaning “a wild and ravenous beast,” thus denoting an animal of ferocious disposition. It is, rather, the Greek word zoon which signifies simply a “living creature”
"The word zoon, however, means living creature, or a creature expressing life. It comes from the root zao from which also is derived the word zoe which is used exclusively in the New Testament in reference to divine life or the life of the ages."
"The four Living Creatures are the four faces of God revealed in His POWER (the lion), GRACE (the calf or ox), WISDOM (the face as a man), and EXALTATION (the flying eagle)!"
"The four Living Creatures are the four-fold nature of God revealed in dominion."
"My spirit thrills with the harmonies of heaven as I contemplate these things and the supernal glories typified by the four Living Creatures unfold within my spiritual understanding, for truly they reveal the nature of throneship, the realm of God’s omnipotent power and sovereign dominion. They bespeak the position and ministry of KINGSHIP. God REIGNS! The Lamb REIGNS! The four Living Creatures REIGN! The overcomers REIGN! The manchild REIGNS! All are therefore IN THE THRONE!"